Documentary on grottoes site achieves success

CHANGSHA — Li Zhenya is still getting used to his videography team's success. Especially, since he only heard criticism when they first set out to make their pioneering documentary.

That documentary, Glory is Back, tells captivating tales about the cultural artifacts found in Dunhuang, a city in Gansu province renowned as the location of the Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Since its release, the film has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the public.

Li's cinematic journey began in 2015, when he and his friends formed a creative videography team in an industrial park in Changsha in Hunan province.

As the team's director, Li has a deep interest in bridging the gap between museums and young people. He believes that although some youth are intrigued by cultural heritage, they feel overwhelmed by the depth of knowledge required to truly appreciate the exhibits in museums and cultural centers.

"Our team hopes to use our skills to encourage more young people to enjoy museums, and transcend the barriers of time and space," Li said, adding that he was seeking to make a new style of Chinese documentary that combines the lightheartedness of a variety show with the insight offered by museums.

The first challenge the team faced was determining how to present cultural heritage in an innovative fashion. Immersing themselves in a sea of cultural and historical information, they read widely to learn as much as possible.

It didn't take long for them to realize that the disconnect between Changsha and Dunhuang extended beyond physical distance. A couple of team members resigned due to the difficulty of adapting the sheer quantity of information on cultural artifacts and museology in Dunhuang into a TV show.

During sleepless nights, Li found solace in memories of the "cultural guardians" he met during a field trip to the Dunhuang Academy. "For documentaries, they are the best guides one could ask for," Li said.

With the support of a group of professionals from diverse disciplines and specialties, the team swiftly developed their creative concept. Using re-enactments, computer graphics, animation and other storytelling methods, they skillfully recreated scenes from ancient life, incorporating music, food, sports and other aspects of ancient life found in literature.

"After watching Glory is Back, it felt like I had traveled back in time and encountered the ancients," said Lin Yin, a fan of the documentary.

Buoyed by the success of their first cultural program, which seamlessly merges exhibits and videography, the team has embarked on a journey to create other programs at more historical sites across China.

"We aim to deepen our understanding of culture, which will allow us to create a platform for interaction between traditional culture and the younger generations," Li said.

Xinhua