Documentário

Charms of Culture, an image communication plan, was proposed by Brazilian RevistaRECURSO in 2000, with an aim to spread the power of culture.

Yanjun Zhang é um fotojornalista militar e Conhecido fotógrafo de retrato, tendo realizado trabalhos para 109 generais famosos na China. Começando em 1998, deixou de especializar em fotografia de retrato para contar histórias através de imagens estáticas e filmes, estudando sobre os impactos e a significância social da imagem.

Linjie Xiao é ançarina e administradora cultural formada na Academia de Danças de Pequim (Beijing Dance Academy). No ano de 2000, Linjie Xiao veio ao Brasil como uma oficiala do Ministério da Cultura da República Popular da China para introduzir a Samba brasileira à China. Em ocasiões onde um fotógrafo e uma dançarina trabalharam lado ao lado, eles acabam focando nas áreas profissionais de cada um, conseguindo gerar diferentes perspectivas ao mesmo tempo e no mesmo local sobre o mesmo fato. Durante os anos de 2000 a 2009, Linjie Xiao acompanhou o fotógrafo Yanjun Zhang durante a produção do seu filme “Encantos da Cultura” no Brasil. Por não haver obrigações de assumir a responsabilidade das filmagens para o documentário em si, ela acabou filmando cidades, paisagens naturais, as populações locais e a vida turística com base nas suas próprias opiniões sobre este país, oferecendo uma nova perspectiva para o tema descrito no filme de Yanjun Zhang.

The documentary film Brazil – Poem of Love (Poemas de Amor do Brasil) with the topic of legendary culture exploration journey of Yanjun Zhang and his wife, as well as their two children later, in Brazil, and the subject of native culture, discusses the social realities of Brazil and describes the cultural strength from the unique perspective of racial cultures integration.

The film perceptually records the multiple and complex cultural phenomena of Brazilian ethnography and presents the racial cultures such as Fandango, coffee, Samba and football which deeply influence Brazil, and the beautiful natural landscapes and mysterious animal paradise of South America.

The first part of the film is themed on celebrations (Festa). Its purpose is to create “collective ebullience”, popular among all regions, rooted in a habitation of certain races and displayed in the traditional form. The film explores racial conflicts for enlarging the power of ethnic groups by way of “prosperity of domain”.

The second part, “Our Sea, the Sea of the World” (A MAR, O MAR) discusses varying viewpoints and social changes. In the first Brazilian town (Cananéia) named by colonists, state modernization and the abolition of slavery haven’t left much impact. From the time when the Portuguese landed to the period when countless expeditions, adventurers, explorers, pirates and sea thieves came and left, the local inhabitants have lost their initial curiosity towards the passers-by. Imported religion has taken the place of their traditional faith and ceremonies and the Indian’s ancient way of life coexists with modern civilization.

The third part, Pantaleiro focuses on the descendants of gold prospectors, who have become a new ethnic group in Brazil. Cherishing and respecting their ancestors, these people live in a paradise isolated by wilderness.

In the isolated Southwestern Mountain area, there lives a minority named “Zhuang”, for which “God” is the only spiritual sustenance. Since the people believe that the “witch” can communicate with God on behalf of them through some kind of “ceremony”, they regard the witch as their “spiritual leader”. The film Privileged Land of Mystery is edited from the image records made by Zhang Yanjun when he traveled in Southwestern Mountain in 2005. For the first time, the mystery and heritage of the people living in the Southwestern Mountain area are exposed to the world.

One day, it turns out that all the mountains here are made from ore. As a result, the roads are built, and a large-scale mining begins. Faced with the inrush of outside civilization, the people have many confusions but can only turn to the “witch” for help.

There are 34 ethnic minorities dwelling in the Southwest Mountain of China in total, each of which boasts of its unique language, religious belief and customs left to be discov- ered by the outside world.

The visit to the southwest mountainous areas last 6 months, during the period of which the factual living and cultural conditions such as the dressing of local nationalities, housing, legends, customs of wedding and funeral, and religious rituals, etc. are recorded in a detailed manner. In addition, 3000 thousands of photos and a video of 120 hours in length were taken and made concerning such information of Gewei Festival, Drum ritual of sacrifice, local customs of expelling evil spirits and dispelling diseases, God-worship at harvest time, loud singing of Pinggou, singing-to-our -content of Dong Nationality and so on.

Except some ethnic minorities in the deep area of the mountain, most of the tribes have been assimilated. They don’t know the connotation and original meaning of “big banyan fig” and Granny Flower (a goddess of Zhuang nationality in charge of the fecundity of human being); they can not sing the folksong of the mountainous areas. They know that bronze drums are historical relic. They don’t know or read their language solely used by their ancestors, but they have a passion for pop music or street funk.

Documentary Roots of Chinese, following the travel of Link Zhang and Viviana Zhang, two Chinese Brazilians, to search for their root in China, describes Brazilian scholars and artists exploring of Chinese culture. By means of perceptual images recorded by Yanjun Zhang, the roots of Chinese culture are presented from a humanistic perspective, in international languages.

In May 2010, upon the approved W.W.H. (2010) No.964, W.W.H. (2010) No.900 and W. M. D. H. [2010] No. 595) by the Chinese Ministry of Culture, is jointly shot by the Brazilian RevistaRECURSO, Center of Ethnic and Folk Literature and Arts development of Ministry of Culture of the P.R.C., China Documentary Research Center (CDRC) of Communication University of China and Brazilian Associação Brasileira dos Produtores Independentes de Televisão (ABPITV), national television, Butanta Research Center, University of Brazil (FIAM/FMU), Editora Sarandi, BeePHOTO Company, etc.