ON JOANNE CHENG DOCUMENTARY TRILOGY 谈程娟纪录片三部曲
The trilogy, the first one is CHINA GOLD RUSH,
An unfolding canvas of modern China, a changing China
Seen through the perspective of China watchers mainly foreigners
The second one MAMAS GOLD , a human interest story,
An intimate portray of orphan’s living in China.
And then the next one, the third one is GOLDEN LOTUS.
Golden Lotus is the name of this bound feet.
It happen to be called “Golden Lotus”.
Sequentially these are the three films.
It has internal through line of a China story,
an intimate Chinese human portrait.
It’s a story seen through the eyes of one individual,
so it’s a very personal story.
But it is a story of a country.
It’s a story of two cultures crushing and embracing each other.
I aim my stories to be local stories but with universal appeal.
MAMAS GOLD embraces the American donor and Chinese Mama.
So it is a story that crosses border.
It has an international kind of reasoning behind it.
ON “GOLD” IN THE TITLE OF MY TRILOGY
Why do I use “Gold” in the title of my trilogy
I was inspired by the Gold Rush back 150 years ago
The Chinese went to America, California particular.
They were digging gold. There was a gold rush
As if there was the new frontier for hope, for new life.
I felt some 150 years later, the western people come to China for gold rush.
They felt this is the new frontier, they can make money.
They can discover new stories.
I come back for new stories.
Economically, China is booming.
Therefore the world’s attention is in China.
Now the east is very bright, the west is coping with it.
I felt this is story.
This is the cosmology point of view.
I felt this gold is a very good analogy to exemplify the wealth here in China.
There is a saying in the United States
or at least my publicist said:
“If you want to know more about China,
you should look at Joanne Cheng’s documentaries”
So I aim to tell a story from personal perspective
but really try to give an idea of what China or today’s China is
all about from the human perspective.
程娟纪录片三部曲
程娟三部曲第一部是《东方淘金》
她宛如一幅横向舒展的现代中国画卷
从“中国通”和外国人视角看中国的大千变化
我的第二部作品是《金娃娃》的人性故事
中国人文肖像－中国孤儿的肖像
我第三部作品是《中国金莲》
女人的缠足在传统意义上就叫“金莲”
贯穿三部作品的主线就是中国故事－
深度细腻的中国人文肖像
影片立意影人个人视角 但讲一个国家的故事
或两种文化冲突融合的故事
我的创作目标是要讲有普世价值观的地域性故事
谈三金片名的由来
为什么三部曲中都有“金”
我受美国旧金山淘金热的启示
150年前中国人涌入美国旧金山淘金
掀起空前的淘金热
那里是希望的前沿 新生的开始
150年后 西方人涌入中国淘金
这里是希望的前沿 可挣到钱
可挖掘新故事
我就回来挖掘新故事了
中国经济繁荣
世界的目光投向中国
现在 东方亮 西方相对暗淡
我想这就是我要讲的故事
宇宙运动变化如此
我觉得“金”的寓意代表了中国财富
我在美国听到有种说法
至少我的外宣顾问这样说
“如果你想了解现在的中国
就应看程娟的纪录片”
我目标是从个人视角讲中国的故事
力图从人文关怀的视点告知中国情况
勾勒现代中国的肖像