Tan Yifan

    cicitan2011@gmail.com

    THE future might be hard to visualize for Deng Bochao, a filmmaker with only three years’ experience, but he has become very familiar with the past since taking those years to explore the roots of a certain clan — filming their rituals and daily lives and editing it into a documentary, titled “Nation in Romance.”

    It won’t be a romance for the whole nation, however, and it might not even be romantic. For Deng Bochao, the director of the film, and his producer Deng Shijie, the tone of the film should include a mixture of bitterness and sarcasm, because the “origin of a clan is so vulnerable when faced up against the ravaging of today’s modern urbanization,” said Deng Bochao. The realization of the decay of traditional culture that has passed by this generation came earlier for Deng when he worked on his debut, a short documentary, which was later screened at the Shenzhen Art de Vivre University Student Film Festival. Deng Shijie continued to think about these issues when he met then 25-year-old Deng Bochao and began a deep discussion on humanity’s roots and future.

    Beginnings of a filmmaker

    After graduating from Hainan University, Deng became a director and producer and developed a habit of filming everything that drew his attention. He likes carrying his video camera wherever he goes, even when out for a date with friends. “It [the camera] has become a faithful girlfriend to me,” he joked. “Filmmaking needs inspiration as well as good memories. Without the help of the storage capacity, I couldn’t piece together all the mementos and make impressive clips.”

    The days after graduation were stressful and confusing for him, because he needed to form his own artistic style. “I was poor and uninspired at that time,” said Deng. “All I did was sitting along the sidewalks for hours, observing people’s behavior.”

    “Then one day, when I squatted at one exit of Taoyuan Metro Station, I suddenly got inspired by the fast pace of people passing my camera,” he said. “The passersby were quite cold and indifferent, which seemed to me was a reflection of the loss of love.”

    “As people care more about individuality than the whole, they tend to forget the common value and dreams shared by their ancestors. Sometimes, such neglect may lead to spiritual loss. Thus, it becomes important to know who we are and how we survive as human beings,” he added.

    After he got a chance to visit the Hakka people of Hainan Province, who maintain most of their traditional culture, he realized that only by finding and remembering our roots can we have the strength to chase our dreams and care more about others’ well-being. He then recorded the people’s daily life and edited it as his first documentary. “Making a documentary is a good way to realize my thoughts,” he said. “It’s economical and authentic. What I did was just act as an observer and recorder — simply being faithful to my ‘actors.’”

    A journey to the East

    Shortly after his first documentary became a hit at the film festival, Deng Bochao was introduced to Deng Shijie, a Hakka man who is 4 years his elder and has some experience with film. The latter expressed his gratitude to the director for educating him on Hakka culture and said he wanted to learn more about his roots with Deng Bochao.

    “I was shocked and deeply touched by what Deng had filmed,” said Deng Shijie. “Being a Hakka I felt shamed of not knowing my own culture. I have seen several documentaries of such kind before, but none of them were so exquisite and attractive.”

    After a night’s talk with Deng Bochao, Deng Shijie volunteered to join the film crew of “Nation in Romance” and persuaded a friend to sponsor their dream.

    Deng Shijie decided not to find a job and instead packed his luggage and went on the journey to record the culture of the Hakka people.

    They started in early autumn 2011, from Deng Shijie’s hometown Feng-shun County in Guangdong Province to the east of Liancheng County in Fujian Province.

    “Most of the time we lived at the houses of the villagers,” said Deng Bochao. “It’s difficult to find a Hakka citizen who still practice Hakka rituals. So we stayed in remote areas where the traditional culture hasn’t completely eroded.”

    “We videotaped every detail of their daily life, even when they had small quarrels or family discussions,” he added. “I learned their culture and language during the process and sometimes I even have to be a middleman and drop my camera when there’s some big fight within the family or among different groups.”

    Traveling from one village to another while shouldering heavy cameras was hard for Deng Shijie, who had never walked so much or lived in underdeveloped areas. “I once thought about quitting,” he said. “But I conquered the challenge and was moved by the power of Deng Bochao both physically and mentally… the trip was eye-opening for me, I thought more about who I am and learned a lot through the books we studied and the experiences we had.”

    Never giving up the dream

    “My devotion to producing the documentary has brought a lot of fun and satisfaction to both of us,” said Deng Bochao. “However, we have had various pressures on the way to our goal.”

    “I have often been regarded as a weirdo, for example,” he explained. “It’s hard for my relatives and peers to understand when I spend days in a shabby room, viewing hundreds of thousands of clips, most of which will be deleted and won’t bring me a penny. My life is difficult and poor and it is totally different from the normal life of most of those at my age.”

    But when returning to his studio to work on his film, Deng feels refreshed and rewarded. “I have too many holes inside of me that need to be filled. I need the investment for the film’s post-production and most of all I need to shave and find my love. But when I look at the videotapes, I know I am satisfied with who I am.”

    Deng said his next production might not be a documentary, but no matter what he creates, he loves to remind both himself and his audience of their roots.

    “The film will be finished in June next year. I hope it will pay back what we have invested. But all in all, what we want to see is the echoing in viewers’ minds. You can either choose to stick to your roots or not, but you cannot be a man without a connection to your culture,” Deng Bochao stressed.

    “when I look at the videotapes, I know I am satisfied with who I am.”

    — Deng Bochao, a filmmaker whose documentary “Nation in Romance” will be finished next year