A national political advisor suggests investing more in ethnographic films, which holds potential for cultural exchange and for conveying authentic Chinese stories to the world.

Zheng Qian, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), poses for a photo as she speaks to China.org.cn at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, March 4, 2024. [Photo/China.org.cn]

Zheng Qian, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and deputy curator of the Chinese National Museum of Ethnology, explained to China.org.cn that ethnographic films use standard fieldwork methodologies of ethnology to create documentaries that depict particular cultures and social customs. Over the course of nearly a century, the scope of ethnographic films has expanded from ethnic cultures to include a wide range of areas such as urban communities and industrial societies.

It is precisely because of their scientific and academic objectivity that ethnographic films have a subtle yet profound impact. After China's reform and opening-up, ethnographic films have provided the West with a window to understand China. Works such as "China: Beyond the Clouds" (1994) by Phil Agland have been widely disseminated and praised in the West, promoting Western understanding of Chinese society.

"Today, in the complex international public opinion environment, the scientific and authentic media characteristics of ethnographic films should be highly valued for their functional value in shaping China's image and effectively telling China's stories," said Zheng, who is attending the second session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee scheduled to take place from March 4-10 in Beijing. 

In her opinion, ethnographic films have evolved into a domain of international cultural exchange, creating a global cross-cultural communication system with no fewer than 100 international and local ethnographic film festivals around the world. At the surface level, these films involve academic and cultural dissemination, but essentially, they represent a medium through which different countries showcase their cultural traditions and export cultural resources. This defines a country's cultural status and helps cultivate its voice within international cultural discourse.

However, European and American countries currently hold the dominant position in the international exchange and dissemination of ethnographic films. The international exchange and dissemination of Chinese ethnographic films have not yet fully developed. Without its own international ethnographic film festival, China's ethnographic works can only be sent to the West, subject to Western academic selection and evaluation. Consequently, China lacks a platform to disseminate its cultural concepts and convey messages through ethnographic imagery.

With the hopes of establishing China's own international ethnographic film festival and the Belt and Road Ethnographic Film Festival, among others, Zheng specifically recommended leveraging already established domestic film festivals, such as the Beijing Ethnographic Film Festival launched by the Chinese National Museum of Ethnology in 2015 and the Guangxi Ethnographic Film Festival started by the Anthropology Museum of Guangxi. She also suggested utilizing relevant resources and projects from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's division for the protection of ethnic and folk culture and the China Memory project of the National Library of China. 

"These would create platforms for exchange and cultural competition capable of matching those in European and American countries, and would enhance cultural confidence. At the same time, they would convey China's voice to the world and tell China's story through visual narratives that embody the image of the country," the national political advisor noted. 

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