documentary "mawangdui: immortal years" - fireworks across thousands of years
2024-09-04
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poster of "mawangdui: immortal years".
stills from "mawangdui: immortal years".
(the pictures in this article are provided by the producer)
in recent years, hunan radio and television has launched a number of excellent documentaries with diverse themes, including "people's leader mao zedong", "shen congwen and xiangxi", "china", and "yuelu academy". this time, hunan radio and television and bojing culture, which is responsible for the "china" trilogy, have joined hands again to take mawangdui as the theme, unraveling the cocoon and dissecting a sparrow, presenting the prosperity of the market behind a dynasty, and thus presenting the rich spirit of the chinese people since ancient times.
mawangdui, as an important archaeological discovery in china, is not the first time that it has been made into a documentary. innovation requires radical change. the beginning of the documentary "mawangdui: immortal years" is very innovative. hunan museum, as the home of mawangdui, has become the "studio" of the documentary this time; the explanations of the museum guides have replaced the conventional expert interviews and become the background knowledge of the cultural relics; the tourists' comments and exclamations seem to be casual tidbits, but in fact they become footnotes to the film, thus creating a unique way to open the documentary.
as the camera moves forward, the audience seems to travel through a time tunnel, immersively experiencing the excavation process of the mawangdui han tomb, witnessing the thrilling moment when mrs. xin zhui's coffin was opened layer by layer, and marveling at the daily life of a gorgeous family.
i think the ultimate mission of all archaeological documentaries is not only to explore the past lives of ancient artifacts, but also to illuminate the present lives of people and help them find the coordinates of time. in the long river of history, modern people are not isolated, but are the superposition of countless historical fragments that have come before.
the atmosphere of fireworks is the unique and ingenious content of this film.
the 8-episode documentary, in addition to the modern extension content in the last two episodes, spends a considerable amount of space to show the daily life of the owner of the mawangdui tomb: from the types of dishes on the bamboo slips, to the "lucky food" and "lucky wine" on the lacquer plates and cups with lacquer handles, to the numerous unearthed lacquerware, accessories, brocade clothes, civet cat patterns, wooden combs, silk books... each cultural relic is not only a witness to history, but also a bridge connecting the past and the present. they reflect the ancient people's pursuit of quality life and reflect the worldview and cultural temperament of ancient society.
the han people were close to the land and emphasized farming, and they valued rest and recuperation over labor. before foreign religions entered china, the han people projected the most simple pursuit and yearning for worldly life, which is reflected in the han dynasty pottery figurines unearthed in various places, all of which show the scenes of raising pigs, burning wood, making fires, and cooking. it is also reflected in the han dynasty folk songs, which are the cheerful tunes of a large number of folk labors. this is the flavor of life and the ordinary daily life of the han people.
"mawangdui: immortal years" creates a fireworks atmosphere that spans thousands of years. cooking, traveling, and partying, a vibrant life scene of the han dynasty aristocracy is reproduced before the eyes of the world. raising pets, fitness, horse-looking, and philosophical thinking, the face of a han dynasty chinese with broad interests and diverse hobbies is becoming clearer. this is the exquisite interpretation angle of this documentary. most of the kings, generals, talented men and beautiful women have been submerged in the torrent of history, but a bowl of rice, a jug of water, a silk dress, a lacquer plate, those utensils that carry daily fireworks, remain in the genes of national memory.
the sixth episode, huang-lao, is eye-opening. this is the spiritual world of the ancients that transcends material life. across thousands of years, the ancestors' health preservation, horse selection, meridians, witch doctors, divination, astrology, huang-lao philosophy, and thoughts on the natural world are vividly displayed on the screen. mawangdui: immortal years, with the noisy flow of visitors, step by step walks into the exquisite and hot life of the ancient chinese, and then into the pure and warm spiritual world of the ancients, resonating across space and generating a strong sense of cultural identity.
the documentary "mawangdui: immortality of time" also highlights its character in the pursuit of tone. the contrast between light and dark, movement and stillness, and ancient and modern times is brought to the extreme: on one hand, there is the surging crowd in the museum, on the other hand, the cultural relics in the tomb have been lying for thousands of years; on one hand, there is the noisy explanation of the audience, on the other hand, there is the quiet silence of the cultural relics, this time and that time, flow and immortality... such a contrast makes people feel trance. through this technique of interweaving time and space and combining reality and illusion, the audience is slowly drawn to the prosperous world of the early han dynasty, so that the modern and ancient times form a clever fusion in vision.
archaeology has always been a rich source of documentary themes. for archaeological documentaries to stand out and be innovative, in addition to hard themes and new angles, new means and new technologies are also needed. technical means have become the hard-core means of presenting documentary themes. "mawangdui: immortal years" is also an innovation of "technology + culture". through the combination of documentary shooting, painting and cg special effects, the details and beauty of cultural relics are fully magnified, greatly enhancing the viewing experience. under the high-definition lens, the flowing cloud patterns and color details of the four-layer coffin of mrs. xin zhui are vividly presented, and the movements of the auspicious beasts and gods are clearly discernible and lifelike. the documentary also truly restores the grand occasion of xin zhui's family sitting and feasting and the elegant life behind each exquisite lacquerware, truly restores the life style and aesthetic pursuit of the western han dynasty, and presents a feast of vision and knowledge to the audience.
the sense of technology is also reflected in the interactive experience between the work and the audience on the internet. mawangdui: immortal years innovatively uses technologies such as 3d reconstruction to extend the presentation dimension of historical culture. audiences can scan the exclusive qr code in the documentary to view the 3d version of the corresponding cultural relics, observe the details of the cultural relics from all angles, and extract elements from the cultural relics for secondary creation according to their preferences. this form of "technology + culture" breaks the invisible boundary between traditional documentaries and audiences, allowing historical culture to be inherited and carried forward in a more vivid and diverse form.
a good documentary is like opening a window, letting in a ray of light. the mottled light and shadows inspire endless reverie and attract more people to embark on a journey of exploration. "mawangdui: immortality of time" is not only a tribute to history, but also a profound interpretation of cultural inheritance and innovation. from the ancients' outlook on life to their outlook on life and death, "mawangdui: immortality of time" reveals the profound meaning of "immortality", which is the immortality of cultural relics, the immortality of the colorful years, and the immortality of chinese people's thoughts and culture.
(the author is the vice chairman of the china television artists association and the chairman of the documentary academic committee of the china television artists association)
(source: people's daily overseas edition)
