A six-episode documentary series provides a glimpse into China's rural revitalization efforts and village life. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The newly released documentary series Life in the Fields is resonating with audiences across China, offering a window into the nation's rural vitalization efforts and the lives of ordinary villagers, according to its chief director.
Since premiering on Jan 7, the six-episode series has garnered attention for its portrayal of agriculture, ecology, culture, industry, talent development, and holistic human progress unfolding in China's vast countryside.
Over three years in the making, the film crew embarked on a journey crisscrossing nearly 100 villages nationwide to capture the multifaceted portrait of China's rural transformation.
"The documentary captures the stories of the people and their experiences, as well as the changes that are occurring in the villages. We hope that everyone can see and feel the changes that are taking place," said Qin Bo, the chief director of the documentary.
Through extensive on-the-ground research and nearly a year spent living in villages, the filmmakers employed creative cinematography and a documentarian style to record the lives, challenges, and transformations occurring in China's vast countryside.
Image of a rural Chinese village showcased in the documentary series. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
"For me, 2022 was a year of deep immersion into village life," said Yang Yipin, one of the directors of the documentary. "I felt a strong pull toward the rural roots, which perhaps stems from my happy childhood experiences in villages, the influence of rural literature, my love of nature, or China's millennia-old agrarian civilization".
Yang cited fruit farmer Peng Hong from Panzhihua in Sichuan province as an example of the film's ethos to highlight ordinary people. Peng has been recognized for successfully growing high-quality mangoes that have appeared at various agriculture expos and graced shelves across the country.
"This question of why mainstream an ordinary person's story guided my filming," said Yang. "However, the fruits created by the people will ultimately benefit the people — is this not the core philosophy of common prosperity?"
An international edition aired last December across Asia, the Middle East and Africa on National Geographic channels, enabling a global audience to transcend borders and gain insight into China's rural vitalization progress.
The series premiered domestically on Jan 7, airing every Tuesday night across major broadcast and online platforms, including Dragon TV, Southeast TV and Tencent Video.
