Under the Same Sky

A Review of Ten Personal Stories： China-UK Youth Exchange Project on Documentary Filmmaking

n the early winter of 2013， a group of special guests visited the CPAFFC during the first seasonal snowfall in Beijing. Lingering in the beautiful snow-covered compound， they wanted to capture everything with their cameras. They became so engrossed in taking pictures that they lost track of time and were late for the meeting.

These unusual guests came from the Department of Film and Media Art of China Central Academy of Fine Arts （CAFA） and Film School of Arts Creative Industries of Edinburgh Napier University of the UK. It was the very day Ten Personal Stories， a China-UK Youth Exchange Project on Documentary Filmmaking came into being. At the time， there was no clue of how much this project would influence each participant during nine months of planning， filmmaking and exchange of visits for screening.

Perhaps at the first screening， some of the participants would recall the very day when the main characters in the short documentaries visited the CPAFFC to share experiences； some would have the memories of the students carrying heavy filming equipment keeping track of the characters； and some would remember the sleepless nights of polishing， editing and tuning.

Finally， the screening day arrived. The audience was ready， and the lights dimmed. Ten stories were presented.

On the screen， five Chinese living in the UK and five Britons living in China told their stories. Sitting among audience， I was preoccupied by two contrasting scenes. They were not part of this grand ceremony， the splendid screen and the beautiful posters in red and blue. Yet those two images were larger and more real than anything else.

One scene dated back to June 3， 2014. On that hot day， Napier students visited the Forbidden City accompanied by their partners of CAFA. Busy with numerous activities in preparing for the screening that afternoon， and， before I knew it， these young students were nowhere to be seen. I had planned to share with them stories about the grand palaces in the Forbidden City， and maybe to share with them Chinese understanding of harmony.

Yet， once I caught up with them， I found that none of this seemed necessary， for I saw them showing each other the pictures they had taken and laughing happily and loudly. I nearly forgot they had never met each other before， and they barely understood each other’s language.

This was the moment. Under the crystal blue sky， there stood the grand palaces telling the story of an ancient China， and here came the laughter of a new generation on a brand new day. I believe this is what is known as the story behind the stories， the scene within the scenes， and that is the very purpose we wanted to achieve with this project and maybe the best film we could present.

The other scene took place on August 12， the day CAFA students fulfilled their dream of visiting Edinburgh. After the school screening at Napier， the British students came over and told us mysteriously to come out later. That night， after the British students had finished their day jobs during the summer vacation， they took us by taxi to Princes Street in the city center beneath the hill on which stood Edinburgh Castle.

It was during the Edinburgh Art Festival， so there were all kinds of street performances distracting us from time to time. Eventually， however， we took the winding slippery stone path up the hill， narrow and dark， and totally unaware we were embarking on the famous Edinburgh Ghost Hunt. With all the high walls， invisible door numbers and a plethora of chilling ghost stories， we encountered the ancient Edinburgh.

The tour ended in a small square with wonderful view， from where we could see the fireworks started punctually at 11 pm from Edinburgh Castle. We thought that the fireworks show was for the festival， but our British friends said that it was prepared to welcome the Chinese guests. We were happy to believe it was true. When the fireworks lit up the whole sky， I saw all the students gathering here and there in small groups just as they did in the Forbidden City. The two scenes formed a delightful picture of harmony.

I then remembered the British students gave me a pencil sketch. On the right is the lion of Scotland， on the left a Chinese dragon， and in between there is a tree of friendship growing under the sky.

From time to time， the sketch and the two scenes remind me of my great fortune. People-to-people exchanges provide a wonderful opportunity to be part of an amazing project. I have learned a lot from the unique views and creativity of the project. What I have gained is more than a 100-minute film， a 3，000-word report and the experience of nine months of hard work. We stand at such a special point where various cultures meet and people of different countries learn to understand and appreciate each other. Here， the grand palace and the old castle will stand forever； the camera tells everlasting stories as eye-dazzling as the fireworks in the sky.

With this belief， peace and friendship seem never far away.

Therefore， I am more than honored to be a witness and share.

Editor’s note：

For the purpose of building bridges of dialogue between the people of China and the United Kingdom， especially between the young people so as to achieve mutual understanding， tolerance and cooperation， the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries （CPAFFC）， together with the Chinese Central Academy of Fine Arts （CAFA） and Edinburgh Napier University （Napier） of the UK， jointly launched China-UK Youth Exchange Project for making a documentary series. By inviting students majoring in film from these two universities to make short documentaries and exchange visits， the project aims to provide both the participants and audience a chance to view Chinese and British culture and society from a new perspective so as to enhance mutual understanding and appreciation between the two peoples.

This project includes the following phases：

Students from the Department of Film and Media Art of CAFA， tutored by Prof. Wang Shuibo， make five short documentaries on five Britons living in China. Students from Film School of Arts Creative Industries of Edinburgh Napier University， tutored by Mr. Paul Gary， make five short documentaries on five Chinese living in the UK. The length of each documentary is from five to 10 minutes.

Napier project team visits Beijing to attend the film premiere， participating in school screening and round-table discussion with Chinese art students. The CAFA project team visits the UK to attend the Edinburgh Art Festival， school screening and round-table discussion with British art students.