Jiao Tong University establishes documentary center, develops joint project

Shanghai Jiao Tong University announced its establishment of a Documentary Center during a forum at the 29th Shanghai TV Festival on Thursday.

The Documentary Center will cooperate with the Shanghai Media Group to produce the documentary, "Dialogue with ASEAN."

To be released later this year during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit, the production looks at the friendships and strategic partnerships involved in ASEAN.

"We will cooperate with more documentary industry professionals to produce high-quality works that tell amazing Chinese stories to the world," said Hu Hao, an official from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The documentary-themed forum featured industry veterans discussing new trends in the genre.

Experts said that Chinese documentaries have experienced rapid development in the past decade.

"Documentaries offer insights into the tremendous changes of the era while they also evolve in many aspects," said Chen Hong, deputy director of China Education Television.

Chen added that domestic documentaries now cover diverse subjects and include multiple artistic expressions in their recording of an era.

More and more excellent foreign documentary filmmakers such as Takeuchi Ryo and Vikram Channa are also focusing their lens on the human stories in China.

"However, a mature theoretical system of Chinese documentaries still needs to be established to support the industry's growth," Chen said.

Shanghai Media Group's new documentary series "When You Are Old" has become a hit for the way it features the touching stories of China's elderly people.

"The series has changed many people's stereotypes about the elderly," Wang Lijun, director of SMG's Documentary Center, told the forum.

Wang added that the center is making documentaries about varied subjects and from different perspectives, including some wonderful nature documentaries.

The "Our National Park" documentary franchise has broadcast two seasons about the Three-River Source National Park in northwestern Qinghai Province, and Mount Wuyi in Fujian Province.

A third season in development is about China's Giant Panda National Park, Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, and the National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest. The documentary series' seasons will also be distributed in overseas markets.

"Through our lens, we hope to show a real and vibrant China to the world," Wang added. "Foreign audiences will learn about its brilliant culture and the contemporary values of Chinese people."