Douban score 91, become the premiere ratings champion, which can be called "China's hit".Chinese civilization has been continuous since ancient times, witnessing a history of 5,000 years. In this long period of time, countless heroes have emerged, inheriting the admirable spirit and leaving behind touching and profound legendary stories. Many domestic humanities documentaries have focused on this land and created a series of high-level works such as "Hexi Corridor", "Xuanzang Road", and "Daming Palace". Recently, a high-profile domestic masterpiece on historical and humanistic themes has come out, which is worthy of our in-depth study.
This documentary takes the perspective of archaeology and uses a unique archaeological way of writing history to dig deep into the origins of Chinese civilization. Almost all archaeological units in China actively participated in the filming and assistance, and a total of more than 100 top archaeological experts participated. When it was first broadcast on Dragon TV, this documentary set a record for the highest ratings of documentaries in the country. The Douban score is as high as 91. The audience praised one after another: "Gospel for history lovers!" As a historian, I didn't feel any flaws at all after reading it. ”。
The production team of the film is also strong, not only bringing together the art team of excellent works such as "Bursting Silence" and "Moses on the Plains".
Luo Dayou produced the theme song, and in addition, Hu Ge, Wu Qian, Cao Lei and other stars assisted in the performances with zero pay, which cannot be ignored. However, the professional archaeological team is the most noteworthy. Professor Yan Wenming, Professor Zhao Hui, Professor Qin Ling, and Professor Li Xinwei of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences are all leaders in the field of Chinese archaeology, and they are involved in it.
The general advisor of Why China is Yan Wenming. In order to shoot this film, the production team lasted three years, and the filming work took nearly 500 days alone, and they traveled more than 230 places in China. In the end, they presented the audience with this beautiful, rich, vivid and vivid conscience masterpiece.
The whole documentary is divided into 8 episodes, "Qin and Han Dynasties", "Cradle", "Xingdou", "Ancient Kingdom", "Choosing China", "Yin Shang", "Family Country" and "Tianxia", showing the development process of the Chinese nation's pluralism and integration, as well as the origin and early development stories of Chinese civilization.
In the first episode of "Qin and Han", Jane (letters) is used as a clue to tell a well-documented legendary story. In 223 BC, the war between Qin and Chu was at a stalemate. Heifu was an ordinary soldier in the Qin army, and since joining the army, he and his younger brother Jing have often fought side by side.
The eldest brother is responsible for taking care of the family at home. He was constantly worried about his two younger brothers and looked forward to receiving their letters. More than 20 centuries later, archaeologists found the letter sent by Heifu and Surprise in the No. 4 tomb of the "Sleeping Tiger Land" outside Anlu City. The letters were written on wooden rafts and placed in a wooden coffin box, and the addressee may have been the owner of the tomb.
In the letter, Heifu and Surprise said that they were safe and sound. The two brothers fought separately a while ago, and now they are back together. They repeatedly stressed the need to pay attention to the government's military merit award documents, and listed their greetings to relatives and friends at the end of the letter.
The last line is to show concern for his wife and daughter, and he asks his wife to encourage him to take care of the elderly at home. In the heat of battle, every separation can be a life-and-death parting. At that time, civilians like Heifu and Jing could only be exchanged for military merit by trusting their lives to improve the situation of individuals and families. Perhaps they are still separated from each other in the end, and the family letter has become a treasure ...... that will always be with them
There are not only envoys and soldiers who protect the security of the country, but also princesses who have been harmonious in all dynasties. Princess Xie Wu of the Han Dynasty was the granddaughter of Liu Wu, the king of Chu, and she became the second princess sent to Wusun by the Han Dynasty because of the duality of her identity. After arriving in Usun, she married King Jun Sumi and began to live in a foreign land. Listening to the neighing of horses during the day and the sound of the wind at night, she conducted diplomatic mediation in the Western Regions for decades. After the death of Jun Sumi, Princess Xie Wu married her second husband Weng Guimi and her third husband Nimi. She has been operating in Wusun for more than 40 years, just in exchange for the long-term peace of her hometown. It was not until she was in her prime, that she was finally able to send an official document to the Hanging Spring (the ancient post office) near Dunhuang, which was her request to return home for half her life.
This Han princess has spent nearly 20,000 sunrises and moonsets in the distant Western Regions, and finally embarked on the road back. As the years passed, the beacon fire had been extinguished. Like Princess Jiewu, countless ordinary people frequently sent letters on the ancient road.
The fact that these letters were able to be delivered from place to place was inseparable from the hard work of countless officials and servants. Take Hanging Springs as an example, this is a post office under the jurisdiction of Xiaogu County, Dunhuang County, where more than 30 officials work every day. Their main tasks include the delivery of official documents, military intelligence reports, and the reception of envoys at all levels and from all sides.
In the hundreds of years of existence of Hanging Springs, Si Fuhong was the one who served the longest. Hiroshi served as a protector and messenger, and delivered countless letters to princesses, generals, and princes, and prepared horses and grain for them for countless trips. During his eighteen-year career, he witnessed the new conscription of young men passing through the town of Hanging Springs and serving in places such as Dunhuang. He also saw a coffin in the car, which was the soldiers who had died in a foreign land.
He was powerless to change what he saw. The only thing he could do was to watch the people who had served to protect the peace of the side leave, and to keep a careful record of the origins of the soldiers in the official documents. He is like a witness to this land and history, watching how every living person works hard to manage his life between these mountains, rivers, lakes and seas, so as to gradually establish a majestic dynasty in the long river of history.
In addition to the first episode, "Qin and Han Dynasties", the documentary also records how the ancestors of the Chinese land moved towards agricultural settlement, formed families and societies, and shaped the great process of the ancient kingdom and early civilization of the region.
Through the well-documented history of ancient times, through innovative image expression, the "archaeological history" is interpreted, and the origin of "why China" is deeply traced.
The film is not only very elaborate in terms of cinematography, but also the composition and picture reach the cinematic level, which makes the audience feel pleasing to the eye.
What is particularly commendable is the high degree of restoration of real history by the service group. The historical figures in the film, such as Meng Tian, Liu Bang, Huo Quzhi, Wei Qing, Princess Xie Wu, etc., refer to the shapes in many archaeological discoveries such as the Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses, Han portrait bricks, etc.
In addition, the Liangzhu sacrifice ceremony shown in the film, whether it is the costumes or the full set of jade on the king and queen, are all made according to the true restoration of cultural relics and real jade. From clothes, ornaments, utensils to house restoration, sacrificial ceremonies, and tomb design, the creative team has shown "archaeological" meticulousness.
According to statistics, the costume team has restored more than 2,000 sets of costumes from the Paleolithic Age to the Qin and Han dynasties, and made more than 1,255 pieces of jewelry. Even with a pouring system that only appears for 5 seconds in the film, the film crew spent up to 2 months restoring it.
With such efforts, "Why China" can present a panoramic view of China's century-old archaeological achievements and present the audience with a real, touchable and more credible history. Perhaps the title of the film, "Why China", is the question in the minds of many people.
The documentary answers this question through highly restored costumes, heartfelt production, and innovative image expression.
Mr. Yan Wenming, a master of Chinese archaeology, pointed out that "why China" is to trace the foundation of the Chinese nation, tell the story of the "pluralistic integration and sustainable development" of Chinese civilization, and use archaeological evidence as the basis.
If you love historical and humanistic documentaries, then this documentary is not to be missed.