ABOUT

I created this short film for my hometown at the age of 23, as I wanted to help change the society’s one-sided impression on the city for being simply economically underdeveloped and backward.

Meizhou is situated in the northeast of Guangdong Province in China. In sharp contrast to the country’s modern fast culture, Meizhou is known as the Slow City. It’s in a mountaneous area with lakes, rivers and nature parks. People typically take walks with their family along the Meijiang River that runs across the city. Many local stores are small family-run businesses where the owner would connect with you as a friend.

In Guangdong, Meizhou is often ranked the lowest economically, but the highest in terms of people’s happiness. I noticed around me that cities are too often talked about only for their economic performance, leaving out many other aspects of life and other ways to live a life. Therefore, I wanted to present a different narrative of Meizhou with a focus on its culture, history, and modern lifestyle.

To create this video, I spent 4 months researching and preparing, and 2 months filming and editing. I visited the local Hakka Museum, historical sites, and many of my favorite spots in the city. I filmed myself with a tripod and did multiple takes to have clips from a variety of angles.

The video was initially released on two Chinese platforms in July, 2022. It received in total 83k views and hundreds of heart-warming comments. I was later contacted by the local newspaper and awarded the third place on the “Top 10 Best Youth Stories in Meizhou, 2022”.