Capturing animals on film is a 'tail' of the unexpected

Building a bridge

While Zeng and his team try to show a friendly and respectful attitude toward animals, Sun Shuyun, director of documentaries Himalaya: Ladder to Paradise and China: Nature's Ancient Kingdom, another guest speaker at the forum, wants to incorporate the Chinese philosophy of the unity of man and nature, especially the 24 solar terms, into documentaries.

"For thousands of years, Chinese people have revered and cared for nature. To act in accordance with the rhythm of nature has been our belief and way of living," she said. "Our ancestors paid much attention to the behavior of animals and plants in each solar term. With such a thorough understanding of nature, we can apply the solar terms and natural phenomenon in our daily life."

Some animals have their unique behavior and own mysteries concerning the 24 Chinese solar terms. For example, the winter solstice is the time when tigers and antelopes start mating and when Yangtze elks shed their antlers to maintain their vitality. How our understanding of these mysteries showcases the relationship between man and nature can be a good angle for nature documentaries, Sun added.

Apart from presenting the ancient oriental wisdom between man and nature, "we can reveal that in face of global warming, the timing of our solar terms have actually been advanced by at least one solar term. This is a universal problem and a common theme of documentaries", she said.