Footsteps
in search of the soul of modern China
Preview; English version
A journey has begun, across the vast nation of China.
A journey of discovery, following the footsteps of China’s great peacemaker, Zhou Enlai.
Discovering the unknown China, the unseen China, the character of a people as the world has never seen it before, the story of the emergence of the New China.
The story of the heart of a great nation.
The first premier and foreign minister of China, Zhou Enlai’s footsteps start from majestic Shanghai, to classic Nanjing, beautiful Yangzhou and Baoying.
To his youth in Huaian, to Zhenjiang, wth ancestors of the Zhou family; from the complexity of Guangzhou, to the beauty and simplicity of Shantou and Shaoxing, to the charm of Guilin, the depth of Chongqing, the majesty of Beijing and the tradition of Tianjin.
Our film crew listened, seeking the echoes of Zongli, the first Premier of modern China, a peacemaker who changed China and the world forever.
Chinese version
请点击这里
了解更多信息，
和赞助足迹项目
Everywhere we went, we found memories and images of him.
He made a deep impression on the people and places where he moved, through a long life as soldier, statesman, revolutionary, leader and protector of the people of China.
We could feel his will to peace, and the great love people still feel for him today, in each image, each place. Our search grew stronger.
At memorials, museums, residences and libraries across China, so many people maintain the evidence of the footsteps of Zhou Enlai, as he made history.
With incredible detail, his purpose as the People’s Premier is made clear, and lovingly conserved for future generations.
We felt ourselves drawing closer to the great man.
In the places he lived and worked, the countryside, the towns and the great cities, we saw his footsteps, the strong memory of Zhou Enlai.
This was the country he loved, the nation he built, the places he protected and fought for, where so many suffered and died to create the new nation.
This was the glow and greatness of both classic and modern Chinese civilization, the source of the compassion and genius of Zhou Enlai.
Our film crew was led by Zhou Xiaofang and David Castellano, with support from many including Angela Wong. Sun Xiaodan, Zhu Lukun and Baihui.
We conducted dozens of interviews, seeking the untold story, the feeling inside the history, the personal connection to Zongli.
We heard and recorded the living history, and history began to awaken for us.
Our footsteps began to match the rhythm of his footsteps.
We were getting closer.
Finally, we found Zhou Enlai in the people who knew him, whose lives were changed by him.
In their eyes, their voices, their passion to share, explain, reason about his life as a peacemaker.
Guides, scholars, members of the Zhou family. Children. As we met Zhou Enlai’s people, his presence became clear and alive.
His influence in China continues to grow. Everyone was eager to share their inspiration about him, and to support our journey.
And his message for the whole world becomes more clear.
With a little music and tea, in countless personal talks, around a simple family dinner table, we found him.
The journey continues; Zhou Enlai left footsteps all over the world.
We have many more footsteps to follow, a journey to complete.
Words, images and sound; Zongli is present today, if we are sensitive enough to feel his presence.
If we are quiet, clear, and peaceful as he was, we can hear him.
We understand, and our respect grows. We may become worthy of his legacy, for China and the whole world, to walk in his footsteps.
And to find the true meaning in our own footsteps, in our own life journey.
click here
to learn more, and to contribute to the Footsteps project
presented by the
Zhou Enlai Peace Institute
Honolulu, Beijing
In the Footsteps
of Zhou Enlai
a story of the
unseen heart of China
49 Days in China
21 towns and cities
16,788 photos
214 hours of video
Produced and Directed by
Xiaofang Zhou North
Translation and Chinese narrator
Dedicated to my father, Zhou Huazhang
Location Director, Camera, Sound
Post-Production Assistant
David Castellano
Executive Producer
Editor and Writer
Michael North
Co-Producer
Baihui (Bestway) International
Sponsor: Angela Wong
sponsor
Angela Wong
with thanks to
Sun Xiaodan
with the assistance of
Zhou Bingde
Liao Xinwen, Li Qingping
Zhou Enlai Study Centre,
Central Committee, Beijing
Special thanks to the Chinese partners of the Zhou Enlai Peace Research Institute,
Moz (Beijing) Science and Technology Communication Co., Ltd.
and the School of Foreign Languages of Southeast University
for their support in the translation of this film.
Zhang Jin, Chen Ming,
Li Xiao; Zhou Enlai
National Memorial, Huaian
Sun Hailin, Nankai Middle School
Pang Tingya,
Zhou Enlai Birthplace,
Huaian
Kang Jinfeng, Li Aihua
Zhou Enlai-Deng Yingchao
Memorial, Tianjin
Xu Xing, Ji Yaguang, Zheng Wenjuan
Nankai University, Tianjin
Guilin, Guangxi
Shen Hao, Mei Yuan
Garden Memorial, Nanjing
Huangpu Academy, Guangzhou
Chen Hanchu, Shantou
Ni Xueping, Zhang Liping,
Tang Huarong, Baoying Museum
Liu Ying
Hong Yan Village,
Chongqing
Ji Ming, Zhou Enlai
Historic Residence, Shanghai
Zhu Jianming, Hangzhou
Shaoxing, Zhejiang
Zeng Xiaohui, Wang Yong
Xu Yanfang
Thank you, xiexie and
mahalo to all friends,
family and ‘ohana
Roger Epstein
Sister Joan Chatfield
Wang Yuying
Li Yanjun
Historic 8 mm. sequence of
Zhou Enlai in Nepal courtesy of
Joe Grahame
Aerial drone video:
Professors Yin Hua, Xu Nan
Tianjin Technology College
The journey continues…
Next for the Footsteps
film crew: more cities
in China; Japan,
Vietnam, Indonesia,
Singapore, Hong Kong,
Malaysia, Burma, India,
Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt…
France, Germany,
England, Switzerland,
Ghana, Kenya,
Tanzania, Ethiopia…
…wherever Zhou Enlai
left his footsteps.
A full-length documentary is in production
© copyright 2016, Zhou Enlai Peace Institute
Thanks:
Memorial Personnel
Xie Yuan
Wang Huaxu
Yao Aidong
Lin Xiulian
Wang Ying
Li Gengchao
Liang Huiying
Li Weihong
Lou Xianmu
Zhang Lequn
Beijing
Geng Li
Cai Xu
Zhou Rong
Xu Yaning
Zhou Xiaoyu
Wang Lei
Wang Wei
Li Li
Wang Yadong
Shanghai
Yao Ling
Xia Binbin
Wang Dezhi
Wu Jiang
Li Li
Tang Ling
Zhou Rong
Chai Ying
Liu Suying
Guangzhou
Mo Shaonong
Zhuang Haidong
Yang Zebin
Yang Qiong
Li Weidong
Huang Bo
Mo Shaomei
Chongqing
Zhou Daquan
Zhou Zushen
Zhou Guangyuan
Zhou Lingli
Zhou Guofeng
Zhou Houyong
Zhou Houduan
Zhou Dezhi
Zhou Yuanqiang
Yu Liwen
Luo Liming
Zhou Guicai
Zhou Zhihao
Zhou Qing
Yangzhou
Zhou Huarui
Liu Baolan
Zhou Huakai
Zhou Huafu
Zhou Liubing
Zhou Guobing
Zhou Guozhong
Zhou Guohong
Zhou Haibing
Weng Decbin
Weng Dechen
Zhenjiang
Hong Jinsheng
Zhou Huadong
Zhou Dahong
Zhou Jihong
Wang Jie
Wang Hua
Zhou Haibo
Zhang Xiangdong
Han Meixia
Hangzhou
Mao Yiying
Zheng Junjiao
Guilin
Zhou Jibo
Zhou Dao
Zhou Linya
Zhou Xiangshi
Zhou Yulin
Zhou Xiangfa
Zhou Guilong
Zhou Junwei
