BEIJING: Experts shared insights on how Chinese documentaries can enhance international communication through visual storytelling at a seminar on the documentary Journey Across Jungle: The China-Laos Railway, held in Beijing on Monday.
Produced as a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative, the documentary follows British photographer Thomas Heaton on a cross-border journey along the China-Laos Railway. The crew made three on-site trips between the two countries, capturing the everyday stories of builders, operators, and residents along the route.
The documentary premiered from April 14 to 16 on CCTV-9 and Lao National Television, with an English version reaching over 100 countries and regions.
Liang Bibo, a renowned Chinese documentary director, said it turns the initiative’s vision into tangible, heartwarming stories of mutual benefit.
“It is an excellent documentary with realistic texture and human warmth, suitable for global audiences,” he said.
Niu Mengdi, a professor at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Beihang University, said the railway serves as a red thread connecting ordinary lives.
As the first international railway built with Chinese standards and equipment, the China-Laos Railway opened in 2021. It has since boosted local development and improved livelihoods, serving as a powerful symbol of friendship and shared prosperity. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
