Feature: Ducomentary director expects Japanese audience to see ordinary, real China

TOKYO, May 22 (Xinhua) -- A film event dedicated to screening a series of China-themed documentaries shot by Japanese director Ryo Takeuchi is currently underway in Tokyo. At the recent premiere of his documentary "The Yangtze River," Takeuchi expressed his intention to hold the documentary week in Japan.

"There are still many biased reports about China in Japan. So I hope that through these films, everyone can see an ordinary and real China that the media does not usually report, or that has not been reported," the documentary director said on Friday.

In fact, Takeuchi's story about the Yangtze River started much earlier. Back in 2011, he participated in the filming of a documentary about China's longest river for NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, when he sailed on the river from west China's Qinghai and Sichuan provinces down to Shanghai.

For the new production of the Yangtze River, Takeuchi travelled along the 6,300-km river to record how the glacier melts and forms the "first drops of water" of the river and showed the audience the changes that have taken place in China in the past decade through one river.

The 129-minute documentary not only showcased the magnificent scenery of China's mountains and rivers but also took a candid look at the great changes of China over the years through the comparison of the interviewees' lives in 10 years, providing insights into the real China by recording people's daily life in straightforward ways.

Shiroiwa, a Japanese film viewer, expressed his eagerness to visit China again: "I was fascinated by China when I first visited the country in 2018. I am really happy to see so many places in China through the documentary. Now that I have started learning Chinese, I hope to go to China again soon to see the Yangtze River."

More audience said that their understanding of China has changed after watching the documentary.

Yamashita, who works in the Japanese financial industry, told Xinhua, "Regarding the Three Gorges, the Japanese media only reported that people were forcibly relocated. But through the documentary, I saw people living a different life through relocation and keeping up with the times."

"That really touched me. I hope more Japanese people can go to the cinema to see the film and understand China in a comprehensive way," he said.

The documentary gives the audience a real sense of the changes that China's development has brought to the lives of the people. Many Japanese viewers said what impressed them the most in the movie was the change of life for Rinchen Cimu, a Tibetan girl.

"Ten years ago, the Tibetan girl who could only greet tourists shyly with a lamb in her arms at the doorstep of her house and had never seen a high-rise building, became a high-end guesthouse operator 10 years later. It's really astonishing," Japanese reporter Ito said emotionally.

Takako Tajima from the Japan-China Friendship Association in Kanagawa prefecture said, "Through the documentary, I have seen a broader and richer China and the simplicity and kindness of the Chinese people. I was very moved."

"I want to invite the over 500 members of the association to watch it, and I also hope that this documentary can be shown not only in Tokyo, but throughout Japan," she added.

Running on May 19-25, Ryo Takeuchi's Documentary Week features four film version of the documentaries "The Yangtze River," "100 Faces of Huawei," "Long Time No See, Wuhan," and "Beyond the Mountain."

"I hope that everyone can understand the current China from multiple angles," Takeuchi said in the documentary's promotional page. "Since I have shot films in dozens of countries I really haven't seen any country as interesting and incredible as China."