Chinanews.com, Shanghai News, June 25 (Xu Yin) On June 24, the opening day of the 29th Shanghai TV Festival, the TV series "Coolie" held a media conference in Shanghai and released the first global trailer, borrowing a letter to tell a love, since then, the neglected history of Chinese labor in Cuba in the 19th century has slowly unfolded, "telling the story of Chinese coolies to the world".
Producer Zhu Meilian and director Chen Junlin together with actors Zhang Xiaoquan, Wang Danni, Bao Qijing, etc., shared the behind-the-scenes story of "Coolie" during the filming and production process through video. And the starring Wang Danni made a surprise appearance at the scene and interacted face-to-face with media reporters.
The 8-episode TV series "Coolie" is based on the history of Chinese going to Cuba to work as coolies in the 1860s, and tells the love story of a Chinese girl who goes to Cuba to pay off her family debts. The series is produced by Cathay Pacific Films, original by veteran filmmaker Zhu Meilian, executive produced by Korean producer Li Ren'er, directed by Chinese Taiwanese director Chen Junlin, starring Chinese Taiwanese actor Zhang Xiaoquan, Hong Kong actor Wang Danni, and well-known Colombian actor and TV personality Maricio Enao.
The subject matter is scarce, and it took 30 years to make up for the gap
"The history of overseas Chinese is the proper meaning of Chinese history." The Chinese are the largest group of immigrants in the world, and Chinese came to Southeast Asia more than 2,000 years ago through the Maritime Silk Road to do business. The large-scale Chinese immigration was from the mid-19th century to the 40s of the 20th century, when the weak and impoverished China forced many people to leave their homeland to work as laborers in Western countries and their colonies, the so-called "coolies", and the Chinese began to go to the world. Between 1847 and 1860, it is estimated that more than 130,000 Chinese coolies arrived in Cuba.
Although Chinese coolies have a global footprint, their stories are relatively scarce on film and television, which has become a major gap in Chinese narratives. The birth of "Coolie" is filling this gap. It is reported that "Coolie" not only allows the audience to have a deeper understanding of the stories of overseas Chinese laborers, but also allows the audience to feel their firm belief and indomitable spirit.
Zhu Meilian introduced that the drama "Coolie" was created by her more than 30 years ago, "I have always been interested in the history of Chinese immigrants, and I myself am a descendant of poor Chinese immigrants. Talking about the original intention of the creation, Zhu Meilian said frankly that people only know about slavery in Africa, but no one knows about the Chinese slaves who built railways in California, mined tin mines in Malaysia and Bolivia, worked in sugarcane fields in Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, and built the Panama Canal.
Zhang Xiaoquan, who plays the actor Li Tonghe, said that before reading the script, he did not know that the Chinese had such a historical process, and watching this story seemed to be "impacted", "Through "Coolie", we can get a glimpse of the great contribution of Chinese labor in the global historical process, which is a history that should not be forgotten. ”
Female strength, resilience through different eras
"Coolie" chooses the story of women in Chinese coolies as an incision to tell it. The heroine Zhu Lin (played by Wang Danni) is an orphan with a poor background, she was promised to Tonghe (played by Zhang Xiaoquan) as a bride in the port, Zhu Lin experienced the ups and downs of life, continued to grow, and finally mastered her own life.
Zhu Meilian said that as a descendant of overseas Chinese, her great-grandmother, grandmother and mother were all extremely independent women, and they showed admirable tenacity and courage in their respective lives. This family spirit deeply influenced Zhu Meilian and provided a constant source of inspiration for the creation of "Coolie": "I come from a family full of powerful women – my great-grandmother, grandmother and mother were very independent and strong in their respective lives, so I created this story based on them. ”
Wang Danni, who plays the heroine Zhu Lin, introduced that Zhu Lin is a very kind and brave woman, and Zhu Lin's story also gave her a lot of courage to face challenges and explore unknown new worlds. Zhu Lin's story is not only a inheritance of women's independent spirit, but also a praise and eulogy of women's strength.
Bao Qijing, who plays Zhu Lin's grandmother, introduced that her grandmother completely passed on her traditional Chinese medicine skills to her granddaughter, and she is a very characteristic woman who has a great impact on Zhu Lin's development in South America.
In addition, although "Coolie" tells the story of more than 200 years ago, it presents great practical significance. The drama believes that the challenges faced by "Coolie" are a realistic portrayal of what people experience in today's society. Whether it is a Chinese coolie in Cuba in the past or a modern person in the 21st century, they are all faced with the test of adapting to the environment, integrating into society, and coping with changes. The resilience they have shown has served as a bridge between the two eras.
An international masterpiece that plays a symphony of Chinese and Western cultures
As can be seen from the trailer, traditional Chinese cultural elements such as lion dance, kung fu, and traditional Chinese medicine are cleverly integrated into the plot, making this film not only a reenactment of history, but also an international display of Chinese culture.
In order to accurately restore the historical style of Cuba in the 60s of the 19th century, and show the fierce collision and integration of different cultures, the crew of "Coolie" traveled thousands of miles to Dominica and Panama for on-site shooting. On the set of the Panama filming, the crew showed amazing creativity by carefully arranging and recreating the abandoned building 1:1 to the scene of the Chinese New Year.
Zhu Meilian was full of praise for the set designers of the crew, praising them as "real magicians" who were able to recreate the charm of Chinese culture in a foreign country.
Director Chen Junlin said that the most interesting and challenging thing about the filming of "Coolie" is that it used a lot of effort to "restore that era, Cuba in the 1860s", including the restoration of old buildings.
Zhang Xiaoquan said that the story in the film deeply depicts the interweaving of Eastern and Western cultures in Cuba, whether it is adaptation or collision, and ultimately reflects the inclusiveness of a culture, which is also an important message that "Coolie" wants to convey to the audience.
In addition to transnational shooting, the main creative team of "Coolie" also fully reflects internationalization. Chen Junlin, a Taiwanese director who is the director, has previously directed works that have appeared at the Berlin International Film Festival many times; "Coolie" is his second collaboration with Zhu Meilian after the movie "One Page Taipei". The starring Zhang Xiaoquan is a Taiwanese actor who has cooperated with Chen Junlin many times, and is deeply loved by the audience with the movies "Girlfriend, Boyfriend" and "The Five Years That Were Stolen". The starring Wang Danni won the Best New Actor Award at the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards for the movie "Anita Mui", and was also nominated for the Best Actress Award at the 35th China Film Golden Rooster Awards. In addition, the play also gathered film and television talents from Colombia, Cuba, Singapore, Dominica, the United Kingdom, the United States, etc., which made Wang Danni sigh that she was "the most international team she has worked with". (ENDS)
Editor: Xu Yin