The Colours of China
An extraordinary journey through China - guided by the millennia-old teaching of the 5 elements and their colours.
Directed by Jan Hinrik Drevs
Produced by gebrueder beetz filmproduction and Making Movies
In co-production with CICC
In co-production with ZDF
In collaboration with ARTE
Funded by the NZ Film Commission
China’s nature is stunning, impressive, and full of variety: subarctic landscapes can be found as well as tropical regions, snowy mountains, desert and farmland – crossed by mighty rivers. Traditional philosophy and teachings still influence daily life in China today. The philosophy of the cycle of life has played a major role in China for thousands of years, it’s called Wu Xing. According to Wu Xing, there are 5 elements and 5 phases of life, connected with 5 unique colours that have a special meaning. A concept that still influences the daily lives of people in modern China today and has also become enormously popular worldwide.
The 5-part TV provides an understanding for China from a never-before-seen perspective: brilliantly filmed in over 200 shooting days, covering the four different seasons – shot in the megacities as well as in the most remote landscapes. The colours green, red, yellow, white, and black and the theory of the 5 elements guide the cinematic journey through China.
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The Colours of China
An extraordinary journey through China - guided by the millennia-old teaching of the 5 elements and their colours.
Directed by Jan Hinrik Drevs
Produced by gebrueder beetz filmproduction and Making Movies
In co-production with CICC
In co-production with ZDF
In collaboration with ARTE
Funded by the NZ Film Commission
GREEN – BETWEEN RICE TERRACES AND TEA MOUNTAINS
RED – OF THE NEW YEAR AND THE FIRE OF THE SOUTH
YELLOW – OF EMPERORS, DRAGONS AND THE PERFECT BALANCE
WHITE – FROM TIANZHU’S SNOW MOUNTAINS TO THE GOBI DESERT
BLACK – FROM FENG-SHUI VILLAGE TO BLACK DRAGON RIVER
In China, there are 5 elements – wood, fire, earth, metal, and water – that are considered the basis for everything in the universe. A concept that still influences people’s daily lives today and has become enormously popular around the world. China has known this teaching, which describes the cycle of nature and life, for thousands of years. The 5 elements are connected with compass points, seasons, or phases of life – and with 5 unique colours!
The colour green belongs to the element of wood and is connected with growth and spring. At this time of year, the wild bees begin to swarm in the Shennongjia forest, the famous green Biluochun tea is harvested in the Dongting region, and the Hani people use water buffaloes to cultivate their rice terraces. Red belongs to fire and has a connection to summer and the south. And above all, it is the colour of happiness and joy. The traditional colour of weddings in China is red, and has been for thousands of years.
Yellow belongs to the element earth, it represents the balance of all things and actions that is so important to Chinese thinking. Medicine aims at the balance of the internal organs, cooking is about the balance of tastes. Yellow, the colour of the middle, was reserved exclusively for the emperor for centuries. In the teaching of the 5 elements, Wu Xing, the year is divided into five phases instead of four seasons. Late summer lies between summer and autumn. It’s a moment of perfect balance before growth turns to wither – and it’s associated with the colour yellow.
White belongs to the metal element, it is associated with autumn, the west, and the setting sun. It is also the colour of mourning – cemeteries and tombstones are white in China. But just as light cannot exist without shadow, the colour white is inextricably linked to its opposite, black. This is most evident in Chinese paintings and in the Yin and Yang sign.
The darkness, the night, the life-giving element of water. All of this is associated with the colour black in the ancient teaching of the 5 elements. The corresponding cardinal point is the north, the season connected is winter – a time of stillness and tranquility in which nature gathers strength so that the cycle of life can begin anew.
Written and directed by: Jan Hinrik Drevs
DoP & Co-Field director: Mike Single
Showrunner: Kerstin Meyer-Beetz
Editing: Christian R. Timmann
Research: Marylin McFadyen
Production coordinator: Florian Fettweis
Junior Producer: Lea-Marie Körner, Julia Krampe
Line Producer: Kathrin Isberner, Jill Soper
Postproduction Manager: Xavier Agudo
Executive Producer: Christian Beetz, James Heyward,
Commissioning Editor ZDF/arte: Martin Pieper
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