In the program "Along the Road", Hu Ge and the film crew followed the herdsman Bart, climbed the Baoyuze Mountain to measure the snow line, and encountered a thrilling moment. Photo provided by interviewee
The TV series "Flowers" has just ended. Some viewers discovered that the ending of Abao quitting the stock market to plant flowers had long been "spoiled" by a program.
In Ulan Buhe, Inner Mongolia, Hu Ge and Chen Long drove a tractor to weed, and showed director Wong Kar-wai: "This is the destination of Abao (played by Hu Ge) and Tao Tao (played by Chen Long)." This special easter egg is hidden in In the public welfare and environmental protection documentary program "Along the Road".
At the end of 2023, "Along the Road" co-sponsored by actors Hu Ge, Liu Tao, Chen Long and ecological artist Han Lili, and produced by Shanghai Radio and Television Station in conjunction with Bilibili, will be launched. In the first eight episodes, they walked from the city to nature, encountered danger while hiking on plateau glaciers, were bitten with blood on their backs by leeches in the tropical rainforest, and "collapsed" while picking up plastic garbage on an uninhabited island.
But more often than not, the protagonists targeted by the camera are aborigines, scientific researchers and volunteers who have been practicing environmental protection all year round: the Hoh Xil rangers’ wish is to live beyond the age of 45, which is the age when their fathers sacrificed their lives to combat Tibetan antelope poaching; Herders have persisted in measuring the snow line for twenty years, watching the shrinking glaciers fall into long silence; volunteers failed to rescue stranded marine animals, and a large amount of garbage was dissected from the dolphins. The scene made the audience cry.
In January 2024, at the East Branch of Shanghai Library, the main creator shared his experience in creating the program with the media. What "Along the Road" tries to convey is that the mountains, rivers, lakes and seas in the distance are also closely related to every ordinary person. "The first step to changing the environment is to change people's hearts," Hu Ge told Southern Weekend reporters. "People who live in cities all year round may feel that environmental protection is far away from me, but environmental protection is not just about picking up garbage in places far away from the city. ." Before the departure of
, the chief director Qin Bo wrote in a letter to the three actors: "The ultimate significance of this show is not that three capable people have done a lot, but that it has influenced many people and they have all done it. A little bit."
Liu Tao picks up marine garbage in Hainan. Picture provided by the interviewee
Choice: Correct guidance is greater than the effect of the program
The schedule was planned in advance and the temporary decision was made to "not shoot". This kind of choice occurred many times during the recording process.
Long before the program was named, Liu Tao proposed that "this is not a variety show, but a special program." Qin Bo defines this "special" as a "documentary" - neither a reality show nor a documentary, but emphasizing real presentation and not excessive arrangement and design. The "book" can be adjusted or even discarded at any time. The most out-of-the-circle example of
is the dilemma of "entering or not entering Hoh Xil".
According to the plan, Hu Ge and others will follow Qiupei Zhaxi and several other patrol members into the Hoh Xil Reserve to complete daily patrol work, observe Tibetan antelopes giving birth in the distance, and experience the experience of patrolling mountains in an uninhabited area. Hardship and emotion.
Hoh Xil, with an average altitude of 4,600 meters, has experienced changes from constant gunfire to a return to tranquility in the past thirty years. Many documentaries and movies have reproduced this history.
In the 1990s, poaching of Tibetan antelopes became widespread, and the population dropped sharply from nearly one million to less than 10,000. In order to protect Hoh Xil, Qiupei Tashi's uncle Sonam Dajie died under the gun of poachers, and his father Zhaba Dorje also passed away unfortunately. Qiupei Tashi, who started patrolling the mountains at the age of thirteen, made the same choice as his parents when he became an adult and became a patrol member of Hoh Xil.
Hoh Xil was once plagued by constant gunshots due to Tibetan antelope poaching, but now it has returned to peace under the protection of generations of rangers. Photo provided by interviewee
Hoh Xil is now a world natural heritage and national park. The number of Tibetan antelopes has recovered to more than 70,000, and has been reduced from endangered to vulnerable. For scientific research or recording needs, you can apply to enter the uninhabited area. The film crew reported to the Sanjiangyuan National Park Management Bureau early and obtained permission to shoot.
But at the pre-departure discussion meeting, a dispute arose over whether to enter or not.Han Lili felt hesitant, "The persistence of generations of patrol members is to hope that no one will enter. We are neither scientific researchers nor documentary photographers. Is it appropriate to enter?"
arrived at the scene, and differences arose again. Liu Tao said frankly that the opportunity was rare and he wanted to go, but after careful consideration, the best way to publicize it was to do his best to truly protect and love it. "The three of us actors are ordinary people, and our biggest role is to spread the word, and (entering Hoh Xil) is a wrong guide." Hu Ge said. In the end, Qin Bo decided to retain only the smallest documentary team to follow Qiupei Tashi to record the migration and breeding of the Tibetan antelope population.
In Hoh Xil, every foot stepped on may be the first footprint left by human beings here. "What we can do is not to disturb it," Han Lili said.
To shoot or not to shoot, the main creators are gradually coming to a consensus on how to choose between the program's effect and correct guidance.
In the Angsai Grand Canyon, the source of the Lancang River flows majesticly. It would be very "filmy" for the herdsmen to take the actors rafting on rafts, but everyone was unanimously opposed to this touristy activity. In Houhai Village, a surfing resort in Sanya, Hainan, Hu Ge refused to surf because "it would become another program."
Talking about the clues of "anti-entertainment" in the film, Qin Bo said frankly that the creator definitely hopes that the work will break the circle, but environmental issues cannot be oriented to entertain the public. The program often adjusts the pictures and expressions before broadcasting, that is In order to ensure professional rigor, "even if you walk a little slower, don't go in the wrong direction."
A wild wolf wandering near the Sonamdajie Conservation Station-Wudaoliang section of National Highway 109 was accidentally fed by a passing car owner and turned into an "Internet celebrity wolf" begging for food from humans, causing tourists to rush to check in. The camera crew also came across the wolf and took photos. In the lens, the docile and low-lying appearance of the animals can inspire the audience's instinctive affection.
But in the final film, Qin Bo abandoned this material. Human feeding of wild animals affects the health of the animals and weakens the animals' ability to naturally find food. In December 2023, an internet celebrity wild fox in Xinjiang who was constantly being fed died in the snow.
"Images are deceptive. Even if our attitude is against feeding, the effect after broadcast may be counterproductive. It is better to treat it coldly and not show it." Qin Bo has worked as a TV news reporter, and the constraints of journalistic ethics have made it difficult for him to do so. He is wary of the value of traffic first.
Previously, documentaries such as "The World" and "The First Time in Life" directed by Qin Bo were frequently released. Compared with these social reality-themed works, the broadcast results of "All the Way" were not impressive. Environmental protection and documentary, the superposition of two niche fields naturally isolates traffic. But Qin Bo had no intention of pleasing the audience from the beginning: "If you want me to do something that is very flattering, I might as well not do it. It's not that we can't think of it, but that we can't use this method."
In Qin Bo's view, environmental protection It is to correct human behavior and habits, "This is too difficult. What we can do is to present the complexity of environmental issues truly and rigorously."
In the tropical rainforest of Hainan, Hu Ge is using a rangefinder to measure carbon sinks. Photo provided by the interviewee
Lens: Focus on spontaneous environmental protection actions
Compared with the entanglement of "what not to shoot", "what to shoot" has already been decided.
In the pilot film, Hu Ge proposed to take the audience on a deep-sea submersible to see those kind, sentimental, and silently dedicated public welfare environmentalists. When filming "Along the Road", he had been an environmental volunteer in Sanjiangyuan, Qinghai for many years, and "has always been moved by these selfless environmentalists."
opposes entertainment shows in order to return the camera to this group of professional scientific researchers, practitioners of environmental protection agencies, and a large number of aboriginal people living in plateaus, pastoral areas, and tropical rainforests.
Angsai Township, Yushu, Qinghai, is located in Sanjiangyuan National Park, known as the "Yellowstone Park of China", where a variety of wild animals such as brown bears, wolves, and snow leopards live. In 2017, Angsai Township launched a pilot ecological experience franchise activity, with Shanshui Nature Conservation Center assisting local cooperatives in operating and providing technical support.
In Angsai Township, photography is a fashionable thing. The documentary "Snow Leopard and Her Friends" shot by herders with the participation of herders won the 36th China Golden Rooster Award for Best Documentary/Scientific Educational Film (for details, see Southern Weekend's report "Photographing Snow Leopards" A herdsman photographer, re-understanding his hometown through the lens”). During the preliminary research of
, the director team discovered Renqing Yangzhong, a herdsman girl in Angsai who loved taking photos. She recorded snow leopards with her camera and participated in a wildlife photography exhibition. A story naturally formed in the team's mind: the girl formed a connection with the outside world through the camera, opening up a larger world. "From the perspective of making a documentary, we are very excited that we have grasped the clue."
However, the director team soon received a reminder from Lu Zhi, a professor at Peking University and founder of the Shanshui Nature Conservation Center: The environmental protection practices of Tibetan herdsmen have never been Stop, a lot of local traditional knowledge and wisdom is worth learning from outsiders. This is a two-way influence and exchange.
"This is a very important correction, allowing us to refocus on the herdsmen's spontaneous environmental protection actions and their inherent wisdom in the symbiosis between man and nature." Qin Bo said.
The herdsmen of Angsai Township firmly believe that "all living beings are equal" and the existence of every species is valuable enough, so they have preserved the relatively complete native ecosystem of the local area. Since the establishment of the national park, herders have participated in snow leopard monitoring work under the guidance of scientific researchers, and a total of 99 snow leopards have been counted in Angsai Township. Lu Zhi commented in the program, "This may be the first in the world to count snow leopards in a township. Well-counted cases.”
A native of Angsai. Photo provided by interviewee
Action: The difficulty of measuring snow lines all year round
2023 is the hottest year on record. When people in the city lament that every summer is the "hottest in history", climate change is playing a role in the Arctic and Antarctic and the Tibetan Plateau. The manifestation is more obvious. In Qinghai Goluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, two generations of herders, Lewang and Batt, have been monitoring the glacier snow line for nearly two decades and found that the snow line retreats by about 330 meters every year. In the
program, Hu Ge, Qin Bo, episode director Ka Xianjia and others followed Bart to climb mountains to measure the latest snow line data. The thrilling encounter made netizens say "This is the most documentary-like episode."
htmlThe average altitude of Baoyuse Mountain in 2000 is higher than 4,000 meters. The mountain roads are slippery, rockfalls occur frequently, and the weather is unpredictable. Before climbing, Qin Bo had no outdoor experience, and even waterproof shoes were bought by the photography director. No one expected that during the climb, a heavy rain destroyed the original route up the mountain. "A rain trapped us in this (cave)," Hu Ge smiled helplessly at the camera.We were less than 100 meters away from the snow line. Everyone's physical strength was on the verge of exhaustion. Rocks fell and passed by the cameraman. When he opened his backpack, he found that he was short of water and food. The original plan was to boil glacier snow water after climbing over the mountain, but in reality we could only use water cups to collect the muddy river water, wait for it to stand and separate, and each person drank it in turn.
For safety reasons, everyone retreated to the camp that night. Bart, Kasenga and the photographer climbed the mountain again the next day to record the snow line. When reviewing this encounter, Qin Bo was full of regrets about being "inadequately prepared". Hu Ge comforted Qin Bo, "Without this experience, it would be difficult for the audience to understand the difficulty of herders measuring the snow line all year round."
"Only when you understand can you care." The creative team has repeatedly quoted the motto of Jane Goodall, who is famous for her long-term commitment to the field research of chimpanzees.
Han Li Li did not participate in the mountain climbing, but was touched by the images. In the show, Bart fell into sadness and silence when he saw the snow line rising so fast. Looking at this scene, Han Lili cried for a long time. "In my previous imagination, glaciers should be as white as snow-capped mountains, but I didn't expect that there would only be a thin layer of ice covering the surface."
In early January 2024, Han Lili created a painting inspired by the retreat of glaciers. The Glacier Mother sculpture made of paper, plastic bottles and other waste is placed in the "Spark·"Walk Ahead" Exploring Sustainable Life Exhibition" in Shanghai. "What I want to express is that human beings accept the nourishment of Mother Nature, but repeatedly burden her”.
Han Lili's sculpture inspired by the retreat of glaciers was exhibited at the "Spark·"All the Way" Exploring Sustainable Living Exhibition" in Shanghai.Picture provided by the interviewee
Change: "What you can do is sustainable"
"Only care can lead to action; only action can life have hope." Regarding the second half of the motto, the creators The experience is deeper in the second half of the show.
Qin Bo calls himself an "environmental layman". According to his observation, the senior people who shoot nature documentaries in the circle have a certain "i-person temperament" - rather than dealing with people, it is more interesting to dive into nature and watch birds. Before the program officially started filming, Qin Bo's team learned from these seniors. After nearly half a year of research, they sorted out hundreds of topics and finally focused on plateau grasslands, deserts and oceans with prominent ecological problems.
Wildlife protection, climate change, desertification, plastic pollution... For different environmental issues, the program switches between different habitats. Leaving the inaccessible plateau, when the creators came to the more familiar Sanya, Hainan, they felt more deeply the relationship between ordinary people and the environment.
Behind the tourist resorts of sunshine and beaches, there are uninhabited islands that are about to be "overwhelmed" by cigarette butts, wine bottles, and plastic garbage. Here, there seems to be no end to picking up garbage. After picking up more than a dozen sacks, Chen Long looked back and said, "It's as if he had never picked it up before."
Chen Long and local people salvage marine garbage together. Photo provided by interviewee
During the preliminary research, the director team encountered a stranded rough-toothed dolphin and named it "Huahua". A week-long rescue relay failed to save its life.
Damage to health, noise, pollution and other reasons may cause cetaceans to be stranded. Thousands of years ago, ancient people discovered the phenomenon of cetaceans stranding, but rescue is still a problem in the world.
After the autopsy, a large amount of plastic waste was found in Huahua’s stomach. "We were thinking at the time, how could we connect the two things and tell everyone that Huahua's death (maybe) could have been avoided." Han Lili recalled.
At first, the director team suggested making a dolphin installation on the beach where there are no trash cans, allowing tourists to throw their garbage into it. Hu Ge raised objections: Huahua may have died from eating human garbage by mistake, and this mistake should not be repeated.
So, the creators thought in reverse and used the plastic garbage picked up in the past two days to create a ten-meter-long and four-meter-wide dolphin on the beach, inviting tourists to pick up the plastic bottles again. Viewed from a high altitude, "Huahua" faces the sea, and the garbage on her body gradually decreases until it disappears, as if she has returned to the sea. The name of this operation is "Huahua Returns Home".
In order to appeal for the reduction of marine garbage pollution, the program team created the "Flowers Go Home" installation made of garbage piles. Viewed from a high altitude, it is a dolphin facing the sea. Photo provided by the interviewee
Han Lili believes that this two-dimensional installation is different from most three-dimensional sculptures. You cannot see the whole "dolphin" if you look closer. This is the limitation of everyone's daily vision-throwing away a bottle will easily It is hard to imagine that it would cause fatal harm to distant marine animals. Similarly, picking up a bottle has no effect, but as the number of participants increases, the effect appears. "I hope that through such a small behavioral experiment, everyone can examine the relationship between people and the environment from a longer-term perspective."
For this group of environmental activists who consider themselves "novices", changes have also happened inadvertently.
Hu Ge shared his newly learned knowledge - there is an environmentally friendly toothbrush made of bamboo; Chen Long took out a pair of tableware that can be hung on his body during the live broadcast, "I carry it with me when I go out these days. "It"; Liu Tao participated in the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) to discuss "women's leadership in addressing climate change" and the significance of "glacier protection action".
Qin Bo admits that he is not a strong environmentalist, but after one year of program production, he also has a new feeling: at least he should resist the disorderly expansion of consumerism, such as reducing waste in life. When my daughter sees the cold water being released before taking a bath at home in winter, she will cry and say, "This is different from what dad taught me."
Environmental protection can be achieved by choosing a life that is “just right”.At the end of this season's program, Qin Bo told Southern Weekend reporters that he hopes viewers will jump away from grand environmental issues and return to life "nearby". "Only a person who truly loves life can care about the environment he lives in."
"There is no standard answer to environmentally friendly life," Han Lili emphasized in a gentle tone, "What you can do is sustainable."
Southern Weekend reporter Huang Siqi Southern Weekend reporter Huang Sizhuo
editor-in-chief Wang Tao
