The Creation Of The Documentary "The Hani People On The South

Yunnan, a single province inhabited by 51 ethnical minorities, the most ethnically diversified one in China. They are born, live, labour and die on this land. For thousands of years, their culture, their way of life, and their works, have been passed down through generations. A snapshot of any time in their history will reflect an episode or aspect of their profound, mysterious, yet ordinary state of living.Yunnan, one of the ancient origins of tea, is bestowed with the prefect environment to grow tea trees. Menghai is at the center of Yunnan’s Pu-erh tea production region. Nannuo Mountain, located in Menghai, is one of the six newly recognised tea-growing mountains and features teas with unique characteristics. The Hani people who have been living on Nannuo Mountain for generations, live on teas and teas are an integral part of their life. Tea is one of the carriers that sustain the Hani’s fundamental state of living on Nannuo Mountain.This documentary focuses on tea as a carrier to display the life and traditional culture of the Hani on Nannuo Mountain. It took eight months to complete filming. The crew lived with local Hani people and experienced their hospitality and charming Pu-erh tea. This piece of work tells the story between tea and the Hani on Nannuo Mountain, the Hani’s Tea-tree King Festival, HAI Rong’s tea-making skills, and the Hani’s New Year celebration " Hhaqma Tul ". There are two storylines. One is time-sequential and composed of six segments, Tea-tree King Festival in March, prayers for Tea God’s blessing, harvesting, hunting for spring tea in Longmei, HAI Rong’s millet bloom tea, and Hhaqma Tul at end of year. The other storyline tells the stories behind the time sequence. The entire length of the film utilises commentaries to guide and facilitate the development, with background music adding sentiments into storytelling. Besides presentation of the Hani’s tea culture, the work also communicates the author’s objective understanding of the Hani’s way of life and survival.