Dayangyang | Watching Stars in Dali and Making a Documentary

Towards the end of the year, I made an episode I was fairly satisfied with. It was about a woman who runs a niche tourism project called "Lake Stargazing" in Dali. She is also a cool girl who has tried many career changes and decided at 32 to make stars her career (lately I keep meeting people who have changed careers, which gives me infinite courage for life~). From finding the topic to finishing the shooting, everything was very coincidental. Among the six episodes in this series, this is the only one not found through online searches. In an era when information is highly developed and documentary research relies heavily on the internet, this kind of random encounter is delightful. This September, while filming another episode about new farmers on the outskirts of Beijing, I met a bar owner. During our chat, I learned that she had attended an event by chance while living in Dali in the first half of the year. She described it as, "One night, I got on a shabby bus in Dali Old Town, and it bumped all the way to a distant lakeside, then we took a small fishing boat to see the stars on the lake." "Shabby bus," "small fishing boat," and "seeing stars" — each word struck a chord with me (I wonder if anyone can understand, haha). Right after returning, I contacted the organizer and soon got to know the protagonist, Atu. Usually before formal shooting, we have preliminary interviews and research. I remember vividly that Atu hesitated about whether to accept the filming. She asked me what was my original intention in making this project. I replied, "I often feel the confusion and helplessness of the people around me. Everyone seems to be carried forward by the torrent of the times without knowing what they want. I hope that through Atu's story, I can provide a model for the audience: in this somewhat restless and huge era, there are still people who can make money by doing what they love, and can continue doing what they like — an ideal life, for reference only." At that moment, I was touched by what she was doing, and she was touched by what I said. Soon after, we began preparing for the shoot. I myself am a person who loves stars very much and have seen some pretty good starry skies. But it was only when I sat on the boat during the on-site research that I realized how special this experience is, and how special Atu is: in the swaying small boat, under the wobbling starry sky, Atu starts from the first star that lights up in the night, and talks about the day when humans appeared in the past, and the day in the future when the sky above us will finally go dark... The boat drifts between water and sky among the starlight, and the people on the boat say they feel like they are lying in the air. I think I will always remember the moment when the director of photography whispered through the earpiece during the filming: "This is like 'Life of Pi'!" Atu is sometimes quiet, but as long as she talks about stars, she becomes eloquent. Astronomical, historical, philosophical, legendary, even metaphysical topics related to stars... she can piece them together like a puzzle. With her, I truly see that passion can make a person shine. Throughout the research and filming, I met many great people. Dali is truly a wonderful place. I think one day I will live there as a resident for a while. Thanks again to Teacher Jason, Teacher Chen of the Cangshan Nature Image Museum, the boatman Brother Du and his family, Sister Rita, a good friend I met during the filming, and every partner in the production team. Together we completed this episode.

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