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Project Overview
In September 2008, three weeks after the close of the Beijing Olympics, we began shooting an HD feature length documentary in China. I was accompanied by four companions – a cinematographer, a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) expert, a sushi chef, and most importantly, a fluent speaker of Mandarin. Our plan was to bicycle the roughly 1,000 miles from Beijing to Shanghai for 28 days, filming as we travelled. We had three main objectives for the film:

Objective 1: Explore how the recent economic, sociological, and technological changes have affected people in both the cities and countryside. We intend to focus our exploration on the personal, asking those we encounter how their lives and communities have changed. Rather than going in with a particular angle, we hope to let the thoughts of those we encounter guide us, making sure that we arrive well versed in the issues China currently faces.

Objective 2: Explore China's physical environment, showcasing its vast, natural beauty, and examining the effects of the aforementioned economic development. Pollution is a hot political issue in China, and by traveling on bicycle, we will not only get to discuss this topic with more local citizens, but will also be able to examine its realities up-close. Further, we'll look beyond the local consequences of pollution to the global issue of climate change. Just recently the United States was taken over by China as the world's leading carbon emitter, with no signs of slowing down. What are the thoughts of Chinese citizens and does the prospect of climate change factor into their thoughts on their country and its development? We hope to show a commitment to reducing carbon emissions through our decision to bicycle.

Objective 3: Find out more about how the people of China view the United States. This documentary will be filmed during an exciting time for both China (remarkable growth, spotlight on the Olympic Games) and the United States (lead-up to a hotly-contested presidential election, intense debates about how the United States should relate to the world, both economically and diplomatically). We want to explore how the Chinese citizens view us as Americans and their impressions of our drastically different country and way of life.

Production (China): September 9 – October 16, 2008
Editing (Seattle): November 1, 2008 – May 1, 2009
Premiere: Seattle, June 2009

Project Impact
Simply by virtue of its subject, this documentary will be of historical, environmental, and sociological significance. Our decision to travel by bicycle the 1,000 miles between China's largest cities will give us the opportunity to document large swaths of Chinese land and people that visitors generally fly over or speed by on trains. We shot this film during an important time in the history of both China and the United States, and we hope that by going in with open minds and constantly running cameras, we can provide a valuable snapshot of this time, place, and the people that there. In the end, we plan to share what we learn with a larger audience and to spark conversation about how we relate to the people, culture, and the country of China. We also wanted to raise awareness to the issues of climate change, reducing carbon emissions, and other environmental issues that China and the rest of the world need to address. While we're aware that our flight across the Pacific will leave a sizeable carbon footprint, we intend to emphasize the importance of minimizing emissions by traveling on bicycle. We hope that this decision as well as our plan to invite climate experts to speak at the film's screenings will again spur dialogue about the environmental perils we face and the roles of China and the United States in addressing them. If our audience comes away from the film more informed and more eager to discuss China, its role in the world, and climate change, we will consider that a success.

Narrative Summary
Beijing to Shanghai: Man Zou is the story of four Americans who, immediately following the Olympics, travel by bicycle between China's two largest cities to learn more about the Chinese people and their experiences of the massive changes the country is undergoing. The team consisted of Jason Reid the Director and Co-Producer, Cinematographer and Co-Producer Ian Connors, Sean Wellnitz, the GIS specialist who planned our route and Production Assistant Kevin Griffin. We also hired a bicycle riding translator, Doven Lu, to accompany us on our 28 day ride between Beijing and Shanghai. Our goal was to travel slowly across the vast landscape of China and try to de-mystify both the urban and rural areas between Beijing and Shanghai, talking to people along the way about how China's recent growth has changed their lives. Our plan was to focus on the theme of 'Man Zou' to help us explore how the rapid growth and expansion of capitalism have affected the average citizen's ability to 'walk slow.' We hope to explore this through both the older China (by focusing on the bicycle and spending a significant amount of time in rural areas), as well as new China of the 21st century (i.e. the large cities of Beijing and Shanghai). We also intend to find out more about their views on the environment, particularly cutting carbon emissions and alternative transportation, as well as what they think of Americans, our culture, and the upcoming election. In traveling by bicycle, we will be able to see the country at a slow pace and go to areas rarely visited by foreigners. Only so much could have been planned or predicted on a trip of this nature, but I feel that we had a good team of people who were all equally enthusiastic about traveling across China and learning more about the people and their country.

We chose a route that gave us a variety of landscapes, lending itself well to High Definition video. The project was shot using a Panasonic HVX-200 HD camera and supplemented by a small DV camera mounted on Ian’s bicycle. This camera captured the feel of the ride.

After spending a week in Beijing adjusting to life in China and shooting the city in the afterglow of the Olympics, we cycled along the Great Wall 300 km east to Qinhuangdao, the chief port of Hebei Province on the Bohai Sea. We spent a day there discovering the city before moving on to Dalian a beautiful, modern city near the tip of the Liaodong peninsula. From there we embarked on a ferry ride to Yantai, situated on the northern coast of the Shandong peninsula. Traveling south we entered Qingdao, a major seaport and industrial center on the Yellow Sea and the host city for the sailing competitions of the 2008 Olympics. We continued south along the yellow sea moving through largely rural areas of the Jiangsu province. Our travels through these rural locations provided us a glimpse of the forgotten China and the people who live outside the rapidly modernizing cities. We rode parallel to the Grand canal which was started in 486BC and took over 1000 years to build. This impressive canal is the longest man-made waterway in the world and is a major means of moving goods and materials through this area. We continued south through one of China's most fertile and populated regions one our way to Shanghai, one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million people, where we ended our cycling journey in Pudong, the financial center of Shanghai. We spent several days exploring and interviewing people about the growing economy and industrialization of China and how their lives have changed over the last 10 years living in one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Then it was back to Beijing, except this time by overnight train. Back in Beijing we secured more interviews including one with world renowned environmentalist Ma Jun, who was named one of TIME magazines 50 most influential people in the world. This interview brought our trip. as well as the principle part of the production to a close on a very high note.

Man Zou is a common phrase in Mandarin. It is more of a philosophy than anything. Man Zou literally translates to “Walk Slow.”

“Slow and steady wins the race,” they say. This is at the heart of the meaning of Man Zou. Walk slowly and you won't fall. Act carefully and you won't go wrong. A slow walker is faster than someone who walks fast but always has to stop and rest. Persistence is important in learning or doing anything.

To explain a little more in depth, read this quote from The Challenge of Trekking in China by Kyle Acierno:

“I recently underwent the most thorny, intricate, and demanding trek of my life. China is no walk in the park. The county is extremely diverse, and with diversity comes complexity. There is no smooth road laid for backpackers and attempting to do anything or get anywhere can be incredibly arduous...I really needed a break and I didn't know where I would be next. I sat down to a plate of rice noodles and peanuts. A hardy meal for a hardy man. A giant of a woman served me, but with her giant body came a giant heart. With a quick phrase that I have become accustomed to, she filled me with self-assurance that I needed for the rest of my trip. “Man Zou!” she shouted with a big smile on her face. This literally translates to “Walk Slow”. To me this means more then just “be careful.” To me this means take the time to see the wonders of life. The power it gave me changed the rest of my trip. From then on everything went smoothly...I learned a lot from this Trek. I learned the beauty that exists just off the beaten track. I learned that anything amazing takes time. I learned just how much you could learn from people without even using language...By taking the time to notice all the small things in life you can really appreciate who, where, and what you are. Patience, persistence, and practice makes perfect.”