Looking China Project

Yin Honqiang, a master carpenter from Jiangyin, has been working with wood for over 50 years. Along with his son and his grandson, they create handcrafted pieces of furniture of the highest level, what lead them to be one of the most important furniture makers in all of China. Take a seat is a close look at their way of working while keeping the tradition alive throughout generations.

A song is heard in the distance. It comes from the Hekeng village, famous for its ancient earthen buildings, also called tulou. It is where the last original Hakka families live amidst the exodus of those looking for a more modern environment. Among them there is Zhang Zhouyin, an elderly man concerned about the state of the village's temple; or her daughter-in-law, Wei Yi, who spends her entire day guiding tourists through these awe-inspiring houses. And then there’s young Zhang Weibo, her son, who manages to find joy even in the simplest of things... Hekeng: a place frozen in time whose songs have endured for centuries.

At the Gaomeigu Observatory in China, the Naxi people scan the sky, convinced they are the descendants of immortal beings living there, abandoned on earth to watch them. Between astronomy and legends, Marko Grba Singh seems to compose a mysterious and polysemous tableau. From folk tales heroes such as William Tell, Prince Marko or Sanduo for the Naxi, passing by a miraculous catch, Gods besotted with each other, or the absence of walls built around a city because of the ambiguity of Chinese characters, 'Stars of Gaomeigu' dresses the bodies and contemporary images of mythological tales.

In Xinjiang, in northwest China, an underground river brings life to the desert for the Uyghur people. An ancient construction whose waters flow from the depths of the earth to the lush grape fields, the Karez is known to those who benefit from it as the Mother River.

Zhong Ming, a gifted potter, is in a deep search for his own personal voice. His works are a harmonious blend of Chinese and Western culture with respect to the "Rongchang" ceramic tradition. His work goes far beyond the conventional pottery that the market demands, with awards in international art competitions, and he tries to find a way to balance these two aspects of his art. Eventually, through his work, he is led to find his personal style and gain recognition for it.

A day and night in the life of a monumental bridge.