HELLO, ASEAN

By Tan Xingyu, Wang Jiping

A poster for the documentary Hi! ASEAN.

Documentary aims to lure more Chinese to exotic tourist and cultural attractions of ASEAN

After 10 months of shooting in a wide range of locales to showcase the most stunning beauty in ASEAN, an ASEAN tourism documentary titled Hi!ASEAN, produced by Beijing Television Station(BTV) and the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), will hit screens by mid-year.

At its premiere on April 20 in Beijing, China Report ASEAN learned that the documentary has benefited not only from good publicity and promotion, but also from a good record of collection value.

Promoting Tourism Exchange and Cooperation

Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ACC,remarked at the ceremony that ASEAN and China are good neighbors and strategic partners that enjoy geographical proximity, cultural affinity and strong bonds. Tourism exchange and cooperation is an important facet of ASEAN-China cooperation. More and more Chinese tourists are choosing to visit ASEAN countries for vacation.Beautiful scenery, splendid culture, diverse ethnic customs, delicious food and convenient transportation are key drivers of the increasingly heavy stream of Chinese tourists visiting ASEAN.

Yang admitted that it is encouraging to learn that in 2017, the number of bilateral visits between ASEAN countries and China topped 49 million with nearly 28 million Chinese people visiting ASEAN and over 21 million ASEAN tourists visiting China.

Moreover, she noted that at the 20th ASEANChina Summit in Manila last November, leaders of both ASEAN and China once again stressed their commitment to jointly building a higherlevel ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership and issued a series of joint statements on cooperation in tourism, connectivity and other areas. In the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on Tourism Cooperation, both sides emphasized the need to strengthen, deepen and broaden cooperation in tourism, facilitate travel, create transportation links and encourage greater flow of two-way tourists. This philosophy has helped map out the future of ASEAN-China tourism cooperation.

Because of such developments, Yang believes that vivid pictures and true stories of ASEAN people in Hi! ASEAN will resonate with viewers and “play a positive role in promoting ASEAN-China tourism exchanges and cooperation.”

Jose Santiago Sta.Romana, Philippine Ambassador to China,agrees. He asserted that tourism is a good way to enhance the communication between bilateral peoples. Thus, he hopes the documentary will help improve the mutual understanding between Chinese and ASEAN peoples.

Li Lingtao, deputy general editor of BTV,noted that from a professional point of view, breaking through limitations to focus on sectors including clothing, food, living, transportation, shopping and the environment, Hi! ASEAN depicts ordinary ASEAN people in a comprehensive way.“More importantly, it will make a special contribution to construction of the China-ASEAN community of shared future for mankind,” Li opined, adding that he believes Hi! ASEAN will diversify folk communication avenues.High Documentary Value

Alongside its role in promoting friendship between China and ASEAN, no one can dispute that this documentary also represents a stellar record of the times. It captures real ASEAN lives against the background of globalization and the Belt and Road Initiative through usage of cutting-edge shooting and production techniques that resulted in stunning effects.

“It has been a memorable experience to‘record ASEAN’ with my group,” exclaimed Qin Lei, director of Hi! ASEAN at the premiere. She added that although ASEAN people hail from different backgrounds and follow different religions, they all have common pursuits for peaceful lives, kindness and sincerity, which enables them to maintain a positive outlook on life even while overcoming tragedies.

“Our group humbly captured images with 4K cameras like PXW-Z150,”revealed Qin. “We wanted everything to resonate with Chinese people and inspire them learn more about the habits of their ASEAN neighbors.”At the same time, this documentary will serve as an encyclopedia for viewers to sample the stunning natural tourism resources and plentiful cultural relics of ASEAN countries.

Wang Xu, a photographer who worked on Hi!ASEAN posited that it is very important to shoot moving pictures at different times and from different angles to produce a good documentary.“Contrasting scripted TV dramas in which most scenes get numerous takes, scenes in a documentary were mostly shot on the fly with only one chance,” he explained. “It pressured us with higher demands from shooting equipment and technologies. The 4K cameras really helped us a lot.”

“Ultimately, I have con fidence that Hi! ASEAN,China’s first 4K 360-degree documentary focused on ASEAN cultures and landscapes, will be welcomed by viewers both at home and abroad,”Qin concluded.

A poster for the documentary Hi! ASEAN.

A poster for the documentary Hi! ASEAN.

It captures real ASEAN lives against the background of globalization and the Belt and Road Initiative.