"It is 9.6 million square kilometers above the surface of the water, and it is unknown beyond measurement. Darkness is not the end of life, and oasis is not exclusive to land. The shipwreck travels through generations only to find its past and present; the intersection of thousands of years, Humans are enjoying its gifts, leaving traces of life and stories of survival. Today, let us break through the border, breathe like fishes, and feel it-an underwater China that we have never seen before. "
This is the opening phrase of the documentary "Underwater China", and is the summary of the director Zhou Fang's 6 dimensions to show the world underwater China: dark caves, underwater ancient cities, ancient and modern shipwrecks, secret gardens, oasis of life and granary under the sea.
As China's first large-scale underwater ecological documentary series, "Underwater China" shows China's unique natural features and cultural landscapes with its unique perspective: the underwater pyramid of Fuxian Lake in Yunnan, the underwater Great Wall in Panjiakou, Hebei, and the seabed of Lanyu Island in Taiwan Shipwreck, Guangxi Mysterious Karst Cave, Submarine Granary in Shandong Jiaozhou Peninsula ...
In 3 years, Zhou Fang and her team crossed 24 provinces and cities, dived for more than 3,000 hours, and filmed 70T video material to produce "Underwater China" and the special feature "Sneak China". "Underwater China" was praised by netizens as "Dare to challenge the BBC documentary."
"Chinese people film their underwater world, we are not seeing things with things, but seeing people with things, seeing China with things." Zhou Fang said, this is her original intention of filming. "We present China's underwater Nirvana rebirth and the vicissitudes of the sea, hoping to let the world see underwater China, and calling on mankind to jointly protect the blue planet."
Unlock the code of love in Dark Cave
In a dark cave underwater, losing a pair of bright eyes, how to find a blind shrimp living alone?
It turned out that after millions of years of evolution, the skin of blind shrimp is very sensitive to the movement of water, and can even perceive the movement of the weak water flowing against the cave wall, so they can travel through the tortuous caves and rock walls, never Hit the wall! However, there is no way for sensitive skin to help them distinguish which is the enemy ’s attack and which is the lover ’s approach, and this is all due to their super-developed olfactory system-the mature female shrimp will release the "love" pheromone in the water. Here, the male prawns will smell all the way. Such a unique love code, only blind shrimp can unlock ...
"The Love Code of the Blind Shrimp" is the first story of "Underwater China", the first episode of "Dark Cave". Starting from "Love", it not only introduces the unique karst landforms in southern China, but also popularizes China's underground river systems and There are 43 kinds of blind or semi-blind creatures such as blind shrimp and blind fish.
Compared with chasing a 5 cm long blind shrimp, underwater photographer Zhou Fang used to prefer chasing a shark 10 meters long. Everyone called her "chasing shark bubble".
Before 2017, Zhou Fang tracked and filmed sharks all over the world. She hoped to tell the world that it is not sharks that eat people, but people who eat sharks. "The probability of a shark hurting people is extremely small. Even if it hurts people, there are two situations: one is accidental injury because the shark has poor eyesight; the other is self-defense, that is, it will only fight back when a person attacks the shark. Poisonous creatures are far more likely to be injured than sharks. "
Zhou Fang has photographed the four most aggressive sharks in the world-Great White Shark, Tiger Shark, Bull Shark and Oceanic Whitetip Shark. He has also photographed gentle and cute hammerhead sharks, nurse sharks, whale sharks, and many others. There are more than 30 kinds of sharks such as bull shark, cat shark and whisker shark. In 2015, she planned to shoot and the documentary film "Finding Whale Shark" with the theme of marine environmental protection won the "Public Original Audiovisual Program Contest in Hunan Province" in the public welfare category.
It was also shot underwater, and a conversation in early 2017 changed the direction of Zhou Fang's lens. At the time, she was doing ice diving training. "Going to ice diving in the Arctic Circle is to find and photograph the great white whale that lives on the bottom of the extremely cold sea."
"Bubble, you are from China. Have you ever seen China underwater?" The Russian coach asked. "Do you know that there is a Fuxian Lake in China? Have you ever been to Fuxian Lake? I've been there and we're here There it dived to 70 meters underwater, setting a world record, and the water under Fuxian Lake is so beautiful. "
This conversation caused Zhou Fang, who was "with a long distance in mind," to reflect on, "I have been diving in so many places in the world, but why do I know little about the motherland?" China has millions of square kilometers of waters and the most rivers in the world. , The most complicated water system, but there is no underwater documentary filmed by the Chinese themselves.
In March 2017, after returning from the Arctic, Zhou Fang invited underwater photographers Rachel, Liu Yi, Song Gang, as well as the country's first all-around diving instructor Han Ting and photography director Wang Yan to form a six-person team. In three years, they spanned 24 provinces and cities, east to Lanyu Island in Taiwan, west to Fuxian Lake in Yunnan, north to the junction of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea, south to the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea, "We hope to present the world with a unique underwater China".
In Guangxi, Zhou Fang and his teammates dived more than 20 caves. Many video materials were presented for the first time on Chinese screens. In addition to blind fish and blind shrimp, there are unique stone flowers underwater in the karst cave and embedded in the cave rock wall Hundreds of millions of years of shellfish fossils and fish bone fossils.
"It ’s not that there are no karst landforms abroad, and there are also abroad, but we are going to take pictures of places in China that are different from others. For example, we have underwater caves and ruins of water plants. The older generation even remember the construction of water plants. This scenario is not available abroad. "Zhou Fang said with a smile.
Fuxian Lake, the largest deep-water freshwater lake in China, is located in Chengjiang County, Yuxi City, the central pearl of Yunnan. "I have heard of Fuxian Lake before, but I haven't dived." Zhou Fang recalled that after the team was formed in 2017, the first stop was Fuxian Lake. However, no matter whether it was Fuxian Lake or underwater China at that time, the information was very scarce. "It has the feeling of finding a needle in a haystack, and it is like opening a wasteland. We are opening up a new territory."
According to previous archaeological data, the ancient underwater city of Fuxian Lake covers an area of about 2.4 square kilometers, and some of the architectural patterns are very similar to those on the bronze wares of the ancient Dian Kingdom. The first time I stepped down to Fuxian Lake, Zhou Fang hoped to find the legendary pyramid top, but failed to return. "We photographed for 3 years, and finally figured out the underwater stone buildings in Fuxian Lake. Historians tell us that the stone buildings should belong to the Sanxingdui period, which is about 2300 to 4000 years ago, compared with the ancient Dian Kingdom. History is still early. People started living here, but as the crustal movement and the water level rose, the crowd gradually evacuated; and then continued to rise and evacuate, so we have the Fuxian Lake and the underwater city we now know. "
Explore the past events in "Underwater Ancient City"
The dragon head, the imperial edict, the display and symbol of the power of ancient Chinese emperors, appeared under water at the same time, and were engraved on the same arch. The protagonist of the story is a woman.
Yao Wenjun is a poor scholar, but his wife, Wang, is a woman from a large family. When Wang was married to Wen Jun at the age of 18, her husband died of illness in only one year. Wang's observance and filial piety have served the second elder and widowed for more than 50 years until his death. After learning about the incident, the Yangzhou government gave a commendation to the court. Qianlong felt the loyalty of the Wang clan, and gave the special arch of filial piety. During the Qianlong period, it was established outside the north gate of the Lion City in Suian County.
The building with the imperial decree is the Yao Memorial Day Filial Arch, built by the Emperor Jiang Xie. It is one of the four traditional arches in China. It is the chastity and moral arch in China.
"Under water, the first time I saw this decree arch of more than 200 years ago, the inner shock was unprecedented!" Zhou Fang said, the dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, and lions were all impressed by the intricate carvings on the arch.
In the first year, the team chose a total of 10 topics, and later deleted 6 of them, and added 2 new ones. "In the beginning, we went to Tibet and Qinghai to step on the point, and then we had to give up. First, the technical conditions were limited. After all, high-altitude areas have stricter requirements for diving; secondly, the abandoned points may have natural beauty and stimulate visual senses, but they are not unique to China. "
In Zhou Fang's view, she hopes to present to the world an underwater world with Chinese characteristics. In the "Underwater Ancient City", whether it is Fuxian Lake Underwater Ancient City, the Millennium City Lion City (Zui'an, Zhejiang Province) submerged under the construction of Xin'anjiang Hydropower Station, or "Introduced Luan into Tianjin" and submerged in Panjiakou Reservoir The Ming Great Wall underneath (part of Xifengkou section) contains Chinese history; "Ancient and Modern Shipwreck" contains the shipwreck of the ancient Maritime Silk Road; "Secret Garden" contains the Antarctic village, where the fishermen will pick up the dead coral Build a house; the "blue tears" in "Oasis of Life" is actually the Hirsch's Bend-throated Sea Firefly, a kind of fluorescent creature floating in the bay. The sea firefly that emits blue light in June and July in summer is distributed in a strip along the beach, which is also the world Rare and unique to China.
Of course, in the selection questions and shooting process, what touched Zhou Fang the most was the interaction between local people and water.
Every arch and every house has a story and a history. Zhou Fang told reporters that when they photographed the underwater homes of Qiandao Lake, there was a house named "Yu Qingtang" with a wooden piercing structure and the words "Shanping Water Belt" engraved on the gate. At first glance, it is a very ordinary house, but for Xu Lao, who lived here before, it was his dream home. The staircase on the second floor of Yu Qingtang was once a natural barrier for the Xu family ’s father to conflict with others and protect himself; the partition on the staircase was where he and his father slept; in the yard, under the vine, he listened to his grandmother telling stories Good place for Naliang ...
"We have been with Qiandao Lake for two years, and Xu Lao has been with us to help us; we also listened to him talk a lot about his hometown, hometown, and old mansion, especially true!" Zhou Fang said emotionally, "The fallen leaves return to the roots The tradition of the Chinese. Since the new reservoir was built in 1959, a Jiazi has passed, how many Jiazi can be in life? But no matter how much he misses, the underwater home is close by, he ca n’t see it. So, when we took the video The picture was shown to Xu Lao. He really was crying and choking with everyone, thank you! At that moment, I was very satisfied and helped Xu Lao realize his long-cherished wish to look back to the country. Moreover, practice has proved that we The following exploration is valuable. "
In addition, in the "Undersea Granary", Weihai, Shandong, made a living by picking up sea cucumbers and abalone, workers who salvaged kelp at Rongcheng Marine Ranch, and Hainan Danjia fishermen known as "sea gypsies". Zhou Fang was very moved.
"'Hai Meng Zi' is actually a high-risk occupation, with limited equipment, poor conditions, and underwater operations, making them easy to get decompression sickness." Zhou Fang explained that decompression sickness is improper decompression after high-pressure environment operation, the body A systemic disease caused by bubbles that have previously dissolved beyond the supersaturation limit, forming bubbles inside and outside the blood vessels and tissues. Once the "Hai Mengzi" gets older, they can't do anything. Their income is exchanged for life and youth. "There are also workers who salvage kelp for 13 hours a day. Their hands are soaked in high-salinity sea water all day, their fingers are soaked and deformed, a bit like carrots, and even the joints are not obvious ..."
The Hainan Dan family, who are "seeking for life" at sea, because of environmental protection ban fishing, are increasingly returning their lives from the sea to the land. They have set up small farms by the sea and started fishing rafts to do business, but they have not forgotten their roots.
"On the day of the arrest, we and the Dan family lived together day and night, went to the sea together, watched the elder brother turn on the fish in the night, and listened to the elder sister singing fishermen's songs ..." said Zhou Fang, the melodious singing sang "sea gypsies" and the sea The story of "love and kill" can be difficult for outsiders to grasp. "The same thing is that they are working hard for a better life, just like 'Haimengzi'."
To be a Chinese “sea hero”
"I also saw the shadow of our team on the Dan family and 'Haimengzi'. It's just that they are fishing for seafood, and we are fishing underwater for the civilization and history that China has forgotten for thousands of years; they The harvest is real gold and silver, and we have harvested countless emotions and inner pride. I even feel that my team and I are Chinese underwater “sea fiends.” Zhou Fang said.
The reporter couldn't help wondering why a Xiang girl from Hunan Mountain City thought of a career in underwater photography.
"If you want to find a seed, it should be a child." Zhou Fang said with a smile. When she was young, she likes to watch CCTV's "Zhengda Variety" and "The World Is Wonderful". The different styles of nature and humanities attracted her. , "'Don't know, the world is wonderful' has a quiz. I always ask on TV what it is and what it is ... At that time, I thought that if I could travel the world in the future, I would be like the people on TV. , Just take the camera and shoot everywhere. "
After finishing his undergraduate studies in Beijing, Zhou Fang went to the United States to study for an MBA. After working in the US, in her spare time, she enjoys traveling, climbing, hiking and camping.
The underwater world first presented her with an astonishing appearance, and was on holiday in Cairns, Australia. "Blue sea and blue sky, I dived to the bottom of the water, there are various marine life, colorful, vivid and free, free and easy." Zhou Fang was shocked, "The underwater world is very quiet, I will not be disturbed by mail, phone , No need to think about the trivial things in work and life. Empty everything and swim under the sea like a fish. "
The domestic father was seriously ill, Zhou Fang resolutely gave up his job in the United States and returned to the motherland. "In the United States, although I have an annual salary of one million, but I am uncomfortable, that is a profession; being an underwater photographer and making public welfare movies, I may only earn more than one hundred thousand a year, but my heart is very solid, this is my career "Zhou Fang said that the 3 years of" Underwater China "were probably the most fulfilling 3 years for her. While checking the information, she went to the director's class and studied with the American tutor." My tutor Mike has taken it 3 times. Emmy Awards, he actually does n’t have so much technical guidance for me, and conveys to me more of an idea-you have to be passionate about what you shoot. You opened your eyes in the morning and thought that what you want to do today is very much If you are motivated, you will persevere no matter how hard you are. "
Despite being well-equipped, underwater shooting is not without risk, and it may even be possible to meet with death. Zhou Fang photographed blind shrimp for the first time in Guangxi cave. In order to chase blind shrimp, he unconsciously deviated from the guide rope and entered the side cave. "Fortunately, that side hole is a dead end. After waking up, I try to relax and adjust my breathing so as not to exhaust the oxygen left in the oxygen bottle too quickly, and return in the same way." Zhou Fang said with fear, "If the side The hole is open. When the device sends an alarm again, I may not be so lucky to be able to touch it back. "
Today, both "Underwater China" and "Sneak China" have been released, and some netizens still haven't expressed their wishes. Zhou Fang told reporters that "Underwater China" originally made an episode of 50 minutes, but considering the acceptable length of the public, it was cut to within 30 minutes. "We also regret that in order to get the full content of the first season, we cut the depth of the film and only let everyone know about it, and even a little jump in some places." However, the next season will be more focused. For example, pay attention to some of China's unique underwater species-Chinese white dolphins.
It is regrettable that the team first photographed Fuxian Lake. There are still traditional customs of fishing by water in the area. Later, because of environmental improvement, this waterwheel no longer exists. "Xu Lao of Yu Qingtang once wanted me to take an old tile from his house back to commemorate it, but the moment I picked up the tile, the dust was scattered and the tiles were out of step with the surrounding environment, so I put it back again Go back. "Zhou Fang said with emotion," When I returned to the ship, I explained to Xu Lao why I should put that tile back. Xu Lao also understood it. Dust is dust, and soil is earth. It is a tile on the underwater roof. It should be there. If you go back to shore, its existence will be meaningless. "
What Zhou Fang misses also includes coral spawning. "In" Sneak China ", it is said that the very beautiful, pink pink coral spawning was actually taken in Japan, and the spawning pictures taken in Hainan did not achieve the desired effect. In the future, we plan to have more Go to shoot. "Zhou Fang lamented," We do documentaries, we can not intervene in reality, not only can't guarantee the water tanker for fishing, nor can we freely salvage the ceramic fragments on the sunken ship, nor can we interfere with the birth of squid and coral Egg. Recording the present itself is an regretful art, so-called hanging one thousand and ten thousand, but the point is that we are doing it. Before time passes, we travel forward and use the lens to present the history and changes of underwater China. "
Our reporter Fu Xinxin