MCLC: Hu Jie and lost voices

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: Hu Jie and lost voices
***********************************************************

Source: Global Times
(2/17/12):http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/696359/Lost-voices.asp
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Lost voices
By Liang Chen

Hu Jie doesn't have the backing of big film studios or government grants.
The acclaimed independent documentary filmmaker has to survive off wedding
videos and illustration work. But his documentaries detailing the
brutality of the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) have made the bewhiskered
director quietly famous. His recently opened Sina Weibo account attracted
over 10,000 followers within days.

Hu's documentaries, including In Search of Lin Zhao's Soul, Though I Am
Gone, and My Mother Wang Peiying all focus on ordinary people who was
tortured or killed for their criticism of the government during the
tumultuous years.

"Ordinary people were drawn into the vortex of politics and their life was
greatly changed. They represented the era," Hu said in a soft, mild voice.
"However, they have been ignored, never been made public and someone has
to step forward and save history."

 Even though they have never been publicly released in China, Hu's films
have spread widely on the Internet and drawn keen attention from the
public.

Hu was born in 1958 and graduated from the Art College of the People's
Liberation Army, where he majored in oil painting.

"I found that painting was far from reflecting what is happening in
China," he said. He began to pursue a realistic way to express himself.

By that time, he was hanging out with some documentary producers, and
realized making documentary can record history more precisely and truly.

Letters in blood

Hu discovered Lin Zhao's story in 1999 during a conversation with a
friend. Lin was an outspoken Peking University student who was jailed in
1960 for her criticism of the authorities during the Hundred Flowers
Movement in 1957 and the subsequent Anti-Rightist Campaign. She was later
sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

While in prison, she wrote hundreds of pages of critical commentary about
Mao Zedong using her own blood. She was tortured and eventually executed
in 1968.

"I was shocked," Hu said excitedly. He decided he should bring Lin's life
to light.

By that time, he was a photographer for the Xinhua News Agency, shooting
short films about migrant workers while doing research on Lin's story in
his spare time. When his boss discovered his work, he was forced to resign.

Without financial support, he began to draw illustrations for magazines
and books. "I draw hundreds of illustrations a week and they were sold at
five to 20 yuan a piece," Hu said in a calm, low voice. To save money, he
dined on bread and pickles.

In the next five years, he traveled all across China and visited a total
of 90 interviewees, including Lin's relatives, friends, and classmates.
With the help of Gan Cui, a former boyfriend of Lin, he found handwritten
copies of her prison writings.

But it was tough to get other people to speak. "It's sensitive and many of
them have closed the gates of memory," he said.

Hu recalled he once spent half a day persuading Huang Zheng, one of Lin's
friends to speak.

"When I first met Huang in Suzhou, he queried my intentions for hours. He
didn't trust me. He didn't open his mouth until I reassured him repeatedly
that I wanted to show people who Lin Zhao is."

Another interviewee slammed the door in front of Hu after expressing his
fury with the Cultural Revolution for over 40 minutes.

Wrapped in gauze

Though difficult, Hu was inspired by Lin's bravery and intellect. "I
couldn't help but shed tears when reading the letters written in her
blood," he said.

One of Hu's favorite drawings, now hanging on the wall of his studio, is a
sketch of a woman's head being wrapped by layers of gauze, where only her
eyes can be seen.

Hu drew the picture after a prisoner, who was jailed in the same prison as
Lin Zhao, told him about the last image she had of Lin. In order to stop
her from voicing her "reactionary sentiments," the warden in prison
wrapped Lin's mouth so that she could not talk. Hu was determined to
restore her voice.

The documentary, In Search of Lin Zhao's Soul, was first shown in Sun
Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, in March 2004 and won numerous awards.

Wang Youqin, a professor of Chinese language studies at Chicago University
who runs a memorial website for the victims of the Cultural Revolution,
believes Hu has done a great job.

"Hu has impressed us by his close look into people's life, and he also
showed us the big picture of history," Wang said.

Child killers

Though I Am Gone, Hu's second film, concerns the death of Bian Zhongyun,
the leader of a prestigious girls' high school associated with Tsinghua
University and mother of four.

On August 5, 1966, Bian collapsed on the school campus after enduring
prolonged verbal and physical abuse from her own students, and died
shortly thereafter.

Hu interviews Bian's husband Wang Jingyao, who bought a camera and took
pictures right before her cremation, revealing her bruised body. The
elderly man in his 80s speaks about his wife's death with frankness and
emotion. 

"Bian was the earliest victim of a student beating in Beijing. I
photographed the film from a different angle: a husband who used to be a
supporter of violent revolution rethinks his ideas," Hu said.

New film

Hu is now collecting information and materials for his next documentary,
commemorating the death of Gao Hua, a controversial Chinese historian of
the early years of the Communist Party of China.

Despite his lack of funding, Hu's family is supportive. His first camera
was a gift from his younger sister. His wife, Jiang Fenfen, who works in a
bank, has shouldered responsibility of taking care of their son and the
whole family. 

"I told him that he needn't feed our family. He just needs to earn money
to cover all the expenses for his documentaries," Jiang said.

Hu said he never worried about the distribution channels for his works.
"Those who are concerned about the topic will use every means to watch my
films, while those who are not interested will not waste their time on
it," He said.