Cinematic bridges: exploring Africa with ZHANG Yong

"What is the current state of the TAZARA Railway?"

"How are people-to-people exchanges between China and Africa conducted?"

"How does the younger generation view intercultural issues?"

ZHANG Yong, a research professor at the College of Media and International Culture at ZJU, answers these questions through his documentary works. He serves as a director, teacher, and scholar of African film and television culture. His work aims to break down biases and stereotypes, thereby building a bridge for deep mutual understanding between China and Africa.

Director: African stories through a lens of truth

The TAZARA Railway is one of China's largest foreign aid projects to date and stands as a powerful testament to Sino-African friendship. As depicted in his film, where the TAZARA Railway still bustles with activity, ZHANG Yong believes that the documentary "TAZARA: A Journey Without an End" presents a more objective side to the audience with real footage. Another documentary, "Chinese Meet Africa", creates a comprehensive and rich Sino-African cultural geography map. To complete this five-episode series, ZHANG Yong's team traversed 12 African countries, chronicling the Sino-African stories of 15 ordinary people.

"TAZARA: A Journey Without an End" film footage

Scholar: bonding with Africa

During his Ph.D. studies at the Beijing Film Academy, ZHANG Yong's fascination with Africa became insatiable. Where are the African films? What are the styles and characteristics of local African cinema? With these questions, he took his first step toward Africa. His initial experiences in Africa were challenging, adapting to the food and climate. However, these unique life experiences drew him closer to Africa. The mountains, lands, and local customs of Africa constantly inspired his creativity. "I cherish such life experiences. My first unique journey in Africa motivated me to keep going back," he said.

During his PhD, ZHANG Yong first went to Africa.

After several years of field research, ZHANG Yong encountered a more realistic Africa and discovered a vast gap in people's perceptions. "The vast majority of Chinese, even those who haven't been to Africa, tend to think African countries are all the same. But in reality, Africa's human and cultural environments are much more complex,"he said. What is Africa, really? How can we foster correct recognition among our people and the world? Realizing that research had limited impact and international communication should not be limited to academia, the practicality and applicability of film and television offered him a wide range of options to build a bridge of mutual understanding between China and Africa. ZHANG Yong decided to present Sino-African interactions through authentic documentary filming. "So I started thinking about building a bridge of communication and understanding through creating documentaries, to enhance mutual understanding between Chinese and Africans," ZHANG said.

Some of ZHANG Yong's documentary works

Teacher: engaging students in global narratives

In the crew list at the end of ZHANG Yong's works, many students from ZJU are featured. "At the university, we focus more on research and teaching, but sometimes we fall behind the industry's rapid development and lose touch with social realities," ZHANG Yong reflects on teacher-student interactions. "The students may not be as technically skilled, but their thinking aligns more with the young demographic, a narrative style that helps our content stay relevant with the times."

Through documentaries, ZHANG Yong attempts to bridge Sino-African people-to-people exchanges. He insists on a bidirectional, integrative, and communicative approach when shooting documentaries on Sino-African themes. Sometimes he invites African students to his office to hear their perspectives on what's good in the film and what could be improved. "I hope a documentary features different angles, diverse interpretations," he said.

ZHANG Yong watching and editing films with students

In his actual production work, he not only draws from his peers' understanding of relevant topics but also invites students to participate in the documentary filming process. Students have opportunities to independently seek out topics and create works. In his courses, he guides students to create documentaries around different themes, resulting in a collection of excellent student projects. ZHANG Yong feels he has encountered many like-minded student partners. As a university teacher, the daily interactions gradually form a beneficial teaching and learning dynamic. He is eager to work with students, offering them practical opportunities and imparting knowledge both inside and outside the classroom.

Adapted and translated from the article written by OUYANG Yuxuan, LEI Sihan, ZHANG Keshu & YIN Linglin

Translator: GU Zhaoyu ('2025, Education)

Photo: the interviewees

Editor: HAN Xiao ('25 PhD, Education), TIAN Minjie

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