Human beings have been exploring the meaning of nature, exploring various extreme natural landforms and life on this land, and exploring the harmonious coexistence of humans, animals, and nature.The film spans different ecologies in the four corners of China, exploring four awe-inspiring animals, trying to feel them, and trying to communicate with heaven and earth.

In ancient times, they were totems and animals at the top of the food chain - the Siberian tiger, the king of the forest, the white dolphin, the elf of the sea, the giant Asian elephant in the rainforest, and the wild yak, the messenger of the snow-capped mountains.These four animals, known as flagship species, coexist with heaven and earth, coexist with humans, and use special ways to help humans communicate with nature.The Land of Spirits, is where those magical communications happen.

Behind the scenes

The film began preparations in 2017 and production in 2019. The creative team worked separately, with a group of about 10 people. The film crew traveled all over Yunnan, Guangdong, Fujian, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Qinghai and other places. It took more than two years to shoot., filming will not be completed until the fall of 2021.

During this period, each group encountered considerable difficulties.When filming Asian elephants, the creative team decided to follow the elephants walking and filming together so that a complete story could be accumulated.However, due to tracking and shooting all the way, there were difficulties in post-production. Faced with a large amount of material, I was very entangled and had to reluctantly part with it.Finally, after re-arranging the structure, a lot of content was deleted.

When shooting the white dolphin, communication with the white dolphin was ineffective many times, and the creative team almost gave up shooting. Finally, with the persistence of the team, we came to a story of a white dolphin stranded on the beach and the villagers successfully rescued the white dolphin, completing the whole story.The most important shooting of the film.

When shooting Siberian tigers, with the technology mastered by the shooting team, it was impossible to complete squatting shooting in the wild. In the end, we had to rely heavily on infrared trigger cameras to capture the content.However, after reviewing the camera footage accumulated over the past two years, I found that it was still difficult to complete a coherent story with the Siberian Tiger content.Finally, I was fortunate to be recognized by Feng Limin, an expert on Siberian tiger research in China, who handed over more than ten years of research results to the creative team.

When shooting wild yaks, waiting is common. Herdsmen regard yaks as very precious, so shooting will encounter unpredictable resistance.The creative team waited for more than 20 days, and some of them could no longer shoot. Just when they were about to give up, they wanted to shoot for the last day, and finally the wild yak arrived.

behind the scenes

During the filming of wild yaks, we encountered a pack of wolves hunting the wild yaks. However, due to the short hunting process and the fact that the camera crew could not get too close, the filming of this scene was missed.

During the filming of wild Siberian tigers, because Siberian tigers are unpredictable and good at concealment, the creative team was unable to complete the filming in the wild and could only rely heavily on infrared trigger cameras.

When Zeng Hairuo, the director of the film, went to Xishuangbanna for research, he met two farmers who lit torches in the farmland to fight against the elephant invasion at night and held them above their heads as if they were preparing to fight the elephants.Through this incident, the shooting plan for Asian elephants was decided that night.

The story of the rangers at the Qiangtang Gagatang Wildlife Conservation Station and the young wild yaks they took in in the film was captured by the film's executive director Zhang Kezhe, who spent nearly a year tracking and photographing wild yaks on the plateau.

Work evaluation

《The Land of Spirits》As a documentary, it explores topics and resonates with the audience.The humanistic care injected into the film not only allows the audience to understand the stories of four "Chinese mythical animals" - Asian elephants, white dolphins, wild yaks, and Siberian tigers, but also makes contemporary people reflect on how to maintain awe of life and pay correct attention to wild animals.The ecological environment faced by animals.The film captures wild animals and national culture that are unique to China and is closely related to Chinese civilization. It also provides a unique perspective on the relationship between man and nature. It is not a simple slogan to promote the protection of wild animals, butLet the audience learn how to understand these wild animals.(《Guangming Daily》,《Wenhui Daily》Comments)