Seeing the light

"We thought joining the Creative Cities Network was an opportunity for us to share with more people the traditional culture and modern transformation of Suzhou, and a documentary is a great medium to present it," says Li Hong, the film's producer. Li is also the director of Suzhou's intangible cultural heritage protection and management office.

Li explains that the nine crafts that were chosen to represent the rich traditional culture are well-known and people immediately associate them with Suzhou, such as Su embroidery. Also included are some which may be slightly obsolete, but which still exemplify outstanding ancient expertise, such as Songjin brocade weaving, which in 2009 was included as a component of a UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity listing.

"From the interaction between people and crafts, we would like to present the core of contemporary craftsmanship: an open and tolerant mind, an attention to detail in conducting research, the virtue of respecting all life, and perseverance in pursuing innovation," says the documentary's director Sun Zengtian.