Documentary 30 Degrees North Latitude traces the origins of human civilization

Lyu Houyuan, a researcher at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, sees two levels of significance in the documentary. "The first is viewing China from the world: by placing Chinese civilization within a global framework and identifying patterns common to all humanity, we can more accurately discern what makes Chinese civilization unique," Lyu said.

The second is viewing the world from China: by stepping outside the Western-centric narrative that has long dominated, we can propose a new set of lenses through which to understand the connections and mutual learning between civilizations, he says.

Wang Xianhua, a professor at the Global Civilization Research Institute at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, says if we are to build a community with a shared future for humanity and move toward a new form of human civilization, every civilization must carry forward the past to open up the future. 

"Without looking back, how can we move forward? There is an urgent need — with a fair and open mind, and to the extent that knowledge allows — to rethink and reassess our shared human past. This documentary is, in essence, an invitation: an invitation to look back together at where human civilization has been, so that we may walk together more surely into where it is going," he adds.