Casting a net into history

Dong Ping, a professor at the School of Philosophy at Zhejiang University and a guest scholar for the documentary, comments that Chu earned recognition for his act from later generations. Evidence of this can be found in Sima Qian's masterpiece Shi Ji (Records of the Grand Historian), where Chu is included in a chapter dedicated to noble figures, alongside others who were mostly from powerful or aristocratic families.

"Through his death, Chu enacted a profound awakening of moral consciousness and discovered his true self, thereby becoming an authentic human being," says Dong.

While the documentary celebrates many figures of unwavering integrity and moral grandeur, it does not shy away from the more ambiguous corners of the human heart. One such story takes place in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), an era when riches and aristocrats vied obsessively for the rarest peonies.

In the renowned Ci'en Temple in Chang'an, the dynasty's capital — now known as Xi'an in Shaanxi province — there was a Buddhist monk named Sizhen. During a conversation with several scholars, he let slip that he had been cultivating a singularly rare peony, a blossom of deep crimson the likes of which no one had ever seen. The revelation proved to be terrible.

Within days, uninvited visitors descended upon the monastery and made off with the flower. Yet, the thieves left behind a curious offering: 30 taels (1.1 kilograms) of gold and two catties (1 kilogram) of fine, expensive tea from Sichuan province — handsome compensation, as if to acknowledge, even in theft, the flower's incalculable worth.

"In selecting representative figures from the vast ocean of historical records, we sought not only to capture what unites the Chinese people, but also what distinguishes them. Through this documentary, we hope the younger generation will come to understand China, as well as the unique cultural traditions that have shaped its people,"Yu says.