The corresponding food and the story behind "A Bite of China"

“This is the taste of salt, the taste of mountains, the taste of wind, the taste of sunshine, but also the taste of time and human feelings. These tastes have been associated with hometown, fellow villagers, and nostalgia for a long time. Emotions and beliefs such as hard work, thrift, and perseverance are mixed together, and they are on the tip of the tongue and in the heart, so that we can hardly tell which one is the taste and which one is the feeling."

With such a warm feeling. The food documentary "A Bite of China" has become popular all over the country. It just ended on the CCTV comprehensive channel late the night before yesterday and was replayed on the documentary channel yesterday. The topic of "On the Tip of the Tongue" continues to be hot, fermenting on Weibo, forums and word of mouth. Why did a documentary broadcast outside prime time attract so many viewers?

With respect and affection for food

"It is just a food documentary. I hope everyone will be happy and moved by watching it." Yesterday at noon, the general manager of "A Bite of China" Director Chen Xiaoqing admitted in an interview on Weibo that many comments are a bit over-interpretative. He doesn't like to be praised by others and pulls out many profound thoughts from simple films.

Behind the simplicity, there is unique thinking. Focusing the camera on ordinary people and paying attention to the stories behind the food adds a human touch. "The story is very short, but very life-like," said netizen "Dongba".

Because of the lotus root diggers who are far away from home and walking in the mud, the warmth of lotus root and pork ribs soup is possible; because of the hard work of grandparents soaking rice, grinding rice, steaming rice, and pounding rice, there is a whole family. The warmth of eating rice cakes at a reunion; because of the simplicity of crushing shrimps and salt and putting them on a bamboo sieve to bask in the sun, old couples enjoy enjoying the sunset...

A story on the tip of the tongue Wei Daolai does not preach about food culture in an empty way, but faces people's lives directly, shows the production technology and production process, and returns food to the family.

The soybeans are crushed by stone mills, and the snow-white juice gushes out. After a series of transformations such as fermentation, they can become hairy tofu with attached mycelium... This seemingly simple process, Take us to find the source of food and think about where traditional food comes from.

Chen Xiaoqing hopes that the audience will not only appreciate the food, but also use the food as a window to see the relationship between Chinese people, food, and society. "The film is full of character stories, interesting stories and interesting people." Chen Xiaoqing said, "In the past, food programs introduced more cooking techniques and eating etiquette and culture. But this time, it has more respect and affection for food. I hope the audience can read their love for life from their love for food.”

With respect and affection for food, this is Chen Xiaoqing’s initial and final positioning of “A Bite of China.”

For the first time, high-definition equipment was used to shoot food

In previous TV screens, Chinese food was often displayed by "cooking masters" or "gourmet experts" or interpreted through "competitions". "A Bite of China" uses a relaxed and compact narrative rhythm and exquisite and delicate pictures to show the rich experience, widely varying eating habits and unique taste aesthetics of the Chinese people in food.

One scene in the promotional video is even more original. At first glance, it is a distant mountain and a small boat; at a closer look, it turns out to be chopsticks and meat. Food, as well as the people and things behind it, all exude a strong Chinese flavor.

This is the first time in China that high-definition equipment has been used to shoot a food documentary. High-definition technology restores the production process to the extreme - stir-frying, beating, rolling out noodles, taking out the pan...the common and detailed actions in the kitchen are all captured clearly and realistically.

Drunk crab, sauced pork ribs, boiled fish, Lanzhou noodles, rice snail noodles, marinated meat buns... a variety of delicacies, all covered with perfect color under the high-definition lens. The beautiful pictures make people salivate, and they suddenly have the urge to cook for themselves.

“The film crew raised the production level of the entire film to a relatively high level.” Chen Xiaoqing said that this was mainly reflected in two aspects. First, the narrative rhythm must be in line with the international sales market. "You cannot recite a Tang poem and then start telling a story like before. Basically, it is very short and dense with information." More importantly, the photography team is excellent. "When planning, I emphasized the need to produce the kind of mouth-watering visual effects. As a result, I can basically give it a score of 80 or more."

Chen Xiaoqing said that the goal at the beginning of the production was to be professional. "It has caused so many responses, which is inseparable from the hard work of the entire filming team. Everyone has put in a lot of wisdom and labor in planning, shooting, and editing. I am just an ordinary member of the team, and I feel honored for this."

Traveling through mountains and rivers to take pictures of delicious food, but not having a good time

Before the shooting, Chen Xiaoqing had in-depth discussions with gourmets Cai Lan and Shen Hongfei, and reached a consensus - the so-called food is actually a way of loving life. You don’t have to live in a temple. They decided to set the tone for the shoot.

In 13 months, a film crew of more than 20 people visited more than 60 places in China, from the prosperous southeast coast to the remote mountains, looking for grassroots food experts in the countryside to present original ecological food production . "Grassroots experts are not slow or conservative, and their sense of smell is often more sensitive than some cooking experts."

When it comes to the filming process, I know the ups and downs. Chen Xiaoqing recalled that when they were shooting scenes in a bamboo forest in southern Yunnan, poisonous mosquitoes were flying all around. They had an idea and came up with the idea of ??burning mosquito coils on the tips of bamboo shoots.

In Xiangshan, Ningbo, I originally wanted to photograph the making of rice cakes at the ancestral hall, but unfortunately, someone held a three-day flowing banquet wedding banquet. "Although it often doesn't go smoothly, the work process is still wonderful."

I have photographed delicious food from all over the world, but it is rare to taste it in person. Chen Xiaoqing said frankly that making movies is as hard as being a chef. "Cooking is not about eating for oneself; filming is about making the audience happy, so it is impossible to gain weight during filming." He explained that Chinese people pay special attention to eating while it is hot. Wait until the photo is finished before eating, it will definitely be cold. "More heat is left to the audience." Chen Xiaoqing also revealed a little trick for shooting food - if you want to visually express freshness, it is best to shoot when it is not yet cooked.

During the filming, can the family members of the main creative staff also share in the delicious food? Chen Xiaoqing responded that the film crew often brought back special delicacies from various places: meat bones, yellow steamed buns, rice wine, highland barley, milk fans, lotus seeds... But what the family members feel more is the pain of lovesickness. A wife once complained: "When I was shooting matsutake, my father went to Yunnan for a week, and I took care of the baby at home alone; I went to Hubei for a week, and I still took care of the baby alone; in northern Shaanxi, Guangxi, Tibet... week after week, I was still alone. Take care of the baby at home.

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