French producer zooms in on cultural heritage

How did craftsmen over 2,000 years ago create the unique "Chinese purple" color on Terracotta Warriors? Can a one-euro coin stand upright on a high-speed train traveling at full speed? How are giant pandas trained to adapt to life in the wild?

Two years ago, French producer and TV host Olivier Chiabodo came to China with his team to uncover the answers to these questions. They produced Amazing China, a high-definition documentary that unveils the nation's rich culture, natural beauty and advanced technology.

Impressed by China's cultural sites, Chiabodo produced another documentary Beijing-Paris, Urban Dialogue at a Crossroads last year to unveil the beauty of Beijing's Central Axis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and to explore the protection and use of city axes like those in Beijing and Paris. It will be released on the video streaming platform Tencent Video later this year.

"I have been interested in China for years because it has many world heritage sites. I see people here taking good care of their cultural and natural sites. I hope people across the world can see this and do the same with their own culture," says the producer, 63, CEO of The Explorers, a company that uses high-definition imaging technology to showcase the planet's riches.

His team used 8K filming technology, one of the highest resolutions available in digital cinematography, in both documentaries to offer the audience a more immersive experience.

In the documentary focusing on Beijing's Central Axis, they used artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies and even created a digital avatar of Chiabodo. These efforts are seen as innovative ways to attract a wider audience, especially young people, sparking their interest in cultural heritage.

The documentary on Beijing's Central Axis was a collaborative effort with Beijing Keying Media. Cui Ying, general manager of the company, says she felt Chiabodo's friendliness toward China and his enthusiasm for Chinese culture during their collaboration. "He has rich experience and outstanding insight into new technologies in the broadcasting industry, especially ultrahigh-definition technology," Cui says, adding that they will continue working together and spreading Chinese culture.

"Culture is something that everyone can connect with and talk about easily," Chiabodo says. "We use high-tech tools to share and preserve different cultures, helping people around the globe to communicate and understand each other better."

For years, the producer has devoted himself to recording the world's natural and cultural beauties. However, he started his career as a medical doctor, busy exploring the intricate workings of the human body.

One day, he decided to conduct a checkup on our planet, documenting its health and vitality through the lens of a camera. The Earth, in his eye, mirrors the human body. Just as human bodies are composed of 70 percent water and 30 percent solid matter, so is our planet.

"I decided to do a checkup on our planet through a documentary film to know more about the planet, culture and nature. The more we know it, the better we can protect it," says Chiabodo.

His connection with China began in 1985, inspired by French politician and writer Alain Peyrefitte, who encouraged him to visit and learn more about the country. He recalls his visit to Beijing and how impressed he was with the wide streets full of bicycles.

"Miraculously, great changes have happened in China," he says.

In Amazing China, Chiabodo visited the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Terracotta Warriors to show how people protect their culture in modern times. He also unveils the latest technology China boasts, such as the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, the world's largest and most sensitive radio telescope to explore the universe, the C919 plane made by China and the high-speed railway system.

He says although China has made great technological achievements and developed fast, it preserves its historical sites and culture well, which is important for the younger generations.

Amazing China debuted last October on China Central Television and won praise from the audience. It is available to international audiences for viewing via French TV stations during China's Spring Festival.

Using technology as a medium, the high-definition documentaries Chiabodo promotes not only introduce a more authentic and rich China to the world but also enable more people to gain a deeper understanding of France.

In April 2023, as a member of a business delegation, Chiabodo accompanied French President Emmanuel Macron on a visit to China. President Macron presented 16 documentaries about France, produced by Chiabodo, as national gifts to China. These documentaries recording France's natural and cultural riches via 8K technology were presented on Tencent Video to Chinese audiences at the end of last November.

"I believe that culture is the best means of dialogue not only between China and France but people around the world to engage in dialogue and listen to one another," he says.

The producer says he has an ambitious plan to film all the 59 UNESCO world heritage sites in China and showcase them to the world.