Looking China is a short film series made by a group of young film directors from over 20 countries. They traveled to various places across China, making films and exploring Chinese culture with the help of students from local universities.
Ma Yunwei is a 34-year-old blade master from Gansu Province striving to enrich the legacy of the Mongolian tradition from the recorded time of Genghis Khan.
A screen grab of the blade making process. /Tristan Schafer
Ma takes the audience on an illustrious process of manufacturing a sword in stages that gradually build the momentum right through to the end product. Above all, the sword master has an enormous concern for the preservation of the heritage, which was handed down to him by his father and now plans to pass to his sons.
Watch this film by Tristan Schafer, a young director from South Africa’s AFDA Film School, to learn more about the legacy of making a sword.
Looking China offers a glimpse of China through the lens of 20 foreign filmmakers. We will be sharing their stories in the coming days and weeks.
