Recently, the grand series documentary "A City in Its Prime," commemorating the 30th anniversary of the development of the Suzhou Industrial Park in collaboration with Singapore, has been widely broadcast on platforms such as CCTV-4, the Yangshipin APP, Suzhou Broadcasting Network's News Channel, and the "Watch Suzhou" APP, garnering significant attention.
This documentary series consists of five episodes, each 30 minutes long, titled "Metamorphosis," "High Ground," "Sustenance," "Integration," and "Journey." It explores five key aspects: multinational collaboration, technological innovation, cooperative success, cultural life, and ecological construction. The series provides a profound interpretation of the park’s commitment to innovation and excellence over its development history, offering insights into the narrative of China’s reform and opening up.
As an important collaborative project between the governments of China and Singapore, the Suzhou Industrial Park has transformed over 30 years from an "ancient waterway town" into a "city of innovation." It has ranked first in the national comprehensive assessment of economic and technological development zones for eight consecutive years, earning the titles of "an important window of China’s reform and opening up" and "a successful model of international cooperation."
Condensing 30 years of accomplishments into a two-and-a-half-hour documentary is a daunting task.
"A City in Its Prime" is jointly produced by the Propaganda Department of the Suzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Central Documentary Film Studio (Group), and the Management Committee of the Suzhou Industrial Park. The production involves collaboration between the Central Documentary Film Studio (Group), Suzhou Broadcasting Television Station, and the Publicity Department of the Suzhou Industrial Park.
Since the project began last May, the filming team has taken immediate action, extensively visiting and documenting within the park as well as traveling to Singapore, the UK, and cities like Horgos and Suqian. Their goal has been to interpret the story from a macro perspective, present unique viewpoints, and illustrate through vivid case studies the remarkable transformation of the Suzhou Industrial Park over the last 30 years, allowing viewers to experience the city’s extraordinary evolution.
According to Yu Peng, director of the documentary social programs department at the Central Documentary Film Studio (Group), the Suzhou Industrial Park is not only economically developed but also highly livable, representing an ideal model of a city for the future. He hopes the documentary will showcase its image as a garden city.
Shen Ling, the party secretary and director of the Suzhou Broadcasting Television Station and chairman and chief director of the Suzhou Media Group, expressed that effectively promoting, summarizing, and disseminating the "park experience" through comprehensive media means can enhance the creation of cultural imagery corridors in Jiangnan, tell contemporary Chinese stories happening in Suzhou, and showcase Suzhou's practice of "Chinese-style modernization."
"Tracing the Footprints" of Singapore
In Singapore's renowned Gardens by the Bay, there is a distinctive Chinese-style garden. Cheng Shih-Sheng, the first president of the Suzhou Industrial Park Development Company, is very fond of this place as it reminds him of his days in China.
"In 1994, I was assigned by the Singapore government to Suzhou to mainly handle development and investment promotion during the park’s initial stage. We were eager to create an environment conducive to attracting foreign investors. Some of our investment strategies were unfamiliar to the Chinese team, but they learned very quickly." During the filming, Cheng's attachment to the park was evident.
The Suzhou Industrial Park originated from the cooperation between the governments of China and Singapore. In the early stages of development, funding, planning, and investment primarily came from Singapore. Earlier this year, after extensive communication and coordination, the production team arrived in Singapore to attempt to restore fragments of history into a visual memory belonging to both a city and two nations.
The first episode, "Metamorphosis," features interviews with several Singaporean figures, many of whom are prominent in the Singapore government, business sector, and universities, who have participated in or are well-acquainted with the development of the Suzhou Industrial Park.
Pan Wenlong from the Suzhou Broadcasting Television Station’s Quality Production Center is the planner and director of "A City in Its Prime." He recalls that thirty years ago, when he was still a student in Hangzhou, he learned about the construction of the Suzhou Industrial Park through classroom discussions. He later moved to Suzhou to work and live in the park and was fortunate to participate in the documentary's filming.
"From being a student to a program director, my connection with the park seems to have existed for a long time, which makes me especially cherish this opportunity." Pan stated that filming and interviewing in a foreign land is inherently challenging, especially since many subjects to be interviewed are retired people, requiring coordination and contact through multiple departments to assist in the process. "The smooth progress of filming was thanks to the cooperation and support of various departments in the park and Singapore. By collaborating with the park, we contacted the Suzhou Business Center in Singapore, which helped reach out to several interviewees. We connected with them one by one, overcoming many difficulties and completed the relevant filming and interviews in Singapore within two weeks."
Almost a year has passed, but recalling the interviews and shoots in Singapore, Wang Jing, also a director from the Suzhou Broadcasting Television Station, still finds it memorable.
"What impressed me the most was the interview with Mr. Cheng. On that day, he wore a floral shirt reflecting Malayan style and black-framed glasses. Even in his 70s, he was radiant and humorous. Talking about his early work at the park, he still became emotional." Wang believes the energy and determination expressed by interviewees discussing the initial joint efforts between China and Singapore and the hardships faced by early pioneers to create new opportunities impact every member of the filming team. "We are recording, but we are also transmitting. We want to present the spirit of hard work and the friendship shared by both parties. As the interviewees mentioned, although they have left the park for quite some time, they still think about returning to see it again."
New Heights of Industry
After thirty years of innovative transformation, the park is growing into a high ground for technological innovation and industrial agglomeration. Director Chen Zhuo from the Central Documentary Film Studio oversaw the episode titled "High Ground," themed around technological innovation and core sectors such as biomedicine, nanotechnology applications, and artificial intelligence.
"Our filming process was not long. Yet within just a few months, we recorded a series of international events held in the Suzhou Industrial Park, including the Artificial Intelligence Expo, World Intelligent Transportation Conference, Nano+ International Summit, and Cold Spring Harbor Asia Conference, among others. We witnessed firsthand how this industrial high ground has become a powerful engine for the development of cutting-edge technology," Chen stated.
Telling the story of industrial development through a documentary is not easy. To help the audience experience the advanced technology and industry frontiers more directly and intimately, the film crew utilized an autonomous vehicle produced in the park, "Haige," to guide viewers along the path of technological innovation's development in the park.
"Storytelling" is a common approach in documentary filmmaking. To present fresh perspectives, the team carefully selected interview subjects, opting not for familiar faces from the park's three major industries but instead telling the story of a young entrepreneurial couple who returned from Silicon Valley to Chengdu and subsequently to the Suzhou Industrial Park’s artificial intelligence industry park—Yu Chongsheng and Li Meng.
In the documentary, the couple uses a 3D laser radar scanner to showcase the infinite possibilities of digital twin technology and highlight the stage and opportunities available to entrepreneurs in the Suzhou Industrial Park.
"When the filming crew approached us to express their filming needs, we were quite happy. The entire filming was smooth and realistic, serving as an authentic record of our entrepreneurship, work, and life in the park, with all interviews being spontaneous expressions from us." For Li, their role as "young entrepreneurs" drew the crew's favor, which resonated with the park's philosophy of attracting and retaining talent. "Here, it's not just major enterprises or leading companies that have opportunities for development; small and start-up companies also have limitless potential. The park's support for businesses is evident in many aspects."
It’s worth mentioning that in order to better showcase the park's "technological flair," the team also incorporated AR and 3D technologies into the storytelling, adding depth to the thematic narrative. "We hope this could become a highlight of the documentary. When audiences watch this documentary, such a technological recording style can leave them with a distinct sensory experience of Suzhou," Chen expressed.
The "Most Beautiful" Livable City
According to Sun Xin, director of the Quality Production Center at Suzhou Broadcasting Television Station and the executive chief director of "A City in Its Prime," the documentary is a narrative poem reflecting the park's 30-year development journey and also serves as a lyrical tribute to its 30th anniversary. This concept runs through every warm scene of the filming.
Zhao Yue, also from the Central Documentary Film Studio, wrote in her directing notes: "No one would include an industrial park in their travel itinerary. However, those taking selfies under the ‘Big Autumn Pants’ of the Oriental Gate or congregating by the Jinji Lake music fountain are unaware that they are already within the Suzhou Industrial Park."
