Symbolic shades

China in Hues is a six-episode documentary that recently streamed on Tencent Video. It explores traditional Chinese ideas to identify colors, their application in traditional craftsmanship and the traditional methods employed to achieve these hues from natural ingredients.

Led by Chen, who is known for his culinary documentary series such as A Bite of China and Once Upon a Bite, the production team treats the audience with a visual feast woven through concise yet vivid storytelling, just like the above-mentioned young women's earthy-toned gathering on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

"Color, much like delicacies, serves as a medium for understanding China and its traditional culture," says Qu Nan, one of the documentary's producers.

Compared to Chen's earlier works that tantalize the taste buds, China in Hues aims to refresh the audiences' visual observation of the world with a more nuanced perspective, she adds.

In Qu's point of view, the documentary deals with the diverse manifestations of color traditions in Chinese culture. The first episode discusses how the colors symbolizing feudal power in ancient societies — qing (azure), vermilion, imperial yellow, pure white and xuan (a profound black hue) — along with the exquisite craftsmanship that fully presents their charm, have transitioned into ordinary modern life.