Lakeside Forum

Topic: Wartime Talents - National Southwestern Associated University at a Glance

Speaker: Xu Bei

Date: Thursday, 14 October

Time: 16:00-18:00 

Venue: E210, Administration Building

One Day When We Were Young: Film Screening and Face to Face with the Director 

Presenter: Xu Bei

Moderator: Deng Kangyan

Date: Thursday, 14 October

Time: 19:30-21:45

Venue: E101, Administration Building

Note: The film is 110 minutes long

Abstract:

There was a university that existed for only eight years, but produced a large number of top talents. It was in great poverty, yet hailed by many as "the Everest in the history of Chinese education". And yes, the legend is National Southwestern Associated University, a merger of Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University during the war years. In this forum, documentary filmmaker Xu Bei will explain the myths about this “University in War and Revolution” from the background of the times, academic and learning ethos, as well as its students and professors.

About the speaker:

Xu Bei is a renowned Class-I Director of China. She received her Bachelor's degree in English from Sichuan University and commenced her postgraduate studies at Cambridge University in 2006 on a Chevening Scholarship funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. At Cambridge, she obtained her MA degree in Social Anthropology under the supervision of renowned anthropologist Alan Donald Macfarlane.

Xu has 20 years of extensive experience in documentary filmmaking. Her early works include "Chen Xiaomei Moves to the City", "Spring and Autumn", "Into the City" as well as the documentary drama "The Lost". In 2012, she began creating documentaries on historical and cultural themes.

Representative Works:

Into the City "Top Ten Documentaries of China" (2006); “Classic Documentary on 30 Years of China's Reform and Opening Up”. Screened at Manchester Anthropological Film Festival, St. Petersburg International Film Festival and British Library, UK.

Behind the Frontline won 13 awards including Best Documentary Series at the China Documentary Academy Awards and "Golden Cotton Tree" at the Guangzhou Documentary Festival

Douban rating: 9.5 

A Chinese University in War and Revolution won 9 awards, including Best Documentary Series at the China Documentary Academy Awards

Douban rating: 9.4 

The City Wall is Falling Down Outstanding Documentary / Outstanding Director, 2019 Outstanding Chinese Documentary and Creative Talent Support Programme. Five nominations, including at the China TV Golden Eagle Award and the Starlight Award 

Douban rating: 9.2

One Day When We Were Young “Special Focus” entry in the documentary section of the Beijing International Film Festival

Douban rating: 8.1, Maoyan rating: 9.5, Taopiaopaio rating: 9.6