Building nostalgia

One of the buildings where Ju shot during the making of Lou was the Zhenfeng Pagoda, which is located inside Yingjiang Temple on the banks of the Yangtze River in Anqing city, Anhui province. Built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the brick temple is over 60 meters tall and has eight sides. In May 2021, the pagoda was hit hard by a rainstorm and the top collapsed. The local government in Anqing tried to restore it but had no photos or videos of the original look of the pagoda.

"We've taken videos and photos of the pagoda when we went to Anqing to shoot the film, including some aerial shots. So I offered the government our videos and photos, helping them to restore the top of the pagoda," says Ju. "The enthusiastic response made me very happy. The project is not only dear to me but also to lots of others who are keen on protecting old buildings."

The idea of shooting two more films, based on buildings in China, was born when Ju was shooting Lou. He says he met many people who told him that factories and buildings in villages in the country should be documented via camera, because they represent different eras and local lifestyles.

The director visited over 30 sites of former factories, and found that most had been renovated as art zones and office spaces. Ju used his camera to tell stories about the factories, linking history with the present.