In1957,Cohen,togetherwith40otheryoungAmericans,spentsixweeksinChinafilmingandconductinginterviewsasaspecialcorrespondentforNBC-TV.HewasthefirstAmericanphotojournalistevertofilmadocumentarysincethePeople’sRepublicofChinawasfoundedin1949.In2015,85-year-oldCohenreturnedtoretracetheroutehetookthatyear,andfoundthattheChinahehadseenthroughhislenshadexperiencedahugetransformation.
ALittle-knownHistory
RobertCarlCohenwasborninPhiladelphiain1930.Hegraduatedin1952andgothisMasterofArtsinFilmin1954fromUCLA.In1956,inspiredbyanadvertisingcampaign,Cohen,alongwithmanyotheryoungWesterners,arrivedinMoscowtotakepartin“The6thWorldDemocraticYouthDay.”Onthisday,numerousyoungpeople,includingCohen,receivedaninvitationfromrepresentativesoftheAll-ChinaFederationforDemocraticYouth.
Atthattime,theU.S.governmentstronglydiscouragedAmericancitizensfromenteringChina,butinsatiablecuriosityledCohentomakethejourney,inspiteofthetravelban.Of180youngAmericanswhoreceivedtheinvitation,only41accepted.AmongstthemwasCohen,whowentasaspecialcorrespondentforNBC-TV.
“AsaspecialcorrespondentforNBC,IrantheriskofbeingputontheU.S.government’sblacklist.ThiswouldmeanIwouldn’tbeabletoenteranygovernmentdepartmentorstate-ownedenterpriseeveragain,nottomentionthepossibilityofbeinglabelledacommunistspy,”Cohensaid.“ButbeingabletofilmthesituationinsideChina,andallowAmericanstoseethelivesofpeoplethere,thatwasaveryrareopportunity.”Withthat,CohenpreparedhimselftoacceptallpossibleconsequencesandinAugust1957,hetravelledfromMoscowtoChina.
Cohencarriedwithhima19-mmcameraand11rollsofblackandwhitefilmlenttohimbyNBC.HeusedthiscameratodocumenttheAmericanYouthDelegation’stravelsthrougheightChinesecities–Beijing,Dalian,Changchun,Wuhan,Shanghai,Nanjing,Hangzhou,andGuangzhou.Heshot300hoursofsourcematerial,andpartsofthefootagewerebroadcastonNBC’snewsprogramshortlyafteritwassentbacktoAmerica,offeringafewpreciousimagesofdistantChinatoanAmericanaudience.CohentherebybecamethefirstAmericanjournalistandfilmmakertobegrantedpermissiontofilmadocumentaryintheNewChina.
Afterreturninghome,Cohenusedthisfilmfootagetocompilea50-minutedocumentarycalled“InsideRedChina.”Inthefollowingdecades,thisdocumentarywasshowninover100universities,librariesandcommunitiesintheU.S.andCanada,andCohenwasinvitedtogivetalksattheseinstitutionsabouthisexperiencesoffilminginChina.
CohenlaterrevisitedChinain1978and1988.Withcamerainhand,hedocumentedtheearlyyearsofChina’sreformandopening-up.Throughthesevisits,ChinagainedaspecialplaceinCohen’sheart.
CohenrevisitstheFAWGroupCorporation,China’sleadingautomobilemanufacturer,inChangchunin2015.
CohenshowsapictureofafactoryhetookinChinadecadesago.“IrantheriskofbeingputontheU.S.government’sblacklist.ButbeingabletofilmthesituationinsideChina,andallowAmericanstoseethelivesofpeoplethere,thatwasaveryrareopportunity.”
ANewAccount
InOctober2014,ZhangMingyu,headoftheChangchunBroadcastingTVStation,receivedaratherunusualmessageonLinkedIn.ThemessagewasfromanoldmaninColorado,whohadattachedastillfromthetreasuredfilmhehadshotinChinaover50yearsago.ThisoldmanwasRobertCarlCohen.
“Inthecourseofourcorrespondence,Ilearnedthatasearlyas1957,analmostunheardofdiplomaticeventhadtakenplacebetweenthepeopleoftheUSandChina.AnAmericanYouthDelegationof41peoplehadvisitedChina,gonetoChangchun,andhadeventakenpartintheNationalDayCeremonycelebrationsthatyear.”ZhangMingyusaidthatheandCohensimultaneouslycameupwiththeideaofusingtheserareimagestoillustrateChina’s“rocket-like”development.Andso,anewdocumentarywasmade,entitledRobertCarlCohen’sChinaToday.
InNovember2014,thedocumentaryprojectwasformallygiventhego-ahead.ByMay2015,theproductionteamwasontheirwaytotheU.S.tofinishinterviewsandfilmingintheU.S.OnAugust22,theChinaportionoftheshootofficiallybeganinDalian.Inadditiontotheeightcitieshehadvisitedpreviously,thistimeCohenalsotravelledtotheShanhaiPass,JiayuPass,JiuquanCityandShenzhenCity,crisscrossingtheentirecountryonajourneyof12,000km,lasting70days,duringwhichheaccumulatedover300hoursoffilmfootage.
TheTVversionofthedocumentarywassplitintofourepisodes,entitled“DevelopmentandProblems,”“ReformandRevolution,”“LifeandtheEnvironment,”and“TraditionsandModernity.”Thefootagewasaccompaniedbyavoiceover,whereCohendescribedthechangesheobservedinmodernChina.
ThedocumentaryreflectsthehugechangesthathaveoccurredinChinaacrossthespanofhalfacentury,bycomparingoldandnewChina,andinterviewingscholarsandpublicfigures.ItalsorevealsCohen’sownreflectionsandobservationsonissuescommontobothmodernChinaandtherestoftheworld.
Onseeingthedocumentary,YinAiqun,chairmanofJilinProvince’sFederationofLiteraryandArtCircles,said,“Thefilmtouchesuponvarioustopics,includingenvironmentalprotection,anti-corruption,traditionalfestivals,theeconomy,theagingpopulation,andPekingopera.ThiswillallowforeignerstogainamorecomprehensiveunderstandingofChina,andseeitschangesfromamuchmorethree-dimensionalperspective.”
AStoryofChinathroughtheCameraLens
Atthebeginningofthedocumentary,Cohendescribeshow,ashefollowedChina’sriseoverthelastfewyears,healwayshadalittlevoicewhisperinginhisear,“gobacktoChina.”HewantedtobeliketheMonkeyKinginthefamousChinesenovelJourneytotheWest,andhavepiercinggoldeneyesthatcouldseestraightthroughChinaandthoroughlyunderstandit.HelamentsthatChinaislikea“fairytaleworld”undergoinghugechangesagainstalltheoddsinjustafewshortyears.
GongBaohua,directoroftheculturalinformationdepartmentatJilinDaily,said“whenIheardCohenrecountthestoryofthe‘shortstaythatchangedmydirectioninlife,’inreferencetothesixweekshespentinChinaover50yearsago,quietlyrepeating‘therewasalwaysalittlevoicethatwhispered,gobacktoChina’–tobehonest,seeingaforeignerwithsuchstrongfeelingsaboutChina,youcannothelpbutfeeldeeplymoved.”
Butwhattheaudiencefoundtouchingwasnotonlythesehonestexpressionsofemotion,butalsoCohen’sthoughtsonChina’scurrentdevelopmentandtheproblemsitfaces.CohenwitnessedthefastpaceoflifeinthemigrantcityofShenzhenandtheimportantroleithasplayedinChina’sdevelopment.
InShanghai,China’sfinancialcenterandacosmopolis,Cohennoticedtheclashbetweenrapideconomicdevelopmentandtraditionalculture.Gazingupontheskyscrapers,Cohensighs,“TodaytheenthusiasmforbuildinghighrisesisgreaterthanatanytimeinChina’slongarchitecturalhistory,”but“thecity’sskyscrapersriskitlosingitsoncedistinctivefeatures.”StandinginJinze,awatertownontheoutskirtsofShanghai,Cohenlookeduponyetanotherscene–duetotheseverityoftheagingpopulation,alltheyoungpeopleherehavemovedtothebigcitiesforwork.SomewealthyChinesepeoplehavestartedbuyingtheancienthouseshere,buildingprivategardens,andrestoringtheseold,historicalbuildings.
In1957,PanjiagangneartheSuzhouRiverinShanghaiwasatypicalslumdistrict.Thelocalsusedtothrowtheirgarbagedirectlyintothecreek,andgottheirdrinkingwaterfromittoo.In1957whenhewasfilmingthere,thelocalchildrensurroundedCohen,andcuriousofhishairyarmswantedtoknowifhe“wassomesortofmonkey.”Butinthesameplaceoftoday,allthefilthandmessseenthroughthelens50yearsagoisgone.Neatandorderlyresidentialcompoundsnowdominatethisarea.Butmostimportantly,CohensaidhefeltthepassionandopennessoftheChinesepeoplewhereverhewent,liketheoldmanexercisinginparkoftheTempleofHeaveninBeijing,who,afterhearingCohen’sstory,gavehimathumbs-upandsaid:“Youaregreat.”
Intheclosingsceneofthedocumentary,CohensayshehopestoreturntoChinaonhis100thbirthday.Atthispoint,textappearsonthescreenshowingcommentsfrommembersoftheaudiencesaying,“Greatidea!Comebackwhenyouare100!”CohenvisitedChinain1957asaspecialcorrespondentforNBC-TV.