Gandhi’s movement for non-violent social change challenged America.
Can Martin Luther King, Jr. do the same for China?
Bringing King to China is a documentary film about culture, race and human rights. The film brings Martin Luther King’s dream of equality and peace to China—and then brings it back to the U.S. The feature-length documentary focuses on a group of American and Chinese young people who try to build a bridge of understanding during the production of a groundbreaking play in China about the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The play, which was staged in Mandarin with a Chinese cast and American Gospel singers, opened in Beijing in June 2007. After sixteen months and 260 hours of location shooting in China and the United States, the film is now in post-production.
Bringing King to China documents a cross-cultural dialogue about the validity of the late civil rights leader’s philosophy of peace and non-violence. The film tells the story of a young American woman and “her dream to build a bridge between the societies by talking about peaceful struggle and universal rights” (The New York Times). It chronicles her 12-month struggle to interpret and adapt King’s message for Chinese society, while seeking to preserve the historical accuracy of the American Civil Rights Movement, to clear bureaucratic hurdles before opening night and to raise funds to pay the Chinese actors. Entertaining, informative and humorous, the film takes American viewers backstage at the National Theatre of China as Chinese actors collaborate with African-American gospel singers, marking the first time in the history of Chinese theater that Chinese and African Americans shared a stage.
Bringing King to China is a vehicle for American audiences to examine King’s impact on young people abroad and to access the changing beliefs of China’s future leaders. At the same time, the film provides a unique lens for Americans to review the history of the Civil Rights Movement and wrestle with Martin Luther King Jr.’s call for social justice.
Given the fortieth anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination and the recent protests in China, this documentary is timely. After broadcast on television, Bringing King to China will be distributed to schools, libraries and community centers with lesson plans to spark discussion. The filmmakers are seeking completion funds, and all contributions are tax-deductible. Please visit our donation page for more information.