Festival of Hope 1 / 28 April 2020

The Past of White Night

White Night is one of the most important cultural landmarks in China, founded by Chinese well-known contemporary poet Zhai Yongming. Throughout this film, you can see the 20-years review of development trace of White Night, from Utopia to realistic management and the important progress that belongs to a group of contemporary poets and artists.The story spreads with narratives from Zhai Yongming (founder of  White Night), Dai Hong and some old friends. It is a poetic look-back based on 1980s and is full of sentiments of Chinese literati. Some unpublicized old rare videos are premiered on the screen which carry you into an exploration of "The Past of White Night".

Author

White Night

The White Night is one of the most famous culture salons in Chengdu, one of the cultural landmarks of Chengdu City.
The old shop of White Night was opened at Yulin West Road on 8th May 1998, designed by the famous architect Liu Jiakun. It was the first book bar in Chengdu. The owner of White Night, Zhai Yongming, is one of the most important poets and writers in China.
Therefore, the White Night gradually became a place where writers, artists, media reporters, literature and art enthusiasts all gather together.
The new shop of White Night moved to No.32nd Zhai Alley of Chengdu, full of the old Chengdu characteristics, officially opened on 5th August 2008. The new shop located in an old courtyard of Zhai Alley, which still keeps the architectural style during the period of ROC in addition to inheriting the existing cultural atmosphere.
For two decades, because of its special cultural background, White Night had hosted a large number of cross-border cultural and artistic activities, including poetry, literature, art, film, photography, plays and music, They support profound and deep minority cultures, spread high social and research-value ideas & thoughts. More than twenty events were held by White Night on average.
Countless domestic and foreign guests have shared and given speeches here: Oscar-Winner Florian Gallenberger, French historians Patrick Boucheron, Canadian poet and professor of University Victoria Tim Lilburn, and many other writers / poets / artists / architects / filmmakers / professors and literary critics from all over the world, such as: Brasil / the USA / Israel / Germany / Slovenia / the UK / Ireland and Poland. The International Poetry Conversation between China and USA in 2011 which Jack Hirschman, the only remaining witness of the BEAT GERNERATION, attended even caused nationwide attention. Small culture salons were held on a monthly basis. Now the White Night has become one of most influential cultural spaces in China.