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Welcome
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[machinery whirring]
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[women speaking indistinctly]
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[Cai Guo-Qiang in Mandarin]
More than 1,000 years ago,
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when the Chinese discovered gunpowder,
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they were actually looking
for an elixir to make them immortal.
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While they were studying it,
the medicine... boom!
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It exploded, so they came up
with the name "fire medicine."
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Over time, Chinese people
started to use it in celebrations.
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They created many beautiful nights.
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[reporter 1 in English]
The work of legendary artist Cai Guo-Qiang
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is the talk of the contemporary art scene,
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with his art blowing up
all over the world.
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[reporter 2] A retrospective of his works
at the Guggenheim Museum in New York
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brought in record numbers.
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[reporter 3] The Olympics Opening Ceremony
is right around the corner,
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and, as the creative visual force
behind it,
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Cai Guo-Qiang spent years
working up to this point.
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[indistinct chatter]
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[dog barking]
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[chuckles]
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[speaking Mandarin]
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This ladder's width is five meters,
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but the structure is soft.
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The rungs are made of bamboo poles
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or stainless steel.
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Lighter is better.
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Put fireworks on both sides,
including the horizontal rungs,
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and thread them all together.
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How tall will this ladder be?
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Five hundred meters tall.
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Five hundred meters tall?
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Half a kilometer.
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My only concern is the weight.
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Let me show you.
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We attach the ladder
to a hot air balloon...
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[in Japanese] He always says
that there's no failure or success in art.
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He starts all his projects
with this attitude.
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When there are a lot of troubles
or difficulties,
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he actually enjoys it.
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The Sky Ladder has failed several times.
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[in Japanese]
This is where I want to make a ladder
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to connect the Earth to the universe.
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From this window,
you can see the top of that hill.
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I'm going to use it as a canvas.
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The explosion will draw the lines
straight into the sky.
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This is a ladder to heaven.
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In the same way
Christians try to get closer to God,
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we are going to build a ladder
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that connects this town to outer space.
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[rain falling]
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[thunder rumbling]
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[indistinct chatter]
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[inaudible]
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[in Mandarin] When he first
started talking about it with me,
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it was his dream.
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And he has remained obsessed
with trying to achieve it ever since.
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Two things of concern:
the color and the size of the flame.
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It's better to show the ladder
by threading the flames together,
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not with a series of dots.
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If you want to thread them together,
you can use these ones.
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- How?
- Line by line.
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- Oh!
- [chuckles]
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[Cai] Nice. This is a good idea.
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Everyone loves to light fireworks.
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Beautiful, isn't it?
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This town, we don't need permission
to test fireworks here.
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Light it up and run.
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[announcer in English] Liftoff.
We have a liftoff. Liftoff on Apollo 11.
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[Cai in Mandarin] In the '60s,
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when American astronauts
landed on the moon,
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that was really good news, even in China.
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But I was sad because I thought
I would never make it to space myself.
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But later on, I realized
that art could be my space-time tunnel
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connecting me to the universe.
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If there was an opportunity,
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I would like to make a ladder
into the clouds.
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But the purpose of this ladder
wouldn't be for me to go to space.
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It would be to encourage
a back-and-forth, a dialogue.
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[Cai] The ninth wave is the final
and most dangerous wave of a tsunami.
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I was inspired by the Russian painting
The Ninth Wave,
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which represents the final struggle
of humanity in the face of disaster.
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That's why I named this exhibition
The Ninth Wave.
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[Orville Schell] I think his recent work
does have a strong environmental subtext.
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Because it is, perhaps,
China's number one problem,
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its environmental future.
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He has a deep social conscience.
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I think he cares about the world
that sustains us all.
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He is, I think, trying to find that place
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which artists have always needed to find
in Chinese society,
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which is to do your art with integrity
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and yet, not completely run off the tracks
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and end up in a state of tension
with the authorities.
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[explosions]
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[all chanting in Mandarin]
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[Cai] In the Song dynasty,
about 1,000 years ago,
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Quanzhou City struggled to develop.
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So they invited a feng shui master
to investigate. He said,
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"The city on top of the mountain nearby
is taller and shaped like a fishing net,
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and your city is shaped like a fish.
This is an ominous sign."
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So they built two pagodas,
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in order to break this metaphorical net.
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This shows that the city really believes
in feng shui and in the unseen world.
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I grew up in this environment,
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so even in the artworks
I made from a young age,
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I was exploring a connection
to this unseen power.
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All the artists in Quanzhou
would come to our courtyard to paint.
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Was it casual or organized?
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Everyone would tell each other
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to go to Cai Guo-Qiang's house
on the weekends to paint,
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but they really came for my father
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because he was
a respected artist in the town.
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[Ian Buruma]
If you think of Cai's relationship
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with his father, the calligrapher,
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in some ways he did break away, of course.
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In other ways, he didn't,
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in the sense that a lot of
the explosion pictures
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are very calligraphic.
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And one of the things that is part
of the Chinese and Japanese tradition,
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in calligraphy as well as other arts,
is the act of spontaneity,
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that you do the calligraphy
in one go, almost, uh, by instinct,
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as though you're not thinking.
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[Schell] His father, I think,
was quite a traditional man.
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I think he had a deep respect
for Chinese culture.
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But of course, in those days,
to be interested in such a thing
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as classical Chinese calligraphy,
or art for that matter,
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was something that was considered
counterrevolutionary.
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[man] Our great socialist fatherland
is in a bright and splendid morning.
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Our great teacher, great leader,
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great commander,
and great helmsman, Chairman Mao,
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is the red sun in our hearts.
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[Schell] Well,
the Cultural Revolution in China,
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which was largely the creation
of Chairman Mao and his thinking,
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was that if China wanted
to truly modernize,
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it needed to have a complete revolution.
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Not revolution like America had,
where we threw out the British,
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but a revolution that transformed society.
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[crowd cheering]
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[Buruma] All the remnants of feudalism
had to be smashed.
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The great new society could only be built
on the ruins of the old.
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It's not that hard to stir young people up
against their teachers and professors,
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and fire them up into
that kind of destructive idealism.
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[crowd yelling]
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[Buruma] So everything
that was old had to be smashed.
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[Schell] Anybody with any connection
to either traditional culture or wealth
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suddenly found themselves cast out.
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[indistinct shouting]
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Literally,
pianists had their fingers broken
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and people were not allowed
to perform traditional theater
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and that kind of thing.
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[Schell] It was a tectonic, savage and
brutal period of China's modern history.
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And nobody escaped unscathed.
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[Cai in Mandarin]
One day, someone told me,
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"Cai Guo-Qiang, your dog has been killed."
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I ran over and they told me
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that my dog had been shot
by some Red Guards.
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But later on, we took my dead dog
and everyone ate it.
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- [Wen-You] You ate your dog?
- [chuckles] Everyone!
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Everyone saw there was an edible dog.
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Of course it was sad,
but people wouldn't throw that away.
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To be able to survive,
people were happy to eat that dog.
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It was the reality of the times.
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[chuckles]
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[Hong Hong]
His father was an intellectual.
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His mother was illiterate.
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Even worse, his grandmother
was extremely strong-willed.
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As the eldest son in a family
with so much conflict,
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he had to look after
his brothers and sisters.
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You painted this portrait of your father?
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[Cai] My father was the manager
of a government-owned bookstore.
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He spent all his salary on books
and never brought any money home.
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All of it spent on books?
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His only self-justification was that,
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"Although I spend money on books,
and not the family,
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one day you will..."
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[sniffles]
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[chuckles]
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[gulps]
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My grandma was always angry with him,
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that he never brought his earnings home.
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He said books were his fortune...
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[chuckles]
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and that they would be my fortune, too.
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We had to burn most of them
during the Cultural Revolution.
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We burned the books
for three days and nights,
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mostly at night, and I helped him do it.
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[fireworks exploding]
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[birds chirping]
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- [interviewer in English] You happy here?
- Yeah, uh...
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[in Mandarin] Lots of memories.
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Those tall buildings
weren't here in those days.
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I grew up on East Street
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and my wife, still my girlfriend then,
grew up on South Street.
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It would take me
about eight to ten minutes on a bicycle,
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from my house to her house.
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[dog barking]
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- What's up?
- Did you see Ping?
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[Hong Hong]
To be honest, before I met him,
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I had seen him in a movie as a villain,
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which didn't leave me
with a good impression.
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When I met him, his whole lifestyle
was very different from everyone else's.
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It was just that Cai had a lot of energy.
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From morning to night,
he would work constantly.
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[Cai] When I was young,
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I was timid and cautious.
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My work was overly influenced
by my father,
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following the same conventional pattern.
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I was searching for an energy,
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the kind that would disrupt my art.
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[fireworks exploding]
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In my hometown,
firecrackers and fireworks are used
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to deliver various messages in daily life,
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so I thought of gunpowder.
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In the beginning,
I tried shooting toy rockets onto canvas,
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but the canvas caught on fire.
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Playing with gunpowder set me free.
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[Jennifer Wen Ma]
It's exploding history,
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you know, if you're putting gunpowder
onto oil paint and blowing it up.
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I mean, that's literally destroying
your own creation.
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When this is something you're taught
your entire artistic life,
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and you're blowing it up and calling
that art, calling that moment art,
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and that's already turning
the idea of what art is on its head.
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[indistinct chatter]
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[speaking in Mandarin]
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[Buruma] The mid '80s to the late '80s
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was one of the most exciting periods
to be in China
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because everything started to open up.
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It was the post-Mao period,
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and people started to experiment
in poetry, and art, and films and so on,
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and there was quite a lot of freedom.
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In many ways, freer than China is today.
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[Hong Hong in Mandarin] A lot of young
people wanted to improve themselves.
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Everyone gathered together
to discuss art and culture.
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People would say to Cai,
"Although you're a hardworking artist,
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it is not possible for you
to surpass Picasso."
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He'd say, "Why can't I surpass Picasso?"
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But life was difficult in China,
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so he was intent on leaving the country,
wherever that would take him.
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[indistinct chatter]
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[Cai] I feel my art became
much more pure after I arrived in Japan...
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sensitivity to materials
and the control of form.
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I think Japanese contemporary
art had a profound effect on him.
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00:32:38,940 --> 00:32:41,943
This research back into materialism,
244
00:32:42,027 --> 00:32:45,531
um, the purity of material,
the meaning of that,
245
00:32:45,614 --> 00:32:50,326
reduction of the practice,
so you come to this essence.
246
00:32:53,664 --> 00:32:55,666
[Cai] When discussing art in Japan,
247
00:32:55,749 --> 00:33:00,420
they would often ask,
"How is art in the Western world?"
248
00:33:00,504 --> 00:33:04,800
I resisted this type of thinking,
249
00:33:04,883 --> 00:33:08,929
of East versus West.
250
00:33:10,597 --> 00:33:13,391
It was as if I had arrived
at a dinner table
251
00:33:13,474 --> 00:33:19,355
and there were Chinese and Western dishes
chaotically laid out.
252
00:33:19,439 --> 00:33:22,526
I wondered if I could ignore the table,
253
00:33:22,609 --> 00:33:25,654
or just pull the tablecloth out
from under it.
254
00:33:26,362 --> 00:33:29,825
[chuckles] So I started to think
about aliens in space
255
00:33:29,908 --> 00:33:34,746
and how they would see our planet
from the universe.
256
00:34:18,957 --> 00:34:20,792
[man speaking indistinctly on walkie]
257
00:34:26,547 --> 00:34:28,341
[fireworks exploding]
258
00:34:47,736 --> 00:34:49,529
[woman speaking Mandarin]
259
00:34:57,996 --> 00:34:59,330
[Cai] I'm going to sketch a little bit
260
00:34:59,414 --> 00:35:00,916
so you have an idea
of what I'm looking for.
261
00:35:00,999 --> 00:35:06,296
Here is the fishing village
with its curving harbor,
262
00:35:06,379 --> 00:35:08,006
here is a boat...
263
00:35:17,223 --> 00:35:20,560
This place has a sense of wonder,
264
00:35:20,644 --> 00:35:23,188
a rare quality
that many other places lack.
265
00:35:24,105 --> 00:35:28,276
This could be the place.
266
00:35:28,819 --> 00:35:32,405
It's close to the image of a fishing
village as I remember it from childhood.
267
00:35:41,414 --> 00:35:46,670
Ideally, I would have done the Sky Ladder
at my grandmother's fishing village.
268
00:35:46,753 --> 00:35:49,715
But it was destroyed for redevelopment
a few years ago.
269
00:35:51,382 --> 00:35:54,385
I'd like to find somewhere
with the same magical atmosphere.
270
00:35:59,808 --> 00:36:01,434
[speaking in Mandarin]
271
00:36:31,256 --> 00:36:32,841
[firecrackers exploding]
272
00:36:38,054 --> 00:36:41,266
[Cai] My grandma
was always the family's pillar.
273
00:36:41,349 --> 00:36:46,772
When I was little, she already believed
that I'd become a great artist.
274
00:36:48,106 --> 00:36:50,566
I would like to make
this Sky Ladder for her.
275
00:36:54,029 --> 00:36:56,782
[in Japanese] Of course,
he cherishes his grandmother.
276
00:36:56,865 --> 00:36:59,951
He keeps her close to his heart.
277
00:37:00,035 --> 00:37:05,373
His granny represents
his childhood. His town.
278
00:37:18,804 --> 00:37:20,638
Wow! [chuckles]
279
00:37:22,473 --> 00:37:24,059
Look who's here.
280
00:37:26,227 --> 00:37:27,353
[laughs]
281
00:37:28,354 --> 00:37:29,898
Look who's here.
282
00:37:30,899 --> 00:37:32,150
Who am I?
283
00:37:32,233 --> 00:37:33,985
Guo-Qiang.
284
00:37:34,069 --> 00:37:36,196
Ah, amazing, amazing.
285
00:37:36,279 --> 00:37:39,532
How amazing that you immediately
recognize your Guo-Qiang.
286
00:37:39,615 --> 00:37:41,409
You're amazing.
287
00:37:41,492 --> 00:37:44,037
Guo-Qiang is your
oldest grandson, isn't he?
288
00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:45,121
Ah!
289
00:37:45,205 --> 00:37:49,042
No one is as amazing as you
at the age of 100.
290
00:37:49,125 --> 00:37:54,881
I'm inviting you to come see my project.
291
00:37:54,965 --> 00:38:01,387
I am going to do a Sky Ladder
in a fishing village. Do you hear me?
292
00:38:03,014 --> 00:38:09,062
Me! I am going to do a project by the sea
and you're invited to see it. Okay?
293
00:38:13,649 --> 00:38:15,276
[dog barking]
294
00:38:33,962 --> 00:38:36,547
Thank you for taking care of him.
295
00:38:39,717 --> 00:38:40,927
Dad?
296
00:38:41,011 --> 00:38:42,095
[man breathing heavily]
297
00:38:42,178 --> 00:38:43,179
Dad?
298
00:38:44,097 --> 00:38:45,348
It's me.
299
00:38:47,976 --> 00:38:49,936
I saw Grandma yesterday.
300
00:38:57,110 --> 00:39:00,446
Grandma is almost 100 years old.
301
00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:07,537
As I remember it,
302
00:39:07,620 --> 00:39:11,917
he and my grandmother often argued,
303
00:39:13,043 --> 00:39:18,714
but in their hearts,
they relied on each other.
304
00:39:20,758 --> 00:39:26,056
He's been like this
for four or five years.
305
00:39:28,141 --> 00:39:32,770
We can't let my grandmother
[clears throat] see him in this state.
306
00:39:32,853 --> 00:39:35,982
He is incapable of communication.
307
00:39:36,066 --> 00:39:40,070
In my grandmother's eyes,
he can still paint and write
308
00:39:40,153 --> 00:39:44,865
and he can drink and stay up all night.
309
00:39:46,993 --> 00:39:48,119
Mmm-hmm.
310
00:39:50,914 --> 00:39:56,377
Sometimes I don't know
whether what I'm doing is right or not.
311
00:40:51,599 --> 00:40:56,687
[Thomas Krens] For most of the late 1990s
and the early 2000s,
312
00:40:56,771 --> 00:41:00,566
he was an emerging Chinese artist.
313
00:41:00,650 --> 00:41:02,986
Maybe the first pivotal moment
314
00:41:03,069 --> 00:41:07,407
was, um, at MASS MoCA,
which was in Massachusetts.
315
00:41:07,490 --> 00:41:10,576
But that exhibition
was Cai's first really big show.
316
00:41:10,660 --> 00:41:14,539
I remember when I saw it,
it was clear to me that Cai had arrived.
317
00:41:14,622 --> 00:41:19,460
You know, this combination
of space and scale and invention.
318
00:41:19,544 --> 00:41:20,836
That was the moment.
319
00:41:20,920 --> 00:41:22,505
[fireworks exploding]
320
00:41:26,509 --> 00:41:29,012
[Ben Davis] I remember hearing
about the explosion events
321
00:41:29,095 --> 00:41:32,223
well before I had ever seen
an explosion event,
322
00:41:32,307 --> 00:41:35,101
and thinking, "That guy really nailed it."
323
00:41:35,185 --> 00:41:38,479
[news anchor 1] To say that
the Chinese artist, Cai Guo-Qiang,
324
00:41:38,563 --> 00:41:42,733
has exploded onto the
contemporary art scene is no exaggeration.
325
00:41:42,817 --> 00:41:44,402
[explosion]
326
00:41:44,485 --> 00:41:47,613
That's what every artist is looking for,
is a signature form.
327
00:41:47,697 --> 00:41:50,825
"I took this material
and I made it my own."
328
00:41:58,749 --> 00:42:01,794
Early work has begun
on the largest single installation
329
00:42:01,877 --> 00:42:03,463
ever commissioned
for Brisbane's gallery...
330
00:42:03,546 --> 00:42:04,839
[news anchor 2]
A retrospective of his works
331
00:42:04,922 --> 00:42:08,468
at the Guggenheim Museum in New York
brought in record numbers.
332
00:42:08,551 --> 00:42:12,305
How many explosions
does it take to complete the painting?
333
00:42:13,764 --> 00:42:16,226
- Typically, once.
- Just once?
334
00:42:25,193 --> 00:42:26,944
Whoo!
335
00:42:44,254 --> 00:42:45,255
[Cai] Good.
336
00:42:50,050 --> 00:42:51,594
[both grunt]
337
00:42:52,595 --> 00:42:53,638
Kiss your papa.
338
00:43:21,124 --> 00:43:23,083
[Cai speaking Mandarin]
339
00:43:25,378 --> 00:43:28,047
[in English] We'll go over
what different effects will appear.
340
00:43:32,135 --> 00:43:34,053
[Cai in Mandarin]
The sky is filled with stars...
341
00:43:34,137 --> 00:43:36,806
[interpreter in English] In the sky,
there will be twinkling stars.
342
00:43:36,889 --> 00:43:38,599
[in Mandarin] ...blue stars...
343
00:43:38,683 --> 00:43:39,809
[interpreter in English] Blue ones.
344
00:43:40,810 --> 00:43:41,852
[in Mandarin] ...cascades.
345
00:43:41,936 --> 00:43:44,021
[interpreter in English]
And then a cascade, a waterfall kind.
346
00:43:44,104 --> 00:43:46,732
[in Mandarin] ...accompanied by the sound
of ocean waves.
347
00:43:47,775 --> 00:43:49,985
[in English] At the same time,
there's the sound of waves.
348
00:43:51,237 --> 00:43:53,198
[Cai in Mandarin]
Silver leaves fall in groups.
349
00:43:53,281 --> 00:43:55,533
[in English]
Some silver falling leaves will appear.
350
00:43:55,616 --> 00:43:57,868
[Cai speaking Mandarin]
351
00:43:59,245 --> 00:44:00,538
Oh...
352
00:44:04,792 --> 00:44:07,378
[Krens] Being a contemporary
artist is not necessarily coming up
353
00:44:07,462 --> 00:44:10,506
with a brilliant
theoretical breakthrough concept.
354
00:44:11,382 --> 00:44:16,179
The reality is that when you have achieved
a level of recognition
355
00:44:16,262 --> 00:44:19,974
and you have the capacity
to generate resources,
356
00:44:20,057 --> 00:44:26,939
you tend to push the technology
to another level.
357
00:44:27,022 --> 00:44:28,524
[gunpowder exploding]
358
00:44:40,870 --> 00:44:43,581
[Phil Grucci]
We have developed many innovations
359
00:44:43,664 --> 00:44:48,211
that have created
the ability for Cai, in his way,
360
00:44:48,294 --> 00:44:49,462
to think outside of the box.
361
00:44:54,884 --> 00:44:58,137
A pixel burst
is a shell that launches in the sky,
362
00:44:58,220 --> 00:45:00,931
has an embedded computer chip
on the inside.
363
00:45:01,015 --> 00:45:05,520
And with the embedded computer chip,
you can control, down to milliseconds,
364
00:45:05,603 --> 00:45:07,605
the time that the shell
is launched from a mortar
365
00:45:07,688 --> 00:45:09,524
to the time it explodes in the sky.
366
00:45:10,650 --> 00:45:12,443
If you can connect the dots,
367
00:45:12,527 --> 00:45:17,657
you can create some very amazing
and very large-scale abstract images.
368
00:45:19,742 --> 00:45:21,411
[crowd cheering]
369
00:45:30,169 --> 00:45:32,963
[Davis] I think the work is spectacular.
370
00:45:33,047 --> 00:45:35,758
That's a thing
contemporary artists are doing,
371
00:45:35,841 --> 00:45:38,344
playing on the big stage.
372
00:45:38,428 --> 00:45:43,641
[announcer] Everybody clear on this line.
Standing by for show in one minute.
373
00:45:44,850 --> 00:45:45,935
Twenty seconds.
374
00:45:46,018 --> 00:45:50,690
[Davis] This sort of pop art,
merging of art and entertainment,
375
00:45:50,773 --> 00:45:53,025
is the currency of the day.
376
00:45:57,988 --> 00:46:02,493
[Wen Ma] The difference between
the first gunpowder explosion he did
377
00:46:02,577 --> 00:46:07,289
to these fireworks
shows that he is now known for.
378
00:46:07,373 --> 00:46:12,252
One is really just in your face,
challenging the status quo.
379
00:46:12,337 --> 00:46:15,297
The other one is servicing, entertaining.
380
00:46:21,220 --> 00:46:24,306
[Davis] He is such a good showman.
381
00:46:25,850 --> 00:46:30,104
I have used him as an example
of the top of the top.
382
00:46:30,187 --> 00:46:33,023
A very specific kind of artist.
383
00:46:33,107 --> 00:46:36,235
From there you'd start, like,
thinking about Damien Hirst,
384
00:46:36,318 --> 00:46:38,613
Takashi Murakami, Olafur Eliasson...
385
00:46:40,698 --> 00:46:42,492
That's really the top of the top.
386
00:46:42,575 --> 00:46:46,746
Artists that function sort of like
corporations or entrepreneurs,
387
00:46:46,829 --> 00:46:48,706
who stamp their brand on everything.
388
00:46:50,082 --> 00:46:52,167
You're gonna do
a massive firework display,
389
00:46:52,251 --> 00:46:53,878
the permitting alone...
390
00:46:53,961 --> 00:46:55,963
like, the power structures
that embeds you in,
391
00:46:56,046 --> 00:46:58,340
the amount of money
you need in order to do that...
392
00:46:58,424 --> 00:47:01,135
And that's gonna produce
an ideological pressure on your work.
393
00:47:01,218 --> 00:47:03,303
And it's not
the easiest thing in the world
394
00:47:03,388 --> 00:47:05,556
to turn around
and bite the hand that feeds you.
395
00:47:14,524 --> 00:47:16,233
[crowd cheering]
396
00:47:22,907 --> 00:47:24,700
[crowd cheering]
397
00:47:36,086 --> 00:47:39,882
[Cai in Mandarin]
I had a goal for the opening ceremony,
398
00:47:39,965 --> 00:47:43,886
to make it more modern,
international and artistic.
399
00:47:46,597 --> 00:47:48,933
I had been working abroad for a long time,
400
00:47:49,016 --> 00:47:52,812
but if I could do this well,
it would help the country
401
00:47:52,895 --> 00:47:53,979
and the people...
402
00:47:55,314 --> 00:47:58,443
by not only making them feel
important and proud,
403
00:47:58,526 --> 00:48:01,320
but also more open.
404
00:48:04,907 --> 00:48:07,159
[Davis] The Beijing Olympics
405
00:48:07,242 --> 00:48:10,788
were billed as China's
coming-out party to the world.
406
00:48:10,871 --> 00:48:14,834
Tremendous display of political spectacle,
407
00:48:14,917 --> 00:48:20,548
welding together culture and politics
in this very deliberate way.
408
00:48:22,216 --> 00:48:25,010
I don't think there's any way
to get around the fact
409
00:48:25,094 --> 00:48:27,054
that there's a real dark side to that.
410
00:48:27,597 --> 00:48:31,934
They displaced
1.5 million people in Beijing,
411
00:48:32,017 --> 00:48:34,979
and tremendous ramping up
of surveillance...
412
00:48:35,062 --> 00:48:37,356
People read this as a political statement,
413
00:48:37,439 --> 00:48:39,734
that it was an expression of state power,
414
00:48:39,817 --> 00:48:44,363
and it was a coordinated, cultural
spectacle meant to be awe-inspiring.
415
00:48:44,446 --> 00:48:46,866
It's a political thing
that you need to talk about,
416
00:48:46,949 --> 00:48:50,035
when you talk about how art interacts
with a big event like this.
417
00:48:51,036 --> 00:48:53,539
His role in it is...
418
00:48:54,456 --> 00:48:58,210
Part of its meaning
is that it was a piece of propaganda.
419
00:48:59,587 --> 00:49:02,297
People always want to ask me,
420
00:49:02,381 --> 00:49:08,804
"Why do you collaborate with
the Chinese government on these projects?"
421
00:49:11,390 --> 00:49:16,896
But everywhere in the world,
artists work for their own governments
422
00:49:18,147 --> 00:49:19,940
on projects
like the Olympics opening ceremony.
423
00:49:20,566 --> 00:49:22,943
For example, for the London Olympics,
Damien Hirst designed
424
00:49:23,027 --> 00:49:26,614
a national flag-inspired stage set
for the arena.
425
00:49:26,697 --> 00:49:31,786
But this sort of thing is only an issue
if you are Chinese.
426
00:49:31,869 --> 00:49:38,208
Working for my country
only becomes problematic
427
00:49:38,292 --> 00:49:40,836
because I was born in China.
428
00:49:40,920 --> 00:49:42,755
[indistinct chatter]
429
00:49:50,179 --> 00:49:51,972
[man talking indistinctly over radio]
430
00:50:06,153 --> 00:50:11,158
So this is the only place
431
00:50:11,241 --> 00:50:13,828
we can raise the Sky Ladder.
432
00:50:15,746 --> 00:50:19,750
Even though I invited all my friends
from across the country,
433
00:50:19,834 --> 00:50:23,378
the best airship guy,
the best technical director,
434
00:50:23,462 --> 00:50:25,130
the best firework designer, etc...
435
00:50:25,214 --> 00:50:27,592
It's the people on this island.
436
00:50:27,675 --> 00:50:32,680
They also deserve to have
the best in China.
437
00:50:32,763 --> 00:50:34,264
Cai's doing this
with the farmers from here.
438
00:50:34,348 --> 00:50:35,933
There is a lot of meaning
in doing it with the farmers.
439
00:50:36,016 --> 00:50:39,394
Anyone really serious about this project
440
00:50:39,478 --> 00:50:43,148
would be asking
the People's Liberation Army for help.
441
00:50:44,191 --> 00:50:47,402
[Shanshan Xia] Every time he's trying
to realize a project like Sky Ladder,
442
00:50:47,486 --> 00:50:49,404
we need many supports from local people.
443
00:50:52,366 --> 00:50:55,535
Without their help, without their passion,
444
00:50:55,620 --> 00:50:59,081
and without their involvement,
we cannot realize it at all.
445
00:51:00,207 --> 00:51:01,626
[Masatoshi]
This ship is going to move to here?
446
00:51:01,709 --> 00:51:05,545
[Cai] Yes. From here to here.
So it should be achievable.
447
00:51:05,630 --> 00:51:10,801
And then there's no need
to attach a chain or anything to this.
448
00:51:10,885 --> 00:51:12,511
[Sang Luo]
Tatsumi has been technical director
449
00:51:12,594 --> 00:51:14,304
with Cai Studio for over 20 years.
450
00:51:14,388 --> 00:51:16,932
Whenever Cai's doing his projects
around the world,
451
00:51:17,016 --> 00:51:18,976
Tatsumi will fly from Japan.
452
00:51:19,059 --> 00:51:20,519
He keeps saying to Cai that,
453
00:51:20,602 --> 00:51:23,939
"This won't happen. You won't be able
to do it. This is stupid.
454
00:51:24,732 --> 00:51:27,902
The project is way too complicated,
and you are not gonna make it."
455
00:51:28,610 --> 00:51:30,821
[Cai and Masatoshi
speaking Japanese]
456
00:51:32,572 --> 00:51:35,117
Because it will touch the electric wire.
457
00:51:35,200 --> 00:51:38,370
This angle. If you put it in here
it will hit, so you can't do it there.
458
00:51:38,453 --> 00:51:40,414
It's diagonal,
so if you don't make it straight...
459
00:51:46,003 --> 00:51:48,130
[chuckling]
460
00:51:55,763 --> 00:51:56,931
Ooh.
461
00:52:01,226 --> 00:52:02,728
[chuckling]
462
00:52:08,192 --> 00:52:11,987
Very calming. Very peaceful.
463
00:52:36,386 --> 00:52:40,640
Before I started the project,
I put a lot of thought into it.
464
00:52:40,725 --> 00:52:43,853
I wanted it to be more than just style.
465
00:52:46,521 --> 00:52:49,775
My first aim was to develop
environmentally friendly fireworks.
466
00:52:49,859 --> 00:52:53,153
My second idea was to find a way
for the fireworks to interact
467
00:52:54,864 --> 00:52:57,324
with a video display.
468
00:52:57,407 --> 00:53:00,077
The third idea was political.
469
00:53:00,160 --> 00:53:02,496
As a country, we no longer need
470
00:53:02,579 --> 00:53:08,335
to depend on bombastic ceremonies with
thousands of performers, gongs and drums.
471
00:53:08,418 --> 00:53:13,298
Rather, I hoped we could engage people
through a joke or a story.
472
00:53:25,185 --> 00:53:28,147
Firstly, the video is gone.
473
00:53:30,315 --> 00:53:32,985
Then the story was dropped.
474
00:53:34,153 --> 00:53:36,405
So now the risk is
475
00:53:36,488 --> 00:53:42,702
the ceremony might become
a standard fireworks show.
476
00:53:51,128 --> 00:53:52,880
Why am I still here?
477
00:53:58,886 --> 00:54:00,846
We have to make being
environmentally friendly
478
00:54:00,930 --> 00:54:02,597
a characteristic
of this firework performance.
479
00:54:02,681 --> 00:54:09,438
It can make our ceremony a tipping point.
480
00:54:09,521 --> 00:54:12,066
Furthermore, making fireworks
environmentally friendly
481
00:54:12,149 --> 00:54:13,608
has to be done sooner or later.
482
00:54:13,692 --> 00:54:17,905
The whole industry has realized
how important it is to its survival,
483
00:54:17,988 --> 00:54:21,200
so it's something people must do.
484
00:54:21,283 --> 00:54:24,411
[man] The innovation is great,
but as I mentioned,
485
00:54:24,494 --> 00:54:26,705
security and stability
are equally important.
486
00:54:26,788 --> 00:54:33,587
If these departments disapprove,
I'll have to respect them.
487
00:54:33,670 --> 00:54:40,177
I'm telling you,
the government is here to help you.
488
00:54:40,260 --> 00:54:45,933
You have to figure out something creative
with all these chains on you.
489
00:54:46,016 --> 00:54:48,268
I'm a pragmatist.
490
00:54:48,352 --> 00:54:51,480
Mao taught us
to be practical and realistic.
491
00:54:51,563 --> 00:54:56,610
So, overall, our measures
are in accordance with your idea.
492
00:54:56,693 --> 00:54:58,946
We'll support you
only when you follow the rules.
493
00:55:02,074 --> 00:55:04,326
[speaking Mandarin]
494
00:55:34,523 --> 00:55:40,779
[Cai] It seems I have compromised
my work on this time after time.
495
00:55:43,198 --> 00:55:47,286
I feel awfully frustrated.
496
00:55:47,953 --> 00:55:49,871
[speaking Mandarin]
497
00:55:52,582 --> 00:55:54,834
[Yimou] Art needs to be free,
498
00:55:55,835 --> 00:55:58,422
but these projects
have political requirements,
499
00:55:59,423 --> 00:56:03,468
and one can do nothing about it.
500
00:56:04,636 --> 00:56:06,680
This is China's current situation.
501
00:56:06,763 --> 00:56:09,183
I personally am very familiar
with these circumstances.
502
00:56:09,266 --> 00:56:14,188
So when you talk about creative work
on these projects,
503
00:56:14,271 --> 00:56:18,275
those artists who grew up
in free Western countries
504
00:56:18,358 --> 00:56:21,987
are not able to understand this.
505
00:56:22,988 --> 00:56:26,700
We really envy them,
506
00:56:26,783 --> 00:56:32,289
but there is nothing we can do about it.
507
00:56:33,248 --> 00:56:35,709
[Wen Ma] Every project,
there's always a thing.
508
00:56:35,792 --> 00:56:39,004
"This is what I'm doing. Everything else
doesn't matter. It's fluff.
509
00:56:39,088 --> 00:56:42,257
But I have to have the fluff
to protect the center."
510
00:56:43,133 --> 00:56:48,222
The footprints was that
for the Olympics.
511
00:56:48,305 --> 00:56:50,557
[interviewer] What was the artistic
concept that he had
512
00:56:50,640 --> 00:56:53,268
at the heart
of what he did at APEC?
513
00:56:53,352 --> 00:56:54,769
I don't know it.
514
00:56:57,272 --> 00:56:59,191
There was one, when he started.
515
00:56:59,274 --> 00:57:02,277
But it was lost along the way,
and he knew it was lost.
516
00:57:02,361 --> 00:57:04,363
That's why
I don't understand why he did it.
517
00:57:19,503 --> 00:57:21,421
[crowd cheering]
518
00:57:32,724 --> 00:57:34,351
[inaudible]
519
00:57:50,617 --> 00:57:53,495
[Cai in Mandarin] I always worry
about mixing art and politics.
520
00:57:55,289 --> 00:57:57,249
- Uh...
- [performers drumming and cheering]
521
00:57:57,332 --> 00:58:03,380
[Cai] I put myself
in a difficult position.
522
00:58:06,050 --> 00:58:11,013
But, as artists, can't we help change
the system by working within it?
523
00:59:49,111 --> 00:59:51,029
[Cai] He likes making sculptures
of small animals, very much.
524
00:59:51,113 --> 00:59:55,367
There are nearly 1,000 pieces here
525
00:59:55,450 --> 00:59:57,952
and some smaller ones
are kept in the boxes below.
526
00:59:58,995 --> 01:00:00,289
[Cai] Why do you like little animals, Hu?
527
01:00:00,372 --> 01:00:01,623
Why do you like small animals?
528
01:00:01,706 --> 01:00:06,670
[Hu] I really like small animals,
especially puppies.
529
01:00:06,753 --> 01:00:08,797
[Cai] Did you keep animals
in your house before?
530
01:00:08,880 --> 01:00:12,134
[Hu] I once kept dogs,
but all my dogs were brutish
531
01:00:13,343 --> 01:00:16,346
and eventually were beaten to death
by other people.
532
01:00:19,098 --> 01:00:21,726
- [Hu's son] Let me clean it up.
- It's okay. You don't have to.
533
01:00:21,810 --> 01:00:23,853
Actually, I cleaned up in here
a little bit today.
534
01:00:23,937 --> 01:00:25,855
Look, he usually sits here
and watches DVDs. [chuckles]
535
01:00:25,939 --> 01:00:28,608
- Does he sleep here?
- Yes, this is my father's bed.
536
01:00:29,526 --> 01:00:32,028
He usually lies here and watches DVDs.
537
01:00:32,111 --> 01:00:34,113
[Cai] This DVD player is so small.
538
01:00:35,031 --> 01:00:36,491
You sleep here?
539
01:00:36,575 --> 01:00:38,117
Yes, I sleep on the upper bed.
540
01:00:43,915 --> 01:00:49,921
This looks like a real artist's home.
541
01:00:56,970 --> 01:01:01,558
[Hu] I was like a lunatic
when my wife passed away.
542
01:01:02,559 --> 01:01:06,355
I had no purpose or anything,
like my life had come to an end.
543
01:01:08,232 --> 01:01:14,988
Then I started to play with mud and clay.
544
01:01:15,071 --> 01:01:20,202
It was like being on drugs.
545
01:01:20,285 --> 01:01:23,288
I couldn't bear one day
without making sculptures.
546
01:01:23,372 --> 01:01:26,666
It's just like being on drugs.
547
01:01:29,211 --> 01:01:32,171
I'd wake up at 6:00 or 6:30 every morning,
548
01:01:32,256 --> 01:01:35,800
brush my teeth, have some noodles
and then start making sculptures.
549
01:01:37,135 --> 01:01:38,345
[interviewer in English]
Is there something
550
01:01:38,428 --> 01:01:42,599
that you like particularly,
collaborating with untrained artists?
551
01:01:42,682 --> 01:01:46,603
[Cai in Mandarin] Yes, a lot of
artists do things that are too commercial.
552
01:01:46,686 --> 01:01:51,691
It lacks some compulsive
and sincere emotion
553
01:01:51,775 --> 01:01:57,155
that should exist in all art.
554
01:01:58,197 --> 01:02:01,075
Collaborating with them
will always remind me
555
01:02:01,159 --> 01:02:06,498
of the pleasure I felt
and my original purpose for doing art.
556
01:02:16,466 --> 01:02:23,432
[Liu Xiandong] For any artist, once they
reach a certain level at a certain age
557
01:02:23,515 --> 01:02:26,268
and once they've become famous enough,
558
01:02:26,351 --> 01:02:29,020
they face this problem.
559
01:02:29,103 --> 01:02:32,190
They have to confront
what their original intention was.
560
01:02:34,108 --> 01:02:36,611
They will also face
a lot of people's questions and doubts.
561
01:02:36,695 --> 01:02:40,615
The more successful an artist is,
562
01:02:40,699 --> 01:02:44,160
the more dangerous a situation is.
563
01:02:49,082 --> 01:02:51,167
[speaking Japanese]
564
01:02:51,250 --> 01:02:52,794
[Wen Ma in English]
I mean, when you're saying,
565
01:02:52,877 --> 01:02:57,882
"I want to go to a nuclear test ground
and do an explosion out of my hand,"
566
01:02:57,966 --> 01:03:00,594
you know, everyone's gonna be like,
"You gotta be fucking crazy.
567
01:03:00,677 --> 01:03:02,136
No way!
We're not gonna let you."
568
01:03:02,220 --> 01:03:05,056
"Yes, I wanna do it."
"No, we're not gonna let you,"
569
01:03:05,139 --> 01:03:08,184
versus, "Here's $2 million.
570
01:03:08,267 --> 01:03:10,562
What do you wanna do?
Anything you wanna do."
571
01:03:10,645 --> 01:03:12,689
Okay, how can a person not be different?
572
01:03:13,982 --> 01:03:17,151
When you haven't gone very far,
it's easy for you to pick one step.
573
01:03:17,235 --> 01:03:19,529
You've been to a place
where you've never been before.
574
01:03:19,613 --> 01:03:22,281
But if you've gone as far as him,
575
01:03:22,366 --> 01:03:24,576
you know,
it's harder to take one more step out.
576
01:03:24,659 --> 01:03:27,120
So, how do you challenge yourself?
577
01:03:37,255 --> 01:03:40,342
[Cai in Mandarin] Sky Ladder
is the most difficult project of all.
578
01:03:48,392 --> 01:03:52,228
This will be my fourth attempt
to realize it.
579
01:03:53,605 --> 01:03:56,441
This time, I'm doing it for myself,
580
01:03:56,525 --> 01:03:59,027
and my family
581
01:03:59,110 --> 01:04:03,448
and for my grandmother in particular,
who just turned 100 years old.
582
01:04:07,994 --> 01:04:10,204
[Hong Hong]
To this day, I still think
583
01:04:10,288 --> 01:04:12,791
Sky Ladder is close
to impossible to realize.
584
01:04:13,875 --> 01:04:18,254
But Cai is very insistent
on making this project work.
585
01:04:18,337 --> 01:04:22,050
He's so obsessed and determined.
586
01:04:23,176 --> 01:04:24,636
[thunder rumbling]
587
01:04:35,397 --> 01:04:37,315
[indistinct chatter]
588
01:04:42,070 --> 01:04:46,783
[Hong Hong] Making Sky Ladder
is just like burning money.
589
01:04:46,866 --> 01:04:50,203
It's so expensive to produce.
590
01:04:50,286 --> 01:04:53,790
Do you know how much money
we're putting into this?
591
01:04:53,873 --> 01:04:56,375
Plus, we have to execute
all of this in secret.
592
01:04:56,460 --> 01:04:58,294
How many people will get to see it?
593
01:04:58,377 --> 01:05:00,547
We can't even invite an audience
to come and see it.
594
01:05:01,130 --> 01:05:04,968
This time, Sky Ladder
is just for Cai's grandmother.
595
01:05:05,051 --> 01:05:06,553
That's all.
596
01:05:10,348 --> 01:05:12,434
[Cai] Listen, if we can't solve
this problem,
597
01:05:12,517 --> 01:05:14,352
we cannot proceed with this project.
598
01:05:14,436 --> 01:05:17,606
We will stop all the work,
and we will simply withdraw.
599
01:05:17,689 --> 01:05:19,774
No need to spend all the money.
600
01:05:19,858 --> 01:05:21,025
Because it really is impossible.
601
01:05:21,109 --> 01:05:24,696
If it's broadcast tonight
on Quanzhou TV channel,
602
01:05:24,779 --> 01:05:27,449
there will be seas of people
watching at the seaside tomorrow.
603
01:05:27,532 --> 01:05:31,244
When the airship comes, everybody
will be taking photos and publicizing it.
604
01:05:31,327 --> 01:05:33,287
Anything like this is impossible.
605
01:05:33,371 --> 01:05:37,000
Under the sky of the Communist Party,
it's absolutely forbidden.
606
01:06:00,899 --> 01:06:02,776
[workers talking indistinctly]
607
01:06:20,293 --> 01:06:23,462
This balloon is pulled by the cables.
608
01:06:24,548 --> 01:06:30,804
Now, they are trying to lock the frame
onto a steel cable inside the balloon.
609
01:06:30,887 --> 01:06:32,597
[speaking Mandarin]
610
01:06:35,517 --> 01:06:39,854
The frame will flip over
when the balloon rises.
611
01:06:43,316 --> 01:06:46,903
We have to ignite at 3:30 a.m.
612
01:06:48,071 --> 01:06:50,364
Yes, so time is at stake.
613
01:06:50,448 --> 01:06:52,158
The problem right now
is that the balloon may break
614
01:06:52,241 --> 01:06:53,660
if it's inflated too quickly.
615
01:06:54,953 --> 01:06:56,412
[man] If we could have more time...
616
01:06:56,495 --> 01:06:59,040
All effort will be in vain
once the daylight kicks in,
617
01:06:59,123 --> 01:07:00,499
so we need to be fast.
618
01:07:00,584 --> 01:07:02,460
[workers talking indistinctly]
619
01:07:07,506 --> 01:07:09,217
[speaking Mandarin]
620
01:07:11,094 --> 01:07:12,804
[shouting indistinctly]
621
01:07:48,673 --> 01:07:49,924
[woman in English] Fifteen seconds.
622
01:07:52,260 --> 01:07:53,720
[woman speaking Mandarin]
623
01:07:55,346 --> 01:07:57,556
Grandma, it's Hong Hong here.
624
01:07:57,641 --> 01:08:01,102
Yes, it's your Guo-Qiang.
625
01:08:01,185 --> 01:08:06,107
[Cai] I'm going to create
an artwork, an explosion, for you to see.
626
01:08:06,190 --> 01:08:10,028
You stay awake.
I am about to start!
627
01:08:10,111 --> 01:08:11,821
[speaking Mandarin]
628
01:08:18,244 --> 01:08:19,996
[indistinct chatter]
629
01:08:23,582 --> 01:08:25,168
Twelve.
630
01:08:25,251 --> 01:08:27,086
Eleven.
631
01:08:27,170 --> 01:08:30,089
Ten. Nine.
632
01:08:30,173 --> 01:08:32,466
Eight.
633
01:08:32,550 --> 01:08:34,343
Seven.
634
01:08:34,427 --> 01:08:36,512
Six.
635
01:08:36,595 --> 01:08:38,556
Five.
636
01:08:38,640 --> 01:08:40,349
Four.
637
01:08:40,433 --> 01:08:42,644
Three.
638
01:08:42,727 --> 01:08:44,395
Two.
639
01:08:44,478 --> 01:08:46,773
One.
640
01:08:46,856 --> 01:08:49,317
Zero! Ignite!
641
01:08:49,400 --> 01:08:50,902
[exploding]
642
01:09:33,111 --> 01:09:34,988
[nurse speaking Mandarin]
643
01:09:41,160 --> 01:09:42,996
[speaking Mandarin]
644
01:10:42,096 --> 01:10:45,516
Listen to that sound,
full of power and grandeur!
645
01:10:48,311 --> 01:10:50,521
[woman 1] The project is finally launched.
646
01:10:50,604 --> 01:10:52,648
It's finally a safe day to do this.
647
01:10:52,731 --> 01:10:54,317
It's very hard work.
648
01:10:54,400 --> 01:10:57,361
These people
have been through some difficult days.
649
01:10:57,445 --> 01:10:58,612
[Hong Hong cheering]
650
01:11:04,035 --> 01:11:06,704
Grandma, did you see?
651
01:11:08,331 --> 01:11:09,958
- [grandmother speaking Mandarin]
- [chuckles]
652
01:11:10,041 --> 01:11:12,418
- Isn't your grandson awesome?
- [both laughing]
653
01:11:16,005 --> 01:11:18,174
It's amazing, amazing, amazing.
654
01:11:18,257 --> 01:11:21,260
You can go back to sleep now!
655
01:11:21,344 --> 01:11:25,139
Go to sleep. Sleep.
Eat something if you're hungry, though.
656
01:11:39,445 --> 01:11:44,367
It was very good, wasn't it?
The ascending explosion.
657
01:11:44,450 --> 01:11:45,784
[man] Very beautiful!
658
01:11:45,869 --> 01:11:49,497
It looked beautiful? Very beautiful.
659
01:11:49,580 --> 01:11:51,124
Thank you!
660
01:11:51,207 --> 01:11:52,917
[all speaking Mandarin]
661
01:11:54,878 --> 01:11:57,255
I need to give a hug to Kang, too.
662
01:11:58,840 --> 01:12:04,137
We were so worried!
Thank you for the hard work!
663
01:12:04,220 --> 01:12:06,097
Manager Yu.
664
01:12:06,180 --> 01:12:07,390
You are very welcome.
665
01:12:07,473 --> 01:12:09,600
Amazing sound!
The sound of the flame was beautiful!
666
01:12:19,443 --> 01:12:24,908
Mr. Cai Guo-Qiang
is our relative by marriage. [laughs]
667
01:12:24,991 --> 01:12:30,704
His younger brother is my son-in-law.
668
01:12:30,788 --> 01:12:36,544
Mr. Cai Guo-Qiang has made a great
contribution to our hometown, Quanzhou.
669
01:12:36,627 --> 01:12:39,005
This gunpowder project accomplished here
670
01:12:39,088 --> 01:12:42,758
is the realization of his dream
from 21 years ago.
671
01:12:43,634 --> 01:12:49,807
We, as his relatives, as Quanzhou people,
feel very proud.
672
01:12:49,891 --> 01:12:52,435
- [Cai] Full satisfaction!
- [all cheering and laughing]
673
01:12:52,518 --> 01:12:56,480
[Cai] It's amazing, unbelievable!
674
01:12:56,564 --> 01:12:59,650
- Small village, huge potential!
- [all laughing]
675
01:12:59,733 --> 01:13:03,404
This humble place is honored
by your presence, Master Cai!
676
01:13:03,487 --> 01:13:05,323
We tried many places throughout the world
but failed,
677
01:13:05,406 --> 01:13:07,200
only to find success at Huiyu Island!
678
01:13:08,952 --> 01:13:10,411
Terrific.
679
01:13:10,494 --> 01:13:14,165
[man] You have been around the globe,
but end up making it at your hometown.
680
01:13:14,248 --> 01:13:16,084
[all speaking in Mandarin]
681
01:13:19,795 --> 01:13:21,839
[crowd cheering and laughing]
682
01:13:27,053 --> 01:13:28,762
[indistinct chatter]
683
01:13:36,895 --> 01:13:39,482
[Cai] Thank heavens.
684
01:13:39,565 --> 01:13:42,485
After so many difficult days,
we managed it.
685
01:14:01,004 --> 01:14:02,505
[sobbing]
686
01:14:04,840 --> 01:14:06,217
[laughs]
687
01:14:06,968 --> 01:14:08,802
[speaking in Mandarin]
688
01:14:17,520 --> 01:14:18,687
[Hong Hong sniffles]
689
01:14:18,771 --> 01:14:20,064
[exhales deeply]
690
01:14:51,554 --> 01:14:53,597
[ethereal music playing]
691
01:14:53,599 --> 01:14:58,599
Subtitles by explosiveskull