Project Overview: On June 1st 2009, four travelers from Tibet, Eastern China and overseas will set off on a journey across China, from the religious city of Lhasa to Shanghai, the commercial heart of Asia. We will travel by motorcycle for 60 days over 8000km and film a feature length documentary on two HD cameras.
We will take the road that Chairman Mao took in the Long March of 1934, and travel from the heart of the Himalayas through the deserts of Mongolia and into the highrises of modern China.
Motorbikes, Mao and a Yak will capture the personal growth of these four characters and their changes in attitude towards each other, Tibet, China, religion, business, and life on the road.
The film brings to light the role that youth play in China today - shifting the norms of traditional Chinese society and China under Mao to shape China in the 21st century.
Primary themes of the film include:
Motorcycling, adventure and life on the road
The role of youth in China today; breaking down of stereotypes and tradition
Bridging the cross cultural gap - the travels of a Tibetan, one Eastern Han Chinese and two foreigners
The changing Chinese economy and its effect on different generations
