Splendid Land

Splendid Land, Huaqing Jin and Eleni Vlassi

By Moira Sullivan

The pandemic has caused restlessness for travelers especially for those who have been to memorable places such as Xinjiang, China venerated in Splendid Land by award winning documentary filmmaker and teacher Huaqing Jin. It is a trip to a stunning area little known in the west. There are numerous examples of why it is a magnificent area with a capital city that embraces modernity, and grasslands, desert and plateaus that embody rich historical traditions. The film is accompanied by native music and dancing by the people of the land, all filmed in spectacular cinematography.

Splendid Land opens on a country home covered by snow in Southeast England UK. By dim light, the hand of a musician writes in a notebook covering sheet music.  A voiceover reminds us that the pandemic is not over yet, for this man’s original travel plans are being postponed for the near foreseeable future. Together we relive his journeys to Xinjiang in a voyage handcrafted in time and space through film. From artefacts he has collected from his travels, and recollections from his memory palace, a golden framed photograph is window to the waters of Kanas where he first began his travels in Xinjiang.  On a wooden dresser is a painting of native musicians from Kashgar and a stringed musical instrument.

We begin our journey in the Hemu grasslands and see and hear the enchanting music that emanates from the horsehairs of the Morin Khuur. We see the Kazakh herders in native dress, a nomadic ethnic group that seasonally migrates over terrain that is vast and distinctive. We learn that within Xinjiang they travel the most in the world, so it gives pause for thought where moving has been so restricted of late.

Splendid Land is a travelogue of highest order. From the grasslands we move by camel to the Land of Fire, the hottest place in China in the Kumtag desert. Between the desert and the Fiery Mountains is a luscious green fertile oasis. We travel to an outdoor center in Turpan and then on to Urumqi. It is the largest international city of the area with towering skyscrapers and home to the renowned Xinjiang Art Theater. We travel to the city of Kashgar that preserves the ancient customs of the Uyghur native to Xinjiang and listen to Mukham music by the Tuman river. Then, on to the Parmir plateau surrounded by majestic snow-capped mountains. There we see a spirited Tajik dance named for the eagle that is totem for the people with a joyous wedding in native costume with music and dancing.

Splendid Land visits areas off the ancient silk road that connected China and the Far East to Europe. Huaqing Jin’s visually breathtaking voyage to Xinjiang evokes the spirit of the land surrounding this ancient trade route. With our guide from the UK, the evocative rivers, deserts, mountains and plateaus of Xinjiang and the people who honor and conserve them come alive.

Moira Jean Sullivan

©Filmfestivals.com

Member of FIPRESCI