Chinese-British co-production premieres in London

In this year of China-U.K. Cultural Exchange, who better to serve as philosophical ambassador than Confucius? The legendary sage remains a pivotal influence in Chinese thinking more than 2,000 years after he walked the earth. A new 90-minute documentary about him premiered at Lancaster House in London on Wednesday. It's a joint China-U.K. production involving CCTV.

Simply titled "Confucius", the documentary explores the philosopher's life and legacy, his ideas, and his relevance today.

"Through in-­depth analy­sis and anecdotes, and mak­ing use of animations and re­enactments, the documentary presents, in a way that's accessible to interna­tional audiences, the man long acknowledged by the world as a great thinker, edu­cator, and politician," Li Ting, deputy editor-in-chief of China Central Television, said.

CCTV and Lion Television of the UK began work on "Confucius" in September 2013 with a series of symposia and script­ development. Filming began on the Sept 28, 2014, at a ceremony marking the 2,565th anniversary of Confu­cius' birth.

The crew went on to the United States, the UK, and Chinese locations - including Shandong, Hebei, Sichuan, and Guangdong provinces, the Xinjiang Uygur Autono­mous Region, and Beijing - for research and interviews.

They traveled to Confucius' birthplace, Mount Nishan, where locals described his enduring influ­ence on their daily lives.

"The documentary 'Confu­cius' not only presents a mem­orable, classic production but also explores a new model of China-­UK historical docu­mentary coproduction," Guo Weimin, deputy director of China's State Council Information Office, said.

"Cooperation in producing the documentary Confucius is an excellent starting point. CCTV hopes to further strengthen and expand its cooperation with British media and production companies in the production, filming, and purchasing of tel­evision programs, in the expectation that this will con­tribute significantly to the broader cultural exchange between China and the UK," Li said.

In addition to China Central Television and Lion Television, China Internation­al TV Corp and Shandong Mass Media Group also partnered in the production of "Confucius."