Building nostalgia

Ju recalls the first day of shooting for Lou. It was March 2019 and he went to the former site of the Sino-French University in Beijing along with a teacher of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who introduced the history of the buildings and the stories behind them.

Founded in 1920, the Sino-French University, located in the heart of Beijing, built a "bridge" for the exchange of culture and art between the East and the West. Chinese educator Cai Yuanpei was a co-founder of the university and its first president. The buildings, designed by Wang Shenbo and containing important relics such as a plaque written by Sun Yat-sen, were included in protected cultural heritage in 1987 by the Beijing municipal government.

"I agree with the design philosophy of American architect Louis Kahn, who was interested in community life and the social responsibility of architecture. When I looked at the buildings, I saw distinctive styles, and most importantly, I learned about the buildings' relationship with people," says Ju.

"I started the film project out of pure personal interest but as the shooting developed gradually, it became a responsibility."