Documenting a giant of literature

At the age of 102, Yang Yi, a distinguished translator known for her work on English author Emily Bronte's classic Wuthering Heights, reminisces about the beginning of her 80-year friendship with the late literary giant Ba Jin.

This touching moment is part of an eight-episode documentary Ba Jin, which was shot to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the birth of one of the most influential and well-respected writers of 20th-century China.

Late last month, the program was broadcast on China Central Television's CCTV-9, reaching over 10.45 million households, according to CVB, a television show statistics collector affiliated with the National Radio and Television Administration.

Earlier last year, the series won the Best Documentary of the 32nd China TV Golden Eagle Awards, one of the highest such accolades in the country.

"Ba Jin was not only a distinguished writer, but also a deep thinker. His greatest attribute was his bravery in speaking the truth," says Wang Junjie, chief director of the series and also director of the China Radio and Television Art Research Center.

Speaking about his initial impulse to make the documentary over a decade ago, during his tenure as the deputy head of Jilin Radio and TV Station, Wang says he had the opportunity to explore the lesser-known stories of more than 600 cultural celebrities through the long-running program Hui Jia (Returning Home).

"Since then, I have developed a keen interest in biographical documentaries, and I noticed that Ba Jin had received limited coverage, and no documentary had been dedicated solely to him," he says.