An empowering tale of two grids
The documentary delves into three generations of Li's family, from his grandfather's migration to Liaoning, his father's decades of service with the old energy system, to Li's own experience with the plant's clean energy transition. This generational narrative mirrors Jones' family history of migration from Scotland to England and Yorkshire's transformation.
"People often draw comparisons between different regions, but the shared experiences really matter as they help us recognize we're not entirely different," Jones reflects.
The human dimension of industrial transformation comes alive through unexpected encounters, according to Jones. During filming in Yorkshire, the director and his mother visited Paul, an old acquaintance and former dance teacher.
"Though not a miner himself, most of his students came from mining families," Jones shares. "He broke down while recalling the strike's final day, when workers returned to the pits, knowing it marked the beginning of the end for British coal mining. He even sang folk songs from that era. It was a deeply moving afternoon."
