Beyond the lens: More-than-human encounters in Yin Hong’s Himalayan science education filmmaking

Abstract

The post-1949 production of China’s science education films has not received enough scholarly attention. This article treats Yin Hong’s Himalayan filmmaking as a prism through which we can rethink science education films’ propaganda missions, knowledge-making modalities, promotion of environmental awareness, and status in Chinese film and overall cultural history. Yin Hong’s film texts, produced under strict government censorship in Mao-era China, propagated the ideology of transforming and mastering nature for socialist development. Nev­ertheless, through investigating personal writings of Yin Hong and other scientists, the article illustrates that the filmmaker’s on-site filming practices embody an epistemic space where personal and embodied encounters with nature cannot be reduced to a “nature-conquering” mission. His filming journey demonstrates more-than-human encounters, where nonhuman nature is not just a subjectable and silent object but actively reshapes filming practices. Shifting analytic focus from representations to practices, the article advocates for a rediscovery of science education filmmaking in China.