German vlogger Robert Adolf moved to China in 2017. Four years later, Adolf and three –– Liu Ming, Zhu Kewei and Dong Yuze –– of his Chinese friends developed a plan to document, in video, China's ethnic groups. They have since been traveling to villages across China to record the customs and cultures of the country's various ethnic groups. "I want to let more foreigners see the colorful Chinese culture," Adolf says.

Adolf, a graduate of Konztanz University, in Konztanz, is from Munich, Germany. He speaks fluent Chinese. As he developed an interest in China's history and culture when he was a child, he decided he wanted to move to China, which he did in 2017. After he arrived in China, Adolf initially worked at a German company in Central China's Hunan Province. In 2018, he moved to Lianyungang, in East China's Jiangsu Province, and worked at a foreign-trade company.

Adolf is known as Germany's Baozi (literally meaning Germany's steamed stuffed bun) on China's short video-sharing and social-media platforms. The first delicacy Adolf tasted in China was baozi. He thought baozi was delicious, so he gave himself Baozi as his Chinese name.

In July 2021, Adolf and three of his Chinese friends, decided to film a documentary of China's ethnic groups. Two months later, they set out from Lianyungang and drove all the way to Southwest China's Guizhou Province.

To date, they have filmed the customs and cultures of the Tujia, Miao, Dong, Shui, Buyi and Yao ethnic groups in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Central China's Hubei and Guizhou provinces.

During an interview with Women of China, Adolf shared his experiences in China, and several stories of interesting events that have happened while filming the documentary. The following is the interview, in question-and-answer format: 

Women of China (WOC): What was your impression of China before you arrived here? What is your impression now?

Adolf: My impression of China was mainly shaped by books, films, documentaries and cartoons I read or watched when I was younger. I was first fascinated by Chinese culture when I watched the 1998 Disney animated film, Mulan, as a child. The costumes were exotic, and the martial arts were incredible. So, I always had an image of a mysterious country, with a rich history. 

Chinese culture is rich and diverse. With the huge economic and infrastructural improvements over the last few decades in China, quite a lot of cities are now super modern and huge. Nevertheless, they are still rich in history and culture, especially in the countryside.

Germany also has some provinces, but they belong to the same ethnic group, so their culture has just a little difference. It's simply magical that there are 56 ethnic groups in China. I am enchanted by the diversity in costumes, dialects, food and celebrations among the different ethnic villages.

WOC: How did you come up with the idea of filming such a documentary? 

Adolf: I love Chinese food. In 2018, I began shooting short videos about Chinese delicacies during my spare time, and I uploaded them on Kuaishou, a short-video platform. I gained about 2 million followers. The online popularity of my work attracted the attention of China Central Television (CCTV). In late 2018, I was invited to join Global Villager Vlog, an agricultural documentary program produced by CCTV-17 (CCTV's Agricultural and Rural Channel). During shooting of the program, I visited many rural areas and witnessed China's rural development and farmers' new lives in the new era. 

In June 2021, I became host of a special online program produced by CCTV-17. The program aimed to demonstrate the homestays, food, scenery and lives in rural areas, and to stimulate public enthusiasm for rural tourism. 

It was during the shooting of these programs that I gradually came up with the idea of shooting my own documentary about China's ethnic cultures and lives in rural areas. As I was born and grew up in a village in Munich, I have a natural preference for the countryside and rural life. 

During my trips across China, I was impressed most by the rich and diverse cultures of China's 56 ethnic groups. I didn't know China had 56 ethnic groups before I came here. I found the cultures and customs of the ethnic minorities are very different from those of the Han ethnic group. The cultures of China's ethnic minorities are treasures. So, I resolved to make my own documentary, to capture China's rich and diverse ethnic cultures.

WOC: What is your impression of Chinese? 

Adolf: In my opinion, Chinese and Germans are a lot alike, and are both hard-working people. Both cultures value family highly. Overall, the Chinese I have met are all down-to-earth and sincere, and I feel warmth around them. 

Chinese are very hospitable. In November 2021, I visited Sandu Shui Autonomous Region, in Guizhou, to film the lives of the ethnic Shui people. Wang Minzhi, a Shui woman in her 50s, adopted me as her godson. She is very kind to me, and she treats me like her family. I spent the New Year's Day at her home. 

Wang, a retired village cadre, has rich life experiences. One year ago, she had never heard of Chinese social-media apps, such as Douyin and Kuaishou. Her son, Wu Biqian, taught her how to use them. Now, she livestreams to sell local agricultural products. She has attracted more than 100,000 followers in less than a year. 

During my four-month stay in Guizhou, I had more than 10 godmothers and numerous aunties, and I made a lot of friends. The hospitable people and original natural scenery impressed me most.

WOC : How is it going with your documentary? Would you provide our readers with some details?

Adolf: The ethnic cultures and traditions are so rich, so I couldn't help but try and record them all. We don't have a script during shooting. We just want to film the authentic lives of China's ethnic groups. 

There will be a lot of interesting things in the documentaries. Besides all of the unique handicrafts of the different ethnic groups, I documented many touching personal encounters. 

In Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in Hubei Province, I was enrolled in a Tujia dialect class, at a school, to learn the dialect. In Huangluo Yao Village, in Guangxi's Guilin, I was amazed by women in traditional ethnic costumes, their exquisite hair — grown to more than 1 meter long — and the distinct bamboo barbecues.

In October 2021, in Sandu Shui Autonomous County, I went to the bustling village fair and celebrated the Duan Festival. The festival is the major carnival of the year for the Shui people. 

When we filmed in Wuliu, a Miao village in Leishan County, in Guizhou Province, in November 2021, I attended the once-in-13-year Guzang Festival, the New Year celebration for the Miao ethnic group, with more than 5,000 attendees in the village. It was celebrated for 13 days and, on the last day, more than 4,000 Miao people danced around the drum and they were all dressed in traditional festive clothing, me included. It gave me a valuable insight into how the ethnic group commemorates their forebears and upholds their traditional values and traditions.

I also can't forget walking one hour over rice terraces to a remote village, which isn't accessible via road, in Guizhou's Rongjiang County.

If there is one word to describe Guizhou, I think it is "colorful." The trip to Guizhou was full of surprises for me. I also uploaded short videos about our experiences on video-sharing and social-media platforms, such as Douyin, Kuaishou and Youtube, which have attracted numerous Chinese and foreign netizens. Many foreigners say they are surprised to see China has so many beautiful places and unique ethnic cultures, and they would like to visit China when the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

This year, we plan to move on to South China's Hainan Province and Southwest China's Yunnan Province to record the lives of ethnic people. Filming the lives of China's ethnic groups will take ages. I am willing to spend my time on that, no matter if it takes a few years or decades. The best way to learn about the real China is to hit the road to explore it. Communication is the most important thing. 

Photos Supplied by Interviewee

(Women of China English Monthly March 2022 issue)