Scrolls of Culture, a short subject documentary, illustrates culture that survives when a village is gone. Its e-books explore specific aspects of that culture. The striking connection between daily life in a stilt village and scenes of daily life in a 12th century scroll reveal culture that transcends time and space. This project shows the clear Chinese cultural legacy from the 12th century Qingming Shanghe Tu handscroll to 21st century Cheoh Thau Kong, a Hokkien Chinese stilt village on Penang Island, Malaysia.
Temple to teashop, food carts to fishing boats, storytellers to itinerant opera troupes, Confucianists, Taoists and Buddhists, herbal medicine shops to traditional healers. These are just a few of the timeless activities found in the Qingming Shanghe Tu depicting life in a Song dynasty city that existed in a 21st century village before its demolition.
The work of creative non-fiction is also a labor of love based on decades of fieldwork and research by Diane de Terra and her team in Penang. This project is the result of a 40-year relationship with Cheoh Thau Kong, Penang, and the people who lived there. The eight e-books explore such aspects of culture as calligraphy and characters, Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, ancestors and filial piety, food and family, opera and music, local and global trends. These will be written by Penang residents and scholars of Chinese culture. For this to happen, your support is essential.