On August 15th, the closing ceremony of the 8th Vancouver Chinese Film Festival and the Maple Leaf Award ceremony were held online.

The Vancouver Chinese Film Festival is a non-profit overseas Chinese film festival held by the government of British Columbia in Canada, and is also one of the most influential international Chinese film festivals.

Among many award-winning entries, one film, the documentary “Jin Zibei: Earth How Are You?” particularly attracted the attention of Tianjin University alumni. The leading actor of the film is Tang Shi, an alumna of Tianjin University, and her two children also appear.

“Jin Zibei: Earth How Are You” is awarded the Maple leaf Award at the 8th Vancouver Chinese Film Festival

The documentary: Jin Zibei: Earth How Are You?

“Jin Zibei: Earth How Are You?” is a documentary concerning public welfare. It focuses on global environmental issues. It features performances by Tang Shi, her daughter Jin Zibei and her son Jin Ziqiao. In the film, Tang Shi takes her children into the depths of the Greater Xing'an Mountains to visit Yuguo and his mother, representatives of the Owenke people, the last reindeer tribe in China. Together they look for the reindeer in the forest. They also go to the Tengger Desert in Gansu Province to experience the daily lives of the Owenke, including herding sheep and cooking steamed buns.

The documentary was shortlisted for the screenings section of the 73rd Cannes International Film Festival in France this year as well as the Crete International Film Festival in Greece. At the Vancouver Chinese Film Festival it won the Excellent Documentary Award.

Tang Shi graduated from the School of Chemical Engineering and Technology of Tianjin University, and was a flautist with the Beiyang Symphony Orchestra even as an undergraduate. She devoted herself to social charity after graduation and founded the "Zibei Ziqiao Children's Public Welfare Association", which is named after her two children, where she still serves as president.

Tang Shi, the president of "Zibei Ziqiao Children's Public Welfare Association"

Tang Shi was once commissioned by UNICEF to visit the Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh and as a result was awarded the "Royal Award for Contribution to International Charity and Public Welfare" by the Indonesian Royal Family. Consequently, the spirit of Tianjin University spread to the whole world owing to her practical efforts in philanthropy. She created a song “We Are All Children”, and performed it with her children. The song won first place on the 270th TV list of the Global Chinese Pop Music Chart. In addition, she also composed a song “Singing Tang Poems” for children with the hope that they would inherit the classics of Chinese traditional culture.

In addition to serving as a flautist in the Peiyang symphony orchestra, Tang Shi also participated in various activities such as student association performances and welcoming and graduation ceremonies of Tianjin University. Her aesthetic and artistic character has also influenced her children; her daughter Jin Zibei became a little star of the "Chinese Music Award" and the host of a 130-episode toy video on Youku, and has participated in many films and televisions productions.

Tang Shi in Tianjin University