As China commemorates two landmark anniversaries in 2025 – the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and 120 years of domestic cinema – a new documentary sheds light on an overlooked cultural pioneer. I Will Be There After My Wandering, released this December, chronicles the extraordinary journey of Wan-go Weng, a filmmaker who became China's unofficial cultural ambassador through celluloid.
The film reveals how Weng fled Japanese invasion as a student in the 1930s, eventually establishing himself in the United States as a documentarian. Over four decades, he produced dozens of films showcasing China's artistic heritage and traditions to international audiences largely unfamiliar with Asian culture at the time.
"This was more than biography – it became a mission to recover lost history," said one production team member. Crews spent 2.5 years reconstructing Weng's life through interviews with 33 scholars and relatives, alongside rare archival material from ten Chinese and American cities.
While Weng's name remains obscure today, his body of work – described by historians as "cinematic letters to a homeland he couldn't revisit" – offers timely insights as China reflects on its cultural identity and global connections. The documentary's release coincides with renewed academic interest in early 20th century Chinese diaspora contributions.
