STORY: Film retracing Marco Polo's journey to the East premieres in London
SHOOTING TIME: July 3, 2024
DATELINE: July 5, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:07
LOCATION: London
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the event
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): STANLEY JOHNSON, Former British politician
3. various of the event
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ZHENG ZEGUANG, Chinese Ambassador to Britain
5. various of the event
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): MAX JOHNSON, Youngest son of Stanley Johnson

STORYLINE:

A documentary retracing the ancient journey of Marco Polo premiered in London on Wednesday.

"In the Footsteps of Marco Polo" was produced by One Tribe TV and stars Stanley Johnson and Max Johnson. In the documentary, the father and son duo follow Marco Polo's 13th-century route through China. They begin at the China-Pakistan border and traverse the highlands of Inner Mongolia before ending in Beijing.

Stanley Johnson, former British politician and father of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, told Xinhua that he initially began the journey with his friends in 1961 from Venice but stopped at the border between Afghanistan and China.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): STANLEY JOHNSON, Former British politician 
"He was so important as a bridge builder between East and West. And in fact, he is very much appreciated in China, Marco Polo, as a bridge builder.

Chinese Ambassador to Britain, Zheng Zeguang, said in his opening address that the movie is not only about pursuing dreams but also about Chinese-British collaboration.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ZHENG ZEGUANG, Chinese Ambassador to Britain
"Seeing is believing. So I just hope all of you, and people in the UK, will follow in the footsteps of Marco Polo and also the footsteps of Stanley Johnson. Travel to China, see the country, meet the people."
   
"It's exciting to follow the journey of Marco Polo," said Max Johnson, who has lived and studied in China. "And as the son, I have to follow in my father's footsteps. It's a very beautiful moment for me."
  
SOUNDBITE 3 (English): MAX JOHNSON, Youngest son of Stanley Johnson
"I think people's quality of life in some parts of China is really very, very high. That was very eye-opening for me. You think about China, when you want to build a railway or a bridge, or a road, or a port, you just get it done. So, I think that's pretty impressive. So I think you cannot not be impressed at the pace of development in China."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from London.
(XHTV)