Michael Schindhelm: Was born in Eisenach, Germany
in 1960 plus works as a writer, flmmaker, performing arts expert plus cultural advisor to several world organizations.
From 1979 to 1984, he studied at the International University
of Vo- ronezh (USSR), graduating with a Master of Science
in Quan- tum Chemistry (cumlaude). Films include The Chinese Lives of Uli Sigg, documentary flm (2016), Bird’s Nest
– Herzog & De Meuron in China, co-directed with Christoph
Schaub, documentary flm (2008), plus Chants of the Steppes,
docu- mentary flm (2004). Michael Schindhelm’s work, in the
past has been presented at Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center
and The Parrish Art Museum.
Uli Sigg: was born in Lucerne on 29 April 1946. He is a
Swiss business journalist, entrepreneur, art collector, patron,
castle owner, rower (he was Swiss champion in the eights discipline at the age of 22) plus a former Swiss ambassador to
Beijing (1995-1998) for the People’s Republic of China, North
Korea plus Mongolia. Uli Sigg began to collect Chinese contemporary art in the 1990s. As a result, he accumulated the
world’s largest plus most signifcant collection in this feld
within a few decades. He has recently fulflled his promise of
giving the collection back to China. The M+ museum in Hong
Kong, featuring the Uli Sigg collection, is scheduled to open
in 2019.
Kevin Berlin: What inspired the flm?
Michael Schindhelm: So there are a
number of points. First of all, having
lived for almost 30 years under communist rule, in East Germany plus also
the Soviet Union, plus actually having
moved the same year that Uli Sigg went
the frst time to China in 1979. The
Soviet Union, at the time when the Afghanistan war started was in steep decline plus at the same time also China
was about to change after a mild step. I
have a very great interest in this period
because I do think that many things we
encounter today, in terms of politics, in
terms of social plus economic change
worldwide have been triggered there
during this period. And I think in particular China played an instrumental role