Ruben Giney: Armenian Quest in China

This was a very interesting period of collecting materials, books, maps, images. In the last nine years I have collected three million digital and physical data on the Armenian history in China, India and South-East Asia. But the main adventure began of course when I started filming in early 2012. For three years myself and my shooting crew from different countries visited 11 countries (including India, Tibet, China, Armenia, Mexico, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, France). It was another huge step of this project. I am very proud that we were able to finish the film with some academic publications and valuable findings, such as 19^th century Russian explorer in Central Asia, Pantusov’s gravestone with the Armenian inscriptions on it dated 1323 AD. Eventually the cinema version of the “Andin” documentary was shown in various countries, but the TV series has never been released. And most of materials had never been shown to anyone.

The great research work you have done made you a specialist in this field. Don’t you wish to continue the subject?

I must confess that being a film director is not my only desire. From early childhood filmmaking and an interest in archeology and history were my passions. Sometimes people do not understand how I can be a feature film director, a showman and professional historian at the same time. But I kept my options open all my life and I really do not see any contradictions here. If I am not involved in film shooting I would rather continue doing my research. Cultural exchange, the history of the Silk Road, Early Christianity in China and the history of trade are in the main foci of my studies. The year 2020 was a pretty tough year for the film industry worldwide, so that is why I am about to publish my new book on Armeno-Chinese relations.

You acted in some Chinese films – I assume Chinese-speaking European actors are in demand in China.

Like many filmmakers around the world, Chinese cinema also requires foreigners for the screen. Especially when it comes to historical characters such as Richard Sorge, Stalin, sometimes foreigners get the role of American soldiers during the Second World War, or portraying The White Movement Russian soldiers in China at the first quarter of the 20^th century. I got several roles, once it was Georgian communist Vissarion Lominadze in Chinese picture “Winds and Clouds in 1927.” That was fun and most of all I learned that being an actor is a stunning opportunity to create a character, a person on the screen right from your own life experience and painful memories. But above all, as a director, I learned how crucial is to give the actors more freedom on the shooting set. Before that I was tyrant director, now I am a more kind of listener.

Being from the writers’ family — grandson of well-known Armenian writer Ruben Hovsepyan and son of Lilit Hovsepyan, the chief editor of Nork literary magazine, no wonder you also write, although in Russian, that are translated into Armenian, Chinese and English. What concerns Ruben Giney the writer?

The Time. The Time itself. The evolution of a person, a human being, from his childhood to the oldness. I presume the time has monstrous influence on us every single second. And the same time, you never can catch the moment. One second could be devastating, five minutes can create a great Idea, that could change the world or that could make the world better or destroy entire city. I keep in mind the image of a man, who was literally erased within a second in Hiroshima when A-bomb fell on the city. The person vanished, only indistinct shadow left on the ground. That is the rare point when you can catch the time. See its devastating power. I am deeply concerned with time problem, maybe these feelings go along with my possession with filmmaking and history. Trying to catch the history with the help of camera at least for a bit longer. To me the camera and the writer pen both are for creating a story, nothing more. Different tools with one goal – try get the access to the audience or reader’s heart. Make him listen to you, trust you and follow you. And never let him down.

You are very active in organizing aid to the recent war in Armenia.

With the unexpected outbreak of the war, all Armenians living in China expressed a desire to help. As a member of the council of Armenian Community of China “Chinahay,” my colleagues and I started to act immediately. Within a day the community board organized fundraising for Himnadram in our homeland Armenia. While realizing that we live in one of the most productive countries in the world, we began to collect essential items for the front and the army. The first two shipments were sent at once. Now the community is preparing a large cargo with special items for civilian and non-civilian use. Every single Armenian in China and our Chinese relatives and friends, are deeply concerned about what is going in Artsakh right now. We all stand together. We all have no doubts in victory.

Your restless nature should guide you to other endeavors.

There are some things that have always piqued my curiosity, such as mycology, the study of fungi. Many years I turned one of my rooms into a home lab, and from time to time I continue research in this field cooperating with international organizations. Fungi are unique organism on our planet, especially the mold, which is barely studied even in the context of the 21^st century. These organisms and their toxic compounds might provide a huge amount of new type of medicine for example.

My other desire is to cross the Northern branch of Takla-makan Desert in western China, which was used as one of the Silk Road routes. While making the documentary film eight years ago my crew and I have already crossed that route from Xi’an via Dunhuang, Aksu to the Urumqi. But we were in hurry, and I remember a thousand abandoned caves, and medieval city outlines under the sand. That mysterious land beckons me; one day I will definitely return there with a new expedition.