Beyond the lens: More-than-human encounters in Yin Hong's Himalayan science education filmmaking

The post-1949 production of China's science education films has not received enough scholarly attention. This article treats Yin Hong's Himalayan filmmaking as a prism through which we can rethink science education films' propaganda missions, knowledge-making modalities, promotion of environmental awareness, and status in Chinese film and overall cultural history. Yin Hong's film texts, produced under strict government censorship in Mao-era China, propagated the ideology of transforming and mastering nature for socialist development. Nevertheless, through investigating personal writings of Yin Hong and other scientists, the article illustrates that the filmmaker's on-site filming practices embody an epistemic space where personal and embodied encounters with nature cannot be reduced to a "nature-conquering" mission. His filming journey demonstrates more-than-human encounters, where nonhuman nature is not just a subjectable and silent object but actively reshapes filming practices. Shifting analytic focus from representations to practices, the article advocates for a rediscovery of science education filmmaking in China.