A fantastic documentary on the Game of Go...

[by78]

I happened upon a very moving Chinese TV documentary on the Game of Go recently, and I'd like to share it here. Unfortunately, it's entirely in Chinese, but even then, non-Chinese speakers will appreciate its superb production value and find much of the footage very illuminating (esp. Go Seigen's memorial service, Cho U's lovely family, Fujisawa Shuko's widow and granddaughter, the serene Cho Hun-hyun, Chinese pro exams, the European Go scene, etc.)

For those who understand the language, you will find its portrayal of the subjects and their travails as well as their relationships at once delicate and sublime. Especially poignant for me were the depictions of the blind Frenchman, the Taiwanese pro Zhou Junxun, and the old man and his beloved Kaya trees. The recurring themes are universal: the quest for perfection and self-realization, setbacks and triumphs, redemption, legacy, and passing of the torch from the old to the young.

This documentary truly is an exquisite example of transcendent TV programming. While the Chinese title of this documentary is simply 'Weiqi', 'Life in 19x19' may well be equally apt.

I only hope these five episodes will be subtitled someday. I'd love to do it, but my Chinese is rather rudimentary at best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX6TLKSvpo8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuFzvUFgwms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI1IipT4Yw0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLQ4odq2TxU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbpyyxBTHbU

[agewisdom]

Many thanks for sharing.

There was another documentary on Shusaku by NHK Japan too. I have it, unfortunately it's in Japanese and there's no subtitles available. Such a pity...

Got it when I got really into Hikaru no Go many years back...

[DrStraw]

Many thanks for sharing.

There was another documentary on Shusaku by NHK Japan too. I have it, unfortunately it's in Japanese and there's no subtitles available. Such a pity...

Got it when I got really into Hikaru no Go many years back...

Is it on Youtube also?

[by78]

Many thanks for sharing.

There was another documentary on Shusaku by NHK Japan too. I have it, unfortunately it's in Japanese and there's no subtitles available. Such a pity...

Got it when I got really into Hikaru no Go many years back...

Is it on Youtube also?

I second this same question.

[OtakuViking]

Many thanks for sharing.

There was another documentary on Shusaku by NHK Japan too. I have it, unfortunately it's in Japanese and there's no subtitles available. Such a pity...

Got it when I got really into Hikaru no Go many years back...

Is it on Youtube also?

I second this same question.

Yeah, there's a bad version here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPxT6_j ... Z6f98p_pvm

I suggest you google Shusaku NHk documentary and download the torrent file in HQ.

[agewisdom]

Hopefully there's still seeders for the documentary. It was many years back... I never got around to watch it as it was in Japanese.

[Solomon]

I'd kill to have these subbed...well okay, maybe not kill, but I'd put money into some group donation for a Chinese subber to work on these.