Please compress the following work to 500 words: Leadership, first and foremost, is about clear execution. The core is not simply a “leadership position,” but rather the ability to provide the most valuable solution within a team, even changing leadership from within and seeking a balance to provide the best possible answer.

After working on a documentary in 2019, I quickly encountered the Covid-19 pandemic, with outbreaks occurring worldwide, especially in China where containment measures were implemented. Normal lives were severely affected and numerous problems arose. In such a complex situation, we had to stick to the schedule and ensure the broadcast of “Once Upon A Bite Season 2.”

Our directorial team had already filmed food stories in over 20 countries before the pandemic. However, during that time, people were unable to leave the country, or even their homes, and restaurants in cities were temporarily closed. Chinese media found it challenging to position food-themed documentaries and were afraid of triggering negative emotions in the audience. We needed to convey the global perspective and human care of our work to Chinese viewers, while also ensuring viewership and click rates to ensure the smooth progress of future projects.

I proposed to the executive director the idea of collaborating with the embassies and tourist bureaus of various countries on Chinese social media platforms. I actively reached out to institutions such as the Israeli Embassy, the Thai Embassy, and the Thai Tourism Bureau, introducing them in advance to the food stories involving their respective countries. In the end, we successfully invited 15 foreign diplomatic missions, including Turkey, South Korea, Norway, France, Italy, Germany, and Hungary, to recommend the documentary series “Once Upon A Bite” on platforms like Weibo. This official interaction also caught the attention of Chinese media, and Chinese viewers came to understand the subtle connections between cuisines around the world, eagerly anticipating future global travels once the pandemic is over.

Ultimately, “Once Upon A Bite Season 2” achieved a viewership of 1 billion during the Covid-19 period in China, maintaining the record for the most-watched documentary in the country. However, there were also regrets as we did not reach a collaboration with the British Embassy and Tourism Bureau due to the limited coverage of the segment about Scottish eggs.

Good leadership is also driven by self-development. Although most food documentary projects have similarities, each one presents different thematic challenges and opportunities for experimentation. By the end of 2022, when “Once Upon A Bite Season 4” was aired, Chinese society faced the final test of Covid-19, with sharp social conflicts and significant pressures for media cooperation.

This work focused on global grain stories, and China is the world’s largest grain-producing country, deserving higher-standard media cooperation. I started building media relationships in advance and began contacting United Nations personnel stationed in Beijing, introducing the documentary’s filming theme to them. I also actively communicated and coordinated corporate-government relations with Tencent Group. Finally, in December 2022, we achieved collaboration with UN World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, based in China. Together, we called on Chinese viewers to pay attention to global food production and cherish every grain. Through the documentary, they were able to understand the Earth as a grain planet.

With the support of the United Nations agencies, our promotion reached the trending topics on Weibo. “Once Upon A Bite Season 4” received a series high rating of 9.5 on Chinese film and television website Douban, even surpassing nature-themed works like BBC’s “Blue Planet.”

When promoting “Once Upon A Bite” on social media, I also hoped to introduce more current social issues. On May 17th, World Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, I proposed using the program’s account to support the LGBTQ+ community, and I received understanding and support from the team. We used food shots with different colors to design a rainbow flag, conveying the humanistic view of equality behind food.

Having previously worked in film and television dramas, and more recently in Chinese documentary projects, I have been striving to expand my network and broaden my cognitive boundaries. However, I have also realized the limitations in my influence as a young person in the industry. As the British poet Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote, “I am a part of all that I have met; Yet all experience is an arch wherethro’ Gleams that untravell’d world, whose margin fades. For ever and for ever when I move.” These inherent growth needs and the current limitations of my work have led me to decide to apply for a master’s program in food and culture at a university in the UK, to continue building my own “arch.”