stories on screen
CHENG LEGACY
( In Post-Production)
To defy historical amnesia, J.J. Cheng travels from Beijing into the vast heartlands of China in search of her ancestral roots, long obscured by time. From Confucian Wuyuan, the birthplace of her grandfather Cheng Zhen Jun, to Huangzhou, the cradle of China’s first exposition, and Anqing along the Yangtze River, Cheng retraces the footsteps of China's first generation of modernization pioneers. Her quest culminates in Wuxi, along the Grand Canal, where she discovers the remains of Cheng's long-lost Family Tomb — a profound moment when the enduring spirit of her family reveals itself.
《問祖 程振鈞》簡介
旅美華人作家程一若拒絕歷史失憶, 展開反思性中華尋根之旅，追尋祖父程振鈞那被時光掩埋的生死足跡.
從北京到儒鄉婺源- 程振鈞的出生地，再到首屆西湖博覽會發源地杭州, 再到長江之畔的安慶，徽公路的起點三陽歙縣，以及無錫古運河畔惠山腳下沉寂九載的程氏家族墓地， 程進行了一場中華民族家國命運交織的百年溯源精神之旅。
CHINA中國尋根
from deathbed to Resurgence
BEIJING
北京
Capital of China and birthplace of filmmaker J.J. Cheng. Starting point of a decade-long search for family history.
WUYUAN
婺源
Birthplace of Cheng Zhen Jun (程振鈞, 1888-1932)and Cheng Zhen Ji (程振基, 1890-1940）, ancestral home of the Cheng family lineage.
SHEXIAN
歙縣
Gateway to ancient Huizhou and start point of the Huanghui Highway（徽杭公路), a landmark modernization project masterplanned by Cheng Zhen Jun.
HUANGZHOU
杭州
Site of China’s First West Lake Exposition (1929), organized under Cheng Zhen Jun’s leadership.
NANKING
南京
AN QING
安慶
Historic Yangtze River city where Cheng studied, entered public service, and ultimately died in the line of duty in 1932.
SHANGHAI
上海
China’s modern gateway to the world. A key destination in Cheng’s infrastructure, fundraising, and reform efforts.
WUXI
無錫
Site of the Cheng family cemetery, where J.J. Cheng discovered long-lost ancestral remains in 2019.
LUOYANG
洛陽
Homeland of Neo-Confucian sages Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi, spiritual roots of the Cheng lineage.
From the imperial capital of Beijing to the ancestral heartland of Huizhou and the industrial cities of the Yangtze River, J.J. Cheng retraces the footsteps of her grandfather Cheng Zhen Jun, culminating in discovering Cheng Tomb in Wu Xi, China by the legendary Grand Canal. Through uncovering the buried family history, Cheng explores the forces that shaped modern China.
BRITAIN 英國尋根
THE MAKING OF MODERNIZERs
GLASGOW
格拉斯哥
Where Cheng Zhen Jun studied Civil engineering, joining the first generation of Chinese students in Scotland in 1909.
ABERDEEN
阿伯丁
A center of higher learning where Cheng continued his engineering studies during Britain’s industrial age in 1913.
EDINBOURGH
愛丁堡
Where Cheng Zhen Ji studied Finance and Political Science in 1913-1919
LONDON
倫敦
Center of the British Empire, where Cheng studied mathematics, engaged with reform-minded Chinese intellectuals, and helped shape ideas for modern China.
The 2026 Scotland Expedition
In the summer of 2026, award-winning author and filmmaker J.J. Cheng travels to Scotland to trace the footsteps of her grandfather, Cheng Zhen Jun (1888–1932), one of the earliest Chinese students to study at the University of Glasgow, arriving in 1909. More than a century later, his granddaughter sets foot on the soil of Scotland in search of her family’s Scottish story and the spirit of the Scottish Enlightenment, exploring the profound influence Scotland’s intellectual and industrial legacy had on the making of modern China.
CHENG LEGACY is an ongoing documentary, publishing, and historical research project exploring the intellectual, cultural, and educational connections between Scotland, Britain, and China during a pivotal period of world history. We welcome conversations with:
- Historians and researchers
- Archivists and librarians
- University faculty and students
- Genealogists and local historians
- Documentary collaborators
- Cultural institutions and museums
- Volunteers and research assistants
- Funding and community partners
If you share an interest in history, education, intercultural exchange, or the overlooked stories that connect nations, we invite you to please join the journey. Thank you for your help and for supporting intercultural exchange.
Contact: CHENG LEGACY@gmail.com