Documentary premiere: Chances, challenges, and confusion about middle-aged life

May 18, 2020

Columbia scholars and Chinese experts from psychology, psychotherapy, and family relations explored the problems faced by middle-aged people, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic at a webinar.

The May 18 webinar hosted by Columbia Global Centers | Beijing also presented the documentary MeetSoul, featuring a group of middle-aged visiting scholars at Columbia University’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute (WEAI).

The documentary, directed by Columbia visiting scholars Jianxiong LI and Shan Shan, pictures the visiting journey of six Chinese scholars at WEAI. In their 30s+, they are eager for answers to confusion about life and inspirations from Columbia University and the City of New York.

Jianxiong LI, producer of the documentary, revealed that the middle-aged people, behind all the glamor and fortune, are facing various problems. The documentary provides an overt lens to look at and reflect on these matters.

Shan Shan, director and founder of MeetSoul project, said that the documentary depicted a small group of visiting scholars but is intended to resonate with a larger middle-aged group, who share similar concerns and understandings over the same period in life. “Hopefully, the project could pass on the spirit of connection, friendship, and cooperation between people,” she said.

Qingwang WEI, a researcher at National Academy of Development and Strategy at Renmin University of China, brought up “leave” as a keyword. He noted that to leave the mundane life is the premise of exploring one’s ego, and a proper spiritual distance from others is beneficial to one’s psychological well-being.

The young work hard to live up to the expectations of their parents and the society, while the middle-aged focus more on self-realization and gradually start to think of the wrap-up phase when they become older, as remarked by Haowei WANG, Director of Taiwan Institute of Psychotherapy.

Shi ZHAO, former executive and founding Director of Beijing Normal University’s Executive Development Programs, is now helping parents relieve their stress in China. He pointed out that there is a pause button to be found for the middle-aged to take a breath and spend some time, not with anyone else but themselves. But whether people would use that button, he added, varies from person to person.

Jianfei WANG, a consulting psychologist and trainer, explained that middle-aged people, busy pursuing what they want, are at the transitional stage of life, where both material and spiritual needs are to be satisfied. But before those needs or crises get solved, the middle-aged are prone to overlooking their own needs and problems, while inundated by pressure from the family, workplace, and society.

Webinars on COVID-19

The webinar serves as one of Coronavirus Thematic Series Online Program of Columbia Global Centers | Beijing. Chang WEI, TV correspondent for Phoenix Television in Washington, D.C., served as moderator at the virtual panel.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Columbia Global Centers | Beijing has been working closely with experts and scholars from Columbia University, other universities, institutions, and media to produce high-quality discussions. With our Coronavirus Thematic Series Online Program, we help the audience understand the global crisis from various perspectives.