Depression in Beijing is hidden, unspoken, and paid little attention. On August 19th 2016, in an attempt to respond to that, Culture Yard, situated in the beautiful HuTongs of BeiXinQiao, hosted a screening of the CandleX documentary entitled “The Tiny Little Box.”
This CandleX production was shot in Thailand in 2015, and follows the struggles of depression for four individuals, as well as the stories of two mindfulness practitioners.
Uchechi from Culture Yard opened the event by welcoming the CandleX team of XiaoJie, Peter, Brad, and Luna. Peter then introduced CandleX’s current and past projects, and the documentary. After the documentary screening, Xiaojie led a group discussion on various topics related to depression.
As the people in the documentary gave their testimonies, you could see the responses from the audience. Everyone was nodding, as if to say, “I know that feeling,” some were even whispering to the person next to them saying, “I can’t believe someone has had the exact same experience as me.” The documentary opens up the conversation about depression and gets people speaking. This is why CandleX is devoted to sharing this documentary with others. Through an open dialogue, we all find peace and positivity, and sometimes we need these video testimonials to help us open up and find positivity in depression.
If opening a dialogue about depression is our goal in the fight against depression, then what should this dialogue be about? After the screening, the floor opened for some group interaction. A man shared his personal strategies for beating his own depression. Another spoke about the efforts in China geared toward improving mental health. Another shared some great resources everyone can use in their daily lives to overcome their depression symptoms. The atmosphere was light and engaging, and at times, even fun; not the types of words usually associated with depression. What became apparent was that if we keep the discussion positive by talking more about specific strategies and success stories, then it will breed more hopefulness and optimism. And it is with that positive emotion that we can make depression become a topic more people will be willing and able to talk about.
