Mr. Hu has a dream: to build a Buddhist temple in the Netherlands. This will bridge the gap between the Chinese population in China and in the Netherlands. A businessman himself, Hu knows very little about this philosophy that is practiced by monks with shaved heads and orange robes. What he does know is that most Dutch Chinese work in restaurants from morning to night and could really benefit from the calming element of Buddhism. The temple should be built in collaboration with an established complex in China. He chooses Mount Putuo, a complex on an island southwest of Shanghai. The camera switches between China and the Netherlands, resulting in contrasting images of old and new, East and West, peace and chaos. Thanks to the Chinese community, the nearly €500,000 needed for the endeavor is easily secured. But things become tense when the project gets held up. Will East and West be able to agree on the practical implementation of Buddhist values?

Year of production: 2015

Shooting location: the Netherlands, China

Produced by China Europe Docsalon