Still image in The Journey of Chinese Plants features moso bamboos in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Zhang Fan, the executive director of the documentary, says the story is told through the "eyes of plants and focus on the influence they have on human society".

"As filming drew to a close, I read a work by Taiwan essayist Lung Yingtai, which had great resonance," he adds.

The essay conveys the message that the wild does not make people lonely, but instead turns into a glittering world if the travelers can name the species of plants they see.

Before this project, Zhang says, he wasn't interested in plants. "But now, I view every plants differently after learning more about them."