Director Statement

The idea of “Swallows Under Eaves” came from an article my mom sent me when I was a freshman. It was an article about Chinese Barbour Scholars here at the U of M a hundred years ago. I was so impressed by how they all became outstanding female leaders in their respective fields. I was also surprised and thankful that this Barbour scholarship that supports Asian women to study at the U of M exists. So two years after that, I was brainstorming what story I should tell for my honors thesis—if I were to do it. In my time in Michigan, I focused on creating women’s stories. My work dealt with sexual assault, tokophobia, and single motherhood, which are all quite universal to all women. This time, I wanted to do something about my very own group: Chinese women. Out of a sudden, that article about Barbour Scholars just popped into my head and I immediately knew “This is it.”

So then I started learning more about the Barbour Scholars, like how was the historical context for them? What did they study? What did they do after graduating from U of M? And Yi-Fang’s profile stood out to me. She was the first female college president in China and later a diplomat who became one of the first four women to sign on a United Nations charter. She lived a legendary life. Then I started to research more on Yi-Fang and found out her tragic childhood in a biography. It was one of the most tragic stories I’ve ever read. All her family, other than her grandma and younger sister, died within a month, following her father’s suicide. Then I started having these questions. How did she make it? What motivated her to keep going? If I were her, I would have called myself brave if I didn’t commit suicide. So at that time, I was firm that I would make a story about Yi-Fang, about her time in Michigan, and how that tragic history shaped her as a person.

And here comes “Swallows Under Eaves,” a historical drama about how Wu Yi-Fang, a Chinese female student at U of M in the 1920s, changed her mind from pursuing a professorship in the U.S. to engaging in women’s education back in China. In the screenwriting process, I figured out that it was the shame of her family tragedy that has been the burden AND the motivation for Yi-Fang to study hard and rebuild the family reputation. Eventually, she finds herself and what she wants to do instead of what she expects her family wants her to do. In a similar way, after my father passed away in a car accident when I was eleven, I have carried the burden of honoring his name with my achievements. In Chinese culture, if your father passes away, it means, quoting an old proverb here, that the sky has fallen for your family. Even years after my father’s death, when my classmates or friends asked me where my father was, I always said, “he was on a business trip” because I was ashamed to admit that I didn’t have a dad. It wasn’t until recent years that I reconciled with this shame and burden and accepted the impacts, positive and negative, that my father’s death has brought me. It was not because I didn’t love him, I loved him so much, it was just the weird shame culture that has been rooted in my mind. In the film, I made Yi-Fang say, that although our feet are no longer bound, we are still bound. I think deep down, in my subconsciousness, I wasn’t even aware that this was the first and foremost reason why I resonated with Yi-Fang’s past and chose to do a story about her among all the other ladies.

Another layer where I connect with Yi-Fang is that we are both Chinese international students here in Michigan, United States. The challenges we face, to name a few: the language barrier, the discrimination, subtle or on your nose, and the documents we have to go through to remind us we don’t belong here. These are what we live and breathe every day. However, I don’t see the experience of Chinese international students being talked about a lot in the media, which is really weird, because it’s a significant pipeline for Chinese immigration to the U.S., at least nowadays. So through this film, I also simply want to represent our group, which has long existed in U.S. history but has rarely been talked about. Fun fact: I recently found out that my distant relative, Rong Hong, was the very first Chinese international student in the U.S. He went to Yale in 1850. It was 175 years ago. It’s kinda crazy to think about it. So, through “Swallows Under Eaves,” I don’t intend to praise how awesome we Chinese students are but simply represent us as humans who have spirits and souls. Ultimately, we ARE the swallows temporarily living under the eaves, lodged under someone else’s roof.

Director Bio

Tianyi Zhai began her journey in theatrical directing at the age of 14 with In the Youth, a musical exploring how different family backgrounds impact adolescent growth. The production was well received by Beijing’s parent community and led to her acceptance into the prestigious “Dao Yuan” Gifted Program at Beijing No. 4 High School, one of the best high schools in China, where she specialized in theatre, film, and television directing. At 16, Zhai wrote, directed, and produced her second original musical, The No. 7 Experimental Class, a reflective piece on her time in the “Dao Yuan” program and the Chinese education system. It premiered at Beijing Yuyu Theatre and toured multiple high schools across Beijing. As her third original musical, 4 Love, prepared for its international debut at the Edinburgh International Festival, the outbreak of COVID-19 in China brought live theatre to a halt. This turning point led Zhai to reevaluate her path and shift her creative focus to filmmaking.

In 2021, supported by the Katherine Ling Scholarship, the Chinese Student Scholarship, and the Chinese Alumni Association Scholarship, Zhai enrolled at the University of Michigan, where she is double majoring in Film, Television, and Media (FTVM) and Psychology. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA and has received numerous academic honors, including College of LSA Honors, designation as a James B. Angell Scholar, University Honors, the William J. Branstrom Freshman Prize, the Nancy Waters & Mark Waters Scholarship, and First Place in the 2024 Michigan Association of Broadcasters Foundation Scholarship.

During her time at Michigan, Zhai has written, directed, and produced six original short films and two TV pilots. She founded and led the first and largest cross-cultural film production club, Cinnamon Cinema, in University of Michigan history.  She also launched the inaugural Ann Arbor Chinese Film Festival, sponsored by the Department of Film, Television, and Media and the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs. Expanding into television broadcasting, Zhai served as the Sports Channel Director and later as the 30th President and General Manager of WOLV-TV, the university’s official student-run television station. There, she produced one sports program, one entertainment show, and the flagship show “WOLV-TV Spotlight.” In the professional realm, she has worked in development with Paris Films and The Wolper Organization at the Warner Bros.

“Her story is one of perseverance and courage—qualities that continue to inspire us in the face of our own challenges.”

When Director Tianyi Zhai approached me to produce this project, I was immediately captivated by the story of Wu Yi-Fang, a woman whose resilience and intellect shaped the course of Chinese history. As a filmmaker, I am drawn to stories that illuminate overlooked historical narratives with emotional depth and contemporary resonance. Having previously collaborated with Tianyi on an earlier film of hers, Saved, I knew firsthand her ability to craft deeply moving and visually compelling narratives. Our shared commitment to bringing historically rich and character-driven stories to life made this project a natural fit.

As a Junior Honors student at the University of Michigan, majoring in Film, Television, and Media, as well as History, my academic background fuels my passion for uncovering the past through the lens of cinema. Producing Swallows Under Eaves has been an opportunity to merge my love for storytelling with historical research, ensuring that Wu Yi-Fang’s journey is portrayed with the authenticity and reverence it deserves.

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With a talented team of dedicated artists and filmmakers, we’ve strived and fought and toiled to create a film that not only honors Wu Yi-Fang’s legacy but also resonates with audiences today. Her story is one of perseverance and courage—qualities that continue to inspire us in the face of our own challenges. Bringing this film to life has been both an artistic and personal journey. To have been given the opportunity to assemble and work with a team – a family – of talented and passionate individuals who share the belief that stories like these must be told, not just to honor the past but to inspire the present, is the greatest blessing I could ask for.

I am honored to have helped bring this vision to life.

Alexander Marshall, Producer