Sha Qing (b. Beijing, 1965) first trained as a film editor and sound recording engineer before turning to documentary film-making. Qing and his co-director and collaborator Ji Dan (b. Heilongjiang Province, 1963) first became well known as active participants in the independent documentary culture initiated in the 1990s in China, when some filmmakers began to work outside the state sector. This culture boomed after high quality mini-DV cameras became readily available around 1997. At this time, Sha and Ji were working closely together, and they also made two well-received films about life in Tibet, *Gongbu’s Happy Life* (贡布的幸福生活, 2003) and *The Elders* (老人们, 1999). However, in recent years, Sha’s output has declined. His latest film, *Lone Existence* (独自存在, 2016), reveals that he has been facing a major existential crisis about his ability to communicate with his subjects and audiences through documentary, and that in recent years his own life has become increasingly hermit-like.