Scoring the Journey: Ziqing Gong on the Emotional Landscape of Milestones

Composer and music producer Ziqing Gong has been awarded the Platinum Prize in the Film / Game Scoring category at the Global Best Creative Awards 2025 Season 1 for his original soundtrack to Milestones, a documentary directed by Mufei Xu.

Milestones follows a team of Chinese laborers working on construction projects in Africa, blending personal narrative and global perspective. For Gong, the music was not just a complement to the visuals—it was a vessel for expressing director Mufei Xu’s emotional connection to Africa, where her father lived for a decade and where she herself was born. “The music became my way of capturing both her deep connection to the continent and the complex emotions she experienced during her documentary journey,” Gong explains.

he score weaves together diverse musical elements, mirroring the film’s layered themes of cultural interaction. “My goal was to represent the cultural intersections—European colonial influence, African traditions, and Chinese labor communities—while also following Mufei’s evolving emotional arc.”

The soundtrack opens with upbeat rhythms grounded in African musical textures, expressing the filmmaker’s initial sense of wonder. As the story unfolds, pieces like Sedimentation grow more contemplative, reflecting mounting pressure and emotional weight. “The music needed to breathe with the film’s journey,” says Gong.

One of the most meaningful pieces for Gong is the final track—created after extensive discussion, late-night calls, and even a trip to Taiwan to work closely with the post-production team. “It had to convey the feeling of peacefully walking down from the top of the hill,” he says. “The process of creating it mirrored the themes of the film: navigating challenges, embracing change, and finding peace with both the perfect and imperfect parts of the journey.”

A core concept throughout Gong’s creative process was the integration of traditional Chinese motifs. “Sometimes these elements blended in; other times, they stood apart—just like the workers’ shifting cultural identities,” he explains. These nuances reflect both the documentary’s reality and Gong’s own life between China and the U.S.

Ultimately, Gong hopes audiences not only hear the music—but feel it. “I wanted the soundtrack to enhance Mufei’s story, while also offering my own voice as someone who understands cross-cultural tension and harmony. In the end, the score itself became a metaphor for coexistence.”

1. What inspired the setting or context of this work?

   I composed and produced the soundtracks for "Milestones," a documentary directed by Mufei Xu that follows Chinese laborers working on construction projects in Africa. Mufei spent nearly a year documenting their lives as they pursued each "milestone" of construction. Through our conversations, I discovered her profound personal connection to Africa—her father lived there for ten years, and she was born there. The music became my way of capturing both her deep connection to the continent and the complex emotions she experienced during her documentary journey. 

2. What emotions or ideas were you hoping to express through this work?

   Milestones" presents a fascinating cultural tapestry—European colonial influences, indigenous African traditions, and Chinese labor communities all intersect throughout the film. My primary goal was to musically represent these cultural intersections while echoing Mufei's emotional journey.The opening soundtrack features upbeat rhythms with African musical elements, reflecting Mufei's initial excitement upon arriving in Africa. In contrast, pieces like "Sedimentation" carry a heavier, more contemplative mood as both the workers and Mufei confront mounting challenges approaching construction deadlines. Throughout the score, I aimed to mirror Mufei's evolving perspective while honoring the diverse cultural elements present in each scene.

3. Is there a particular element or detail in the piece that holds special meaning for you?

   The final piece (ending) in the soundtrack holds particular significance for me. Mufei and I had numerous late-night discussions about how to approach the ending, recognizing its crucial role in the documentary. I actually flew to Taiwan to work directly with the production team on this section, wanting to create something that would perfectly capture the resolution of the journey.We sought to convey that despite all the excitement, frustration, laughter, and tears experienced throughout the documentary, both the construction team members and Mufei herself ultimately arrived at a place of acceptance—as she beautifully phrased it, "peacefully walking down from the top of the hill." The process of creating this final piece mirrored the documentary's themes, as we navigated unexpected changes, creative conflicts, and multiple revisions. While I may not be completely satisfied with every aspect of the final result, this aligns perfectly with the documentary's message: finding peace with both the perfect and imperfect aspects of our journeys.

4. Was there a specific concept or influence that guided your creative process?

   My guiding concept was integrating Chinese musical elements into the score wherever appropriate. The documentary's multicultural setting inspired me to weave traditional Chinese motifs throughout the soundtracks, reflecting the complex reality of Chinese laborers in Africa. Sometimes they integrate seamlessly into their surroundings, sometimes they stand apart as outsiders, sometimes they embrace their identity while at other times questioning it deeply. From my conversations with Mufei, I learned she experienced similar complexities while filming—needing to navigate acceptance and adaptation in unfamiliar environments. The music became a way to express these nuances of cultural identity and belonging. 

5. What do you hope audiences take away from experiencing your work?

   First and foremost, I hope my music enhances Mufei's storytelling, amplifying the messages she sought to convey through her documentary. Beyond that, I wanted to infuse the score with my own multicultural perspective. Having grown up in China and lived in America since high school, I personally connect with the cross-cultural themes in the film and in Mufei's experience.I tried to leverage my background to demonstrate how different cultural perspectives can coexist in music—showing how diverse elements can blend together, adapt to one another, and find harmonious coexistence while maintaining their distinctive qualities. In this way, the soundtrack itself becomes a metaphor for the cultural exchange depicted in the documentary.