Directed By Yung Chang
In China, it is simply known as "The River." But the Yangtze - and all of the life that surrounds it - is undergoing a truly astonishing transformation wrought by the largest hydroelectric project in history, the Three Gorges Dam. Canadian documentary filmmaker Yung Chang returns to the gorgeous, now -disappearing landscape of his grandfather's youth to trace the surreal life of a "farewell cruise" that traverses the gargantuan waterway.
With narrative agility, a humanist gaze and wry wit, Chang's Upstairs Downstairs approach beautifully captures the microcosmic society of the luxury liner. Below deck: A bewildered young girl trains as a dishwasher - sent to work by her peasant family, who is on the verge of relocation from the encroaching floodwaters. Above deck: A phalanx of wealthy international tourists set sail to catch a last glance of a country in dramatic flux. The teenaged employees who serve and entertain them - now tagged with new Westernized names like "Cindy" and "Jerry" by upper management - warily grasp at the prospect of a more prosperous future.
Singularly moving and cinematically breathtaking, Up the Yangtze gives a human dimension to the wrenching changes facing not only an increasingly globalized China, but the world at large.
Review
~ "BEAUTIFULLY OBSERVED. By journey's end, Yung has found, in the Yangtze, a brilliant natural metaphor for upward mobility in modern China: Whether they hail from the lowlands or the urban centers, everyone here is scrambling to reach higher ground." - Scott Foundas, THE VILLAGE VOICE
Award
~ WINNER, GOLDEN GATE AWARD, BEST DOCUMENTARY 2008, SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
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