The Three Gorges Dam is sometimes used as a symbol of the Chinese economic miracle and the country's move toward modernization. Chang doesn't overtly challenge this but he does want to show the price that many are paying for this so-called advancement. So Chang goes back to China and to "The River" that his grandfather often spoke of. His plan is to take a luxury cruise boat up the Yangtze to the Three Gorges Dam. The cruise is something of a farewell tour - bidding goodbye not only to the river but to a way of life for the two million people being relocated. In taking this cruise, Chang is also able to focus on a pair of young people who have taken up jobs in what in the new tourism industry.
The idea for a hydroelectric dam goes back as far as 1919 and was revived by Mao in the 50s. Critics of the current project raise questions about corruption that may have led to potentially dangerous shortcuts as well as environmental concerns about toxic chemicals that may lie under the flood waters in submerged factories. And that doesn't even begin to address the human cost as more and more people become displaced and lose their ability to farm the land.
China today. (Zeitgesit)
Sixteen-year-old Yu Shui's family is about to be displaced. She had dreamed of going to school to be a scientist but her parents cannot afford to have her continue her education so she must take a job on the cruise boat instead. Since the boat caters to American tourists, Yu Shui is given an anglicized name and becomes "Cindy," while her co-worker Chen Bo Yu is renamed "Jerry." The two are then given lessons in how to deal with Americans who not that long ago were referred to as "foreign devils." The workers are instructed to not be too modest because that will be seen as fake, and to avoid talk of politics, royal families, and the Northern Ireland issue. Also don't compare the U.S. to Canada and don't call anyone old, fat or pale.
Although the film highlights some obvious culture clashes, for the most part Up the Yangtze maintains a subtle and poetic approach. Chang doesn't want to tell us what to think but rather to, as Confucius said, reflect on what's happening. It's a humanistic rather than political approach to what's happening and it proves highly effective. Yet politics still filter in. A guide takes tourists through new homes built for those relocating and proudly boasts of the appliances and air-conditioning in each unit. It's part publicity stunt to deflect criticism and its part genuine pride in modernization. At another point we find Yu Shui crying as she does dishes aboard the boat but then later seems to blossom a bit with a make over from her female colleagues. Has she learned to adapt and if so is that a good thing?
Chang's careful framing always includes interesting detail like the poster in the shot as Yu Shui gets her makeover. (Zeitgeist)
Later, Chang interviews the American tourists about their thoughts on China. We get expected reactions ranging from amazement at the progress to concerns for the peasants. But Chang gives the interviews a bizarre twist by speaking to the tourists on the night that they are all dressed up in exotic Chinese costumes. The costumes provide a stereotyped image of a China that may have never been as the white tourists reveal some of their own stereotypes about the country. It's a clever move on Chang's part and it makes simple comments play out with greater complexity. Similarly, a riverside merchant whose way of life will change breaks down and cries as he talks about just wanting a roof over his head while a bust of Mao is framed next to him in the shot.
Chang displays quiet assurance as he moves from a very personal voiceover narration to intimate footage of the people being most directly affected by the Three Gorges project. Some of the most affecting and tragic footage involves Yu Shui's parents. They have little education, her father cannot read, and they seem pained by their inability to give their daughter more. But Yu Shui accepts her fate. In contrast, Chen Bo Yu complains about the fact that his parents are not paying for his education and he insists that it is their parental duty to take care of him and insure that he gets a good education. The differences between Yu Shui and Chen Bo Yu reflect differences of gender, class, and even generations.
Yu Shui's family. (Zeitgeist)
Shot on digital video, Up the Yangtze serves up some breathtaking images of China. The sheer scale and scope of the Three Gorges Dam is staggering. Chang also offers some eerie images of the deserted, ghostly buildings where people have been moved out but the waters have not yet come in.
Up the Yangtze (in English and Mandarin with English subtitles) is a beautifully crafted documentary. Chang displays artistry in the way he assembles his material. He captures China at a crossroads where he finds both guarded hope and epic sadness. The film also succeeds because it refuses to lecture or judge. So take the time to reflect on this exquisite documentary.
Up the Yangtze will be one of the films up for discussion on the KPBS Film Club of the Air this Wednesday at 10am on These Days. I hope you'll join out conversation.
Companion viewing: Manufactured Landscapes, Still Life (China), Damming the Angry River
