Up the Yangtze
	Rating
	Type	Video On Demand
	Release Date	2009-02-10
	Actor	Jerry Bo Yu Chen; Campbell Ping He; Cindy Shui Yu;
	Director	Yung Chang;
	Length	94 minutes
	Special Price
	Lowest New Price	$2.99
Categories
Independent Film  Documentary  International  Zeitgeist Films  Special Deals
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Description
A luxury cruise boat motors up the Yangtze - navigating the mythic waterway known in China just as "The River." The Yangtze is concerning to be transformed by the biggest hydroelectric dam in history. At the river's edge - a young woman says goodbye to her family as the floodwaters rise towards their small homestead. The Three Gorges Dam - contested symbol of the Chinese economic miracle - offers the epic backdrop for Up the Yangtze, a dramatic aspect documentary on life inside modern China.
Customer Reviews
PROGRESS OR DESTRUCTION?   2010-03-28
By Loves To Read (Twin Cities, MN USA)
The film is a documentary primarily about a Chinese family living in the town of Fengdu on the Yangtze River. The world's largest dam project, The Three Gorges Dam, will displace about two million people who live along the river when it is completed. Is this progress or destruction? The film does not attempt to answer the question. It simply tells the story of this family and several others whose lives are affected by the new dam. Yu Shui, the 16 year old daughter, wants to be the first to go on to higher education after finishing middle school. The family, however, knows their future is changing as their home (shack really) on the river will soon be underwater when the dam is completed. That means they will have to rent somewhere and will no longer be able to grow their own food. Yu will have to go to work and earn money to go to school. The film follows this shy, young girl and another, outgoing, young man as they are hired by a luxury cruise ship on the Yangtze catering to wealthy European and North American tourists. They must both learn how to please (cater to) these visitors. Her parents also must cope with the changes happening in their lives. This is a film about real people whose lives are being changed by forces beyond their control and they must adapt to a lifestyle that is both unfamiliar and uncomfortable. The contrast between these people and the 'westernized' Chinese of the larger cities that they visit on the ship's itinerary is also portrayed. As China's economy grows and they gain access to more and more of the world's goods and services, the people, whether they want to or not, are being forced to change. The film doesn't judge the merits, it simply tells the stories. One more opportunity to get acquainted with people from this giant country that has come on to the world stage with such great force. Like it or not, we need to know as much as we can about the people we are joined with at the hip in so many ways. Enjoy.
China Then & Now!   2010-01-11
I caught this documentary about 1 year ago on PBS and was immediately riveted to the TV. As an adoptive parent of a Chinese daughter, I was deeply touched by the story of a developing China and the personal impact on its society. Having spent time in China, we were constantly reminded about the major gap between the utter poor and those with wealth. This video is expertly done and gives a phenomenal picture of the struggles of a poor peasant family coming to grips with a developing nation. Nothing sugar coated here. Watching the family dynamics play out as the family makes the difficult decision to send their daughter off to work is facinating. I would highly recommend this video to anybody interested in the human toll that the Three Gorges Dam and "development" has inflicted on this society. We will continue to watch this video and someday share it with our daughter who may come to realize how lucky she is.
A documentary through the eye of a little girl   2009-08-12
By Ivan Brugiolo (Bellevue, WA)
This short movies wants to show the human tragedy behind the 3 Gorges Dam project. The image of the raising water on the small farm of the girl's family, while watching the flood-level meter signs is emblematic. As the water raises, the lifestyle of people change (from farmer to jobless hurbanites; from school innocence to make-up and dollars instead of yuans). There is not much of a condemn message in all of this, besides the accepting statement that the dam is for the better good of the country.
Fine exploration of Culture vs Technology   2009-03-02
By R. Gawlitta (Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA)
I've always been fascinated with the culture of China; developments and modernization have certainly taken a toll on revered traditions and history. Let's not forget the very human turmoil that has developed as a result of the building of the Three Gorges Dam. Two million people were displaced, though the film suggests that the government built new homes for those people. Much of "Up the Yangtze" seems staged or dramatized, but the essential gut-wrenching idea of cultural upheaval is well examined. I only heard of this film because of its nomination for Best Documentary at the 2008 Indie Spirit awards. I've since learned it wasn't eligible for Academy consideration because it was shown on TV. The DVD extras were fine, especially the stop-motion vision of the great river drowning the gorgeous countryside. The many deleted scenes were also instructive. I don't know the name of the very large city that was portrayed throughout (someone help me here), but it showed the cross-section of high class glitz countered by horrendous slum conditions (like ALL very large cities). I would recommend this film to anyone interested in Chinese culture. There wasn't enough said about the necessity of the Dam, and there was some fine footage of regular citizens' protest over the whole ordeal. Worth a look... Does ANYONE know the name of that big city that ended up underwater?
Before you go to China....   2009-02-16
By Steven Smit
This documentary show a segment of tourism in China today. It shows the changing family life and widely divergent cultures of American tourists and the Chinese who are supporting the travel cruises. I travelled with the same ship/crew on the Yangtze and was suprised by how accurately the personalities were shown. This is an excellent look at China's youth and the new capitalism in China.