Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Up the Yangtze


The Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze river is one of the biggest hydroelectric projects in the world. The flooding as a result of it has displaced thousands of people. It has also created a tourist attraction called the Farewell cruises that allows tourists to visit the areas that will soon be flooded.

Director Yung Chang follows two people whose lives have been irrevocably changed by the event. Yu Shui is from a poor farming family and is forced to work on one of the cruise ships to support her parents and siblings. Brash and cocky Chen Bo Yu is from a middle class family and is intent on becoming affluent. The documentary observes the transformation of the two youngsters as they work on the ship. Tangentially, it also observes the change in surroundings, the mass shift in the economy and in lives of the citizens along the Yangtze.

Rating: * * +

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