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Up the Yangtze
Zeitgeist Films


9.0

based on 17 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 8 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring Jerry Bo Yu Chen, Campbell Ping He, and Cindy Shui Yu

In China, it is simply known as 'The River.' But the Yangtze—and all of the life that surrounds it—is undergoing an astonishing transformation wrought by the largest hydroelectric project in history, the Three Gorges Dam. Chinese-Canadian director 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 a humanist gaze and wry wit Chang’s Upstairs Downstairs approach 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: wealthy international tourists set sail to catch a last glance of a country in dramatic flux. The teenage employees who serve and entertain them—tagged with new Westernized names like “Cindy” and “Jerry” by upper management—warily grasp at the prospect of a better future. "Up the Yangtze" gives a human dimension to the wrenching changes facing not only an increasingly globalized China, but the world at large. (Zeitgeist Films)

GENRE(S):	Documentary
WRITTEN BY:	Yung Chang
DIRECTED BY:	Yung Chang
RELEASE DATE:	Theatrical: April 25, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	93 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	Canada
LANGUAGE(S):	English / Mandarin

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Variety John Anderson

A gloriously cinematic documentay of epic, poetic sadness.

100

The New York Times Stephen Holden

An astonishing documentary of culture clash and the erasure of history amid China’s economic miracle.

100

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

Chang's images of the Yangtze and the new megacities replacing the villages on its banks are spectacular, and his cast of characters rival any fiction film I've seen recently.

100

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Filmmaker Yung Chang finds a sad and beautiful way to glimpse the big picture of dislocation through an exquisitely poised small study.

100

Boston Globe Ty Burr

In his masterful and haunting documentary Up the Yangtze, Yung Chang shows the old China drowning helplessly under the weight of the new.

100

San Francisco Chronicle G. Allen Johnson

Remarkable.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Before that marvel of human engineering - China's Three Gorges Dam - completes its legacy of human upheaval, there are vanishing sights to be seen.

TV Guide Ken Fox

May be the best film to date about the humanitarian and environmental impact of China's enormous Three Gorges Dam project.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Trained in Sanford Meisner's acting techniques, the director wrests surprisingly emotional disclosures from his subjects.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

One of the real pluses of Up the Yangtze, aside from its empathy with its subjects, is its striking visual quality. Beijing-based cinematographer Wang Shi Qing has an impeccable eye, often coming up with haunting images that show both the beauty and uncertainty of this pivotal time.

Village Voice Scott Foundas

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.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

By focusing on his two young protagonists, Chang is able to explore the cultural differences between China and the rest of the world, resulting in sequences that are alternately humorous and eye-opening

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

If, like me, you're both desperate to see new public-works systems in our own country and sensitive to the possible human and ecological damage, Up the Yangtze provides a devastating view of top-down, broad-stroke social programs.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson

Goes from sleepily hypnotic to riveting over the course of 90 minutes.

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

The disparity between Cindy and Jerry is itself obscene, but less so than that illuminated by the customers of Farewell Cruises, whom Yung shows to be almost parasitic in the way they feed off the misery (albeit without knowing it) of those who serve them.

Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones

When the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River began construction in the early Nineties, an estimated 2 million people's lives were impacted. That's a staggering number to contemplate, but Up the Yangtze effectively personalizes that near-meaningless number by putting a face on at least a few of those 2 million.

New York Post V.A. Musetto

China's public image suffers another blow with Up the Yangtze, a documentary by Chinese-Canadian Yung Chang.

The average user rating for this movie is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Dyna M. gave it a5:
Filmmaker doesn't have a steady balance of form or style. Unevenly audition different methods of filmmaking into one piece. Subject outweighs the film.

Peter L. gave it a9:
An amazing, intimate - and chilling - look at the changes that are wracking China ... and how they are affecting the lives of both young and old. Far from the bright lights of Shanghai, already-precarious existences are put at risk.

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Up the Yangtze Zeitgeist Films

Up the Yangtze
Zeitgeist Films