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Up the Yangtze
Metascore
84 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 17 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
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  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: G. Allen Johnson
    100
    Remarkable.
  2. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    100
    In his masterful and haunting documentary Up the Yangtze, Yung Chang shows the old China drowning helplessly under the weight of the new.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    100
    Filmmaker Yung Chang finds a sad and beautiful way to glimpse the big picture of dislocation through an exquisitely poised small study.
  4. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    100
    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.
  5. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    100
    An astonishing documentary of culture clash and the erasure of history amid China's economic miracle.
  6. Variety
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    100
    A gloriously cinematic documentay of epic, poetic sadness.
  7. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    88
    May be the best film to date about the humanitarian and environmental impact of China's enormous Three Gorges Dam project.
  8. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    88
    Before that marvel of human engineering - China's Three Gorges Dam - completes its legacy of human upheaval, there are vanishing sights to be seen.
  9. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Scott Foundas
    80
    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.
  10. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    80
    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.
  11. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Andrea Gronvall
    80
    Trained in Sanford Meisner's acting techniques, the director wrests surprisingly emotional disclosures from his subjects.
  12. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    75
    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
  13. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Michael Sragow
    75
    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.
  14. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Tasha Robinson
    75
    Goes from sleepily hypnotic to riveting over the course of 90 minutes.
  15. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Michael O'Sullivan
    70
    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.
  16. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Kimberley Jones
    67
    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.
  17. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    63
    China's public image suffers another blow with Up the Yangtze, a documentary by Chinese-Canadian Yung Chang.
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User Reviews

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User Score
9.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. David
    10
    The father is one of the most interesting, but tragic characters I have ever seen caught on film. His recognition of change, and his responsibilities outweigh any anger he has about relocating. Simply a stunning documentary, one that should be seen by anybody who has bought a product from China, aka everybody!… Full Review »
  2. AnnieS.
    10
    Devastatingly haunting, heart-breaking, and beautiful. One of the most stunning and important films of our time.
  3. Gabriel
    9
    Very powerful film. I'm not sure what Dyna is talking about, of course the subject outweighs the film, the subject matter is heavier than lead.
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