Up The Yangtze

Up The Yangtze is a poignant 2007 documentary film by Yung Chang which provides an intimate and eye-opening look into China's transitional society impacted by one of the world's most ambitious and controversial projects - the construction of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River. Jerry Bo Yu Chen, Campbell Ping He, and Cindy Shui Yu are among the film's myriad of real-life participants, each bringing their unique stories to this dazzling tapestry of socio-cultural commentary.

Up The Yangtze contrasts the lives of two young Chinese citizens, Yu Shui (Cindy Shui Yu), a rural girl from a poverty-stricken family, and Chen Bo Yu (Jerry Bo Yu Chen), a city boy from a well-off family who aspire to promote the booming tourist industry surrounding the dam project. Their staggeringly different life experiences and their convergence aboard a cruise ship on the river become vehicles for examining the paradoxes and complexities of contemporary Chinese society.

Chen is a confident, fluent English-speaking tour guide who christens himself 'Jerry' to better connect with the predominantly Western tourists aboard the cruise ship. The image he portrays of modern China is one of optimism and progress. On the other hand, Yu Shui, whom the tour operators name 'Cindy' for her new role as a dishwasher on the same cruise ship, provides a contrasting perspective. Her family lives on the banks of the Yangtze in an area that will soon be submerged by the rising waters of the dam. For them, the future is filled with uncertainty.

Director Yung Chang captures the larger implications of the dam project through these personal narratives. Projected to displace more than a million people and alter the landscape irrevocably, the Three Gorges Dam is presented both as a symbol of China's economic advancement and its human cost. The film skillfully juxtaposes the stunning scenic beauty of the Yangtze with the harsh realities of displacement and poverty, all under the shadow of rapid industrialization.

Throughout the narrative, we are shown the striking contrast between the views from the cruise ship's luxurious deck and the reality on the riverbanks. Tourists marvel at the 'old world' charm, unaware or indifferent to the displacement and destruction caused by the new world rising around them. This dichotomy is reflective of the wider divide in China's society, wrestling with the contradictions of progress and tradition, rich and poor, urban and rural.

Chang's visual approach to Up The Yangtze is striking, employing cinematography that teems with symbolism. The river itself is a powerful metaphor, simultaneously representing the relentless flow of progress and the unchanging realities of life for those on its banks. There's also a significant exploration of identity, personified through the characters of Jerry and Cindy, who symbolise the old and new faces of China, struggling to reconcile their realities amidst the tide of change.

The film is not limited to its socio-political commentary, though. At its heart, Up The Yangtze is a deeply human story, brimming with emotion, marked by scenes that capture the struggle, ambition, and resilience of its subjects. It sheds light on how individuals and families are affected by the sweeping changes, offering a deeply empathetic perspective on the human dimension of China's rapid development. The narrative of Jerry and Cindy gives audiences a chance to witness the starkly different worlds within contemporary China, all set within the transformative context of the Three Gorges Dam.

Up The Yangtze is a compelling, thought-provoking, and visually stunning documentary that invites us to consider the impact of progress, the often-overlooked human price of modernization, and the resilience of people in the face of change. It's an exploration of individual lives caught in the whirlwind of societal evolution and a reminder that the currents of progress impact every one of us on a deeply personal level. By shining a light on the experiences of Jerry and Cindy, Up The Yangtze gives us an intimate and nuanced perspective on a society navigating its path to the future, one life at a time.