Up the Yangtze

In China, it is simply known as “The River.” But the Yangtze—and all of the life that surrounds it—is undergoing a truly astonishing transformation wrought by the largest hydroelectric project in history, the Three Gorges Dam. Canadian documentary filmmaker 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 Altmanesque narrative agility, a humanist gaze and wry wit, Chang’s Upstairs Downstairs approach beautifully 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: A phalanx of wealthy international tourists set sail to catch a last glance of a country in dramatic flux. The teenaged employees who serve and entertain them—now tagged with new Westernized names like “Cindy” and “Jerry” by upper management—warily grasp at the prospect of a more prosperous future.

Singularly moving and cinematically breathtaking, UP THE YANGTZE gives a human dimension to the wrenching changes facing not only an increasingly globalized China, but the world at large.

Official Selection Sundance Film Festival

Winner - Best Canadian Documentary
Vancouver International Film Festival

“BEAUTIFULLY OBSERVED PORTRAIT! 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.”-- Scott Foundas, The Village Voice

“A POTENT INDICTMENT OF THE DAM-AGE DONE! UP THE YANGTZE says more about what’s being lost—culturally, geographically, morally—than any parade of talking heads ever could.”--David Fear, Time Out NY

“ASTONISHING!” —Stephen Holden, New York Times

“STUNNING!”— New Republic

“TOUCHING!...HAUNTING!”—New York Magazine

“GORGEOUS...A GLORIOUSLY CINEMATIC DOC OF EPIC, POETIC SADNESS!”
–John Anderson, VARIETY