Qing chun (Ku)

Though exposing injustice is an abiding concern of Wang Bing’s filmography, he has said that his work is not intended as an act of protest, but rather as a gift to the people he films. QING CHUN (KU) continues his trilogy about youth textile workers in Zhili, the city in eastern China where some 1.45 billion pieces of clothing are produced every year in sweatshops by a largely young, migrant labour force. This second part shifts the focus from the workers’ interpersonal relationships to the wage negotiations with their bosses. In heated discussions, they haggle in vain to reach a price of ¥4 per garment (equivalent to half a euro). Defeated, they gather in their dorms to talk strategies before trying again. These intimations of organisation are inspiring, but Wang doesn’t allow any illusions as to their prospect of success. One of the youths is beaten and left bleeding in the street for being too insistent. Another recounts how a workers’ revolt was swiftly and violently quashed by authorities. Unable to gift them agency, Wang watches and listens, inviting us to witness their resolve and their dignity. Without pointing the finger, he also reminds us that in the globalised present we aren’t merely spectators of this reality. (Giovanni Marchini Camia)

Wang Bing: WEST OF THE TRACKS (2003), CHRONICLE OF A CHINESE WOMAN (2007), CRUDE OIL (2008), COAL MONEY (2009), MAN WITH NO NAME (2010), THE DITCH (2010), THREE SISTERS (2012), VENICE 70: FUTURE RELOADED (2013), TIL MADNESS DO US PART (2013), FATHERS AND SONS (2014), TA’ANG (2016), BITTER MONEY (2016), MRS. FANG (2017), DEAD SOULS (2018), YOUTH (SPRING) (2023), YOUTH (HOMECOMING) (2024)