Qingchun (chun)

Both the title of Wang Bing’s new film and its subtitle, which indicates that this is only the first section of what will eventually become a multi-part saga, exude a surprising optimism coming from someone who has documented at length the decay of China’s twentieth century industry, the miserable conditions in which its working class live and the persecution of the country’s political opponents. Such optimism may not be easily reconciled considering what QINGCHUN (CHUN) is about: revealing the way numerous migrant workers—all from along the Yangtze river—live and work in the countless workshops and cramped dormitories of Zhili, a sprawling city near Shanghai devoted to the fast-fashion industry. But in comparison with BITTER MONEY and the 2017 installation SHIWU XIAOSHI, both shot within the same small garment factories, hope triumphs over resignation. Romantic dramas and innocuous pranks pervade the spaces of labour. Even though these new economic structures engender new forms of exploitation, the young people within them are at least prospering outside of the central state’s reach. Through a modular structure which manages to articulate individual and general aspirations, the fate of a whole generation can be felt. (Antoine Thirion)

Wang Bing: WEST OF THE TRACKS (2003), CHRONICLE OF A CHINESE WOMAN (2007), L’ETAT DU MONDE (2007, Episode), 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)