Filmographies - films at UST by Country: China

(Empire of Silver)
China, 1899. In a land of exquisite beauty and timeless tradition a young man known as 'Third Master' is the heir to a banking fortune he cares little about. However, after his brother's wife is kidnapped he reluctantly submits to the pressure of his title and his father, Lord Kang. Lord Kang is determined to prepare his son for financial leadership by molding Third Master into his own image. ... Third Master and Lord Kang's tense relationship is further complicated by the son's feelings for his beautiful young stepmother--his first and only love--stolen from him by his own father.

A greasy Hong Kong fast-food joint serves as the focal point for two off-kilter love stories about two cops, both told from multiple perspectives and exploring the fragility of human connections. Detective 223, dumped by his girlfriend, buys a can of pineapple every day which he will eat in a year, if she hasn't changed her mind and returned to him. Meanwhile, he falls in love with a bewigged drug smuggler. Detective 663, also dumped, falls for nutty counter girl Faye. Possibly unhinged by her habit of constantly listening to an ear-shattering rendition of "California Dreamin'," Faye falls for him and begins sneaking into his apartment, rearranging the furniture, cleaning the place up and further weakening his already-shaky grasp on reality.

Set in 19th-century China, two master warriors are faced with their greatest challenge when the treasured Green Destiny sword is stolen. A young aristocratic woman prepares for an arranged marriage, but soon reveals her superior fighting talents and her romantic past. As each warrior battles for justice, they come face-to-face with their worst enemy, and the enduring power of love.

Sid, the rebellious son of Kwan, a savage Hong Kong triad boss, escapes to Taiwan upon enraging his father's adversary, a powerful underground business leader. Hiding out in the mountains, Sid encounters a group of Zen drummers. Their mesmerizing art, rigorous training, and austere way of life pique the hostile urban young man's interest and he asks to join the group. Although Sid despises his father, he is turning out to be a younger version of him: wild and defiant. Immersion in the world of the Zen drummers gradually converts him into a focused young man. Sid's independence from the triad life and his father is profoundly challenged, however, when a twist of fate forces him to choose between loyalty to his family and his new found faith in himself.

(Leaf)
Meihua, a Chinese painter, comes to Paris from the southern reaches of the Yangtze River where she is immediately drawn to Stephanie, a French photographer. What begins as a mutual admiration leaves the two women to confront the realization that they share a passion for more than the arts.

Gay couple Ho Po-Wing and Lai Yiu-Fai travel from Hong Kong to Argentina for a holiday to try to mend their dissolving relationship. They separate for a time, but when Po-Wing shows up at Yiu-Fai's door beaten up, Yiu-Fai takes him in. While Yiu-Fai begins a new relationship with another man, Po-Wing's life spins out of control.

(Flowers of War)
In 1937 China, during the second Sino-Japanese war, a mortician, John, arrives at a Catholic church in Nanjing to prepare a priest for burial. Upon arrival he finds himself the lone adult among a group of convent girl students and prostitutes from a nearby brothel. When he finds himself in the unwanted position of protector of both groups from the horrors of the invading Japanese army, he discovers the meaning of sacrifice and honor.

Story of a saintly blind man who as a boy was promised the restoration of his sight if he devoted his life to music. He and a young blind disciple travel the countryside seeking enlightenment and inspiring people with their singing and banjo playing.

Mulan, a young girl who does not fit in well with traditional Chinese society, disguises herself as a soldier to take her father's place in the Imperial army when the Huns invade China.

When his father dies, Luo Yusheng returns from the city to his childhood village where his father was the much-revered local teacher. But what begins as a short trip to bury his father becomes much more when he learns his mother wants a traditional burial for her beloved husband. She wants to have him carried by foot, honoring the belief that a body returned this way will never forget the road home. As Yusheng enlists the men needed to fulfill her wishes, the story of his parents' love affair unfolds. In the days of arranged marriages, he learns theirs was the first based on love.

(The World)
On the outskirts of Beijing is an amusement park called The World. The staff, most who have come to work from rural areas, may be happy around the guests, but it's a different story behind the scenes. The park is seen through the eyes of the staff, along with the romances, dreams, and loneliness.

(Aftershock)
Follows a family who became victims in the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. The father, Fang Daqiang, was crushed dead while trying to rescue his twin children, Fang Deng and Fang Da, who were trapped in the house. Unable to save both kids, the mother, Li Yuanni, is forced to sacrifice Fang Deng for her brother Fang Da, a decision that proved agonizing for the entire family. Though left behind as dead, the little girl miraculously survives, unbeknownst to her family. They go on their separate journeys over the course of the next 32 years, and eventually face each other--and the decisions of the past.

Tuya lives the traditional Mongolian herding lifestyle with her two children, 100 sheep and her husband Bater. They have resisted the government campaign to resettle them to urban areas but when Bater is disabled digging a well, the strain on Tuya to do everything herself becomes too much. Bater insists that she divorce him and take an able-bodied husband. Reluctantly, Tuya agrees but only if she can find a man who is willing to allow Bater to stay with her and his children. A series of suitors lines up, but it's not easy to find a man who fits the bill.

Follows the 4-year search for the reincarnation of Lama Konchog, a world renowned Tibetan master who passed away in 2001 at age 84. The Dalai Lama charges the deceased monk's devoted disciple, Tenzin Zopa (who has been in his service since the age of seven), to search for his master's reincarnation -- a child who may be anywhere in the world. Tenzin sets off on foot, mule, and even helicopter, through breathtaking landscapes and remote traditional Tibetan villages. He listens to stories about children with special characteristics, performs rituals and rarely seen tests designed to determine the likelihood of reincarnation, and eventually presents his chosen one to the Dalai Lama, who will make the final decision.

(Not One Less)
A young woman is ordered to a remote Chinese village to be a substitute teacher. Barely older than her students, the shy girl is charged with keeping the class intact for one month or she won't be paid. When one of her students disappears into the city to find work, the teacher is determined to follow the boy and bring him back to school. Once in the city, her pleas fall on deaf ears, and only when the local television station sympathizes does her search bear fruit.

(City of Life and Death)
Dramatizes the Japanese siege of the Chinese capital of Nanking on December 9, 1937, which resulted in the death of 300,000 civilians. The film is based on the recorded witness testimony from the real-life survivors of the massacre.

Inspired by four true events, the film focuses on four characters who are driven to violent ends. An angry miner, enraged by widespread corruption, decides to take justice into his own hands. A rootless migrant discovers the infinite possibilities of owning a firearm. A receptionist is pushed beyond her limits by an abusive client. A factory worker goes from one discouraging job to the next, only to face increasingly degrading circumstances.

A coming-of-age tale set in the final days of China's Cultural Revolution. Eleven-year-old Wang lives with his family in a remote village in Guizhou Province. Life is tough, but they make the most of what little they have. When Wang is selected to lead his school in daily gymnastics, he is told he must wear a clean, new shirt, which forces his family to make a great sacrifice. Soon after, Wang has an encounter with a wounded, desperate man on the run. In no time their fates are intertwined.

(Warm Spring)
Xiao Hua escapes from abusive foster parent and is taken in by a poor, uneducated man whose only wish is to provide her a home and a bright future. He will do anything to live up to his commitment, including constant disdain from both neighbors and his son and daughter-in-law, who want a family of their own. This poignant story of selfless love is a study of humility and patience, leading to a stirring conclusion in which everyone faces there own intolerance due to the old mans actions.

(Coming Home)
After years as a political prisoner in a labor camp during China's Cultural Revolution, Lu returns to his devoted wife Feng, only to discover she has amnesia and is unable to recognize him.

(Luxury Car)
A schoolteacher travels from his small village to the city of Wuhan in search of his missing son, who his dying wife wants to see one last time. Instead of finding their son, he discovers his daughter working as a karaoke bar escort--and dating a mobster possibly linked to the son's disappearance.

(Drifting Flowers)
Weaves three tales of women dealing with their homosexuality. First, a girl becomes jealous over the bond between her musician sister and her band's accordionist, Diego. Then a woman with dementia reconnects with her husband years after both of their same-sex relationships went sour. Finally, Diego's adolescent confusion is explored.

(Blind Mountain)
Rural China, 1990. Bai is a pretty and enterprising college student who travels to a remote, mist shrouded mountain village in the company of a pair of affable strangers. But what Bai thought was an expedition to gather herbs turns horrific when her fellow travelers sell her into slavery.

(Taking Father Home)
Xu Yun, a teenager from a remote village, travels to the big city of Zigong, Sichuan Province with only a basket of poultry on his back. His mission is to find and retrieve his errant father, who walked out on his family six years ago. Once there, he learns quickly as he finds no shortage of mentors eager to impart advice.

(Red Cliff)
This is the epic historical drama based on a legendary 208 A.D. battle that heralded the end of the Han Dynasty. A power-hungry Prime Minister-turned-General Cao Cao seeks permission from the Han Dynasty Emperor to organize a southward-bound mission designed to crush the two warlords who stand in his way, Liu Bei and Sun Quan. Vastly outnumbered by Cao Cao's brutal, fast-approaching army, the warlords band together to mount a heroic campaign--unrivaled in history--that changes the face of China forever.

(Piano in a Factory)
When Chen's estranged wife reappears asking for a divorce and custody of their daughter, the musician girl decides she will live with whoever can provide her with a piano. Chen's struggle thus begins. When efforts to borrow money and even steal a piano fail, Chen concocts a preposterous plan - he'll make a piano from scratch! He persuades a bunch of reluctant, but loyal, misfit friends to help him forge the instrument in a derelict factory from a heap of scrap steel. Though crude in design and tune, the factory piano awaits its first and final performance from his little girl.

Yu Hong is a rebellious young woman from a small Chinese town transplanted to a politically charged Beijing University in the late 1980s. The country's social turmoil is witnessed through its disaffected youth, whose newfound sexuality and activism culminate in violent suppression.

(Eat Drink Man Woman)
Distracted by their complicated love lives and secret ambitions, three adult sisters reluctantly humor their widower father by enduring the elaborate, traditional Taiwanese dinners he insists on having every Sunday. This tale examines the clash between modernity and tradition within the contemporary Taiwanese family.

In a small seaside town near Xiamen, China, two schoolgirls are assaulted by a middle-aged man in a motel. Mia, a teenager who was working on reception that night, is the only witness. For fear of losing her job, she says nothing. Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Wen, one of the victims, finds that her troubles have only just begun. Trapped in a world that offers them no safety, Mia and Wen will have to find their own way out.

Did a daring Chinese admiral sailing the world's largest wooden armada reach America 71 years before Columbus? This program examines the mystery surrounding the sailing exploits of the legendary Admiral Zheng He and his 30-year command of a Ming fleet.

This 4 part program recounts the dramatic story of the rise and fall of an empire, an empire that at its prime spawned incredible inventions that sparked the dawn of our modern world. The story of the genius of this astonishing civilizations told by traveling back in time to witness China's inventions and how they were used.
Pt. 1. The Chinese developed intricate crossbows far ahead of their time, fleets of paddle boats, curving iron plows, wheelbarrows, folding umbrellas, conveyor belts, restaurants, golf, chess, kites, hot air balloons, and parachutes.
Pt.2. Impressive achievements included a device for indicating the direction and force of an earthquake, odometers, the compass, gimbals, intricate differential gears, double action piston bellows, continuous flamethrowers, and rudders, bulkheads, and fore and aft sails to enable a ship to sail against the wind.
Pt.3. After experiments with sundials, water and candle clocks, the Chinese developed the worlds first accurate clock involving an escapement device. Their mathematicians calculated pi; their astronomers recognized the egg yolk shape of the earth and developed an accurate system for measuring the movement of the stars.
Pt.4. Chinese inventions and discoveries include gunpowder, bombs, shrapnel, underground and sea mines, aerial bombs and muskets (fire lances), rockets, cannon, immunization, paper, printing with movable type, modem books and bookstores, civil service exams and playing cards.

Gendun Choephel is a legendary figure in Tibet. Believed to be the reincarnation of a famous Buddhist Iama, this young monk turned his back on monastic life and became a fierce critic of his country. After leaving the monastery in 1934, Choephel traveled throughout Tibet and India in order to understand the true history of his country. Both a personal and political portrait, Angry Monk features rare archival footage, Choephel's paintings, and contemporary scenes of sites he visited, along with interviews with Tibetan historians, scholars, writers, and his wife.

As the tiger economics of East Asia turned from boom to bust in the 1990s, the general public was amazed, yet many economists nodded their heads knowingly. This program focuses on the plights of Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, where nepotism, cronyism, corruption, suppression, and the exploitation of cheap foreign labor brought about a financial crisis of enormous proportions.

This documentary explores the extraordinary life of the Chinese revolutionary heroine and women's rights activist Qiu Jin (1875-1907). During the reign of the last dynasty in China, Qiu Jin boldly challenged traditional gender roles and demanded equal rights and opportunities for women. At a time when women's lives were often marked by repressive practices such as footbinding, arranged marriages, and denial of education, she envisioned a future where women would free themselves from the confines of tradition and emerge as strong and active citizens of a new and modern nation. Includes dramatic reenactments and interviews with family members and academics.

Traces the history and experiences of Chinese Americans; also includes personal journeys of AIDS researcher Dr. David Ho, market research pioneer Shirley Young, author Gish Jen, physicist Samuel Ting, and architect Maya Lin.

With an eye on the future, more Chinese are reaching out to the people and culture of the West. They have opened their nation to the gaze of visitors as more Westerners are touring this remarkable republic for themselves. This video visits the national capital of Beijing, a powerhouse tempered by parks and the magnificent Forbidden City. Make a stop in Suzhou, the Venice of the Far East, and Hangzou and the West Lake, where Chinese newlyweds spend their honeymoons. Marvel at the physical and historical expanse of The Great Wall, built by human muscle and stretching nearly four thousand miles over mountains and desert. At X’ian, see the famed Clay Army of terra cotta warriors that guarded the tomb of China's first emperor. Visit Guilin, a picturesque river valley known for its artistic inspiration. Make stops in Guangzhou and Shenzhen before visiting Shanghai, a magical megalopolis known as the world's most energetic city. Finally, travel to Hong Kong, one of the most thrilling urban centers with the most beautiful skyline on Earth.

Examines China's transformation from communism to capitalism, from poverty to prosperity. Includes interviews with a former state worker who has created a multimillion-dollar textile empire, the leader of Beijing's Commodities Exchange, and Shanghai's most successful Avon cosmetics saleswoman.

Credited with both unifying China and tormenting its citizenry, Qin Shi Huangdi, the "first emperor of China," is one of the most controversial leaders in the nation's history. His reign brought advances such as standardized currencies, weights, and measures, unified written and spoken language and transportation systems. In battle, too, he was centuries ahead of his time--creating assembly lines to mass-produce precision-crafted swords, arrows and other weapons. This documentary examines this ruler's complex legacy, from the brilliant military strategies that created an empire to his plans for the original Great Wall. Bonus disc, China's Wall of Doom, features the discovery of the emperor's 7,000 life-size army of terra-cotta statues and the Great Wall of China.

This two-part documentary reveals the source of the myths, legends, and technological marvels behind the massive structure known as the Great Wall of China. Using rare aerial shots, reenactments and CGI, this program provides a look at the most well-know symbol of China.

An astonishingly candid view of a once-secret nation with rare archival footage, insightful historical commentary and stunning eyewitness accounts from citizens who struggled through China's most decisive century.

The video counterpart to Philip Short's monumental book Mao: A Life, this four-part series guides viewers through the dynamic, innovative, and brutal accomplishments of the revolutionary Chinese leader. Featuring rarely-seen footage from a trove of film and video materials kept secret for decades by Chinese authorities, the series also presents interviews--granted exclusively to the film makers--with the last surviving members of Mao's inner circle. For students of Mao's era, this series may well represent the most powerful learning tool available.

Following a pair of denim jeans from birth to sale, China Blue links the power of the U.S. consumer market to the daily lives of a Chinese factory owner and two teenaged female factory workers. Filmed both in the factory and in the workers' faraway village, this documentary provides a rare, human glimpse at China's rapid transformation into a free market society.

A series of four documentaries that survey China through Chinese eyes to see how history has shaped them, and where the present is taking them. Deals with the governance of China; talks about the past and future for Chinese women; looks at China's environmental challenges; explores China's conflict between personal freedom and governance.

China is brimming with massive new wealth. In just 30 years, more than 600 million people have been lifted out of poverty. But with a population in excess of 1.3 billion people--and not nearly enough resources to sustain them--China's leaders know that their survival depends on meeting the growing needs and desires of a changing and expectant people. So, after three hundred years of relative isolation, China is reaching out to--and into--the rest of the world. Reporter Bob Woodruff explores the stunning global transformation that is taking place at the outset of what is already being called "The Chinese Century." While much of American foreign policy has been focused on the global war on terror, China has been shaking hands and making deals all around the world. China Inside Out examines four of those relationships to discover how China's rise is impacting all of us.

The economic reforms that have brought China economic prosperity now threaten the livelihood of many Chinese workers. The Chinese Communist Party can no longer afford to subsidize the factories, and millions of workers are being laid off, with no social safety net to catch them. Filmed over the course of three years, Frontline tells the stories of 10 Chinese individuals-- factory workers, rural villagers, and a millionaire entrepreneur, caught up in China's dramatic, ongoing effort to modernize its economy.

China has made an amazing economic, social and political transformation, but it continues to struggle with an enormous population, stressed environment, and unequal distribution of wealth and opportunity.

The NewsHour's economics correspondent Paul Solman examines the rise of China as a global economic power, and the challenges that lie before it. This program discusses the Westernization of the economy, the lingering influence of Mao Zedong, the failing Shanghai Stock Exchange, economic relations with the U.S., foreign investment, textile exports, the revaluation of the yuan, and the piracy of foreign intellectual property rights in China, using Viagra as an example. This program also features an interview with Cheng Siwei, vice chairman of the Chinese Communist party and China's "father of venture capital," and questions whether China's economy can continue to grow at the current pace without major political reform.

(24 City)
A documentary film on the state-owned Factory 420, also called the Chengdu Engine Group, which was founded in 1958 to produce aviation engines. Now abandoned, the factory is sold for millions to real estate developers to be transformed into a complex of luxury apartment blocks called 24 City. The film revolves around eight dramatic interviews that present three generations with ties to the factory: the first factory workers, more recent employees, and the children of former laborers. Woven into this oral history are three fictional monologues delivered by actors.

A fascinating documentary on the unique sexual culture of the Mosuo people--a small minority situated in the southwest of China--and one of the last remaining matriarchal societies in the world. Without a formal marriage contract, the Mosuo traditionally build relationships based on free love and sexual satisfaction ("walking marriages"). But can the sexual liberty and power of the Mosuo women survive as modern Chinese society slowly encroaches their ancestral land?

Tells the story of a mother and former Communist Party member, Jennifer Zeng, who along with more than 70 million Chinese was practicing a belief that combined Buddhism and Daoism until the Chinese Government outlawed it.The Internet police intercepted an email and Jennifer was imprisoned for her faith. Also exposes profound issues such as genocide and unfair trade practices with the West.

(Last Train Home)
Every year in China the same dramatic ritual takes place: In the factory towns of the south, millions of migrant factory workers fight for space on overcrowded trains, trying to return home for the Chinese New Year. The Zhangs have lived this way for twenty years. They barely know their own children, who are being raised by relatives back home. This year, the tenous family model has broken and they travel with additional purpose: they must bring home their runaway teenage daughter, so that she can return to school and not have to spend the rest of her life in a factory.

This series captures the complete history of the Forbidden City, surrounding the Chinese Imperial Palace. For five centuries it served as the home of 24 Emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government. The documentary explores the emperors, their politics, conflicts, its people and the vast majesty of the surviving buildings. It shows the Forbidden city's collection of artwork and artifacts which were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties and venture into its hidden secrets, discoveries, drama, romance and the day-to-day life of its inhabitants.

In this documentary, professor Roger Ames examines the influence of Confucian and Taoist philosophies on contemporary Chinese culture. He covers such topics as personal cultivation, family as a cultural metaphor, education and enculturation, and humanity's ability to contribute to cosmic meaning. Using the context of the philosophies, the film also discusses China's responses to contemporary problems.

The people within the Himalayan Kingdom of Mustang, one of the last authentic Tibetan sanctuaries, have struggled to keep their monasteries, art, and culture alive. On the edge of collapsing, learn how they are restoring their sacred sites and saving what they hold most dear.

Tells the story of the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China in the early days of World War II and focuses on the efforts of a small group of unarmed Westerners who established a Safety Zone where over 200,000 Chinese found refuge. Told through interviews with Chinese survivors, archival footage, and testimonies of Japanese soldiers, interwoven with staged readings of the Westerners' letters and diaries.

Today, there are an estimated 250,000 North Korean refugees living underground in China. They escaped a food crisis and other persecutions at home that have claimed the lives of approximately 3 million in the past 10 years. The Chinese Government -- in direct violation of international laws to which it's a party -- systematically arrests and forcibly repatriates hundreds of these refugees each month. Defecting from North Korea is a capital offense, and repatriated refugees face human rights abuses ranging from concentration camps and torture to forced abortion and summary executions. For a lucky few refugees, however, there is hope. A group of multinational activists has taken it upon themselves to create an Underground Railroad. Via a network of safe houses and escape routes, the activists -- at great personal risk -- help the refugees on daring escapes to freedom over hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of miles of Chinese territory.

Shanghai: China's new powerhouse, Shanghai dazzles with fantastic skyscrapers, non-stop shopping and delicious dining. From traditional Tai Chi in the parks and teahouses to market madness and tumbling acrobats, Rudy explores tradition and modernity in this burgeoning city. Excursions to the gardens of Suzhou and the canal town Zhouzhuang bring the ancient past alive. Tips on getting around and eating well. Hong Kong: We get a Pacific Rim rush when we visit energetic, ever-changing Hong Kong. On a famous Star Ferry, Rudy savors one of the most majestic skylines on earth. Here, where ancient tradition cozies up to ultramodern, we take in monasteries, Chinese herbs and a city obsessed with shopping. The island of Lantau features one of the world's largest statues of Buddha. And in the fishing village of Sai Kung, Rudy feasts on freshly caught seafood. Tips on markets and feng shui.

(Secrets of China's First Emperor: Tyrant and Visionary)
Over 2,000 years ago, Qin Shi Huang, "The First Emperor of Qin," built the greatest empire of antiquity, planned the first Great Wall and created the largest burial site in the world - guarded by a terracotta army of 7,000 soldiers. Featuring lavish reenactments and state-of-the-art CGI, this definitive documentary explores the magnificent life and legend of China's controversial ruler.

A look at the Dalai Lama's struggle for justice and recognition for the Tibetan people, The Sun Behind the Clouds focuses on pivotal events of 2008. From the four-month march of exiled Tibetans to the Indo-Tibet border and Buddhist monks' protests in Lhasa, to the Beijing Olympics and the talks between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama's emissaries, the film uncovers the growing rifts between younger Tibetans and their most respected spiritual leader.

Seen through the eyes of journalists, activists, and farmers, Waking the Green Tiger follows an extraordinary campaign to stop a massive dam project on the Upper Yangtze River in southern China. The dam would flood an ancient valley and force 100,000 people off of their land. But for the first time a grassroots movement emerges to challenge the dam developers and ignite a national debate. Featuring newly discovered archival footage and the stories of eyewitnesses, the documentary also tells the story of Chairman Mao's determination to attack and conquer nature in the name of progress. Millions of people were mobilized in campaigns that left a trail of destruction across China. For more than fifty years succeeding generations were taught that man must conquer nature- and there was little room for dissent. But today the activists are speaking out in search of a greener future for China.

From the Academy Award-winning filmmakers of the Blood of Yingzhou District and Tongzhi in Love, the third film in a trilogy about the changing face of China, The Warriors of Quigang brings to light the increasing involvement of ordinary Chinese citizens with environmental causes and the beginnings of an environmental movement. According to a recent report published by the World Bank, 20 of the 30 most polluted cities of the world are in China. The country's poor environmental record has triggered international alarm and condemnation. But only recently, has it also generated protests and activism at home.

Journey across China from the peaks of the Himalayas to the barren steppe, the sub-Arctic to the tropical islands, through deserts both searingly hot and mind-numbingly cold and see an array of mysterious rare creatures.