RAILROAD OF HOPE
XI WANG ZHI LU

April, 18 12:35pm

Country of production: China
Year: 2001
Language: Mandarin
Time: 56 minutes

Director: Ning Ying
Cinematography: Ning Ying, Guo Gang
Editing: Ning Ying
Sound: Guo Gang
Producer: Ning Ying

Production company: Happy Village
Source:
Tian Fei
Happy Village
Lianbao Apt. 5-11-B
10027 Beijing
CHINA
eurasia@public3.bta.net.cn

Every year during August and September, several thousand agricultural workers travel more than 1800 miles across China, from Szechwan to the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. There, endless cotton fields await the harvest. For many, it is the first time away from the home village, and the first time on a train. In fascinating detail and nuance, RAILROAD OF HOPE casts a light on the relatively new phenomenon of internal migrations across China, featuring the scores of workers traveling by rail. During the journey, the camera crew wanders the train, filming passengers as they eat or sleep, and asking them such questions as "Is this your first trip?" "What are your ideals?" "What is important to you in your life?" The result is a rare and wonderful presentation of the thoughts, hopes, and dreams of ordinary Chinese.

Ning Ying was born in Beijing. She first directed a film in 1990, yet recently was the subject of a retrospective at the Harvard Film Archive. At the international level, her best known films include: FOR FUN, ON THE BEAT and I LOVE BEIJING which are also known as the BEIJING TRILOGY. These films show the profound changes experienced by ordinary Chinese people during the post-Mao reforms.

Filmography as Director (selected)
COMMUNE BY THE GREAT WALL (2002)
RAILROAD OF HOPE (2002)
IN OUR OWN WORDS (2001)
I LOVE BEIJING (2000)
ON THE BEAT (1995)
FOR FUN (1992)
SOMEONE LOVES JUST ME (1990)