The River Runs

If you mention "The Wall" in China, no one really asks for further explanation. Perhaps some things are so colossal, their impact so widely felt, that they single-handedly define a term. The same might be said for another of China's historical landmarks and tourist attractions, the Yangtze, known in China...

By Brittan Dunham

October 16, 2008

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If you mention "The Wall" in China, no one really asks for further explanation. Perhaps some things are so colossal, their impact so widely felt, that they single-handedly define a term. The same might be said for another of China's historical landmarks and tourist attractions, the Yangtze, known in China only as "The River." Up The Yangtze, a documentary by Yung Chang, introduces us to the other side of this mighty waterway. It follows a family struggling to survive on the river's banks as construction of Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric power station, plows forward and water levels rise. As Chinese teenagers are forced to leave school for work in the tourist industry and families are forced to find new homes, cameras capture a haunting and often ironic look at the collision of two very different worlds in modern China. After making a successful run on the festival circuit, Up The Yangtze screens Friday through Sunday at The Modern in Fort Worth as part of The Magnolia at the Modern, a series featuring critically acclaimed films. Tickets are $8.50 or $6.50 for Modern members. Advance sales begin two hours prior to each show. For showtimes, visit themodern.org/magnolia.html.
Fri., Oct. 24; Sat., Oct. 25; Sun., Oct. 26, 2008

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