Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks - Part 1: Rust

Filmed over the course of two years between 1999 and 2001 and details the slow decline of Shenyang’s industrial Tiexi district, an area that was once a vibrant example of China’s socialist economy. With the move towards other industries, however, the factories of Tiexi have all begun to be closed down, and with them, much of the district’s worker-based infrastructure and social constructs. Over 9 hours long, the film consists of three parts, “Rust,” “Remnants” and “Rails.”

“Rust”
The first portion, “Rust” follows a group of factory workers in three state-run factories: a smelting plant, an electric cable factory and a sheet metal factory. For workers at all three face sub-standard equipment, hazardous waste, and lack of safety precautions. Perhaps even worse, with the declining need for such heavy industry, the factories also face a constant lack of raw materials, leaving the workers idle and concerned for their future. —Wikipedia