CHINESE PORTRAIT

Pedestrians shuffle across a bustling Beijing street, steelworkers linger outside a deserted factory, tourists laugh and scamper across a crowded beach, worshippers kneel to pray in a remote village. All are part of modern China, a land in a constant state of change.

Part of the Chinese cinema’s Sixth Generation alongside Jia Zhangke, Wang Xiaoshuai is known for his portrayals of the nation’s rapid change. His first documentary, shot over the course of ten years, is similiarly urgent, masterfully painting China’s diverse ways of life through striking vignettes.