In 1971, Michelangelo Antonioni was invited by Mao Zedong’s regime to make a work of propaganda about the superior virtues of the Communist nation. Fascinated by a country that remained an enigma to the West, the director shot nearly 100 hours of film during his travels from Beijing to Shanghai.

Commissioned by the Chinese government to make a film about the Communist revolution, Antonioni produced this epic, awe-inspiring three-part travelogue. Banned in China for over 40 years, and criticized by the Italian Communist party, this neglected gem surprisingly maintains a cool objectivity.