Thursday, April 23, 2015

Representation and Up The Yangtze

I have to admit, at first I was a bit skeptical about Yung Chang's documentary Up The Yangtze only because I had no idea how on earth he could make this subject matter interesting to any spectator. However, after work on Monday night I came home and watched it in its entirety and was completely blown away not only by the Three Gorges Dam that is portrayed in the beginning, but with the story of Cindy and Jerry.
The main idea I got from watching this documentary that ties perfectly with what we discussed in class is the idea of representation. The way in which Yung Chang represents each of the protagonists in the film is different and that is so the viewers can get a better idea of what it's like for people working on this cruise ship on two completely different spectrums. On the one hand, Cindy is a young girl who unfortunately had to leave her home to have to work on the cruise ship in order to make money for her family. For Jerry on the other hand he willingly goes on the cruise ship simply for more money in his pocket.
This is one aspect of the film which I enjoyed the most. Depicting these two completely different lifestyles is in fact important, not only to the storyline of the film itself, but for us as the viewer to get a better insight into the main point the director is trying to come across. Having this job is a necessity to everyone in this country, regardless of the reason their working there in the first place.

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