Saturday, November 15: 1:00 pm

An umbrella that is carried across a wheat field in central China or the rainy streets of Shanghai is made in a factory in Guangdong and sold wholesale farther up the coast in Zhejiang Province. Tracking the life of an umbrella from factory to market, filmmaker Du Haibin shows how the lives of farmers in rural China have changed since the economic reforms instituted by Deng Xiaoping in 1978. "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" couched the upturning of the ideals of the Cultural Revolution in nationalist terms to soften the blow dealt to farmers once glorified by the state. Haibin is part of the Sixth Generation of Chinese filmmaking, which has proven unafraid to confront China's dictatorial policies in the wake of Tiananmen Square. With a pace that belies the speed with which these farmers and their families have to adjust to these new changes, he shows us factory workers, soldiers, students, merchants, and hold-out farmers as they scramble for livelihoods and respect in the rush toward modernization and the glorification of wealth over traditional ideals.
(preceded by Under Construction)