Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks

Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks
Directed by	Wang Bing
Produced by	Wang Bing Zhu Zhu
Cinematography	Wang Bing
Editing by	Wang Bing Adam Kerdy
Release date(s)	2003
Running time	551 min.
Country	China
Language	Mandarin Chinese

Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (simplified Chinese: 铁西区; traditional Chinese: 鐵西區; pinyin: Tiěxī Qū) is a Chinese documentary film by Wang Bing. Over 9 hours long, the film consists of three parts, "Rust," "Remnants" and "Rails."

Tie Xi Qu was filmed over the course of two years between 1999 and 2001^[1] 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.

The English subtitle "West of the Tracks" is a literal translation of "Tiexi."

Plot

"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. 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.

"Remnants"

The second part, "Remnants" follows the families of many of the workers in an old state-run housing block, "Rainbow Row." In particular, Wang focuses on the teenage children who concern themselves with their own lives but must also cope with their inevitable displacement as Tie Xi's factories continue to close down.

"Rails"

The third part, "Rails" narrows its focus to a single father and son who scavenge the rail yards in order to sell raw parts to the factories. With the factories closing however, their future suddenly becomes uncertain.

See also

• List of longest films by running time

References

1. ^ CATSOULIS, Jeannette (2007-04-18). "West of the Tracks". The New York Times. http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2007/04/19/btm/index_np.html. Retrieved 2007-11-24. 

External links

• Tie Xi Qu at the Internet Movie Database
• Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks at AllRovi
• Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks at Rotten Tomatoes
• Jumpcut Discussion