Filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke zooms in on the young members of a nomadic performing troupe to reveal the cultural, social, and political changes in China. This road movie begins in 1979 with the propaganda theater of a labor unit in a small village. As foreign popular culture penetrates deeper into every aspect of life, the group takes on its own fate and goes on tour, presenting improvised performances of pop songs and Western dance. The cold response and financial difficulties put an end to their euphoric existence, and their nomadic travelling life ends in 1989. Zhang-ke displays with accurate images the mood of a country in permanent transition. 2000, China/Hong Kong/ Japan/France, in Chinese with English subtitles, 35mm, color, 155 minutes.
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