The Orphan of Anyang

The Orphan of Anyang
Traditional Chinese	安陽的孤儿
Simplified Chinese	安阳的孤儿
Hanyu Pinyin	Ānyáng de gūér
Directed by	Wang Chao
Written by	Wang Chao
Produced by	Fang Li
Starring	Sun Guilin Zhu Jie Yue Senyi
Cinematography	Zhang Xi
Edited by	Wang Chao Wang Gang
Distributed by	Onoma
Release date	May 16, 2001 (2001-05-16) (Cannes)
Running time	82 minutes
Country	China
Language	Mandarin

The Orphan of Anyang is a 2001 Chinese film from Sixth Generation writer-director Wang Chao. It is Wang's first feature film as director (he had previously served as an assistant director to Chen Kaige), and is based on a novel written by the director.^[1] The film constitutes the first part of a loose trilogy on life in modern China, followed by Day and Night (2004), and Luxury Car (2006). The film was produced by the independent Beijing-based Laurel Films, founded by screenwriter Fang Li. International distribution was by the French company Onoma.^[2]

The Orphan of Anyang tells the story of a recently unemployed factory worker in the city of Anyang in Henan province, who comes across an abandoned child. Discovering that the child belongs to a local prostitute and mobster, the poor worker agrees to take care of the baby. When the mobster discovers that he is dying of cancer, however, he attempts to take the child back, now his only heir.

The film is marked by its use of static cameras and a naturalistic use of lighting and sound, prompting one critic to note its similarity to the films of Italian neorealism and the Dogma 95 manifesto.^[3]