Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks | |
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Traditional Chinese | 鐵西區 |
Simplified Chinese | 铁西区 |
Literal meaning | district west of the railroad |
Hanyu Pinyin | Tiěxī Qū |
Directed by | Wang Bing |
Produced by | Wang Bing Zhu Zhu |
Cinematography | Wang Bing |
Edited by | Wang Bing Adam Kerdy |
Release date |
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Running time | 551 min. |
Country | China |
Language | Northeastern Mandarin |
Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (Mandarin: [tʰjè ɕí tɕʰý] t'yeh-shee-chuh, 铁西区, Tiě xī qū) is a 2002 Chinese documentary film by Wang Bing. Over nine 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. This area was once a vibrant example of China's socialist economy. With the rise of the free market and the move towards other industries, however, the factories of Tiexi have all begun to be closed down, with them much of the district's worker-based infrastructure and social constructs.
Although Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks is rarely screened due to its length, many critics have named it one of the best and most important films of the 2000s.