The Chinese Mayor
Story of a complicated China
Once the thriving capital of Imperial China, the city of Datong now lies in near ruins. Not only is it the most polluted city in the country, it is also crippled by decrepit infrastructure and even shakier economic prospects. But Mayor Geng Tanbo plans to change all that, announcing a bold, new plan to return Datong to its former glory, the cultural haven it was some 1,600 years ago.
Such declarations, however, come at a devastatingly high cost. Thousands of homes are to be bulldozed, and a half—million of its residents (30 percent of Datong’s total population) will be relocated under his watch. Whether he succeeds depends entirely on his ability to calm swarms of furious workers and an increasingly perturbed ruling elite. The Chinese Mayor captures, with remarkable access, a man and, by extension, a country leaping frantically into an increasingly unstable future.
Director
Hao Zhou
Producer
Qi Zhao
Runtime
86 Minutes
Rights Represented
Digital Rights
Captions Available
English
Language
Mandarin
Press
“This rare peek behind the usual scrim of government image management is a natural for…quality current events documentary features.”
- Variety
Festival & Awards
WINNER – Sundance World Cinema Special Jury Award: For Unparalleled Access
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