Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (2002)

The film documents daily life in Tie Xi District, one of China’s most important heavy-industrial complexes. Built by the Japanese Imperial Army in 1934, Tie Xi was nationalised in 1949 and expanded during the industrial projects initiated with Soviet assistance in the 1950s. However, as factories began to close in 1999, residents were forced to evacuate.

Wang Bing’s direct-cinema approach to documenting the mundane of blue-collar workers and the closure of the factories serves as a microcosm of China’s political, economic, and social history over decades. The workers’ experience is translated into the film’s prolonged long takes, allowing audiences to feel the repetitive boredom and monotony of factory life. West of the Tracks establishes a filmmaking language that would define Wang’s subsequent work: the camera’s presence gradually dissolves, while the long takes reshape the audience’s experience of time and space.