Mr. Chang and crew took me on an unforgettable journey down the foggy ruins of time......and then it hit me. Mark Twain, the River King, would be very proud. The timing of the Olympics peaked my interest in this magical and misty movie. I whistled, I wept, on the edge of my seat I sat laughing. I cannot do it justice with a full review but instead will quote here maybe the greatest lyrics ever written about change, memory, sorrow, and finally, hope. Chang is the Tambourine Man for China in this most critical moment in their modern times. This is merely the end of the beginning. Bravo! Encore!!"Then take me disappearing' through the smoke rings of my mind down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves, the haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach, far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow. Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free,silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands, with all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves,let me forget about today until tomorrow.Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to Hey ! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following' you." - Dylan

Don't ask an affluent person to offer their opinion about matters that concern the disadvantaged. Without having the breadth of their degraded experiences, without meaning to, the proffered observations by the socialite, the privileged, or in the case relating to the relocated victims of Hurricane Katrina; Barbara Bush- famously quoted for having said that the displaced New Orleans families would benefit by a change of scenery- may amuse, outrage, or sadden those who had to make do without a silver spoon throughout their quotidian lives.In "Up the Yangtze", a tour guide shows a bus load of Americans the living arrangements that the government is providing for the victims of a man-made flood created by the Three Gorges Dam. Judging by the lilt in the woman's voice and corresponding enthusiasm from the tour group, you can tell that a formed consensus among the well-attired men and women about the future prospects for these Chinese river dwellers. Like the former-First Lady, they readily assume that the loss of their homes and culture will turn out to be an unexpected blessing."Up the Yangtze" follows two service industry workers: one, a thirteen-year-old girl from one of those "lucky" rural families, and the other, a self-centered older boy from the city, as they learn how to interact with English-speaking tourists on a ship that traverses up and down the famous Yangtze River. The boy will be fine(he's a cocky son-of-a-bitch), we sense, but the fate of the girl is another matter. Denied the opportunity to further her comprehensive studies, the sheltered girl leaves home because her illiterate parents need the extra income to support their new lifestyle, one that isn't centered around sustenance farming, we suspect. The peasant couple also have two smaller children. Although the exposure to new people and places are beneficial to "Cindy", the central image of "Up the Yangtze" foretells her potentially dire future. The ship moves forward, but the ship always retraces its progress; the ship is going nowhere. When a co-worker takes the girl shopping for clothes that's more suitable to city life, and introduces her to make-up, we see a possible future in store for this uneducated young woman should she ever tire of washing dishes and making beds.

This cinema masterpiece is experience of Chinese not westerner story. I hope you will go to take in this experience and learn more about middle kingdom. This movie is fair and shows piece of Chinese life. Do not miss this masterpiece. It made me laugh it made me cry. It made me think about my homeland.this is from variety Asia online: "If the title "Up the Yangtze!" suggests "up a creek!," it's no coincidence. China's Three Gorges Dam is considered by many experts to be a full-steam-ahead eco-disaster, but helmer Yung Chang's gorgeous meditation is more concerned with the project's collateral human damage: old farmers evicted, young people in servitude to Western tourists, all brought about by an endeavor whose collective weight may ultimately tilt the Earth's axis. A gloriously cinematic doc of epic, poetic sadness, "Yangtze" should be a hit on the specialized circuit and could break out, thanks to its embrace of irony rather than righteous indignation."i think this review is right. i'm very happy for this film and i think, as a Chinese, it is important to see all of the sides of our story. that way we can grow to learn to be better.

The biggest fear with documentaries is that they got bogged down in the boring details that don't do enough to tell a story. This film, however, is always intriguing because although it tackles a large issue, the impact the flooding of the Yangtze river valley that displaced millions of residents, it does it through the very human story of one family. There are some nice panoramic shots, and interlaced among the genuinely touching moments was a wry humour. It's a great film for those who want to see a portrait of the lives of contemporary Chinese in transition, and for those who want to see the aspirations of China, and the challenges that it faces.