The Bridge
Xu Xin
Release year: 2007
Run time: 16 mins
Film type: Documentary
Synopsis
Built in 1968, Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is the quintessential landmark of Nanjing City. It's been described by propaganda as one of the greatest achievements of the New China and its cliches can be seen everywhere, in school books, on posters and on TV. Recently this symbol of Chinese national honor has become a suicide magnet According to non-exhaustive statistics, in its history of 39 years, there had been over 2000 deaths from the bridge. Between 2003 and 2004, 234 suiciders ended their life jumping off the bridge.
Director biography
Xu Xin was born in Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, in 1966. He is an independent documentary filmmaker based in Beijing and Nanjing. In his early years, he experimented with oil paintings and photography. His documentaries focus on marginalized communities in China.