Synopsis

This film tells the story of Geng Yanbo, the mayor of Datong, Shanxi Province, who made a big deal of demolishing old houses and rebuilding the ancient city wall in Datong in 2007. I have always been curious to document China’s development model, and the relationship between the Chinese government and China’s civilians. Three years ago, when Geng Yanbo, the Mayor of Datong, agreed to let me into his work and life, I knew my chance is coming. What he did for the city is still disputable. I don't want to put a predetermined sticker on this Mr. Geng or the Chinese government. I hope the film will give the audience a chance to consider what kind of an administration we really need, and what balance between development and protection needs to be struck in a development model. What do individuals need to sacrifice now, for the sake of the future and the collective? In Datong, when seeing the historical relics being protected, I really admired Mr. Geng as a Communist official with long-term vision. However, when seeing individual property being demolished, I had to ask, isn’t this price too high? Isn’t the mission of the state machine to protect the people? No-one doubts that this giant country will become the largest economic power on earth. You may not like China’s way of governance, but it does have its reasons. The Chinese title for the film is Datong. It is the name of the city, but it also refers to the harmonious world depicted by the ancient Chinese philosophers over 2000 years ago. Will such a country ever appear on earth? Or is this only a Chinese dream?