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The Resource Bitter money : Ku qian, a film by Wang Bing ; Pyramide International ; Gladys Glover, House on Fire and Chinese Shadows present in coproduction with WIL Productions, Fame Culture Media Co., Ltd., Yisha Production ; director, Wang Bing ; produced by Sonia Buchman, Nicolas R. de la Mothe, Vincent Wang ; produced by Mao Hui

Bitter money : Ku qian, a film by Wang Bing ; Pyramide International ; Gladys Glover, House on Fire and Chinese Shadows present in coproduction with WIL Productions, Fame Culture Media Co., Ltd., Yisha Production ; director, Wang Bing ; produced by Sonia Buchman, Nicolas R. de la Mothe, Vincent Wang ; produced by Mao Hui

Contributor
Summary
The people in Wang Bing's BITTER MONEY live in filthy, cramped apartments, stare at their phones for far too long, spend time on their balconies overlooking drab streets in which all the buildings look the same, and work long hours for little pay in noisy and stiflingly hot garment factories. The city of Huzhou, where the film is shot, is home to 18,000 clothing factories. They are staffed by about 300,000 workers, many of them migrants from rural areas in the surrounding provinces. BITTER MONEY follows a handful of these workers, both at work where they may labor for more than 12 hours a day and in their off-hours, as they hang around shabby dorms drinking, dreaming of home, worrying about getting paid, and trying to decide whether their jobs are worth keeping. In one telling moment, a young woman considers joining a pyramid scheme, saying "They can't scam me because I don't have any money." BITTER MONEY opens with two teenage cousins leaving for Huzhou. The packed train is a portent of things to come, with some passengers forced to sleep in the bathroom, and others involved in conversations on subjects like poisonous gases in the workplace. The factories where the cousins and other workers end up aren't like the massive, futuristic tech assembly lines whose images we've grown accustomed to. Rather, these are mom-and-pop operations in which workers are paid by the piece, and harassment is common. Wang Bing brings his signature approach to the subject, never offering an overt condemnation of a system that promises a better life to rural youth, but entraps them in a grindingly dull existence. The camera watches carefully, lingering on shots, moving from one conversation to another. More powerful than any commentary, this technique captures the contours of the characters' lives, trapped as they are in abusive relationships, oppressive jobs, and dispiriting surroundings
Language
  • chi
  • eng
  • chi
  • chi
Work
Publication
Extent
1 videodisc (152 min.)
Note
  • Wide screen
  • "An Icarus Films release"--Container
  • "dGenerate Films"--Container
  • Originally filmed between 2014 and 2016
  • Includes 16-page booklet with an essay by Aaron Cutler
  • Running time indicated on container: 162 minutes; actual running time: 164 minutes
Isbn
9786317398351
Instance
Label
Bitter money : Ku qian
Title
Bitter money
Title remainder
Ku qian
Statement of responsibility
a film by Wang Bing ; Pyramide International ; Gladys Glover, House on Fire and Chinese Shadows present in coproduction with WIL Productions, Fame Culture Media Co., Ltd., Yisha Production ; director, Wang Bing ; produced by Sonia Buchman, Nicolas R. de la Mothe, Vincent Wang ; produced by Mao Hui
Title variation
Ku qian
Contributor
Contributor
Director
Editor of moving image work
Film director
Film distributor
Film producer
Film editor
Presenter
Presenter
Production company
Producer
Production company
Publisher
Subject
Genre
Language
  • chi
  • eng
  • chi
  • chi
Summary
The people in Wang Bing's BITTER MONEY live in filthy, cramped apartments, stare at their phones for far too long, spend time on their balconies overlooking drab streets in which all the buildings look the same, and work long hours for little pay in noisy and stiflingly hot garment factories. The city of Huzhou, where the film is shot, is home to 18,000 clothing factories. They are staffed by about 300,000 workers, many of them migrants from rural areas in the surrounding provinces. BITTER MONEY follows a handful of these workers, both at work where they may labor for more than 12 hours a day and in their off-hours, as they hang around shabby dorms drinking, dreaming of home, worrying about getting paid, and trying to decide whether their jobs are worth keeping. In one telling moment, a young woman considers joining a pyramid scheme, saying "They can't scam me because I don't have any money." BITTER MONEY opens with two teenage cousins leaving for Huzhou. The packed train is a portent of things to come, with some passengers forced to sleep in the bathroom, and others involved in conversations on subjects like poisonous gases in the workplace. The factories where the cousins and other workers end up aren't like the massive, futuristic tech assembly lines whose images we've grown accustomed to. Rather, these are mom-and-pop operations in which workers are paid by the piece, and harassment is common. Wang Bing brings his signature approach to the subject, never offering an overt condemnation of a system that promises a better life to rural youth, but entraps them in a grindingly dull existence. The camera watches carefully, lingering on shots, moving from one conversation to another. More powerful than any commentary, this technique captures the contours of the characters' lives, trapped as they are in abusive relationships, oppressive jobs, and dispiriting surroundings
Cataloging source
WYU
Characteristic
videorecording
Credits note
Editing, Dominique Auvray, Wang Bing
Dewey number
331.7/6770097248
Language note
In Mandarin with English subtitles
LC call number
HD8039.T42
LC item number
C6 2016
http://library.link/vocab/relatedWorkOrContributorDate
  • 1967-
  • 1978-
  • 1974-
http://library.link/vocab/relatedWorkOrContributorName
  • Wang, Bing
  • Buchman, Sonia
  • La Mothe, Nicolas R. de
  • Wang, Cong
  • Mao, Hui
  • Auvray, Dominique
  • Gladys Glover Films
  • Pyramide International
  • House on Fire (Firm)
  • Chinese Shadows (Firm)
  • WIL Productions
  • Fame Culture Media
  • Yisha Production
  • dGenerate Films (Firm)
  • Icarus Films Home Video
  • Icarus Films
Runtime
152
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Textile workers
  • Work environment
  • Clothing factories
  • Working class
  • Work
  • China
  • Working class
  • Work environment
  • Work
  • Social conditions
  • Clothing factories
  • Textile workers
  • China
Technique
live action
Label
Bitter money : Ku qian, a film by Wang Bing ; Pyramide International ; Gladys Glover, House on Fire and Chinese Shadows present in coproduction with WIL Productions, Fame Culture Media Co., Ltd., Yisha Production ; director, Wang Bing ; produced by Sonia Buchman, Nicolas R. de la Mothe, Vincent Wang ; produced by Mao Hui
Instantiates
Publication
Copyright
Note
  • Wide screen
  • "An Icarus Films release"--Container
  • "dGenerate Films"--Container
  • Originally filmed between 2014 and 2016
  • Includes 16-page booklet with an essay by Aaron Cutler
  • Running time indicated on container: 162 minutes; actual running time: 164 minutes
Carrier category
videodisc
Carrier category code
  • vd
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Color
multicolored
Configuration of playback channels
unknown
Content category
two-dimensional moving image
Content type code
  • tdi
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Control code
on1007837280
Dimensions
4 3/4 in.
Dimensions
  • 4 3/4 in.
  • other
Extent
1 videodisc (152 min.)
Isbn
9786317398351
Media category
video
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • v
Medium for sound
videodisc
Other control number
854565002449
Other physical details
sound, color
Sound on medium or separate
sound on medium
Specific material designation
videodisc
System control number
(OCoLC)1007837280
System details
DVD; widescreen; all regions; color
Video recording format
DVD
Label
Bitter money : Ku qian, a film by Wang Bing ; Pyramide International ; Gladys Glover, House on Fire and Chinese Shadows present in coproduction with WIL Productions, Fame Culture Media Co., Ltd., Yisha Production ; director, Wang Bing ; produced by Sonia Buchman, Nicolas R. de la Mothe, Vincent Wang ; produced by Mao Hui
Publication
Copyright
Note
  • Wide screen
  • "An Icarus Films release"--Container
  • "dGenerate Films"--Container
  • Originally filmed between 2014 and 2016
  • Includes 16-page booklet with an essay by Aaron Cutler
  • Running time indicated on container: 162 minutes; actual running time: 164 minutes
Carrier category
videodisc
Carrier category code
  • vd
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Color
multicolored
Configuration of playback channels
unknown
Content category
two-dimensional moving image
Content type code
  • tdi
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Control code
on1007837280
Dimensions
4 3/4 in.
Dimensions
  • 4 3/4 in.
  • other
Extent
1 videodisc (152 min.)
Isbn
9786317398351
Media category
video
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • v
Medium for sound
videodisc
Other control number
854565002449
Other physical details
sound, color
Sound on medium or separate
sound on medium
Specific material designation
videodisc
System control number
(OCoLC)1007837280
System details
DVD; widescreen; all regions; color
Video recording format
DVD

Subject

Genre

Library Locations

    • Central LibraryBorrow it
      710 W. Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX, 78701, US
      30.2713021 -97.7460168
    • Manchaca Road BranchBorrow it
      5500 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX, 78745, US
      30.2166039 -97.79733689999999

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