A barren north, a lush south and a huge city on the banks of a dead river: China shows its extreme differences in Luc Schaedler’s documentary.

Picture gallery

Swiss filmmaker Luc Schaedler’s documentary travels from China’s northern border with Mongolia to the south, and from there to the largest city in the world. Assisted by Sinologist Markus Schiesser, Schaedler presents his letters from China – as he calls these three independent visual monologues – to highlight that country’s contrasts.

Although Luc Schaedler succeeds in recording several very private confessions, there are several fundamental issues left open for those who may not understand the significance of the experiences unless they already know the subject well. It would therefore have been even more important to emphasize missing features, especially in the segment on the megalopolis Chongqing.