From: https://www.easternkicks.com/reviews/the-land-of-peach-blossom
CHINA, DRAMA, FILMS, RECOMMENDED POSTS, REVIEWS
Chongqing is a fast growing mega city on the Jialing River in South Western China, close to the 3 Gorges Dam and the only one of the four Government administered Municipalities away from the coast. At the top of a skyscraper is a themed restaurant called Feast of Flowers that based its cuisine around edible flowers. It is more than that though, it a spectacle of music, dance, martial arts – a reflection of the cultural past to make it stand out and be successful.
As with the two other Documentaries showing as part of the Chinese Visual Festival (Four Springs, In Character) it seems as though the best subjects are those discovered by accident. In this case, the director was hired to make a promotional video for this restaurant and, like Tracy Dong (In Character), his observations discover a restaurant run like a collective, a microcosm of the years of the Cultural Revolution where one leader is obeyed and sets the behaviour of his subjects.
The restaurant director, cigarette permanently attached to his fingers seems almost bored as he imparts his wisdom and deems how the workers should behave. With long rehearsals, erratic pay and constant new staff hindering the overall look and feel of the performance for the more experienced, the natural inclination of a restaurant to be chaotic and the hard work/low pay environment takes its toll.
Once more we see that individualism has a strong grip on the newer generation that grew up after the passing of Mao when the ingression of Western Capitalism whittles away at the larger collective, fracturing it into environments like this restaurant. There is genuine camaraderie, despite the self-criticism and communal attempt to conform to one ideal, and the discussion between the workers about their expectation for life and their responsibilities outside of the workplace will be familiar to all.
The main focus is on the male staff and director, making the narrative a little one-sided with only glimpses into the role of the female waitress performers. It would have been nice to see how their role within the restaurant affects them and where they came from. Overall it was a fascinating glimpse into the workers’ life in a China that is ever changing.
Trailer: https://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDIyNzgyNTk1Ng==.html?x&sharefrom=android&sharekey=dffdcb3b57d1a2ee34e7647a755ce8eb9
The Land of Peach Blossomscreens as part of the Chinese Visual Festival 2019, which runs from 2nd to 9th May. Find out more about the screenings and events and purchase tickets from the Chinese Visual Festival site.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kay Hoddy
A New Zealand based Brit with a preference for horror movies, but very partial to Kim Ki Duk, Sion Sono and the ‘Young and Dangerous’ series. Loves film festivals, Korean and Japanese dramas, Korean R&B/Pop and when not watching films, works on them at Weta Digital.
