Railroad of Hope

Every year in August and September, thousands of farm workers leave the poor Sichuan district in northern China. For 3 days and 2 nights, they travel by train to China’s ‘far west’, Xinxiang. In this autonomous region, they will help to bring in the enormous cotton harvest. For most of these poor wretches, this is the first time they leave their village. Ning Ying depicts this exodus meticulously and unadorned. She shows us the chaotic departure, when the penniless Chinese leave the crammed station platforms to fight and reason their way into the train. During the trip, she wanders through the jam-packed compartments and shows us the eating, wearied and sleeping travellers. Eventually, she lays bare the passengers’ emotions when the train finally enters the promised land. The images are fascinating in themselves, but Ning Ying adds a superb layer by assailing some travellers with questions like: ‘Is this your first trip?’ ‘What are your ideals?’ ‘What is important to you in life?’ This simple approach yields some magnificent miniature portraits of ordinary Chinese. A 14-year-old girl, for instance, travels to her parents who have been in Xinjiang for four years. She is in danger of missing the train and sobs: ‘I have to be there on the 28th, or I will not be able to attend school. I want to become a police officer to serve the people.’