Before the Flood

The Three Gorges Dam in China is the world’s biggest dam and hydroelectric power station. Building it meant an estimated 1.2 million people were made to leave their homes. In 2002, the port town of Fengjie had its turn—we see the residents there with only a few more weeks to move out. For a thousand years Fengjie benefited from its ideal location on the Yangtze River; now it’s about to be mercilessly demolished and totally submerged.

The local residents do not go quietly: a lottery system is used to assign them new places, and many of them are angry that their homes in “New Fengjie” are much smaller than their old houses were.

The camera is a fly on the ancient walls as it observes various groups and individuals, and their contentious dealings with each other. Members of the church need to decide whether to demolish their sacred building, dockworkers try to salvage what they can, and a Korean war veteran battles to save his guesthouse. Their conflicts with the authorities make it painfully obvious that there are limits to Communist solidarity.