"I first traveled to China a few years ago with my grandfather." "As a child, he used to tell me stories about the mythical Yangtze river." "I believed that, somehow, I would get to see the China that he remembered." "Instead we found a brand new country being created." "I'm heading up river on a luxury cruise boat towards the "Three Gorges Dam"." "The largest hydroelectric project in the world." "Already the area has undergone a massive flooding." "Imagine the Grand Canyon being turned into a great lake." "An estimated 2 million people will be relocated when the dam is finished." "They call these cruises "The farewell" tours." "People want to wave goodbye before it all disappears." "The first stop on the tour is Fengdu." "It's known as "The Ghost City" because your soul must come here to pass through the gates of hell to be reborn." "Most of the residents have moved across the Yangtze because the ghost city will soon be flooded." "I used to work in the old city as a coolie." "I used a pushcart to carry luggage from the boats that docked next to the shore." "After the old city moved across the river they took down your old house, no matter who you were." "I had to find a place on my own so I built a hut next to the shore." "Right here where no one lives I can plant some vegetables." "There are dots on this one." "That doesn't look so good." "Let's move on." "I think my family is living a pretty good life." "I think the downside would be that the house we're living in is not in very good condition." "But the good side is that we have good food." "Because I know that many of my classmates don't eat as well as we do." "I want to go to high school after middle school" "High school?" "Where's the money for that?" "Many of my classmates are going to high school." "Now we're in a socialist society that demands knowledge." "We need to go to high school." "Besides, the country needs well-educated talent." "So middle school is not enough." "It's not that I don't want you to go." "Because if you go alone, do we just forget about your little brother and sister?" "It's better if you go and earn some money." "Then you can afford to go later." "How can I make that much money?" "We'll see then, if you can't make that much..." "Welcome aboard." "Good evening everyone." "Welcome aboard our ship." "OK, I know a joke, it's just a joke, about what's going on in China." "There's American leader and Chinese leader they're sitting in the back seat of their limousine, and they're driving on the road of life." "Then there comes a crossroad." "On the left it says: "Socialism"." "On the right it says: "Capitalism"." "The American leader says:" "Let's go right." "The Chinese leader also says:" "OK let's turn right." "But let's turn on the left indicator!" "That is what's going on in China." "But people don't really care." "As one famous Chinese leader said:" ""The colour of the cat doesn't matter." "No matter if it's black or white." "As long as this cat can catch rat or mice, it's a good cat."" "Chairman Mao Zedong was so inspired to dam the Three Gorges he composed this poem, afer swimming across the Yangtze." ""A bridge will fly to span the north and south, turning a deep chasm into a thoroughfair." "Walls of stone will stand upstream to the west, to hold back Wushan's clouds and rain, till a smooth lake rises in the narrow gorges." "The mountain goddess, if she is still there will marvel at a world so changed."" "The water will soon rise when the Three Gorges Dam closes." "I'm really worried." "But even if my heart worries, there is nothing I can do." "The Three Gorges Dam is a national project, not private." "The higher level of government distributes the money." "But when the money trickles down through the hands of people, like corrupt officials, it just disappears." "My father was a minor village official for the old government, so after liberation he was labelled a counter-revolutionary." "Our farm collective persecuted my family, so we fled from my hometown." "My mom starved to death in the Great Famine of the 1960s." "It was like this during Mao's time." "Before, I think my dream was to go to university and be a scientist." "But now I think it's impossible." "I'd say maybe let Yu Shui go to work." "I think that's what she should do." "We can't make enough money for her to study." "How can she go to school when she only scored 400 points?" "She can only go to work." "Let her go to work first..." "Of course I'm worried that" "If we let her go study then we'll be short of money." "But if we don't she may blame us later." "When the water rises and the Three Gorges gate closes, where can you farm?" "You can't even have a life." "She'll be fine working on the boat." "Some of her classmates are working on the Fengdu boats." "The Chinese believe that success is defined by five key influences." "Fate, luck, environment, virtue and education." "You can't change your fate but you can predict your luck." "By improving your character, environment and skills, you may have a better chance at success." "I've been told countless stories of peasants becoming millionaires." "Let's go dance!" "Hello?" "If you have nothing to do, Chen Bo Yu is leaving." "Come and join us." "The mood's not right!" "Let's go to Wild Cat to dance." "Don't be like this, lingering in my mind, you'll find out how lonely I am." "In my dreams, I've kissed you a thousand times..." "When the boat managers came to our school, they told me they hired me because I have two advantages:" "First I'm good-looking, and second I'm good at English." "I am abitious, I'm never satisfied with what I have." "I don't want a flat and tasteless life." "Tonight's about having fun." "Tomorrow will be about my career." "Career is the top priority!" "When I come back in the New Year," "I guarantee you guys more fun than you can handle!" "In my opinion you are still students." "Whenever you have difficulties in your life, give me a shout." "Soon I'll be earning my own money." "I'll have more than you guys." "Let's fill it up." "Drink up to show that we share the same passions, right?" "Okay, brothers forever!" "Whoa, what the fuck?" "Remember when you leave to listen and obey." "Otherwise, it's no good." "Go get me some more rice." "Go get it for your father." "C'mon, be quick." "Be good." "Mom, can you see me off?" "See you off?" "There's no need." "You know your way." "Besides, you're a grown-up now." "You're a middle school graduate." "I don't read." "I might take you to the wrong boat." "You're not a real mother!" "It's not worth it!" "Stubborn temper!" "Come and collect the plates!" "It's your responsibility!" "Hurry up!" "You're having too much fun," "It's your turn to clean!" "Remember to clean the table later." "Remember that." "You know our family is poor." "You can't compare us to others." "You understand the situation, no?" "We don't even have anything to eat." "How can we afford to rent a house?" "I know you don't want your parents to suffer." "Your hard work will pay off." "I know it's because your father and I don't have the skills that we have to exploit you." "If we had a choice, how could we do this to you?" "You know your father isn't educated." "He can't read." "Whatever clothing you need buy a little bit." "The rest of the money send back to your parents." "We'll put it aside." "In your daily life, eat well." "Don't save money on that, okay?" "When you spend money on food, don't worry about us too much." "Chongqing is the largest municipality in the world." "30 million people live in this region." "The city's port is the gateway to the Yangtze." "This is where the recruits are trained." "The next three months will determine whether they will be hired by the cruise line." "I'm going to give you an English name." "We'll call you Cindy." " What's your name?" " Chen Bo Yu." " What's you English name?" " Jerry." "He's Jerry." "Cindy." "This is our operations manager, Michael." "You have two long-sleeves, two trousers and two t-shirts." "Here are two long trousers." "Here is a tie and apron, one for each." "Here is a tie clip." "Most of them are single child in the family." "They are like an apple in their mother's eyes." "So, in my opinion, they are spoiled." "They are kind of self-centered." "They don't know how to care for the others." "But here they need to learn." "My duty is to train these young people, not only in the professional skills but also in the meaning of life." "How do you like it?" "Attention!" "Eyes front!" "Stand to the right!" "Who's still moving?" "You can't hold still for a short time?" "Quality service." "Do we have the confidence?" "Yes." "I can't hear the confidence in your voice." " Do you have it or not?" " Yes!" "That's better." "Let's talk about studying English." "Twenty years ago, when I first brought foreign tourists, people in Hong Kong would call them" ""foreign devils"." "At that time, Americans where the no.1 enemy of the Chinese people." "We were tought like that." "Particularly in the past 20 years, great changes have taken place." "You should feel lucky..." "You should be proud of being able to work on the cruise." "Why?" "As a young boy or a young girl living in a modern city, in a modern time," "Being able to speak a foreign language or english, it's almost a must." "So now, let's invite Cindy." "Good morning everybody." "Please allow me to introduce myself." "My name is Cindy." "I'm from Chongqing." "I'm very happy to be your waitress." "You can try speaking slower." "My "University of Life" has just begun." "You should have confidence in yourself." "Where there is a will, there is a way." "Rome was not built in a day." "You should greet guests wherever you meet them, even by the staircase." "No!" "Don't say, "Hello"!" "Normally you say:" "That's the proper way." "Welcome aboard." "Most of the tourists are French this time." "At lunch you let out the water." "When you come back at dinnertime you add water." "You have to keep plates and bowls seperate." "Otherwise, you damage them." "Here's the daily cleaning fluid." "Press that to wash." "If you don't do this properly, the water leaks out." "It'll be messy." "Have a look." "This is the sink." "Here's the electricity switch" "The first thing you do every morning is switch it on." "The whole place will light up." "Plates with a blue circle belong to the kitchen." "When the time comes," "I will set you up with more complex work." "Okay." "So tired!" "The tour hasn't changed since my first trip." "The only exception is that now people speak of the river in the past tense." "I get the feeling that the turists are mostly here to see some ancient version of China that doesn't exist anymore." "The new construction that is going on, the relocation from the Three Gorges project" "and all of the new buildings..." "I am just amazed at the size of the cities here in China." "Didn't expect that at all." "I think China is even more modern than I was expecting to see, but the poverty and the rural aff is still very visible also, so..." "I enjoyed the humor of the people." "I find it there well they're just funny at times." "Pay attention when talking to Americans to not be overly modest or polite." "Too modest or a even little bit humble, they might think you're a bit fake." "Don't compare Canada to the United States." "Don't talk about Quebec independence." "Avoid the issue of Northern Ireland." "Don't talk about this issue." "Don't talk about monarchies, royalty or royal families, or any relevant serious political issues." "Don't call anybody old, pale or fat!" "In English you will say "plump"." "Drain the water after you take out the garbage." "Make sure everything is clean." "That's it." "You shouldn't say that is good enough." "You need to finish it." "Make sure you clean the mess thoroughly and properly." "You can't leave things half-done." "If you have to clean this place, then make it clean." "Don't cry." "Just do it slowly, okay?" "You will learn more by toughening up." "Don't be upset." "This is not difficult." "All you need to do is to clean this up." "That's our duty." "It's not any easier to serve in the dining hall." "You still need to work hard." "And this is straightforward work and easy to do." "You always have to remind her at work." "Yes, always have to remind her." "She doesn't know enough, especially when it comes to hygiene." "And communicating with people." "I got blisters on my hands when I first came on the boat." "Nobody can help you." "If you're doing guest rooms, you have to do your own work." "Everybody has their own duties to cover." "She really has to change a lot." "Is she afraid of asking?" "No, I don't think she realizes that she needs to ask." "She should be more hunble when she's working in the kitchen." "I think she's a bit shy, though." "She lives by the river and her family is really poor." "If her family is poor then she should work even harder." "This is my grandfather singing about the river." "As the water rises, my grandfather's stories slowly disappear." "Signs mark the flood level where the Yangtze will rise to 175 meters." "Oh, this one!" "I was wondering what it was." "Yu Shui, what are you doing?" "I'm writing some stuff." "Writing your diary?" "Yeah, sort of .. diary." "I'm worried if the river rises back home and floods our land and house." "I'm worried that my father can't find a place to move to and what will he do afterwards?" "I'm just worried about them." "I miss them every day." "We'll eat as soon as your mother cooks the winter-melon." "It's still early." "It's not even 6:00 in the morning yet." "One of the last villages to be relocated, is also the birthplace of Liu Bocheng, a great and heroic general of the People's Liberation Army." "He fought arm in arm with Mao against the nationalists." "General Liu came from a peasant family." "In his youth he wrote:" ""I must take up sword and spear to change this unfair world and to save the citizens of the country from chaos."" " What dynasty is it?" " Ming dynasty!" " Ming dynasty?" " Yes, Ming era!" "How much for that one?" "Sell it if you like my offer." "Don't be so difficult!" "We're moving." "The prices are already the lowest!" "There will always be people who need to make sacrifices." "It's impossible to stop the building of the Three Gorges Dam because of my own needs." "Sacrificing the little family for the big family." "If your house will be flooded, then don't stay here!" "I will report to a higher-level government." "Look, they're fighting about resettlement again." "You just can't help it." "Go take a look!" "We did all the calculations, signed all the papers, and had the house demolished." "After all these months, we still didn't get the promised compensation." "The Zhan village got 300 yuan, while we only got 200 yuan compensation." "They had people come and beat us!" "What can you say about us getting beaten up?" "They tore down our machines and threw them on the ground." "It's hard being a human but being a common person in China is even more difficult." "China is too hard for common people." "Some officials are like bandits:" "Beating, smashing, robbing..." "Even wanting a roof over our heads is difficult." "When we had to move, we were dragged and beaten." "No money to bribe the officials, so they gave us a hard time." "For common people living day-by-day it's really not easy." "Ladies and gentlemen, you know, after this dam is finished the most important thing is the relocatee." "How about the relocatee?" "Would you like to have a look?" "This is the new apartment of the relocatees." "Where is the old house?" "The old house is already underwater." "Ladies and gentlemen, shall we get off the coach?" "If you have any questions or issues, you can ask the farmer directly." "I will just do the job of the interpreter." "In the farmer's house, they have the refrigerator, colour TV, air conditioning." "I think the house is okay." "Seeing is believing." "Would you like to have a look with your own eyes?" "The farmer here they grow their tea, tobacco and oranges." "For example the people move to Guangdong province, so the farmers should learn to grow their rice paddy." "That's hard." "Yeah, but the local government and local citizen try to help them." "They probably aren't as happy as the people who get to stay here though, right?" "(After a long, silly and embarassing laughter...)" "All of them are happy (!" "?" ")" "I have been doing this for almost half-a-month now." "The weather has been dry." "You can't get any income from farming." "You can't grow anything in the land." "When the Three Gorges gate closes, the water level will soon rise and the farmland will be flooded." "I'll have to earn some extra cash to pay for my kids' studies and to live." "No money if I stay home." "It's coming, coming, coming." "Watch out!" "Watch out, watch out!" "I don't like these with the hood." "Let me find you a larger one." "That's kind of small." "How about you just try it on?" "Just put it on, okay?" "Just put it on." "Can we try it?" "Here we go." "Just hang your clothes up there." "It's kind of tight." "It's not revealing!" "That's not revealing." "She didn't clip the button properly." "Don't slouch." "You have to put the sleeves like this." "To this side." "That's nice." "Yes, it's better than the other one." "Like that!" "She should straighten her shoulders!" "That will look much better." "Yeah, that's better." "It's nice." "How much is it?" "It's 148 yuan with a 20 percent discount." "20 percent discount?" "Help me calculate." "How about a little cheaper?" "How about 100 yuan?" "Okay." "Mom!" "You're early." "When did you come?" " I've just come down." " Just come down." "This must be your father!" "Your parents, right?" "Nice to meet you." "My name is Zheng." "How about we go on the boat for a little sit-down?" " That's not necessary." " It's nothing." "Let's go." "Let's go have a look around, okay?" " Okay." " Yes, come." "Come." "I'm sorry if my daughter is too young and disobedient..." "Hopefully you can tolerate her." "You have a nice view from the bar." "Employees need to speak English." "Little Yu is working hard to learn." "Yes, that's for sure." "The kind of thing she always wants to learn." "The situation is impossible because of our family's condition." "Now that she's on the boat she might need a lot of help from you." "As for herself, unlike others, she doesn't mess around that much." "She's never had a chance to go out and see the world before." "This is her first time." "It's a big step forward." "To deal with Western customers, from developed countries, that's a big change." "You should have confidence in yourself and your daughter." "Confidence to believe that things are changing." "The dreams you cannot fulfill can be fulfilled through you daughter, through her hard work, and the progress of society." "Don't worry!" " Say goodbye to your parents." " Goodbye." " Be good!" " Okay." "Listen to your manager." "Work hard." "Let's go." "I'll see you later." "There's an old house near the ancient Shibaozhai pagoda in the town of" "It will be demolished before the dam is completed." "An elderly woman has lived here for most of her life." "The young tour guides from the boat tell me that the older generation doesn't want to move." "They're too set in their old ways." "I pray to the Holy Father" "It's a blessing to believe in God" "I pray everyday that God comes to help me" "I pray for the youth" "The youth should also come to God" "To learn how to be and how to tolerate" "Don't quarrel Praise God" "God, I beg for your blessing." "Your humble daughter with many troubles." "Tears in my eyes, thoughts stuck in my mind, as if someone is clawing at my heart." "I'm God's child." "I depend on you to eat, drink and live." "Wherever you go I will follow forever." "Praise God." "If you are satisfied with our service, we feel very cheerful." "Welcome to our boat again." "Whoa." "Thirty." "Thirty!" "I'm so happy." "Fuck, 30 US dollars!" "I can't believe it." "You did nothing and she gave you 30 dollars!" "They're out of their minds!" "Now, since I'm earning my own tips," "I've learned how to handle rich people." "You have to know how to use your eyes, right?" "Normally I don't help the elderly." "Even if they ask I won't go." "I would ask someone else because I know that they're the fucking poorest." "They are the stingiest." "They only give two yuan tips." "What the fuck do I do with two yuan?" "If they're too young or too old, they won't give tips." "The best are the middle-aged men or women." "I earn the most." "Fuck, think about it." "My mom only earns 1000 yuan a month." "My father makes about 2000 yuan." "Actually less than that." "I'm first in my family." "My salary is the first!" "How's life on the boat?" "Life is pretty good." "Do you eat meat everyday?" "Everyday we always have meat and vegetables." "Do they have television?" "Yeah, there's television, fans..." "The tour guides' cabins are even air conditioned." "Did you meet any friends on the boat?" "I've gotten to know quite a few." "One of them is called Xie Juan." "Her English name is Yo Yo." "She actually treats me pretty well." "We're always joking around and laughing together." "She gives me nicknames." "Because I have darker skin, she calls me a little grey rabbit!" "I don't know whether to laugh or cry." "Do you feel homesick?" "Yeah, I do." "Everyday." "You still want to come back and see us, right?" "Yeah." "Girls should know how to pamper themselves." "Will you blame me if I hurt you with this?" "What do you think?" "You need to dress-up so you're more pleasant to the eye." "It's easier to be with them." "Is that right?" "That's right." "I'm drawing you to look like a panda." "You're laughing all the time." "Got to put on lipstick to bring out the shape." "Now you look so womanly!" "It'd be better if you hair was longer." "You'd look like a doll!" "Now smile." "Isn't that cute?" "Please welcome Chen Bo Yu." "I dedicate this song to you." "Enjoy your vacation." "Thank you." "When the earth rotates, it's a day" "That means I'm missing you for another extra day" "Forever the same horizon" "My heart will never change" "Love you for then thousand years" "That love can overcome all obstacles" "Surpass the limitations of time" "Bring closer another part of the world" "Stay with eacht other, close together forever" "I told Chen Bo Yu that if he wants to learn I can teach him." "But he doesn't respect me." "I hate these types of people." "He's so arrogant." "He's like an actor." "Not someone who goes to work." "So we've never taken him as one of us." "He's a superstar." " Look at him." " Just eat your food." "Don't make me choke." "Chen Bo Yu, what are you thinking?" "I'm asking, what are you thinking?" "I'm going to cry." "Self-criticism." "Heping and I carried suitcases to room 332." "As usual we went in, put down the luggage and said hello to the guests." "We stayed for several minutes and the customer gave us 20 US Dollars for tips." "Then we left and closed the door." "I didn't ask her for it." "I never said: "You need to give me some personal tips"." "I never said this at all." "We closed the door and left." "She complained." "She complained and said we asked her for tips." "I don't think I'm suitable for this job." "I'm too arrogant." "I look down on everything." "I think I was born with a silver spoon." "My parents keep me in the future." "I'm very young." "I'm 19 years old." "This is their responsibility." "But Yu Shui is only sixteen." "We're different." "I come from a richer family." "I can continue my studies but does she have the opportunity?" "Can her family support her to go to school?" "Well, my family can." "First, when the customer come in you need to smile, got it?" "Do you know how to smile?" "A gentle smile?" "You can't smile like that!" "You have to be natural." "Not a silly smile." "Then let the guests remember your name." "Your English name." "Introduce yourself to them." "My name is Cindy." "Do you know any tourist spots along the Yangtze?" "For example, do you know where we are now?" "No, I don't know." "From now on, you need to know them, okay?" "You have to work harder and maybe later on you'll be promoted to server out here and earn tips." "The situation now is that there's no way I can get compensation" "In the end it feels like the rock I carried has smashed my foot." "As a peasant who doesn't read or watch television" "I can't make any judgment on it." "I believe this business belongs to the upper government." "Nobody cares about me." "Like people say, "I'm like an illegal citizen"." "Jerry, you've been here for a while now, right?" "Yeah, it's been three months already." "The probation period." "So for the three months probation" "I think you've somehow learned things and advanced." "However, in other words..." "That means both your performance and your capability are below the standards of our ship's requirements." "That means you will have to leave our company and find another job." "Over-confidence, self-conceit, and self-centeredness for a young man, especially for a single child, are the characteristics you need to overcome." "That's how I feel about it." "Do you think the construction is benficial to you?" "There must be some benefits." "It's beneficial to our country, but for individuals," "I don't think it will do me any good." " You carry this with you?" " Yeah." " What's that?" " It's my clothes." "I can tell you are from Fengdu from this." "I'm going to show you." "Come here." "Have you ever seen this?" "This is the dam." " Do you have a dam in Fengdu?" " No." "What's this?" "This is part of the Yangtze river and the dam cuts it into two pieces" "This is what we call damming." "We did it back in 1997 and 2003." "Have you seen it on TV?" "Yeah, but it's better to be here myself." "Electricity is transmitted through wires." "Maybe it goes to Fengdu." "I don't know." "I have no idea about that." "So these are all electric?" "Yes, now it's all electrical." "Her father is very much like a typical Chinese farmer." "Don't know much, really has no idea what's going on with the dam, but he thinks he knows." "Doesn't trust the government." "I'm reminded of my grandfather who once told me about Guan Yin, the Goddess of mercy." "She saved the people from the Great Flood, by sending down rice in the tail of a small dog." "Today these myths no longer seem to hold any value." "Even my grandfather can't recognise the China he once knew." "Keep it low so it's easier for me to lift it." "Don't you get it?" " There's a big crack here." " Where?" "Push!" "Yeah, push it forward a bit." " Do you want me to hold it?" " No, it's not necessary." "Here's our new home." "Before in the little hut, even though it didn't look good, you didn't need money for vegetables or water." "Up here, you have to buy them." "Go and make your own bed." "I'm looking for the palm mattress." "Stretch the corner a bit." "Our country is really strong and prosperous now." "So strong and prosperous that it can actually stop the gigantic river." "Go!" "Subtitles:" "Logoff"