Documentary Educational Resources - Filmmaker / Chen, Richard / All Films

Faces of Change: China Coast

Fri, 7 Sep 2018 09:20:00 GMT

Faces of Change: China Coast
Buy Now: $495.00

The fishermen and the island farmers of the Soko Islands in the South China Sea typify coastal harbor communities that have existed for centuries along the China coast, controlled by mainland China or for many decades alien governments in Hong Kong and Macau.

The five films portray two independent cultures that rely on each other in complex ways, the boat people providing fish, transport to markets, and the necessities of survival on the island; the island farmers providing food, a school for boat children and labor when needed on boats and harbor facilities. The day-to-day lives of boat people and island people in this maritime culture three hours from Hong Kong are studies in mutual support, although historically discriminatory between a mainland farm family and boat people, who are seen as second class citizens who floated beyond "civilization."

After the filming in 1973, the entire population, farmers and boat people, were moved by government decree. The farmers were settled in nearby Lantau Island, the fishermen allowed to find harbors where they could. The initial government action was to accommodate refugee boat people from the Vietnam war era, the second to find harbors in Hong Kong's Aberdeen or nearby Cheng Chau where some had relatives and part-time work could be found ashore.

"These films are all set primarily in the Soko Islands, under British rule in Hong Kong territorial waters. They provide an interesting and valuable ethnographic picture of the lives of Chinese islanders and fishermen. Somewhat greater emphasis is given throughout to the fishing families, whose lives are spent almost entirely on their boats, broken only by brief visits to shore to fetch fresh water from a well or buy supplies in a market town.All are visually excellent, providing fascinating studies of details of daily life. In three of the five films narration is kept at a minimum, with direct simultaneous translation of interviews used effectively to provide verbal information, along with occasional translation of small talk and conversation among the Chinese as they go about their work." — Judith Strauch, American Anthropologist, 1977

Films in the China Coast series

China Coast Fishing
Hoy Fok and the Island School
The Island Fishpond
Island in the China Sea
Three Island Women

About the Faces of Change Collection

Faces of Change is comprised of 25 films that examine five cultures selected for their distinct geographic locations: starting with the China Coast at sea level and moving up to Taiwan, then to Afghanistan, Kenya and finally to the mountains of Bolivia. Each location is examined through five themes: Rural Society, Education, Rural Economy, Women, and Beliefs.

This innovative collection of 16mm films and videos was funded by the National Science Foundation, produced by Norman Miller and directed by some of the finest ethnographic filmmakers of its time.

Visit Chen, Richard to see additional products in this category.

Faces of Change: Taiwan

Fri, 7 Sep 2018 09:20:00 GMT

Faces of Change: Taiwan
Buy Now: $340.00

Shot in 1973, these five films present a portrait of life in Taiwan by following the daily economic and social exchanges in Tsao Tun (also known as Tsaotun, or Caotun) Township, an area inhabited by farmers, in Nantou County 130 miles southwest of Taipei. This agricultural community depend primarily on wet rice and other mixed vegetable farming. Pigs and poultry, too, are important farm products. These films offer a window into Taiwan during a time of economic and social change, and serve as a record of the culture and life ways of its rural people as they stand on the cusp of tradition and modernization.

Films in the Taiwan series

A Chinese Farm Wife
People are Many, Fields are Small
The Rural Cooperative
They Call Him "Ah Kung"
Wet Culture Rice

About the Faces of Change Collection

This innovative collection of 16mm films and videos was funded by the National Science Foundation, produced by Norman Miller and directed by some of the finest ethnographic filmmakers of its time.

Visit Chen, Richard to see additional products in this category.

A Chinese Farm Wife

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 08:16:00 GMT

A Chinese Farm Wife
Buy Now: $340.00

A Chinese Farm Wife gives us a peek into the life of Mrs. Li, a Taiwanese woman whose husband is a salaried factory worker. Along with the help of her eldest daughter and her neighbors, Mrs. Li runs their 3-acre farm, cultivating crops of tobacco and rice. She also supervises the children's education and manages the household, and is a full participant in community activities.

Films in the Taiwan series

A Chinese Farm Wife
People are Many, Fields are Small
The Rural Cooperative
They Call Him "Ah Kung"
Wet Culture Rice

About the Faces of Change Collection

This innovative collection of 16mm films and videos was funded by the National Science Foundation, produced by Norman Miller and directed by some of the finest ethnographic filmmakers of its time.

Visit Chen, Richard to see additional products in this category.

China Coast Fishing

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 08:16:00 GMT

China Coast Fishing
Buy Now: $495.00

China Coast Fishing concerns the traditional "floating population" who fish Chinese coastal waters from family sized Junks based in Hong Kong in competition with salaried fisherman using large, mechanized boats. The combined effect of education and an increased integration with shore life is putting strains on the old ways.

This is a "process film" in that it portrays the economic activities of three fishing families, each pursuing a different kind of fishing. Like the whole Faces Of Change series, it focuses on rural people using small-scale technology. Other fishing methods exist in the South China Sea-the large "long-liners" and deep-sea trawlers are big business operations with hired crews and constantly changing technology.

China Coast fishing styles around Hong Kong waters have changed greatly in the last decade. Most of the sailing junks have given way to junks with small inboard diesel engines. Of the nearly 5,800 registered boats in Hong Kong in 1973, less than 900 had sails of any kind and many of these had auxiliary engines. The scale of fishing operations here is far larger than one might expect. The former British territory of Hong Kong has some 280 islands and encompasses 404 square miles of water.

Fishing people often shelter in the bays of uninhabited islands and use the beaches to clean their boats. Many boats are double licensed and ply the waters of both Hong Kong and mainland China. The small family junk is found along the whole South China coast. The film was made in 1973 on the Soko Islands in the South China Sea. The inhabitants are Cantonese who either fish from small family-owned junks or live ashore raising pineapples, vegetables, and pigs. The area is located three hours by junk from Hong Kong. The Soko Island inhabitants use both Canton and Hong Kong as market centers.

Films in the China Coast series

China Coast Fishing
Hoy Fok and the Island School
The Island Fishpond
Island in the China Sea
Three Island Women

About the Faces of Change Collection

This innovative collection of 16mm films and videos was funded by the National Science Foundation, produced by Norman Miller and directed by some of the finest ethnographic filmmakers of its time.

Visit Chen, Richard to see additional products in this category.

Hoy Fok and the Island School

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 13:27:00 GMT

Hoy Fok and the Island School
Buy Now: $495.00

Hoy Fok is a fourteen-year-old boy who lives with his family on a fishing junk near a small island in the Hong Kong Territory. He helps his family in fishing and attends the island school. Education on this small island primarily involves teaching children basic things like simple arithmetic that would help them in selling fish.

The film features interviews with Hoy Fok's teacher, parents and the village headman, all of whom provide their differing viewpoints on his education and his future. His teacher feels that although he joined school too late, he has a natural curiosity and should pursue higher education; however, his parents think that secondary schooling is a waste of money, something they cannot afford.

Films in the China Coast series

China Coast Fishing
Hoy Fok and the Island School
The Island Fishpond
Island in the China Sea
Three Island Women

About the Faces of Change Collection

This innovative collection of 16mm films and videos was funded by the National Science Foundation, produced by Norman Miller and directed by some of the finest ethnographic filmmakers of its time.

Visit Chen, Richard to see additional products in this category.

Island in the China Sea

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 12:45:00 GMT

Island in the China Sea
Buy Now: $495.00

Tai A Chau is home for both farmers and fishermen who use the island as a permanent harbor for their small floating homes. The daily routines of Mr. Wong, a fisherman, and Mr. Ng, a farmer, are representative of their respective problems of survival, mutual dependence, and hopes for the future.

Island in the China Sea is the introductory film in the China Coast series of Faces of Change. It provides a broad overview of the rural societies of both the island farmer and the boat people who harbor here. It traces the lifestyle of agricultural and fishing families, juxtaposing their daily activities and their tacit interaction. The symbiosis is in delicate balance, however, since ideas of class and caste set the two groups apart. Island farmers have traditionally regarded boat people as inferior.

Films in the China Coast series

China Coast Fishing
Hoy Fok and the Island School
The Island Fishpond
Island in the China Sea
Three Island Women

About the Faces of Change Collection

This innovative collection of 16mm films and videos was funded by the National Science Foundation, produced by Norman Miller and directed by some of the finest ethnographic filmmakers of its time.

Visit Chen, Richard to see additional products in this category.

The Island Fishpond

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 12:45:00 GMT

The Island Fishpond
Buy Now: $495.00

Tai A Chau symbolically rids itself of the last vestiges of the Old China. The town is represented by the Landlord Chan when it sells land to buy a freshwater pond. The community effort to improve the island's economic well-being brings together government representatives and the land people. One couple, who are lone entrepreneurs, keep themselves removed from the situation.

Films in the China Coast series

China Coast Fishing
Hoy Fok and the Island School
The Island Fishpond
Island in the China Sea
Three Island Women

About the Faces of Change Collection

This innovative collection of 16mm films and videos was funded by the National Science Foundation, produced by Norman Miller and directed by some of the finest ethnographic filmmakers of its time.

Visit Chen, Richard to see additional products in this category.

People are Many, Fields are Small

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 10:57:00 GMT

People are Many, Fields are Small
Buy Now: $340.00

Three farm families, engaged in Taiwan's long summer two-crop rice cycle, compare their lives to those of industrial laborers. Both pride and anger are expressed concerning conditions of a farm life.

Films in the Taiwan series

A Chinese Farm Wife
People are Many, Fields are Small
The Rural Cooperative
They Call Him "Ah Kung"
Wet Culture Rice

About the Faces of Change Collection

This innovative collection of 16mm films and videos was funded by the National Science Foundation, produced by Norman Miller and directed by some of the finest ethnographic filmmakers of its time.

Visit Chen, Richard to see additional products in this category.

The Rural Cooperative

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 08:59:00 GMT

The Rural Cooperative
Buy Now: $340.00

The Tsau Tun Farmers' Association typifies rural cooperatives in Taiwan. 9,600 families own the cooperatives and rely on it for services ranging from irrigation, provision of seeds, farm implements, and fertilizers to crop storage and marketing.

Films in the Taiwan series

A Chinese Farm Wife
People are Many, Fields are Small
The Rural Cooperative
They Call Him "Ah Kung"
Wet Culture Rice

About the Faces of Change Collection

This innovative collection of 16mm films and videos was funded by the National Science Foundation, produced by Norman Miller and directed by some of the finest ethnographic filmmakers of its time.

Visit Chen, Richard to see additional products in this category.

They Call Him "Ah Kung"

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 08:57:00 GMT

They Call Him "Ah Kung"
Buy Now: $340.00

Ah Kung, like most of his schoolmates, will inherit the family farm. Yet he may choose to leave the farm lifestyle, attracted by the industry and urban life-style. Ah Kung's personal dilemma symbolizes a national educational problem affecting Taiwan's ability to continue to feed its population adequately.

Films in the Taiwan series

A Chinese Farm Wife
People are Many, Fields are Small
The Rural Cooperative
They Call Him "Ah Kung"
Wet Culture Rice

About the Faces of Change Collection

This innovative collection of 16mm films and videos was funded by the National Science Foundation, produced by Norman Miller and directed by some of the finest ethnographic filmmakers of its time.

Visit Chen, Richard to see additional products in this category.