By Mai Lam, Class of 2025
The Center for the Study of Contemporary China recently hosted the Memory Project event, held in conjunction with Professor Tom Rankin’s Analog Workshop. As part of this initiative, two impactful films—”Struggles” by Wu Wenguang and “Fairy Tale 47KM” by Zhang Mengqi—were screened.
The Memory Project is an ongoing documentary initiative in which filmmakers engage with specific communities, returning repeatedly to film their subjects over time. This process allows them to reflect on the intersection of memory, history, and the past while simultaneously documenting life’s transformations.
Both films provided a powerful lens into social change and the lasting impact of historical policies in China.
“Struggles” by Wu Wenguang: A Reflection on Survival and Social Roles
Wu Wenguang’s Struggles offered a compelling narrative on how individuals navigated one of China’s most turbulent periods—the 1970s, a decade marked by the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution and the beginning of significant social and political shifts. As the country grappled with the transition from ideological campaigns to early stages of reform, people were forced to adapt to rapidly changing social policies and political landscapes.
As the second installment in Wu’s “Autobiography” series, Struggles begins with an intensely personal revelation: the filmmaker’s mother recounts the emotional and physical hardships surrounding his birth. From the painful decision of whether to carry the pregnancy to term to the trauma of childbirth itself, Wu’s life began amid profound uncertainty. That sense of struggle—personal, social, and generational—has continued to shape his journey, becoming both subject and lens through which the film interrogates broader questions of identity, survival, and belonging.
The film prompted students to reflect on the diverse roles within society, from intellectual youth to rural farmers, highlighting how education, policy, and social structures influence cultural change. Beyond documenting external transformations, Struggles explored the evolution of thought and memory, serving as a powerful archival tool that connects past experiences to contemporary realities.
“Fairy Tale 47KM” by Zhang Mengqi: Documenting Childhood Perspectives
Zhang Mengqi’s Fairy Tale 47KM took another more personal approach, following three children in a rural village and documenting how their perceptions and understanding of the world evolved as they grew up.
Zhang Mengqi’s Fairy Tale 47KM offers an intimate, evolving portrait of childhood in a rural Chinese village, blending documentary storytelling with personal growth. Marking the tenth year of Zhang’s long-term “47 KM” film project, the film captures a pivotal moment—not only in the lives of the village children she has followed over the years but also in the creative dynamic of the project itself.
Set during a winter when Zhang returns to the village with hopes of constructing a new building for the community, the film takes an unexpected turn. The young girls who had long been her documentary subjects step behind the camera for the first time, beginning to document their surroundings from their own perspectives. This shift gives the film a new layer of narrative complexity, as it becomes not just a chronicle of their lives, but a reflection of their growing agency and voice.
The film highlighted the subtle yet profound influence of education and environment on shaping a child’s perspective. By observing their experiences over time, Fairy Tale 47KM revealed how external factors—such as education, family, and social surroundings—gradually shape children’s thoughts and future aspirations.
A Thought-Provoking Experience
Both films provided an intimate and insightful exploration of memory, change, and resilience. By connecting the Memory Project with Tom Rankin’s Analog Workshop, the event emphasized the power of documentary filmmaking and photography in capturing the transformation of spaces, individuals, and communities. It reinforced the importance of observing and documenting history as a means of reflection, bridging past experiences with present realities.
