Wang Bing’s Youth unfolds as an epic observational trilogy, offering a profound, intimate portrait of young textile workers in Zhili, a factory town 150 km from Shanghai.

Filmed over five years, the documentary follows rural migrants in their early twenties who labor tirelessly under harsh conditions, sharing cramped dorms, forming fleeting bonds, and clinging to dreams of stability. Condensed from 2,600 hours of footage, this trilogy of films captures the rhythm of their lives in vivid, unsentimental detail. With quiet patience and formal rigor, Wang Bing reveals the human cost of China’s rapid economic transformation—through the eyes, toil, and resilience of its youth.

Friday 15 August, 6.30pm
Youth (Spring)
The first part of Wang Bing’s trilogy centered on young migrant labourers in Zhili contrasts routine days of sewing, stitching and scissoring with bustling street scenes and cramped living quarters exploring the daily dramas of the labourers lives.



Saturday 16 August, 6pm
Youth (Hard Times)
Narrowing in on the factory workers economic struggles and workplace conflicts, the second part of Wang Bing's Youth deepens his portrait of a generation struggling to survive, emphasising the increasingly combative relationship between workers and management.



Sunday 17 August, 4.30pm
Youth (Homecoming)
The final instalment of the Youth trilogy focuses on a handful of workers as they return to their villages for the Lunar New Year, expanding the film's explorations from Zhili’s garment workshops to China’s vast countryside.