Update: Dec. 3, 2010 — The documentary about four Americans and a Chinese guide who take a 1,000-mile bike tour across China is available for free online viewing through Jan. 2.
The 1-1/2-hour film, “Man Zou: Beijing to Shanghai,” made its television premier Thursday night on Seattle's local PBS outlet, KCTS (Channel 9).
Watching the broadcast, I was reminded time and again how bicycle travel is the best way to learn about an area and its people.
The four Americans saw first-hand the contrasts of big-city wealth and rural poverty in the country. They also experienced the side effects of a growing economy — unabated air and water pollution, as well as a migrant working population that numbers in the hundreds of millions.
Time and again, the bicyclists tell how much they learn from sampling the local foods and meeting the people who tend to gather whenever they stop, even to fix a flat. China experts are interviewed to help put into perspective what the travelers see.
The film can be seen in its entirety at KCTS's Reel NW “Man Zou” videostream webpage. You can also buy the “Man Zou” DVD at the KCTS store.
Dec. 2, 2010 — Seattle bicycle travel enthusiasts are fortunate to be able to watch “Man Zou: Beijing to Shanghai” on the local PBS outlet, KCTS-TV (Channel 9), at 10 p.m. Thursday.
The Seattle audience isn't the only one who can enjoy the movie's TV premier, which appeared as part of this year's traveling Bicycle Film Festival.
KCTS will provide a videostream simulcast at its website. Just remember, that 10 p.m. showtime is Pacific Time.
To China, with bikes
Man Zou is the story of four Americans, and their Chinese guide, who travel by bicycle some 1,000 miles from Beijing to Shanghai after the 2008 Summer Olympics. In Mandarin, Man Zou is a farewell that means “walk slow.”
As I haven't seen the film, yet, here's the description provided:
“Team Man Zou explores the world’s most populous nation without the aid of support vehicles from a vantage point just a few feet off the ground. By embodying the Man Zou philosophy and taking the time to learn from those they encounter along the way, the filmmakers discover an authentic side of China and its people that tourists rarely get to experience.”
Filmmakers
The movie was shot by one of the four Americans, Jeffery Reid of Seattle. He says:
“In choosing the bicycle as our mode of transportation and going without the assistance of support vehicles, we were able to travel to areas that foreigners rarely see, giving us a more intimate look at the people of China, their culture, and the rapidly changing environment in which they live.”
If you can make it, the filmmakers are gathering at the Jules Mae Saloon in Georgetown, 5919 Airport Way S., Seattle, tonight for the TV premier. Fans are welcome to drop by.
The documentary is presented by Reel NW, a series that focuses on the best independent films from the Pacific Northwest.
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