Rare 1972 movie about China during the Mao Era

[MelaninWarlord]

The YouTube link you shared (points to Part 1 of a 5-part upload of the documentary film Chung Kuo - Cina (China), directed by Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni in 1972.

Key Details
Full Title: [1972] Michelangelo Antonioni - Chung Kuo - Cina Part 1 with English / Spanish Sub 1/5
Channel: MrOrientaloccidental (uploaded November 3, 2012)
Length: This part is around 40-50 minutes (the full film is ~220 minutes, split into parts).
Views: ~90,000 (as of recent data

Content Overview: This is a rare, controversial documentary shot during China's Cultural Revolution era under Mao Zedong. Antonioni was invited by the Chinese government to film "New China," but the result was not what they expected. The film focuses on everyday life, faces,

gestures, and customs of ordinary people in areas they were allowed to access (mainly around Beijing). It includes scenes from:

Tiananmen Square
A cotton factory

Traditional exercises in parks

An older part of the city

A hospital clinic performing a Cesarean section using acupuncture anesthesia

The narration (with English/Spanish subtitles) emphasizes the simplicity, labor, and collective aspects of life at the time. There's no dramatic music or narrative overlay—just observational footage.

Historical Context
Mao and the Chinese authorities hated the film, viewing it as portraying China negatively (e.g., too focused on poverty and "backwardness" rather than revolutionary progress).

Antonioni was denounced as anti-Chinese and counterrevolutionary. The film was banned in China for decades and only shown publicly there around 2004. It's now regarded as a valuable historical document of the era, though some criticize it for its Western gaze.

Comments on the video often praise it as a window into the past, with viewers noting the contrast between the "poor but happy" times depicted and modern China.
If you're interested in watching the full series, Parts 2–5 are also on the same channel. It's a fascinating (and somewhat slow-paced) artifact of 1970s China!

 

[MelaninWarlord]

Key Themes and Scenes:
Tiananmen Square: The film opens in May at Tiananmen Square, which the narrator describes as the "center of the world" for the Chinese people [01:44]. It shows citizens peacefully queuing to have their portraits taken [02:43].

Portraits of Leaders: Large portraits of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin are shown overlooking the square, emphasizing the political landscape of the era [03:33].

Daily Rhythms: The documentary captures the "austere habits" of Beijing, where people wake up early to work [05:56]. Antonioni notes that while the people appear poor, there is an absence of luxury and, significantly, an absence of hunger [06:23].