Youth (Returning Home) – A Contradictory Conclusion to Wang Bing’s Trilogy

Wang Bing’s final film in his trilogy about China’s sweatshops, Youth (Returning Home), wraps up the 10-hour saga in an intriguing contradiction. At two and a half hours, this installment, also known as “Spring,” is the shortest but arguably the richest. It concludes the series in the best way possible, even while raising questions about the emphasis placed on the previous films. This shorter runtime is great news for casual moviegoers and China enthusiasts who may not have the time or inclination for a half-day viewing commitment. While the film relies on the groundwork laid by its predecessors, it also stands on its own merit.

 

From Sweatshops to Home: A Shift in Focus

Whereas the earlier films in the trilogy provided an exhaustive portrayal of Zhili’s garment district, a drab and oppressive setting, “Youth (Returning Home)” introduces a refreshing change of scenery. The film follows a group of workers returning home for New Year’s celebrations, exchanging the cramped sweatshops of Happy Road for the open vistas and mountain ranges of rural China. This shift in environment brings new textures and perspectives, offering viewers a different kind of vacation movie. The visual transitions are sudden and striking, making the film more rewarding for those who invested in the first two films, but not entirely necessary for new viewers.

 

 A Circular Narrative and Family Connections

The film’s narrative begins and ends in Zhili, following economic migrants as they return to their provinces, only to head back to the city with a new generation of younger recruits. Unlike Wang’s previous films, which were structured around loosely connected vignettes, “Youth (Returning Home)” focuses on a few extended families. The first hour is structured like a game of hot potato, starting with a 28-year-old man named Xiao Dong and jumping from one family member to another, each accompanied by a title card linking them to the previous character. This playful approach reflects the cyclical nature of life on Happy Road, where migrants can leave but never truly escape.

 

 Free Time and Tension on the Journey Home

As the workers prepare to leave for the New Year, they encounter an unfamiliar problem: free time. This becomes a point of tension for a young couple—Xiao Dong’s sister and her husband. The husband enjoys drinking with his friends, while his wife craves family time. The tension only subsides once they board a crowded train home. Although the cramped conditions of the train mirror those of their dorms, the journey brings a sense of relief, as emotions ease and fists unclench.

 

The Mountains of Yunnan: A Different Pace of Life

The film’s sense of relief continues when the workers arrive in the Yunnan mountains, where the handheld camera is replaced by a dashcam navigating treacherous roads. In the village of Muxia, we meet a family too old to migrate to the city. One elder remarks, “You’re rich. It’s time to go home and celebrate,” a comment laden with irony given the hardships we’ve witnessed. The film takes on an ethnographic tone as it documents local customs, wedding celebrations, and village feasts. However, the young workers’ attachment to the city is clear; while the mountains offer a slower pace of life, their practical reality prevents the workers from staying.

 

A Generational Fresco and Unresolved Questions

Though “Youth (Returning Home)” narrows its focus out of necessity, it presents a broad social and generational fresco. Family is at the forefront, with young immigrants balancing the responsibilities they bear to the families they support back home. These questions—about family, responsibility, and the pursuit of happiness—remain unresolved, as time marches on and the faces Wang first captured in 2014 return with children of their own. The film leaves us with a sense of life’s relentless forward motion, where youth fades, and the loom of life keeps spinning.