Bejing Bicycle

The class structure in the communist state of China is more evident in this movie than I could have imagined. In a government set on the ideals of communism, remaining classes, and common ownership; this country seems to have a wider separation gap then that of democratic countries. The wealthy in China are treated with almost celebrity status, while the poor are hardly acknowledged as citizens in this movie. It's shown in the film by how Guei is treated by the people he comes across on his delivery routes, because everyone he delivers to are in the higher class of society.

The differences shown in this movie between rural and urban people was striking. Guei was adamant about owning his bike and the urban secretary talked down to him and could not believe that he actually new the date that it would be his. Also the maid who dressed up in the woman's clothes and then got fired when she was caught, was trying to act like the urban people, but could never have been accepted by them. It's as if they could do nothing to be treated like everyone else in the city.

The movie shows how cities like Beijing rely on many different modes of transporting goods and services than other countries. The shot in the film that shows this idea best, is the one with the two gentlemen loading a refrigerator on the back of a bicycle, and it almost falls on them. Bicycles, scooters, and small cars are used more in China because they are more affordable than anything else. The government makes opportunities for jobs by using bike messengers to deliver goods, rather than one large delivery company.

The landscape shown of China in this film is something I haven't seen before. Most of the time when I think of China, I imagine rice patties and large cities crowded with people making textiles. This film shows the contemporary side of Beijing with its back allies, and close knit culture shocked neighborhoods. It is hard to think of living in a space occupied by so many people like the home of Jian and his family. They share facilities while the people living in the high rises are treated like kings with lavish apartments and expensive clubs.

Guei is the main character in this movie who shows the true meaning of determination. This is how he survives in an exhausting city while trying to etch out a living. Others like Jian are caught in a consumer society that must also deal with the perpetual cost of city life. This is where they are tied together with the use of the bicycle. Guei must have this bike to survive financially and Jian needs it to compete socially with girls and classmates. The beating of the two men sharing the bike and even the bike itself shows the tragedy that they suffer in the end of the movie. The movie follows this bicycle and how its relationship in Chinese society affects the characters way of life.