Beijing Bicycle (Film)
Beijing Bicycle (Chinese: 十七世的單車; pinyin: Shíqī suì de dānchē) is a 2001 drama film directed by Wang Xiaoshuai. Set in contemporary China, the film explores themes of urban migration, youth identity, and socio-economic disparity through the central device of a stolen bicycle.
Plot
Guei is a seventeen-year-old youth who leaves his provincial hometown to seek work in Beijing. He secures employment as a bicycle courier, working to pay off the cost of a sleek company bicycle with the goal of eventually owning it. After the bicycle is stolen, Guei searches the city until he discovers another young man, Jian, riding it. Jian purchased the bicycle legitimately at a flea market. Because both youths depend on the bicycle for their livelihoods and social standing, a conflict arises over its ownership.
Production and Release
The film was directed by Wang Xiaoshuai and co-written by Peggy Chiao, Hsiao-ming Hsu, Danian Tang, and Wang Xiaoshuai. It was released on February 17, 2001, with a runtime of 113 minutes. The production was filmed in Mandarin in China.