Set in modern-day Beijing this powerful and evocative drama depicts in brilliant detail ... more
the daily struggle that the millions of citizens of Beijing face day in and day out. When a young man Guei arrives in Beijing from a rural village he finds a j...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
This deceptively simple modern-day fable, set in China's fastest growing city, tells the ... more
dramatic tale of two very different teenage boys: one a simple peasant lad (Guei), new to the big city; and the other an overly ambitious schoolboy (Jian).The two ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: Usually dispatched within a week...
Beijing Bicyclekicks off like an updated Chinese reworking of the 1948 Italian neo-realist ... more
classicBicycle Thieves: a worker, dependent on his bike for his job, has it stolen and doggedly sets out to get it back. But pretty soon Wang Xiaoshuai's film mu...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Beijing Bicyclekicks off like an updated Chinese reworking of the 1948 Italian neo-realist ... more
classicBicycle Thieves: a worker, dependent on his bike for his job, has it stolen and doggedly sets out to get it back. But pretty soon Wang Xiaoshuai's film mu...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Production Year: 2004 - Action/Adventure - Director: Yimou Zhang - Original Language: Mandarin - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Takeshi Kaneshiro, Ziyi Zhang, Andy Lau
Production Year: 2005 - Drama, Action/Adventure - Director: Wang Xiaoshuai - Original Language: Mandarin - Classification: 15 years and over, TBA - Starring: Tang Yang, Anlian Yan, Yuanyuan Gao, Li Bin
Advantages: Beautiful buildings and a look at life for many ordinary citizens of Beijing Disadvantages: Can be busy and cramped
A hutong is an ancient alleyway or lane found in Beijing which can date back as far as the Yuan dynasty of China in the 13th century. The crisscrossing alleys can now offer a glimpse of another part of this ancient city that is quite different to the major attractions such as the Summer Palace or the Forbidden City.
The tiny, twisted and interconnected lanes wind through whole areas of the city of Beijing. The lanes are lined with traditional stone houses all arranged in quadrangles, so four houses around a courtyard, which are beautiful old fashioned buildings. They often involve carved pillars, window frames and doors and the open spaces of the courtyard lets in air and light to otherwise quite cramped areas-some of the lanes really are tiny with less than a metre of breadth. Most of the hutongs are still used as housing and are ...
flyingllamas 07.08.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hutongs, Beijing
Advantages: convenient location, good service and delicious food. Disadvantages: Expensive.
If you lived in Beijing and you said you don't know Hotel Kunlun people would think you were joking. I have lived in Beijing for over 11 years and visited the hotel many times for business meetings and leisure. Personally I think it's one of the best hotels in Beijing.
Location
The Hotel Kunlun is situated just inside the Third Ring Road of Beijing, which is the main traffic link between the centre of Beijing and the suburbs. Its central location is convenient for visitors and guests. From Hotel Kunlun to Beijing Capital International Airport the distance is 20km, to Tiananmen Square 10 km, to Beijing railway station 8km. It is also surrounded by many embassies, such as USA, Canada, Japan, etc. It's a 10 minute drive to the British Embassy. Last but not least there are many famous and popular department stores, shopping malls ...
Advantages: world class attractions, Friendly people, amazing food Disadvantages: n/a
I arrived into Beijing by train from Mongolia via the trans Siberian express, sadly we arrived just after the Olympics had finished last summer, but the weekend we arrived was a national holiday ? therefore there was lots going on. The train station we arrived was located in the middle of the city and was swarmed with thousands of people at the exit for international arrivals similar to that of a major airport and gave our first impression of the city.
However this crowded mad city impression was forgotten after we arrived at our hotel near the lama temple was soon forgotten as the hotel was very nice and this was budget accommodation, but we had one of the best rooms we had around on our trip around the world. One thing that struck me instantly was that the smog that seems to plague the city was not as bad as I thought it would be, but ...
Star And Director Filmographies, Scene Selection, Original Trailer, Nick Bradshaw Film Notes, World Cinema Trailer Reel
Aspect Ratio
Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital
Professional reviews
Review
...Superb and harrowing....BEIJING BICYCLE moves adroitly with the emotional impact of a steamroller... (Los Angeles Times, 2002-01-25)
"...Superb and harrowing....BEIJING BICYCLE moves adroitly with the emotional impact of a steamroller..." (Los Angeles Times, p.C34, 25/01/2002)
...A humane and tender chronicle of the lives of desperate people....Austere and unforgettable... (Movieline, 2002-02-01)
"...A humane and tender chronicle of the lives of desperate people....Austere and unforgettable..." (Movieline, p.41, 01/02/2002)
...Mr. Wang has a graceful, almost classical sense of perspective....BEIJING BICYCLE is at once somber and mysterious, comical and sad... (New York Times, 2002-01-25)
"...Mr. Wang has a graceful, almost classical sense of perspective....BEIJING BICYCLE is at once somber and mysterious, comical and sad..." (New York Times, p.E33, 25/01/2002)
...The camerawork is immensely stylish and assured, with gorgeous use of colour... (Sight and Sound, 2002-07-01)
"...The camerawork is immensely stylish and assured, with gorgeous use of colour..." (Sight and Sound, p.38-9, 01/07/2002)
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since
16/04/2005
DVD Description
Wang Xiaoshuai's moving, emotional BEIJING BICYCLE tells the story of a young country boy, Guei (Cui Lin), who comes to the big city determined to make it. He soon finds a job as a bike messenger in which he gets a small percentage of each delivery, working hard to build up enough credit to eventually own the bike for himself. As he grows closer to his goal, the bike is stolen and ultimately winds up in the hands of Jian (Li Bin), a poor city boy who sees the bike as his only way to make friends and impress the girl he loves. With both boys claiming the bike is theirs, a series of fights ensues over what is more than just a bike--it has become a symbol of success, power, and greed in a changing country. Lin and Bin are excellent as the two boys battling over the bike; it is heartbreaking to watch Lin keep a tight hold of the bike even as Bin and his friends beat him senseless. Cinematographer Lui Jie depicts a very different China, one that is filled with dangerous, meandering alleys and frightening poverty. The film, almost devoid of color save for a young woman's red dress and shoes, is reminiscent of Vittori De Sica's BICYCLE THIEF and Peter Yates's BREAKING AWAY; the freedom the bicycle represents overwhelms both young boys as they risk their lives to hold on to it. The film won a Silver Berlin Bear for its honest, gritty, heartfelt depiction of a Beijing that is not often seen in the West.
Compare Beijing Bicycle (DVD) to other similar World Cinema »
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