China Heavyweight (2012)

A documentary on rural teenagers in southwestern China who are recruited as their country's next Olympic hopefuls, with a focus on the coach Qi Moxiang.

Director:

Yung Chang

Writer:

Yung Chang

Stars:

Zongli He, Yunfei Miao, Moxiang Qi

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Zongli He	...	Himself
Yunfei Miao	...	Himself
Moxiang Qi	...	Himself
Ye Xinchun	...	Himself
Zhong Zhao	...	Himself

Storyline

In central China, a Master coach recruits poor rural teenagers and turns them into Western-style boxing champions. Through hard work and discipline, these boys and girls come of age, trained in the art of boxing and the game of life. They are filled with Olympic dreams, hoping to become China's next amateur heroes. But the pull of professionalism also weighs upon their shoulders. Their coach hopes to show them the way. The top student boxers face dramatic choices as they graduate - should they fight for the collective good as amateurs or for themselves and their own personal gain as professionals? It's a metaphor for the choices that everyone faces now, in the New China.

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Genres:

Documentary | Sport

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Eye Steel Film [ca] Official Facebook

Country:

Canada China Finland Japan UK

Language:

Chinese

Release Date:

20 January 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Den kinesiska knytnäven

Filming Locations:

Huili, Liangshan County, Sichuan, China

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$4,004 (USA) (6 July 2012)

Gross:

$10,481 (USA) (14 September 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

CNEX Foundation, Channel 4, Eye Steel Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Chinese title, Qian Chui Bai Lian, is an old idiom that means "to be tried and tested a thousand times over."

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Quotes

Zhong Zhao: If you make the provincial team, you'll be China's official athletes. You'll be the country's people. Don't train hard and you'll be back home farming. Then you'll be no one but your mum's kid.

User Reviews

Wicked outstanding film

This is the film that Yung Chang and the cast and crew have outdone themselves on. the best way to say it is WIcked outstanding. It not only told the story of Moxiang Qi, Dickie Xinchun and the family aspect but was a credit to the real internal and external struggle of never giving up. "China Heavyweight" does proper justice to the hardworking ways and the People of Szetcheun and Zhongli areas.

In this film , the title has a double meaning as not only being a fighter as a boxer but speaks to many that in regular life that being "China Heavyweight" success can happen if you put the work in. The story does have strong female leads in this film that has never been shown in previous boxing based films. It is a cross over to both worlds ( male and female, Young and Old) and those that would usually skip a Boxing based film as it is much more then just that.

I was at screening of "China Heavyweight" in the Beverly Hills theater with Director Yung Chang and main Cast. The Director and cast show their love and passion for this film and how hard they all worked to make this possible in their very warm words and replies to the questions from the audience. In all , a class group of fine professionals and actors put their heart and soul into this one and I hope their efforts are well rewarded when it comes time to nominate and vote for Oscars.