In this blog post, we compare Jia Zhangke’s documentary ‘Dong’ and his feature film ‘Still Life’ to examine how these two works blur the lines between documentary and fiction.

Film Introduction

‘Dong’ is a documentary by director Jia Zhangke that follows the creative process of Chinese contemporary painter Liu Xiaodong. Set against the backdrop of demolition work at the Three Gorges Dam construction site, the film quietly observes the 11 laborers whom the painter uses as models for his work, as well as 11 young female models in Bangkok, Thailand. The incessant sound of hammers, crumbling walls, and the tragedies that unfold during the process—including the death of a worker—are captured through the language of detached observation. Liu Xiaodong leaves to find his family, and moments of grief and consolation among his relatives are reflected in the subtle interactions between the painter and those around him.
‘Still Life’ is a feature film by the same director, Jia Zhangke, starring Han Sanming and Zhao Tao. The central character is Sanming, a man who has come to Sanxia to find his wife and daughter, whom he left 16 years ago. His journey unfolds amid a submerged home and indifferent relatives, as he works at a redevelopment site by day and searches for his family by night. Xian Hong, another woman who has come to Sanxia to find her husband, discovers that there is already someone else by his side, and the two stand alone by the riverbank, gazing at the flowing water. The film offers a cool, unflinching gaze at the human wreckage left behind by personal loss and urban redevelopment.

Reason for Selection

One trend in 21st-century cinema is the blurring of boundaries as documentary and fictional elements intermingle. Directors such as Jafar Panahi, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and Jia Zhangke exemplify this trend, creating genre hybrids by introducing the factuality or observational stance of documentary into fiction films, or conversely, by incorporating dramatic devices into documentaries. Personally, I have been interested in experimenting with these boundaries, and this comparative study began from that motivation. I judged that Jia Zhangke’s documentary ‘Dong’ and his feature film ‘Still Life’ are appropriate cases for exploring genre boundaries, as they share interconnected scenes and characters.
Considering the context of this documentary course, this paper will focus on a comparative analysis of ‘Dong’, while ‘Still Life’ will be discussed not through a full plot summary but through key sequences and narratives that demonstrate how the two works are intertwined.

Summary of ‘Dong’ Sequences

Opening Sequence: Upon arriving in Sansha by boat, Liu Xiaodong is overwhelmed by both the breathtaking scenery of Sansha and the massive demolition and construction sites underway. The title appears as these scenes intercut.
Sequence 1 – The Workers and Liu Xiaodong, Who Paints Them: Workers with sun-darkened skin tear down empty houses at the demolition site, and Liu Xiaodong selects 11 of them as models for his work. He dresses the workers in work clothes and has them strike various poses, seeking to capture his affection for young bodies and humanity on canvas. Throughout the process, there are also interviews in which he discusses his artistic philosophy.
Sequence 2 – An Accident at the Demolition Site: During dangerous demolition work, a worker is crushed under a pile of bricks and loses his life. That worker was one of the 11 models Liu had been painting, and the incident brings Liu’s work to an immediate halt.
Sequence 3 – Liu Xiaodong Returns to His Hometown: On a rainy day, Liu embarks on a long journey by boat to the hometown of the deceased worker. After various twists and turns along the way, he finally arrives at the hometown, where he meets the bereaved family to offer his condolences and deliver photographs and gifts. The tears and emotional connection between family members captured at that moment are recorded on camera. Upon returning to Sanxia, Liu is unable to continue his work.
Sequence 4 – Female Models in Bangkok: Upon arriving in Bangkok, Thailand, Liu resumes his work with 11 local women as models. Scenes of the city’s landscape intercut with his work sessions, unfolding a series of portraits within a different cultural context.
Sequence 5 – The Camera Follows a Female Model: The camera quietly follows a Thai model as she changes clothes, heads home, checks news reports about flooding in her hometown, and hurriedly departs for her hometown.
Ending Sequence: As he wraps up his work in Thailand, Liu Xiaodong speaks about his artistic aspirations, and the film leaves a lingering impression through the observer’s gaze.

Formal Analysis of ‘Dong’

The film’s camera primarily records three subjects. The first is the painter Liu Xiaodong himself; even in unexpected situations, the camera continues to follow him, capturing the flow of his work and emotions. The second is Liu’s models—demolition workers in Sanxia and women in Bangkok—whose bodies and daily lives are observed and captured on screen. Third are the locations of Sanxia and Bangkok; the redevelopment sites and urban landscapes shape the film’s mood and context.
For this reason, ‘Dong’ primarily takes on the character of an observational documentary. However, moments of direct communication with the artist, such as Liu Xiaodong’s interview scenes, mean it also incorporates some elements of participatory documentary. Overall, the film presents cross-sections of the characters and locations through minimal intervention and long-form observation.

Comparative Analysis and Conclusion of ‘Dong’ and ‘Still Life’

The two works share scenes and characters, skillfully interweaving the relationships between time and space. The scene in ‘Dong’ that reaches its climax with the death of a worker functions as the opening scene in ‘Still Life’, revealing the harsh reality of Sanxia. In other words, the same scene from the same location serves as a single incident in the documentary, while in the feature film, it acts as a catalyst to drive the narrative.
What is even more intriguing is the fact that Han Shanming, the protagonist of ‘Still Life’, is actually one of the models for Liu’s paintings in ‘Dong’. Because a single character appears in both the documentary and the feature film, viewers experience a blurring of temporal and narrative boundaries when viewing the two works side by side. One film may seem like a prequel to the other, while simultaneously giving the impression that two teams filmed the same subject matter in different ways.
This mutual interweaving creates a dynamic interaction between the two works.
When observational scenes from ‘Dong’ are interspersed throughout ‘Still Life’, the dramatic rhythm is disrupted, replaced by a documentary rhythm and realism that shake up the film’s tone. Conversely, when one watches ‘Dong’ with the dramatic situations of ‘Still Life’ in mind, the narrative of the feature film seems to be evoked even within the documentary scenes.
Ultimately, the two works blur the boundaries between one another, using a complex texture that blends documentary and fiction—and at times even fantasy elements—to depict the inhuman reality unfolding in Sansha. This approach demonstrates that genre distinctions are not essential in themselves, offering viewers a unique viewing experience that navigates the space between fact and fiction, documentation and reconstruction.