Documenting 'The Chinese Century' through 'The Chinese Will Come' (Brzaković, 2018)

• In Event: (Post)Yugoslav Cinema: “Prague School” and Its Legacy

Abstract

The idea of the 21st century being “The Chinese Century” recognizes the dominance of Chinese economic power. Contemporarily, signs of deepening Sino-Serbian entanglements abound broadly in media, politics, Chinese-funded infrastructure projects, and Chinese-owned shops and restaurants, while Chinese soft power persists through the work of Confucius centers and the newly constructed Chinese Cultural Center in Belgrade. However, the voices and experiences of the Chinese people in Serbia are much more hidden, despite a connection to the region that now spans decades. With an eye toward addressing the human element of “The Chinese Century” observable in Serbia, I turn to the 2018 film The Chinese Will Come by Tanja Brzaković—a film that documents the lives of families from China living and working in and around Belgrade during Chinese president Xi Jinping’s visit to Serbia in 2016.

Author

• Sunnie Trine'e Rucker-Chang, Ohio State U