Chen Zhang
In the past year, Covid-19 and lockdown forced people to pay more attention to others nearby. As a result, the situation of essential yet lower-end workers became a more visible topic in public discussions in Mandarin mass media. Before going overseas, some Chinese migrant workers experienced a career as flexible as non-skilled workers.
Under this condition, Chen talked with several Chinese chefs working at Asian restaurants in the Netherlands. This film documented her encounter with two chefs, Xiaolou and Yuan. What is the meaning of working abroad for these men? How does overseas life feel like? This film is also about her exploration of herself. In what way should we understand a flexible career like this?
Trailer
Bio
Chen Zhang is 23 years old. She studied Anthropology in her bachelor intending to understand others better. She has also worked as a graphic designer and a broadcast editor in her student jobs. Regardless of the form she creates content, she always wants to express certain ideas precisely. These desires led her to this master program.
These migrant workers’ stories guided her to explore herself. People might share a similar sense of self no matter what kind of life they are living. Nobody is an island. This is the biggest thing she has learned this year.