Chinatown

The Chinese economic engine stutters in Sweden

Chinatown The Chinese global machine has been invited to revitalise the ailing Swedish town of Kalmar. The town's mayor has invited a Chinese company to build a trade centre and 300 homes. But all does not go to plan. In fact, the project goes disastrously wrong, with everyone losing out. An amusing and deeply relevant film, which shows the fault lines that emerge when the tigers of the developing world try to expand into Europe.
Starvation wages, no health and safety, slapdash planning and a charismatic front man all define the Chinese operation in Kalmar. "Why are they not wearing the proper work shoes?". The Chinese workers laugh with bemusement. The exasperated Swedish safety officer raises his voice; "Next time you don't have the right shoes I'll send you back to China!" His face is rigid with frustration. The Chinese translator sighs. The workers' faces are simply impassive; they don't appear to care. Promises were made to do this the Swedish way, but it appears old habits die hard.

"Invest in Kalmar Sweden, a whole new future awaits you!" When Mr Luo proposed a trade-centre run by Chinese workers there was excitement on both sides. The Mayor of Kalmar, Johan Persson, described it as "win win". In fact, for the people of Kalmar, the proposition appeared the last chance to rejuvenate their town, ravaged by a dwindling population, rising unemployment and total economic stagnation. Meanwhile, for the Chinese inhabitants of Luo's town, Yiwu, it was a golden ticket to a promised land. Now, however, it has become blatantly clear that neither side knew what they were dealing with. "At this rate we won't start for five years", says Mr Luo in a tense meeting with Swedish officials. The Chinese wanted to start building before getting their permits. The project has pitted Chinese raw capitalism against Swedish bureaucracy.

There are miscommunications here that go beyond mere language difficulties. The Chinese and the Swedes are a mismatch that globalisation has brought together. "Kalmar will become a city of several hundred thousand": it was this kind of blind optimism that lead Persson, the Mayor, and Luo, the developer, to strike a deal and ignore the warning signs. "Every time you talk to him your confidence grows", Persson says as Luo pushes through a wasteful opening ceremony for a building that is not finished.

When Persson was asked whether they had considered the worst-case scenario he replied, "we will have learned a lot". One year on and Mr Luo has disappeared, owing the Municipality $1 million and the construction firm NCC nearly $2 million. The Chinese, of course, have lost even more. Some of the workers who made the journey to Sweden have been left stranded. This cultural collision has come at great cost to both sides.

Laurel Selected for IDFA, 2010

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FULL SYNOPSIS

The Producers


Ronja was born in Beijing in 1973 and moved to Sweden in 1989 with her family at the age of 16. She studied documentary film-making in Sweden and has made several films for Swedish television during the last ten years. With roots in both China and Europe, Ronja works across borders and is always looking for the contemporary and timeless stories around us. Among her earlier works are: Goodnight Beijing (2006), Berny Blue (2008), the Girl from the Steel Plant (2010).

Making The Film


When I read about Mr. Luo’s project in Kalmar I instantly suspected that there would be some intriguing cultural collisions. Hence, I contacted Mr. Luo and met him in China. He was pleased by my interest and the meeting resulted in me accompanying his construction workers’ on their trip from Shanghai to Sweden. From this point I started to follow the whole affair; from the grand design to the death of a dream – shared by both the Swedes and the Chinese. Thanks to my Chinese and Swedish identity I could access and capture several priceless moments illustrating the cultural clashes that occur in the relentless march towards globalization.

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