Documentary backdrop image for Demolition Workers (1997)

Documentary backdrop image for Demolition Workers (1997)

199718 minPGdoc-short

8.0/ 10(1 rating)• TMDB

Demolition Workers

199718 minPGdoc-short

8.0/ 10(1 rating)• TMDB

Rural workers migrate to an unnamed city, contributing to its rapid development while often dressed in simple clothing and with limited education.

Genres

Director

Synopsis

Rural workers migrate to an unnamed city, contributing to its rapid development while often dressed in simple clothing and with limited education.

People

Hu Jie

Synopsis

Rural workers in an unnamed city contribute to rapid urban development between 1997 and 1998. Dressed in simple clothing, many have only completed elementary school. They play vital roles in constructing tall buildings and highways. Directed by Hu Jie, "Demolition Workers" is part of the "Farmers Working in the City" series. The film contrasts the city’s prosperity with the sacrifices made by its labor force.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Migrant Workers - China (2007)

Migrant Workers - China

More than 100 million people have moved from rural areas to cities in China, often working illegally and facing harsh living conditions.

Migrant Workers - China

Concrete Jungle - Japan (2008)

Concrete Jungle - Japan

Each year, Osaka generates nearly $700 billion in goods and services, yet thousands of unemployed men in Kamagasaki struggle to find work.

Concrete Jungle - Japan

In China Overpopulation and Unemployment Go Hand in Hand (2016)

In China Overpopulation and Unemployment Go Hand in Hand

130 million people leave their farms in China each year to work as migrant laborers in cities, facing tough economic conditions and job competition.

In China Overpopulation and Unemployment Go Hand in Hand

From Tech Dreams to Real Estate Ruins (2025)

From Tech Dreams to Real Estate Ruins

Evergrande, once the world's most indebted developer, amassed $300 billion in debt, reflecting the precarious state of China's real estate market.

From Tech Dreams to Real Estate Ruins

Uncovering China's Hidden Dissident Movement (2023)

Uncovering China's Hidden Dissident Movement

Hua Ze, a Chinese citizen, navigates police harassment and corruption while engaging with dissidents and citizen journalism in her fight against injustice.

Uncovering China's Hidden Dissident Movement

China's Disaster Zones: Civilian Rescuers (2026)

China's Disaster Zones: Civilian Rescuers

In China's disaster zones, volunteer rescuers work tirelessly to locate survivors amid the rubble left by devastating earthquakes.

China's Disaster Zones: Civilian Rescuers

Extreme Jobs: Avalanche Cameraman, Coral Hunter, Demolition Manager | Retro Doc (2020)

Extreme Jobs: Avalanche Cameraman, Coral Hunter, Demolition Manager | Retro Doc

Avalanche cameramen, coral hunters, and demolition managers navigate extreme risks in their professions, showcasing the challenges and rewards of their dangerous jobs.

Extreme Jobs: Avalanche Cameraman, Coral Hunter, Demolition Manager | Retro Doc

Urban Farmers (2025)

Urban Farmers

New York City once had farms that supplied food to Manhattan, but as the city grew, agricultural land largely disappeared.

Left Behind: The Human Cost of China's Industrial Rise (2026)

Left Behind: The Human Cost of China's Industrial Rise

In Shanxi Province, China, a landscape photographer reveals the severe human impact of industrialization, highlighting birth defects linked to pollution.

Left Behind: The Human Cost of China's Industrial Rise

The Wrecking Crew – Demolition Pros in Action (2021)

The Wrecking Crew – Demolition Pros in Action

850 cubic meters of concrete are removed and reprocessed after a Bavarian demolition crew successfully tears down a bridge over the A8 Autobahn.

The Wrecking Crew – Demolition Pros in Action

The True Cost of Clothing - True Story Documentary Channel (2021)

The True Cost of Clothing - True Story Documentary Channel

The clothing industry has seen a decline in prices over decades, while the human and environmental costs, highlighted by figures like Stella McCartney and Vandana Shiva, have surged dramatically.

The True Cost of Clothing - True Story Documentary Channel

Greeks Are Returning To The Countryside (2016)

Greeks Are Returning To The Countryside

Eight tons of gourmet snails are harvested by two agricultural scientists who returned to their village in Greece after losing city jobs during the economic crisis.

Greeks Are Returning To The Countryside

Explore Demolition Workers

Browse more like this

From Tech Dreams to Real Estate Ruins (2025)

From Tech Dreams to Real Estate Ruins

Evergrande, once the world's most indebted developer, amassed $300 billion in debt, reflecting the precarious state of China's real estate market.

From Tech Dreams to Real Estate Ruins

No digital watch option in your country

China's Disaster Zones: Civilian Rescuers (2026)

China's Disaster Zones: Civilian Rescuers

In China's disaster zones, volunteer rescuers work tirelessly to locate survivors amid the rubble left by devastating earthquakes.

China's Disaster Zones: Civilian Rescuers

No digital watch option in your country

Extreme Jobs: Avalanche Cameraman, Coral Hunter, Demolition Manager | Retro Doc (2020)

Extreme Jobs: Avalanche Cameraman, Coral Hunter, Demolition Manager | Retro Doc

Avalanche cameramen, coral hunters, and demolition managers navigate extreme risks in their professions, showcasing the challenges and rewards of their dangerous jobs.

Extreme Jobs: Avalanche Cameraman, Coral Hunter, Demolition Manager | Retro Doc

No digital watch option in your country

Urban Farmers (2025)

Urban Farmers

New York City once had farms that supplied food to Manhattan, but as the city grew, agricultural land largely disappeared.

No digital watch option in your country

The True Cost of Clothing - True Story Documentary Channel (2021)

The True Cost of Clothing - True Story Documentary Channel

The clothing industry has seen a decline in prices over decades, while the human and environmental costs, highlighted by figures like Stella McCartney and Vandana Shiva, have surged dramatically.

The True Cost of Clothing - True Story Documentary Channel

No digital watch option in your country

Demolition (2008)

Demolition

2008•1h2m•★9.0TMDB

A teenager in Chengdu states, "If the old doesn't go, the new never comes," reflecting the city's rapid transformation amid urban change.

Workingman's Death (2015)

Workingman's Death

2015•2h2m•★7.0TMDB

Workers in Ukraine face dangerous conditions in illegal mines, while Indonesia's sulphur miners endure extreme challenges in their daily labor.

Workingman's Death

24 City (2008)

24 City

2008•1h48m•★7.0TMDB

A state-owned factory in Chengdu, China, is demolished to make way for a luxury apartment complex, marking a significant change for its former workers.

Youth (Spring) (2023)

Youth (Spring)

2023•3h32m•★6.9TMDB

Over 300,000 migrant workers from various rural provinces produce children's clothing in Zhili, a district in Huzhou City, Zhejiang province, China.

Dong (2006)

Dong

2006•1h5m•★5.6TMDB

A 10-meter-long painting project captures the lives of laborers in Fengjie, China, and sex workers in Bangkok, Thailand.

Last Days in Shibati (2018)

Last Days in Shibati

2018•1h•★7.1TMDB

A 7-year-old boy known as the "little prince of the streets" prepares to leave his neighborhood in Chongqing, China, facing imminent demolition.

Last Days in Shibati

Youth (Hard Times) (2025)

Youth (Hard Times)

2025•3h47m•★8.0TMDB

Young workers in Zhili face low wages and poor conditions in the textile industry while fighting for their rights from 2015 to 2019.

Youth (Hard Times)

Grateful Dawg (2000)

Grateful Dawg

2000•1h21m•★6.0TMDB

In 1964, Jerry Garcia and David Grisman met at a Pennsylvania club to see Bill Monroe perform, marking the beginning of their musical collaboration.

Good (2018)

Good

2018•1h23m•★6.6TMDB

A diverse group of artists, including poets, writers, and painters, collaborate with musician Rodolphe Burger to examine creativity and artistic expression.

Houjie Township (2002)

Houjie Township

2002•1h31m•★6.5TMDB

Migrant workers in Houjie Township face constant layoffs as the area transforms from a rural village into an industrial hub fueled by Taiwanese and Hong Kong investments.

Houjie Township

The Road (2015)

The Road

2015•1h35m•★8.5TMDB

Over four years, migrant workers in Hunan face harsh conditions while constructing a new highway that transforms a quiet village.

Wheat Harvest (2008)

Wheat Harvest

2008•1h38m•★6.8TMDB

A 20-year-old woman returns to her rural hometown in Hebei Province during wheat harvest after working as a prostitute in Beijing.

Browse more by Hu Jie

View all films →

The White Ribbon (2004)

The White Ribbon

2004

The East Wind State Farm (2009)

The East Wind State Farm

2009

The Woman Matchmaker (2003)

The Woman Matchmaker

2003

Red Art (2008)

Red Art

2008

Survival or Destruction (2005)

Survival or Destruction

2005

The Silent Nu River (2005)

The Silent Nu River

2005

1968 Movement of Educated Youths Going to the Countryside and Mountains (2018)

1968 Movement of Educated Youths Going to the Countryside and Mountains

2018

Bask in Sunshine (2003)

Bask in Sunshine

2003

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →