Taxi vs Taxi

In 2008, Danwei published a clip from a documentary called The Last Breadbox by Sam Voutas showing city-wide spontaneous celebrations on the streets of Beijing after the city won the hosting rights for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Shot in summer 2001, the film follows three taxi drivers in Beijing as the city gears up for the Olympic bid. The three drivers are: a retrenched man in his 50s who grew up during the Cultural Revolution, a mother of an 8 year old daughter who dreams of opening a restaurant, and a carefree man in his 30s obsessed with tropical fish.

There are scenes of street celebrations and flag waving when Beijing wins the bid. Beijing rock band Shazi’s (沙子) song “Our Current Healthy Little Aspirations” features prominently on the soundtrack. The film was released in 2002.

Fast forward to last weekend. A film called Beijing Taxi by Miao Wang premiered at the SXSW festival in Austin Texas yesterday.

It’s a documentary that follows three taxi drivers in Beijing as the city gears up for the Olympics. One driver is in his mid 50s and came of age during the Cultural Revolution. The second, a mother of a young daughter, dreams of opening a clothing store. The

third driver is an optimistic man in his late thirties who goes fishing.

There are scenes of street celebrations and flag waving on the night of the opening ceremony. Beijing rock band Shazi’s song “Our Current Healthy Little Aspirations” features prominently on the soundtrack.

Co-incidence?