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In the early 1980's, China was just emerging from the repressive Cultural Revolution which very nearly stamped out much Chinese classical and folk music-three thousand year-old traditions. Cautiously, musicians, singers, composers and conductors were re-emerging, returning from exile and beginning to revive some of the suppressed music, all under the vigilant gaze of suspicious government officials. Into this moment of regeneration came director Jeremy Marre on a quest to capture the true musical traditions of China. Constantly battling to avoid the dull "official" musical ensembles he traveled to Shanghai, Beijing, and the Islamic, far northwestern region of Xinjian. In Peking he was able to film Want Wen Guang, one of the less than 100 Chinese who can still play the quqin, an ancient zither-like instrument, in a stirring, passionate performance. Later he encounters Mo Zhong, a Taoist priest, and a temple drummer Mo Zhong, whose hands were broken during the Cultural Revolution in order to keep him from playing, as well as a young master of the pipa, a traditional lute, who managed to perform brilliantly despite conditions which kept him from practicing. In the Islamic northwest, a very different China is encountered, a China where music and dance still flows freely, as captured here in a wild wedding celebration, Cotton Mill Shanghai Blues is a thought-provoking documentary of a dormant, ancient musical culture finally re-emerging.
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