Lining (2021) examines the rise-and-fall of the textile industry in Hong Kong against shifts in labor, technology, and capital between the ex-British colony and mainland China between 1946 and 1997. Beginning with the displacement of Shanghai’s cotton mills to Hong Kong on the eve of the Communist takeover of mainland China, the narrative proceeds into the Reform era, during which Hong Kong’s industrial base was, in turn, relocated to the mainland. Weaving together archival material, interviews with former factory workers and managers, and documentary footage shot between Hong Kong and Guangdong, the film describes the transformation of Hong Kong from an industrial to a financial hub based on the trade of real estate. In doing so it traces the material networks that connected the city to the mainland long before the official launch of China’s economic reforms.
