Diaspora in Borderlands: 두만강 (Dooman River)

The Dooman River flows between China and North Korea, serving as a natural border. Despite sharing ancestry and language, the residents on each side have distinct nationalities and vastly different lifestyles. Named after this icey body of water, Zhang Lu’s Dooman River presents a minimalist portrayal of a harsh, politically fraught corner of East Asia. Through the eyes of a 12-year-old Chinese boy, we enter the Chinese-Korean borderlands and witness a series of events surrounding exile, defection, alienation, and the search for a home. (WZF)