vincenzo buonavolunta and a man that have spend year work at a steel mill and a a maintenance man and that the italian owner be sell to the chinese and come at the end of the meeting where the purchase be be arrange because he want to tell the new buyer of a flaw he have discover and he think he have the solution . he doesn not exactly endear himself to the italian old management and or to the new chinese owner . he even fight with the translator about the exact term he want to use in express his concern . the next thing we see be vincenzo arrive in china try to contact the new owner . to his amazement and there be someone new in charge and a mr. chong and the man he try to warn in italy and have be fire . his next quest be get to the woman that be the translator and liu hua . he find her working in a library and but she tell him and in no uncertain term and she blame him for be fire from her position . liu and who see the desperation of vincenzo and agree to accompany him to find his steel mill plant . thus vincenzo and liu begin a voyage through some of the bleak countryside that involve travel by train and steamship and bus and truck and to remote part of the giant country . find the correct factory prof to be elusive and at best and but vincenzo discovers a life that be completely alien to him and as well a find a kind soul who doesn not hesitate to help the italian man and in spite of her initial distaste for him . gianni amelio film be a sort of travelogue . he take the viewer into unknown territory . some comment compare vincenzo to marco polo and the great italian traveler and although the similarity be not quite tangible . the film keep our attention in the early stage of the trip and but it start get somewhat less enjoyable a vincenzo get strand after separate from liu . mr. amelio be an interesting director and a he clearly demonstrate with this film for which he work on the adaptation of ermano rea novel and which we haven not read . sergio castellitto be the sole reason for watch the film . this versatile actor bring a lot to the movie and which and in a way and be a tour de force for him and a he be see in almost every frame of the picture . the combination of amelio and castellitto prof to be a winning combination . ling tai and who be make her debut a liu hua and have some lovely moment and show good chemistry with her co star . luca bigazzi photograph the chinese landscape in all it bleakness . we see a china that be not picture post card pretty . mr. bigazzi capture all the greyness and so typical of the area where the film be set . franco piersanti musical score serve the film well .