The End of Bitterness

The End of Bitterness explores the phenomenon of begging and the positionality of beggars in the rapidly changing Chinese society. The film follows the lives of three individuals: a former village-chief who became a beggar after growing tired of local politics, a retired farmer who begs to earn money to send her grandson to school, and a middle-aged man who turned to begging after an earthquake destroyed his family’s home. Through these three episodic vignettes, we are offered a window into the everyday lives of beggars, both in the cities where they work and in the rural communities that they call home.