College of Education Chinese Migrant Documentary Screening and Panel

Join us for a special screening of Fen, the latest work by award-winning independent documentary filmmaker Jiang Nengjie. This powerful documentary captures the daily struggles and striving of Lao Li, Lianzi and their two sons, a migrant family separated (fen) by household registration-based school admission policies in Chinese super cities.

Their elder son, Manshan, faces the high-stakes challenge of the high school entrance exam, a test that will shape his educational prospects. Meanwhile, the parents fight to accumulate enough points under local policies to secure a household registration—both scores determining whether the family will reunite or remain divided. Through intimate storytelling, Fen sheds light on the emotional and bureaucratic barriers that define the lives of migrant families in China.

Following the screening, WSU staff and faculty member Min Yu will lead a panel of distinguished Chinese scholars in a discussion on the film’s themes, the structural challenges faced by migrant families, and the broader implications for education and social mobility in contemporary China.

Chinese Visiting Faculty: 

Dr. Jun Teng, Beijing Normal University 

Dr. Xin Xiang, Beijing Normal University 

Dr. Yun You, East China Normal University 

Dr. Liang Cheng, East China Normal University 

Dr. Xin Yang, Northwest China Normal University 

Dr. Miao Li, Shandong University

Additionally, we will welcome filmmaker Jiang Nengjie via Zoom for a live Q&A, providing a unique opportunity to engage with his creative process and insights.

Schedule of Evening:

5:00 pm - 5:30 pm | Pre-glow refreshments and mingle

5:30 pm - 7:00 pm | Airing of documentary

7:00 pm - 8:00 pm | Live Q&A with filmmaker Jiang Nengjie and panel

The event was made possible in part by funding from the College of Education, Office of Alumni Relations, and the Dr. June G. Yackness and Irvin H. Yackness Endowed Lectureship Series.  

About the Dr. June G. Yackness and Irvin H. Yackness Endowed Lectureship Series  

The Dr. June G. Yackness and Irvin H. Yackness Endowed Lectureship Series was created in 2015 in honor of June G. Yackness — a College of Education alumna and an adjunct professor in its Division of Theoretical and Behavioral Foundations — by her husband Irvin H. Yackness. Proceeds from the fund support a visiting lectureship within the Wayne State University College of Education on an annual basis.