Documentary of Ding Shangbiao's Sacrifice | Generated by AI

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Question: What is the story of “含泪活着” (Living with Tears) and Ding Shangbiao?

Answer:

“含泪活着” (known in Japanese as “Nakinagara Ikite” or “Living with Tears”) is a highly acclaimed documentary film directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Liling (Leeling Zhang). Released in theaters in Japan in 2009 (after initial TV broadcast in 2006 on Fuji TV), it chronicles the real-life struggles of Ding Shangbiao, a man from Shanghai, and his family over a span of 15 years. The film, shot over 10 years across China, Japan, and the United States, deeply moved Japanese audiences, breaking viewership records, changing perceptions about Chinese immigrants, and winning awards for its portrayal of perseverance and family sacrifice.

Ding Shangbiao was born in Shanghai in 1954. During the Cultural Revolution, he was sent to the countryside as a “sent-down youth” (zhiqing), where he met his wife, Chen Xinxing. They later returned to Shanghai, married, and had a daughter, Ding Wei (or Ding Lin in some references). Lacking skills or higher education due to the era’s disruptions, Ding faced economic hardships in reform-era China.

In 1989, at age 35, hoping to improve his family’s fortunes, Ding borrowed money (around 42,000 yen, equivalent to significant debt) to study Japanese in Japan, planning to work part-time. He enrolled in a language school in the remote town of Akan, Hokkaido. However, the school was misleading—there were no nearby job opportunities, making it impossible to study while earning money to repay debts. To survive, Ding left the school, moved to Tokyo, and became an undocumented (“illegal”) worker, losing his student visa status.

For the next 15 years (1989–2004), Ding lived as an overstayer in constant fear of deportation. He worked multiple grueling jobs daily—cleaning buildings, construction, factory work, restaurant cooking—often in harsh conditions, living in rundown housing without basic amenities. He sent nearly all his earnings home, enduring long separations from his wife and daughter. Initially aiming for his own success, Ding soon shifted his focus: realizing his own dreams were unattainable, he dedicated everything to funding his daughter’s education, determined she would study abroad properly and avoid his mistakes.

His daughter excelled, graduating from a top Shanghai high school and gaining admission to a medical program at a New York State university (often cited as SUNY or leading to a medical doctorate). The family endured emotional strain—years without reunions, misunderstandings (his wife initially feared he’d abandoned them), and brief, tearful meetings (e.g., 15 hours with his daughter in transit, or 72 hours with his wife).

In 2004, with his daughter nearing graduation and starting a career as a doctor, Ding returned to China at age 50, physically worn (hair thinning, few teeth left). The family reunited. Post-return, Ding worked as a translator in a Japanese company in Kunshan, near Shanghai. Later updates indicate the family immigrated to the United States: his daughter works in a Houston hospital, married with children; Ding and his wife joined her in Houston. By 2020, Ding had retired, learned English, passed the U.S. citizenship exam, and enjoyed travels and family life—transitioning, as some describe, from “living with tears” to “living with smiles.”

The documentary’s power lies in its raw depiction of sacrifice, resilience, and parental love, resonating especially in Japan amid high suicide rates, highlighting Ding’s unyielding spirit. It portrays an ordinary man’s extraordinary determination to change his family’s destiny across generations.

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