Director Floris-Jan van Luyn returns to the neighbourhood in Beijing where he used to live in the 1990s as a correspondent for NRC Handelsblad. This old quarter, with its narrow passages, is about to be demolished, because down the road the futuristic looking National Theatre is been built.

De onverboden stad

Rainmakers is an investigative documentary about the decline of China's environment. The story is told from the perspective of four civil activists who refuse to accept the ongoing ecological destruction of their homeland. On the border of heroism and stubbornness, four diverse and remarkable Chinese civilians explain why they have the courage to fight the pettish and aggressive local authorities, against all odds. In a film that takes the natural cycle of water as its visual framework, the polluted air of Beijing and Changsha, the filthy water of the Qiantang river and the advancing sand of the Tengger desert, serve as symbols for an environmental battle with many losers and occasionally some winners.