[2] The apartment complex featured in the film is an actual development (also called "24 City") built on the former site of an airplane engine manufacturing facility.

[5] 24 City made its debut shown in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

The consensus reads, "One of China's most talented directors blurs the lines between non-fiction, drama, and musical theater in this vivid portrait of a country in cultural flux.

"[5] The New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis gave the film a rave and stated "...the often amazing and intricately structured '24 City,' the latest from the Chinese director Jia Zhang-ke...shot in digital so sharp it looks hyper-real and projected digitally, the movie takes as its point of departure the closing of a state-owned munitions factory in southwest China... Mr. Jia is one of the most original filmmakers working today, creating movies about a country that seems like a sequel.

"[13] Anthony Kaufman of IndieWire praised the film and states "Jia's masterful aesthetic remains consistent, mixing documentary and fiction with intriguing results.