Wang Jiu-Liang: Beijing Besieged by Waste
Documentary Film Screening & Post-Screening Discussion with the Director*
28 September 2017 19:00-21:30 @ LT4 Esther Lee Building, CUHK
Open to the public. No registration required.
About the Film
In people's minds, “Beijing” is a large, modern city with a GDP amounting to $10,000 per capita. This ancient city is rich in history and culture, with clean streets and scenic parks…but is it really as beautiful as it appears? Perhaps we need to ask a simple question: Where has all the waste generated every day by a population of over 20 million people gone?
In October 2008, independent photographer WANG Jiu-liang set off on a two-year journey to nearly 500 dumps around Beijing on his motorcycle. The images and videos he took completely crush the beauty of Beijing before our eyes! WANG emphatically reveals through his lens: Beijing has become a city besieged by waste!
Wang Jiu-liang is an artist and filmmaker born in Anqiu, Shandong in 1976. He is a graduate of the School of Cinematic Arts at the Communication University of China. From 2007 to 2008, he created the photography series China’s Traditions in Worshiping Gods and Spirits. Wang has been engaged in the investigation into garbage pollution surrounding Beijing since 2008. In 2011, he finished BEIJING BESIEGED BY WASTE, a set of photography works and a documentary with the same name. From 2012 to present, he has been working on the documentary PLASTIC CHINA.
Filmography
-Beijing Besieged by Waste (垃圾圍城), China, 2011. Documentary, 72 minutes.
-Plastic China (塑料王國), China, 2016. Documentary, 86 minutes.
*Post-screening discussion will be conducted in Putonghua.
Poster