Synopsis

San Yuan Li (2003)
41 min, Cantonese and Putonghua with Chinese and English subtitles, Digital, China

The San Yuan Li villagers’ 1841 revolt against the British Army during the First Opium War is widely considered a revolutionary example of Chinese anti-colonial action. In 2003, the Guangzhou-based film and video collective U-thèque documented contemporary San Yuan Li, a Guangzhou neighbourhood experiencing drug problems and social dysfunction, which was targeted for major government social reform.

Includes a post-screening discussion with co-director Ou Ning.

Ou Ning (Chinese, b.1969) is a multidisciplinary arts practitioner and social activist. His films and artworks are the product of his urban research. Informed by his advocacy of ruralism in China, his work documents how urbanisation, the environment and its inhabitants intersect.

Cao Fei (Chinese, b.1978) is a Beijing-based visual artist and filmmaker. She works within a range of mediums including film, performance, and installation to create works that often meld fictional scenarios with contemporary Chinese realities.