THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
City Pulse: Sensing Urban Space in China
Published on March 23, 2023
City Pulse: Sensing Urban Space in China
城市脉动：觉察中国的城市空间
A University of Chicago film and media event, featuring contemporary Chinese independent films and multimedia art
March 28th-April 15th, 2022
Online Streaming + Zoom Q&A with filmmakers!
Over the past few decades, China has experienced rapid urbanization that has completely shifted the look and function of urban space, as well as the relationship between rural and urban life. Especially since the turn of the century, contemporary Chinese cityscapes have become increasingly complicated, amorphous, chaotic, and contested. Independent filmmakers and animators are continuously re-negotiating what the cityscape entails and how to portray it via the moving image. Seeing through their creative eyes, we come to detect various pulses in modern Chinese urban life vibrating with much imagination. As a way to resonate with this city pulse, from March 28th to April 15th (Week 1-3 of Spring Quarter), a series of Chinese independent films and animations for streaming, paired with Zoom conversations with the following filmmakers and artists will be showcased:
Featured Films
- A River Runs, Turns, Erases, Replaces (2021) by Zhu Shengze
朱声仄 《河流，奔跑着，倒映着》
- Available for online streaming on April 8 (Friday) and April 13 (Wednesday) 6:00PM - 9:00PM CT.
- Register here for access links!
- The New Classic of Mountains and Seas (2007-2017) by Qiu Anxiong
邱黯雄 《新山海经》
- Available March 28 through April 15, with a 3-week time span to watch at your leisure
- Hands oh Hands, Let it be Bigger and Bigger (2013), Magic Cube and Ping-Pong (2009), and Pears or Aliens (2008) by Lei Lei (official artist website here)
雷磊 《大手啊大手，越大越好》、《彩色魔方与乒乓球》与《鸭梨还是外星人》
- Available March 28 through April 15, with a 3 week time span to watch at your leisure
- Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains (2019), by Gu Xiaogang
顾晓刚 《春江水暖》
- Available for online streaming from April 4 to April 15, with a 2 week time span to watch at your leisure
All films will be available via Panopto, unless otherwise specified. See links below:
The New Classic of Mountains and Seas: https://uchicago.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Sessions/List.aspx?folderID=99c52a0d-de39-4e78-8ea8-ae65017df70a
Magic Cube: https://uchicago.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=1be82cd6-0626-42ae-9a08-ae6501228732
Pears or Aliens: https://uchicago.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=745a3e91-9aac-4b43-ae07-ae6501228727
Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains: https://uchicago.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=19d72145-1608-48a4-9777-ae6f0137411c
Zoom Q&A
- Lei Lei and Qiu Anxiong’s panel will take place on April 4, 2022, 7:15 PM CT. (Please note: this panel will be held in Mandarin)
- Zhu Shengze’s panel will be moderated by University of Chicago Humanities Teaching Fellow Dave Burnham, on April 14, 2022, 6 PM CT.
Zoom Link: https://uchicago.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwsdO2tqj0vGdFrmtZkk_lS7z8A2AhXv92Q
⚠️It is respectfully requested that all audience members adhere to copyright laws protecting the films screened at City Pulse and refrain from photographing, recording, or sharing the videos with people outside UChicago.
This series is sponsored by the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Chicago with support from a Title VI National Resource Center Grant from the U.S. Department of Education and co-sponsored with the Department of Cinema and Media Studies.
PLEASE DIRECT ALL INQUIRIES PERTAINING TO THIS PROGRAM TO LILIAN KONG.
