Part of the documentary film series Visions of a New China at the Asia Society
Beijing Besieged by Waste
Dir. WANG Jiuliang
2011. China. 72 min. Digibeta. English subtitles.
October 29, 2011 – 3:00pm – 4:20pm New York 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY $7 members; $9 students/seniors; $11 nonmembers (Series discount available. Click on series link for more information.)
With a population of about 20 million, the growing city of Beijing produces 30,000 tons of waste each day. Photographer/filmmaker Wang Jiuliang traveled around the city and visited 460 legal and illegal landfills from 2008 to 2010 to document the collection of garbage and excrement, the environmental calamity and the life cycles around these landfills, which include scavengers building a precarious livelihood, green spaces forming on top of waste, and livestock being fed trash. An informative and alarming portrait of urban ecology, the film has earned keen Chinese media coverage and the attention of government officials.
Watch an interview with the filmmaker about this film:
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