The Village with a Skyscraper

Jiang Jun's photo series The Village with a Skyscraper on Huaxi village, located in the Jiangsu province, reveals us a precisely lonesome island of "sub-belief" of the post-socialist era.

In a conversation with Jiang Jun many years ago, we tried to grasp how Chinese society drifts between "unsaturated" modernity with Chinese characteristics and compounded uber-modernity through conflicts between China's urban development and rural communities: as the modernization process deconstructed communities' reliance on traditional social structures, the ever changing society that has yet to establish relevant social beliefs and welfare, China may emerge as a sub-belief island. It aims to return and reconnect with the past and the unknown future with its own strength, in addition, bestowing those living there with certain beliefs. In my view, Jiang Jun's photo series The Village with a Skyscraper has revealed to us is precisely the lonesome island of "sub-belief" of the post-socialist era – Huaxi village, propels us to ask the question, "What kind of drive can create such dismal yet humorous scenarios from reality? What kind of drive transforms a theatrical reality into such phenomenon? Of modern pains felt in the past revolutions, the Chinese have been unable to separate its relationship with the ghosts of history.

The Chinese believe in their bones that all worldly matters come in cycles of fortune and disasters. Jiang Jun's documentary Huaxi village has not only put on a "red façade", its touristic and commercial elements also displays its success in making beliefs and economics. Especially, the Arirang performance (Festival Mass Games) has been documented in the Guinness World Record and became a must-see event in Pyongyang. If one takes a closer look at the dialogues in these scenarios, they provoke worrisome concerns of the temporary and melancholic "theme park" sentiments, projecting "a future ruin" prepared for the future. According to our experience, the urbanization movement in China has created many "theme park" style "joyful ruins".

<b>Top</b>: River Factory of the Village. Huaxi cement factory. Among China’s industrial
villages, Huaxi is one of the few with technologyintensive
heavy industries that provide the
foundation for the village’s growth, in contrast to
villages with labour-intensive light industries. <b>Above</b>: Village Factories and Docks. The ore dock at Huaxi cement factory by the
Zhangjiagang River, with Huaxi Steel Factory on the
opposite side — **Top**: River Factory of the Village. Huaxi cement factory. Among China’s industrial villages, Huaxi is one of the few with technologyintensive heavy industries that provide the foundation for the village’s growth, in contrast to villages with labour-intensive light industries. **Above**: Village Factories and Docks. The ore dock at Huaxi cement factory by the Zhangjiagang River, with Huaxi Steel Factory on the opposite side

Obviously, it seems to show a longer lifespan than those "joyful ruins" due to its complex contributing elements, and its foundation is grounded deeper in reality, especially in its relationship to "sub-belief". Through research in geography, economics, politics and cultural angles, Jiang Jun has analyzed the contributing factors of this real phenomenon. With his continuous subject matter of "Super China", Jiang focuses on urban studies in order to express his passion for archaeology on contemporary life; more im- portantly, when his photographer's eyes meet with spaces of reality, the camera transforms into a calm observer, that surveys meticulously the angles and states of existence to eventually delineate a new geology. Through the grim smoggy air, we see his opaque views. They are detailed yet abstract, fragmented and grand, as it resurfaces through the eyes of the photographer. Perhaps we may no longer distinguish it as reality or stage set, just as Zhuangzi's attempt in portraying the concept of time and space in the "Dream of a butterfly". And the ghosts of history, in our unseen future may testify for the land of China was once replete of beautiful dreams, as well as its nightmare in reality. Hu Fang. Fiction writer and artistic director, Vitamin Creative Space, Guangzhou (China)

Note: The allusion of "Dream of a butterfly" is found in Zhuangzi – Uniformity of all Things. Zhuangzi described his dream of becoming a butterfly and a butterfly becoming himself after awaken from the dream. Perhaps we can associate it to historical theories on simulation.

Star-Leader of the Village along the Highway. Huaxi is located within a dense network of rivers and
highways in the Yangtze River Delta. The Shanghai-Nanjing
Highway runs by the village; it takes 1-2 hours to reach
either of the cities. On a billboard that screens the polluting
industrial-scape from the highway, Wu Renbao, the 85-year old
leader of the village, smiles for the journalists with his son
Wu Xie’en, the future leader of the village — Star-Leader of the Village along the Highway. Huaxi is located within a dense network of rivers and highways in the Yangtze River Delta. The Shanghai-Nanjing Highway runs by the village; it takes 1-2 hours to reach either of the cities. On a billboard that screens the polluting industrial-scape from the highway, Wu Renbao, the 85-year old leader of the village, smiles for the journalists with his son Wu Xie’en, the future leader of the village

Designer, editor and critic, Jiang Jun works in urban research and experimental study, exploring the interrelationship between design and the urban dynamic. He founded Underline Office in late 2003 and was the founding editor-in-chief of Urban China Magazine (2005-2010), a multi-dimensional medium that integrates deep-level problems with popular expression, orthodox official discourse with vivid folk narration.

This article was originally published in the catalogue of the third edition of "GD4PhotoArt", a competition for young photographers by invitation only on the theme "Industry, Society and Territory", promoted by G.D and Isabella Seràgnoli Foundation.

The Village with a Skyscraper

Jiang Jun's photo series The Village with a Skyscraper on Huaxi village, located in the Jiangsu province, reveals us a precisely lonesome island of "sub-belief" of the post-socialist era.

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