The film “Jiang Shan Jiao” is made of three videos : ERROR, Name & Alias, Dead Women Gallery.

 

This project started in November 2020, when people had to be isolated at home and face their four walls everyday during COVID-19. The ideas for the project emerged earlier, when the "unknown virus" first attacked China. Yinfu Gao as a Chinese student studying in Germany began paying attention to a series of chain events on social media in China in November 2019.

 

“Jiang Shan Jiao”, a virtual female idol created by the Chinese Communist Youth League in February 2020 as part of its political propaganda during China's first Corona lockdown. She only survived for 4 hours on the internet, receiving not welcome and idolatry as planned, but thousands of aggressive comments, for example :

 

„Jiang Shan Jiao, are you a virgin?“

„Jiang Shan Jiao, do you need to shave your head for your country?“

„Jiang Shan Jiao, will you lose your name and become someone’s daughter, someone’s wife, someone’s mother ?“

„Jiang Shan Jiao, do you work hard so that you little brother has the money to buy his house?“

“Jiang Shan Jiao, you are lesbian because no man wants to fuck you?

 

The comments have turned “Jiang Shan Jiao”, this virtual image of a pure, perfect and adorable young woman into an ugly, desperate and filthy one, not to attack her as a woman, but to reveal the tragic facts and cliches that women in China face in reality, and to criticise the political situation and the inappropriate propaganda during the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unexpectedly, by calling her name and commenting on her, people gave „Jiang Shan Jiao“ a „herstory“—— an untold and ignored history of women, which in turn makes „Jiang Shan Jiao“ alive. At the same time, propaganda to the people turned into protest from the people .

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Premiere in Gießen Theatermaschine Festival 2021 by ATW Institute.

Participated in several art festivals :

Videofenster Ehrenfeld 2021;

Gießener Auftritte 2021 by Stadttheater Gießen ;

Frankfurt International Womxn theaterfestival 2021 ;

Kunststrasse Imst 2021;

STATE 13 festival in Hildesheim;

Visionale-Hessen Film festival in Frankfurt

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Concept / Text / Choreography / Performer :  Yinfu Gao 

Camera & Editing : Talisa Frenschkowski, Simon Lenzen

Lighting Design: Simon Lenzen

Audio Design & Dramaturgy : Jannis Wulle

Dance dramaturgy : Ana Clara Montenegro 

Voice : Yinfu Gao, Jannis Wulle, Judith Bethke