Theres a Strong Wind in Beijing Beijing de feng hen da (1999) dir. Ju Anqi

The pursuit of a personal style is carried out in a radical fashion in Theres a Strong Wind in Beijing. Ju Anqi goes around Beijing and tirelessly poses the same, almost silly questionIs there a strong wind in Beijing to different people in different situations. The artists unmistakable presence highlights the moments of encounter, not just the encounter between the artist and his random interviewees but also the encounter between these interviewees and the viewer, for the viewer is forced to contemplate what his or her reaction would be if he or she were one of them. Indeed, the viewer is invited to think beyond immediate answers, because what is more significant here are not the answers themselves but the ways people choose to answer or not to answer. In a sense, the moments of no answers and no imagessome interviewees did not permit the camera to film thembecome unique moments of encounter: when the dialogue carries on in complete darkness on screen