Lingchi Echoes of a Historical Photograph

Inspired by a photograph taken by a French soldier in the early 1900s of a lingchi execution Chen created a highimpact film that reconstructed this brutal form of punishment for criminals who had committed heinous crimes in feudal China Lingchi Echoes of a Historical Photograph opens with the gruesome execution of a condemned man in extreme slow motion The crowd of witnesses eagerly await to collect blood and pieces of skin Chen interweaves the event with images of the ruins of the Summer Palace after the second Opium War 1860 and also with remnants of abandoned factories and suffering workers While the recurrent appearance of the haunting black wounds on the condemned mans chest connects history with the present it is also a provocative yet cruel metaphor for the cultural and political hegemony from imperialism to the current global context Chens film opens a dialogue with viewers on the ruthless and barbaric events that happen in contemporary society