IN PUBLIC

A small miner’s town in inland Mongolia, Datung is in danger of being abandoned. What the wave of capitalism first brought to China were places of entertainment, such as saunas and karaoke clubs, and public places, such as bus stops, phone booths, etc. As the director observed the situation in Datung, he couldn’t help asking himself: «The mines are almost dry, the people are about το be forced to move to another town, so where are they getting the money to have fun?» For 45 days, Jia Zhang-Ke filmed the daily life of the people of Datung, as they continued to gather in public places of consumption and entertainment. He was certain that digital film would be better for this project than any other media.