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Simulacra & Flows: The WorldJia Zhangke

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Outline

1. General Introduction:A. SimulacraB. Jia Zhang-ke

2. Questions for Group Discussion3. Plot and Characters

4. Places and Spaces of Flows

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Jean Baudrillard: The Order ofSimulacra

The image is the reflection of a basic reality;

Medieval Period (Religious Art)

The image masks and perverts a basic reality

Renaissance and Enlightenment (BaroqueArt)

The image masks the absenceofa basic reality

Industrialism (Mechanical Reproduction)

The image bears no relation to any reality whatso

it is its own pure simulacrum

Post-Industrial Society

(256)

The Four Phases of Images:

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Jean Baudrillard: The Order ofSimulacraPost-Industrial World of Simulacra

Simulacra = the hyperreal, whatever that creproduced; " . . . the generation by modelsreal without original or reality: a hyperreal" (2

We are living in a world dominated by masmedia, images, signs, and any other simulaca realm of hyperreality and simulations wherno longer exist.

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Reference: Simulacra: Exampl

A. the biological and scientific

1. simulation of symptoms; 10. DNA model repro11. Nuclear deterrence

B. the religious -- 2. the simulacrum of divinityC. museumification of culture -- 3. the return of the

Tasaday; 4. the salvage of Rameses' mummy, 5. rpart of a Cloister to its origin,D.popular culture -- 6. Disney; 9. the filming of theE. the political -- 7. Watergate; 12. Vietnam war, Awar

F. social crimes -- 8. all holdups, hijacks

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Theme ParksDisney Worldpresented as imaginary infor the rest to be real

-- Visit the World Without LeBeijing

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Jia Zhangkevs. The 5thGeneration

NEW WAVE (6THGENERATION)

Jia Zhangke(Floating Generation) ,chronicling post-socialist

Chinas changes1)2)3)

THE FIFTHGENERATION

(1988

(200

)

(2

(199

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Jia Zhangkevs. The 5thGeneration

1) claims that he wanted toproduce films after seeing YellowEarth (

2) While in Beijing Film Academy,after fouryears of watchingChinese films, I still hadn't seen asing1e one that had anything to dowith the Chinese reality that I knew(qtd in Tweedie 284 ).

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The World: Discussion QuestioSimulacra, Places and Spaces

1) How is The World Park, together with its scale modelsmost recognizable global landmarks, presented? Is it comdissociated from reality? What are the focuses of present(spectacularization)? [1]-5

2) How about the spaces outside the World Park? [6]-1

3) What role does cell phone play in this film? And the an

[3]-6Character and Plot

4) In what ways are the characters part of the floatpopulation ()?

A. Tao and Taisheng [4]-3

B. the others 2 -4

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The World: Char

LIangze

Dancer, Tao

YoyoWei

Niu

Anna

GuardsTaishen

Song

Erhsia

(Ulan Bator)

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Places and Spaces

Hotel, Airport, Tienanman Square, Songs place, Liaos t

shop, hometown; bus, car, cell phone

World Park

Paris, Italy,England

Japan, India

America, etc

Eiffel Tower, Pisa tower, London BridgeWorld Trade Center --decontextualized

Magic Blanket

Spectacular dances

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Materialis

in the world o

Love vs. Gen

Relations, Socia

Migrant W

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World Park

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Magic Blanket

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Simulacra, Places and SpacesClip: chapters Arrivals (13:32) A Tour in the(31: 0045:00)

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Dancers on Stage and Behind i

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World Park: Tourists and Labore

TOURISTS

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Outside World Park: Station, Buand Bus Stop

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Outside World Park: KTV ParloTienanman

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Outside World Park: Dressmak& Auditorium

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Hotel

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Outside World Park

LAIS DORM CONSTRUCTION

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Animation (1)

AFTER A FIGHT WITHTAISHENG MESSAGE FROM CWORKER

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Animation (2): Outings

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Animation (3): Outings

TAISHENG

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Animation (3): Reality

MESSAGE FROMTAISHENG MESSAGE FROM L

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Power Relations: Taisheng

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Migrant Workers

ANNAPASSPORTKEPT BY BUSINESSMANAGER

PASSPORT, VISA S

OF MOBILITY

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Tao 00:58I'm leaving. I

anotherjob. I

Don't look soChristmas is

Fireworks in

01:26 TAO AND

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Love Relations

LAI AND LIULai: If you can't trustme, we might as wellbreak up.

Liu: Fine. But first,tell me where you were.

Motorola has a newone with globaltracking.

01:26 TAO ANDTAISHENG

Tao: Taisheng, You muston me.

Taisheng Impossible.

Tao: If you cheat on me,

Taisheng: And chop me in dumplings?

Tao: You're my whole lifeunfaithful... I'll be left wit

Taisheng: Don't have some.

You can't count on anyo

that much these days.

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Other Symbols

(where bothand Anna w

the conflict between YoyTao, the marriage of Lai

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2:03

It's showtime, girls!

In honor of?

History's great beauties...Yang Guifei, Pan Jinlian, Marilyn Monroe,

Madonna!

For which cause?

World peace, women's rights and faces without

freckles!What shall we do?

Drink up!

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Q & A

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Films set in BeijingComedies

(WAITING ALONG 2005) (BEIJINLOVE STORY 2014)

The reason we came to this world and the life situation wefacing now are two main problems the movie tries to solve

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facing now are two main problems the movie tries to solvefilm. But the movie is full of musical elements, so can we cfilm Chinese musical film? And what difference ithas compwith the trendy musical movies in the western countries? Dhave any connection to the typical life styleChinese have apresent?

What's the symbolic meaning of the first scene that Taoshouting out loud "who has the band aid," and movingalonhallway as well as dress rooms? Why is the camera kind o"floating" ups and down?

In this film, the director uses several similar and repetitivscenes. For example, the scene which the leadingfemalecharacter, Tao, is on the train. Does this arrangemeas same as the line "Everything is a copy, of a copy, of a cFight Club? Do they represent the similar meaning? Do th

directors want to show us, the audience, the repetitionof a' .

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Reference

Tweedie, James. The Age of New WavCinema and the Staging of Globalization

.