

Jia Zhangke compresses 20 years of Chinese history into 12 minutes of pure cinematic memory.
Editing
Jarring juxtapositions of home video and state propaganda.
Direction
Jia's signature long-take minimalism, compressed.

Director
Jia Zhangke
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Commissioned for a glossy magazine anniversary, Jia essentially hijacked commercial space for underground political memorial.
The title 海上传奇 (I Wish I Knew) was repurposed for his 2010 feature—this short functions as its traumatic id.