East Asia as a Psychological Landscape

This film screening and workshop explores the notions of “the first line of China,” the Taiwan Strait, and the hideouts of an escaped prisoner in Northeast China. The notions are geographical, historical, and deeply personal. Artist and filmmaker Zhang Hanwen presents two of his recent films and a work in progress during his residency at the HBK Braunschweig.

The First Line of China (2018–2019) is a 46-minute essay film that examines an isolatedindustrial town alongside a state-owned cement factory in Northeast China. Born and raisedthere, the director reflects on the socialist factory-town model that emerged in 1980s Chinaas a result of its top-down urbanization and industrialization scheme.Snowy Day, Studio Visit (2019–2023) documents a conversation between Zhang and afriend. The reflective dialogue sheds light equally on a childhood journey from MainlandChina to Taiwan and on the adopted political rhetoric in Zhang's upbringing.Hostile Landscapes is a multichannel film/video in progress. It centers on the remarkabletrue story of Jhu Hyeun-ken (주현건), a North Korean inmate who escaped from the JilinPrison in 2021. After 40 days, Zhu was shot in the leg and caught near Fengman Dam andReservoir, a location with deep Japanese colonial ties. Zhang meticulously tracks Jhu’sconfirmed and possible hideouts, reconstructing Zhu’s fugitive odyssey with a cinematicrepresentation of the landscape.

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