Parkland of Decay and Fantasy

ZHU Chenliang • 2022

Technology and spirituality are parallel forces in an abandoned and possibly haunted Chinese amusement park once taken over by outsider artists. If it is true that at the moment of death, consciousness sends out its last waves of thought into the universe, much like a text message sent from a mobile phone, the old theme park may be an antennae receiving signals from the beyond. Physical, spiritual and virtual realities are layered as the film explores how the gap between the dreams and realities of its wayward residents resonates with the highs and lows of China’s rapid economic growth over the past 30 years.