SARS in Beijing

北京西站非典

Overview

Between April and June 2003, the brutal SARS epidemic had a deep impact on Chinese people's lives, especially in Beijing. Flocks of migrant labourers who had come to the capital to find work started straggling back to their hometown in the countryside to escape the illness. I spent a day in the crowd packed into Beijing West railway station, trying to capture an event that made many feel emotional disquiet, while forcing them to meditate on their life and situation. Because of everyone's panic, many people are eager to leave Beijing to escape the disaster. On May 8th, the author recorded what happened at the Beijing West Railway Station that day, revealing the various mentalities of the Chinese people in front of emergencies.

Production

Beijing Sanwei Dream Collective Studio