In May 2019, I brought the project "Bye Sick Zone" to attend the 18th WRO Media Art Biennale, before the demolition of Baishizhou Village had begun. In July 2019, the contract of the demolition of Baishizhou accelerated, and the news that 1,878 billionaires were born overnight began to be repeatedly reported. After that, the primary education issue of the grassroots tenants’ children became a concern for a period of time. Since then, there was basically no more news about Baishizhou.

I did not step into Baishizhou again from 2019 to 2020, for about a year and a half. Some time ago, I went back to this area to do field recording because of the "As I Heard" program initiated by Mulian CHEN and Jian JIANG. As before, I kept my distance to listen and record those sound clips.

Today's Baishizhou is already full of blue. The dark blue iron sheets wrapped up the streets and buildings, just like a poor artwork of earth. Yellow posters with "No Entry, Empty Building" and hazard warning signs were plastered on those blue iron sheets, roughly displayed in the streets and lanes.

Due to the acceleration of demolition and the epidemic, fewer and fewer migrants are now living in Baishizhou. Moreover, as the Spring Festival was approaching, Baishizhou appeares to be much deserted. But the people left behind live as usual - every morning at the gate of the Shahe Hospital, someone do nucleic acid testing, the vegetable markets and restaurants in the alley are open as usual, the sanitation workers are still working, and the square in front of the Tangtou old house is still a paradise for the elderly and the children. Everything is still so natural. Fireworks are everywhere.

Baishizhou has the largest population density among more than 1,000 urban villages in Shenzhen, with 2,500 handshake buildings crammed into a 0.6 square kilometer area and a population of 150,000 lives here during peak periods. Like an independent kingdom, it has brought together migrants from all over the world, carrying the memories of many people. I have been involved in this area for field recording since 2012. This is a place full of infinite vitality, seemingly chaotic and noisy, yet well organized, and just those strangers become the cornerstone of the city. Baishizhou has a rich collection of sound samples. Every time I step into this area, it feels fresh. Those sounds deserve to be recorded before disappearing.

Recording Equipments : Sound Devices MixPre-6, LOM Uši Pro, RØDE NT4
Recording Date: January 20, January 21, February 2, February 3, 2021
Recording Location: Baishizhou Village, Shenzhen, China
Cover Design: 2M2 Studio
Thanks to: Mulian, JIANG Jian, Dickson Dee, Qiushi Xu, Grzegorz Bojanek, Jarosław Grzesica, 2M2 Studio, Ying & YiYi.