[Video Essay] Poem of Slow City: Halcyon Place

Fang Wenbo

UID: 3035789253

We all live in a busy city, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Shanghai. Everyday we all exhausted by endless works, pressure and tasks. Every hour we all anxious to our study grade and work’s KPI. Everything seems too fast in the city, walking speed, shuttling bus and subway train which goes by every minutes. The hurried sound of traffic lights sent people rushing back and forth on the crossroad. People’s souls seem to be dying, like sunset clouds in the burning sky.

Under such circumstances, it is extremely important to find a place where we can slow down our speed in this hurried city. A park is one such space. This video essay was filmed in Longhua Park, Shenzhen. Like Hong Kong, Shenzhen is a city where people’s speed is very fast. But in the park, everything seems to be slow down. Standing in the center of the park, the pagoda brings peace to our mind. Parents and children are playing badminton, enjoying the happiness of this moment. In the child’s smile, as if all the troubles in the city have disappeared. Here, the shuttlecock stuck in the air for only a second, as if all slowed down.

When I was in the park, I also saw a little girl holding her face in her hands like a flower when she was taking photos. How wonderful it is to freezing this moment in the camera lens. We seem to be growing up too fast, and lost this childlike innocence. The flower that belongs to us, seems to wither in the wind of life. But at that moment in the park, the flower in my heart seems to bloom again.

Halcyon is a kind of bird and also means tranquility. In this park, all kinds of birds fly between the branches. Their songs seem to break the peace of the park, but they actually support the peaceful atmosphere in the park.
With this in mind, I capture the fleeting moments of these birds.

As it grew dark, the wind seemed to grow stronger. Leaves flapped, flowers waved. They seemed to be losing their color in the night, but as I was leaving, I saw a pink sunset in the sky. I suddenly realized that every day would be a magnificent sunset. So I think we should slow down our speed from time to time, even though we live in a fast-paced city, only in this way can we cherish every moment of beauty now.

 

The clip that has been playing

Flowing people, cars and time

Stop at this moment

 

Halcyon place

Usher in the end of silence

Feathers flying in the sky

Looking down at children

Looking up

The untouchable hand

Can not touch the innocent eyes

But it can hold an smile

Like holding a flower

Never withered

Though swaying in the wind’s sign

The bird still watching

Flying toward its fragrance

 

This upside down world is twining

Fast and slow, right and wrong

Let us stand despair in the street of the wind

But the flowers are still blooming

Toward sky

 

– Structure

First part: the busy and fast city scenes turn to slow; fast train turn to slow, moving passengers slow down. And the cars and motorcycles also slow down.

Second part: Serenity place in the city : PARK.When people slow down they can find all those liitle happiness in their life. Like parents playing badminton with their children, mother taking photo for her adorable daughter. Birds are singing and watching these scenes.

Third part: Wind just like those troubles and stress in our life. It always blowing the flower. Like the stress always pressing us. But our life is still full of hope, like the sun falling on the flowers after night.