by Anonymous
Photography by Kimiko Chan | Fashion by Suki Xiao
The concept of “freedom” varies across cultures; “City-C” in particular helps us understand what this means under unique political and social circumstances.
In City-C, a lots of things are forbidden. On the surface, the government and media only show people as living happily; we love City-C as our own home, but freedom is undeniably limited.
The government blocks the Internet to stop citizens from nding out the reality of the world around them. They update their blocking systems daily, and they are considering to soon make it illegal to unblock the Internet. People are advised not to talk too much about the government, even if you are right in the things you’re calling out. The price of the living in City-C is dramatically high, but the salary of the average person is disproportionately low.
People are under great pressure. They wake up daily thinking about how to make money and lead a successful life instead of chasing their dreams. Everything is under supervision. After saying something bad about the government online, a friend of mine was greeted by a chat box on his computer a few minutes later telling him to go to the police station. Meanwhile, most TV dramas are required to say something good about our “city” and government. Lots of themes – even in entertainment – are limited by the government.
The funniest thing is, people live without freedom, but they keep quiet like lambs.
All clothing, shoes, accessories this story stylist’s own
Models: Jiadi Mi (Longteng Models), Hang Zhao (Longteng Models)
Hair and Makeup by Luanjie Xiong
For the full story and more content, get your copy of Phosphenes #5 – “Freedom.”