Beijing Bubbles - Punk and Rock in China's Capital

Beijing Bubbles presents five bands in Beijing. They are central characters in a largely ignored counter-culture in the hustle and bustle of the city. On the one hand, the film shows musicians who operate on the outside of society, and on the other, their environment, which they refuse to be a part of: shopping temples, karaoke bars, and a park where people sing revolutionary songs… This is a film about Otherness in a country in which everyone now seems to be obsessed with rising up the social ladder and becoming wealthy. The bands respond with unconventional ideas about how they want to live, without their being politically motivated or a part of a rebellious youth movement.

Beijing Musicals

It was only with the onset of Liberalisation in China, that Beijing’s rock music scene was able to come into being. A counter-culture that has nothing to do with ‘revolution’ but with the right to live the way one chooses to live. Two films about the capital’s rapidly developing underground rock scene.