Director‘s Statement:
When I saw the videos online showing assaults against gay men in Zhengzhou People’s Park, I felt deeply shocked and saddened. As a social activist who has long been engaged with LGBTQ+ issues, it is difficult for me to see this as an isolated incident. It feels more like a signal — that in the context of the shrinking public space for sexual minorities in recent years, a more targeted hostility is beginning to surface.
I also carry a quiet concern: could incidents like this escalate further, even developing into sustained violence against LGBTQ+ people, as has happened in some other countries?
With these questions in mind, I traveled to Zhengzhou People’s Park three days after the incident. I was not looking for clear answers. Instead, I wanted to listen — to those who still showed up in this space. How do they talk about what happened? How do they continue to be here amid fear, anger, and uncertainty? What does it mean for them to stay?
This film is not only about a single act of violence, but about what lingers afterward — emotions, judgments, and the ways people respond and adapt. Through a restrained, observational approach, I hope to capture a reality in transition: as spaces shrink and risks increase, does simply “showing up” become a choice — or even a form of response?
For me, this is also a reflection on presence — why people continue to be here, even when safety is no longer certain.