SID FRANK : Beijing 1988

'On a sunny Beijing morning in July 1988, I headed out on my Forever brand bicycle, with a bulky VHS video camera in my carrier. I had borrowed the camera, which I was using for the first time, from the university where I had taught for the previous seven months. I intended to film the alleys, parks, markets and streets that had been a regular part of my daily routine. I was hoping to have a personal record of a city that had had a profound impact on my life.
Upon my return to Canada shortly afterwards, I showed the video to family and friends and viewed it with my partner from time to time to allay our longing to return to China. Eventually, we did return, and the video was left to gather dust in storage. A few years ago, back in Canada to stay, I watched the video again. I was surprised at how well it conveyed – both in images and in audio - how it felt to wander the streets in Beijing at that time. It is a record of a city that has subsequently changed dramatically.
I was also surprised at how little I remembered of having made the recording and how much I also had changed. Beijing 1988 is my reflection on memory and change. By adding my own soundtrack to the video decades after having recorded it, I hoped to bring the past into the present. In my soundtrack, I incorporate elements of the original audio that, like memory, transform and distort over time. This recording was developed from a series of live performances in China and Japan at the end of 2023. While performing at fruityspace in Beijing, I felt that I was bringing the video home.
I am hopeful that the recording stands on its own without the images, and that by focusing on the sound alone, the listener will experience the disorientation and subsequent tranquility I felt when discovering the unique sounds of Beijing decades ago.
On Zhu Wenbo’s excellent suggestion, I have included excerpts from the original audio which show how significantly the “soundtrack” to daily life in Beijing has changed since 1988. (The ubiquitous bicycle bells of 1988 have disappeared!) I would like to thank Zhu Wenbo for his willingness to release this project – and for his friendship over the years. Immeasurable thanks to my sons, Joshua and Simon, and my wife Ivy, for their boundless encouragement and unflagging support of this project and all my musical endeavours. (Sid Frank)'



1. Beijing 1988 30:31
2. Beijing Normal University 01:48
3. Beitaipingzhuang Market 01:46
4. Houhai 03:11
5. Qianhai 02:07
6. Yaer Hutong and Dianmenwai Street 04:26
7. Forbidden City East Wall 01:18
8. Wangfujing 01:46
9. Donghuamen 00:53