shibboleth is a video work centered on an abandoned theater in a small coastal town in China. The town’s local dialect is so specific that it is unintelligible to outsiders, and it serves as both a cultural marker and a social barrier. In many parts of China, dialects are often linked to class and perceived inferiority, reinforcing a sense of marginalization in rural and county-level communities.

The title references the Old Testament story in which the word “Shibboleth” was used to distinguish allies from enemies based on pronunciation, turning language into a tool of exclusion.

Similarly, the local dialect in the artist’s hometown functions as a “false Mandarin,” frequently labeled a peasant’s tongue. After various interviews and field recordings made at the abandoned theater, the work examines how language, political performance, and collective identity influnce each other. It reflects on the symbolic function of public space, the performative nature of rural political life, and the intergenerational shame associated with linguistic and cultural difference.

This work was a part of the group exhibition “hidden agenda”, curated by Lu Lin.