On December 31, 2019, the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in Wuhan. Chinese officials repeatedly denied that human-to-human transmission was possible, concealed the number of patients diagnosed and punished medical staff for leaking information about the epidemic.
On January 23, 2019, Wuhan was placed under lockdown. Then, Covid-19 became a global pandemic, with over 17 million people infected and more than 670,000 deaths. Using footage shot by ordinary citizens, Ai Weiwei's Coronation examines the political spectrum of Chinese state control from the first to the last day of Wuhan's containment.
The film traces the state's militarized but effective response to controlling the virus. Vast emergency field hospitals were erected in a matter of days, 40,000 medical workers were bussed in from all over China, and the city's residents were locked in their homes.
