萬萬歲
WAN WANSUI
(LONG, LONG LIVE)
[FOREVER]

喜歡在廢墟中漫遊的姚瑞中自述：「政治永遠是少數人決定多數人命運、犧牲少數人權益以換取多數人利益的技倆；而歷史永遠是贏家的標準答案，弱勢者沒有太多選擇的權力。但也許唯有透過廢墟，能揭露隱藏於政治陰謀與歷史陰影下的另一種答案；也只有廢墟，能自外於這種無聊透頂的權力遊戲。廢墟雖沒有豐功偉業如帝王陵寢般憾人，也沒有才子佳人之風流韻事可千古留芳，但也夠耐人尋味、品味蹊蹺再三。」

《萬萬歲》主要以綠島的綠洲山莊為主，輔以台灣警備總部蘭嶼指揮部司令台和白色恐怖景美紀念園區的餐廳，這些曾經都是「廢墟」的地方為拍攝場景。廢墟是歷史失效之處，或者說，是顯現傾圮、荒涼、消逝、憂鬱的歷史生命之所。姚瑞中擅長從鏽蝕、廢棄和腐爛的世界中，發掘重塑歷史新敘事的精神性力量。藝術家戲仿獨裁者的形象，不斷在這些失效之所高喊「萬歲」口號，反諷之意昭然若揭。

​

Jui-Chung Yao likes to stroll through ruins. In his words, "Politics is nothing but a trick for a minority to decide the fate of the majority and for the majority to secure their interests by sacrificing the rights of a minority. The history is always the right answer provided by the winner, leaving the less powerful with not much choice. Given the political conspiracies and  manipulated perspective of the history, an alternative answer may only be discovered among ruins, possibly the only places unaffected by the boring power game. Despite not being as impressive as an emperor's mausoleum, nor as everlasting as great romantic stories, a ruin can be an interesting place that attracts a long visit or repeat visits."

Scenes of Wan Wansui were all filmed in ruins. Most of them were shot at the ruins of the Oasis Villa on the Green Island, with one exception on the review stand at the ruins of the Taiwan Police Command Headquarters on the Orchid Island and another in the restaurant in the Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park. Ruins are places where history does not work, in other words, where the destroyed, desolated, disappeared, and depressed lives of the past may be seen. Jui-Chung Yao is talented at discovering the spiritual power of reshaping an alternative narrative of history from such a world of rust, waste and decay. In the video, the artist impersonates a dictator, constantly shouting the slogan "Long, Long Live" in these non-functional places. The irony is obvious.