On Beijing's Metro Line 2 stand three man clad in suits plastered with images of RMB, US dollars and Euros.

Holding out their hats, which are also covered in similar images, they quiz every puzzled passer-by, "What do you believe in?"

Some avoid an answer and instead fish for small change in their pockets, not quite sure if the three wacky guys are really beggars. Some are more forthright and give a straight answer: "I believe in money."

The live performance art titled "Begging" is the brainchild of Hua Yong, a Beijing artist with a studio in the 798 Art Zone. The group has also been seen at other metro lines, at the Xidan Shopping Center and at Capital Airport.

Hua manages to collect more than 50 yuan during the four-hour show at Metro Line 2.

"Some people caught in today's financial storm drift off and even suffer a mental breakdown. I hope our performance can convey the message that sometimes faith can rescue you from the verge of a nervous breakdown in a catastrophe," says Hua.

For the 40-year-old artist, money's reality today is, in fact, formless. It is the flickering light that passes endlessly through the world's networked computers, through fiber-optic cables and between satellites, in the very air we breathe.

"The horrible financial crisis that hit the world has bankrupted many admirers of cash. So why not examine your own conscience and ask yourself what you cherish and what is the most important thing in your entire life?" he says.

In the subway's waiting hall, the three "beggars" spot a middle-aged woman, sitting on two large boxes, looking rather weary.

When asked what she believes in, she at first hems and haws but later shares her story.

She is a migrant worker and has not received her wages for the past three months. She has no alternative but to return to her home in Jiangxi province.

They also come across a sweeper and are stunned to hear his story.

The 53-year-old is a post-graduate and worked in the Inner Mongolian countryside as an educated urban youth. But this massive, industrialized and urban city had no job for him.

"However, the optimistic old man has become a blue collar worker and transferred his faith (in education) to his undergraduate daughter," says Hua.

Venue: Thread Gallery, 706 north second street, 798 Art Zone, Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang district

Tel: 010-5978 9667

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