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It’s been a while since I wrote an entry. My thoughts regarding this project has spiralled out like a endless web with no end. Having just spent 3 weeks in Beijing, I am now back in Hong Kong for a few weeks. In Beijing I spent time meeting new people and getting a sense of the place. While there, I touched base with an editor of a Chinese publisher who specializes in Chinese culture and history, a few hip hop musicians, a volunteer from the Sichuan earthquake, a volunteer for the Beijing Olympics, a self published amateur photographer/writer/traveller, amongst a few others.
I had originally conceived of the project with only having interviews with anyone with a Chinese background that was not directly from the mainland. I was trying to seek a middle ground of answers from overseas and Hong Kong Chinese. It was in the months of May and June when I met some students and professionals from the mainland that I began to think about entering that into to doc. I never got around to doing an interview with anyone I had met in the UK during those months but hope to in the future. This discourse of exploring and talking to people extended as I was in Beijing.
To myself, it was not an exercise to seek out subjects, but to be among the people I was trying to grow a deeper understanding of. During my first trip two years ago, I found Beijing a beguiling place that kept me interested. Though none of that interest has receded, I found I an absence of contact with the people that lived and worked there. Along with another desire of mine to live and work in Beijing, I sought to know more people there.
The editor said about herself, ‘the more I read, the more I realize how little I know’. Which is how I felt after conversing with her. She expressed her doubts about the western world understanding the Chinese. She said it would take a long time, if ever. I agree that people of the east are fundamentally different in how they operate but I cannot agree that understanding cannot come about. I have lived in London most of my life and I soon fully realized that I would have to live on the mainland and know the people in order to understand the country and people more. What seemed normal to me growing up in a Chinese background became less common to me in adulthood and now trying to rediscover this way of life. It was not only a traditional thinking I was seeking to absorb as a concept in my head, it was the new young Chinese who are a new breed of Chinese who know little about their ancient history and care less about tradition. It was this new breed who are interested in the world outside it’s borders yet love China without reservation; who are less interested in money than their Hong Kong cousins but more about other cultures and discourses. It was this new breed that would be it’s future.
Agang was a designer, (of what discipline I am unsure) before he quit his job, raised some money and travelled around (mostly) rural areas of China. On his way he posted a blog and photographs. Those photographs became a three volume book. A self published book as no publisher would publish it. It is an inspiring book to millions of Chinese who wish to travel all over China. It is deeply human and full of love for the people and geography. When you read it you feel as though you are travelling with him. I met Agang at the book signing in Xidan. He was humble and didn’t speak any English. He and his team were very helpful. We briefly spoke of publishing his book internationally and as he had no contacts, he suggested if I knew of any we would keep in touch. In a sense, Agang did what I have always wanted to do too. With this doc project, I am trying to do in film what he has done in photography, although with different intent in mind and with a stronger verbal narrative. If I could help bring this book to the international market, I feel I would have helped in some small way of bringing about a little more understanding about China. As even as I looked through the book, the diversity in ethnic cultures in China was vast and to represent it in even a small way was no small task. In this, I also found rural China, comprising the majority population, was a neglected reality and concept in the western psyche.
In the longer reality of this project which will span years, I am at a point where I need to rethink many things because at the moment, I am just information gathering, which might indeed, take years to complete and shoot. As for me, it is a personal project and life exploration and thus long term planning is difficult and unpredictable. I am not ticking boxes, looking for sound bites or working to a deadline. But I have realized that it has become a vast and seemingly never ending piece of dialogue that will need to be whittled down into digestible pieces of work.
Some stills from video I shot for Sexy Beijing, of youth, from the Modern Sky music festival, rehearsals with Beijing Live Hip Hop experience and their gig with Twisted Machine. Thanks to Anna Sophie Loewenberg (at SexyBeijing) and Jamel Mims for connecting me to this side of Beijing youth culture. �
MC Webber
Twisted Machine lead, Liang Liang.
Hip Hop Rock n Roll fusion at The Starlite
Hedgehog (Atom on drums) playing at Modern Sky
- J
“Beijing has called for an investigation of shoddy construction. It remains to be seen, however, whether it will side with the parents and launch a meaningful anti-corruption inquiry or whitewash the problem and shield wrongdoing”.
An article entitled ‘China tightens media limits loosen after earthquake’ by Mark Magnier was published by The Los Angeles Times on June 5th. I had spoken to Ma Guihua regarding this 2 weeks ago and we both concurred that this would likely be the case. This entry isn’t about the actual issue but more to point out the tone in which it is written. Take the above quote, it is not only reporting about the investigation but speculating opinion. Imagine the article was regarding the Abu Graib abuses and was written by a Chinese News Agency, ‘however, it remains to be seen whether Washington will side with the Iraq victims and launch a meaningful inquiry or whitewash the problem and shield wrongdoing.
Everything is treated and spoke of suspiciously. It continues: ‘As part of its so-called main melody strategy, the propaganda ministry is willing to allow more "discordant notes" and critical opinions on the Internet as long as the party line is predominant. It also has become more adept at distraction’. The whole tone and use of words in this paragraph is a blatant and obtuse way of projecting a dismissive yet spiteful attitude towards the CCP.
First question is, do we need to know if there is an independent inquiry into corruption? The answer is yes, of course we do. The second question is, do articles about the Chinese government need to be written this way? The answer is no.
The last quote, ‘Beijing forbids stories about shoddy school construction in the state media. It also employs Western tactics to spin coverage’, says it all really...
The article in question and other links this week:
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-fg-rollback5-2008jun05,0,2540767.story
http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/a-sichuan-family-and-tibets-future/index.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/04/rememberingtiananmen19years?showCommentBox=true
http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/governments/china-and-the-earthquake
- J
Today I met with Ma Guihua, a correspondent from the Xinhua News Agency. We met at the British Library and had a chat about the Chinese media, the ‘western’ media and how they differ in approach, the withholding of information and the cultural/political factors that affect their discourse. Far from being the possible stereotype/possibly perceived ‘mouthpiece’ for the Chinese government, Ma expressed genuine opinions that she personally believed and at most, I personally agreed with. I seemed to have endless questions for her!
After she watched the work in progress, I spoke of the possibility of not only having public opinion from people of Chinese backgrounds but to include people from professional backgrounds who are knowledgeable regarding the issues pertaining the documentary. She said was quite happy to share her views for the documentary. Moreover, felt it to be a duty to speak up for the country.
I was apprehensive at first to include people from professions those backgrounds may engender them to speak from a part professional/part personal opinion and thus not being wholly truthful about how they think/feel. Furthermore, I feel from one perspective that as an audience, we may feel more connected with the public and not just opinions from all the subjects being ‘experts’ about said topic. In the past few weeks the idea of having a diverse background of people, both less educated and ‘professionals’ would be healthy for the project.
Although partially related…
After the meeting I went to the Chinese Community Centre where I used to be both a youth and as a worker over 13 years ago. I proposed a film- making workshop with the youth and both the youth worker and director were very welcoming to the idea. We will discuss the idea in more detail later this week. I had been meaning to do something for the community centre I has so many fond memories of as both youth and youth worker and now being in a creative profession feel wholly obliged to share my skills and knowledge to the youth through the organisation that gave me so much. I had also been meaning to approach the centre too to see if they could be of assistance re to obtain more subjects for the documentary.
Since leaving the centre 13 years ago to study, travel and pursue a career I had lost touch with the Chinese community and to now have initial and hopefully meaningful contact with both the overseas journalists, overseas students and the London Chinese Community Centre, I feel very happy that I am able to reconnect with the past and the future; my relationship with communities of my cultural heritage.
- J
Yesterday evening I attended the debate ‘The Tibet Story - Journalism Under Pressure’ held at Westminster University. Jonathan Fenby, former editor of The Observer and The South China Post and author of the Penguin History of Modern China and BBC world news editor Jon Williams represented the Western media at the debate. Ma Guihua, London correspondent for the Xinhua News Agency and Wang Rujun, chief correspondent at the People's Daily UK Bureau will be represented the Chinese media.
The debate was chaired by Isabel Hilton (who also chaired a similar discussion at Frontlines club a few weeks ago).
As opposed to the discussion in Frontllines Club, although good, it was good to see four journalists speak about their respective points of view. Ironically, the panel at Frontlines did not consist of all journalist.
Wang Rujun was easygoing though quick to point out the mistakes and biased the BBC has/had made. Jon Williams, to the point and defensive was equally quick to point out that both the coverage of the Lhasa riots was fair and unbiased adding that due to western journalists could not report accurately due to the having no access to the TAR.
A Chinese student whose English was at beginners level spoke of her unhappiness at the reportage with the BBC and cried while expressing her disparity at why the BBC seem to report on just the negative aspects of China. At that point, Jon Williams said he was truly sorry if the organisation upset people. He also added at several points during the discussion that the BBC did not have an agenda to report negatively about China, they just want to be able to report.
Softely spoken, Ma Guihua expressed that in the perception of western countries, Xinhua is the propaganda media arm and although not denying that it is state controlled media, they do report on stories, as other agencies do and not suppressed to the extent that western countries perceive. She added that China’s open door policy is in development and the west cannot expect the same freedoms enjoyed in the west. Moreover, that Chinese people do like and want democracy and human rights, but the first human rights were to lift hundreds of millions of people from poverty in the last 30 years. The west cannot expect China to have the same ‘freedom’ overnight. These points were backed by Wang Rujun.
Jonathan Fenby spoke with a depth of knowledge and unbiased tone. He had some very good points that seem to slip in. In defence of the BBC, he did say that most of the reportage was fair and if negative, it is because western media does concentrate on the negative as opposed to the Chinese media who more often than not, celebrate the country’s progress and the greatness of the CCP. He also noted that the idea of celebrating one’s government or country is a concept that hasn’t been excercised in a long time in the west (her said 19th century but I think it is more recent than that).
Jon Williams seemed to be constantly batting at the balls thrown at him and in his defence, did well with his knowledge. What I feel he did not do well was to understand the depth of mistrust and disappointment of the BBC by not only the Chinese citizens but by their counterparts. As Isobel Hilton said regarding the front page of a Chinese National paper wrote that western media resembled Nazi Germany’s propaganda (and like wise, the Beijing Olympics has also been compared to the 1933 Games). Isobel Hilton said with humour that she was ‘quite’ offended. I would equate that with the numerous and constant offence the western media have caused to the Chinese people and their government, the most infamous and blunt comment made by CNN’s Jack Cafferty. China had asked CNN for an apology and as Wang Rujun pointed out, that Jon Williams was quick to apologize, unlike CNN, who took weeks.
I felt Jonathan Fenby although spoke little, understood both side the most. Jon Williams although trying, failed to give the strong impression that the BBC was fair. He also appeared to have failed to try to really understand the Chinese people, culture and the country. In his position, it would work in his favour better if he was more humble and tried to do this before speaking in defence first. He even went as far as to say the accusations made by the Chinese population who signed a 1 million petition was ‘unfair’ as most could not have had access to the BBC. I suspect there would have been a few million more on the petition if everyone in China did had access.
What I found most enduring was the statement Jon Williams made that the BBC always try to get it right but they can make mistakes.
One would think the standard of journalism and power of media in these modern times is such that one only reports if it is 100% accurate, not reporting just because you have a deadline.
I briefly spoke to a few of the Chinese students and also made contact with Ma Guihua.
An audio pod cast will be available to listen to soon.
While walking to the University I went past the Chinese Embassy where they flew the flag at half mast, day three and last of the national mourning period, also a first for China. At the debate, one minute of silence was observed.
- J
Seventh day into the original earthquake and two after the aftershock the rescue mission continues. It's taken me this long to really comprehend the event, the losses, the destruction. I have started to read and watch more news items. It is still quite upsetting.
The CCP have been praised by the international community in their rapid response to the crises. Even much of the media reported on the 'humane' response by the government. The government has welcomed foreign aid and now South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Russia and Taiwan have join the rescue effort. People around China are continuing to donate money and volunteer for the relief effort. It is the first time on many precendents that China has utilized foreign and domestic aid to overcome a crises. This in effect has had an affect on the perception of China. Indeed there seems to have been an Olympic truce.
Today the CCP has called for a 3 day national mourning period and temporarily suspended the Olympic torch relay.
It is widely known in China that cheap and unregulated contstruction standards are rife. Corruption of officials may face the oncoming blame of the schools that fell and the thousands of students who died.
The Chinese people have shown immense courage during unbearable loss of friends, family, homes and towns. On a report by CNN, a local Communist Party secretary organising relief efforts lost both his parents, his wife and child- and still was working to save others.
The rebuilding of towns will be immense effort which will take years. But i suspect that people's hearts will never completely heal.
- J
I enjoyed my 33rd birthday during the shooting of another project I am doing (Tidal Barrier) on Sunday 11th. The crew brought me a surprise cake. On the 12th, an earthquake hit in the Sichuan province and so far killing 12,000 people and evident that the toll is likely to rise sharply with 100,000 missing. Words cannot describe the devastation and sadness this has caused. I feel a deep sense of grief for the parents of those whose children under 30 have died as they would be an only child leaving the parents to have no child and too old to have another. In a time when so many of the Chinese population are celebrating their country's achievements through the Olympics, the worst natural disaster should hit them with such merciless force in over 30 years.
Perhaps the international community and media may now turn a different perspective and see the vast humanity that exist as this large and great country suffers.
- J
On the 2nd of May, which was of course, yesterday the torch relay continued it's leg in Hong Kong (SAR- which i always though was an odd name since SARS came about). Also on the same day, an envoy of the Dalai Lama head to China for talks. The Dalai Lama on the other hand had an interview with student, Lingxi Kong:
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2008/05/chinese-student-interviewing-the-dalai-lama/
Woeser has also had much to write about the last 2 days. Translated as usual at CDT:
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2008/05/woeser-tibet-update-may-1-2008/
She is an influential writer about Tibet and has been under self exile in Beijing since 2004. When the Lhasa riots broke out and protests across China, she was barred from leaving the country. She still keeps her blog compiling news from sources around China. The entries of Chinese authorities and arrests tend to be quite detailed.
While a friend of mine in Hong Kong watched the relay just from her apartment in Sha Tin, I had to make do with the TV. Another avenue of information that isn't widely available or offered is Hong Kong's long standing TV station, TVB. It isomewhat like the equivelent of the BBC in the UK. TVB for HK, BBC for UK. Anyway, on the the news, there was 15 minutes of coverage of the torch relay. It was a rainy day but thousands came out to watch. Many were allowed to leave work early (that's a wow for HK). Many of the torch bearers were pop stars and movie stars (celebrities are even a bigger deal there). HK already is one of the most overpopulated places on the planet, to have even more people on the street people would start climbing the walls! Torch bearers's ran, got on a boat, travelled in a wheelchair, got on a horse and a golf cart. They also covered protesters and a lady who fainted due to the crowds.
While the the news regarding China since March has been of the torch relay, pro Tibetan protests and pro China protests, coming late is the worrying news about the 3000 children who are now infected by the Enterovirus 71 (EV71) intestinal virus (in Eastern China). 21 children since March have already died from it. I fear infections will be growing rapidily and more deaths are to come.
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSSHA7571020080503?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/30/china
Some TV images: (better quality ones to come soon)�
Tsim Tsa Tsui MTR station
This shop owner didn't mind loosing some business for the day.
- J
It’s been a relatively quiet week in the torch relay, Carrefour boycotting, blogosphere and general media attention of both the Free Tibet groups and Pro China/Anti Western Media masses (real and netizens). Perhaps it has a little to do with two political movements this week that made headline. First being Poncelet (French Senate President Christian) greeting torch bearer Jin Jing in Shanghai delivering a letter of invitation from Sarkozy, and now China’s government is meeting with a representative of the Dalai Lama. Sarkozy having insulted the Chinese government and people earlier in the month now is congratulating China in it’s efforts for dialogue. I find the Chinese government is trying to diffuse situations to the upcoming Oylmpics, even calling for restraint of it’s own citizen’s national fury over Carrefour (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/20/china.chinathemedia?gusrc=rss
&feed=networkfront). I suspect the leaders are proud and chuckling behind curtains over the overwhelming nationalism of the young people fighting the BBC, CNN, Carrefour and western commentators over the net. But seriously, many are disgusted by the slander and malicious content and actions of those individuals who, full of scorn condemn whose who are seeking a more balanced perspective. Now we have Chinese fighting other Chinese. One infamous case concerns a Duke University student, Grace Wang (http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20080423_1.htm) who saw a photo online of her parents house in Qing Dao where someone had left excrement on the doorstep after she had intervened in a argument between pro Tibetan and Pro China individuals. What began as a backlash and defense by Chinese netizens began to get nasty. Over the past month, even death threats have also been sent to western reporters (http://www.danwei.org/foreign_media_on_china/scapegoating_cnn.php). It’s easy to get caught in the daily happenings of events and no doubt they affect many people in a serious way. Searching through the layers of stories and commentary, one finds larger pieces of this jigsaw to help in seeing the bigger picture. I’m not sure what I see at the moment but I feel there are larger forces at work. A blogger here writes about writing about RFA (Radio Free Asia):
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/4/15/224155/744/780/492483
Radio Free Asia was originally a radio station broadcasting propaganda for the US-American government in local languages to mostly communist countries in Asia. It was originally founded and funded in 1950 by the CIA (Wiki). It is apparently the leading source of information to and from Tibet.
Here is a good and long article about the past and future relationship between the US and Tibet and the US and China by Hilary Keenan.
http://21stcenturysocialism.com/article/the_unusual_suspect_01635.html
A meeting i missed at Frontlines (16th April) is worth watching/listening to:
http://www.frontlineclub.com/club_videoevents.php?event=2039�
If all that’s a big heavy, the National Geographic just published it’s May edition which has good articles and great photography all about China. I advise, just even for the photography.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/05/table-of-contents
I am just about the begin searching for new subjects for interviews. But besides that, I will go back and continue my search for another piece of the puzzle.
- J
Yesterday I went to shoot the student organized rally for Pro China/ Anti BBC in Westminister. Both Berlin and Washington DC also held rallys on the same day. There was about 400 people, most of whom seem to be students, a majority of them wearing masks of silence bearing BBC on them. A line formed the front of the protests that faced the traffic and the Houses of Parliment. A mix of banners and placards were held in silence. Placards with anti BBC slogans; supporting the Beijing Olympics; Welcoming people to China; pictures of the riots in Tibet; fabricated news from various western media. Miss Qin, an economics student from Cambridge University gave a speech that included reciting the names of the Han Chinese and Tibetans who were killed in the riots on March 14th. The students came together from all over the country and their message was not just to protest the established BBC media, but to ask the public to find out the truth about the recent events in Tibet and to seek more understanding about China.
I managed to speak to a few students and media supporters and was present from the beginning to the end. Apart from the singing of a few Chinese songs, the protest was peaceful and friendly. I was very proud of the students for organizing the event and staging it so quietly. It is almost ironic that one of the first ones they organize is to defend their country where being up in arms about media distortion is not a done thing. It was a day to feel so very proud of being Chinese.
I have looked up both the BBC's website which it was only mentioned at the end of this article, almost a footnote:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7357258.stm
The TV report is on YouTube but I did not hear of it after that. One would think that a protest that has a global following and is occurring in 3 countries simultaneously would be news worthy. It may go to show that the issues that many Chinese have grievences about have very solid ground.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyh6cPCxLzs
I was also dismayed to see that none of the online papers including The Guardian had not written one single article about the protests.
Here's a llink to a video of the Olympic supporters on the 6th April in Downing Street during the Torch Relay, that also wasn't in the natonal news:
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2008/04/06/china-chinese-protest-in-london-you-never-see-on-bbc/
Also on the same day, including today, was the continuing arguement of coycotting Carrefour, the French Supermarket in China:
http://zonaeuropa.com/200804b.brief.htm#028
Some images from video shot: (a video of this event will be online very soon)
- J
MC Webber
Twisted Machine lead, Liang Liang.
Hip Hop Rock n Roll fusion at The Starlite
Hedgehog (Atom on drums) playing at Modern Sky
