Research and Other Investigations from China

Bodies of Desire – The 2012 Beijing International Automotive Fair

Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.

China’s love affair with the automobile is escalating every year, and the biennial Beijing International Automotive Fair is now ground zero for this sultry romance. Nearly a million automobile enthusiasts packed into the gigantic halls of the Beijing International Convention Center over the course of a week just to get a chance to sit behind the wheel of their dream car and admire the scantily clad attendants. The overt sexuality of both the male and female floor models in the trade booths is now increasingly conflated with the status of vehicle ownership. They utilize a practiced set of gestures and poses to better integrate with the curvatures of the surrounding hunks of glass and steel. These intertwined bodies of human and vehicular desire are the height of an erotic symbiosis that incites deeper forms of commodity fetishism. Car purchases in China surged 45% in 2009, surpassing the United States for the first time with 13.6 million vehicles sold, making it the largest automobile market on the planet. China will remain on top for the foreseeable future as more and more people pack onto already crowded streets and highways, even as dealer inventories continue to snowball this year. No matter what, expect more skin and desirous looks at automotive fairs across China.

Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.

Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.

Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.

Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.

Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.

Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.

Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.

Human and vehicular bodies of desire are conflated and on display at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.

Beijing Auto Fair: Commodity Hypersexualization

Attendees crowd around a model to take photos at the 2010 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition

Cars are quickly becoming the most hypersexualized and sought after commodity in China. Purchases already surged 45% last year, surpassing the US with 13.6 million vehicles sold, and show no sign of stopping. The greatest manifestation of this phenomenon is now the Beijing International Automotive Fair held every year on the outskirts of the city. With scantily clad models striking poses in every booth, over 40 luxury cars were sold in the first few days alone including a Bugatti Veyron sporting a 5.5 million USD price tag. Every car manufacture in the world comes to pay homage to the fastest growing car market on the planet.

Attendees pack the floor at the Mercedes booth at the 2010 Beijing International Automotive ExhibitionA model poses with a Hummer knockoff at the 2010 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition

A 2010 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition attendee photographs himself in a MercedesMany car manufactures display their engines at the 2010 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition