Research and Other Investigations from China

2011 Strawberry Festival: Chinese Hipster Gathering and Related Controversy

Jun 30, 2011 | Fashion, Music, Youth

The audience flips out for Miserable Faith the 2011 Strawberry Festival at the Tongzhou Canal Park outside of Beijing

You might be able to tell by now, but I am way behind on my posts. These shots were all taken during the second day of the 2011 Strawberry Festival on May 1. Whoops. Anyway, better late than never. The rise of the Chinese hipster brought much controversy this past year. There were naysayers calling them hacks and shallow followers, others too clueless to know where to look in the first place, while some dug deeper and provided taxonomies or even tracked Chinese überhipsters (trans-identity-meta-hipster-awesomeness). So, despite the general lack of irony and fixed-gear bikes in China, I still stand behind my previous assertions of the importance of this new wave of urban youth trying to stand out from the crowd and make it on there own. Identity in urban china is an ever-mutating beast, but there is no denying that people are trying to reach deeper and tap into more creative currents. Alternative lifestyles, especially in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Chengdu and Guangzhou are on the rise and need to be celebrated. Here are a few of those who are visually standing out for better or worse.

Hipsters and freaks rock out at the 2011 Strawberry Festival at the Tongzhou Canal Park outside of BeijingHipsters and freaks rock out at the 2011 Strawberry Festival at the Tongzhou Canal Park outside of BeijingHipsters and freaks rock out at the 2011 Strawberry Festival at the Tongzhou Canal Park outside of Beijing

Hipsters and freaks rock out at the 2011 Strawberry Festival at the Tongzhou Canal Park outside of BeijingHipsters and freaks rock out at the 2011 Strawberry Festival at the Tongzhou Canal Park outside of BeijingHipsters and freaks rock out at the 2011 Strawberry Festival at the Tongzhou Canal Park outside of Beijing

The audience waits for Hedgehog to come on stage at the 2011 Strawberry Festival at the Tongzhou Canal Park outside of Beijing

China Vogue Music Feature: Bringing Rock to the Masses

May 29, 2011 | Clippings, Fashion, Music, Portraits

A portrait of Cui Jian/崔健 at D-22

Thanks to my new friend Alex Chao, who just arrived in Beijing to take over art direction at China Vogue, I was able to contribute for the first time to China Vogue this month. It was also a perfect match since the magazine was running a big music issue and decided to let me cue up on some of the old school rockers in China including Cui Jian/崔健 (the godfather of Chinese rock), Shen Lihui/沈黎辉 (general rocker and founder of Modern Sky) and Zhang Youdai/张有待 (the DJ who introduced rock to the masses). First of all, I was very excited to get a chance to shoot Cui Jian on the D-22 red wall. He really is a pillar in the history of Chinese rock and greatly influenced a whole generation of China with his anthem “Nothing to My Name” which became a rallying song for students in China during the 1980s. Although I might not be the biggest fan of some of Shen Lihui’s music, his importance as the founder of the Modern Sky music label and festival production company is undisputed. When other record companies refused to release his music in 1997, he went his own way and founded Modern Sky to support a new generation of Chinese rockers and then continued to take this music to larger audiences with the Modern Sky Music Festival and Strawberry Music Festival. Shen Lihui will undoubtably be a force in the future of alternative music in China for some time to come. Although I had never heard of Zhang Youdai before, he seems to be an instrumental character in the history of rock in China as well. He became a DJ and host on Beijing Music Radio back in 1993 and introduced a wide range of music to youth across China. He is a true shaker in China’s emerging entertainment market and is rocking out to an Eric Clapton LP in the China Vogue portrait. Mad respect.

A China Vogue clipping of Zhang Youdai/张有待

A China Vogue clipping of Cui Jian/崔健

A China Vogue clipping of Shen Lihui/沈黎辉

Wuhan Skateboarding: Indoor Vox Livehouse Event

May 9, 2011 | Sports, Youth

Wuhan skateboarders compete for a cash prize at the first Vox Skateboarding Night

This past month I made a few visits to Wuhan to check out their hip hop scene. Much like Beijing, there are a lot of connections between various alternative music and sporting communities. Many of the MCs in Wuhan are also avid skateboarders, including MC Big Dog/大狗, the top freestyler in Wuhan and three-time winner of the Iron Mic. On my final night, MC Big Dog hosted the first skateboard night at Vox Livehouse, the preeminent music venue and club in Wuhan. It was a great evening of friendly rivalries and other shenanigans. The portraits below are the bulk of the competitors who took part in the evening activities. These are some of the faces of Chinese adolescents who are breaking boundaries in urban areas around the country. Wuhan is an incredible place with a very thoughtful and forward thinking youth movement. They stick to their guns and abide by the Vox Livehouse motto: Voice of Youth, Voice of Freedom!

Wuhan skateboarders compete for a cash prize at the first Vox Skateboarding Night

Wuhan skateboarders compete for a cash prize at the first Vox Skateboarding NightWuhan skateboarders compete for a cash prize at the first Vox Skateboarding NightWuhan skateboarders compete for a cash prize at the first Vox Skateboarding Night

Wuhan skateboarders compete for a cash prize at the first Vox Skateboarding NightWuhan skateboarders compete for a cash prize at the first Vox Skateboarding NightWuhan skateboarders compete for a cash prize at the first Vox Skateboarding Night

Wuhan skateboarders compete for a cash prize at the first Vox Skateboarding NightWuhan skateboarders compete for a cash prize at the first Vox Skateboarding NightWuhan skateboarders compete for a cash prize at the first Vox Skateboarding Night

Wuhan skateboarders compete for a cash prize at the first Vox Skateboarding NightWuhan skateboarders compete for a cash prize at the first Vox Skateboarding NightWuhan skateboarders compete for a cash prize at the first Vox Skateboarding Night

Zoomin Night: Experimental Solos at D-22

Apr 5, 2011 | Music

Xiaolong/闫玉龙 poses for a portrait at D-22 after his performanceLijianhong/李剑鸿 poses for a portrait at D-22 after his performance

Zoomin Night is an ongoing experimental music series that first proffered its eclectic sounds at D-22 on August 11, 2009. Organized by Zhu “Raindog” Wenbo, every Tuesday at D-22 since then has witnessed offbeat performances of every ilk, exploring the outer rim of musical composition and noise making. In many ways it took up the mantle of the now defunct Waterland Kwanyin, the longest ongoing experimental music series in Beijing that held court at 2 Kolegas – the biggest difference being the more post-punk/noise-rock sound of many of the performers at Zoomin’ Night. Because of my recent heavy travel schedule, I have not been able to attend as many evenings as I would like. I did manage to sneak up a few weeks ago to capture some engaging solo performances by Xiaolong/闫玉龙 and Lijianhong/李剑鸿. Xiaolong is an young electric violinist who experiments with a wide variety of delays, loops and pedals to create a mesmerizing aura of sound, while Lijianghong is one of the most respected and longstanding members of China’s experimental music community. Born in Zhejiang in 1975, he is an incredible guitarist and founder of 2pi Records. I have seen him play a few times before with his other projects such as D!O!D!O!D!, but this was the first time I got to see him really lay into it by himself. The attached video will better justify my statements. Also, check out this excellent article by Pete DeMola for a more detailed introduction to Zoomin Night as well as more recent updates from the astute Pangbianr blog. Lastly, Zoomin Night has set up a SoundCloud account for more noisy treats, or you can still catch live performances every Tuesday at D-22.