Sep 1, 2010 | Music, Youth
The opening party for the China-wide Iron Mic competition kicked off this past weekend at Yugongyishan. The festivities also joined hands with Section Six, the longest-standing freestyle hip hop party in Beijing. Overall it was a great night and included an appearance by Damon Dash who is supposedly trying to break into the China market with some new bands and supposedly even here to poach some talent to take back to the America – all hearsay for now. The highlight of the evening was definitely MC Davey. He came out early for a few numbers, but truly shined when the freestyle battles ensued. Although most of the old school Beijing MCs were taking a seat to make room for some of the young bucks, it was obvious that MC Davey’s rhyming skills were some of the best in the house. He easily took the opening competition and got the crowd riled up at the beginning of every set. It’s going to be interesting to see where MC Davey goes in the future, and whether or not he could be a new hope for Beijing’s street hip hop to break into the wider market currently dominated by studio-groomed, pop-flavored hip hop. The attached video highlights some of MC Davey’s skills.
Aug 31, 2010 | Society, Youth
I recently put together a short video for the Activate! China program at the Dandelion School in Beijing. The Parsons The New School for Design and Dandelion School collaboration introduced Dandelion students to the basics of computer literacy and game design. The project led by Parsons faculty and MFA Design and Technology graduate students utilized Activate!, a game design curriculum designed by PETLab, a research group that investigates social issues through the use of games and interactive media.
The Dandelion School is the first and only registered Middle School in the Daxing District of Beijing serving children of poor migrant families. The school was founded in August 2005 by a passionate educator named Zheng Hong who, after obtaining a MA from Harvard University, came back to China on a mission to transform a dilapidated old factory into a viable school serving the underprivileged.
The project began with the creation of the “AMD and Parsons Technology Lab” at Dandelion. The computer lab is an advanced multimedia and technology hub for the students at Dandelion providing computer skill training and digital tools that are not commonly accessible to migrant communities. 30 brand new desktop computers were also donated by AMD Foundation for the lab. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer at the Dandelion School. Make sure to check out their website.
Aug 21, 2010 | Music, Youth
This past week marked the passing of even more music festivals in the Beijing area – the summer is now chock-full of them. However, the Max Star Music Festival that took place at the Temple of Earth (Ditan Park/地坛公园) was a special oddity as the stage was set up on the main altar of the temple. Originally constructed in 1530, emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasty provided offerings to heaven on summer solstices at the same spot. Flash forward nearly 500 years and my old friends and notorious punk rockers Demerit were mounting the altar to deliver their musical sermon (see my old post Screaming into the Void). In the attached video, Spike, the lead singer of Demerit, instigates a whirling circle of fans that implodes into a flailing mosh pit – a great departure from the highly ritualized imperial offerings of yore.
May 5, 2010 | Music, Portraits, Youth
What could be naively described as a hipster transformation is taking place in Beijing. Although some may only dress the part, others are the first in China to truly embrace alternative lifestyles that fly in the face of social conformity so desperately imposed by the Chinese state. Whether shopping at second-hand clothing stores, scouring the Internet for fringe media, pursuing careers in the arts and generally rejecting the popular molds of their communist past, these youth are seeking to stand out from the masses. This increasing tendency toward individualism coupled with newfound online forums for self-expression is one the cornerstones of China’s emerging civil society and often comes with a social stigma that is hard to imagine outside of China. Many don’t wish to participate in a largely vacuous and unsustainable consumer culture taking hold of the country. While they might not brazenly attack the government, their embracement of such a lifestyle is a powerful statement in and of itself. The biggest congregations now occur at major music festivals sprouting up all over the country. All of these portraits were taken at the 2010 MIDI Music Festival.
Aug 5, 2009 | Society, Youth
Located in the heart of Beijing’s central business district, just north of the newly completed CCTV Tower, Tuanjiehu Park easily takes the cake for a convienent respite from the summer heat. While certainly not a fountain of youth, it still draws all walks of life from across the city – tattooed gangsters and children share inner tubes while lady boys in banana slings contest for sand space with the elderly. There is always a motley crew trying to catch a little sun or enjoy a quick run down a water slide. Just be wary of friends trying to bury you in the sand. Still, if you close your eyes and listen closely to the wave generator, you might as well be at the beach.
Jun 28, 2009 | Music, Youth
Carsick Cars just released there sophomore album, You Can Listen You Can Talk, at Yugong Yishan this past weekend. Overall it was a solid show, and I hope that it will bring them continued success. They are definitely the brightest stars in the Maybe Mars stable of bands. They should also be traveling to the USA later this year.
