Documentary on Ai Weiwei’s New York (20-minute video)
I never got around to noting the exciting future release of Alison Klayman’s documentary on the life of artist Ai Weiwei, though far more prominent writers did. But today I found just a taste of her work from an exhibition last year of Ai’s photographs while living in New York between 1983 and 1993. The 20-minute documentary describes the process of winnowing down 10,000 photographs to less than 250, and features Ai’s reflections on his time there, as well as his working process with curator Stephanie Tung. The Three Shadows co-founder Rong Rong also describes the urge to open for the first time Ai’s box of negatives from New York. (Both Alison and Stephanie are friends of mine, but I would note this nonetheless.)
Here’s the documentary, and check out Ali’s other work on her site. Also available are versions of the doc with Chinese and English subtitles. See also a short video posted on The New Yorker‘s website.
[[Edit: Apparently I can't embed this video here. Click here for the video on her site, or here for the video on Vimeo.]]
links for 2010-07-10
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Paul Denlinger on freedom versus sovereignty in China Internet
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Tricia Wang on Google China
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On Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng's letter to netizens and leaders opening to the Internet. Not sure how much of a "change" this is, but interesting frame.
A guerilla chicken campaign at Harvard? [photo]
I was walking home through the Harvard campus tonight and found the above sticker, which was notable because (1) such things seem to get taken down quickly, (2) I rarely see Chinese bulletins adorning American light posts, and (3) I had NO idea why this man wanted me to 多吃鸡肉吧 (eat more chicken).
I put the image on Twitter and asked what it could mean, and Le Wang quickly pointed out that it might be a Chinese version of the Chik-fil-A slogan “eat mor chikin.” I’m going to go with that for now, because, as my classmate Ella points out, it’s a bit absurd to obsess about the meaning of a random campus posting.
Last thought: Is there a similarity between this man on the sticker and the imagery of KFC’s Colonel Sanders?
(Click image for full size.)
UPDATE: I think we may have our answer! Alice Xin Liu has noticed that the face looks a lot like Mr. Lee of Mr. Lee California Beef Noodle King, a major Chinese chain. Why Mr. Lee would be rooting for chicken is still beyond me.
A reasoned response to China hysteria
Nina Hachigian, a former National Security Council adviser during the late ’90s, writes a conspicuously reasonable-sounding response to the U.S. media’s increasingly alarmist reporting on the United States–China relationship.
The early stages of the U.S.-China relationship during the Obama administration have not played out according to the usual script. The president did not promise on the campaign trail to be “tough” on China—a position he would have been forced to abandon within a few months just as Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton did. In the midst of an unprecedented financial crisis, the Obama administration instead came to office wanting to preserve the stability of the U.S.-China relationship while also placing a new emphasis on joint global problem solving.
This is not appeasement. This is common respect and pragmatism born of looking down the road at a whole host of challenges where the only way forward is to cooperate with China. It is also part of a larger administration effort to mend fences around the world by listening and extending basic courtesy, both of which cost nothing.
She also outlines some of the accomplishments of Obama’s China policy so far, including progress on climate cooperation (despite the ongoing blame-game over whether China caused a failure in Copenhagen, where no one expected a full-scale deal in the first place). China and the U.S. have worked together at the U.N. on North Korea and Iran.
Hachigian notes that “China’s reaction to all of these actions—so far at least—is well within historical norms, especially given that Tibet and Taiwan touch at the core of Chinese anxieties about territorial unity and foreign intervention.”
It’s nice to see this kind of talk on China coming out of my former employer, the Center for American Progress, but I would have liked it even if I had no affection for the institution.
links for 2010-01-12
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The New York Times editorial board follows Krugman in interpreting Chinese currency policy as a major source of problems, and more or less threatens trade war, however undesirable.
A strange photograph
U.S. President Barack Obama and PRC Premier Wen Jiabao were photographed in Copenhagen. Where the heck are they?
