china beats presents :: FAR/∞

This one is a real discovery. Liu Yiwei, aka FAR/∞, is a audio and visual artist from the Chinese capital who has experimented at the nexus between sounds and sights for a long time.

Liu is extremely well versed in installation design, hardware and software engineering, live performances and music production. Last October, he finally released his debut album 'Dark Bridges' on new Beijing-based electronic music label Sinotronics.

The label's rather lofty description of FAR/∞'s first work:

'Dark Bridges presents FAR/∞'s hybrid, mechanistic view of the world: automated, randomized, clinically precise beats with an aggressively digital edge only sporadically softened with a light touch of electronic-acoustic elements. 

Warmly sampled pianos and percussive accents dot a landscape that's ultimately more machine than man, the product of Liu Yiwei's unique hybrid perspective as a media artist, software programmer, and music producer.'

I find it highly sophisticated, hypnotic and definitely very very cool. But hear for yourselves.

You can buy 'Dark Bridges' on Bandcamp. And if you want to get more into FAR/∞'s audio art, go visit eclectic beats.

China at the Berlin International Film Festival

This year, the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) (2/5-2/15) celebrates its 65th birthday with a highly diverse, politically bold and globally oriented programme.

To give you a rough idea of the average size of the Berlinale, a few numbers from 2014: then, statistics indicated a total of 491,316 theatre visits, 16,148 accredited professionals from 131 countries, 3,742 journalists from 81 countries, 413 films in the public programme, a total amount of 945 public screenings and 8,396 movie industry participants in the European Film Market, the business branch of the festival.

Starting on February 5, the area around so-called 'Berlinale Palast (Berlinale Palace)', the main venue located at tourist hot spot Potsdamer Platz, will draw again large crowds of local and foreign film enthusiasts, stressed journalists and busy film professionals.

Compared to the two old rivals, namely Cannes and Venice, that both may well be a lot more glamorous and exclusive, the Berlinale is unquestionably the European film festival that has the widest public appeal.

Movies from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are normally well-represented at the festival (in 2014, 'Black Coal, Thin Ice' or '白日焰火 Bai ri yan huo' by Diao Yinan (刁亦男) received the Golden Bear for Best Film) and this year is no exception, even if the selection is slightly more limited than usually.

To begin with the big names, renowned Chinese director Jiang Wen (姜文) is represented in the 'Competition' with his latest 3D epic 'Gone With the Bullets (一步之遥 Yi bu zhi yao)' (2014), the eagerly awaited sequel to his wildly successful action comedy 'Let the Bullets Fly (让子弹飞 Rang zidan fei)' from 2010.

The prominent cast includes the director himself, Ge You, Zhou Yun and Shu Qi. Jiang's new production is introduced as follows:

'Shanghai around 1920. Ma Zouri, ex-aristocrat turned professional conman, is in cahoots with policeman "Bruni" Xiang Feitan. On behalf of insatiable playboy Wu-Seven, they launder money on a grand scale. 

Their numerous activities include putting on a beauty contest to which the collective elite of the city are invited. The surprising victory of an outsider sets in motion a chain of events which escalate into a lethal maelstrom. 

Jiang Wen has already proven that a country's turbulent history can be mirrored in a cryptic genre-mix in his comedy gangster drama Let the Bullets Fly. That film was set in the Chinese provinces; now the director and actor moves to the big city. 

The booming metropolis of Shanghai has often served as a cinematic backdrop for stories set in the politically charged epoch of the 1920s. Though opulent, the second part of the Bullet trilogy traces the painful aftermath of the civil war and the threat of future social upheaval in between the flamboyant costumes and sumptuous sets - a dance on the edge of a volcano.'

In the PR China, the film's reception has been disappointing mostly; neither critics nor audiences seemed to like the sequel to the highly acclaimed 'Let the Bullets Fly' very much.

Jiang also has had a hard time getting the film past inscrutable state censors who requested a multitude of changes in the dialogues before giving the thumbs-up.

In a recent interview in the South China Morning Post, the director / actor talks in great detail about his latest work and the negative reactions he got. Watch the official trailer below.

Beyond the 'Competition', several Chinese films vie for the attention of critics and the public in different festival sections.

The section 'Panorama Dokumente (Panorama Documents)', for example, has invited Brazilian director Walter Salles' tribute to the indisputable icon of the so-called 'Sixth Generation' of Chinese film-makers, Jia Zhangke (see also my earlier post here).

The documentary 'Jia Zhang-ke, um homem de Fenyang (Jia Zhang-ke, a guy from Fenyang)' follows Jia to the locations of his filming and the places he grew up, thereby showing the fundamental changes in the country.

In the section that is known for the most daring, innovative and experimental contributions, the 'Forum', the 2015 co-production (PR China / UK) 'K' by Mongolian directors Emyr ap Richard and Darhad Erdenibulag may well deserve lots of curious spectators. Set in the immense vastness of the Inner Mongolian plain, the work is allegedly a 'spare, quietly radical adaptation of the Kafka classic'.

Mainly children and young people are addressed in the section 'Generation Kplus' in which two submissions made in the PR China have found their way.

The Tibetan film 'River (Gtsngbo)' by director Sonthar Gyal centers on a small village girl whose life is deeply impacted by her father's demons that ultimately endanger the whole family. The moving story is told entirely from her point of view.

The second contribution, Li Ruijun's 'River Road (Jia zai shuicao fengmao de difang)', describes the arduous journey of two young brothers along the ancient Silk Road to reunite with their parents. Seen through their eyes, the film criticizes the pitfalls of modern civilization and the loss of their way of life.

Now to the Chinese compatriots from Taiwan.

In the regular 'Panorama' section, the movie 'Paradise in Service (Junzhong leyuan)' by director Doze Niu Chen-Zer depicts the oppressive military life on a Taiwanese island outpost during the times of Mao Zedong.

In another accepted submission from Taiwan, film-maker Chang Tso-Chi portrays the life of two brothers in the capital Taipei. In his 'Thanatos, Drunk (Zui sheng meng si)', one of the brothers is straight, the other one is gay; both are looking for a job and struggle to find their way in an urban environment that is hostile to the younger generation. This last work screens in the section 'Panorama Special'.

Last but not least, the European Film Market (EFM) organizes the EFM Industry Debates where a panel on 'China's Online Video Revolutionaries' is hosted to discuss the impressive success of online video companies in the country, their different business models, vagaries of the market and future development possibilities.

Fragile little warriors

Yesterday, I was scrolling through venerable blog Boing Boing when I came across these kinky little creatures. And was instantly mesmerized.

The series of seven porcelain toy soldiers plus one angel, titled 'Who Did it? Again!', was made by Hong Kong-based artist Johnson Tsang who also works with other materials. The short profile on his personal blog reads:

'Johnson Cheung-shing TSANG is a Hong Kong sculptor specializing in ceramics, stainless steel sculpture and public art work. Tsang’s works mostly employ realist sculptural techniques accompanied by surrealist imagination, integrating the two elements, "human beings" and "objects", into creative themes. Since 1993, Tsang’s works have been exhibited in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Spain and Switzerland and collected by local and overseas museums and collectors.'

Aren't they truly amazing, these bizarre mini-soldiers weeping so inconsolably?

Porcelain and toy soldiers :: Throwing, altering and modelling :: L90 W90 H23cm :: Oct. 2014 :: © Johnson Tsang

Porcelain and toy soldiers :: Throwing, altering and modelling :: L90 W90 H23cm :: Oct. 2014 :: © Johnson Tsang

Porcelain and toy soldiers :: Throwing, altering and modelling ::

L90 W90 H23cm :: Oct. 2014 :: © Johnson Tsang

Porcelain and toy soldiers :: Throwing, altering and modelling ::

L90 W90 H23cm :: Oct. 2014 :: © Johnson Tsang

Porcelain and toy soldiers :: Throwing, altering and modelling ::

L90 W90 H23cm :: Oct. 2014 :: © Johnson Tsang

Porcelain and toy soldiers :: Throwing, altering and modelling ::

L90 W90 H23cm :: Oct. 2014 :: © Johnson Tsang

Porcelain and toy soldiers :: Throwing, altering and modelling ::

L90 W90 H23cm :: Oct. 2014 :: © Johnson Tsang

Drone alarm over Beijing

Just take a few minutes and marvel at this captivating video. You won't have the chance to enjoy views of Beijing from this perspective very often. Using a drone (the correct term being 'quadcopter'), New Zealander Trey Ratcliff was able to produce this stunning aerial footage of the Chinese capital. 

Not surprisingly, he was detained and questioned by the police at one point and got his precious little flying gadget confiscated (well, don't worry, he got it back shortly before his departure). He has told the whole story about this adventure here.

Ratcliff is actually a well-known professional and an extremely gifted travel photographer as you will discover on his StuckInCustoms site, apparently the travel photography blog No.1 on the internet.

Have a look at his extensive portfolio where you can find loads of truly gorgeous pictures, most of them in HDR (High Dynamic Range) technique, not only from China but from many other places around the world.

Back to the roots

Much has been written about the massive flows of people from rural to urban China during the last few decades.

And rightly so, as this unprecedented human mass migration has altered the very fabric of Chinese society. Regrettably, the dire consequences for the places of origin, the vast rural hinterlands, have been neglected for the most part in this narrative. Due to labour migration whole regions have been depopulated with solely children and the elderly staying behind in abandoned so-called 'shell villages (kongke cun)'.

Largely unnoticed, there is also a still small but growing flow of people in the opposite direction. Urban intellectuals leave the cities and settle down in the Chinese countryside not only to flee overcrowded, polluted and stressful urban agglomerations, but to revive rural traditions and ways of life as well as to support local economies.

One of these is the prominent art curator, graphic designer, documentary film-maker and writer Ou Ning.

In 2011, he left Beijing for the village of Bishan in Anhui province in order to realize his own vision of rural revitalization. And he is not alone in this endeavour - there are currently around 200 similar projects by artists, writers, academics and activists across China.

In fact, the country has a long history of well-meaning urban intellectuals embarking on a mission to develop or redevelop rural areas.

Pioneers of the so-called 'Rural Reconstruction Movement' were the famous Republican-era reformers Liang Shuming and James Yen. The most influential advocate of a 'New Rural Reconstruction (Xin xiangcun jianshe)' at the beginning of the 21st century is without doubt the renowned scholar Wen Tiejun whose elaborate theories and social experiments inspired and guided a new wave of activism at the grassroots level.

It has to be noted that this back-to-the-countryside movement is not to be confused with the state-driven, mainly top-down campaign to 'build a new socialist countryside' (jianshe xin shehuizhuyi nongcun) that was promulgated by the central government in 2006. The state initiative involves markedly different objectives, instruments and scale (for an assessment of this official policy on rural development, see here).

In an extensive and meticulously researched article, Ou Ning has described both the rich historical and theoretical context of rural reconstruction movements as well as his personal approach at so-called 'Bishan Commune' in Anhui province (see this blog post).

The short film 'Down to the Countryside' by ChinaFile's Sun Yunfan and Leah Thompson follows Ou Ning to his new domicile in the village.

It gives a very lively first impression of Bishan Commune with its diverse undertakings, main actors and problems encountered. According to the ChinaFile site, the video is part of an ongoing project, titled 'Bishan: Reinventing China's Emptying Countryside'.

So watch out for more!

china beats presents :: Dear Eloise

Something really really smooth for a lazy afternoon. This is what That's magazine had to say about the latest result of the sideline project by P.K.14's Yang Haisong with his better half, the band Dear Eloise (Qin'aide Ailuoyisi), titled 'Farewell to the Summer (Gen xiatian shuo zaijian)':

'The father of Mainland art-punk Yang Haisong has had a busy year. His iconic group P.K.14 are playing a pair of celebratory shows commemorating the vinyl reissue of their early double-whammy White Paper and Shui Shui Shui this weekend. 

He continues to flourish as a producer ... while returning to the iconic Beijing indie label as its full-time CEO. Despite the heavy schedule, he’s found time to record this charmingly lo-fi record with wife Sun Xia. 

Inscribed with a Herman Hesse quote on the cover, Dear Eloise’s third record is a spare poetic affair fuelled by jangly distorted guitars, layers of lingering hiss and simple memorable melodies. 

The couple effectively duet on songs like "Scenery" while tracks like "About the World That Behind Light" are propelled by Yang’s delicate fretwork.'

You can buy the album on Maybe Mars' Bandcamp site. Enjoy!

The Chinese Dream that won't come true

One of several cartoons by an unknown artist that went viral in 2014.

All depict President Xi Jinping as passionate about football.

This one reads: 'Go, football' and 'This dream can surely come true'.

Whenever you ask a Chinese person about the National Football Team (perhaps not a very sensible thing to do anyhow), prepare yourself for a storm of indignation and expletive-ridden tirades. Even mild-mannered people may quickly loose their temper. At least, you will be able to learn a whole lot of colourful new language.

To be blunt:

Yes, the Chinese National Football Team (officially, Zhongguo Guojia Zuqiu Dui) sucks, and considerably so. Dismal performances of the nation's players were and still are so common that the slightly grandiose nicknames Longzhi Dui (Team Dragon) or Wanli Changcheng (Team The Great Wall) seem like a really bad joke.

The greatest accomplishment of the widely denigrated national team remains the successful qualification for the FIFA World Cup in 2002. During the tournament, however, Team China was knocked out without any ado at the group stage, losing all of its three matches while scoring not a single goal.

At the AFC Asian Cup, the results were modest at best so far, and the first international title ever, won at the East Asian Football Championship in 2005, didn't give much cause for prolonged celebrations either.

A brief look at the latest FIFA rankings makes the deplorable status of Chinese football at the international level abundantly clear: the PR China, together with powerhouse Latvia, is ranked at position 96, closely followed by African soccer giant Mozambique (98).

It is just another heavy slap in the faces of the male representatives of The Beautiful Game that the country's Women's Football Team is obviously doing a much better job. Ranked at more than remarkable position 13, the female players are placed right between Norway (12) and Italy (14).

For a football-crazy and extremely proud nation like the Chinese, the Men's National Team is a source of constant embarrassment and much criticism has been directed at the official Chinese Football Association (Zhongguo Zuqiu Xiehui) over the years.

Starting in the early 1990s, a whole bunch of more or less prominent foreign coaches have been shuttled in as much-needed trouble-shooters. But neither Klaus Schlappner (1992-93), Bobby Houghton (1997-99) or Bora Milutinović (2000-02), nor Arie Haan (2002-04), Vladimir Petrović (2007-08) or José Antonio Camacho (2011-13) were able to find a way out of the predicament.

Last year, the French Alain Perrin took over from interim caretaker Fu Bo and hopes are high, again, that the new head coach will manage to form a team that might be finally competitive on the global stage.

It is very unfortunate that football fans who prefer to cheer for clubs in the national Chinese Football Association Super League (Zhongguo Zuqiu Xiehui Chaoji Liansai), instead, aren't much better off, either.

The Super League has been plagued with corruption and mismanagement for many years and match-fixing scandals, illegal betting and referee-bribing have been endemic. According to the latest report by China's official anti-graft watchdog, the situation has not markedly improved. Professional football is still 'underperforming' and 'also has become the breeding ground for malpractices and corruption'.

The top clubs in the Super League may have money galore, some of them rather eccentric owners and often wildly ambitious plans, but what the teams actually deliver on the pitch is another matter.

Costly transfers of foreign luminaries and bold investments are generally a lot more noteworthy than outstanding performances or state-of-the-art tactics. Guangzhou Evergrande, current front runner, for example, has recently made international headlines when China's e-commerce giant Alibaba bought a 50% stake.

And international coverage is also guaranteed whenever an ageing star hailing from European top clubs (think Nicolas Anelka, think Didier Drogba; both had a short intermezzo at Shanghai Shenhua) decides to give China a try at the end of his career.

The reasons for the glaring deficits of Chinese professional football are manifold. There is a general dearth of basic infrastructure, a rigid, high-handed state-run approach, an unholy obsession with quantity rather than quality and an enormous lack of patience.

In addition, an extended grassroots football culture is virtually non-existent and the development across China is highly uneven. Another valid problem is the widespread resistance of parents who are afraid regular football practice could prevent their progeny from achieving the all-important academic success.

Interestingly, President Xi Jinping allegedly declared himself an avid fan of the sport last year. Xi is the guy, you know, who dreams such an awful lot. It is also rumoured that one of his many dreams for China, you may have guessed it, is to win the FIFA World Cup one day.

I suppose it is merely a coincidence that the Ministry of Education announced last summer that it aims to make football mandatory in all four stages of schooling.

If you are inclined, against all odds, to learn more about China's frenzied football scene, check out Wild East Football. This is the most comprehensive English-language site to date and the guys definitely know their stuff.

Another valuable source for football news from the Middle Kingdom is China Sports Insider with its large football section.