Why Beijing Always "Wins"

With the recent events in China -- including the sentencing of Liu Shaobo, the January 1st demonstrations in Hong Kong, and the withdrawal of Google, I am reminded of a exchange I had ten years ago with a Chinese friend.

Wang was a post-doc in mechanical engineering at Northwestern. We had become partners in a new Internet venture -- a "global online marketplace for metalcasting" -- Castingtrade.com! He had come from one of the most prestigious universities in China, and he was active in organizing Chinese students at universities in the Chicago area.

One day, I was expounding to Wang on my observation that many of China's best and brightest were remaining in the United States after university studies here. I attributed this at least in part to political repression in China. I told Wang that I thought this had two main implications.

First, China's loss was America's gain. Our country had always benefitted from being a magnet to the best and the brightest. More than anything else, America's competitive advantage in the world lies in the fact that we will always win the "war for talent."

Second, that equilibrium would eventually re-establish itself. Once China's leaders woke up and smelled the coffee -- and realized that they were suffering a debilitating brain drain -- they would realize they had no choice but to opt for political liberalization. (According to this theory, the best way for the United States to help China was to continue bleeding them of their best and brightest at an accelerating pace!)

Wang smiled and said, "That's good as far as it goes, but there's one thing you don't understand. What you are calling "the best and the brightest," the leaders in China call "troublemakers." A hundred thousand Ph.D.'s stay behind in the U.S.? Two hundred thousand? A million? Fine! Let them! There's more where that came from! China's got nothing if not people!"

China's conflict with Google -- in fact, with the entire Internet -- is turning a powerful magnifying glass on this phenomenon. Maybe Beijing will continue to "win." I shudder, however, to think what victory looks like . . . .

Latest HK Prohibition

This is one of a series of photos shared via Twitter from demonstrations in Hong Kong on January 1, 2010. The images were aggregated with the term #0101hk.

I liked this sign before I even knew what it meant:


(Source: dookaz, BachLau on Twitter)

Of course, I knew it was saying "No [something]!" but it took some effort before I figured out that it meant "No functional constituencies!"

Perfect! It can go right in the gallery with these other examples of wordless bureaucratic-speak from the unparalleled world of Hong Kong civil society:


(Other 1/1/10 images from Hong Kong discussed in Scarry Thoughts.)

(For a full set of images from 01/01/10 in Hong Kong, see: http://picfog.com/search/0101hk)

Black and White in HK

This is one of a series of photos shared via Twitter from demonstrations in Hong Kong on January 1, 2010. The images were aggregated with the term #0101hk.

This image really caught my eye:


(Source: sk0207, stellakwok on Twitter)

(Their placards say that "functional constituencies trample workers.")

The use of costume reminded me of commedia dell'arte costumes:


Commedia_dell'arte is a highly allusive form of satirical theater from Renaissance Italy, with a strong emphasis on human frailty.

Wouldn't it be something if China could adopt a language of political dissent that includes colorful allusion and metaphor and symbolism and satire . . . without being considered seditious?

Of course, China has always had colorful allusion and metaphor and symbolism and satire:


So what's missing?

(Other 1/1/10 images from Hong Kong discussed in Scarry Thoughts.)

(For a full set of images from 01/01/10 in Hong Kong, see: http://picfog.com/search/0101hk)

I {heart} HK

This is one of a series of photos shared via Twitter from demonstrations in Hong Kong on January 1, 2010. The images were aggregated with the term #0101hk.

We always talk about how Chinese characters can be used expressively, but finally someone's actually done it:


Translation: I HATE power patronage. (Source: virtualpanda on Twitter)

The term yin quan or "power patronage," comes from the idea of a tree that grows in the shelter of others. Cronyism and power patronage are a constant problem in Chinese politics.

The element meaning "heart" in the term "hate" -- common to many terms having to do with emotions -- is given negative emphasis here using black, much as Milton Glaser did with a red "love" heart decades ago for the city of New York:



(Other 1/1/10 images from Hong Kong discussed in Scarry Thoughts.)

(For a full set of images from 01/01/10 in Hong Kong, see: http://picfog.com/search/0101hk)

HK: No More Con Games

This is one of a series of photos shared via Twitter from demonstrations in Hong Kong on January 1, 2010. The images were aggregated with the term #0101hk.

I loved this image for its juxtaposition of irreverent Hong Kong swindle-talk with the earnest "Democracy Wall" of the early period of liberalization on the Chinese mainland:


The individual poster is a study in Chinese economy of words: "Not once, not ever! 'No!' to con men! 'No!' to the Chief Executive." (Source: yalpoon on Twitter)

The term lao qian or "old thousand," means "con man" and is a familiar genre in Hong Kong film. It gives the placard overtones of "I wasn't born yesterday."

Behind the demonstrator, you can see "Democracy Wall" (minzhu qiang). The original Democracy Wall was an experiment in expression and liberalization in mainland China in the late '70s during the post-Mao, post-Gang of Four thaw.


(Image from EastSouthWestNorth - more great images from late '70s China there.)

(Other 1/1/10 images from Hong Kong discussed in Scarry Thoughts.)

(For a full set of images from 01/01/10 in Hong Kong, see: http://picfog.com/search/0101hk)

HK's Goddess of Democracy

This is one of a series of photos shared via Twitter from demonstrations in Hong Kong on January 1, 2010. The images were aggregated with the term #0101hk.

This political cartoon has special resonance for me:


It alludes to the "Goddess Democracy" statue that was erected in Tiananmen in 1989:


I remember at the time being at a meeting in Washington, DC, of business executives doing business with China. A small group of people was talking, and one American woman said, "Yes, but don't you think they went too far with the 'Democracy' statue?"

That was the moment when everything changed for me . . . .


(Other 1/1/10 images from Hong Kong discussed in Scarry Thoughts.)

(For a full set of images from 01/01/10 in Hong Kong, see: http://picfog.com/search/0101hk)

#0101hk: Visual Imagery of Hong Kong Protests Jan 1 2010

I've been posting selections from a series of photos shared via Twitter from demonstrations in Hong Kong on January 1, 2010. The images were aggregated with the term #0101hk.







(Click the image to see full discussion of each.)


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For more protest art ... check out the series of Scarry signs!
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Long-suffering and Faceless in Hong Kong

This is one of a series of photos shared via Twitter from demonstrations in Hong Kong on January 1, 2010. The images were aggregated with the term #0101hk.

What is the cultural referent of this image?


The sign says: "This is a warning: Youth have run out of patience with dog-officials. [We are] preparing for riot and bloodshed." (Sourced from: #0101hk @virtualpanda Does the SAR [Hong Kong] government really see without comprehending?)

It simultaneously appears refer to the ubiquitous Chinese migrant laborer attire:


And also to the Palestinian intifada:


("A demonstrator wears a Palestinian kaffiyeh as she takes part in a demonstration, against Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, in Strasbourg January 10, 2009." Source: http://www.daylife.com/photo/0dL17vTbVF4jZ)

(Wikipedia explains the use of the keffiyeh as a Palestinian national symbol.)


(Other 1/1/10 images from Hong Kong discussed in Scarry Thoughts.)

(For a full set of images from 01/01/10 in Hong Kong, see: http://picfog.com/search/0101hk)

Flag Symbolism in Hong Kong

This is one of a series of photos shared via Twitter from demonstrations in Hong Kong on January 1, 2010. The images were aggregated with the term #0101hk.

It took me a a minute to put two and two together when I saw this image:


(Sourced from: “RT @ranyunfei: RT @28481k: No to the Red Fascist! RT @bachlau #0101hk ..... - @yujiashi)

The clear reference is the Nazi flag:


But it also builds on the Hong Kong flag -- that is, the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) following its 1997 handover to China:


Wikipedia describes the symbolism of the Hong Kong flag: "The regional flag carries a design of five bauhinia petals, each with a star in the middle, on a red background. The red flag represents the motherland and the bauhinia represents Hong Kong. The design implies that Hong Kong is an inalienable part of China and prospers in the embrace of the motherland. The five stars on the flower symbolize the fact that all Hong Kong compatriots love their motherland, while the red and white colours embody the principle of "one country, two systems."

(Other 1/1/10 images from Hong Kong discussed in Scarry Thoughts.)

(For a full set of images from 01/01/10 in Hong Kong, see: http://picfog.com/search/0101hk)

The New Face of Social Protest In Hong Kong

This is one of a series of photos shared via Twitter from demonstrations in Hong Kong on January 1, 2010. The images were aggregated with the term #0101hk.

The first image that caught my eye was a face marked with Chinese characters:
(Sourced from: “#iranelection #CN4Iran #0101hk A protester displays writing on his forehead reading "Oppose the dictators" in su” - @Glossology)

Compare to the artworks of the contemporary Chinese artist at Zhang Huan :


(From the series 1/2, 1998. See Zhang Huan's website: http://www.zhanghuan.com/)

Here's a full syllabus on the topic of Body & Face in Chinese visual culture: http://academic.reed.edu/art/courses/art397/syllabus.html

(Other 1/1/10 images from Hong Kong discussed in Scarry Thoughts.)

(For a full set of images from 01/01/10 in Hong Kong, see: http://picfog.com/search/0101hk)