While in Beijing I met with Hu Fang, a writer, art critic and curator*, who very generously lent me his ear and, gave me his time, after my request to get some feedback on my perceptions of China. I’ve been coming to China now on a yearly basis since 2004, observing, absorbing, interpreting, comparing, contextualizing, processing. Each time maintaining a weblog for my visual and written notations. Throughout these past years this has been very much a solitary exercise. An indulgent undertaking resulting, until now, in a subjective collection of images and ideas that have not been exposed to, or examined by, those who know infinitely more about Chinese culture than I do.

When the opportunity to talk with Fang arose, it met with my growing craving to embark on dialogues with others about various themes that recur in my collection of possibly fanciful notions about aspects of Chinese culture.
One of those themes is the attitude towards copy vs. original, imitation vs. authentic, fake vs.genuine. Fang introduced me to the term shanzhai initially meaning “a fenced place in the forest” or “village in the mountains with stockade houses“.
It is however currently often used to refer to certain type of pirated goods in China. As I understood it, it means not a literal copy, whereby every detail is replicated, but rather it’s an almost copy. A reference to an existing product and/or brand, whereby the shanzhai product has some alterations in it that distinguish it from the original article, yet it clearly is based on an original product.

Wikipedia offers some insights on origins and usage of the word shanzhai. One of the references given is an small article in the New York Times:

[Shanzhai] associates fake products with the actions of old-time bandits who thumbed their noses at various Chinese dynasties, an increasing number of Chinese people are viewing such products as an anti-establishment symbol.(…)

*Fang is also artistic director of Vitamin Creative Space, an art space in Guangzhou.

Been, whom I met in 2007, invited me to have dinner at her place with her mother, grandfather and a close friend. A delicious meal was cooked by her friend, who comes over almost daily to cook, and exchange cooking tips with Beens mother. I sincerely enjoyed spending time at Beens place, which is way out in the sticks of Beijing (Li Yuan).
It took almost 2 hours to get there by subway, which was a reminder to me of just how huge BJ is. Li Yuan is still within the periphery of the 6th Ring Road. My starting point was in the North East, between the 2nd and 3rd Ring Road, Beens home is in the South East. How long would it take to get from the South East to the North West? And to think that there are many who make this kind of commute daily.

As Spring Festival approaches, (the Chinese New Year falls on February 14th) more and more red is appearing throughout the cityscape. No doubt that this ribbon of colour, being painstakingly applied by workers dwarfed by the drab facade, is a Spring Festival decoration.

As spring is imminent, someone has decided that in the meanwhile, it’s nice to have placeholder blossoms attached to the still barren trees. Why not? It’s a lovely burst of colour in an otherwise grey and cold Beijing.