Near the busstop where I often wait for the number 3 bus from campus to town, I noticed this banner hanging at eyelevel. More to the point, I noticed the character that had been added to the original message by punching holes in the fabric. It was the character 不 [bù] meaning no or not.

The horizontal strip of red fabric, and the yellow message printed on it, make up a format that is ubiquitious throughout China: that of government (either national, regional or local) slogans. Whoever had punched those holes, had made an adjustment to the banner that negated the message*. The bright sunlight cast sharp shadows, and in the case of the banner, it’s shadow projected very clearly only the message NO.

Whether intentional, or coincidental, it conveyed a very strong visual statement.
To see the whole banner, click HERE.

*(don’t)DO IT NOW, DO IT FOR YOURSELF, KEEP AWAY FROM SMALL GOODS BEING SOLD ON THE STREET

This girl caught me in the act, and clearly does not look too pleased at being captured in her role as a human signpost. The sign was pointing towards a shoe shop in a narrow alley off the main shopping street.

In an interview with an American sinologist, about the 60th anniversary celebrations in China, about I came across some comments that I find interesting in relation to the above mentioned observation:

“The Western eye might see the slogans as blatant propaganda, but (…) the Chinese see it more like an advertisement.”

“Propaganda is simply making the case for the kind of product you have to sell — whether it’s a candidate or it’s a policy, or whether it’s something to buy”

“Thirty years ago, the party’s message might have been the only one to see on the streets of China’s cities. But now, (…) “these slogans [party slogans] have to compete with actual advertisements for products.”

The whole interview can be found at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113469963&ps=cprs

> click on image below to enlarge