From Shaoguan to Changsha: A Brief Look at a Long Day

After reaching a boarding platform at the Shaoguan Railway Station last Wednesday morning, I headed in the wrong direction. To ensure the high-speed train didn't leave minus a confused passenger, staff asked me to board the nearest train car. The long train appeared to be two trains connected together, and there was no way to pass from the one I had boarded to the one with my reserved seat. Fortunately, finding a new seat wasn't a problem. During the 1 hour 44 minutes needed to reach my destination 480 km (298 miles) away, I was the only person sitting in the train car I had entered.

After arriving at the Changsha South Railway Station, instead of taking a taxi with a bust of Mao Zedong as I had done two years ago, I took the subway which had opened more recently.

In my hotel room I discovered one of the lightbulbs needed replaced. I notified hotel staff and not long afterwards left my room. In the elevator lobby I saw a hotel employee walk towards my room with a light bulb. Minutes later my room had more light. The elevator lobby, where I had watched the employee remove the light bulb from the ceiling, now had less.

I hit the streets of Changsha with a number of goals in my mind, most related to seeing what had and had not changed since my previous time there. Since my stomach desired lunch, my first destination was a new favorite for Liuyang-style steamed dishes on Jixiang Lane (吉祥巷). My old favorite and an old new favorite on the same lane are both long gone.

As expected, a variety of options, many spicy, were available in the steamer.

As not expected, the fish I chose was far from spectacular. I may branch out to other lanes next time.

I then made my way to the Kaifu Wanda Plaza. Behind it a pair of men encouraged me to try their specialty of pig and chicken feet.

Being full, I passed on their offer. And I soon passed some non-foot meat for sale nearby.

While walking down Yongxing Street (永兴街), a man sitting outside a mahjong room requested I take his photo. I obliged, and he convinced a woman to join him.

Later, near an area with a number of mobile phone stores and markets, I met two boys sharing a chair . . .

. . . a boy with a Chinese sanjiegun . . .

and a sanjiegun-less mutt.

Upon reaching the mobile phone markets, I checked out their current selection.

I then walked to a large shopping district around Huangxing Road and saw a Minions mascot . . .

. . . a child with a dog . . .

. . . and a couple of other mascots, these for Dianping.

The mascots were part of a promotion at a mall which, similar to many other promotions I have seen in China, concluded with dancers.

The dancers conclude this set of photos as well.

I was in Changsha for less than 24 hours but still managed to cover much ground. The above photos capture just a small portion of what I saw. In the future, I will share more, including updates to some earlier Changsha-related posts. And perhaps someday I will return to the elevator lobby to see whether it has regained its earlier brightness.

Some of Today's Lunch Space

On the plus side, the restaurant in the building has pretty good food and an excellent view.

On the negative side, I didn't get to use the telescope today.

I had hoped to have a bit more posted by now to help serve as a prelude to the above. I also hope to soon post the material, though in a more postlude-like fashion.

A Mobile Moment in Nanxiong, Guangdong

A crowd surround these pots for sale when I passed by less than an hour earlier.

Regarding the mobile theme, I have been rather mobile myself since yesterday and such joys will continue for about another day or so, depending on how you count. More about that, including my brief but eventful time in Changsha, once I am in a slightly more settled state.

Another Small Space in Shaoguan Filled with China's Redder Days: The Wuya Lane Old Book Room

The Nostalgia Book Room isn't the only place buying and selling old books and other older items on Wuya Lane in Shaoguan. Another place is the similarly small and appropriately named Wuya Lane Old Book Room* (吾牙巷旧书房). Like The Nostalgia Book Room, it opens when it opens and was closed almost all of the times I passed by.

Fortunately, one evening I arrived just before the door was about to come down. I was able to take a photo of the packed up room.

To peruse the many items call Mr. Mo (莫) at 18344499159 to have a better chance of finding an open door.




*Once again, I took the liberty of providing an English name. "书房" is often translated as "study" (the room), but I thought "book room" worked better in these cases.

A Small Space Filled with China's Redder Days: The Nostalgia Book Room in Shaoguan, Guangdong

Wuya Lane (吾牙巷) between Wenhua Street and Fuxing Road in Shaoguan is home to a variety of establishments including places selling & buying old currency and other collector's items, a restaurant specializing in donkey meat, inexpensive hair salons, and "hair salons" which appear to offer services far more intimate than a haircut. The place which most caught my eye there has the Chinese name 怀旧书屋 (Huáijiù Shūwū). Since no English name is listed, I will take the liberty of calling it The Nostalgia Book Room.

Numerous older books, posters, electronics and other memorabilia fill the small store. Many of them are connected to China's Cultural Revolution. Despite all of the upheaval and terror it brought, many in China today look back fondly on those days or part of what they held.

Chinese author Yu Hua, who grew up during the Cultural Revolution, sees some of the nostalgia for the Cultural Revolution as a sign of people's discontent with today's China:

In today’s China, more and more people speak in positive terms about the Cultural Revolution and hanker for a return to that era. Most of them don’t really want to turn the clock back: It’s mainly their dissatisfaction with current realities that fuels their interest in revolution. The itch for revolution, of course, may have different triggers. Some people are alienated by the increasing materialism of Chinese society, but many more are outraged by the emergence of interest cliques that marry political power to business profits.

But a quote of a Chinese musician in German sinologist Barbara Mittler's "Popular Propaganda? Art and Culture in Revolutionary China" suggests how people can have positive feelings about the era's culture without connecting it to any specific political message:

My generation likes the model works; they are our youth. Yes, there are people who dislike them, too, but really we do like them. Indeed, when I was young, eighteen or so, I needed art so much, we all did. And then there were just the model works as our food, and we actually thought they were quite great. Jiang Qing [Mao’s wife, who was in charge of the production of model works] used really good performers, writers, artists, and musicians. Of course this was propaganda for Mao’s thoughts, but it was also simply good art, it is all against these imperialists and their attacks, yes, it is, but it is also good art, really.

These are just two perspectives out of many on a complex topic which has generated much research and discussion — part of why I found the The Nostalgia Book Room so fascinating. Another part is simply the history. And old books and electronics . . .

Below is a closer look at the store. Some photographs were taken just after it opened and before all of the items had been set up as desired. If you wish to visit*, as far as I can tell the store opens when it opens. In other words, it is best to call Mr. Fan (范先生) at 0751-6109085 or 8979819 or you might be out of luck.

*Some online maps identify Wuya Lane as a street (吾牙街), but store signs and standard address plates in the area identify it as a lane / alley (吾牙巷).

Halloween Scenes from Shaoguan, China

Last week while crossing the Fengcai Bridge in Shaoguan, I noticed a few people looking up at something.

I soon surmised their attention had been caught by an advertisement for a Halloween party.

The other side of the billboard was the same.

And similar signs appeared over a road leading to the Shaoguan East Railway Station.

Not to be outdone, a fitness club had a Halloween activity planned as well.

And during several returns to an RT-Mart in Shaoguan I always saw a crowd around the Halloween supplies for sale.

The RT-Mart also added two Halloween-themed candy displays.

All of these signs plus some discussions I had with locals lead me to believe there would be more Halloween spirit in Shaoguan than I had expected after earlier seeing the Halloween offerings at a Pizza Hut.

I had not expected to still be here on Halloween, but life proved to have other ideas. So I was able to experience some of the city on the special day. What I saw on Halloween night was not as extensive as what I saw in Changsha several years ago, but it still surprised me, especially considering the constant rain all night.

For example, people sold masks and other Halloween-related items at both the Pedestrian Street and The History East Street shopping area.

And a popular arcade had Halloween activities, including free face painting.

At the History East Road shopping area I saw a variety of people, mostly younger, appropriately dressed for the holiday.

And a decent crowd showed up for the party I first saw advertised, also at The History East Road, despite the steady rain. Some people took advantage of the opportunity to dance. Others watched.

Surely this is not cover all of Shaoguan's Halloween activities, but it offers a sense of how another Western holiday is gaining acceptance in China. Even a local reporter noted Halloween's growing presence (in Chinese). By far, most of Shaoguan showed no signs of the holiday and at most homes you would likely only cause much confusion (at best) if you show up trick-or-treating. Still, it's good to know one can end Halloween in Shaoguan at a quiet bar and receive an unexpected free holiday treat to complement your Bloody Mary.

"Minnight" Movie Horrors in Shaoguan

In addition to the two movie posters I previously saw at the Fengdu Road Pedestrian Street in Shaoguan, another poster there more recently caught my eye.

More than the warm poses, the word "minnight" is remarkable. An online version of this poster at Douban uses the same word as well. However, all of the other posters for the same movie use "midnight", which makes sense since it is part of the Chinese name of the movie (半夜叫你别回头). While English language errors are common in China, misspelling the name of a movie on a poster which presumably was distributed nationwide seems to include a bit of extra unintended horror. Maybe that was the point though. Midnight Whispers opened today in China, just in time for the Halloween weekend.

U.S. Destroyer Appears in the South China Sea and the Nanxiong Bus Station

China allowed news agencies to report a U.S. destroyer recently making the "most significant U.S. challenge yet to the 12-nautical-mile territorial limits China claims around artificial islands it has built up in the Spratly archipelago". Today at a bus station in Nanxiong, a county-level city in northern Guangdong, I saw news posted about the "illegal" action.

In discussing some of the incident's coverage by "the most-watched and most tightly-controlled news broadcast" in China, Andrew Chubb points out why China may not similarly cover future challenges by the U.S.:

The high-handed demand that the American side “correct its mistakes” leaves the CCP well positioned to claim that its stern response forced an aggressive hegemon to back down. At least one US official has described the patrols as “routine“, suggesting there will be more to come. Even if the US patrols happen, say, once a month from now on, it will be up to the CCP to decide how often Chinese mass audiences hear about this. Having established a high level of domestic publicity on this occasion, the CCP might well be able to (implicitly or explicitly) encourage the perception that it forced the US to back down, simply by not affording the same level of publicity to future FoN patrols.

I am not going to even try to predict what will happen, other than that I doubt the issues over the territorial claims will be resolved anytime soon. Read Chubb's post "China announces the US’s Spratly patrols to the masses" for more analysis of the news coverage on CCTV's Xinwen Lianbo and an example of how China's control of news can be as newsworthy as the news itself.

A Friendly Xiangqi Photo Request in Shaoguan

As on the day before, this past Sunday a man in Shaoguan asked me to take his photo, though this time with others. The man had noticed stop to briefly watch a roadside game of xiangqi (Chinese chess), which he was watching as well. He was disappointed to learn I am not a reporter, as he hoped more of the world could see xiangqi being played. When I told I have a blog, he immediately brightened. Soon he repositioned himself to continue watching the game.

Before I left, he asked me to take a photo of just him and his friend, who he introduced to me as the retired director of Shaoguan's former Beijiang district, now a part of the central Zhenjiang district. I was curious to ask him some questions about his earlier role, but I refrained. Xiangqi was happening.

Imitated Art: Giant Abstract Flamingos in Chicago and Zhuhai

Dali L. Yang, Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago, recently tweeted a photo of a sculpture by the American artist Alexander Calder (1898-1976).

Chicago in a rainy Saturday evening pic.twitter.com/UbGeX5z2G3

— Dali L. Yang (@Dali_Yang) October 25, 2015

The Chicago Public Art Program's description of the "Flamingo" emphasizes how the sculpture fits in with its surrounding environment and offers an immersive experience:

Alexander Calder’s abstract stabile anchors the large rectangular plaza bordered by three Bauhaus style federal buildings designed by Mies van der Rohe. The sculpture’s vivid color and curvilinear form contrast dramatically with the angular steel and glass surroundings. However, Flamingo is constructed from similar materials and shares certain design principles with the architecture, thereby achieving successful integration within the plaza. Despite its monumental proportions, the open design allows the viewer to walk under and through the sculpture, leading one to perceive it in relation to human scale.

Seven years ago, David Mendell for the Chicago Tribune shared how the cost for a needed renovation at the time may have been justifiable simply in terms of attracting tourists:

Art lovers and conservationists maintain the expenditures are essential, and economical, if Chicago is to continue drawing tourists who want to view public art.

"These works really show the commitment Chicago has to promoting (the city's) cultural landscape in the last half of the 20th Century," said Victor Simmons, director of education for the Chicago Architecture Foundation. "It would be a great loss if those two contemporary works were allowed to disappear."

Fortunately, Calder's work didn't disappear. Two months ago, I felt inspired to take a photo similar to Yang's:

Perhaps too similar. Unfortunately, I haven't been to Chicago in years. Instead, I took the photo in China — more specifically, at the Huafa Mall in Zhuhai, Guangdong.

No Bauhaus-style federal buildings border the mall's plaza, and some differences exist between the Zhuhai sculpture and Calder's. But it is hard to believe the striking resemblance is a coincidence, and the Calder Foundation makes no mention of this work.

Photo by Min Lee of Calder's "Flamingo" in Chicago taken from a more a easily comparable viewpoint

There have been times when an example of "China copied!", often a justifiable claim, struck me as being no more a copy than examples in the West which were not similarly called out. Many of the most celebrated artists have used others' ideas and material to one degree or another. The line between imitation and similar-in-style can be fuzzy. Some of Calder's own works made me immediately think of earlier artists. And the more I compared photos of the sculptures in Zhuhai and Chicago the more differences I noticed. Revisiting both in person may uncover more.

Nonetheless, I strongly lean towards calling the Zhuhai sculpture an imitation. At best, it seems to be rather near that fuzzy boundary. It would be interesting to know whether the differences are primarily a result of artistic considerations, a desire to technically avoid the "copy" label, or failing to perfectly copy Calder's sculpture.

Whatever the artistic, ethical, and legal issues, though, there is a positive side to apparent imitations like the one in Zhuhai. For example, relatively few people in Zhuhai will ever have the opportunity to visit Chicago or support its tourism industry. At least they can now better experience something similar to its art, if not its deep-dish pizzas and hot dogs. From this perspective, it could be argued it would be better if the Zhuhai sculpture were an exact copy.

Regardless, clearly crediting the original, which I didn't see in Zhuhai, would improve things — perhaps something to the effect of:

Variation on Alexander Calder's sculpture "Flamingo" in Chicago, USA.

Not only could it increase people's art appreciation and knowledge, but it could also help avoid a potentially face-losing situation in which someone proudly identifies the sculpture as an example of Zhuhai originality.

In his thoughts about another Chicago sculpture with a twin in China, Jonathan Jones, who writes on art for the Guardian, had this to say about creativity and Chinese art:

The creative individual has been at heart of Chinese art for a long time. Painters and poets of the Song dynasty, during the 12th century, were celebrated as distinctive creators at a time when European art embodied the labour of anonymous artisans and scribes.

There’s no reason to think that China placed a low value on the creative individual – until the 20th century, that is. . . .

The Cultural Revolution undoubtedly attacked the idea that individual creativity should be celebrated or protected.

Yet despite any lasting negatives effects resulting from events of the previous century, creativity exists in China today.

Even if China feels artistic imitations are justifiable, not openly identifying them as such detracts from the work of artists all over the world. And in a special way it hurts Chinese artists who create original work in the 21st century. An environment exists where it is all too easy to think "this might be an imitation".

Nobody is now wondering if Calder copied a sculpture in Zhuhai.

Night Studies in Shaoguan

There was a time not long ago when I thought I would have two posts ready for today. I suppose the previous sentence already implies that I likely will not. It could also imply I may have three or more posts for today. I definitely didn't intend the latter interpretation.

Instead of either of the two posts I had initially planned, which need just a little more work that is not going to happen at this moment, here is a photo of a girl focusing on her own work tonight.

Abstract flamingos and a colorful (heavy on the red) place on Shaoguan's Wuya Alley shall appear shortly.