ON THE TRAIL OF THE CHINESE HIPSTER

BY DAVlD DAWSON

ON THE TRAIL OF THE CHINESE HIPSTER

BY DAVlD DAWSON

Wenyi qingnian: Depoliticized remnants of the 1980s youth movement or just Chinese hipsters?

“文藝青年”這個稱號自封是不管用的

You see them around China’s frst tier cities: young, often fashionable but sometimes decidedly anti-fashion, lounging in cafes, tapping away on their mobile devices, perhaps strumming a guitar. They are not so engrossed in the online world as the “otaku” youth who become lost in the byzantine subcultures of anime and online games, eventually losing their ability to socialize with the opposite sex, nor are they quite as reviled as the“tuhao” nouveau riche—although they too are criticized when attempts at sophistication go awry. They are the wenyi qingnian (文藝青年), or cultured youth. Some have called them the Chinese hipster, and like its Western counterpart, it can be used as a slur, but in China it really depends who you ask. Everybody and nobody knows how to defne them, but they are most certainly a modern subculture—or perhaps the resurrected, depoliticized version of an older one.

They are into literature, poetry, and music. They strive to be different. They are trendy, possibly environmentally conscious.They occasionally embrace the label, but are often hesitant about doing so. Partof the reason is that the term has become so overused that a backlash was bound to occur. After all, if you go around calling yourself a “cultured youth” don’t be surprised when the oh-so-chinglishy-but-ironicallyhip term “zhuangbility”, with has a similar meaning to poser/pretender, gets leveled at you.

But despite the surface similarities, there are some signifcant differences between wenyi qingnian, or wenqing (文青), and the hipsters of the West.

When asked how to defne wenqing, one 22-year-old Chinese student, who likes to go by her Japanese name Yuki, said the term is used so broadly that it covers a variety of niche groups. “You can use the word in many ways. It can be negative, sure. You can use it to describe a guy who plays guitar but is mostly doing it to get girls,” she said, adding that it is also used to describe people who are genuinely interested in the latest cultural trends.

She pointed out similarities with a previous youth movement—the wenxue qingnian (文學(xué)青年). These were the literary youth of the 1980s who became enamored with poetry. Some of them went on to debate the philosophies of liberalism and communism.

It is impossible to say conclusively that one subculture became the other; after all, wenyi qingnian has only really become a popular term in the last four years or so. But, it seems almost certain that they occupy the same niche in society—the well-educated youth, interested in culture. Though it would seem that the wenqing have been de-politicized and instead focus on cultural pursuits, to the exclusion of the political.

Contrast this with the origins of the Western hipster, who frst emerged out of the 1940s jazz scene. Far from the outraged, idealistic wenxue qingnian, the original Western hipsters (who were hipsters before it was uncool) also defned themselves by their familiarity with emerging cultural trends but did so with a more jaded eye. They didn’t attempt such things as changing society or even defning themselves, rather, they sought to distance themselves entirely from mainstream society, rather than reforming it, to stay ahead of the “squares”. The modern hipsters may have ditched much of the jazz background, but maintained their aloof presence and desire to remain apart from society, along with their focus on the latest cultural trends. It is here that the wenqing and hipsters manage to converge.

When asked to describe wenqing with a word, Yuki goes for “sentimental”. “They always write about relationships. This is why people think they’re so sentimental.”

Literature is a fairly common thread that runs through discussions of wenqing. In order to be considered cultured, one must be on good terms with the written word, be it as a consumer or creator. Websites such as qidian.com are a popular haunt, allowing writers the chance to post their pieces, often “sentimental” love stories, and receive exposure based on the number of clicks they receive. Some have gone on to make book deals and achieve success.

“THEY ALWAYS WRlTE ABOUT RELATlONSHlPS. THlS lS WHY PEOPLE THlNK THEY’RE SO SENTlMENTAL.”

Wenxue qingnian, or literary youth, discussing poetry one summer day in 1979 in Zizhuyuan Park, Beijing

Wenyi qingnian couples enjoying tea on a Sunday afternoon in Shanghai

Of course, it’s not just sentimental romance tales that draw interest. Critically acclaimed works in any genre are likely to crop up in wenqing discussions, with recent successes like the science fction novel The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin in vogue as well as Jia Zhangke’s flm A Touch of Sin—notable in the West for its nomination for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, but hasn’t been able to get a broadcast license in China. Previous darlings of the Chinese flm establishment, such as Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang, would appear to have had too much mainstream success to warrant much attention from those striving to differentiate themselves based on culture.

And no doubt, as time passes, the cultural touchstones which defne the current crop of wenqing will fade to be replaced by the latest cultural sensation.

But certain genres have staying power, particularly Taiwanese cultural products. Though of course, this brings its own set of considerations to a group which seem to barely even dabble in politics, but that isn’t to say it avoids this entirely. Taiwanese singer Deserts Chang, known as Zhang Xuan on the Chinese mainland, occupies a niche somewhere between indie performer and pop success, given her contract with Sony BMG. She hasn’t shied away from political content in her songs, which is perhaps one reason for her popularity among some wenqing and the reason why others object to her.

In 2013, her song “Rose-Colored” won the “Best Lyricist” category at the 2013 Top Chinese Music Awards, and the song focused on the plight of marginalized groups including political demonstrators and homosexuals. When she performed in the UK later that year, a student brought along Taiwan’s ROC fag. Chang asked the fan to come on stage for the performance, and according to the BBC, she remarked,“I have not felt so patriotic for a while…and I am from Taiwan.” The immediate reaction was a shout from a fan, apparently from the Chinese mainland. “No politics today,” she shouted in English. “We just want to have fun.” The reaction on Weibo was swift and unforgiving. A wave of angry sentiment emerged, with calls to cancel her concerts and ban her from the Chinese mainland. The case was illustrative of how harsh online sentiment can be. Wenqing are not immune to this. All too quickly, they can be accused of being uncultured idiots.

Perhaps the overall lesson is that calling yourself a“cultured youth” unsurprisingly can result in criticism. Being cultured enough to have someone else call you one can be nice, but you might want to double-check the praise is genuine.

THE EQUESTRIAN ENGINEER

China has had some major scientific achievements over the past year—leaps in physics, technology, and space exploration. But, for seemingly no other reason than to have one, inventor Su Daocheng decided to make himself a mechanical horse. Su’s invention doesn’t exactly gallop across the plains (more shuffles painfully across pavement), but considering it’s just a bit of scrap metal with a horse head mounted on it run by a gas motor jammed in the middle, the clockwork horse is certainly a step in the right direction for China’s supremacy in the all-important race for a sustainable, cost-effective equine vehicle. The UK-based Metro claims that the inventor was inspired by the story of Zhuge Liang, who himself made a mechanical horse over a millennia ago; in Romance of the Three Kindoms, it is said: “Zhuge Liang then produced a paper, and all the generals crowded round to look at it. They were all greatly astonished and lauded, ‘The Prime Minister is superhuman!’” Su has not been hailed as superhuman; one online portal referred to the invention as “craptacular”. Indeed, his similarly strange mechanical elephant and his helicopter (a sort of land-bound faraday cage) in 2005 received analogous reviews. However, we salute you, Su Daocheng, for your innovation, weirdness, and just plain bloody-mindedness—a man who looked at 250 kilograms of garbage and presumably said, “That could be a bit more like a horse.” Bravo, sir. And, we have nothing but stern words for your detractors (neigh-sayers)—them and the non-mechanical horses they rode in on. -TYLER RONEY

PARANOID PARENT GADGETS

Do you want to track your child like they’re a villain in a Bond movie? Well, you’re in luck. A pair of kicks from Budiu’s A&L Technology allows their customers to gleefully track their children’s movement, retailing for around 70 USD. Parents can track their wayward children via their smartphone and even set up alerts for when their children travel outside a preordained zone. This isn’t exactly new technology; GPS tracking shoes have been around for years, including some that let you track elderly people suffering from dementia. What makes these little doodads special is that they, well, look pretty sharp. Oh, and the company was able to secure five million dollars in investments in January so get ready to see a lot more of them about. Currently, the first generation of Smart Shoe is available to buy online and has already sold 10,000 pairs, and if you’re in a hurry to get the second generation, you might be in for a bit of a wait; they’ve already clocked 20,000 preorders, according to Tech in Asia. Also, if shoes aren’t your thing (or if you’re just really paranoid), you can fork out for some child-tracking watches from the Chinese Kids Guard. They’ve already sold 500,000 and come with some upgrades, including letting parents listen in for ten seconds from anywhere. Much like the shoes, they come in a variety of kid-friendly colors. So, kids, beware if your parents decide to splash out on a colorful watch or pair of shoes. Big Mother is watching you! – T.R.

ONLINE TEMPTATION AT JUST 30 RMB

It’s the plot of countless romcoms come to life—is my boyfriend loyal? What if I throw temptation at him? Now enterprising net users have found a way to monetize these kinds of insecurities without resorting to making cheesy romance films or heading into the fashion industry. You really can buy anything on Taobao, and temptation apparently comes pretty cheap, in the form of a pretty girl (well, a pretty screenshot anyway, god knows who is on the other end of the keyboard) who will flirt with your boyfriend via messaging services to test his resolve. Prices start from 30 RMB, but if you really want the full service, (at least three days with a specified number of flirtatious messages), you’re gonna need to upgrade to services priced at 100 RMB or more. A Taobao review section dedicated to the service is filled with gloating comments from women who bought the service and found that their boyfriends passed the test, with only the occasional exception publicly detailing what should technically be described as a self-induced relationship meltdown—courtesy of the service. Oh, the joys of mature, functional relationships, which clearly must be scientifically tested to prove their superior structural integrity. – DAVlD DAWSON

NEVER FEAR, GREEN TURTLE IS HERE

There’s not much in the way of Chinese superheroes—a quick online search reveals the likes of DC’s Striker Z who is basically a battery and Cassie Chan from the Power Rangers (ignoring a rogues gallery of cringe-worthy, racist villains). But, fear not citizens, for the peerless Gene Luen Yang (楊謹倫) is here to save the day with the Green Turtle, reviving a 1944 superhero from Blazing Comics. Readers might remember Yang from his previous work with

Boxers & Saints or from his excellent American-Born Chinese, but this new work, The Shadow Hero, is a departure from his usual style. It follows the son of Chinese immigrants to America who decides to take on the might of the Chinese mafia in Chinatown. In the 1944 version, the Green Turtle fought in the obligatory superhero tights, luchador mask, and cape—fighting against the Japanese and helping out the fearless American soldiers. Yang keeps the ensemble, but that’s thankfully about it. Yang has a way—whether it’s peasants in the Boxer Rebellion or American-Chinese trying to get by—of making his characters seem both bemused and purposeful, and this is especially true of Shadow Hero’s unassuming hero Hank Chu. The comically energetic yet still overbearing mother is certainly something to look forward to; she even makes him a costume (reading Golden Man of Bravery). The artwork from Sonny Liew is also impressive, keeping a modern feel with deep colors, but also staying true to the WWII era nostalgia with careful precision to almost caricature-like features. While it lacks some of the gravitas of Boxers and American-Born Chinese, Shadow Hero is a fun romp in the annals of comic book history. - T.R.

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