Teaching Comparative

Punk civil society in China

Punk culture is a tiny, tiny bit of political culture in China, but remember the CCP started with 6 members.

There's a link to a slide show (with a sound clip) and a video of a punk performance along with this article at the Washington Post web site.

You can find photos from a May punk rock festival in Beijing at Wen Ling's photo blog, ziboy archive. Choose the May 2006 archive from the list on the left side of the screen and be patient since the it takes some time for the photos to load. Then scroll down a bit to see the stage, the audience and the mosh pit.

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Punks and Posers in China, A Muted Rebel Yell Emerges in Nation Where Dissent Is Suppressed, Fads Rule

"For Chinese punks today, it might take screaming to be heard. They make up a small slice of the music industry here, and they play to a largely underground scene. But their struggle to gain attention provides a glimpse of what it's like to be a rebel in a country that suppresses dissent and individuality, and an artist in a culture that worships money and Western fads...

"'Most bands are into punk because it's fashionable. They are more like copy bands, cover bands that copy the lifestyle. Punk rock should be more dangerous, more deep. You should establish your own style,' said Yang, the lead singer of P.K. 14, which has a sizable following and performed Saturday night at a bar in Beijing's Wudaokou district.

"'We want to be a dangerous band, like Fugazi or The Clash or Bob Dylan. Woody Guthrie's folk music influenced me a lot,' Yang said. 'But because the government doesn't care about us, we are not forbidden from playing. Maybe we are not dangerous. It's sad.'...

As a result of these limitations, would-be anarchists in China have to be flexible. Chinese punks may admire Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols, but their methods are different.

One popular band sings sarcastically about its destructive need for Zhongnanhai cigarettes, a brand that happens to share its name with the residential compound for China's top leaders. Another band sings about "the square of hopelessness," without ever mentioning Tiananmen.

Still, some punk rockers say they don't shy away from making a statement.

"'You can confront the government,' insisted Lei Jun, 31, lead singer for Misando, a band named after a sweet traditional Chinese dessert. Lei said he started listening to bootleg tapes of punk music in 1996. He and his friends attended their first live show a year later...

"'First, we liked the music. We felt excited,' said Misando's drummer, Guo Yang, 20. 'The characters. The personality. Sid Vicious. The power of Anarchy in the UK and God Save the Queen. We liked the energy and the fact that they could say what they were saying on stage.'

"Today, Lei wears combat boots, black T-shirts and white suspenders, and he shaves his head. It's a look, he said, meant to connect with the working class. He speaks of a 'stress between the people and the government.'...

"Many punk rockers in China are long on style and short on substance, critics say. Few of them can articulate what they stand for or explain what their songs mean. Some claim to be voices for the downtrodden but aren't familiar with true poverty.

"Critics point out that most of the punks are members of a generation born in the 1980s, and the first to be raised in the one- child-only families mandated by the government. Their parents are seen as more indulgent, willing to let their only children lead the lives that they want.

"Even as they claim the freedom to say whatever they want, punks admit there are lines they cannot cross...

"At a recent concert, a Chinese punk rocker was 'just following the script for punkness' and attacking President Bush, said Michael Pettis, owner of the club where P.K. 14 performed. 'Chinese punks should be attacking Hu Jintao, but that's not the way it works in China. That's dangerous.'"

posted by Ken Wedding @ 9:26 AM