A group blog about Chinese tech, media and design
Editor’s note: This article has been reposted with permission from The Civic Beat: World Report.
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SHANGHAI– Thousands of pig carcasses, nearly 16,000 as of last count, have been found in Huangpu River, one of the many that supply Shanghai, the bustling, rising megacity and…
Continue readingThe (Un)Life of Pig: Shanghai River Filled with Pig Bodies
Until recently, I hadn’t seen Ai Weiwei’s Gangnam Style remix, but I definitely heard about it. Everyone on my social media feeds has been talking about, and people have emailed it to me. I’ve seen hilarious-looking pictures and read the commentary. But I’ve just not been able to sit down and watch it.
Why…
Continue readingFour Thoughts on Ai Weiwei’s Gangnam Style: Meme-ing as Activism
Like pretty much anyone else paying attention to the story, I was stunned to see the images of protests in Hong Kong, with people of all ages donning black to rail against Beijing’s plan to enact national education. Hong Kongers deemed it brainwashing, a paternalistic move from Beijing to inculcate the special territory into its ways. The sheer scale of…
Continue readingHong Kong Citizens’ Online, Memetic Protest
Today we’re pleased to announce a new partnership with Tea Leaf Nation, a new web site dedicated to pulling insights from China’s lively microblogsphere. Their team, scattered around the world, have shared some amazing insights, offering translations, context and images, all with a touch of quirky humor. I had the pleasure of working with TLN’s founder,…
Continue readingChina’s “Fat Police Officer” Terrorizes Everything [TLN]
My talk at the Personal Democracy Forum at NYU’s Kimmel Center
My talk at ROFLCon III at MIT
Political memes have been on my mind as of late. It started with ROFLCon at MIT and moved on to more discussions,…
Continue readingIn Defense of Memes Defending Themselves
Titanic 3D is out. Yes, we all know this, the world over. The film is expected to make hundreds of millions in China alone.
But it will be missing the nudity scene. I remember watching the Colbert Report and seeing James Cameron report that the reason it was cut was because censors feared…
Continue readingChinese Weibos: The Meme Behind the Titanic 3D Censorship Hoax
Real name registration has come and gone. The article Tricia and I penned for Wired noted some of the dangers behind the requirements to register one’s real name (it’s quite rigorous – you have to include your identification card):
Continue readingReal Name Registration One Month Later
Any foreigner who’s visited a Chinese city notices it right away. It’s one of the most dominant memories of the main cityscapes I’ve witnessed across China, from Hong Kong to Chonqging to Shanghai to Beijing. Smog. And lots…
Continue readingHow Memes and Infographics Are Driving the Push for Clean Air
Lei Feng. He’s like a 20th century, Chinese Cincinnatus (minus the part about being an emperor), a humble servant of the people. An early member of the Communist youth corps, Lei joined the People’s Liberation Army and died in…
Continue readingLearn from Lei Feng — The Meme