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Culture & Politics » soc.culture.china » Beijing Graffiti Blight
| Beijing Graffiti Blight [message #225418] |
Sa, 15 Juli 2006 18:20 |
|
I had always wondered what were the numerous playing card sized
stickers doing on the sidewalks, public steps, lamp posts, bus stops,
etc. in Beijing. Now I know. What surprises me is that since there
are phone numbers on these flyers what is so difficult about
identifying the phones the numbers are registered to and charge them
with public vandalism.
New methods needed to tackle flyers
By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-07-08 05:12
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2006-07/08/content_6372 41.htm
Chinese graffiti differs from American graffiti in many ways. To start
with, it does not pretend to have artistic aspirations.
When graffiti was taking shape in the United States in the late 1960s
and early 1970s, walls in China were splattered with "big-character
posters" and giant slogans. Both were bold and eye-catching. Both
vandalized numerous facades of public and private buildings. The
difference is, the Chinese graffitists, if they could be called that,
did not need to worry about being caught. They were busy denouncing
authorities and bullying the public, something their American
counterparts could only dream of.
Nowadays the most commonly seen graffiti on Chinese walls is the type
usually described by the local press as "psoriasis on the urban
landscape." They are small flyers - sometimes as tiny as a slip of
paper - pasted on electric poles, public phone booths and even
pavements. Every public space is their canvas.
They contain a variety of adverts, much of which are illegal. Take
this classic "Job Offered" found near most metropolitan railway
stations: "We hire PR personnel, both male and female. No training
needed. Average monthly wage: 30,000 yuan, with 10,000 minimum
guaranteed. Please call Wang Anonymous."
To the throngs of migrant workers streaming into a jungle of gleaming
towers and impersonal passers-by, these pop up like a beacon. Sure,
they know PR in these circumstances is a code name for prostitution,
but the money is too enticing. Even if you discount it by 95 per cent,
it's still much better than toiling in a sweatshop.
Truth is, this is not an ad for a house of ill repute at all; it's a
trite and old scam. Once the applicant calls the number, he or she
will be asked to make a deposit to a designated bank account, in the
amount of a few hundred to several thousand yuan, depending on the
cash reserve in your pocket. Then, the person who has been screening
and interviewing you over the phone will vanish into thin air.
Cities across China have been trying to find ways to eradicate this
public nuisance. High-pressure hoses are wheeled out to remove this
commercial kind of graffiti. Some authorities have taken the action of
placing the advertised phone numbers into an automatic calling machine
so that the advertisers will be paged non-stop until they disconnect
their phones.
The oldest form of Chinese graffiti may be the name tag at scenic
attractions.
The history of "I was here" can be traced back at least to the
fictitious Monkey King. Now, this practice of self-recognition has
been multiplied millions of times all over tourist hotspots. Names are
carved into stones on the Great Wall, bamboo trees on sacred mountains
and every object imaginable.
Whether artistic, commercial or egoistical in ambition, and whether
scratched on paper, walls, rocks or tree trunks, graffiti shares one
characteristic: they appear on public or private property without
permission.
As such, they are tantamount to vandalism. Whether they should qualify
and be forgiven as art, advertising or self-expression is totally
beside the point.
However, just because it is illegal does not mean whitewashing it or
hosing it down is the best option. On the contrary, it has been proven
that most of the hard-nosed removal schemes are not that effective.
Maybe we can learn from the Western approach of legitimizing graffiti
art through commissioning and buyout. For example, not all small ads
are scams. Some target a select audience and do not justify getting
into the classified ad section.
Community-based message boards, free to all and supervised by the
neighbourhood committee, can satisfy legitimate advertisers whose
needs are so localized that they do not warrant space in the newspaper
or even on the Web. In Chinatowns in the United States, even
supermarkets offer this service.
The name tag graffiti is a harder nut to crack. The need to
commemorate one's presence in a place of historic or aesthetic value
is solidified through centuries of poetry and calligraphy. Since great
writers can leave their mark in a place they visited, why can't the
hoi polloi scribble their names and be forever associated with it?
One way out may be the Super Girls model. Visitors can be asked to
submit their travelogue and the best pieces selected for publishing.
The ultimate solution will be the karaoke equivalent, whereby everyone
can have his or her own Great Wall brick for name engraving. A
miniature replica for sale may relieve some of the urge for
immortality.
E-mail: raymondzhou [at] chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily
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