Neo-Traditional Art + Culture: The New "Made in China"

Visiting the Tate Modern in London a few years ago with my husband, it was entirely fortuitous that well-known Chinese artist/activist Ai Wei Wei was exhibiting Sunflower Seeds at the time. Each seed, porcelain cast in molds and hand-painted by artisans, represented the manufacturing stereotype of "Made in China" while commenting on the individuality of the seemingly identical. The large foyer of the Tate was filled with millions of the seeds and it was truly a moving installation. Though Ai Wei Wei's work is controversial in China, his talent is beyond question. A recent independent film, Never Sorry, focuses on his work and political involvement. It's a must see.

{Ai Wei Wei with his sunflower seeds, from the Guardian UK}

Art in China is simultaneousy rooted into Chinese cultural traditiona and yet counter-revolutionary. There are the centuries-old painting and pottery commonly associated with China, but there is also a modern edge to art that has emerged in the recent decades after the Cultural Revolution. At the same time, contemporary art in China often borrows from its past in deconstructed fashion, such as Ai's use of Chinese porcelain for creating sunflower seeds instead of fine china.

I have followed China's art development casually since 2004, when I first visited a burgeoning art commune in Beijing, 798 District. The changes in subject matter, and the sophistication of the work, is really astounding for less than 8 years time. Themes have moved beyond purely remembering China's history, particulary focused on Mao, to constructing commentary on the present and hoping for the future. If trends continue, I think China's art scene will be the most impactful of the next generation.

{My photo of an exhibition ofhundreds of meat cleavers suspended from the ceiling, at 798, artist unknown}

Interested in exploring the Chinese art scene? Check out two of my favorites,  Sun Yuan & Peng Yu, and Cai Guoqiang.

Learn Legal Aspects of How to Do Business With China

Conducting business in China can bring great reward, but also great risk. If something goes wrong, with a supplier, a client, or an employee, the options for recourse are murky. Should you litigate in China, where courts are less than transparent?  Sue in the US, and then try to enforce the judgment against an absent defendant? Or avoid both with mediation or arbitration? And then there's the US regulations that apply even to business operations and their agents outside China, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.   

On October 4, I'll be speaking on a panel addressing all of these legal concerns and more. The event is sponsored by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles and my firm, O'Melveny & Myers, LLP. 

Chinaful readers - If your business involves China, or you'd like it to, leave a comment or email chinafulblog@gmail.com for an invite to this event. 

Luxury Dim Sum at Hong Kong Ritz Carlton, Tin Lung Heen

Recently, I'm hooked on watching old episodes of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations - they're on repeat because it's the final season (I'm in mourning...seriously.) Bourdain and I share passions for many thing - street food, all preparations of pork, and Asia, to name a few. Last night, I watched him explore Hong Kong, one of my favorite cities in the world and my home for a brief summer. He described Hong Kong as the true foodie city, like a pinball game where the eater is exposed to an infinite amount of food options at every corer.

If Hong Kong is a  pinball game, Tin Lung Heen at the tip-top of the Hong Kong Ritz Carlton in Kowloon Bay is an elegant snooker tournament. Bourdain visited a traditional (read: noisy, crowded, and oh so delicious) teahouse for his dim sum. That's a required experience for anyone - my recommendation: Maxim's City Hall in Central Hong Kong. But sometimes I'm in the mood to enjoy my dim sum with a beautiful view and luxury ingredients, just for a little treat. I recently visited Tin Lung Heen for a dim sum lunch, and it delivers in spades. It's the perfect spot for a business meeting, a celebration, or a quiet moment to savor. 

And the flavors? As good or better than the teahouses - I'd like to think Bourdain would approve.   

{Dim Sum Menu, full of delectables}

{Tiny Bonsai Garden next to our table} 

 {Insanely decadent gold leaf Har Gow, steamed shrimp dumplings} 

 {Three Meats Barbecue Platter, including suckling pig and roast goose - crispy, salty skin perfection} 

 {Yes, more pork: A riff on the classic pork in glutinous rice, using Spanish Iberico Pork}

 {Sweet dim sum to finish - sesame balls with red bean centers, and glutinous rice treats}

Tin Lung Heen

International Commerce Centre (ICC)/the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong

1 Austin Road West, Hong Hong, ph: (852) 2263 2270

Chinaful News: Secretary Clinton's Trip to Asia

US-China relations have been at the forefront of American foreign policy since Nixon's 1972 visit -- a delicate dance between two behemoths, each with their own economic and political interests to assert. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is traveling in the region and plans to make the customary stop in Beijing. She will meet with President Hu Jintao and his apparent successor, Xi Jinping (check out Chinaful's coverage of Xi Jinping's visit to the US here). I tweeted my approval for her robust Asia itinerary earlier this week -- Cook Islands, Indonesia, China, Timor-Leste, Brunei, and Russia.   

{Clinton on a previous visit to Asia to meet with Republic of Korea, via Chinaful's Pinterest}

Yet, not everyone viewed Secretary Clinton's itinerary as positively. Los Angeles Times - World published yesterday that Beijing is not happy with what it perceives as US efforts to exert dominance on the foreign stage.

"Many Chinese people dislike Hillary Clinton,” the often-acerbic Communist Party-controlled Global Times newspaper stated in an editorial. “She has brought new and extremely profound mutual distrust between the mainstream societies of the two countries."  Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei was more polite, saying at a briefing in advance of Clinton’s arrival late Tuesday, “We hope the U.S. side will keep its commitment and make efforts that help, rather than harm, regional peace and stability.”

It appears at least part of China's qualms are with Clinton's proposal of a code of conduct administered by ASEAN for disputes that arise between China and neighbors Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia regarding uninhabited islets. Though this issue does not hold the same political significance for China as say, the Taiwan Straits, it does mess with the Sino-centric nature of Asian politics that remains from more than 2,000 years of Imperial China's dominance.

Many of the smaller countries in Asia were formerly part of China's tributary system, bringing lavish gifts to the Emperor in exchange for protection during conflict. Specifically, Japan, the Philippines, Brunei, and Malaysia, as well as Korea, Siam (now Thailand), and Burma sent tribute missions to various dynasties. Even the West (England, Italy, Netherlands, to name a few) submitted to China's tributary system during Imperial China's rule in order to trade with the East. After the fall of the dynastic system, the Chinese tributary system also failed. Western influence in the region rose at the same time through occupation in China's foreign concessions as well as colonization of South East Asia.  

Placed in this context, quotes in the article make more sense. China sees Western involvement in regional politics as a threat to its own dominance in Asia -- not out of paranoia, but rather based on past experience.  

“We feel there are too many different countries ganging up on us. The U.S. is playing the role of the aggressor here .... It is a sign of their insecurity in the global arena," said Xu Guangyu, a retired military officer and analyst for the China Arms Control and Disarmament Assn. in Beijing.

“The concurrent themes that run through this is a strong, determined effort on the part of the United States to underscore our rebalancing toward the Asia Pacific region, to make clear that we’re here to stay,” is how a senior State Department official described the trip Thursday on the eve of Clinton’s departure.

For its part, the official New China News Agency editorialized last week that the trip is “aimed at curbing China’s growing influence,” “stirring up disputes” and perpetuating the “surreal ambition of ruling the Asia-Pacific and the world.”

In her speeches over the last week, Clinton has tried to back away from criticizing China and to downplay the rivalry. “After all, the Pacific is big enough for all of us,” she said during her first stop in Rarotonga, one of the Cook Islands, where she attended a Pacific Islands Forum.

My two cents? The US should maintain its involvement in the region but refrain from spearheading political reform regarding issues of minor importance to US interests.  

ChinaSnap! Great Wall at Badaling

This ChinaSnap! is courtesy of Jonathan Singer, an attorney in DC who recently traveled to Beijing for work. Jonathan is a friend of Chinaful and a blogger in his own right - I follow his insightful tweets and via @jonathanhsinger and I'm never disappointed. Today, he takes us with him to Beijing's Great Wall.  Thanks for the snap, Jonathan!      

This is a picture of... the Great Wall of China.

At the time I took this ChinaSnap! I was... outside of Beijing, climbing the Badaling section of the Great Wall.

I remember that... I was amazed to find out that my tour of the Great Wall was taking me to the very same section I had been to in December 2004, when I first came to China as a tourist (and when it was a whole lot chillier than it was in the summer of 2012, as you might imagine). I also remember that it was a real hike with a serious incline -- but one that I was more than happy to have taken.

This qualifies as a ChinaSnap! because... visiting the Great Wall is an essential part of one’s experience visiting Beijing. Although it may be a bit touristy, it is something that every world traveler must do in their life time.

Submit a ChinaSnap! of your own to Chinaful by emailing chinafulblog@gmail.com and we'll post it with your answers to the bolded sentence-starters. Anything from your favorite Chinese food dish to you in the Forbidden City, we want to see what's Chinaful to you.