Global netizens have moved from the net and onto the streets in recent weeks to show their real support for the Anti western media. Thus the original idea for the documentary is not about revealing this now realized and much spoken about issue but what discourse the documentary is taking. I began with a rather solid idea with the non fiction, ethereal feeling film. Voiceover of many opinions over images. But since the issue is big and wide awake, I did feel somewhat responsible in telling this story as any other documentary would. But in that discourse I still find I want to tell it differently, still with images and voice over. Therefore broadcasters won't want it. The other option is the film festivals. It will look and feel more like fiction despite talking of issues that are culturally and economically of the moment and with consequences we not yet know. Many things may happen in the coming weeks and months, just as they have been rapidly forming over the net and into reality. Its tough to get my head around as I need to de evolving this documentary to a point of sorts. A question, an offer of theory, a possibility of actions... It will in the end, I feel, I want to reveal a web of ideas that are correlated. It has to be a film with a different approach and discource to most.
Updates:
http://centraln.blogspot.com/
- J
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Monday, April 07, 2008
Central Nation: Declaring Independence
From now on the blogs entitled Central Nation (re the documentary I am making) will be published here:
http://centraln.blogspot.com/
Thanks for reading.
- J
http://centraln.blogspot.com/
Thanks for reading.
- J
Central Nation: Will the Real Representative Please Stand Up?
Today was the day of the Olympic Torch run in London. My plan was to document it in Chinatown and at the O2 arena (although I was too late to get a ticket). I woke up and the forecast for snow was real, all 4 inches of it. It is April.
I arrived in Chinatown at 11.15am and asked some police about which way the runner would be coming. I made my way down with it snowing down Gerrard Street and made it to the corner of Gerrad and Wardour, where the torchbearer would turn and move on to Shaftsbury Avenue. I got a good spot and even got there before a broadcast Cameraman and a Photographer for AP got there. So I shared the space. We waited while it snowed lightly. It tailed off magically towards the time but there were masses on police in fluorescent jackets everywhere, it was difficult for us to get a clear line of sight despite having nearly the best seat in the street. When the torch bearer came down the street, we were all surprised and dismayed to see about 30 Beijing Olympic representatives surrounding the runner and then another 50 British police surrounding them. As far as I witnessed, there was only one guy with a Free Tibet banner present who earlier seem to get into a minor scuffle with some elderly Chinese people. When the time came, we barely got a shot of the runner or the torch! I did ok but the AP Photographer was complaining. The torch was guarded more heavily than the American President on a jog in Central Park. I said a quick hello to the broadcast Cameraman and said we might see each other at the dome.
At the O2 ‘arena’ area where the torchbearer was to come down lined people, a few ‘Free Tibet’ protesters where present. But more, much more, were to arrive. I did a few shots before another 200 protestors arrived. There seem to be an equal number of Olympic supporters as well a protesters though the protesters made more noise and waved more flags, so they seemed to dominate the landscape. Chants of, ‘CHINA OUT OF TIBET!’ and other chants were frequent. There were many Tibetans as well as non Tibetans protesting. Non-protestors waved little Beijing Olympic flags and makeshift periscopes that were handed out. Banners of disdain for the Chinese government where present, often citing human rights abuses and murder.
While shooting, many protestors were eager to get attention waving banners in my view and stopping so I would get a good shot of their slogans. I guess they presumed I was press and had no idea I was shooting footage for a documentary that is trying to address the issue of China for a balanced perspective. It’s been a while since I was in the midst of a protest and certainly not one where I felt personally involved. I did feel though tried not to; feel personally attacked by the anti China sentiment as if it were about Chinese people. I felt misunderstood and attacked. And I am a British Born Chinese. I wonder how the Chinese felt who actually were from China? But I reminded myself I was just there to document. So I did.
On the way home I spoke to a Chinese student (from China) and asked her what she though of the protests and she replied, ‘I don’t think they represent the people of Tibet’. I gave her my card in hopes she may be aid me in interviews with overseas Chinese. I wondered on my way home with sore hands and an aching back, if what she said was representative of the Chinese in China…
Stills from footage shot of the day:
In Chinatown:
Later in Greenwich:
- J
I arrived in Chinatown at 11.15am and asked some police about which way the runner would be coming. I made my way down with it snowing down Gerrard Street and made it to the corner of Gerrad and Wardour, where the torchbearer would turn and move on to Shaftsbury Avenue. I got a good spot and even got there before a broadcast Cameraman and a Photographer for AP got there. So I shared the space. We waited while it snowed lightly. It tailed off magically towards the time but there were masses on police in fluorescent jackets everywhere, it was difficult for us to get a clear line of sight despite having nearly the best seat in the street. When the torch bearer came down the street, we were all surprised and dismayed to see about 30 Beijing Olympic representatives surrounding the runner and then another 50 British police surrounding them. As far as I witnessed, there was only one guy with a Free Tibet banner present who earlier seem to get into a minor scuffle with some elderly Chinese people. When the time came, we barely got a shot of the runner or the torch! I did ok but the AP Photographer was complaining. The torch was guarded more heavily than the American President on a jog in Central Park. I said a quick hello to the broadcast Cameraman and said we might see each other at the dome.
At the O2 ‘arena’ area where the torchbearer was to come down lined people, a few ‘Free Tibet’ protesters where present. But more, much more, were to arrive. I did a few shots before another 200 protestors arrived. There seem to be an equal number of Olympic supporters as well a protesters though the protesters made more noise and waved more flags, so they seemed to dominate the landscape. Chants of, ‘CHINA OUT OF TIBET!’ and other chants were frequent. There were many Tibetans as well as non Tibetans protesting. Non-protestors waved little Beijing Olympic flags and makeshift periscopes that were handed out. Banners of disdain for the Chinese government where present, often citing human rights abuses and murder.
While shooting, many protestors were eager to get attention waving banners in my view and stopping so I would get a good shot of their slogans. I guess they presumed I was press and had no idea I was shooting footage for a documentary that is trying to address the issue of China for a balanced perspective. It’s been a while since I was in the midst of a protest and certainly not one where I felt personally involved. I did feel though tried not to; feel personally attacked by the anti China sentiment as if it were about Chinese people. I felt misunderstood and attacked. And I am a British Born Chinese. I wonder how the Chinese felt who actually were from China? But I reminded myself I was just there to document. So I did.
On the way home I spoke to a Chinese student (from China) and asked her what she though of the protests and she replied, ‘I don’t think they represent the people of Tibet’. I gave her my card in hopes she may be aid me in interviews with overseas Chinese. I wondered on my way home with sore hands and an aching back, if what she said was representative of the Chinese in China…
Stills from footage shot of the day:
In Chinatown:
Later in Greenwich:
- J
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Central Nation: Failing Diplomacy?
I arrived back last week from Hong Kong. We managed to shoot 6 interviews and garnered some interesting views regarding China, the west, Identity and the history of civilizations.
During my time in Hong Kong, the riots in Tibet broke out. What made more headlines in Hong Kong though was the outbreak of Flu in schools. Subsequently schools were closed for an early Easter break and many students wore surgical masks. This is not to say that the television news did not report on the events in Lhasa, but it did not take the form of the most important news story on the planet, nor did it take the form that China is ‘cracking down’ on protestors. As if there was a special kind of policing that China deploys to riots and other governments in other countries do not.
Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister, became the first EU head of government to announce a boycott of the Olympic Games on Thursday and he was promptly joined by President Václav Klaus of the Czech Republic and Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor. Sarkozy, the French President has hinted at a boycott.
Many Western governments have called for Hu Jiantao, the Chinese President to hold talks with the Dalai Lama.
I myself do not even do any sports anymore, nor do I live in China though I am ‘Chinese’. But I support the event which at it’s core, should be to celebrate athletic achievement and discourse. It should not however be used and overshadowed by supposed political issues. It is not the first time a major sporting event has been overshadowed by the politics surrounding it. Though the question herein lies, where is the diplomacy in dealing with these issues that the respective countries have taken up with China? What in fact will a boycott do to this sporting event? After all, it is a sporting event that was granted to the host country by the IOC. If anyone has a gripe about the host of the event, should it not approach the commissioning body?
For the last few years now, China has been not only been reported about as a rapidly rising economic giant, but a careless one at that. Reportage regarding ‘unsafe’ levels of lead in imported toys and toxic ingredients in processed foods has made out China to be a prisoner of it’s own people and of ‘foreigners’. I do not deny these unsafe and dangerous practices have and should not have occurred but I do not agree with unrepresentative reportage and a lack of questioning. For example, why did the clients such as Mattel check the manufacturing of it’s own products before they entered the market? And in fact the levels of lead were below the safe levels set by the U.S. a few decades ago. You would in fact need to be chewing on a quite a number of paint stripped from the toys to be anywhere near an unsafe level.
The speed in it’s growth as an economic and military giant pretty much scares the bejesus out of western industrialized countries.
I have no doubt that western governments do not care about Tibet from an ethical moral standpoint. In fact they could care less. I suspect a partial reason for the generated noise is intended to sabotage China’s development because let’s face it, which country wants another country as big as China to be more powerful than themselves are? They may be thinking, ‘We not be able to stop a giant running, but we can sure try to trip it in it’s tracks’.
I also suspect that supporters of the Free Tibet organisation have a quaint concept of Tibetans being a ‘spiritual, benign and peaceful people’ that contrasts against the loud economic and dirty Chinese machine. An industrial and material machine that ironically is a reflection of our own capitalist society and materialistic lifestyle. Why do people outside Tibet want an independent Tibet? Tibet has actually been a part of China for thousands of year’s pre dating most western countries. Do they really understand the complex consequences behind this? Or are they simply disgusted with their own state and trying to save another country against the same ‘development’?
Some facts to consider: The CIA funded the Dalai Lama and trained Tibetan Mercenaries until 1974 when Nixon befriended China. Britain fought two wars with China in the 19th century to impose the sale of Opium and then in 1904 launched a full scale military invasion of Tibet.
To cite recent media coverage of the Tibetan riots, many western outlets including CNN, Fox, the Washington Post, the BBC and notably in Germany N-TV, N-24 and Bild Zeittung all have shown fabricated reports with Nepal police beating and arresting protestors but reported as Chinese police (they have different uniforms). Perhaps Merkel has been watching too much TV.
Question: why does the west want Tibet to be ‘free’ of China?
What one can try to understand is this: China is a big complicated country made up of 56 ethnic groups with lots of problems it is trying to solve, step by step. A country that has remained out of the global attention for most of the century and now has to contend not only with it’s rapid growth but the criticism of other countries who are judging China according to their own values and standards. It is a country with people that have thousands of years of history and culture predating most western ‘civilizations’. One cannot understand China In the time it takes for MTV or the BBC to dazzle you with spin or it’s 1 minute news update. If any government wanted to truly help the Tibetan people or the Sudanese refugees, boycotts of this kind only solidify ones own arrogance, lack of understanding and thus, a true absence of diplomacy. This perhaps goes to show where their true intentions possibly lie.
-J
During my time in Hong Kong, the riots in Tibet broke out. What made more headlines in Hong Kong though was the outbreak of Flu in schools. Subsequently schools were closed for an early Easter break and many students wore surgical masks. This is not to say that the television news did not report on the events in Lhasa, but it did not take the form of the most important news story on the planet, nor did it take the form that China is ‘cracking down’ on protestors. As if there was a special kind of policing that China deploys to riots and other governments in other countries do not.
Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister, became the first EU head of government to announce a boycott of the Olympic Games on Thursday and he was promptly joined by President Václav Klaus of the Czech Republic and Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor. Sarkozy, the French President has hinted at a boycott.
Many Western governments have called for Hu Jiantao, the Chinese President to hold talks with the Dalai Lama.
I myself do not even do any sports anymore, nor do I live in China though I am ‘Chinese’. But I support the event which at it’s core, should be to celebrate athletic achievement and discourse. It should not however be used and overshadowed by supposed political issues. It is not the first time a major sporting event has been overshadowed by the politics surrounding it. Though the question herein lies, where is the diplomacy in dealing with these issues that the respective countries have taken up with China? What in fact will a boycott do to this sporting event? After all, it is a sporting event that was granted to the host country by the IOC. If anyone has a gripe about the host of the event, should it not approach the commissioning body?
For the last few years now, China has been not only been reported about as a rapidly rising economic giant, but a careless one at that. Reportage regarding ‘unsafe’ levels of lead in imported toys and toxic ingredients in processed foods has made out China to be a prisoner of it’s own people and of ‘foreigners’. I do not deny these unsafe and dangerous practices have and should not have occurred but I do not agree with unrepresentative reportage and a lack of questioning. For example, why did the clients such as Mattel check the manufacturing of it’s own products before they entered the market? And in fact the levels of lead were below the safe levels set by the U.S. a few decades ago. You would in fact need to be chewing on a quite a number of paint stripped from the toys to be anywhere near an unsafe level.
The speed in it’s growth as an economic and military giant pretty much scares the bejesus out of western industrialized countries.
I have no doubt that western governments do not care about Tibet from an ethical moral standpoint. In fact they could care less. I suspect a partial reason for the generated noise is intended to sabotage China’s development because let’s face it, which country wants another country as big as China to be more powerful than themselves are? They may be thinking, ‘We not be able to stop a giant running, but we can sure try to trip it in it’s tracks’.
I also suspect that supporters of the Free Tibet organisation have a quaint concept of Tibetans being a ‘spiritual, benign and peaceful people’ that contrasts against the loud economic and dirty Chinese machine. An industrial and material machine that ironically is a reflection of our own capitalist society and materialistic lifestyle. Why do people outside Tibet want an independent Tibet? Tibet has actually been a part of China for thousands of year’s pre dating most western countries. Do they really understand the complex consequences behind this? Or are they simply disgusted with their own state and trying to save another country against the same ‘development’?
Some facts to consider: The CIA funded the Dalai Lama and trained Tibetan Mercenaries until 1974 when Nixon befriended China. Britain fought two wars with China in the 19th century to impose the sale of Opium and then in 1904 launched a full scale military invasion of Tibet.
To cite recent media coverage of the Tibetan riots, many western outlets including CNN, Fox, the Washington Post, the BBC and notably in Germany N-TV, N-24 and Bild Zeittung all have shown fabricated reports with Nepal police beating and arresting protestors but reported as Chinese police (they have different uniforms). Perhaps Merkel has been watching too much TV.
Question: why does the west want Tibet to be ‘free’ of China?
What one can try to understand is this: China is a big complicated country made up of 56 ethnic groups with lots of problems it is trying to solve, step by step. A country that has remained out of the global attention for most of the century and now has to contend not only with it’s rapid growth but the criticism of other countries who are judging China according to their own values and standards. It is a country with people that have thousands of years of history and culture predating most western ‘civilizations’. One cannot understand China In the time it takes for MTV or the BBC to dazzle you with spin or it’s 1 minute news update. If any government wanted to truly help the Tibetan people or the Sudanese refugees, boycotts of this kind only solidify ones own arrogance, lack of understanding and thus, a true absence of diplomacy. This perhaps goes to show where their true intentions possibly lie.
-J
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