:: taken inside a security-guard booth near the Neocha.com office space in Shanghai (Changshu Rd. and Changle Rd. intersection); a Shanghai-made Haiyan (海燕) brand radio dating to the early 80′s. The radio has 4 bands and 14 transistors, and the security guards still use it daily. Faux-retro at its best. // AjS
:: head over to The Boston Globe for a compelling photo essay that takes a look at North Korea from across the Yalu river in Dandong (Liaoning Province), China. // AjS
:: a great viral video by Ray Ban. Why does it work? First and foremost, because it’s simply compelling / entertaining content. This video would be worth watching / sharing if the sunglasses were not branded.
Second, it’s less than two minutes. It’s the age of hyper-A.D.D., and this couldn’t be more true than on the Internet; anything beyond a few minutes is asking a lot of viewers online.
Third, the brand is only “softly” placed: it’s not in your face, it’s not the focus of the content.
And lastly, in addition to making the video available on general video sharing sites (Youtube, etc.), it was placed in focused online communities where the brand’s (or at least one of its) target audiences hangs out: Collegehumor.com. Online brand efforts should go to where desired audiences play; expecting them to come to the brand is, again, just asking too much. // AjS
:: being involved with the world of marketing, I’m in a position to see brands make mistakes and miss opportunities all too often – and to be honest, it’s depressing (maybe I just care too much). Although, every once in a while, a brand takes you by surprise and does something brilliant; something so compelling and well done you are actually left feeling inspired (perhaps even inspired enough to buy its product). Today was one of those occasions.
The below video animation, titled Onwards, explores the simple pleasure of running free with a character making his way through a fanciful world of changing landscapes, challenges, and experiences. It’s is a superb collaboration between the talented British illustrator James Jarvis and Nike. The video is co-directed and animated by Richard Kenworthy with music from Caribou. I can’t imagine it being done any better. After watching it I genuinely wanted to go running in a pair of Nike running shoes. Who wouldn’t?
Jarvis’ take on the collaboration:
I had become interested in the idea of characters that were less referential and more iconic and abstract. I particularly wanted to do something with a potato-headed stick-man that I had been drawing at that time.
The film was inspired by certain personal experiences in running – a favorite run over Blanchland moor in Northumberland, being attacked by a crow in Singapore – and also by the transcendent, almost psychedelic experience of the simple act of running.
Rather than a marketing project initiated by Nike, the film was something proposed and produced by myself, and as such I hope represents a much more equal collaboration with a brand.
I very much look forward to when we consistently see this kind of brand / artist co-creation in China. To Nike’s credit, they have already staring doing this in China (some examples: 1, 2, 3). Local artists are talented and eager, and the market is ripe with opportunities for brands to engage with and sponsor Chinese creative communities. Enjoy the video. Bravo, well done. // AjS [via Wooster Collective and Josh Spear]
:: born in early nineties on e-mailing lists and newsgroups frequented by overseas Chinese, online Chinese literature has been around for nearly two decades. But it was only in 1998, when Cai Zhiheng posted his breakout novel First Intimate Contact on the Web, that online literature really took off on the Chinese mainland. The field has exploded in the past decade, and online tastes are increasingly driving the print publishing marketplace. See Baidu Baike for the major events and players in the history of online literature.
Online literature is a huge topic on the Chinese Internet, and I am only able to capture a small fraction of the wealth of material that’s out there. However, the below categories is a fairly representative snapshot of a very interesting and evolving subculture that those who are interested in understanding local Chinese Web culture should be aware of.
From a online brand engagement point of view, there is a world of opportunity in this space if done correctly.
fantasy ::
Chinese Online gaming giant Shanda has a “net-lit” arm consisting of three distinct sites. Qidian (起点中文网) is primarily focused on fantasy and is one of the largest online literature Web sites in China. It was founded in 2003 out of the Chinese Magic Fantasy Union (玄幻文学协会), an earlier site formed in 2001 by fantasy enthusiasts, and was acquired by Shanda in 2004. The hit pulp adventure series Ghost Blows Out the Light (鬼吹灯) was serialized on Qidian in 2006. Qidian remains focused on original fantasy, martial arts, and military adventure fiction. Fantasy is the top-listed category on many general literature portals, including Sina’s original book channel (新浪读书:原创文学). The hit adventure series of 2008, The Tibet Code (藏地密码), was a Sina books serialization. Online games, which tend to be fantasy-themed, are extended by fans who write their own original stories using characters and settings from the same universe. There’s a large section devoted to game fiction online literature portal 17k (一起看), which has the backing of ebook company ChineseAll (中文在线). Sometimes things go in reverse: online fantasy writer Xiao Ding serialized his epic Exterminating the Immortals (诛仙) on the Fantasy Sword literary portal, since acquired by Tom.com. It was subsequently published in print, and then adapted by gaming company Perfect World into a popular fantasy game whose character classes and setting are based on Xiao Ding’s world.
time travel romance ::
A popular genre of online literature is the “time travel love story,” and many net-literature Web sites feature a category called “time travel” or “time travel romance” (Sina’s). These stories typically take the form of a modern person being thrown back in time to experience romance and intrigue in some grander, more exciting setting, usually somewhere in China’s dynastic history, like the the Tang Dynasty court, but often a fictional setting, such as the Grand View Garden as depicted in Dream of the Red Chamber. The BBS forum Across the Ocean of Stars (穿越星海), which receives several thousand posts a day, is devoted to time travel romances (motto: “I fell in love with you across time”). Love99 (爱久久) hosts romantic net-literature, and as of this writing the two featured stories are both time-travel pieces, “Pursuing you across time” (穿越时空追到你) and “Time Travel Bodyguard” (超时空保镖). International time travel is possible as well; see below.
women’s literature ::
Another large Shanda property is Jinjiang (晋江原创网), a site for original writing by women started in 2003 out of a BBS hosted in a small city in Fujian Province. Shanda bought into it in 2007, and the site currently has long-term contracts with around 2,000 original writers. Breakout hits from Jinjiang include A Dream Back to the Qing Empire (梦回大清) by Jinzi and The Pharaoh’s Favorite (法老的宠妃), by You Shi, both time-travel romances. You Shi also hosts her work on her popular blog, and runs her own literature BBS. Jinjiang is massive net-literature portal; at the other end of the spectrum are Web sites like 9jjz (九界网), which is devoted to women’s writing on a smaller, less-commercialized scale. It has an annual writing contest and entices writers to post work on the Web site by offering editing services.
pure literature ::
Non-genre fiction is a harder sell. The Chinese Internet is littered with abandoned Web sites set up by groups of writers whose output was too insular to sustain a community, or who moved on to other interests. Heilan, an online forum founded in 2002 for more serious-minded literature and criticism, grew out of an underground literary magazine of the same name shut down in the mid-90s, and has managed to stay afloat. It has even seen several of its books move to print. The site publishes a monthly e-magazine with a rotating editorship that collects recent works by site members. Youth-oriented Rongshuxia (榕树下) is still around after a complicated odyssey of acquisition and failed takeovers. The site was red-hot early in the decade and gave birth to best-selling young authors such as Murong Xuecun, Annie Baobei, and Lin Changzhi. It was acquired by Bertelsmann in 2002 for USD 10 million and sold off again in 2006 for USD 5 million, and just this year, founder Zhu Weilian announced that he had abandoned plans to re-acquire the company, in favor of building a competitor from the ground up. Rongshuxia may not have the same visibility it once had, but members continue to post original literature to the site.
other literary forms ::
Net-literature in China takes other forms in addition to novels and short stories, and two of the most popular are “short-shorts” and “relay fiction.” Short Short Authors (小小说作家网) is a Web site devoted to the form, which generally demands stories of around one-thousand characters that describe a single event during a single time in a single setting (the so-called “law of four ones”). Short Short Authors has sub-boards for original writing, critiquing, foreign translations, and even more limited “micro-fiction” (蚂蚁小说), known as “ant stories.” Relay fiction, in which multiple authors take turns writing successive chapters of a longer story, is a game often played on literary forums and Web sites. Endd.cn (嗯等等, meaning “Oh, wait a minute”) is a niche social networking site designed to facilitate this form of collaborative fiction writing. Members post original writing and, if they so choose, allow other members to take the reins and contribute a chapter or two. Any story with a “Let me take over” (我来接龙) button is fair game, and the Web site includes functions for discussion and private messaging as well.
// AjS
[Friday 5 is the product of my work at Edelman Digital (China). Link here for the full Friday 5 archive. If you'd like to be added to the bilingual (English & Chinese) Friday 5 email distribution list, please send me an email at: adam DOT schokora AT edelman DOT com.]
:: the winner of the Danwei + Plastered + Neocha = RMB 888 t-shirt design contest is Li Zengshan of Weihai, Shandong Province. See his design below…and yes, that’s pretty much the way it looks at Danwei.org headquarters.
Mr Li gets 888 yuan courtesy of Plastered T-shirts, and his design will be turned into a T-shirt in the next two weeks to be sold at Plastered stores and online. Thanks very much to all contest participants: if you would like to receive a gift as a token of our appreciation for your efforts, please email your postal address to tshirt@danwei.org. // AJS
:: Neocha.com, a social networking site for Chinese creatives, has released a new and improved version of its popular music player, NEXT.
NEXT streams songs from Neocha.com’s library of user-uploaded music, one of the largest online collections of 100% original works from Chinese independent musicians. The player is fully bilingual and simple to use: just press the NEXT button to, uh…hear the next song. That’s it.
What’s new in NEXT 2.0:
NEXT 2.0 is available as:
What’s in the works for NEXT 3.0:
For any questions, suggestions, feedback, etc. related to Neocha.com or NEXT, please leave a comment here and Sean Leow or I will reply promptly. Or, send us an email at: NEXT@neocha.com.
// AjS
[full disclosure: 56minus1 is a partner at Neocha.com]
:: I like sex just as much as the next average adult male (or female), but it’s staggering to see the amount of blatant advertising that goes on in China for sex-related services.
Even just a cursory view of any foreign language publication in Shanghai reveals a plethora of such “services,” most of which are targeted at male readers.
Despite an official government stance against both sexually explicit adverts and blatant promotion of sexual services, pretty much all the expat magazines and papers in Shanghai (Shanghai Daily used to be a prime example of this) have, or up until fairly recently, had sexually explicit advertising.
Online classifieds are even worse though. Check them out, you’ll find sexual service related advertising catering to the straight and gay male population.
If we narrow the field down to Shanghai, there are a few main websites with classifieds we can focus on. If we focus on Craigslist Shanghai, we can actually make some statistical analysis of this advertising.
Such adverts in Craigslist Shanghai typically mention “special services,” and happy endings, below is an example (pardon the grammar / spelling mistakes, it’s quoted content):
I have on offer something quite special, some would say something better than sex.
I am independent massage provider, Visiting you ( out calls only please ) at your private home/residence or hotel, My ultimate goal is to sensualize your mind, entice your body, elevate your spirit.I will fulfill all your desires in the most pleasurable way.
I will completely relax you with passionate, sensual caressing, massaging, and special touching over every part of your body, using my skillful hands and perfect breasts. Words can’t describe how good it will feel. I will let you touch me, as long as you let me do most of the touching! Of course, naturally, with a gorgeous woman being this intimate with you, you will become incredibly aroused, I will let this build up until, naturally I give you blissful relief.
Soft, tasteful music, candles and delicious aromas of essential oils will complete the atmosphere.
I am beautiful both of face and body (and mind, for those that this matters to!) sensual and curvy in the right places, 36C and rounded, sexy bottom. Soft features and cute and alluring smile. . My personality is warm, and I’m comfortable to be around.
Fee: Hot special Sensual massage: 300RMB 90mins
As each advert includes a telephone number, a basic Google search can reveal further information.
The local Chinese mobile phone number: 13524203930 has spammed Craigslist Shanghai 99 times in the last 30 days, although the advertiser has been rather consistent compared to others (see below).
This advertiser uses 13512189744 as a contact number, and claims to be a “young, beautiful, 100% independent Chinese girl named Lily” (again, pardon the grammar / spelling mistakes, quoted content):
I am a young and beautiful 100% independent Chinese girl. I have very soft, creamy skin and a cuddly, warm personality to match.
With a natural and fit 32C/D-24-34 figure I enjoy being a real GFF to distinguished gentlemen. Whether you seek a rslaxing evening with a glass of wine and conversation, or an exciting mid-day rendezvous I will provide you with my complete attention.I will give you the perfect massage. Our time is unhurried and preferred for the kind gentleman seeking an erotic and romantic confidant. I take good care of my health and body, and my face is beautiful. I am passionate about life and it is my nature to get pleasure from my work. I am playful or serious and have an appreciation of a good sense of humor.
I am looking forward to meet you soon. My phone number:13512189744 (lily)
Romantic massage /2Hr:300RMB
Happy massage /2 Hr:500RMB
Top oil massage/2 Hr :800RMB
Cross checking the whole of Craiglist Shanghai for “Lily’s” mobile number (13512189744) reveals 344 spamvertised ads.
Googling that same number shows that the Chinese BBS’s are also being spammed with this particular advert: example.
This advertiser is named “Anna:”
Hey Guy’s. If you are looking for a sexy, attractive, busty young girl to relax with tonight look no further.
I am Anna, 21 years old, 162cm tall and weigh 45kg. And now I’m living Shanghai.
I enjoy meeting new people. I am an independent, discreet girl ready to get a little naughty with a guy looking for a laid back down to earth cutie! I provide a memorable service, which is both erotic and relaxed. I am very warm, friendly, intelligent and easy to be with and provide a first class service!
Give me a call and let’s see how much fun can we have together!
A cursory check on Craigslist Shanghai reveals that that mobile number (15021931860) has been used 194 times in adverts over the last month, and more interestingly, Anna is also known by a number of different names: Anna, Grace, Nana etc.
Perhaps more interestingly, she also appears to look like different people in her different photo’s. A more cynical person than I might deduce that the pictures are fake.
The next advertiser, using the mobile number 15901761699, has no name, but has advertised 85 times under different titles / images. A Google search of that mobile number reveals more details than the other numbers above.
According to the Google results, the advertiser is actually named Linda Gao (高小姐), and she has an address, a company name, and a Web site.
Shanghai White Cloud Blind Masseuse Club (上海白云盲人保健按摩会所)
#33 Chenjiazhai Rd., Shanghai, China (上海市陈家宅路33号
http://www.shgongguan.cn
Unfortunately the Web site is not reachable, but as all Chinese Web sites require an ICP licence, it’s possible to look up “the responsible party.”
The Miibeian.gov.cn site reveals that the site was registered to Guan Junhua 关俊华, with a government issued ICP number of 08023983 for a number of (didgy) Web sites:
www.ywlp-sh.com
www.pandot.cn
www.chinamassage88.com
www.shgongguan.cn
www.shgangyun.com
Google ChinaMassage88.com reveals another mobile phone number: 13651884061, and an address (the other sites appear to be gone / inaccessible).
Unfortunately further research was a dead end – although a number of Web sites have exactly the same email address, and contact numbers. The businesses range from delivery companies to someone selling mail order clothing. There is also a link to someone asking for assistance in Web development / coding.
It’s likely that this is the Web site developer for the massage sites above, but I couldn’t find anything concrete showing involvement in the massage game, so they were probably just work-for-hire.
I backtracked to Linda Gao and searched for the company name instead. This led to a job posting advert for a spa site.
The job posting has a contact name for the job, which turned out to be Miss Gao (高小姐) again! More interestingly, it also has an address that actually exists, unlike the previous ones, and it turns out to be #298 Tongren Rd. (Shanghai), less than 300 meters away from where I am writing this post.
I pass this address on my way to and from work every day, so I’m quite familiar with the road and immediately realised exactly where I thought this would be: on Tongren Rd., in between the restaurants Malones and Spot Bar, the small “hairdressing” salon (i.e massage parlour). Every day I pass by there I see a bunch of bored, scantily dressed girls, and at least one on a laptop.
Unfortunately when I walked home tonight, my suspicions were dashed, as I realised that the potential location was on the wrong site of the street number wise. I was close though, 298 is actually the sauna *directly* opposite Malones. So, at last I had found the spammers. Mystery Solved. Kudos to them for being computer literate at least!
Craigslist even lists a Twitter feed dedicated to spamming / spreading the word for “special services” in China. Also, just for reference, her are the relveant online China anti-pornography law, and reporting sites
// XD
[Xiao Du (小杜) is a guest contributor on 56minus1]
:: a stop-action film by Cheng Ka Chun called One Night. Shot with a Nikon D9 in Shanghai (December, 2008). Cheng Ka Chun is the founder of Sugar Coat VFX design. // AjS
:: stunning portraits of Zhuo Danting (卓丹婷), the Harbin-native Shanghai-based tattoo artist and piercer behind the well-known local ink parlor Shanghai Tattoo. Photography by Mick Ryan, Todd Anthony Tyler, and Chris Wroblewski.
Also, see the bottom of the post for an excellent Current TV video documentary about Zhuo, produced by Ukachi Arinzeh. // AjS
:: Shanghai’s streetwear scene is about to get a little more crowded. Urban threads superpower Stussy appears to be setting up shop on the corner of Changle Rd. and Shanxi Rd.
I wonder if similar brands will soon be touching down in Shanghai (or Beijing) to take advantage of the growing global demand for streetwear. And will local Chinese consumers react favorably to Stussy’s arrival? There seems to be a lot of growth potential in this market especially with the upcoming 2009 Shanghai X Games happening April 30th – May 3rd.
This follows a recent announcement by high-end streetwear retailer ACU (also located on Changle Rd.) saying it will be closing up shop from early May 2009 until the end of summer / early fall for re-branding and an enhanced sales environment.
Hopefully an official announcement leaks from Stussy soon. // JD
[Joey Dembs is a guest contributor on 56minus1]
:: 56minus1 has been included on CNReviews’ listing of “Ten Eclectic China Blogs You Should Follow.” Very cool of you CNReviews. I’m honored and flattered. Thank you. // AjS
:: a chess game of advertisement in Los Angeles. Via PSFK and here. Bravo, well done. // AjS
[full disclosure: 56minus1 is employed by Edelman Digital; BMW is an Edelman Digital client.]
:: an excellent stop-motion animation. There doesn’t appear to be any production or creator credits on Youku or in the clip, does anyone know more about this? Bravo, well done. // AjS
:: taken on Xinle Rd. in Shanghai. A China Mobile advertisement for family calling plans for five people: two parents, one child (of course only one), and two grandparents; all in your hand (i.e. as a mobile phone would be) / within reach, with necessary Chinese traditional cultural shout-out (abacus). Simple, expressive, and compelling. Does anyone know who did this ad? Well done, bravo. // AjS
