:: Shanghaiist.com, a leading English language website about China, recently interviewed me about NeochaEDGE and my thoughts on creativity in China. To read the full interview link here. The Chinese characters scribbled on the wall in the photo read “小心口红,” meaning “be mindful of lipstick” – I am sitting in a women’s dressing room. Long story. // AjS
:: the Beijing edition of City Weekend magazine recently interviewed me about NeochaEDGE and the creative community in China, see below (or news-stands) for the print article. To see the full interview online, link here. // AjS
:: a slideshow by the creative force behind the Beijing-based independent design brand Odi Et Amo and Neocha.com-user Wang Shaobei (王晓贝). I met Shaobei at this year’s MIDI Music Festival in Zhenjiang and was refreshed by his confidence, he told me then (and reiterated on his Neocha blog): “We will make the #1 independent and original brand in China. If we can think it, we can do it. Nothing is impossible in youth. A lot of people have similar ideas, but the difference is that I am going to make it happen. I believe in us, we have youth, we will do it.” Check out a video interview with Shao Bei to learn more about Shaobei, his brand, and his world domination plans. See some of his designs below. // AjS
[full disclosure: 56minus1 is a partner at Neocha.com]
:: a 0300TV interview with Chinese communist party pet dissident and well-known conceptual artist / designer Ai Weiwei (艾未未). Recording in Beijing in May of 2008. // AjS
:: from this month’s Mr. Modern (摩登绅士) magazine, an interview with Danwei.org founder and editor Jeremy Goldkorn. And yes, Jeremy is holding a stuffed Caonima doll in the photo.
As I just don’t have time right now, if there is anyone that would like to translate this into English, I would greatly appreciate it and happily post here with credit / linkback, etc. Drop me a line at 56minus1 AT gmail DOT com. // AjS
:: link here to read the full interview. // AjS
:: President Obama on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; the full interview. // AjS
:: this video is the ninth in a Danwei.org series of short interviews conducted at this year’s Chinese blogger conference (cnbloggercon 2008, Guangzhou, November 15 & 16th).
In this interview, Guo “Daxia” (郭”大虾”), a controversial and prolific grassroots Chinese blogger well-known for tackling many of China’s most sensitive social issues on his blog (which has long been blocked / inaccessible in mainland China), discusses his experience blogging, “civic consciousness” in China, the influence social media is having on official policymakers, censorship, free speech / public discourse, and the Chinese government propaganda department loosing control.
This video is also available on Tudou for faster loading in China.
To see other interviews from this series, link here.
Filming, editing, and interviewing: Adam J. Schokora
Subtitles: Alice Liu
Music: B6
:: listen below for a recent interview with Aric S. Queen (of , Chinesepod.com, CurrentTV’s “Shanghai Diaries” fame, ) on the University of Victoria’s CFVU 101.9 (host, Louis Yu). Aric shares some thoughts on indie music in China, traveling Southeast Asia, his new book deal, and good (and bad) times in Shanghai before an apparent “deportation.” You can follow Aric on Twitter at .
:: this video is the sixth in a Danwei series of short interviews conducted at this year’s Chinese blogger conference (cnbloggercon 2008, Guangzhou, November 15 & 16th).
In this interview, Wen Yunchao (温云超), also known as Bei Feng (北风), a well-known blogger, activist, and independent / grassroots reporter at the forefront of current social and political events in China, online and off, talks about the growth of online social networking over the past year, increasing control over and censorship of online debate, and the speed at which Chinese netizens use their blogs / microblogs to work together, organize, and “report on” major happenings.
This video is also available on Tudou for faster loading in China.
To see other interviews from this series, link here.
Filming, editing, and interviewing: Adam J. Schokora
Subtitles: Alice Liu
Music: B6
:: this video is the fifth in a Danwei series of short interviews conducted at this year’s Chinese blogger conference (cnbloggercon 2008, Guangzhou, November 15 & 16th).
In this interview, Liu Xiaoyuan (刘晓原), a well-known blogger and lawyer at the forefront of fighting injustices in both the Chinese legal system and society, talks about two major Internet events that occurred over the past year; 1) the Guizhou, Weng’ An incident, and 2) the “Yang Jia attacks Shanghai police” case; a case in which he served as Yang Jia’s legal counsel.
The Deutsche Welle’s International Weblog Awards recently honored Liu Xiaoyuan’s blog won a “BOB” (Best in Blogs) as the best Chinese blog for 2008.
This video is also available on Tudou for faster loading in China.
Filming, editing, and interviewing: Adam J. Schokora
Subtitles: Alice Liu
Music: B6
// AjS
:: this video is the fourth in a Danwei series of short interviews conducted at this year’s Chinese blogger conference (cnbloggercon 2008, Guangzhou, November 15 & 16th).
In this interview, Zhai Minglei (翟明磊), a citizen journalist and blogger who previously wrote for Southern Weekly (南方周报) and later founded 1Bao.org (壹报) and Minjian (民间) magazine (since “shut down”), talks about how he is pleasantly surprised that the Internet in China has become a platform for the traditional Chinese concept of “jianghu” (江湖) to re-emerge, in the face of “miaotang” (庙堂).
This video is also available on Tudou for faster loading in China.
Filming, editing, and interviewing: Adam J. Schokora
Subtitles: Alice Liu
Music: Sulumi
// AjS
:: this video is the third in a Danwei series of short interviews conducted at this year’s Chinese blogger conference (cnbloggercon 2008, Guangzhou, November 15 & 16th).
In this interview, Zola (Zhou Shuguang), a citizen journalist and blogger well-known for covering sensitive topics / events throughout China, talks about major Internet happenings from 2008, netizens influencing Chinese government / legal decisions, and the Internet’s role in developing civil society in China.
For more on Zola, Google him () (), or Baidu him (Chinese). His official Web site is blocked in mainland China, but try accessing it through this mirror site. Zola is also on Twitter at .
This video is also available on Tudou for faster loading in China.
Filming, editing, and interviewing: Adam J. Schokora
Subtitles: Alice Liu
Music: B6
// AjS
:: this video is the second in a Danwei.org series of short interviews conducted at this year’s Chinese blogger conference (cnbloggercon 2008, Guangzhou, November 15 & 16th).
In this interview, Yang Hengjun, a political espionage novelist and well-known blogger, talks about Chinese netizens’ collective power as “human search engines,” and the domestic Internet censorship machine.
For more on Yang Hengjun, Google him (), Baidu him (Chinese), or link here.
This video is also available on Tudou for faster loading in China.
Filming, editing, and interviewing: Adam J. Schokora
Subtitles: Jeremy Goldkorn
Music: B6
// AjS
:: this is the first video in a series of Danwei interviews conducted at this year’s Chinese blogger conference (cnbloggercon 2008, Guangzhou, November 15 & 16th).
In this interview, Ping Ke, a journalist and the voice behind the renowned Antiwave.net podcast series, talks about the influence Internet memes have on the general (offline) public, diversity of online expression, democratic debate, rational voices, vomit, and hope for change in the future.
This video is also available on Tudou for faster loading in China.
Filming, editing, and interviewing: Adam J. Schokora
Subtitles: Eric Mu
Music: B6
// AjS
