Sound Kapital
Q&A with Matthew Niederhauser
1. Describe the social and political
backdrop to your book on Chinese youth subcultures.
The biggest cultural shift in China now,
stems from the implementation of modern communication technologies.
Mobile phones and the Internet perpetually mold China's erratic social
landscape. It allows people with special interests and idiosyncratic
tastes to more readily connect with each other, while exposing them
to an exponentially broader realm of music, art, news, and other foreign
artifacts. In a country as large and densely populated as China, an
undercurrent has emerged to reject social conformity. People want to
stand out from the masses. This increasing tendency toward individualism
coupled with newfound public forums for self-expression, is the cornerstone
of China's emerging civil society.
Aside from a brave few, there are not
as many dissidents in politics as one might expect. Underground musicians
and artists draw strongly from their dissatisfaction with the rise of
consumer culture and reckless urban development in China, but critiques
are often veiled and rife with abstract symbolism. Talking openly about
many of the core problems within the Chinese state remains taboo. Social
unrest is definitely on the rise, but people agitate for reform rather
than prepare for a revolution. It is hard to presume how the Chinese
state will deal with a litany of economic, environmental, and social
problems.
2. How do your photographs signify
a new generation of youth? What is different about this generation compared
to previous generation?
My photographs explore a generation of
Chinese youth who are more forthcoming and liberal, but still struggling
with identity and purpose. Their backgrounds and interests are too diverse
to make many blanket statements, but they remain some of the first to
reap the benefits of socioeconomic reforms implemented in the early
1980s. This paradigm shift, that enabled greater access to foreign media
and more latitude for self-expression, set in motion the events leading
to this current burst of creativity. Such outlets would have been unthinkable
for youth during the Cultural Revolution in the 1970s. Still, there
is general uncertainty about the long-term viability of being a professional
musician. Many struggle to make ends meet and feel alienated, for better
or worse, from mainstream society.
3. Explain your work experience in
U.S.-China relations and how that relates to your career as a photojournalist.
My previous work in U.S.-China relations
concentrated on programs that promoted cultural exchange and cooperative,
sustainable development ventures. China's inexorable rise as an international
superpower is more evident with each passing day, especially in the
face of the current financial crisis gripping countries around the globe.
Despite its current economic clout, however, China must deal with a
litany of economic, environmental, and social problems. And while some
pundits continue to stoke flames of fear surrounding its ascension,
I see this as an opportunity to embrace and encourage reform, and to
work with China to ensure a more stable future. The resolution of China's
myriad challenges will seriously impact the rest of the world, and,
for the foreseeable future, it is impossible to ignore how 1.3 billion
other people on this planet live. These issues continue to affect my
career as a photojournalist, as I hope to break down obstructions that
derive from prejudiced conjectures of what or whom the Chinese state
stands for by offering candid portraits of individuals in Beijing—people
who often share similar concerns and aspirations with citizens of the
United States. Ideally, my photography will engender some form of empathy
that will allow viewers to appreciate, and be inspired by, the plurality
of human experience and its underlying bonds.
4. What do you find so fascinating
about China?
My fascination with China evolved out
of a realization in high school that there was a country on the other
side of the planet with a 5,000-year history as intricate and compelling
as our own Greco-Roman heritage. I was also immediately drawn to China's
deep philosophical roots and became enamored with early Daoist, Buddhist,
and Confucian texts. My current interests now largely revolve around
the predicament China faces due to its breakneck urban development and
industrialization. Even as people embrace highly touted "modern"
lifestyles, few want to face up to the concomitant hurdles such as exponentially
higher energy use and waste production, environmental degradation, and
natural resource depletion. Even as we stand in awe of the architectural
wonders and elevated highways of first-tier cities in China, the sustainability
of extending these urban models across its interior seems questionable
if not reckless. Lastly, the contemporary art and music scene is really
coming into its own. I was very lucky to get involved at this point
in time.
5. How did you discover these Beijing
bands and artists?
I am a compulsive music addict. When
I returned to Beijing in late 2007 it was only a matter of time before
I started haunting the live music venues scattered about the city. Luckily,
I caught many of these bands on the upswing as they really started taking
their work in new directions.
6. Describe the kinds of messages
these musicians and artists are trying to project. Are they anti-establishment?
It would be hard not to classify most
of these musicians as anti-establishment—they are social critics at
heart and react to the world around them. However, the messages they
project vary from performer to performer. Much of the music revolves
around the usual creative fodder provided by relationships, loss, joy,
and other personal battles. There are others, however, who take more
antagonistic stances and openly vent their displeasure with the government
and society.
7. Are these artists at risk of any
danger, government retribution or harsh censorship?
For now, I must say no, but you never
really know when something might happen. They are largely under the
radar for a county of 1.4 billion people—the Chinese state often has
bigger fish to fry. Still, some bands run into trouble getting their
lyrics published in liner notes because of their incendiary tone—an
apparatchik must approve everything during the production process. This
often causes a general state of anxiety and certain degrees of self-censorship.
As musicians continue to play to bigger audiences, more scrutiny will
come and retributions are often swift and absolute.
8. Describe the audience attracted
to these bands. Are they anarchists or students, or artists, or regular
kids?
The audience can be different every night.
It's always a strange mix of students, punks, artists, writers, drifters,
drinkers, and travelers—all walks of life come through the doors.
People out here are desperate for something new and creative, especially
in the realm of music, and this new crop of bands is the best remedy.
9. Describe how successful these bands
have been outside of China. Name a few examples.
Many of these bands are getting more
attention and credit from the international music scene. At the forefront
is Car-sick Cars, who have been touring in Europe regularly. Alex Ross,
music critic for The New Yorker, listed a performance by Carsick
Car's lead guitarist Zhang Shouwang as one of the best live performances
he saw last year. Time also listed P.K.14 as the band to watch
out of China last year. A stream of producers from the U.S. including
Wharton Tiers, Martin Atkins, and Brian Hardgroove, are working on new
albums that will be out in the coming months. Many of these bands are
on the verge of breaking out both domestically and abroad.
10. How do you predict this young
subculture to come of age?
It is really too early to tell. Hopefully
this frenzy of creativity will continue with a new generation of bands.
For now, most of them are looking for ways to support themselves financially
with their music. Luckily, there is a nascent touring circuit emerging
in China that allows performers to disseminate their music outside of
government controlled media channels.
Check here for other articles concerning
the Beijing music scene: