[CROSSTALK Beijing #3] Social Space and the Post-'80s Generation

Presented by Shao Foundation
Co-organised by Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art
When: 15:00 – 18:00, March 27, 2009
Where: Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art


The Chinese generation born after 1980 is often stereotyped as being politically insensitive and socially indifferent. While lacking interests in the sort of grand narration that people from one decade before are obsessed with, many from the post-1980 era, or balinghou as they are referred to in Chinese, actually participate in the society in a more self-conscious and pragmatic way. Always fascinated by the social engineering side of things, Shao Foundation invites six Chinese post-1980 writers, activists and cultural critics for the third installment of the CROSSTALK series, which promises to offer a glimpse into balinghou’s minds and their unique way of intervening in the social space. What’s their social responsibility? In what way are they historically conscious? What are they thinking and envisioning? Can they act as good as they think? The event will be conducted in the form of panel discussion, audience participation is cordially encouraged.

Guest speakers:



Cheng Kin Yip
Born in Hong Kong in 1985, Cheng Kin Yip is a member of HKFS Social Movement Resource Centre (smrc autonomous8a) as well as a committee member of Hong Kong Social Movement Film Festival. Cheng edited For Whom the Bell Rings, a documentary about the Star Ferry Pier protection movement. He was an active participant in Hong Kong’s right of abode campaign, the protest against the 6th Ministerial Conference of World Trade Organisation in Hong Kong, and the campaign for democratic planning of the Star Ferry Pier and the Queen's Pier. Cheng’s social intervention usually takes the forms of cultural activities / actions and artistic creation.





Dick Chu
Dick Chu graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1999. Once a journalist of international news in Hong Kong’s mainstream media, he turned himself into a citizen journalist and joined InMediaHK.net in 2005. Chu has participated in several campaigns for democratic urban planning, historic sites preservation and public space protection. In the end of June, 2006, Chu and six other persons grouped together as ‘Toya7dogs’ and sponsored themselves for a trip Japan to report on the local social movements and the G8 summit. He is currently planning a studio focusing on the research of the culture and history of Tai Po district, New Territories, Hong Kong.





Deng Siu Wah
Deng Siu Wah is a freelance writer whose commentary can be found on various newspapers and magazines in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. A literature major in the university, he also hosts a Chinese- language radio programme on cultural topics for Radio Television Hong Kong. Deng is a member of the social activist group Local Actions and has been forced out by the po:ice during the campaign protecting the Star Ferry Pier and the Queen's Pier. He is also one of the ‘Toya7dogs’.





Mai Dian
Mai Dian is a researcher and practitioner of media activism. He co- translated The Philosophy of Punk and is the editor of Chongzhuang (Crash), a grassroots ‘de-authorisation’ magazine focusing on punk and youth culture. In 2004, he toured for 40 days with his band in 8 European countries, playing in 35 squats and youth centres. Currently, Mai is working on building a ‘DIY youth autonomous centre’, a public space dedicated to de-authorisation through activism in daily lives, and to the exploration of progressive model of social practices.





Andrew Yu
Andrew Yu began backpacking in 2000 and has since traveled in most provinces in the southwest China when he was deeply affected by the under-developed status of education in rural areas. In April, 2004, he initiated and volunteered for the ‘One More Kilogram’ project (1KG.org), which encourages backpackers to carry one more kilogram of luggage to fill the needs of the schools in the countryside. Since the August of 2006, Yu has been working full-time for the project as a social entrepreneur.





Zhang Yueran
Zhang Yueran was born in 1982 in Jinan, Shandong province and graduated from the National University of Singapore School of Computing. A leading figure of the new generation literary writers in China, she won the gold metal in the third ‘New Concept’ Writing Contest in 2001, the Best New Talent award in the third Chinese Literature Media Awards and first prize in the fifth Spring Literature Awards in 2005. Her novel Shiniao (Oath Bird) was prized the Best Novel in the Chinese Novel Chart in 2006. She has also won an honorary mention for her essay Yueyuan Zhi Ye Ji Qita (Full Moon Night, etc.) in People's Literature Awards. Zhang is the editor of the serial literature book Li (carp).



Moderator:



Leung Man Tao
Leung Man Tao was born in Hong Kong in 1970 and grew up in Taipei. He got involved in cultural and journalistic work since 1989 — before graduating from the Philosophy Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1994. Leung is a commentator of Phoenix TV and writes regularly for the outspoken weekly Southern Weekend, as well as a dozen of other newspapers and magazines in mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. His books Changshi (Common Senses) and Zaoyin Tai Duo (Too Much Noises) were published recently.