What’s Special in China’s Special Zones? by JIANG Jun

Special zones might not be China’s invention, but it could be the society most in need of them. Chinese civilisation is well known for two unique features: a power that has occupied most of the territories in East Asia, where the span of both climate zones and elevation has given birth to the most diversified ecology on the planet, and a sustainable society that has been dominated for 2000 years by the Great Unity system, in which the vast territory of China is unified by a centralised authority. Consequently, as this eco-diversity resulted in a diversity of economies, there have been considerable difficulties in balancing the two paradoxical features. Pre-modern China used to solve the puzzle with a philosophy that “seeks common ground while preserving minor differences”. This meant that diversified economic models could be developed within a self-organised family structure, as part of the Great Unity system framework. Under Confucianism, an isomorphic model between family and state was established in order to minimise differences in political structure, while maximising the vitalities of local economies. If China’s eco-diversity has given birth to special zones, it is the flexibility and inclusiveness of the regime that has given them the space to exist. China needs special zones in order to stabilise itself within the tension created by Great Unity and eco-diversity.

In a densely populated society, the Great Unity system was able to make the most of economic benefits by means of integrating resources throughout its territory by way of national power. With the “socialist transformation”, however, it was the national power itself that increased in order to concentrate core resources on the industrialisation of China, rather than the country’s agricultural economy. Industrialisation was a revolution that drastically changed these valued ideas of “localness” and “specialness”. Urbanisation could be made generic when absorbed into an industrial chain of processes. When Communist China tried to construct an independent macro-industrial system in 1950s, the whole country was unified under a planned economy, in which national zones were given priority over special zones. When Deng inherited Mao’s upstream industry in the 1980s, however, he opened up spaces for downstream industry, thus reinstating the importance of special zones. Special Economic Zones, or SEZs, were established in South China as Petri dishes for China’s experiments in market economics. The military-guarded form of the SEZs was actually a spatial indication of how the market economy was planned. The 1980s experiment was not about market economics per se, but about a “planned market economy”: a fusion of an upstream planned economy and a downstream free-trade economy, which is special not only to China, but also in global economic structures.

China’s special zones of the 1980s echoed a number of other state projects from preceding decades. The Special Trade Zone in Guangzhou was established by the Ming and Qing Governments, where “official merchants” with government-issued trading licenses could cooperate with foreign merchants in a designated area. In the 1940s, Mao also set up Yan’an, the temporary “red” capital city of the Communist Party, as a Special Political Zone in wartime China. Even in the 1960s, when China was highly centralised, Panzhihua and Liupanshui, in the hinterland of Southwest China, were designated as Special Industrial Zones because of their iron and coal mines – so important in supporting China’s independent industrialisation during the Cold War. Hong Kong and Macau were also developed as Special Administrative Zones after their turnover to China as part of the “one country, two systems” policy… All these special zones are testaments to “what is special” at different historical moments in China.

In the experiments of the 1980s, SEZs were only successful in Shenzhen, because of its proximity to Hong Kong – with its Post-war geopolitical significance. Special economic achievement has here been determined by a special geopolitical situation, or a fusion of natural endowments, because of eco-diversity and socio-political configuration due to cultural diversity. Yan’an became a Special Political Zone because of its marginal position, away from both its enemies, the Kuomintang and the Japanese. Panzhihua and Liupanshui became Special Industrial Zones because of their natural resources. In a Great Unity system, a special zone could be easily set up by simply answering the question, “what’s special?” For a special zone to be successful, however, the question should be not what, but “how to be special?” This is why China’s largest economic zone, Hainan, which was established along with Shenzhen in the 1980s, with the ambition to “create another Hong Kong”, became a failed experiment in an economic bubble created by the real estate market in the early 1990s, leaving over 20 million square metres of construction abandoned. The “Hainan Lesson”, however, did not filter throughout the whole country, as the “Shenzhen Experience” did. When “development zones” – miniature special zones directly initiated by city governments – were flourishing throughout the country, some became “miniature Shenzhens”, while others became “miniature Hainans”, revealing the double-edged effects of special zones in the Great Unity system.

The year Hainan’s laisser-faire approach broke the economic bubble was when Shanghai began its “more planned”, “5 Years, Big Change” (1993-1998) policy. It became evident that despite its ambition, Hainan is too close to Hong Kong to replace it. Hong Kong’s success was based on its position as the “gateway city” between a blockaded mainland and the international world in the 30 years after the Korean War, while Shanghai was the “gateway city” between an opened mainland and the international world in the wake of Deng’s policy of reform and opening. Hong Kong is at the mouth of the Pearl River, which connects only the Pearl River Delta, while Shanghai is at the mouth of the Yangtze River, which connects the whole of China along one of the world’s most important major arteries. As a special zone, Pudong was located almost at the centre of the old colonial city, on the other side of the Huangpu River, and easily turned itself into a new financial centre because of this geography. As a city, Shanghai was located almost at the centre of the mainland coastline, easily introducing the first-mover advantage of those special zones in South China to the north. Historically, in the 1930s, Shanghai was seen to be the biggest city in the Far East, after China’s experience of Guangzhou’s special zone and the Opium War. Now the city seems to be claiming its former glory by redeveloping its unique geographic significance.

The “superiority of socialism” was also restored to Shanghai when the central government opted to focus not only policy but also financial support on a new planned economy. While Shenzhen relied on foreign direct investment (FDI), mostly from Hong Kong, Shanghai’s success was based on hundreds of billions of investments from the central financial authorities. The experiences of the Shenzhen SEZ were implemented in Shanghai as a national strategy, making the city the “dragon’s head” of the Yangtze River Delta, or YRD, and the Yangtze River Valley [the body behind the dragon’s head]. Shanghai was also intended to become a metropolitan landmark for China, with identifiable skylines to showcase the accomplishment of China’s modernisation under the leadership of the Communist Party. Geographically, the YRD has more advantages than the Pearl River Delta, or PRD, as being the largest metropolitan area, absorbing a more rural population into the city because of its connection to the deep hinterland and water resources, which is not the case in the Bohai Sea Rim in North China. From this perspective, we can see how the World Expo 2010 could be another opportunity for Shanghai to earn greater support from central government by making itself the centre of the biggest metropolitan area in the drastic urbanisation of China as a whole.

Special zones might not be China’s invention, but they can possess distinctly Chinese characteristics. When the potential differences on both sides of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong border were incorporated into the Shenzhen SEZ, it not only inspired diversified urban spaces along the border, but also created a number of institutions and enterprises with inherent borderline characteristics. The resulting initiatives in government reform and the restructuring of state-owned enterprises provided valuable templates for the development of the hinterland. The modernisation of China is a process in which pre-modern institutions are supposed to be reformed by gradual progression. It is also a process parallel to the “special reform” of urbanisation, in which China will transform from agricultural China to urban China. Special zones provide both the impetus and space for an experiment in temporary institutions. The real ambition behind the SEZs is not a short-term economic leap forward, but a superstructure that is meant to underlie sustainable economic achievements. The focus of China’s special zones has shifted from economic to administrative and then political: the gradual evolution, rather than revolution, from a pre-modern regime.

In the last 30 years, we have witnessed a process of upgrading China’s special zones, from South China to North China; from the coastline to the hinterland; from the independent development of SEZs to national financial support in Shanghai and Tianjin; from the singular economic experiment to multi-directional exercises for strategic purposes – thereby transforming the government’s function in the Pudong New Area in Shanghai, balancing urban and rural development in Chengdu and Chongqing, implementing sustainable development in Wuhan and Changsha. With the increasingly diversified geo-political positioning of special zones, the visible hand of the national plan becomes proportionately powerful, while wearing the glove of a socialist market economy. The reforms in administrative and institutional areas, including land, finance and taxation systems, social security, urban and rural integration, environment and resource protection, together constitute China’s systematic transition from pre-modernisation to modernisation, while special zones revive the network of diversities on the map of a Great Unity civilisation.

Jiang Jun, designer, editor and critic, specialises in urban research and experimental studies, exploring the interrelationships between design phenomena and urban dynamics. He founded Underline Office in late 2003 and has been editor-in-chief of Urban China Magazine since late 2004, while also working on his book, Hi-China. His work has been presented at Get It Louder(2005/2007), the Guangdong Triennial (2005), the Shenzhen Biennial (2005/2007), China Contemporary in Rotterdam (2006) and Documenta (2007). He curated the international exhibition,Street Belongs to … All of Us! in China in 2008. He has been invited to lecture at domestic and international universities, including Sun Yat-Sen University, Beijing University, CUHK, Harvard University, UCL, Tokyo University, Seoul University, Princeton University, Columbia University, etc.. In 2009, his Urban China was exhibited at museums in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, the first Chinese magazine to be exhibited in solo overseas travelling exhibitions. Born in Hubei in 1974, he received his Bachelor’s degree from Tongji University in Shanghai and his Master’s from Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is currently an associate professor at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.

China blocks social media ahead of Tiananmen anniversary

via and the following link

BEIJING - Two days before the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests, mainland netizens have been blocked from using social networking sites including Twitter, Flickr, Hotmail and Microsoft's new search engine Bing.

According to China sources, Twitter became inaccessible in the country at 5pm on Tuesday, widely noticed to be blocked after access of popular external programmes Tweet Deck and Twhirl also became patchy or non-existent.

“We started to notice an even more random and broader approach to website filtering in Beijing over the long weekend just passed. Those of us in the China marketing community are accustomed to heavy-handed filtering of blameless as well as politically sensitive websites, but this week, with the 20th anniversary on Thursday, has largely rendered the web unusable for us,” said Simon Cousins, chief executive of PR agency Illuminant Partners, describing the internet’s performance as “off kilter” all week.

“This latest block of Twitter and Flickr really hurts us, and our ability to service our clients in the mainland. They’re both important business tools.”

Cousins added that access to Tweetie, an iPhone application, via China Mobile was also blocked.

A Beijing-based agency source added that the 2 June blockage was “particularly bad” because his company’s external server based in San Francisco was also unable to process requests for Twitter and Flickr URLs.

The block is a setback for Bing, which only debuted its Chinese-language site this week.

The event followed reports that users on social networking sites also experienced difficulty as pages either stalled or had delayed loading times.

A representative from Yahoo, owner of Flickr, could not be reached in time for press.

Ullens Successfully Sells $22.2 Million Worth Of Chinese Art In Beijing

Big news coming out of the Chinese art world today. Bloomberg reports that Guy Ullens, the Belgian industrialist and collector of Chinese art since the mid-1980s, has sold 18 works from his collection for over $20 million (151.7 yuan). Ullens, whose collection is made up of hundreds of pieces spanning centuries of China’s long artistic history, put these works, many of them duplicates or triplicates, up for auction to add to efforts by his popular Beijing museum of contemporary Chinese art to reach out to China’s burgeoning collector base and art enthusiasts.

According to Bloomberg, the huge returns on Ullens’s sale indicates two important developments in the Chinese art world — for one, the quality of the Ullens collection, and two, the motivation of Mainland Chinese collectors to buy Chinese art now. While the Ullens collection has long been considered one of the top collections of traditional and contemporary Chinese art, until recently the local Chinese collector base has stayed out of the picture, mainly sticking to purchasing the occasional western master or ancient Chinese antique. Now, however, as the Chinese New Collector becomes increasingly influential in art auctions around the world, sales like that of Ullens’s artwork are, as we’ve seen in the last year or so, becoming more heavily populated by Mainland buyers.

Bloomberg points out that the success of this sale reflects the trend that we have been observing since before the global downturn struck, of Chinese buyers (and Chinese auction houses) growing in number and influence. This extends not only to the sale of Ullens’s artwork, but to every corner of the auction market, from contemporary and traditiional Chinese art to wines and jewelry. As the article points out as well, the breadth of Ullens’s sale — which included contemporary artists like Zhang Xiaogang, who sold for 15 million yuan to a Chinese buyer — shows that the Chinese collector has truly arrived.
more

《誌同志》全球首映暨座談會

日期：二零零九年三月二十一日（星期六）
時間：下午二時三十分至五時三十分
地點：香港中文大學崇基學院李冠春堂（信和樓三樓）
票價：四十元正

《誌同志》影片概述：
中國改革開放30年以來，性別與性傾向議題日益受到關注，男權中心和異性戀霸權正在受到女性主義和多元性取向的挑戰與修正。30年的中國新歷史，性觀念、性行為、性媒介，在頑固的保守間曲折地進步。
我們正處於影像影響世界的時代。以影像直擊的方式總結與回顧30年以來中國同性戀議題的發展。追蹤記錄30年以來在同性戀平權活動中親歷歷史的人物，展現歷史重要變革事件，譬如中國同性戀非罪化、非病化，譬如中國人同性戀觀念變化與媒體的正面報導，譬如中國有關同性戀立法、學術研究、文學創作與發表、藝術產品與展示方面的成績，譬如性學界、醫學界和同性戀社群聯手抗擊AIDS。
用一部長篇電影，訪問親歷中國30年LGBT觀念及生活變遷的30餘位知名人士，及時地記錄和保存歷史，以探討現在，以開拓未來。
以下，是影片重點拍攝與關注的議題---學術出版：從翻譯，到社會學研究，到學術草根化；性學研究：從「無性時代」，到「開放的性」，到「一胎化時代」；法律與法規：從非法，到不非法，到合法化呼籲；性別政治：從「無名」，到「隱身」，到「現身」；經濟：從統一供給式到「粉紅經濟」；精神衛生與健康：從「病態說」到「非病化」；文化與傳媒：從虛無到熱點；文學與藝術：從地下，到公開出版，到播客；社區生活：從隱秘到公開。

映後座談會
主持：彭麗君（香港中文大學文化及宗教研究系教授）
嘉賓：崔子恩（《誌同志》導演）、
梁兆輝（香港電台《自己人》節目主持人）、
江紹祺（香港大學社會學系助理教授）、
楊宜瑄（香港中文大學文化及宗教研究系導師）

Chinese Farmers Build Birds Nest Stadium Out of Bamboo [DIY]

vs

via gizmodo

"40+4, Art is not enough! Not enough!"

China!China!China!!!
Chinese contemporary art beyond the global market.
21.03.08- 04.05.08
Opening: March 20th 2008

Daily: 10,00 - 20,00
Thursday: 10.00 - 23.00
Closed Monday

INFO
Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi
www.palazzostrozzi.org

Artists: Cao Fei, Chu Yun, Duan Jianyu, Huang Kui, Kan Xuan, Lothar Spree, Lu Chunsheng, Pak Sheung-Chuen, Ren, Quinga, Shen Shaomin, TsengYu-Chin, Wang Yu Yang, Wu Ershan, Xu Tan, Yang Fudong, Yang jiang group, Zhao Liang

Curated by: Zhang Wei (Guangzhou), Li Zhenhua (Beijing) e Davide Quadrio (Shanghai)

This is a crucial moment in China’s search for cultural identity as it strives to reconcile the weight of tradition, a troubled recent socio -political history and the rapid entry into the western-style global economy. The most visionary contemporary art in China attempts to shape the future in the light of the past... In a very short space of time China is experiencing a process that in Western culture evolved slowly over centuries. But just as the Florentine Renaissance of the fifteenth century led to the emergence of the city by its use of culture as a vital channel of communication modern China is investing extensively in the development of a cultural infrastructure and in its promotion abroad.

The exhibition presents a lively interchange between the curators’ three sections, representing three distinct but complementary attitudes and perceptions.

Zhang Wei, the curator from Guangzhou, in “Throwing Dice”, brings together artists of different backgrounds, training and modes of expression. Zhang Wei presents individual visions of human existence in a fragmented and constantly changing world. The videos of Kan Xuan, Pak Sheung Chuen and Yang Fudong (acclaimed in the most recent Venice Biennale), digital animations by Cao Fei (also present at the Biennale), technological installations by Chu Yun, and paintings by Duan Jianyu offer individual stories that engage the spectator in the exploration of a shared existential landscape and in the constant tension between the world of dreams and of reality.

The installation in the section by Davide Quadrio, a curator in Shanghai for the last 15 years, “Art is not enough, not enough!,” is produced by the CCCS where it will be given its world premiere. The multimedia installation draws on interviews made by the curator with forty artists in Shanghai, who consider questions about the role of the artist, their relationship with the external world, the social consequences of their work and the international market’s effect on traditional modes of artistic production.. This presentation offers a dynamic anthropological insight into the urban panorama of modern Shanghai. (see below for details)

Questions of geo-political identity and cultural relativism are the focus of “Multi-Archeology”, the section curated by Li Zhenhua. Installations by the Mongolian artists Wu Ershan and Ren Qinga, highlight the often conflictual relations between the different cultural groups in China today and pose questions about the undermining of the individual in the face of social upheaval.
Both installations, created especially for the exhibition in Florence, take as their theme the human condition in the face of an uncertain future.
The art video by Zhao Liang and Shen Shaomin documents the situation on the Chinese border with North Korea and Russia. An analysis of the consequences of the Mongolian invasion by Genghis Khan on Asiatic culture is compared to the impact of modern globalisation, in the constant cultural interchange between East and West.


"40+4, Art is not enough! Not enough!"

Concept by Davide Quadrio and Lothar Spree

Interviews by Davide Quadrio and Xu Jie

Questions by: Lothar Spree, Davide Quadrio, Zhu Xiaowen, Huang Kui, Li Xuehui, Zhang Enli, Xu Jie.

The 6th Annual Chinese Internet Research Conference will be held 13-14 June 2008.

The conference :
When: June 13-14, 2008
Where: University of Hong Kong
The conference theme, “China and the Internet: Myths and Realities,” calls attention to scholarly work that helps to separate fact from fiction about the Internet in China. Does the Internet bring more democracy to the country? Is there freedom of expression on the Internet? Does the Internet foster greater integration of China and its diaspora? Do the Chinese use the Internet for entertainment only?

Call for proposal/paper deadlines:
We welcome proposals for presentations from all disciplines. Proposals can be submitted in Chinese or English. Kindly be reminded the deadline for submission of your proposal is coming up on 1 March 2008 and conference participants are encouraged to submit full papers by 10 May 2008. Graduate students may submit papers for the Annual Best Graduate Student Paper Award. Proposals are also due 1 March, 2008, with full papers due by 10 May 2008. For futher details about submissions, please visit this weblink

A Breif History of Video & Media Art in China from 邱志杰Qiu Zhijie

中国录像艺术大事记
1989 张培力在中国现代艺术展上展出《30x30cm》
1990 ，汉堡美院的MIJKA教授带着8小时长的录像带国，在浙江美院分两次讲座
1991年，上海车库展，展出张培力《《卫字三号》》（洗鸡）作品
1995年，王功新在北京报房胡同家中展出录像装置《布鲁克林的天空》
1996年9月，现象与影像：中国录像艺术展，杭州，中国美术学院画廊，吴美纯策划
1997年9月，《1997中国录像艺术观摩》，中央美术学院画廊，吴美纯策划
1997年8月，《神粉1号:王功新个展》中央美术学院画廊
1997年9月，《邱志杰个展：5个录像装置》，中央美术学院画廊
1997年，《看》宋冬个展，北京中央美院附中当代美术馆
1997年9月，艺术家汪建伟和冯梦波的新媒体作品参加了第十届卡塞尔文献展
1998年3月，邱志杰携赵亮、乌尔善等人作品参加柏林录像节TVANSMEDIDE98
1998年，北京艺术家陈少平和邱志杰参加了科隆路德维希博物馆举办的《国际艺术家录像》
1998年，宋冬、汪建伟的作品参加了光州双年展白南准策划的《信息》特展
1998年底，长春技术学院由黄岩策划的《0431-中国录像艺术展》
1999年3月，在澳门当代艺术中心，由张颂仁策划的《快镜：中港台录像艺术展》首次凝聚两岸三地录像艺术资源
1999，朱加、李永斌的作品参加了在阿姆斯特丹举办的《世界录像节》
2000年9月，杨福东、徐震、杨振中在上海《有效期》展览
2001年初，北京藏酷新媒体艺术中心成立，主持人王功新、林天苗
2001年4月，李振华、邱志杰、吴美纯策划藏酷数码艺术节，北京藏酷新媒体艺术中心，
2001年9月，吴美纯在中国美术学院策划策划“非线性叙事”新媒体艺术节
2001年11月，王波的多媒体个展在北京藏酷新媒体艺术中心举办
2001年，中国美院开设新媒体研究中心，中央美院设计系开设数码艺术工作室
2001年，民间电影组织实践社举办了“首届中国独立映像节
2002年9月，杨福东电影《陌生天堂》参加了第十一届卡塞尔文献展
2002年，广东美术馆第一届广州三年展设中国录像艺术回顾专题，由邱志杰、吴美纯策划
2002年开始，凤凰卫视开设《DV新世代》栏目
2003年，中国美术学院成立新媒体系， 张培力任系主任
2003年9月， 张亚璇、曹恺等在南京策划“第一届中国独立影像年度展”。
2004年9月，第四届上海双年展“影像生存”
2004年11月，吴美纯在中国美术学院策划策划“迷宫”新媒体艺术节
2007年，姚斌在798艺术区开设专门的新媒体艺术空间--映艺术中心
2007年5月，李振华在北京阿拉里奥画廊策划《可持续幻想：中国新媒体艺术回顾》展览，同时在北京画廊博览会组织新媒体艺术论坛。
2007，中国美术学院新媒体系首届本科毕业生作品展

维他命空间要做德国录像艺术的回顾展，顺便也就要“趁这个契机，出版一个关于中国录像艺术的基本文献资料和展出一些中国录像艺术中的代表性的作品”，因此发来了调查的要求。晚上回想了一下，初步拉出一个单子。其实录像艺术的概念早就不合适了。给胡坊回信说：

胡昉 ：
作品和大事记见附件。我记忆所及以及占有的资料多属早期，后期的因为自己兴趣的转移，不太关心了，资料就不全面了。
而且，我认为今天的局面很难用录像艺术这个名词来涵盖。
像我自己的工作，或者张慧、乌尔善这样的艺术家，已经由典型的录像艺术转移到多媒体现场表演，严格来说很难列入录像艺术，所以这一类的作品我都没有提到。
一些流式播放的动画，像老蒋和吴俊勇的Falsh，邱黯雄、孙逊等人的手绘动画，做得都很好，但是算成录像艺术也有点勉强。
98年以后的Dv运动中出现的很多纪录片和剧情片，是在盗版碟文化影响之下，手淫DV，意淫电影的结果，也和录像艺术有很大差别。但是独立影像节之类活动中，这类作品却经常是主要的内容。这也很让人为难。……

那个时候，大家都渴望有这么多电视机可用，但都弄不到，做方案的时候，手工剪贴照片意淫一下就很过瘾了。我还用黑卡纸、放大镜自己做过投影机呢！

作品
张培力《30x30cm》1989
张培力《洗鸡》1990
张培力《水－辞海标准版》1991`
张培力《儿童乐园》1993
颜 磊《1500厘米》1994
邱志杰《卫生间》1994
佟飚《触及》1994
朱加《永远》1995
李永斌《脸1》1996
王功新《玩蛋》 1997
陈文波《水份》1996
钱喂康《呼吸/呼吸》1996
陈劭雄《风景》1997
狗子，汤光明《鲁迅在北京》1997
赵亮《表情》1997
胡介鸣《心电图》1997
汪建伟《生产》1997
乌尔善《联接》1997
王劲松《我的一堂历史课》1997
王劲松，丰江舟《北京》2003
高世明,陆磊,高世强《被祖咒的个人主义者》1997
杨振中《梦游疗法》
陈劭雄《风景2》1998
宋冬《克隆》
邱志杰《乒乓》1997
乌尔善《环顾》1997
翁奋《身份，现在，过去，六个》1997
阚萱《哎， 阚萱！》(地铁)1998
赵亮《一次社会调查》1998
王功新《神粉一号》1998
张培力《审视》1998
翁奋《蝶》1999
刘韡《难于抑制》1999
王功新《我的太阳》2000
陈晓云《向夜晚延伸的若干个瞬间》12min 2003
蒋志《飞吧,飞吧》1997
高世明,陆磊,高世强《梦幻作为寓言》1997
邱志杰《物》-1997
崔岫闻《洗手间》1999？
王功新《膜拜》
杨福东《我并非强迫你》 1999
杨福东《后房，嘿，天亮了！》12min 2000
蒋志《食指》1998
宋冬《父子》1999
周少波《我的一天的几种状态》2000
杨振中《534颗米》2000
周啸虎《心欲之旅》2000
杨福东《城市之光》2000
佟飚《天使在那里》2001
石青《黄角坪》30min 2002
曹斐《戏》2001？
周弘湘《红旗飘》20min 2002
蒋志《片刻》2002
杨福东《竹林七贤》系列2003—
邱志杰《亚洲时间》系列2004-2006
张培力《冲锋》2004
张培力《遗言》2005
曹恺《南京长江大桥》2005
蒋志《香平丽》2005
高世强《室内剧》2005
陈晓云《丽丽皇后的花园》2005
陆春生《化学史》2006
高世强《革命》2007
The bold section is Qiu Zhijie explaining his personal and many others shift of practice/ interest of video art to multimedia or new media and therefore not included on the list.
I am wondering how can we interpret this history, and our history in Hong Kong, Taiwan.

Two New Media Art Show in Shanghai Sculpture Centre

The exhibition 'Body Media" opens on July 15-August 12 (closed on Mondays) at Shanghai Sculpture Center, 570 Huaihai Rd 淮海西路近虹桥路，可轻轨3、4号线“虹桥路站”下，顺淮海西路东行约5分钟即见大门。此地儿又名“红坊”创意园云云。门票40元 “身体·媒体———国际互动艺术展”以其极具个性的展览风格和极强的互动性吸引大量观众，每日参观人次突破上海城市雕塑艺术中心的参观纪录。为满足市民提出的延后闭馆时间的要求，自今天起，每周六、周日增开夜场，从下午四点延长至晚上八点闭馆。
Now, 11 artists from nine countries and regions, including Japan, Austria, the United States, Germany, France and Sweden, and the Netherlands, are bringing their works to China's first International Interactive Art Exhibition, organized by Fudan University's Visual Art Institute and the Shanghai Sculpture Center. It aims to raise awareness of the new art and technology, starting from Sunday to August 12.

"Technology is a means of civilization, an illusion of control over our environment, what we called 'nature'," notes Kurt Hentschlaeger (from Granular Synthesis), who brought his latest installation piece "Karma" ("Destiny") to the Shanghai exhibition. "People create a second nature, which is supposed to control the original nature. This is certainly impossible."

"Karma" is an artwork that comes "alive" by using procedural techniques, in particular the real-time synthesis of sound, 3D animation, often seemingly unwell, trembling and oscillating.

The 3D characters are presented as puppets on strings, instilled with a familiar yet ambiguous sense of human life, resulting in an indefinite dance of the almost living dead.

Each 3D character moves and creates sound in the same frame, yet each of them has their own will to an extent that their actions and movements cannot be predicted within the space.

However, at the same time, the characters live in a very confined environment, and are equally controlled from the outside.

As such, "Karma" raises a question in a contradictory way - who is in control in people's life?

According to the Austrian artist Hentschlaeger, from the Western modern perspective, people believe they can control their life by their own will. However, the old perspective contains more mythological and religious thinking on that question. It holds that there is a life path that people cannot avoid, that is what people called "destiny," also called karma by some.

"Through 'Karma,' the two concepts clearly clash in the modern world," says Hentschlaeger. "Who is in charge of our life? There is no certain answer."

This is also the question for the new media artist, when he or she is creating his work - who is in charge, technology or the human being?

Most of the 11 artists invited to the show probably believe that people have an obsession with technology since all their installations and art works are realized through the support of high technology.

"Obviously the world we are living in is not obsessed with philosophy, but people are deeply addicted to technology," comments Hentschlaeger, who is deeply convinced by the theory that human beings can ultimately control their destiny and the world through technology. "The way I started living with technology became part of my way of looking at the world."

In this new media art exhibition, the theme "Body Media" stands out as a feature of interactive art as a part of new media art. It refers to the idea of human exchange or interaction with a technological artwork. As a user's actions and reactions are monitored, the outer environment will change and do something in interaction.

Curator Gong Yan, who proposed the idea of "Body Media," says the new media is a relatively young art form in its own history. It is not very well known by the Chinese public.

"With more and more young and old artists exploring this new art form, we are just wondering how long it could last for a single piece of new media artwork," she says. "This show aims to promote this new art form in a way that has various possibilities."

However, it is an over-estimation to call most of the work "interactive," says Hentschlaeger, since mostly it is just reactive. An interactive art work should be a strong and meaningful work that can process the reaction (the idea and sound raised) by an audience."

This exhibition is divided into three parts: the body as an actor or revelation of the artwork; the body represented in the artwork; and the body as an artwork itself.
三大部分

·身体激活作品
杰弗里·邵（Jeffrey SHAW） (澳大利亚)
约翰·米歇尔·布鲁耶尔（Jean-Michel BRUYERE） (法国)
杜震君 (中国)
厄尔夫·朗翰里切（Ulf LANGHEINRICH ） (奥地利)
朱里安·迈尔（Julien MAIRE） (法国)
TIME’S UP (奥地利)
米盖拉·罗斯切尔德（Miguel ROTSCHILD） (阿根廷)

·身体在作品中
粒子合成（Granular Synthesis） (奥地利)
科特·亨斯克拉奇（Kurt HENTSCHLAGER） (美国)
Dumb type(日本)
克里斯蒂安·巴托斯（Christian PARTOS） (瑞典)

·身体即作品
戴欧·杨森Theo JANSEN (荷兰)
Artworks by Jeffrey Shaw who created the world's first interactive cinema will be on exhibit. Besides, the innovator of "beach animals," Theo Jansen from the Netherlands, who believes "art is evolving," will also attend.


The new media artworks are often associated with virtual reality as if traditional art had nothing virtual about it. It is interesting to see that over and above the natural verticality any other art form, electronic arts and modern technologies do allow for a greater physical involvement of the audience and the "truth" of their own bodies.

At the age of 47, Hentschlaeger had experienced the twists and turns in the new media art field for more than 20 years. He started his art career in photography and painting, what people called "traditional fine art." He shifted to new media art in Vienna 20 years ago out of pure curiosity.

He found that the classical fine art world and the new media art world are really separate since there is very little connection between them and because new media art is difficult to sell.

"What we need in the future is a 3D real time environment," notes the artist, who believes new media art is a "time-based art. It is a virtual 3D space where you can combine all the media, including the cultural part, visual art, sound and interactive part into one coherent media."

Japan Media Arts Festival in Shanghai 2007 will open at Shanghai Sculpture Space on 19th-26th,Aug,2007.

Japanese persepect to express "Japan with happy culture" to Chinese audience by about one hundred cartoons, games and art works. Japanese plan the exhibition withe Shanghai to celebrate 35 anniversary of normalization of relations between China and Japan.

The exhibition will divide into three parts named "Earth","Tokyo" and "Expression".

2007 上海 日本新多媒体动漫艺术展
会 期：8月19日(星期天)在8月26日(星期天)
会 場：上海城市雕塑艺术中心
主 催：上海市文化広播影視管理局、文化庁
共 催：上海市対外文化交流協会、CG-ARTS協会
後 援：中华人民共和国文化部、在上海日本国总领事馆
協 力：上海城市雕塑艺术中心
感 謝：上海紅坊文化发展有限公司、全日空、日本通運、凸版印刷

绿校五周年现场涂鸦及海报设计展

展览城市： 北京-北京
策 展 人： 李贵明
展览时间： 2007-08-05～2007-09-04
开幕酒会： 2007-08-04 13：00
展览地点： 潜空间画廊

展览前言:
绿校是一个来自互联网的新锐艺术团体，他们以非职业的方式将艺术融入生活。这次成立五周年他们将通过现场涂鸦来呈现新一代年轻艺术家对于生活和艺术的态度。同时还会展出绿校成员设计的海报。而先锋电子音乐人也将配合绿校的视频短片集进行现场表演为活动助兴。这不是一次单纯的艺术展览，因为作品是在展览开始后添加上去并会不断有新的涂鸦贯穿整个展览，这也不是一个纯粹的聚会，因为所有的人都会流连现场创作和朋友交谈之间，这是中国青年艺术一代的生活方式。
如果你不懂乐器，你可能无法登台表演。
如果你不是艺术家，你仍然可以来涂鸦。
绿校五周年现场涂鸦潜·空间画廊给您留块白墙

必看“美丽新世界 ：日本之当代文化”北京+廣州

“美丽新世界 ：日本之当代文化”将分3个部分展出：1.“美丽的真实世界”，2.“新环境”和 3.“终极世界及未来世界”。这些分支展将透过 ‘美丽’和‘新世界’深层审视国际间的艺术价值体系及创造力。由于这次展览将设在北京并由多个会场组成，多个分支展览的体系及（或）设计将共同促成统一的视觉及空间的完整性。展期间，一些在户外公共空间展出的装置作品也将做为整体战略的分支并以此支持整体计划。

展览地点和时间

北京 2007年9月25日 —— 2007年10月22日（嘉宾前展：2007年9月24日下午5点）

广州 2007年12月25日 —— 2008年1月20日

展览会场

北京 长征空间，东京画廊

中央美术学院（做为研讨会场等）

广州 广东美术馆

广州美术学院（做为研讨会场等）

参展艺术家（未定）

1. 美丽的真实世界 ［北京：长征空间］

这个部分的展览将重新审视“美丽”和“真实”的定义，同时深入观察和研究源于和逐渐背离这两个概念的表达方式。对于“美丽”的定义，展览作品将展示女性时尚当中美的价值观，同时思考不断转变的价值观和从属与美学的感知能力，以及多种多样的甚至相互矛盾的观点。这个部分的展览将同时思考日本传统技艺中的美学在当代艺术作品中的运用。

对于这个系列作品的选择，主办方将基于考察被刻画在日本漫画和动画中的，由性别区分下形成的男孩儿和女孩儿的不同世界、日本独特的“可爱”（kawaii)文化，以及由这些文化促成的高度私人化空间和高度聚焦的个人世界。

[艺术家・作品例]

八谷和彦 Hachiya Kazuhiko ……….jetboard

小谷元彦 Odani Motohiko ……….Wood-curving sculpture / Rompers (video)

会田? Aida Makoto ……….Painting

やなぎみわ Yanagi Miwa ……….Phograph

渡辺豪 Watanabe Go ……….Emo (animation)

小沢剛 Ozawa Tsuyoshi ……….[new commission]

金氏徹平 Kaneuji Teppei ……….[new commission]

島袋道浩 Shimabuku ……….[new commission]

パラモデル Paramodel ……….Installation

田中功起 Tanaka Koki ……….Video installation

エキソニモ exonimo ……….Disorder / tank (installation)

山本高之 Yamamoto Takayuki ……….spoon bending (new lesson)

さわひらき Sawa Hiraki ……….Video

村山留里子 Murayama Ruriko ……….Sculpture/installation

鴻池朋子 Konoike Tomoko ……….Painting

西山美な子 Nishimaya Minako ……….Painting/installation

岡崎京子 Okazaki Kyoko ……….Comic

横山裕一 Yokoyama Yuichi ……….Animation

宇治野宗輝 Ujino Muneteru ……….Rotators (sound installation/performance)

2. 新环境：［北京： Inter Arts Center］

[艺术家・作品例]

池田亮司 Ikeda Ryoji ……….Datamatics (sound /video installation + live)

市川創太 Ichikawa Sota ……….Corpora (architectural space with GPS)

藤幡正樹 Fujihata Masaki ……….off-sense (installation) & workshop

山中俊治 Yamanaka Toshiharu ……….robots

アトリエ・ワン Atelier Bow-wow ……….Manga Pod (installation/furniture)

藤浩志 Fuji Hiroshi ……….Workshop

坂茂 Ban Shigeru ……….Pavilion or extension

3. 终极世界和未来世界 [北京：B.T.A.P]

这一部分的展览作品将体现由社会和城市中的不稳定因素引起的系列问题，例如自然灾害以及一系列对死亡的恐惧。这一切都影射着人类对未来城市空间的启示与抱负，这也根深蒂固于日本的社会与文化。参展作品中还蕴涵着永久和持续的观念。与此同时，这些作品也将透过对建筑和时尚中的生态学观念和对环保的实施的调查，以此来检验人类与城市环境和自然之间的关系。一个视觉感极强的终极世界（世界末日）景观，将由漫画作品被放大后像壁纸一样覆盖在墙壁上来展示。

[艺术家・作品例]

奈良美智＋graf Nara Yoshitomo + graf ……….[new commission]

宮本隆司 Miyamoto Ryuji ……….Kau Lun Shing Chai (photograph)

ヤノベケンジ Yanobe Kenji ……….Atom suits / Viva Riva Project - New Deme-

畠山直哉 Hatakeyama Naoya ……….Zeche Westfahlen I/II (installation)

米田知子 Yoneda Tomoko ……….scene series (photograph)

大友克洋 Otomo Katsuhiro ……….Akira (comic)

富野由悠季 Tomino Yoshiyuki ……….Gundam (comic/animation)

押井守 Oshii Mamoru ……….Tokyo Scanner

大巻伸嗣 Omaki Shinji ……….[new commission]

宮島達男 Miyajima Tatsuo ……….Installation

FINAL HOME FINAL HOME ……….Sculpture/fashion design

户外展览（的可能性）

由于这次展览将由北京的多个会场组成，多个分支展览的体系及（或）设计将共同促成统一的视觉及空间的完整性。想法之一是邀请建筑师坂茂（ Ban Shigeru) 为这三个会厂的正面建造伸展区，以统一展览的主旨。举办方也希望通过这个想法来展现展览第三部分的概念：生态与环保。

另外，在798艺术区的整体布展和对户外公共空间的整体利用，将使由感性划分开来的区域拥有概念上的一致性。

草間弥生 Kusama Yayoi ……….气球

杉本博司 Sugimoto Hiroshi ……….户外大型招贴广告牌

组织体制

主办： 独立行政法人国际交流基金

策展人： 片岡真実（森美术馆资深策展人，日本）

住友文彦（东京现代美术馆策展人，日本）

Kim Sunjung(独立策展人，韩国)

中方展览组织负责人： 李振华（独立策展人，北京）

中方合作方： 各个展览和活动会场

办公室 ：独立行政法人国际交流基金 艺术交流部造型美术科

负责人： 古市保子

UBUWEB 中國聲音藝術選

前衛人聲／具象詩總站 UbuWeb 新增：

Contemporary Chinese Experimental Music 1997-2007 (MP3)

http://www.ubu.com/sound/china.html

Lawrence Li 編選

当代艺术展“大声展”走上街头却遭观众蹂躏

The "Get it louder" show in Canton busy shopping mall was violently destroyed by visitors.

如果一面时钟上除了三根指针和刻度外，还写着“全国人民每8.3秒拉10吨屎”，你会想把这面钟挂在自己的餐厅吗？昨天，当代艺术展览“2007大声展”走出深闺，在广州闹市街头开展，挑战广州市民的欣赏极限。

在大型购物中心正佳广场，“大声展”的展位从一楼一直蔓延到五楼。记者看到，每一件展品前都围满了市民，和在专业艺术展馆不同，这里的展品大多允许拍照和触摸。中国艺术家吴岚和英国艺术家Andrew合作的《购物时间》吸引了很多观众，他们在十几面时钟上写上中国在不同领域的商品及资源消耗统计数字，比如“全国人民每11秒购买100部手机”、“全国人民每秒生2个孩子”以及“全国人民每 8.3秒拉10吨屎”。不少观众把每一面钟都拍了下来，市民陈先生说：“我拍了钟面的特写，用这个作手机桌面图挺酷的。”

在市民享受当代先锋艺术带来的启示同时，展览方却不得不面对在艺术馆里不会碰到的尴尬局面：艺术家冯果川的作品《厚空间孵化器》像一个圆形白色轻纱笼罩的大帐篷，里面充满了氦气和氢气球，在装置的门口，作品说明上清清楚楚写着：“这是一个适宜沉思、交谈、听音乐、喝咖啡及阅读的空间，为增加交往的机会制造了一个亲密的触觉的‘身体’空间。”但实际上，这里成了吵闹的儿童乐园，记者看到，里面最多时至少挤了10个以上的孩子和家长，孩子们在白色气球堆里又蹦又跳，高声尖叫，就像在玩“欢乐蹦床”。门口的工作人员则要不停地提醒玩累了出来的观众“请不要把气球带走”。

广州籍艺术家叶柏林和苗微微合作的雕塑“烟灰缸”也惨遭“毒手”，现场维持秩序的保安告诉记者：“作为道具粘在雕塑上的烟头总是被人拿走，我真不明白他们要烟头做什么，我刚说完不要拿，可一回头就没了。”

广州市少年宫以一比一比例仿制的“鹧鸪塘小学”危房教室则几乎成了市民逛街的休息室，教室里的所有桌椅都是从山区搬来的原物，桌椅原本都是破破烂烂摇摇晃晃，上面还贴着“危险勿坐”的标语，但教室里还是像上课一样坐满了人，有人甚至趴在课桌上睡了起来。记者看到，已经有三套桌椅被坐断了腿，撤出了展览。“大声展”至少还要在闹市展览两周，保安们不禁担心有些展品还能“撑”多久？

据了解，“2007大声展”由现代传播集团主办，英国领事馆等参与策展，今年已是第三届，在中国乃至国际当代艺术界具有重要影响，展览集合了来自全球十几个国家的艺术家作品，此次在正佳广场展出的作品多为中国留英艺术家所做。展览的主办方在闹市里开展，是希望能让当代艺术走进普通人群，让人们从陌生稀奇到有所感悟。

大声展07·听游记（Moving Soundscape）开始征集观众报名

交通工具已经变成我们和世界沟通的一种必需。我们的身体不断移动，从这里到那里；城市也在移动、变形，从过去到未来。虽然不是每个人都拥有汽车，但是每个人都通过它，来实现移动，来穿行，并体会到城市的形体、形体之下的秘密。熟视无睹的声音，每天充斥在熟视无睹的城市中，我们和我们的耳朵一起，穿过道路，穿过时间，体验到了想要体验到的那些东西，也和更多的擦肩而过。最熟悉的风景，也是最陌生和新鲜的风景。
听游记是一组利用行驶的汽车来创作的声音艺术作品。或者说，听游记是一组利用城市来创作的声音艺术作品。这个想法也许要追溯到1960年代的达达追随者和激浪派艺术家，甚至更早，到1913年，路易吉·卢索诺（Luigi Russolo）的《噪音的艺术》（The Art of Noise）；但也许只是我们对周遭环境的一种本能反应。探索我们身处其中的城市、以新的角度加入它、和它对话、和它共谋；或者，探索我们的身体，在运动中，在封闭的小空间里检视它，让它体验。这都是可能的。
听游记是一场出游，只要你带着耳朵，上车。你将听到汽车的哼唱（发动机和车体振动）、城市的呼吸（无所不在的环境噪音），然后是艺术家的选择和创造，他们可能会从城市的角落收集声音碎片，可能把纷乱的街景当成诗歌来朗诵，可能用新技术延伸感官和想象，也可能只是制造噪音——在充满噪音的生活中，还有什么比重新品尝噪音更有趣的？在四个城市的大声展开幕当天，艺术家还会坐进汽车，和观众一起体验，或者说，一起创作。所有的观众，都需要提前报名；有的观众，会从准备阶段就加入创作；这些作品也不限于汽车，相关的网络、出版、延续活动，会和声音一样来来去去，相互关联。
这场出游早已开始，在某个不经意聆听无用之物的瞬间，在远处的铃声、音乐声勾起想象的瞬间，在风吹着车窗、让人出神的瞬间，我们已经开始享受风景。



限量限时的听游记开始报名了！
每车2到3名观众，每天4到6趟行车，每城4到6车，仅在周末活动，艺术家本人将参加开幕当天的作品实施。台湾艺术家林其蔚、许雅筑将会朗诵街景文字。北京艺术家张安定（Zafka）甚至邀请观众提前两个月和他一起准备、完成作品……
请先阅读各个城市的听游记方案，然后选择你想要参与的作品，告诉我们你希望参与的日期（请注意大声展在各城的开幕和持续日期）和备选日期（你也可以写上为 “随便哪天我都愿意参加”）；当然，你需要提供简单的自我介绍、职业、年龄、联系电话。请注意，在报名邮件主题栏内填写“听游记报名”。
确认后我们会通过邮件和电话和你联系。

Some most exhibited media artists in China

Jiuchang Art Complex, Beihuqu Road, Anwaibeiyuan Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100012 P.R. China

2007 .5.3_5pm (Performers:Yang2, aaajiao)

Tel : +86 10 5202 3800
Fax :+86 10 5202 3808

info@arariobeijing.com
杨福东
《陌生天堂》
2002年
电影
王郁洋
《登月计划》
2007年
录像装置
3套宇航服 / 陨石 / 录像 / 采样 / 感应器
邱志杰
《西方》
1999年
互动装置
3台触摸屏电脑 / 混合媒体文件
汪建伟
《生活在别处》
1999年作品
记录片
140分钟

郑云瀚
《鸡西调查自2004》
互动装置
12只感应器 / 4台高显示投影机 / 4台电脑

I finally log on to Burb using imac :(

I talked to the person who build this site at DEAF, he assures that the project is not just a concept, they are really building it. I already signed up to him to get more information about the new development.

Do you have anything chinese you want to say?

The websites will be swelling as new interactive functionality allows you to dream up content. Upload, download, edit, post; add new pages and read others? comments. Wikithinking enables the sites to grow and respond - expand and develop -­ like a city booming in the ether.

B1 http://BURB.tv : "The Chinese Dream" online - comment now!

B2 http://SUPERSATELLITES.burb.tv : Upload your own Chinese city!

Is HK a Chinese city or an imagined Chinese /British/ Canadian/ any city...?!

I love the site but never been able to pass the human verification and never register to become one of the Chinese community.what a farce!

Interact or Die! DEAF 2007荷蘭電子藝術節

活動日期：】 2007/4/10 - 2007/4/29
■《地點：》荷蘭鹿特丹
■《主辦：》V2_Institute for the Unstable Media
■《網址：》http://www.deaf07.nl

由V2_舉辦的荷蘭電子藝術節(Dutch Electronic Art Festival，簡稱DEAF)將於今年4月10日至29日舉辦第八屆，地點為鹿特丹的Las Palmas文化中心。主辦單位發表DEAF 07的主題為”Interact or Die!”，企圖以此彰顯「互動性」在人類文化、社會經濟結構，及媒體與通訊發達時代中的本質性與重要性。這是一個不互動就等同失聯、死亡的時代，不管在真實世界或虛擬網路裡，缺少與外界的互動就等於宣告個體發聲權的消逝；相對的，互動及參與則能導向多元化的結果，並促成更多的可能。


在DEAF 07的主題概念裡，「互動」的結果充滿可塑性與變動性，因此也是頗為亂無章法的。而DEAF 07想要探討的是：現今的社會充滿許多文化、經濟與生態問題，諸如全球暖化、新移民潮、多元文化主義、全球化效應等等---在這許多問題的環繞下，一個「組織」或「結構」如何使互動及運作更有效率？在真實與虛擬的社會網絡裡，所謂的權力、控制、自我組織之間的互動關係與交相影響，在DEAF 07中將透過許多不同的科技、文化及藝術計畫等被呈現而出。

今年適逢V2_動態媒體藝術中心成立25週年，因此DEAF 07亦規劃了一些特別活動，其中最引人注目的即為對中國網路藝術發展的觀照。V2_將邀請多位中國藝術家、策展人、學者等共同與會，探討中國大陸快速發展的部落格與社群文化。除此之外，DEAF 07的大展也邀請多位中國與亞洲藝術家參展，如盧杰（中國）、exonemo（日本藝術團體，曾參展2004年由國美館主辦的「漫遊者」展）及王俊傑（台灣藝術家、2006年台北雙年展策展人）等。另外亦有一連串的論壇峰會、工作坊、座談會、音樂會及表演活動等。DEAF 07將藉著多種跨領域活動的舉辦，呈現科技社會中現時的藝術發展。

Bloggers Help Free Chinese Filmmaker

We appeal to the Chinese government for Hao Wu’s immediate release!




When Chinese filmmaker Hao Wu did not show up on Feb. 22 2006 to meet a friend at the gym in Beijing, the Internet community jumped into action. A picture of Wu on a shocking red background and bright yellow text that said “Free Hao Wu” soon popped up on hundreds of blogs in China as well as around the world.

Within weeks, about 1,000 websites carried the picture of Wu, which linked to a website called FreeHaoWu.com where information about the case was constantly updated. It was a virtual version of going block by block to post fliers for a missing person.

Wu, a Chinese citizen with U.S. permanent residency, was finally released on July 11 after nearly five months in detention. His case is a testament to the power of the blogging community to generate information and gather support. With an estimated 60 million bloggers in China, blogs have become a powerful tool of social support for causes ranging from feminism to freedom of speech.

Technology has been a way to thwart the government’s efforts in controlling the public. In 1989, Tiananmen Square protesters used fax machines to reach out to the international press. Last year, 12,000 workers mobilized using cell phone text messages to go on strike against their company. The blogosphere’s high interconnectedness made Wu’s case very visible in the blogging community, and by extension, on the Internet....more

Douban Launched Blog Recommendation

Today social review service Douban launched blog recommendation. Formerly Douban has provided book, music, movie and travel reviews. This new feature has been mentioned by Yang Bo, founder of Douban, in his speech on Chinese Blogger Conference. According to a rumor, Douban is going to remove travel review feature so as to be more focused.

Currently the new feature doesn’t support OPML import yet. To add blogs into personal collections, users should search exsiting blogs or add new blogs one by one. New added blogs need to be verified before showing up in search result.

On landing page of blogs, users can change or vote for description words and logo image. This is China Web2.0 Review on Douban.

The idea of this feature is to find interesting blog from persons with similar interests. Personaly I think blog entry recommendation is more useful than recommending a whole blog to me. But certainly this is a cheap way to discover new blogs.

Douban was founded on March 6, 2005. Currenly it has more than 300,000 registered users, 1.2 million pageviews per day. See our previous coverage of Douban here. And this is an interview of Yang Bo by Xinhuanet several days ago.