X-Ray China

Hummer Road Blocked in China

_{Photo copyright Ray Ally}

The mighty mean Hummer, the ultimate off road, go anywhere, bad boy rapper car has finally found a terrain it cannot cross–the Chinese Government.

Troubled GM sold its Hummer brand earlier this year for US$100m to China’s, Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company. However, the deal is likely to be blocked by the Chinese Government on environmental grounds and the fact that Tengzhong has no experience in car production.

Hummer like GM has been in trouble for some time as the market for gas-guzzling SUV’s has been declining for years. The recent global recession has further highlighted their impracticality, as consumers are looking for more environmental and energy efficient cars.

The original Hummer H1 was based on a US military vehicle; the High Mobility Multi Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), nicknamed Humvee. These have been used by US forces around the world in all its major conflict zones including Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The civilian Hummer was introduced at the end of the 1980s and became a favourite of the rich and famous. These included, movie stars, rap artists and celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Hummers are rare in China, but not uncommon in certain parts of Beijing, where they always draw a crowd wherever they are parked. However they have little relevance on the streets of the capital, weighing 5 tons and only doing 15 miles per gallon.

Though the brand has tried to stay relevant by making smaller versions like the H2 and H3, the Hummer brand image is too negative and damaging for China’s new environmental image. So roadblock on Hummer will have to stay otherwise it could turn China’s green dreams into a nightmare.

Innocent Blog Bystander

_{Photo copyright Ray Ally, Lego Image by Balakov.}

The words "China" and "censorship" are never far from each other on the Internet. Google and its search engine has being frequently and systematically blocked in China for many years, most recently for being accused of spreading pornography on the internet.

My two blogs have also been blocked in China for almost two months now for an unknown reason. At first I thought it was just me, but then I realised that every other Blogspot and Wordpress hosted blog along with YouTube and occasionally Flickr and Twitter was also blocked.

As a frequent blogger it was frustrating not being able to write and post my stories and pictures online. I was trying to understand why this had been happening then it suddenly dawned on me. I realised that the Chinese government had been blocking websites in an attempt to play down any commemoration activities around the day of June 4th.

This date in China and the world is synonymous with the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre that happened on June 4th 1989. So this year was the 20th anniversary of that event and the 21st anniversary of my first trip to China back in 1988. Since that time I have seen and witnessed many positive changes that have happened in the last 21 years but censorship is not one of them.

Along with blocking websites, the Chinese government frequently blacks out CNN and BBC World. Every time there was a story or feature about Tiananmen or Tibet my TV screen goes black for a few minutes and resumes once the story is over. The only way to see these stories is to watch online at the foreign TV or newspaper sites like the BBC or The Times online.

The most recent and funniest story of censorship was the ‘umbrella-blocking’ story. Foreign news reporters were stopped from entering Tiananmen Square and undercover plain clothed policemen used umbrellas to block the cameramen and ruin the shots. You can watch the story here which is laughable and creates even more of a news story than if they had just let them film.

Now I am not a negative blogger or political activist. I am not trying to start a revolution and bring down governments. I love China and living in Beijing which is my home. But I just want to be able to express myself creatively and write positive, insightful stories about what’s happening in design and branding in China.

I don’t want to change the world, but I believe that good design makes the world a better place, so I suppose in that respect I am a designer revolutionary. But censorship just makes people angry and drives them into action (like me by writing this post) as I feel like an innocent blog bystander caught up in a revolution that is changing China.

Wallpaper Made In China

^{Photo copyright Ray Ally}

The June edition of the ultra-cool designer magazine Wallpaper has had a China makeover this month, as the entire magazine was written, designed and produced, literally in China.

Wallpaper shipped its editorial team to Shanghai and Beijing and set then up in temporary offices for a month. This was to ensure that the team lived and breathed in China, to get a real flavour of what is happening in the middle kingdom.

Instead of the usual outsiders reporting on what is happening inside China, Wallpaper’s decided on a unique approach. Having its outsiders reporting from within China, which meant they could go deeper in understanding what is really happening below the surface of these two cities.

Beijing and Shanghai have a similar relationship to Washington and New York, and Rome and Milan, which all have very different cultures and societies. Beijing is viewed as the centre of leadership and culture, whereas Shanghai is seen as the cosmopolitan and commercial centre of China.

The magazine focuses on the latest contemporary happenings in architecture, fashion, interiors and lifestyle, featuring some of the coolest things to do and see in China. It also highlights new upcoming design trends, which are helping to shape creativity in China’s new arts and crafts. The Wallpaper website has also had a China makeover which has an interesting interactive map about Chinatowns around the world.

There is no doubt that China is developing fast and embracing a more contemporary attitude to arts and design, which is reflected in its architecture fashion and lifestyle. So if you want to know about the coolest things happening in China check out Wallpaper, to see what new designer things are really being made in China.