The Guardian on Changsha’s Music Scene: “Oo, they get us”

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As far as editorial goes, The Guardian is one of our last unadulterated bastions of quality, balanced journalistic output. Naturally their feature on Sam Genders’ foray into Changsha (a developing city for once!) was warmly welcomed. However we do have some bones to pick.

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Here are some quotes from the piece:

“Arriving at the venue is something of a surprise. You don’t – and wouldn’t expect to – find many symbols of western alternative culture in Changsha.Yet walk downstairs into 46 Live House and you’re magically transported to grimy indie-rock London…”

[Responding to the audience’s chant for an encore] “…[t]his amazes Angus Bjarnason, who is here from the British Council: ‘It’s often hard enough getting Chinese crowds to pay attention at all,’ he says, “so screaming for an encore is a sign of a very good show.'”

“The stress of performing gone, it’s finally time for Genders and his bandmates to unwind in the traditional English way: an after party.”

Why are foreign journalists still talking about China as if it should be existing within its own cultural milieu, one that rarely – if ever – intersects with the rest of the world?

Why is the idea that youths have drawn from foreign influences to inform their own creativity still seen as a novel concept? Isn’t it a little patronising? Doesn’t it reinforce how utterly out of touch the majority of the cultural industries around the world are in relation to developments in China?

Decide for yourselves, you can read the feature here.

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