June grew up as part of a Chinese family in Malaysia. Her mother tongue is Mandarin, she celebrates Chinese holidays and identifies as Chinese. But June had never been to China before. In this video MIC accompanies June in her first visit to China.
Matias Britos travels from Argentina to China for the first time. He gives an interesting insight into China’s diversity and his experience traveling together with 28 students from across the world.
In this animation, MIC reports from Ningxia province in
northwest China. This piece takes a close look at a very specific
environmental initiative implemented in developing countries by the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) — the
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects. We explore the origins of
the CDM and trace down to a particular CDM project in China to look at
its social and environmental impact. The question arises – does green
living, require green awareness?
M.I.C has joined the Border Statement: China-Burma (Myanmar) Community Arts Initiative. Border Statements utilizes contemporary art practice - performance, photography, video, sculpture, painting, bookmaking, public art, and music – as alternative cultural preservation and public/peer education strategies for citizen engagement in marginalized communities. Their primary initiative is located on the China side of the China-Burma border, where discrimination against ethnic minorities, outward migration and human trafficking, drug trafficking and incarceration, and the AIDS epidemic results in young people growing up without adequate parental guidance or community support.
Last week we joined The Other Half. This theater/circus company based out of London came as special guests to perform and conduct a series of workshops as part of the Border Statement initiative. The community at the China-Burma border has had the opportunity to work with photographers, hip-hop artists and painters. But this was the first time that skilled laugh and circus masters had come to the village to spread laughter. The men, women and children enjoyed having a laugh- British style-learned how to juggle and built the biggest human pyramid in Yunnan province. The participants closed the two-day workshops with an amazing performance showcasing their learned skills at break dancing and acrobatics.
It was a pleasure to document such an active community and experience the talent of veteran performers and mentors. It was particularly bizarre and hilarious to see the Other Half breaking with the village’s routine as they strolled down the dirt roads dressed in the strictest British garment and offered people tea. The villagers were taken by surprise in the middle of their afternoon nap.
Expect the video soon! And look out for more updates on our documentation of artists working with the Border Statement initiative.
As part of our documentary Whose China? we have created a blog in which young adults from across the globe talk about their experience while traveling across northern China. Read Zain’s point of view bellow, and if you want to check out other student’s adventures visit the website
http://www.wix.com/micebergcolective/whosechina?
China, and my encounters there, continue and will continue to have a significant impact on my life. Between observing first hand and with full force Chinese culture, language and society and meeting and living with students from all over the world China YLC was an invaluable experience.
Days spent exploring Guyuan and nights at the night market remain fond memories and compelling invitations to return to China, which I certainly intend to do. Beyond the exposure to Chinese culture and people, the other students made the trip even more important. I was able to make friends with people for whom I have a great deal of respect. The friendships were incredibly strong considering the amount of time spent together, I suppose being thrown into a world vastly different from our own has that effect.
perhaps my most memorable experience was speaking with my host family (in broken, broken Chinese) and being able to get my questions across and learning about their lives first hand was remarkable. I also had the added dimension of sharing religion with the people of the village. I was amazed to see how similar their practices were to those of the rest of the Muslim world considering how isolated China has been from it. I would like to add that the food in Guyan=Fei chang hao!
My trip to China has also become a major talking point with new people I meet at university, people are very curious about China and how a foreigner views it after having been there. I consistently tell them, don’t bother learning french (sorry Constance) China will be the next superpower!
I sometimes feel nostalgic about our experience and hope we can one day return and continue our journey.
Hope everyone is doing well!
We are pleased to announce that we have launched the website for Whose China? the documentary. The making of this film was only possible thanks to your support!
Thank you very much!
Please visit the website:
http://www.wix.com/micebergcolective/WhoseChina?
We want this platform to become a space for the participants, you, and people around the globe to discuss about China’s position with respect to the world.
In the website you will have the pleasure of meeting the young adults who traveled for two weeks across northern China. Under the participants tab, click on ‘They Speak.’ This is the participants’ blog where you can read about their personal experiences. M.I.C wants to break with documentary-filmmaking’s subjective conventions. We want to give you more than the filmmakers’ point of view. Interact with our characters, listen to what they have to say and comment with your P.O.V
You can also take part in the forum by commenting on our first topic China Today or by posting your own topic!
An outstanding student with a passion for astronomy and environmental activism, Yusuf Ahmed has been chosen to represent The Maldives at the Youth Leadership Summer Course in China. In this interview with the Romanian element of M.I.C., Ioana, he talks about YLSC China, the problem of young people’s lack of involvement in agricultural labor, and the threat that global warming and rising ocean levels pose for the future of The Maldives.
Yusuf concludes by reasserting the importance of youth becoming agents of change and taking an active interest in their responsibility towards their country. When asked what this responsibility means to him, he simply says it is “to make the place better for everyone around. To make it a good place to live in.”
And yes, we think it is indeed that simple.
|
