Chinese graffiti differs from American graffiti in many ways. To start with,
it does not pretend to have artistic aspirations.
When graffiti was taking shape in the United States in the late 1960s and
early 1970s, walls in China were splattered with "big-character posters" and
giant slogans. Both were bold and eye-catching. Both vandalized numerous facades
of public and private buildings. The difference is, the Chinese graffitists, if
they could be called that, did not need to worry about being caught. They were
busy denouncing authorities and bullying the public, something their American
counterparts could only dream of.
Nowadays the most commonly seen graffiti on Chinese walls is the type usually
described by the local press as "psoriasis on the urban landscape." They are
small flyers - sometimes as tiny as a slip of paper - pasted on electric poles,
public phone booths and even pavements. Every public space is their canvas.
They contain a variety of adverts, much of which are illegal. Take this
classic "Job Offered" found near most metropolitan railway stations: "We hire PR
personnel, both male and female. No training needed. Average monthly wage:
30,000 yuan, with 10,000 minimum guaranteed. Please call Wang Anonymous."
To the throngs of migrant workers streaming into a jungle of gleaming towers
and impersonal passers-by, these pop up like a beacon. Sure, they know PR in
these circumstances is a code name for prostitution, but the money is too
enticing. Even if you discount it by 95 per cent, it's still much better than
toiling in a sweatshop.
Truth is, this is not an ad for a house of ill repute at all; it's a trite
and old scam. Once the applicant calls the number, he or she will be asked to
make a deposit to a designated bank account, in the amount of a few hundred to
several thousand yuan, depending on the cash reserve in your pocket. Then, the
person who has been screening and interviewing you over the phone will vanish
into thin air.
Cities across China have been trying to find ways to eradicate this public
nuisance. High-pressure hoses are wheeled out to remove this commercial kind of
graffiti. Some authorities have taken the action of placing the advertised phone
numbers into an automatic calling machine so that the advertisers will be paged
non-stop until they disconnect their phones.
The oldest form of Chinese graffiti may be the name tag at scenic
attractions.
The history of "I was here" can be traced back at least to the fictitious
Monkey King. Now, this practice of self-recognition has been multiplied millions
of times all over tourist hotspots. Names are carved into stones on the Great
Wall, bamboo trees on sacred mountains and every object imaginable.
Whether artistic, commercial or egoistical in ambition, and whether scratched
on paper, walls, rocks or tree trunks, graffiti shares one characteristic: they
appear on public or private property without permission.
As such, they are tantamount to vandalism. Whether they should qualify and be
forgiven as art, advertising or self-expression is totally beside the point.
However, just because it is illegal does not mean whitewashing it or hosing
it down is the best option. On the contrary, it has been proven that most of the
hard-nosed removal schemes are not that effective.
Maybe we can learn from the Western approach of legitimizing graffiti art
through commissioning and buyout. For example, not all small ads are scams. Some
target a select audience and do not justify getting into the classified ad
section.
Community-based message boards, free to all and supervised by the
neighbourhood committee, can satisfy legitimate advertisers whose needs are so
localized that they do not warrant space in the newspaper or even on the Web. In
Chinatowns in the United States, even supermarkets offer this service.
The name tag graffiti is a harder nut to crack. The need to commemorate one's
presence in a place of historic or aesthetic value is solidified through
centuries of poetry and calligraphy. Since great writers can leave their mark in
a place they visited, why can't the hoi polloi scribble their names and be
forever associated with it?
One way out may be the Super Girls model. Visitors can be asked to submit
their travelogue and the best pieces selected for publishing.
The ultimate solution will be the karaoke equivalent, whereby everyone can
have his or her own Great Wall brick for name engraving. A miniature replica for
sale may relieve some of the urge for immortality.
E-mail: raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 07/08/2006 page4)
