China Arts & Entertainment

Ai Wei Wei vs Lego: Chinese Media Respond

An issue involving Lego and Ai Wei Wei has caused controversy this week when the Danish toymaker brand told the Chinese artist that he could not use their bricks for “political work”. Chinese media respond.

Published

9 years ago

October 27, 2015

Manya Koetse

An issue involving Lego and Ai Wei Wei has caused controversy this week. The Danish toy manufacturer told the Chinese artist that he could not use Lego bricks for “political work”. China’s state news media respond with a remarkable article, telling Chinese dissidents not to overplay their hand.

It was all the talk on Twitter for the past few days: Ai Wei Wei accused Lego of “censorship and discrimination” after they refused to deliver Lego for the upcoming exhibition of his art project in Australia. Lego reportedly said it did not want its bricks used for a political statement.

After the news made its rounds on Twitter and Instagram, thousands of people offered Ai their Lego bricks. The Beijing-based artist has now announced the set-up of Lego collection points in different cities for his upcoming art projects.

Artist and activist Ai Wei Wei (艾未未) is known for controversial art that critiques censorship by the Chinese government. He used Lego for an exhibition in the U.S. last year, that included portraits of activists and dissidents.

Ai Wei Wei’s Lego project, portraying 176 different political activists and dissidents. (Image: Smithsonian)

As many Chinese media have reported on the issue (including Guancha, Phoenix News and Sina News), Weibo netizens have also started to comment on it.

Lego China has not addressed the issue on its official Weibo account.

“Ai Wei Wei used Lego for his political work, and in doing so, was cheered on by his Western supporters.”

Lego has a strong presence in China. The brand is popular for multiple reasons. Unlike many China-made toys, that often make headlines for safety hazards, Lego is a safe and trusted brand. It is also popular because of its educational value. In many of China’s one-child-policy families, parents are more than willing to spend money on the best toys for their only child.

The Chinese name of Lego is ‘Legao‘ (乐高), its characters meaning ‘happy heights’.

Chinese state-owned media outlet Global Times has responded to the issue with an “opinion piece” by commentator Shan Renping (单仁平). The same article was also published by Sina News and People’s Daily as a regular news article (link).

“This is an interesting conflict,” the article says: “Ai Wei Wei used Lego for his political work, and in doing so, was cheered on by his Western supporters. But the Lego company, following the general principle of Western multinational corporations, refused to be connected to Ai’s political work. They want to keep their business commercial, and avoid any involvement in political disputes.”

“Chinese people have to get used to these kind of situations.”

The Global Times article describes how Ai Wei Wei used Lego for his portrayal of 176 “political offenders” (政治犯) and “political exiles” (政治流亡者). It mentions how his work also includes the portrait of activist Liu Xiaobo, who is still detained in China, and how Western supporters are sending Lego to the controversial artist to encourage him.

“As China rises, it is developing profitable relations with more and more Western multinational companies, as well as close ties with many governments. They are at the center of China’s foreign relations,” the article says. It continues to explain that China’s relation to the world is complex, as there are different political influences and forces from outside that clash with Chinese principles.

“Lego’s refusal of Ai Wei Wei is an appropriate decision,” the article says: “But there are also companies with more ideological interests, such as Google. Chinese people will have to get used to these kinds of situations in the future, and that they might escalate.”

“When China was poor and weak, the West was not interested in Chinese dissidents. Now that China is rising, they suddenly are.”

The article shows little sympathy for Ai’s supporters: “When China was poor and weak, the West was not interested in Chinese dissidents. Now that China is rising, with more power and good prospects, Chinese dissidents have suddenly won the favour of the West.”

The article warns China’s political activists that they should be careful about what they do. Western governments or companies might cheer them on now, but will not risk their profitable relations with China to support a dissident. “Today’s issue is no breaking point yet,” the article states: “But dissidents should carefully watch changes in the relations between China and the West. They should not overplay their hand, or they could become an “nuisance” to the West. They have to understand that the West enjoys seeing them challenge the Chinese system, but will not necessarily support them if doing so affects its relations with China.”

“How funny to see Global Times writing about ‘dissidents’”

Some Weibo users seem surprised with the sudden seemingly open discussion of Ai’s work, saying: “Apparently, more and more people now know Ai Wei Wei, and Global Times has no other choice than to bring this story and to make everyone think the same about it.”

Another netizen called Ajinjin says: “How funny to see Global Times talking about ‘dissidents’ and such – only they can do that.”

Some other netizens express their annoyance with the West: “They say that China doesn’t have human rights and is not free, but do you think yellow and black people have human rights in the US? That they have perfect laws? First look at yourself before you look at another!”

“Don’t abuse children’s toys like this!”

Many Weibo users express their support for Lego’s decision. Netizen Howard Xue says: “Lego does not want their toys, designed for kids, to be used for political purposes by some provocative criminal. Mr. Ai has some famous works (such as a picture of him with his middle finger on Tiananmen, him posing with four naked women, (..) etc.), that are not suitable for children. Let the children be!”. Another user agrees: “Don’t abuse children’s toys like this!”

Other users just think Ai Wei Wei is acting childish, saying: “Ai Wei Wei’s mental age is only six years old.”

Contrary to what Lego intended with its refusal of Ai Wei Wei, the brand has now become associated with political issues anyway. “It became political, as expected,” one netizen says: “Lego, that is your karma for refusing.”

The Ai Wei Wei conflict is unlikely to influence Lego’s sales in China. If it does affect sales in America or Europe, Lego would have no immediate reason to panic: the company still is the world’s best-selling toymaker.

Because of Lego’s growing popularity in China and other countries, it has not been able to meet demands. The company is currently dealing with worldwide Lego shortages.

In the unlikely case of an actual Lego crisis, the Danish company will still have an eager customer waiting for them in Beijing.
Ai Wei Wei, apparently, is not done building yet.

By Manya Koetse
Follow @WhatsOnWeibo

Chinese Movies

Why Chinese Hit Movie “Her Story” is ‘Good Stuff’: Stirring Controversy and Celebrating Female Perspectives

China’s end-of-year movie hit, Her Story, is sparking debates and highlighting the rising influence of Chinese female directors.

Published

6 days ago

December 7, 2024

Wendy Huang

The Chinese comedy-drama Her Story (好东西, literally “Good Stuff”), directed by Shao Yihui (邵艺辉), has been gaining attention and sparking discussions on Weibo since its late November release in mainland China.

The film features an all-star cast including Song Jia (宋佳), Zhong Chuxi (钟楚曦), Zeng Mumei (曾慕梅), Zhao Youting (赵又廷), and Zhang Yu (章宇). It tells a quirky yet heartfelt story about two women: Wang Tiemei (王铁梅), a self-reliant single mom juggling life and work, and Xiao Ye (小叶), a free-spirited young woman navigating her chaotic relationships.

Their friendship begins when Xiao Ye starts babysitting Tiemei’s nine-year-old daughter, Wang Moli (王茉莉). Xiao Ye introduces her drummer friend, Xiao Ma (小马), to teach Moli how to play the drums, but Xiao Ma’s presence stirs jealousy in Tiemei’s unemployed ex-husband, who schemes to regain his place in the family. Blending humor with poignant insights, the film explores themes of imperfect love, friendship, and the messy process of rebuilding lives.

(“Her Story” poster and the director Shao Yihui)

The film also addresses a range of hot societal issues through dialogues woven into everyday interactions, touching on topics like menstruation stigma, sexual consent, feminism, and how family dynamics can impact personal development.

In just eight days, Her Story surpassed 300 million RMB ($41 million) at the Chinese box office (#好东西票房破3亿#). Two days later, on December 2, it exceeded 400 million RMB (#好东西票房破4亿#), and on December 7 news came out that it had surpassed the 500 million RMB ($68.7 million) mark at the box office.

The film also achieved an impressive 9.1/10 rating on Douban, a Chinese platform similar to IMDb, making it the highest-rated domestic film on Douban in 2024.

(“Her Story” on Douban)

Notably, 65.4% of voters awarded it five stars, while only 0.5% gave it one star.

Conflicting Views: From Feminist Film to Chick Flick

Despite its huge success, it is almost unavoidable for a movie this big to come without controversy. The film sparked debate on Hupu (虎扑), a platform focused on sports and men’s lifestyle, where it received a lower score of 5/10. While 33.1% of users gave it five stars, 58.4% rated it one star, reflecting divided opinions.

(“Her Story” on Hupu)

Much of the criticism comes from male viewers who feel the film undermines men by portraying them in non-traditional ways and omitting proper names for male characters, such as referring to the ex-husband only as “the ex-husband” (前夫). On the other hand, many female viewers resonate with the film’s female-centered perspective, with one scene blending household sounds and Xiao Ye’s recordings praised as a standout cinematic moment of 2024.

Interestingly, not all women appreciated the film either. A Weibo user, identified as a female scriptwriter for two Chinese TV dramas, emphasized that most of the producers of the film are male. She accused the director of hypocrisy, claiming Shao accepts money and resources from privileged men to create films that encourage female audiences to look down on average men.

She wrote, “I hope that everyone who believes in the ‘ghg’ [girl help girl] myth and supports female idols will also congratulate the male producers who will earn a lot of money from the film.”

Zhou Liming (周黎明), one of China’s most influential film critics, noted two extreme perspectives in film reviews. Some critics label the film as a “boxer film” (拳师电影) or an “extreme feminist film.”

However, the film itself suggests otherwise, as reflected in Moli’s line, “I don’t want to box,” when her father tries to convince her to take up boxing. Some audiences interpreted the line as rejecting extreme feminist messages.

In China, the term “boxer” (拳师) is used to critique certain feminists. The second character in the word for feminists (“权” [quán] in 女权主义者) is pronounced the same as the first character in “boxer” (“拳” [quán] in 拳师). This term often mocks behaviors seen as overly aggressive or lacking nuance in feminist discourse, such as avoiding dialogue or oversimplifying social issues.

Some also dismissed the film as a “chick flick,” a casual term for romantic comedies, which Zhou argued unfairly minimizes its significance. He likened the film to Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, suggesting that, much like Allen’s work, Her Story transcends gender differences and reflects the cultural zeitgeist of its time.

Despite the controversy, the film has been praised by notable figures like actor Zhang Ruoyun (张若昀), who called it “super good, super awesome, and super cute” (“超级好、超级牛、超级可爱的东西”). Zhang described the movie as tackling absurd yet realistic issues from a female perspective with humor and depth.

The Increasing Influence of Female Directors in China

At the end of Her Story, Tiemei’s daughter, Moli, nervously prepares for her first drum performance. Despite her hesitation, she gathers her courage and steps on stage. This moment reminded some viewers of a similar scene in another female-directed film this year, YOLO (麻辣滚烫), where the protagonist gears up for a boxing match.

YOLO is a 2024 comedy-drama directed by Jia Ling (贾玲), starring Jia Ling and Lei Jiayin (雷佳音). A comedic adaptation of the Japanese film 100 Yen Love (2014), it tells the story of Du Leying (杜乐莹), a woman facing personal struggles who turns to boxing after meeting coach Hao Kun (昊坤). Through her journey, she finds a new direction in life after their breakup. Grossing USD 496 million worldwide, YOLO became the highest-grossing Chinese film of 2024.

These parallels between Her Story and YOLO highlight a broader trend: the growing prominence of female directors in Chinese cinema. Beyond the discussions of plot and central themes, Her Story reflects the increasing success and influence of women filmmakers in the industry.

In 2024, female directors have made a notable impact on Chinese cinema, with their films achieving both critical acclaim and box office success. Their works also spark conversations about the need for more diverse perspectives in the industry.

(“The Last Frenzy” poster and the director Wu Rina)

The Last Frenzy (末路狂花钱), directed by Wu Rina (乌日娜), premiered on May 1. This comedy follows Jia Youwei (贾有为), a man diagnosed with a terminal illness, who decides to sell his assets and live fully with his friends. Despite mixed reviews and a Douban score of 5.9, the film grossed over 700 million RMB ($96 million) by May 31, becoming a major box office hit.

(“Stand By Me” poster and the director Yin Ruoxin)

Stand By Me (野孩子, literally “Wild Kids”), directed by Yin Ruoxin (殷若昕), premiered on September 13. Starring Wang Junkai (王俊凯), it tells the story of two neglected children, Ma Liang (马亮) and Xuan Xuan (轩轩), who form a makeshift family while facing life’s challenges. With a Douban rating of 6.7, the film grossed 241 million RMB by October 9.

(“Like A Rolling Stone” poster and the director Yin Lichuan)

Like A Rolling Stone (出走的决心, literally “The Determination to Leave”), directed by Yin Lichuan (尹丽川), premiered the same week as Stand By Me. Inspired by Su Min (苏敏), a 50-year-old woman who embarked on a solo road trip, the film explores themes of self-discovery and the struggles of neglected women. Featuring Yong Mei (咏梅), the film earned praise for its authenticity, achieving a Douban score of 8.8 and grossing over 123 million RMB.

To the Wonder (我的阿勒泰, literally “My Altay”), a film-like TV drama directed by Teng Congcong (滕丛丛), adapts Li Juan’s (李娟) memoir. Starring Ma Yili (马伊琍), it tells the story of Li Wenxiu (李文秀), a young woman finding her place in her hometown of Altay after setbacks in the big city. Known for its poetic storytelling and portrayal of ethnic harmony, the series has a Douban score of 8.9 from over 300,000 ratings, ranking among the top dramas of 2024.

“An Era Where Women Are Being Seen”

The growing influence of female directors has sparked discussions about how women’s perspectives are challenging traditional storytelling.

Some Weibo users compared a scene from Her Story, where Tiemei scolds a man for urinating roadside, to a similar moments in YOLO. In YOLO, Hao Kun’s attempt to urinate roadside is humorously interrupted by car headlights. Such scenes highlight how female directors reinterpret everyday behaviors, inviting audiences to question societal norms.

Her Story has already been released in several countries, including the United States, Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom, with more international releases to follow.

The success of Her Story, the conversations it inspires, and its contribution to highlighting female perspectives in film reflect the evolving dynamics of contemporary cinema and the strengthening of female voices in traditionally male-dominated industries.

On Weibo, many view this as a positive development. One commenter wrote:

“Her Story [好东西/”Good Stuff”] is truly ‘good stuff.’ (..) At the start of this year, I watched YOLO, and at the end of this year, I watched Her Story. Suddenly, I feel very grateful to live in this era—the era where women are gradually being ‘seen.’ Both films hold very special meaning for me. It feels like everything has come together perfectly. I hope to see more outstanding works from female directors in the future, and I look forward to an era where there’s no gender opposition, only mutual equality.”

By Wendy Huang
Follow @whatsonweibo

Edited for clarity by Manya Koetse

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China Arts & Entertainment

Chiung Yao’s Suicide Farewell Letter: An English Translation

Published

6 days ago

December 7, 2024

Manya Koetse

Chinese netizens mourned the passing of Taiwanese writer Chiung Yao (琼瑶) this week. Chiung Yao, one of China’s most beloved romance novelists, passed away at the age of 86.

Among her many works, Chiung Yao is cherished by many netizens in mainland China as part of their collective memories from the 1980s and 1990s. Some of the most iconic Chinese dramas, such as My Fair Princess (also: Return of the Pearl Princess, 還珠格格), were written by Chiung Yao.

On December 4, she was found on her sofa at home, leaving behind a suicide note. The cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

In her farewell letter to loved ones and fans, she wrote the following:

“To all my dear friends:

Do not cry, do not grieve, and do not feel sad for me. I have already fluttered away [翩然 piānrán] effortlessly.

I love the word “翩然” [piānrán]. It represents flying in the air independently, easily, and freely. Elegantly and gracefully, I have shed the body that gradually caused me pain and have ‘fluttered away,’ transforming into snowflakes flying into the sky.

This was my wish. “Death” is a journey everyone must take—it is the final significant event in life. I did not want to leave it to fate, nor did I want to wither away slowly. I wanted to have the final say in this final event.

God has not designed the process of life particularly well. When a person grows old, they have to go through a very painful period of ‘becoming weak, degeneration, illness, hospitalization, treatment, and fatal illness.’ This period, may it be long or short, is a tremendous torment for those who are destined to grow old and die! Worst of all, some may become bedridden, dependent on tubes for survival. I have witnessed such tragedies, and I do not want that kind of “death.”

I am a “spark,” and I have already burned as brightly as I could. Now, before the flame finally dims, I have chosen this way to make a light departure. I have recorded everything I wish to say in my video “When Snowflakes Fall Down” (当雪花飘落). I hope my friends can watch it a few times to grasp everything I wanted to express.

Friends, do not mourn my death but smile for me! The beauty of life lies in the ability to love, hate, laugh, cry, sing, speak, run, move, be together until death parts us, live freely, despise evil with a passion, and live life boldly. I have experienced all these things in my lifetime! I truly ‘lived’ and did not waste this life.

What I find hardest to let go of are my family and all of you. “Love” is what is tightly bound to my heart, and I am reluctant to part with you. To allow my soul (if humans even have souls) to also ‘flutter away,’ please laugh for me, sing loudly for me, and dance in the breeze for me! My spirit in the heavens will dance together with you!

Farewell, my dearest ones! I am grateful for this life, where I had the chance to meet and know you all.

Take note of the way I died: I was at the final station of my life! For those of you who are still young, never give up on life lightly. Momentary setbacks or blows may be the “training” for a beautiful life. I hope you will be able to endure those, as I did, and live to 86, 87.. years old. When your physical strength fades, then decide how to face death. By then, perhaps they will have found more humane ways to help the elderly “leave joyfully.”

Dear friends, be brave, be the greatest version of yourself. Do not waste your journey through this world! Though this world is not perfect, it is filled with unexpected joys, sorrows, and laughter. Don’t miss out on all the wonders out there for you.

There are a thousand more things to say, but in the end, I wish everyone health, happiness, and a life of freedom and joy.”

This translation was previsously published on my X channel here.

By Manya Koetse
(follow on X, LinkedIn, or Instagram)

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