I went to the Splendid China auction back in 2004. It was certainly surreal: vandalized Chinese monuments, animatronic robots with wires sticking out and eyes missing, crates of mass-produced/antiqued terracotta soldier sculptures and miscellaneous theme park up keep supplies. I bought something, stole something (a broken little statue) and took a lot of pictures.
There were regular protests there and people who seemed to believe the park was a wing of a pro-china propaganda group.
So, does this mean the 21st century will belong to a country with a poor human rights record and a shoddy theme park building record? posted by PHINC at 9:42 AM on July 10, 2007
Bob Avakian was right about the Chinese "Communist" Party. posted by davy at 10:07 AM on July 10, 2007
From a recent posting on my folklore list: Global Villages, a short film about "the proliferation of ethnic theme parks in China and Japan. In collaboration with Tamar Gordon, Professor of Anthropology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 3 minute excerpt" posted by Miko at 11:03 AM on July 10, 2007
Racist Park: a highway sign in Beijing marking the exit for the ethnic minority theme park. It was always good for a laugh on the way to work. posted by [expletive deleted] at 12:32 PM on July 10, 2007
There were regular protests there and people who seemed to believe the park was a wing of a pro-china propaganda group.
So, does this mean the 21st century will belong to a country with a poor human rights record and a shoddy theme park building record?
posted by PHINC at 9:42 AM on July 10, 2007