Comments on: documenting Chinese street performers http://www.virtual-china.org/2006/04/10/documenting-chinese-street-performers/ An exploration of virtual experiences and environments in and about China. Thu, 17 May 2012 07:28:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Lyn http://www.virtual-china.org/2006/04/10/documenting-chinese-street-performers/#comment-131 Lyn Wed, 12 Apr 2006 12:28:09 +0000 http://207.47.0.153/?p=147#comment-131 Maus, that's interesting. Some of the comments did praise the kids for their skills, and thought perhaps with more training they might become professional acrobats...or assassins. Maus, that’s interesting. Some of the comments did praise the kids for their skills, and thought perhaps with more training they might become professional acrobats…or assassins.

]]> By: Maus http://www.virtual-china.org/2006/04/10/documenting-chinese-street-performers/#comment-130 Maus Wed, 12 Apr 2006 02:41:49 +0000 http://207.47.0.153/?p=147#comment-130 Alternate explanation of child street performers as explained by my H.K. national friend. This does not apply to these particular photos, or individual situations. But, here's a little history concerning the origin of this kind of street performance. My friend says, "This is a custom for poor people. Usually families, generally with some martial art background of skills... family art, will go out in the streets and have their children/themselves perform interesting qigong or kungfu forms and then try to sell their homebrew Kung-Fu medicine... Deet Da Jau. This is more common during war times through the last 2,000 years in China. They were trying to use the skills they had during times of recession." Alternate explanation of child street performers as explained by my H.K. national friend. This does not apply to these particular photos, or individual situations. But, here’s a little history concerning the origin of this kind of street performance.

My friend says, “This is a custom for poor people. Usually families, generally with some martial art background of skills… family art, will go out in the streets and have their children/themselves perform interesting qigong or kungfu forms and then try to sell their homebrew Kung-Fu medicine… Deet Da Jau. This is more common during war times through the last 2,000 years in China. They were trying to use the skills they had during times of recession.”

]]> By: Mike http://www.virtual-china.org/2006/04/10/documenting-chinese-street-performers/#comment-129 Mike Tue, 11 Apr 2006 20:28:10 +0000 http://207.47.0.153/?p=147#comment-129 it's not always that simple. One of those comments mentions that they are probably under the control of a "supervisor", and if you give them money, you merely encourage the overlords to work them even more. This way, the kids are no better off. I remember hearing from friends who went to asia that in some places there'd be mobs of children selling flowers, but the tourist guides would encourage you NOT to buy them. it’s not always that simple. One of those comments mentions that they are probably under the control of a “supervisor”, and if you give them money, you merely encourage the overlords to work them even more. This way, the kids are no better off. I remember hearing from friends who went to asia that in some places there’d be mobs of children selling flowers, but the tourist guides would encourage you NOT to buy them.

]]> By: Liam http://www.virtual-china.org/2006/04/10/documenting-chinese-street-performers/#comment-128 Liam Tue, 11 Apr 2006 19:21:21 +0000 http://207.47.0.153/?p=147#comment-128 I saw the comment about the two boys that said: We should not be giving them money, but asking the government to help them I would rather take personal responsibility first, anything else is moral cowardice. I saw the comment about the two boys that said:

We should not be giving them money, but asking the government to help them

I would rather take personal responsibility first, anything else is moral cowardice.

]]> By: Boing Boing http://www.virtual-china.org/2006/04/10/documenting-chinese-street-performers/#comment-132 Boing Boing Tue, 11 Apr 2006 18:17:06 +0000 http://207.47.0.153/?p=147#comment-132 <strong>Chinese street performers</strong> Over at the Virtual China blog, my Institute for the Future colleague Lyn Jefferey translates a post and comments she found on the Chinese language Netease BBS about young Chinese street performers. The boys whose photos appear in the post remind of I... Chinese street performers

Over at the Virtual China blog, my Institute for the Future colleague Lyn Jefferey translates a post and comments she found on the Chinese language Netease BBS about young Chinese street performers. The boys whose photos appear in the post remind of I…

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