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Shi Yinhong responds to Martin Jacques’ article and focuses on how modern China sees itself and its history.
Martin Jacques argues that the political and cultural effects of China’s rise on the West will be at least as great as the economic ones.
Are we correct in viewing Chinese factory workers as victims of inhuman corporations? Chang argues that workers ‘deserve our interest and respect instead of our pity.’
The transfer of Chimerica to the Harold Pinter Theatre occurred with a deeply satisfying 'fusslessness' and professionalism from everyone involved. New actors have joined the family: Rosie Armstrong, Tina Chiang, Chris Hollinshead, Wendy Kweh, Math Sams, Kevin Shen and Liz Sutherland. Wendy and Liz took over Vera Chok’s and Sarah Lam’s roles when they started rehearsals at the National Theatre for The World of Extreme Happiness. Rosie, Tina, Chris, Math, and Kevin have joined us as understudies.
Ma Jian, author of Beijing Coma, returns to visit Tiananmen Square with her young son and reflects on her memories of the protests, talking to others who experienced the events from different perspectives.
Find out how the momentous events of 1989, including the Tiananmen protests, influenced Generation X and how they may shape the way our current leaders respond to world events and crises.
Discover more about the events of 4 June and how they will continue to have an impact on the future of China, despite the government's attempt to supress details about the massacre.
Are you a ‘bright young thing,’ an ‘urban cool’ or a ‘crash pad professional’? Explore a breakdown of London consumer profiles, and see which category you might fit into based on income, values and how you view the world.
Robert Hirsch on Susan Sontag's book on the ethics of photography, Regarding the Pain of Others.
How does the Chinese government control internet use?
On Wednesday 19 June, a post show dicussion was held at the Almeida with members of the Chimerica cast. Elizabeth Chan, Vera Chok, Karl Collins, Trevor Cooper, David K. S. Tse and Sarah Lam stayed to discuss the play with assistant director Choon Ping. Discover their answers to the audience's questions about Chimerica.
In the summer of 2001, I was living in a factory, in a village, in central China. I was in the middle of a two-year stint of fieldwork for my PhD.
It was hot. So hot in fact, that the factory’s furnaces blazed only during the night, for fear that workers would succumb in the day. Most nights, I lay awake into the small hours, sweating, my senses overloaded by the clangs and flashes from the factory courtyard.
One morning, I was roused by one of the labourers. He announced that a VIP, Mr. Liu, had driven from the city during the night to collect me. Mr. Liu was a senior regional official who had taken me under his wing. I knew him well and we had become close. In fact, he had taken me out on many trips before, though never perhaps with quite this sense of urgency. I got dressed, washed the sweat out of my eyes with a bottle of drinking water, and went to the factory gates to meet him.
Find out how an American corporation and Chinese consumers are working together to create a greener future.
On the very first day of rehearsals back in April 2013, the Chimerica company shared their initial responses to the Chimerica script. Find out what they thought ...
Es Devlin talks to Ideas Tap about her approach to her work and the qualities that you need to become a successful designer.
How did the production team create the world of Chimerica onstage? Watch this time lapse video to discover the process behind building the set.
Explore images showing the extent of water pollution in China.
Find out more about the ficitional and the not-so-ficitional people that feature in Chimerica.
Actor Sean Gilder gives Kieran James of The Good Review an insider's view of Chimerica.
Find out what it takes to become an air stewardess in China.
Assistant Director Choon Ping explains the references to American culture in Chimerica.
Find out how Western businesses think about the Chinese marketplace.
Discover why Beijing residents describe the atmosphere in the city as “postapocalyptic,” “terrifying” and “beyond belief.”
Assistant Director Choon Ping explains the references to Chinese culture in Chimerica.
Classroom exercises for students and teachers inspired by Chimerica.
Find out what happened when a Chinese clerk accidently accepted an advert referencing the Tiananmen Square protests for publication.
The company reveal the photographs that have made the strongest impression on them.
“A photograph is not an opinion,” mused Susan Sontag. “Or is it?”
It may be a mission. Exemplary practitioners like Robert Capa, Philip Jones Griffiths, Don McCullin, James Nachtwey and Gilles Peress are documentarists who refuse to be confined by that description. They are witnesses. But they are not neutral. They have a point of view – they are against forgetting. “What sustains me is the overall value in communicating,” says Nachtwey.
Chimerica follows American photojournalist Joe as he tries to locate an unknown man in a photograph he took in Tiananmen Square more than 20 years ago. In the spirit of adventure, the Chimerica cast were asked what epic quest they would undertake if they knew it would succeed.
Week Three’s rehearsal diary should start with a brief panegyric to director Lyndsey Turner, the wizardess who is pulling together the million elements that make up Chimerica. There are a hundred moving parts (and with the rehearsal set built in the rehearsal room this week, there are literally moving parts; but I will refrain from spoilers). Twelve superb actors are playing more than thirty idiosyncratic characters, and each needs to be wigged, dressed, panted, shod, coached in accents, taught a new language, and choreographed into ugly fights and surreal movement.
Find out more about the economic relationship between America and China.
We continued Week 2 rehearsals with an exercise of actors listening to recordings of themselves speaking their lines, and allowing their bodies rather than just their minds to discover, in expressionistic space, the movements and grace notes of intention and emotion therein.
Don McCullin talks about his life as a war photographer and the ethics of taking photographs of the suffering of others.
View some of Don McCullin's most famous photographs.
The first week of rehearsals began as it should have: with excitement and trepidation, both of which were to be quickly knocked into touch by getting down to good hard graft on Lucy Kirkwood’s brilliant text. But before that, we were introduced to the mighty cast of thousands that is the Almeida staff and the Headlong team. Michael Attenborough gave his last welcome speech as the Almeida's Artistic Director, expressing his passion for the play and his conviction that Chimerica is a story for our time. The play has been years in the making, and is finally ready for midwifery. Onwards and upwards!
Photo: Laihiuyeung Ryanne.
Find out more about the reasons for and the major events that took place during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
Photo: Nowozin.
Explore Tiananmen Square and the events that have happened there.
Map by Cacahuate, amendments by Peter Fitzgerald and ClausHansen (based on the map of China by PhiLiP)
Discover more about the history of China from 1700BC to the present day.