On August 5th, bold red Chinese characters were spray painted on a white wall in Brick Lane, a renowned London street celebrated for its iconic graffiti art. The incident has been all the talk this week – not just in the English-language social media sphere, but also among Chinese netizens.
Originally, the Brick Lane wall was adorned by a mixed style of paintings, including black-and-white portraits Mr. Bean and Wednesday Addams, along with a piece of graffiti that served as a tribute to the late street artist Marty.
However, a group of young Chinese, including art students at London’s Royal College of Art, white-painted over the original graffiti and then inscribed 24 red Chinese characters, collectively forming the 12 “core socialist values” that align with ideals endorsed by the Chinese Communist Party.
Hello from Brick Lane!
Woke up bright and early to check out this mad graffiti in Brick Lane (Shoreditch) that has sparked quite a huge backlash from local art community and Chinese community.Note the ‘No Xi Dictatorship’ sticker stuck in between 愛國 pic.twitter.com/qxFqGFI5c7
— Kit Y (@itskityaulee) August 6, 2023
The 12 values, written in 24 Chinese characters, are the national values of “prosperity”, “democracy”, “civility” and “harmony”; the social values of “freedom”, “equality”, “justice” and the “rule of law”; and the individual values of “patriotism”, “dedication”, “integrity” and “friendship.” In mainland China, it is quite common to come across these values on walls, billboards or community posters (see image below).
“Core socialist values” displayed inside a Beijing community, photo by What’s on Weibo.
While a majority of these values harmonize with Western expectations (integrity, patriotism, civility, etc.), certain ones seem inconsistent with the typical Western understanding of China, given China’s historic reluctance to embrace Western-style political democracy. Terms like freedom, justice, equality, democracy, and rule of law, originally introduced from the West, may be perceived differently within different political contexts.
Although these slogans, endorsed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, are so common and uncontroversial in China, their debut on London street received wide criticism from different communities.
Some people called the students “CCP thugs” while others wondered if this was “art or vandalism.”
Local artists primarily expressed anger over the students painting over culturally significant graffiti artworks. The Chinese expatriate community in Britain appeared predominantly upset about the underlying message of the graffiti.
Soon after, the Chinese slogans were masked by fresh graffiti that vigorously criticized Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party, questioning the party’s commitment to the values it claims to uphold, like “equality” and “freedom.” Temporarily, the graffiti wall transformed into a anti-Beijing platform to protest against the 12 socialist core values showcased there.
The wall changed into an anti-Beijing protest wall. One slogan underneath the original socialist value graffiti says “Never forget June 4.” Via “Weareallchainedwomen” Instagram account.
As anticipated, there are also many voices from within China endorsing the Brick Lane socialist graffiti. Below a Weibo post showcasing images of the new graffiti (albeit without clear contextualization of the situation), some users assert in the comment section that artists have the freedom to express themselves. They argue that adding English translations could enhance foreigners’ appreciation of the socialist values.
Political commentator Hu Xijin wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Chinese students who covered London’s Brick Lane with socialist core values graffiti are facing death threats. These students’ original intention was probably to test the true limits on Western ‘freedom of speech.’ And here are the limits.”
Hu’s views were reiterated on social media, where some commenters suggested that there is a certain hypocrisy in the West about what is considered ‘politically correct’ and what is not, arguing that the graffiti only caused controversy due to Western anti-Chinese sentiments.
“The Price of Freedom”
Nevertheless, a substantial number of Chinese netizens have shown disapproval towards the actions of these students. Unlike communities outside of China that critique Party propaganda and related factors such as the Chinese government’s influence over students abroad, the attention within China has shifted towards condemning the behavior of these Chinese students engaging in political graffiti in the first place.
Within some Weibo comment sections, netizens call the students’ actions “unneccesary,” “provocative” and “trouble-making.” On other social media platforms, Chinese netizens have also labeled their acts as “a shameful exhibition of self-importance.”
Not long after the graffiti went viral, the creators behind it stepped forward on social media. On Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, they presented their work as a bold manifestation of a broader campaign to celebrate freedom and stimulate discussions, claiming their work was not necessarily political but both social and philosophical, invoking concepts such as logocentrism and cultural colonialism. The fact that some people felt sad about other artists’ creative works being covered was simply referred to as “the price of freedom.”
A screenshot of one of the students’ posts on Xiaohongshu. The creator’s Xiaohongshu account is now unavailable, but similar message can be found on their Instagram (source).
Not everyone bought into the idea that these Chinese students were engaged in meaningful and thought-provoking street art. Instead, many viewed them as more arrogant than artistic. Particularly, their decision to cover the tribute to Marty, the deceased street artist, was met with condemnation from netizens. Videos and articles explaining the significance of artist Marty have spread widely across social media platforms, highlighting how these students’ actions showed ignorance in painting over artwork that other graffiti artists had deliberately avoided out of respect. A video expounding on Marty’s importance amassed over 82,000 reposts on WeChat, prompting numerous comments accusing the creators of extreme disrespect.
However, certain Weibo users highlighted that a straightforward Google Street View search demonstrates that the graffiti on the Brick Lane wall undergoes frequent changes, and the wall is occasionally covered with posters as well.
Regardless, people question if the graffiti could be considered a work of art at all. For many Chinese who are used to seeing these socialist core values in China’s public spaces, the 24 characters have no artistic meaning at all – instead, they are perceived as mere tools for political propaganda. Some people voice that, in their view, ubiquitous political propaganda slogans such as these could never qualify as “art.”
By the morning of August 7th, all signs of the socialist core values had vanished from Brick Lane, obscured under a fresh coat of white paint. The Tower Hamlets Council, responsible for the London Brick Lane area, had removed the graffiti in line with its policy against “unwanted and illegal graffiti.”
As the white paint conceals the vivid red Chinese characters on the street wall in London, a wave of censorship also masks the intense debates about the students’ actions in China.
On August 10th, discussions on the topic on Weibo have dwindled, with many videos and photos suddenly becoming unavailable. Remaining discussions on the Brick Lane graffiti only display blank, censored images on Weibo.
A Weibo post about Brick Lane graffiti: the graffiti images have been censored on Weibo (screenshot via What’s on Weibo).
However, neither the fresh layer of white paint nor domestic censorship pacifies the controversy surrounding the graffiti. In the late afternoon of August 7th, the wall was again adorned with new signs, slogans, and posters related to China, drawing a gathering of tourists and local residents eager to capture photographs and igniting conversations.
Propaganda, art, an invitation to reconsider slogans in public spaces, an exploration of freedom of expression? No matter the true intention behind the socialist slogans on Brick Lane, if fostering discussions was indeed one of the objectives, the students have unquestionably succeeded.
Get the story behind the hashtag. Subscribe to What’s on Weibo here to receive our newsletter and get access to our latest articles:
Featured image: Images via 红歌会网 Weibo account and via “Weareallchainedwomen” Instagram account.
Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.
©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.
The post “Shameful Exhibition of Self-importance”: Chinese Netizens Condemn Socialist Core Values Graffiti on London Street appeared first on What's on Weibo.