Wrote an article for the nice people over at China Youthology. Check it out!

Hangzhou, January 2010.

A huge crowd of Chinese b-boys, b-girls, hip hop dancers, and stylish hipsters has gathered in the cold waiting to enter Reggae Bar, a smoke-filled dive bar replete with Bob Marley memorabilia and Jamaican flags; the occasion is the second installment of the City Kingz competition, attracting top dancers from across the country. These young Chinese dancers are rocking colorful Puma Suedes with the ever classic fat laces, rainbow-psychedelic Nike high tops, a plethora of t-shirts from the online store of the properly-named bboyworld.com website, piercings, tattoos, the whole bit. These attendants are some of the best-dressed individuals I’ve seen over here on the Far East Coast – the Freshest Kids in China. (more…)

From Foreign Policy:

Asia is nowhere near closing its economic and military gap with the West. The region produces roughly 30 percent of global economic output, but because of its huge population, its per capita gdp is only $5,800, compared with $48,000 in the United States. Asian countries are furiously upgrading their militaries, but their combined military spending in 2008 was still only a third that of the United States. Even at current torrid rates of growth, it will take the average Asian 77 years to reach the income of the average American. The Chinese need 47 years. For Indians, the figure is 123 years. And Asia’s combined military budget won’t equal that of the United States for 72 years.

…

Those who think Asia’s gains in hard power will inevitably lead to its geopolitical dominance might also want to look at another crucial ingredient of clout: ideas. Pax Americana was made possible not only by the overwhelming economic and military might of the United States but also by a set of visionary ideas: free trade, Wilsonian liberalism, and multilateral institutions. Although Asia today may have the world’s most dynamic economies, it does not seem to play an equally inspiring role as a thought leader. The big idea animating Asians now is empowerment; Asians rightly feel proud that they are making a new industrial revolution. But self-confidence is not an ideology, and the much-touted Asian model of development does not seem to be an exportable product.

We have 50 years before Chinese people turn into typical Americans, oh dear.

The rest here: Minxin Pei – Think Again: Asia’s Rise

So this past semester at Boston College I did an independent study on the general topic of Asian popular culture. I started out reading up on topics like Bruce Lee, Japanese hip hop, and modern East Asian cinema, but I eventually found myself researching something that I’m a little more obsessed with (no offense Bruce!): b-boying. So if you are even remotely interested in the topics of Asian popular culture, South Korea, hip hop, b-boys, history, read on!! My apologies in advance for the shitty formatting and lack of citations. If you want to read more about these topics, check out some of the following.. a lot of the quotes in the paper are from these books, as well as bboyworld, style2ouf, and koreanroc!!

Hip Hop Hallyu: The Korean Wave and the Rise of the Korean B-boy

Introduction.
In TIME magazine’s 2007 poll of the 100 most influential people of the year, Korean pop idol Rain (Bi) was named as the second-most influential individual in the world with over 1.5 million votes, beating celebrities, politicians, and other notable individuals ranging from Stephen Colbert to Barack Obama. The Korean Wave of pop culture, a global trend that arguably began in 1997, has turned South Korea into a cultural production center, with its products being exported and consumed around the globe. An interesting development within the Korean Wave has been the rise of the Korean b-boys (breakdancers), who are unquestionably among the best b-boys in the world, dominating a dance style that originated in the Bronx in the 1970s. A decade ago, the South Korean b-boy scene had been in its infancy; during the relatively short period of time since 1997, it has grown into one of the most well-developed b-boy scenes in the world, supported in part by corporate and government interests. This paper will examine the history of Hip Hop and b-boying within the United States, b-boying’s paths of transmission to South Korea, its subsequent development, its place within the Korean Wave, and the broader implications of the rise of South Korean b-boy culture and the Korean Wave. (more…)