Online Class Notes (Mike)

The word wanghong roughly means “viral” or “internet famous”, with a hint of tackiness. As a noun, it can refer to China’s social-media influencers, otherwise known as “key opinion leaders” (KOLS). As an adjective, it describes hotspots to which young Chinese flock to take selfies, urging their followers to “ da ka”, or check in, at the same place: the phrase basically means “been there, done that”, says Cathy Cao, a 22-year-old KOL. “It validates that you are on the trend and that you aren’t left behind.” The wanghong location might be a café, a tree—or, quite often, an art gallery.

The wanghong effect can be mutually beneficial. Reliant on ticket sales as they are, many private art museums welcome it. Galleries often hike their prices in anticipation of wanghong-inspired demand. Philip Tinari, director of the UCCA Centre for Contemporary Art in Beijing, says his institution “has evolved to embrace” KOLS, who are invited to private views. A partnership with Douyin—the inside-China version of TikTok—means UCCA’s shows are promoted to its 600m daily users.

As marketing, it works. Mr Tinari says UCCA has seen a boost in visitor numbers since it began thinking hard about social media. A recent exhibition on Maurizio Cattelan, an Italian artist, was crammed with wanghong devotees, thanks to a promotional push that included social-media competitions, KOLS and Chinese pop idols. Search for the show on Xiaohongshu, a photo-sharing app, and you find posts advising visitors to sport dark colours to complement its neutral palette. In their pictures they lie languidly beside a stuffed horse, a sign reading “ inri” (the Latin abbreviation for “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”) jutting out of its flank.

Much more than in Western galleries, these visitors tend to be young—and, says Mr Tinari, they “don’t have this accumulated austerity” in their approach to art. Many private contemporary-art galleries and museums in China are young too, and attitudes in and towards them are different; the Western etiquette of hushed tones and awed deference is absent. Although many visitors want to explore and learn, these are also places to hang out and have fun.

These technological and demographic shifts are opening up old debates about the role and value of art. What is it for, diversion or edification—and who has the authority to say? For centuries, museums, curators and collectors have judged what is enduring and what is schlock. They sought to interpret the intentions, influences and contexts of each piece. On social media, that hierarchy is upended and scholarly exposition discarded. Here, says Mr Tinari, “everyone has a perspective, and that perspective has some degree of validity.”

Some internet celebrities seem to care about art for art’s sake. Ms Cao’s feed on Weibo, a microblogging service on which she has over 267,000 fans, is a mix of museum selfies and photos of the works. She does not post lengthy captions about the artists or canvases, but strives to “take pictures that can really show the glamour and the beauty of the artwork”, and to dress in “harmony” with the exhibits. But detractors of the wanghong trend argue that paintings and sculptures are being relegated to a mere backdrop for marketing. The art itself is receding from view.

Vocabulary

carnival (n)嘉年华
carnal (adj.) lustful

carnivore (n) animals that eat meat
carnivorous (adj.)

herbivore (n) animals that eat plants
herbivorous (adj.)
herb (n) 草药
Many herbs are used in Chinese medicine.
herbal medicine

omnivore (n) 杂食动物/杂食者
omnivorous (adj.)

incur (v) lead to/cause/result in/bring about

serving (n) a quantity of food served to one person.

portion (n) 一份

sober (adj.) not drunk
sobering (adj.) creating a sober, serious solemn mood

processed meat (n)

longer shelf life

ham (n) 火腿

stark (adj.)
in stark contrast
His actions are in stark contrast to his words.

evacuate (v) remove people from a dangerous place to a safer one
evacuation (n)

drought (n) extremely dry weather

arid (adj.)

cold: chilly/freezing/nippy

hot: boiling/sweltering/scorching/roasting/sultry

muggy/clammy/sticky

stuffy; stagnant

stubborn: obstinate

glacier (n) 冰川

Antarctica (n) 南极洲

carbon dioxide

emit (v)
emission (n)

urbanization (n) 城市化

pressing (adj.) (of a problem, issue, situation that require more attention )

Encounters at the End of the World – Werner Herzog

The West and North area
The Northwestern areas.