CHINA: Ai Weiwei’s Gangnam Style Parody

If New York Times had not published the Wen article (see Lani Luo’s “CHINA: It’s All About Whom You Know, Reports New York Times”), Ai Weiwei’s Grass Mud Horse Style (a parody on Psy’s internet meme Gangnam Style) video would probably be the most popular news in China.

Ai Weiwei is an internationally prominent contemporary Chinese artist who often openly criticizes the Chinese government. Mr. Ai is revered by Westerners as a creative dissident but despised by the Chinese authorities. Most of the time, his works are not accessible to Chinese citizens inside China because of their political content, so his Gangnam Style parody video was banned almost immediately.

Honestly, it is hard to see any obvious social commentary or criticism of Chinese government in the video. It is just an old man awkwardly  dancing to the music with his friends. There is no artistic value nor any implied political context in that video itself. But simply because Ai Weiwei is in the video, his followers — and critics — might want to interpret it that way.

Please watch the video yourself and make a decision on your own. The Chinese government really needs to relax and let this poor old man have fun once in awhile.

Go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LAefTzSwWY&feature=player_embedded
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/10/24/explaining-ai-weiweis-grass-mud-horse-obsession/

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