The China Experience - Go East

With the Western world finally woken up to the potential of China, Rachel Parslew describes the opportunities for successful collaborative work that this can bring.

My work with China began in 1998, when I was involved in the first UK tour by the Sichuan Peoples Art Theatre. At this time, there was much less interest in China by the West compared to today. Now, increasing numbers of artists, curators, producers and promoters are visiting China and there are more opportunities to see Chinese work in the UK. Many organisations are currently planning events with a Chinese flavour to coincide with Beijings hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2008. On the face of it you could easily assume that it was becoming easier to engage with China, form artistic collaborations and bring work to the UK. But is it?

Cultural understanding

There are some core principles that underpin success. Perhaps the most important is the need to invest considerable time in developing trust with Chinese counterparts. This requires genuine commitment, face to face dialogue and a readiness to understand cultural similarities and differences. It necessitates acquiring a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, and the wider political, economic and social context a task made easier by the abundance of material about China including books, articles, publications, films, documentaries and online resources now readily available. It involves getting to grips with different working practices, whether artistic or managerial or both, and understanding different systems and planning cycles generally much shorter in China. It requires understanding the importance of face to Chinese people and the lengths to which someone might go in order to avoid losing it. It involves understanding the relationship between the official and unofficial structures and developing a strong network of reciprocal relationships or guanxi, which are critical to getting anything done. It is essential that a real sense of partnership is established so that projects are underpinned by mutuality and any obstacles can be faced together.

Language issues

Addressing and overcoming challenges posed by language is another key to success. The standard language spoken nationally is known as putonghua or Mandarin Chinese while the written language is based on ideographs, with a total of 50,000 to 60,000 characters in existence although basic fluency requires a knowledge of only 3,000. Translating material and business cards is essential, and any attempts to learn a little of the language are greatly appreciated. Although school children in China learn English as a matter of course, many older generations including artists and particularly people working in state-funded organisations have little or no English. The role of people who can not only translate but also interpret the wider and hidden meanings of any conversation is essential. I always ensure that I involve people in both China and the UK who can bridge this cultural and linguistic gap between the two cultures.

Good preparation

There are other factors that if considered at the planning stages, can help to overcome potential challenges. Ensuring that individuals involved in exchange projects are properly supported to work in a different context is vital. This may include practical briefing information on what to prepare and what to bring, pastoral care and hands on support. Ensuring that a project plan takes into account both British and Chinese holiday periods may seem a minor point, but one that is essential. I once spent endless hours, eventually enlisting the personal intervention of the British Consul-General in Chongqing, to ensure that visas were rushed through for two Chinese actors whose work permits had got stuck in customs at Hong Kong due to the May national holiday week in China and many of the phone calls had to be made in the early hours due to the time difference (seven hours in summertime). The physical distance between China and the UK cannot be diminished. On a short trip, say two to three days, as much time is spent travelling as being in the country.

Pratical support

Given the distance and the need for regular personal contact, collaborative work can be expensive and challenging to fund, particularly (during the set up phase) for individuals or small organisations during the set up phase, who do not have access to large travel budgets. I am currently producing 100 Words, a cross-cultural writing project for young artists and language learners. Initial development has been supported by a series of small Grants for the Arts awards from Arts Council England and a Connections through Culture Development Grant, awarded by British Council China. Crucially, we are now at the point where we can put a business plan together and secure longer term funding but it has taken over 18 months of hard work and personal investment to get here.

Launched last year, China-UK: Connections through Culture (http://www.ctc.britishcouncil.org.cn) aims to further develop cultural co-operation between the UK and China (see p6).

Building links

Like the China-UK Artist Links Programme, run by Arts Council England and the British Council between 2002 and 2006, which supported residencies and early stage project development for 130 artists in the UK and China, Connections through Culture is time limited. The initial phase runs until March 2009 although projects that have developed through the programme are likely to emerge for a further three years. The initiative aims to multiply the number of organisational links significantly and facilitate quality projects organised by British and Chinese partners, many of which may be part of the cultural presence at Beijing 2008, Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008, Shanghai World Expo 2010 and London 2012.

Formal networks are growing, assisted by British Council China and the work of Visiting Arts, which is creating an alumini database of previous participants and hosts from three China-UK Arts Management Placement Programmes it ran between 1999 and 2005. These are adding to the many informal networks that exist, often art form led and particularly strong in the visual and live arts, and to the expertise of such established organisations as the Chinese Arts Centre in Manchester. There are also pockets of knowledge in surprising places, often nested in individuals who have built up experience over many years.

As yet, there is no one-stop-shop or toolkit for how to put together a creative exchange project but information, support and practical advice exists both in this country and in China. Research and preparation pays off, and the rewards of making collaborative work that transcends cultural and language barriers, providing genuine insight and understanding for artists and audiences alike, is worth striving for.

Rachel Parslew set up One Hundred Words Inc with director Natasha Betteridge to create connections between people in China and the UK using theatre, film and digital technology. 100 Words is its first major project.
t: 01223 522292;
e: rachel.parslew@btinternet.com;
w: http://www.100wordplay.com