Since WildChina’s inception in 2000, we have watched and experienced China’s rapid growth firsthand. Intrigued to further explore urban development and the affects on Chinese culture – particularly on youth, WildChina is excited to announce the launch of High Speed China, an educational photography trip led by American photojournalist and WildChina expert Matthew Niederhauser.
Earlier this week, WildChina sat down with Niederhauser to learn more about this journey for university and MFA students and faculty.
WildChina Travel: How do you hope the experience on High Speed China will impact your future trip participants?
Matthew Niederhauser: Giving a broader introduction to the structure of urban development across China and its impact on emerging youth subcultures. There is a new social dynamic coming out of the massive urban migration that China is currently experiencing.
WCT: Can you elaborate on the unique features of the cities that travelers will visit?
MN: Guangzhou is really important because it just built Zhujiang New City, which is one of the best examples of a planned urban environment in China. Wuhan is a great example of flat-out urban sprawl with massive industrial centers fringed by megablock housing. It shows where many second and third tier cities are heading.
Beijing, of course, is just one of the most unique places on the planet with its amazing amalgamation of hutong housing and new-fangled architectural styles. People look to Beijing as an archetype for urban development: what’s occurring in Beijing is probably going to serve as the model for cities across the interior.
WCT: Why is a journey like this so important now?
MN: As much as people like to tout the era of a new modern China, the country is actually just in an initial phase of development. All of the first tier cities represent a very small fraction of the whole population. These urban centers that we visit are setting a new precedent for how people live right now. Their lifestyle choices will impact the rest of the planet over the next twenty years.
WCT: The intersection with youth culture is a major component of your work. Where does that enter the picture?
MN: I interact with a new generation of kids who are willing to improvise and break the mold. That is what’s most important for China right now – kids who think outside the government-controlled education system and come up with creative solutions to problems facing the country.
WCT: What are you currently working on?
MN: I’m going to be publishing a new book called Visions of Modernity, which is an accumulation of my work in Beijing. It takes the city as an archetype of urban development and shows how it might not be sustainable to have twenty more such places across the interior of China. I’m also working on a project about Chinese hip-hop and freestyle rapping.
WCT: What made you interested in collaborating with WildChina?
MN: I am looking to dig deeper into my projects on urban development and youth culture in China while establishing an educational context for my travels. WildChina offers a perfect opportunity for such a venture. I enjoy teaching in the first place, so it would be amazing to give people a firsthand look into these crazy parts of the country that are often overlooked by a normal tourist in China. Overall it’s a better chance to relate my experiences to others interested in the unique socioeconomic situation of this country.
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All photos taken by Matthew Niederhauser.
Please click here for specific details about the journey. For more information about educational journeys, contact us at education@wildchina.com.
