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China Underground > Lab

Help us to improve China-underground.com & CinaOggi.it: become an active supporter

Now you can become an active supporter of China-underground.com and CinaOggi.it! By tipping us as little as $1, you can help provide us with resources to improve & continue making china-underground for you all.

CHINA-UNDERGROUND PATREON PAGE

Since 2002 we are curating China-underground (and CinaOggi.it) without any corporate support, investment or funds. Our main goal is to highlight the most interesting aspects of Chinese culture, with a particular focus on Chinese history, art, photography, and trends.

The sites include thousands of articles and essays structured in several sections: Art, Photography, History, Trends, News, Books, Chinese Cinema.

We organize cultural events such as the BigScreen Asia Festival (guests: Jia Zhangke, Wang Xiaoshuai, Wang Yao, Yan Yan Mak, Tujiko Noriko, Mono, and many many other), we produce magazines (Cina Magazine – Italy; Chine Magazine – France), videos and documentaries (Beijing Overload; South of Clouds), photo reportages (China Suburbia, City erasers, Xiamen, the Kingdom of the Little People, etc.), travel guides. All of this material and events are/were FREE (except for the first 5 numbers of Cina Magazine).

We collaborate with Universities, International, and Chinese organizations, art galleries, publishers, in order to produce high-quality content.

If you like our work, please visit our campaign page on Patreon and make a pledge of any amount that will help us to focus on China culture.

What does China-underground need funding for?

We need funds to pay the ongoing technical expenses and to travel in China in order to produce beautiful photo reports and amazing stories! We also invest our funding in improving and expanding our content.

Travel expenses to China – Traveling in and to China is expensive. We need a financial support to cover the travel expenses (plane tickets, train tickets, visas, food, accommodation) for at least two travel in China per year of the duration of 2 months each. During this time we collect tons of amazing material, discovering unknown places, shooting videos, making interviews with artists, directors, academics and with ordinary people. Our first travel will be Xinjiang/Qinghai.

Translations – We can speech Chinese, but sometimes we need to translate many pages or we interview people who speak other Chinese dialects. For this reason, from time to time, we need the help of professional translators.

Hosting – We need to maintain a server robust enough to support highest spikes in traffic so it doesn’t crash during this moments.

MailChimp – The service we use to email posts out to the subscription list. This fee grows as the email list grows.

Ongoing web development – We have limited programming skills, so if the sites have some glitches, we need to pay someone for this.

Equipment – We do a lot of things. We shoot videos, we take pictures, we write and translate articles, we make interviews. Every couple of years we need to partially renovate our equipment, as we need to improve the resolution of the video material or we need to buy a new lens or a particular film.

Our minimal needs …

Remember, Patreon charges on a per month cycle.

Stretch Goal

The stretch goal will allow us to take China-underground/CinaOggi to the next level, enabling us to do things like:

More travel to China (this means more videos, pictures, interviews, translations, exclusive material)

What else can I do to help China-underground?

We need all the help we can get: please spread the word and encourage others to share our content and to make a pledge of any amount.

Thank you again!

china underground patreon

China Underground > Lab

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china-underground.com Privacy Policy Information Collection, Information Usage, Information Protection, Cookie Usage, 3rd Party Disclosure, 3rd Party Links, Google AdSense, Fair Information Practices,COPPA, Our Contact Information …

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China Underground > Lab

about China underground

China-underground.com is a website about China curated by Matteo Damiani and Dominique Musorrafiti (DMSL.co).

About China-underground

China-underground.com and CinaOggi.it are two sites dedicated to Chinese culture and represent a virtual bridge between Asia and Western countries. Since 2002, China-underground has organized cultural events and festivals, and created documentaries, photoreports and magazines (Cina Magazine, Chine Magazine).

In 2001 they made their first documentary about Beijing modernisation (Beijing overload). The following year they made A Sud Delle Nuvole, a documentarist project on ethnic minorities in Yunnan province. In the same year, they founded the weblog cinaoggi.it, in Italian and two years later its English counterpart, china-underground.com. In 2005 they moved to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, where they took to a new level their work on China, working along with International NGOs, Chinese medias, organizing cultural events like the BigScreen Festival in 2006 and 2007 (guests & jury members: Jia ZhangkeWang Xiaoshuai, Ye Yongqing, Marco Ceresa, Jeremy Goldkorn, Tujiko Noriko, Mono, Wang Yao, Yan Yan Mak and others) and in 2008 starting the paper magazine Cina Magazine, in Italian (2008-2015) and in French (2013-2015), made in cooperation with the Yunnan Tourist Development Committee, shooting videos and mainly taking hundred of thousand of pictures, and collecting a huge archive on China. The magazine has been distributed at the World Expo Milano 2015China Pavillion.

In 2017, Planet China magazine was founded, featuring exclusive interviews with thinkers, filmmakers, artists, writers and entrepreneurs.

For general inquiries or for advertising inquiries, use the email address below:

info at china-underground.com

SUPPORT US ON PATREON

Dominique Musorrafiti china-underground-cinaoggi

Dominique Musorrafiti

Dominique is Italian and proud to be a mix, her father is Italian with Greek and Polish heritage and mother is Haitian with Dominican, Spanish, French, Portuguese, African and Native American heritage. Being a mix make her appreciate to want to understand different cultures and lifestyles. She grew up in Italy, lived few years in Haiti, seven years in China, four in Spain and UK. Traveling makes her feel that we can learn something from every situation in every part of the world.

matteo damiani china-underground-cinaoggi

Matteo Damiani

Matteo Damiani is an Italian photographer, author and motion designer. Matteo lived and worked for ten years in China. During his stay in China, he paid attention to social issues apparently of secondary importance, but which influenced heavily the Chinese domestic policies over the years.

Ciao

China photojournalism

Planet China

Planet China vol. 12

Planet-China-vol-12-Stop-Hate-updated

STOP HATE, Stand against racism and violence. Exclusive interviews with Julia Chang Wang, Michelle Yang, Popo Fan, Melodie Zhao, Jessica Chou, Mimi Choi, Jingyi Wang, Tina Fung, Si Jie Loo.

READ THE MAGAZINE

Planet China vol. 11

planet china 11 celebrating women who bush boundaries

Celebrating women who push boundaries. Exclusive interviews with 16 Chinese female artists, entrepreneurs, writers, scientists, and athletes: Muna Tseng, Shu Lea Cheang, Nona Mock Wyman, Elaine Yan Ling Ng, JuJu Chan Szeto, Shirley Dong, Siu Tin Chi, Tella Chen, Michelle Hong, Denise Huang, Chen Li, Denise Tam, Shuling Guo, Zoie Lam, Chia-Chi Yu, Zihan Yang.

READ THE MAGAZINE

Planet China vol. 10

planet-china-vol-10-INTRO_small

Interviews with Liu Bolin, Zhang Chong, Janice Wong, Alice Poon, Huichi Chiu, Jiannan Wu, Yulong Lli, Heng Yue, Jumping Goat, Katherine Lee.

READ THE MAGAZINE

Planet China vol.09

Celebrating women who push boundaries. Exclusive interviews with 16 Chinese female artists, entrepreneurs, writers, scientists and athletes: Li Jingmei, Sissi Chao, Jill Tang, Xing Danwen, Shirley Ying Han, Echo He, Xia Jia, Xue Mo, Meng Du, PeiJu Chien-Pott, Jiayu Liu, Qu Lan, Tiffany Chan, Xiong Jingnan, Gia Wang, Chen Jie.

READ THE MAGAZINE

Planet China vol. 08

planet-china-8-intro-web-1

Interviews with Guobing Yang, RongRong & Inri, Hilda Shen, Zhang Bo, Zhang Chong, Wang Wen, Chen Donfang, Gan Jianyu, Webson Ji, Frode Z. Olsen, Yale Yuan Shifu

READ THE MAGAZINE

Planet China vol. 07

planet china food nutrition

Interviews with some of the best Chinese chefs and experts around the world: Matt Chen, Ken Chan, May Chow, Li Dong, Yu Bo, Jeremy Pang, Taozi, Michelle Lau, Cherry Li, Lee Xin Li, Piero Kuang Sung Ling

READ THE MAGAZINE

Planet China vol. 06

planet-china-intro

Interviews with Hao Wu, Badiucao, Margaret Sun, Elsbeth Von Paridon, Yafei Qi, Eric Fish, Zhang Yang, Hannah Li, Song Wen, Michael Pettis

READ THE MAGAZINE

Planet China vol. 05

planet-china-vol-5-eng-Chinese LGBTQ community

Exploring the Chinese LGBTQ community in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and abroad. Exclusive interviews with Helen Zia, Joanne Leung, Shanghai Pride, Beijing LGBT Center, PFLAG China, Lin Zhipeng (No. 223), Simon Chung, Lucie Liu, Chen Chen, Lin Junliang.

READ THE MAGAZINE

Planet China vol. 04

Planet-China-vol-4-cover-big

Interviews with Zhang Huan, Manya Koetse, Jeremy Tiang, Michael Standaert, Rebecca F. Kuang, Lisk Feng, Herman Lee, GuiGui SuiSui, Lance Crayon.

READ THE MAGAZINE

Planet China vol. 03

Planet-China-vol-03-cover-Interviews with Artists

Interviews with Wang Xiaoshuai, Stefano Boeri, Li Wei, Hui He, Yan Hua Wang, Boris Wilensky, Hua Dong [Re-Tros], He Sen, Ming Youxu, Josh Summers.

READ THE MAGAZINE

Planet China Vol. 02

inspiring Chinese women-planet china 2

Celebrating women who push boundaries – This second volume of Planet China is a collection of selected interviews with inspiring women that worked hard to reach their path and dreams: Anita Wong, Helen Feng, Zhuo Dan Ting, Min Liu, Qin Leng, Thierry Chow, Tang Min, Yang Ruiqi, Augusta Xu-Holland, Chiara Ye, Matina Cheung, Heanney McCollum, Elle Lee

READ THE MAGAZINE

Planet China vol. 01

Planet China 1

Interviews with Jia Zhangke, Daniel Lee Postaer, William L. Gibson and Paul Bruthiaux, Robert G. Price, Shadow Chen, Guoke, Chi Wang, Ben Randall, Kevin Tallon, Duran Levinson.

READ THE MAGAZINE

China Suburbia

china suburbia - Chinese urban villages

Examination of suburban life in 2000s Yunnan. From urban villages to ghost cities: snapshots of suburban life in Kunming’s urban villages.

READ THE MAGAZINE

China Suburbia (February 2018)

China Photojournalism

Images of Luoping
China-suburbia-cover

Events organized by China-Underground/CinaOggi

BigScreen Asia 01, 2004, Padova

The first edition of Big Screen took place in Padua, Italy from the 18th to the 24th of March 2004. This first edition was organized by the portal Cinaoggi.it and the University Student Association (ASU) together with Progetti Giovani. Other associations such as the commune of Padova and the University of Padova together with the Shanghai Theatre Academy collaborated with the festival. The festival screened several works from Italy and China. The students of the Shanghai Theatre Academy also screened their works. It was the first Asian Cinema Festival in Padova.

BigScreen Asia 2004

Works: Wong Karwai, Wang Xiaoshuai, Jia Zhangke, Fruit Chan, Hayo Miyazaki, Osamu
Tezuka, Kazuhisa Takenouchi, Hugo Ng, Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
Guests: Wu Baohe (professor, Shanghai Theatre Academy), Marco Ceresa, Marcello
Ghirardi.
Art directors: Dominique Musorrafiti, Matteo Damiani

BigScreen Pills, 2005, Padova

A taste of short films, video art, movies and documentaries leading up to the second edition of BigScreen Asia. From art bonded to body bonded to art linked to technical means through stories of Western and Asian authors. During the evening successions of images of full and empty that describe the passage from the old traditions to the new artistic expression in China. The end of the evening featured a concert by Japanese band Mono.

Organization: Cinaoggi, ASU
Authors: Lisa Partby (The new flowers of Beijing, Pao ma liu liu), abelvideo, He Jia, Guan Jang, Zhang Yang, Singing Chen, Chen Chieh-jen, Tsui Kuang-Yu, Hu Jieming.
Hosts: Valentina Pedone, Felix Schoeber, Mono
Art Directions: Dominique Musorrafiti, Matteo Damiani

BigScreen Asia 02, 2005, Padova

Third appointment with the culture and cinema of the East. This edition was enriched with a view on modern Thai cinema, a substantial display of short Korean films, a photographic exhibition and a concert on Asian themes by Claudio Rocchetti. This has been of course accompanied by the presentation of works by famous producers . Wang Xiaoshuai, Wong Karwai, Fruit Chan, Rintaro, Katsuhiro Otomo, Zhang Yang and Jia Zhangke.

Organized by: Cinaoggi, ASU, University of Padova, Progetto Giovani, Padova province and Municipality
Hosts: Marco Ceresa, Marco Della Gassa, Marcello Ghiraldi, Stefano Locati
Art directors: Dominique Musorrafiti, Matteo Damiani

bigscreen-italia-jia-zhangke-wang-xiaoshuai

BigScreen Italia, 2006, Kunming

In November 2005 the organizers of CinaOggi moved to Kunming and BigScreen followed its creators to China. The festival continued to change, growing and transforming into a real competition. Different Italian universities, “La Sapienza” (Rome) , University of Naples , The Oriental languages department of the “Ca’ Foscari” University of Venice together with Yunnan Arts institute helped with the birth of BIGSCREEN ITALIA 2006. The event took place in Kunming from the 19th to the 23rd July 2006. This time the project was much more ambitious than past events.

bigscreen-italia-brochure

The international high ranking jury included: Wang Xiaoshuai ( Silver Bear In Berlin, Jury’s prize in Cannes), Jia Zhangke (Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival), Ye Yongqing (famous chinese artist), Marco Ceresa (one of the most important Italian sinologues and collaborator of the Venice Film Festival) and Song Jie (Dean of the Yunnan Arts Institute Cinema and Television Department).

Jia-Zhangke-Wang-Xiaoshiai-BigScreen-Italia
Jia Zhangke, Wang Xiashuai, Dominique Musorrafiti, Matteo Damiani, Song Jie at BigScreen Italia 2006

The idea is that the Italian works are selected by a Chinese jury.

wang-xiaoshuai-bigscreen-festival

BigScreen Festival 2007, Kunming

International Video Festival in China Kunming, Yunnan, 27 November 2007 – 1 December 2007

bigscreen-festival-logo

From November 27 to December 1 the Chinese city of Kunming hosted the 2007 BigScreen International Film Festival, featuring 94 films from more 30 countries. The Festival was co-organized by CinaOggi.it, GoKunming.com, Yunnan Experimental Film Base, Broadcasting and films center under the patronage of Istituto Italiano di Cultura. The official supporting media was the Chinese newspaper Dushi Shibao.

The winning films from BigScreen Film Festival 2007 were announced by a jury composed of Marco Ceresa of the Venice University “Ca’ Foscari”, screenwriter Wang Yao and Jeremy Goldkorn, founder of the highly influential Danwei.org. Winners included Hong Kong director Yan Yan Mak‘s “The Scarlet Robe” for best long film, “Il Vecchio e la Fontana” by Tony Palazzo of Italy for best short film, “Living in a Perfect World” by Italians Diego D’Innocenzo and Marco Leopardi for best documentary and “Almost Like One of the Family” by Astrid Goransson from Sweden for best animation.

Four films by French director Jean-Gabriel Périot – “Even if she had been a criminal”, “Dies Irae”, “Under Twilight” and “Nijuman No Borei” were collectively honored as the best entries in the videoart and experimental films category. The jurors said they based their selections upon the theme of modernity vs tradition, which was a common thread in all the winning movies. Special Guest were the hongkongese director Yan Yan Mak, who presented her movie “The Scarlet Robe” starring the singer Denise Ho and the Japanese singer Tujiko Noriko. Special focus on Don Askarian and Lasse Gjertsen works.

bigscreen-festival-press

Jurors: Marco Ceresa, Wang Yao, Jeremy Goldkorn
Art directors: Dominique Musorrafiti, Matteo Damiani
Organized by: CinaOggi, GoKunming, Broadcasting and films center

Tour in Cina di Jennifer Gentle, 2007

Jennifer Gentle’s first Chinese tour was organized in collaboration with Population Services International (USA), SubPop (USA), Yunnan Arts Institute (CHINA) and with the patronage of the Italian Cultural Institute in Beijing.

YouTube player

The best of BigScreen Festival, 2008, Beijing

BigScreen Pills 2008, Kunming

Magazines

Planet China

Planet China 1, 2009
Planet China 2, 2009
Planet China, Speciale Yunnan, 2009

Cina Magazine/Chine Magazine

Cina Magazine 1 (Sprea Italia SRL), 2008
Cina Magazine 2 (Sprea Italia SRL), 2008
Cina Magazine 3 (Sprea Italia SRL), 2008
Cina Magazine 4 (Sprea Italia SRL), 2008
Cina Magazine 5 (Sprea Italia SRL), 2009
Cina Magazine 6 (Sprea Italia SRL. Pubblicato in Italia e Francia), 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015

The Rebels of the Neon God – Beijing 01, 2001
Once we were a psychedelic band …

Overloaded Peking, 2002
Documentary with  Jia Zhangke and dj Gaohu

Glamorous Pharmacy rare live demo, Beijing, 2002
Rare recording of the legendary Chinese band by Massimiliano Carponi.

A Sud delle Nuvole, 2003
Soundtrack by Acid Mothers Temple & Makoto Kawabata

I love you, I protect you, 2006
Client Population Services International (USA), YOUTHAids

The Dwarf Empire in China, 2011

A traditional Chinese funeral, 2012

City Eraser, 2013

Traditional Bai People Spring Festival in Yunnan, 2014

How China recruits Americans as spies – Interview Nate Thayer, 2017

Future Imperfect, 2017