See here my first steps on the phenomena Weblog; For years I didn’t dare to speak, neither give interviews about my work ore my profession; it was just not the right thing to do, I could not talk about it, it would harm my work, my career, the clients and people I was working for and with….. to talk about my activities as a film director in China back in 1996, it was just not done…..It presented itself already right after I was landed at Airport hall Nr. 1 in Beijing, there was one baggage belt, where two very helpful Chinese workers with white handkerchieves on, took your luggage of the belt, simply because the belt was a one way belt and luggage would fell off at the end of it if they didn’t catch it…. there were two luggage belts only and the pointed into direction of a group army looking guys, with dark sunglasses on who were smoking cigarette’s and although it looked like they were not paying attention to anything these arriving passengers were doing, it made you feel scared, because it was clear, they had the power to do anything of their liking with you……I felt lucky I got through, I was IN, I just crossed the border, I was in communist CHINA!!! Here I was, I just planted my first step in China, me, a young arrogant representation of all what is western….a product of the sixties in the West…29 years old and a prototype commercial director, long hair, cool and trendy looking and with my normally presence self esteem growing back into me (relieved that I made it through those angry looking customer guys into the country) I took my first steps into the waiting hall. I never forget that first impression I had back then……A huge blue board, as big as half the wall of the waiting described the 10 rules and regulations people new to china had to obey: With one eye I read the first one: it’s is forbidden to bring, buy, deal…..any explosives in or out of the country…..I remember thinking, well that seems obvious to me and makes it a safe country, don’t want sit in an airplane with a guy next to me carrying explosives…..and while I looked if anybody made waving signal to me, I was supposed to be picked up, I read the second line of engagement China expected new arrivals to be aware of: Rule number 2: It is forbidden to in- or export, produce, make or in any other way travel the border of China with filmed material, photo negative, micro film or any other carrier of such kind……
Obviously the exact wording was different on this board in those days back in 1996, but entering a new world, where all what determine my existence, namely being a story teller on film , was forbidden by the second rule on this board…… it was something what intrigued me highly, like a red flag works on a bull in the arena, this ruling nr 2, that my profession was forbidden in China…..I never forget about it……3 months later I directed my first commercial in China, in Shanghai to be precise, at people square with the opera house in Shanghai-being build- as a backdrop, hundreds of Chinese around the set behind the red red tape wondering what was going on, looking at us, the crew and me, as if we were the monkey attraction in a zoo…..
Thursday 18th of June, 2009…..I’m still living and working in China, ever since that day I entered here……. what I did since then, what is happening today, what i think about things, I guess you can all read about it in the near future…… when…. how and what I have no idea yet……. because today I have again this feeling of entering unknown territory, although from a safe environment of one of my apartments in China, with a cup of tea and my old good old i mac in front of me… today is only the first step into a complete strange world for me…… the blog, twitter, skype world of today…..i just stepped in, so count on it….. i will keep walking……soon,sierk
Jun 09
21
