Beijing Lens

Photography: Matjaz Tancic Text: Eduard Fernandez Contact: [email protected]

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North Korea’s Special Economic Zone: Rason

When talking about North Korea’s special economic zones, most people only consider Kaesong. Originally part of South Korea, Kaesong lies in the South and borders South Korea. Originally home to factories with 123 South Korean business operating, Kaesong Industrial Zone (KIZ) now lies redundant after the North Korean government expelled South Korean workers in 2016. 

The regime’s first, and indeed very unique Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Rason, however, continues business - with both Korean and foreign companies alike. 

Rason City

Rason is North Korea’s border city with China and Russia, where the regime once hoped could be turned into a model city when it approved the establishment in 1992.  At the beginning, the Emperor Hotel and casino did help generate significant incomes for the regime and once attracted some 250,000 Chinese tourists annually by late 1990s. But the Chinese government eventually forced the hotel to shut its door in 2005 after a senior Chinese transport official gambled away 7 million RMB, half of it public money. Rason, therefore, never developed into the way it was planned.

In April, I took a chance visiting the almost forgotten SEZ, where a three-dimensional cinema is now made available for local residents. The theatre, with a capacity of just 8 per room, has introduced one of the 21 century’s most popular inventions of technology to North Koreans. Sat in chairs with a theme-park ride style bar in front of you for protection, the theatre offers a more 4D experience as you’re thrown around in your seats whilst experiencing the short films available at the theatre. 

Significantly, Rason offered a window to the implementation of Kim Jong-Un’s Byungjin policy of developing both the economy and nuclear weapons capabilities, a policy replaced the “Songun” or “military first policy” of his late father, Kim Jong Il, in 2013.

As part of the young Kim’s efforts to deliver the promise to improve North Korean’s daily lives, Kim Jong-un has sought to improve North Korea’s economy by focusing on light industries and agriculture under the heavy sanctions. Shoe manufacturing, which the country wasn’t really capable of until the late 2000s, is now booming. 

Business in Rason 

A visit to Rason takes you to see many factories and businesses in the region. This includes checking out the Rason Sneaker factory, the Soju factory, and the water purification factory. 

The establishment of a local fish farm also demonstrates the regime’s policy achievement—fish supplying. The domestic supply of fish has been a priority of the Kim regime. Kim Jong-il, former leader of North Korea, was reportedly concerned about the supply of fish in Pyongyang and had looked into the matter the day before he died. 

To fulfil his father’s will, Kim Jong-un “took all necessary measures to truck fish to the capital city in time and supply the fish to the citizens, even in the mourning periods,” its state-run-media KCNA reported. Once he took power, his government has built numerous of modernized fish farms around the country since 2012.

View Rason in 3D as part of the new second edition of 3DPRK. 

Rason in Photos - 

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3DPRK Second Edition: Exhibition in Vienna with Laibach

3DPRK 

Invited to document North Korea in 3D, I wanted to show something of the people who live there,  stripped of rhetoric.  Choosing to take portraits of people in North Korea invites controversy, criticism and significant challenges. 

In the eyes of the Western world, North Korea is one of the few countries where photographic voyeurism is celebrated. Working within the rules of the North Korean regime invites accusation of being naïve or, worse, a ‘useful idiot’ of taking on the work of a complex and powerful propaganda machine.

North Korea is one of the most restrictive societies on Earth; all visitors to the country must be invited, and all are required to travel with guides representing the organization that invited them. There have been multiple instances in the past of ‘tourists’ repackaging and selling their images to the global press. In North Korea, there is an inherent distrust of Western photographers. Capturing a ‘rare glimpse’ of a North Korean person, photographed at speed from a moving bus, or through a doorway, taps into our colonial desire to be the ‘first’ to see something, and in doing so successfully captures the interest of a Western audience. The ‘rare glimpse’ has become so oxymoronically common, we can now call it a trope of North Korean photography.  But forgotten, or dismissed, in this never-ending quest for unseen images in our over-stimulated modern world, are the subjects of these ‘rare glimpses’ - 

 the North Korean people whose images have been captured.

This specific nature of the 3D technique I used required introduction and demonstration and encouraged interest and exchange between photographer and subject. This exchange, facilitated by our guides, translators and interested onlookers allowed us to bypass, somewhat, the more commonly experienced relationship between western photographers in North Korea and those that they photograph, typified by a lack of direct interaction and explanation of intent and purpose.

Among the more than 100 portraits we captured, there is a boxing champion learning to ice skate, a photographer in a forest, a worker in an iconic steel complex and an international worker with the Red Cross. These are the people we met in North Korea, and who we present in 3D.

Check out the original photos here. 

3DPRK Second Edition:

What’s New?

Earlier this year I had the chance to visit the rarely visited Special Economic Zone of Rason. This lies in the very North East of North Korea and borders both China and Russia. A capitalist zone in a socialist country; it’s an area unlike any other in the DPRK. 

Here I had the chance to add to the 3DPRK project and the new edition of the book now features photographs from nearly all areas of North Korea that foreigners are permitted to visit. 

Read more about Rason here. 

Exhibition in Vienna 

In August 2015, the Slovenian musical group Laibach travelled to North Korea to perform at two consecutive concerts in Pyongyang as a part of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Korean Peninsula.

The Norwegian film director, activist, and artist Morten Traavik made a documentary movie on the groups’ visit, entitled ‘Liberation Day’.

Laibach and their team gently pushed the strict limits of control and censorship in their typically provocative fashion through several imaginative solutions, which produced a variety of original shots, which to this point have not yet been displayed. This alone is expected to evoke a large public interest.

A part of the exhibition is also dedicated to photographic work that was created in North Korea on other occasions under the strict regulation policies, hence the exhibition subtitle ‘Laibach AND North Korea’. 

The works by three authors are included, whose persistence and pragmatism in gaining the access to visit the country produced a plethora of photographs. This includes me, the Canadian author Nathalie Daoust, and Martin von den Driesch from Germany. 

Their works encompass an original artistic approach to the subject matter and an inventive technical competency in execution.

Don’t miss the exhibition with Laibach in Vienna, Austria this June; 

Forbidden Whispers

28th June 2018

Photon Gallery

Zieglergasse 34, 1070 Wien, Austria. 

[matjazz]

Escaping Chinese New Year: Kampot

Chinese New Year sees the biggest human migration in the world. Over 385 million Chinese leave their cities to visit their hometown and the extended family. It is like packaging Christmas, New Year and Thanks Giving holidays in one packed weekend of drinking, eating and celebrating.

More often than not, this is the only occasion in the whole year when the entire family that is otherwise scattered all over the vast country gets together to see how the kid(s) are growing up. They will then embark on the sometimes 2-3 day journey back to the city where they work, on trains packed to the very last spot.

After spending 2 beautiful years enjoying a Chinese new year of making dumplings with the friends on the unrecognizably empty and quiet Beijing, watching how millions of fireworks lit every inch of the foggy skyline, this year it was time for the change.

2018 was the first year that the fireworks that suppose to scare the evil ghosts from the old year were completely banned from Beijing. And since it was the new year, year of the Dog (coincidentally also my year, 1982) I didn't want to take any chances to get hunted by the ghosts. I packed 7 pairs of red underwear and socks (somehow the socks proved to obsolete in tropical weather, but you can never be safe enough) for good luck, and bought the cheapest airplane ticket somewhere warm.

Postponing the decision until the last moment crossed out the now already too expensive Melbourne, Bali, and India, and I ended up buying a ticket to Cambodia. A country that I kept as a dear memory of the times spent visiting it with my great friend Miloš on out 3-month journey in the pre Internet and smartphone times in 2005. Equipped then only with my prized possession; a 6 megapixel Nikon D70 and a slightly fancy and equally dodgy portable disc to empty my 16 MB cards.

Exploring Kampot

Since I had already crossed off the touristic sights such as the Angor Wat and the morbid reminder of the human cruelty and stupidity that is the Killing Fields on my trip 12 years ago, my sole goal for this trip was to find a quiet little spot right by the river where I could edit long overdue videos, send new photo stories to the editors, update the portfolios, and learn how to fly my new toy – drone – Mavic Air. Just to feel even more productive and overoptimistic I packed my Mandarin workbook that has been staring at me from the bookshelf with the equal amount of loneliness and disappointments for the last 5 years since I have bought it...

I’m now also getting these same looks from my video projects that are not getting enough attention down in Kampot – Cambodia. It didn't take too long to be possessed by those evil spirits from China, despite wearing practically nothing but the red underwear the entire day... The prospect of renting the good old 125cc Honda, renting a kayak or sup every day and having a 50 cent beers in a hammock, flying the drone in the suicidal missions above the rivers and sea were just too hard to fight with.

I ended up staying most of the time near the small town of Kampot that spreads along the Kompong bay river in south-east Cambodia. A couple of hours away from the capital and a good mix of quiet and exciting proved to be a good choice.

I guess next time I just need to select less fun place to increase the productivity.

The highlights of Kampot were reaching the old French casino on top of the Bokor mountain with the cool 125cc Yamaha in 40 minutes (a route that they say it takes 2 hours), harassing the water buffaloes, filming the river with the drone without drowning it and a small shoot river shoot with Salome, French traveller that is currently training in the Saigon circus.

[matjazz]

About the Author

Matjaž Tančič (1982) is lens-based artist working mainly on documentary and independent projects between China and Slovenia. His work explores the lines between documentary, portrait and art photography to engage with social and cultural issues. He likes to experiment within the photographic medium and is mainly known for his 3D stereography projects. Tančič holds a BA in photography from the University of the Arts, London.

Exhibitions

Matjaz has 60 group and 24 solo exhibitions behind him, with his work being published in international media such as The Guardian, Time, Der Spiegel, Fast Company, Vice, and Vogue, among others.

Prizes

2015 First foreign art photography exhibition in Pyongyang, North Korea.

He won first prize in the Sony World Photography Organisation 2013 contest in 3D category.

He won a Slovenia Press Photo award 2012 in Nature chategory. 

He was among the 6 finalists in the 2009 "Google Photography Prize" contest.

Publications

Matjaž has published two photo books with Jiazazhi Press, a top Chinese independent publishing house: Timekeepers in 2014 and 3DPRK in late 2016.

3DPRK was listed as one of the top 10 books of 2017 by the Tate art photography curator Simon Baker.

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New Year Punk Gig - Yangoon

Concert Fuc*** New Year Punk Gig happened under the highway bridge in the outskirts of Yangoon. This illegal concert was attended by about 200 punk fans, when across the town the biggest outdoor New Year celebration in Burma was happening, attended by more than 300.000 people. 

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Chairman Mao Impersonator

Mao impersonation in China can be a lucrative business. 

Appearing on the wedding ceremonies, company diners of having a daily show at the Yanan historic park. There is a stable of dead ringers for Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Deng Xiaoping, and other leaders, all able to provide eerily accurate portrayals of these historical figures, often down to the specific regional accents.

[matjazz]

China's new guardians (part1)

Surprisingly, until Chen Yongqing, a former soldier, decided to open his Genghis Security Academy, nobody in China had tried to professionalize bodyguard training business. But, in a country that every year adds new names to its list of millionaires, the idea was bound to be a success. We get behind the gates of the school to know who this first generation of Chinese professional bodyguards are, and how they are trained, either learning how to fight and protect their employer, or or just taking some classes to learn how to keep their bosses' agenda well-organised. 

[matjazz]

China's new guardians

Surprisingly, until Chen Yongqing, a former soldier, decided to open his Genghis Security Academy, nobody in China had tried to professionalize bodyguard training business. But, in a country that every year adds new names to its list of millionaires, the idea was bound to be a success. We get behind the gates of the school to know who this first generation of Chinese professional bodyguards are, and how they are trained, either learning how to fight and protect their employer, or just taking some classes to learn how to keep their bosses' agenda well organised. 

[matjazz]

The Many Faces of China

Portraits of famous artists, businessmen, sportsmen, actors in China:

Guo Chuan is the first Chinese professional sailor and became a hero in his country when he navigated solo around the world in a non-stop journey, departing from his hometown, the coastal Chinese city of Qingdao. Currently, he's preparing a new sailing odyssey through the Arctic Ocean. Huang Bo has become one of the most beloved actors for Chinese audiences thanks to his comical roles and his versatility on the big screen. He also starred in "Lost in Thailand", one of the most successful movies of Chinese film industry. Liu Shilai is China's top polo player, and the founder of the Tang Polo Club, probably one of the most exclusive associations in China. With his efforts, he is bringing back to China a sport that used to be played by the Chinese imperial court more than a thousand years ago. Electro music band "Pet Conspiracy" have become one of the most groundbreaking formations in China thanks to its powerful sound and its thrilling performances. 

[matjazz]

A Journey To The West 

39 Hours Inside The Biggest Human Migration On Earth. The mass exodus from China’s cities is the roaring crescendo leading up to Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival as it’s known in the country. On paper the holiday can be equated to Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s rolled into one, but on the ground the holiday unfolds on an entirely different scale. On Monday alone, two days before New Year’s Eve, China saw roughly 80 million departures by train, bus, boat and plane. That’s equivalent to every single resident of California, New York and Florida skipping town on the same day. Seating stakes are highest on long-haul routes, and the T177 is about as long as they come. This hulking vehicle will take 39 hours and 25 minutes to traverse the 1,998 miles from Beijing to Urumqi in northwest Xinjiang Province.Xinjiang is home to the bulk of China’s Uyghur population, a Turkic and central Asian ethnic group that practices Islam and maintains a culture and language indecipherable to members of China’s dominant Han ethnic group.

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Following a World-Record Holding Tightrope Walker

For Askar Obulqasim, 43, tightrope walking is more than a circus act – it's a national sport with two millennia of history, the core of his cultural being. Askar is Uighur, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group from Xinjiang in China's far north-west. Many Uighurs consider the more than a millennium-old tradition of dawaz one of the noblest exports of their home region of Xinjiang, and pride themselves on doing their feats without safety nets. He is a holder of several tightrope world records, including the fastest walk across a 100-meter (330-foot) rope in 2013. 

[matjazz]

Ai Weiwei, the unflagging critic

With no doubt, artist Ai Weiwei has become the most well known dissident in China, and probably the most influential contemporary artist from the country. His campaign to recollect victim's names after Wenchuan earthquake, in 2008, infuriated the Chinese government. After that, Ai continued denouncing lack of freedom in the country, and in 2011 he was detained and hold prisoner in unknown whereabouts for more than 80 days. The arrest arouse criticism from international community, and he was finally released. At the same time, his works, that have grown politicised in recent years, had been exhibited in galleries all around the globe. Nowadays, in his studio in Beijing, he keeps coordinating and collaborating in international art projects everyday, and talking with foreign media to express his opinions about the regime.

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Fighting for Xian Village

China's undergoing urbanization process is considered the biggest migration in world's history, and 100 million chinese are expected to become new urban dwellers by 2020. Experts agree that the development of cities can become the next motor of Chinese economy, but the migration also raised tensions between local governments, developers and rural citizens. A mixture of government corruption, a rocketing real state market and weak property rights created confrontations all over the country.

Xian Village (Xian Cun) is a good example of these new conflicts. Swallowed by one of the richest cities in the country, Guangzhou, residents from Xian Village decided to fight pressure from the government and don't sell their lands. Now, they try to go on with their daily lifes as they fight threats of eviction and demolition. The site, located in the heart of a newly-created financial district, presents a postwar-like scene, and residents walk everyday through the debris of already destroyed buildings. The humble resistance of Xian Village residents underline the effects that China's development strategy has on many of its citizens.

[matjazz]

A Europe made in China

Everybody knows that China has become the world's factory for all kind of cheap and fake goods, from luxury bags to any type of electronic device. But not many are aware of one of the latest trends in the country: building up replicas of european cities. It doesn't matter if it's a Paris boulevard or an Italian medieval village, many Chinese wealthy has grown fond of some of most archetypal european sites and decided to take it back home and rebuild them in impressive detail. While in Guangdong province you can find an exact mimicry of the Austrian Hallstatt town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in other parts of the country you can find copies of buildings like the Tower Bridge of London, the Eiffel Tower and even a bizarre newly-created Stonehenge site. It has never been easier to enjoy a good dish of spicy tofu while feeling in the middle of the Alps!

[matjazz]

Saving Huizhou's glorious past

Few places in China preserved the rural essence as well as the small towns in Huizhou region, in the southern part of Anhui province. The rich merchants of the area developed their villages for centuries and built up vast mansions to live, all of them richly decorated with handcrafted wood panels in their majestic ancestral halls. Even though, due to the tumultuous history of China during last century and the economic development of coastal region, Huizhou's cultural heritage started to vanish and many of the grand mansions remain abandoned.

Now, several intellectuals and artists are trying to revitalize the area through the Bishan Commune, a project that wants to bring back the old charm to Huizhou and fight for the preservation of its local culture. Ou Ning and Zuo Jing, the two creative minds behind the initiative, have already started the Bishan Harvestival, a cultural festival in Bishan Village. One of the first results can already be seen in the place: Qian Xiaohua, the owner of several independent bookshops, decided to reconvert one of the ancestral halls into one of his stores.

[matjazz]

Wang Guangyi, father of communist pop

Born in 1957 in the cold Heilongjiang province, in China, Wang Guangyi has become one of the most well-known contemporary Chinese painters. Wang is oftenly known as the "Chinese Warhol" thanks to his "political pop" paintings, that mixes the aesthetics of communist propaganda with logos of some of the most iconic western companies. In his works, stony workers and peasants collide with brand logos of Coca-Cola, Rolls Royce or Louis Vuiton. By doing this, the artists underlines the contradictions of nowadays Chinese society. Wang Guangyi is also known for being very critical about Western influence about Chinese art and, although he started painting more than 20 years ago, he never stops looking for new ways to reflect what he calls "Chinese essence" through his paintings.

[matjazz]

Liu Bolin the Invisible man

Liu Bolin (Shandong, China, 1973) became in 2005 one of the strongest voices in Chinese cultural scene... by disappearing. With his "Hiding in the City" photography series, the creator perfectly merged with the background in his pictures. Liu blended in amid Beijing alleys and some of the most iconic locations of the city. The project, that started as a protest act, became such a success that Liu later took it to other cities, and literally became invisible in places like Wall Street, Venice or La Scala opera house, in Milan. His impressive painting technique all over his body and his clothes help him express a very simple but powerful idea: everybody is alienated by modern societies.