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On June 1st, Shanghai was hosting for the first time in Asia the French Parisian "Nuit Blanche". Usually, this event is organized one time per year in France in order to promote culture (music, cinema, arts…) during one whole night, up to the morning.
In Shanghai, the French Embassy in China was in charge of this happening, and they’ve decided to end it by inviting Louis Bertignac, which is the ex-leader of the ex-well-known "Téléphone" band (they played rock n’ roll in France during the 80’s, and are still really esteemed in France).
But where it starts to suuuuuuck is that this "cultural" event was hosted in the "Millionnaire Fair"!!! For whose who don’t know what’s that event, it’s an exhibition where you can see rich (?) people going shopping their next Rolls Royce, wearing the last Gucci stuff and drinking some champaaagne…
Never mind…
Second thing: according to the French Embassy in China, Culture (with a big "C") wouldn’t be accessible for everybody! Yep! You’ve read well!!! If you wanna attend to this cultural event, promoting exchanges between France and China, you’ll need to have a -V.I.P- invitation!!!??? It reminds me some colonials inscription in China, a long time ago: "Interdit aux chiens et aux Chinois". Translation: "Forbidden to dogs and to Chinese people" (chien and chinois have similar pronunciation in French). Maybe organizers really couldn’t open this event to everyone (I’m really wondering why!?…). In that case, the question is: do we -the French community- have to set up such kind of happening if the local people can’t enjoy it???
Third point: the organization was totally pitiful, because Louis Bertignac concert should started at 00:40am, but actually started at… 2:30am!
So, 4 or 5 songs later (maybe around 3:30am?), the Police brutally stopped the concert!
I’ve read a lot of comments on Internet saying that the Chinese Police was wrong and it’s an injustice that they’d censored this concert.
I don’t agree.
We are in China. China is NOT a democracy (I think so!… Tell me if I’m saying a mistake!). So, if you wanna set up an event like the "Nuit Blanche", you should first settle the basic arrangement with Chinese authorities: essentially, the Red Envelope (call that as you want!). Yes, because that’s nice to want to organize French event in China, but we’ve to follow Chinese rules! It’s just a question of respect. Officially, all the entertainment events should stop at 2am everyday. If you want to continue later, you should prior arrange it!!! What a pathetic vision of France with this story…
More over, the big-fat-guy in white at the end of the movie is blaming the public! What a shame! This guy is -probably- from the French Consulate, and he should apologize for his lack of experience managing such kind of event!
Last but not least, there is only one thing on what we can convict Chinese Police: they never respect Artists!
BUT.
It IS organizers vocation to protect Artists during events. And one more time, as you can see in the video, they’ve miserably failed…
Sources (only in French sorry…):
http://www.destinationchine.com/post/200706-Bertignac-Shanghai-police.html
http://www.rue89.com/2007/06/03/police-shanghai
http://www.bonjourchine.com/f1/f94/12446-nuits-blanches-stopp%E3%A9e.html
Complete video on Youtube:
The fat guy is actually a member of the French consulate: Claude Hudelot. He is supposed to be "Attaché de coopération et d’action culturelle", or if you prefer "Official jerk in charge of wasting French funds pretending to participate to a cultural life in Shanghai".It seems that they did not get all the authorizations (did they get any ?) thus making the reaction from the Chinese authorities totally understandable.I just don’t get how those people can get enough credit to launch such an event and at the same time show so little knowledge about its organization: spending 6 days a week getting drunk on champagne at fancy parties does not make you an organizer, it just make you fatter… And remember that French taxes sponsor this fat.
Comment by hunvreus — 2007-06-27 @ 1:52 pm
Thanks hunvreus for your additional info
It let me remind that I think that I’ve already seen this guy last year at the beginning of Yann Tiersen concert. He was doing a kind of speech thanking (his team?) the French Consulate and advertising for the restaurant "Le Meridien"!
Is that an adequate way to enjoy a rock n’ roll concert??? Ooops… I’m so selfish, I’ve totally forgotten that it was an event for upper-class French expat who wanna listen to Amélie Poulain’s OST…
Indeed, I think that this guy’s never been to a rock concert… We don’t expect such kinda blabla and ads!!!
Moreover, about this concert, it was typically French-Shanghainese to organize it within the Shanghai Concert Hall: no standing area, only some seats!!!
Comment by atomicskate — 2007-06-27 @ 5:44 pm
Oh yeah, now that you remind me this there was this little fat ass thanking everybody from his hairdresser to the manufacturer of the Kinder he ate that day, and especially a long long advertising speach for Le Meridien (which may be one of the ugliest tower around People Square), and I’m pretty sure it was the same guy. What an asshole !
Comment by hunvreus — 2007-06-28 @ 3:06 am
g rien a dire,a vous de vous faire votre opinion…la video reste une bonne source aussi…http://www.aujourdhuilachine.com/article.asp?IdArticle=3294&IdBloc=1&Commentaires=1mais c interressant comme debat
Comment by legrinch — 2007-06-29 @ 12:15 am
I agree that french consulate should organize better knowing the chinese political regim… For example give bigger red envellope to the right person… or at least lot of alcohol to the police when they come.But, it is still an evidence of how totalitarian China is…. and that is sad….
Comment by killy — 2007-06-29 @ 7:33 pm
legrinch, thanks for this link, but I’ve already read it.
the aim of my post was to tell the story in English, as all this web pages are only in French…
Killy, I think that in this case, Chinese authorities weren’t really wrong. Even in France if you organize a big event and if you don’t have all the authorizations, I think that the Police will come faster than in China in order to stop you.
Comment by atomicskate — 2007-06-29 @ 8:32 pm
They will maybe come (I am even not sure except if it is a rave) But for sure they will not stop this way in the middle of a song, even more if it is organized by the Chinese consulate.
Comment by killy — 2007-06-30 @ 1:52 pm