Speaker: Yu Gong is a Beijing-based producer and strategist working on creative, commercial and research projects. Her research focuses on the intersection of digital media and urban China. Previously She has worked with VICE, Oligvy, Unilever and L’Oreal. She was also a participant in The Terraforming think tank at the Strelka Institute of Media, Architecture and Design in Moscow.

Abstract: Documentaries about subcultures is an important genre of non-fiction content in the media landscape of China. Ya (亚) has become an adjective that embeds a holistic understanding of subcultures and styles. However, being a media practitioner, telling authentic and original story in an environment with complex social values remains a challenging task. In this public lecture, Yu Gong will share her experience of being a cultural content producer in China. By comparing the development of cultural documentaries in the West and in China, this lecture will offer an insight into how masculinity and consumer culture have been (re)defining subcultures and its reproduction.