In Search of the Golden Mountain by Ufrieda Ho
You can fake it till you make it in a city like Jozi. You can build empires out of knockoffs and make a fortune out of fong-kongs.This is the retail story of many Chinese migrants who arrived in Johannesburg in the early and mid-1990s with little more than prospector’s pluck, the balls to bend the rules and the power of ‘Made in China’ labels.
The newcomers have helped give Joburg the distinction of being a city with two Chinatowns.
The first Chinatown sprung up in the 1890s along Commissioner Street in Ferreirasdorp with the mining camps of early Johannesburg as Chinese migrant groups arrived seeking the fortunes of the golden mountain (as Joburg is called in Cantonese). One hundred years later, in the early 1990s, the suburb of Cyrildene has transformed into the city’s second Chinatown.
Chinatown’s offshoots are to be found at China Malls and shopping complexes that have crowded parts of the city with offers of handbags, cellphone covers and plastic knick-knacks you never knew you needed till you saw how cheaply they are priced.
Joburgers love that these days they can eat their way through a yum cha menu of tiny parcels of deliciousness, but are irritated when the waitresses shout too loudly to each other in a language foreign to South African ears. The dynamics of these spaces show up everyone’s hypocrisies and how easy it is to bend to trade-offs. Fast fashion destroys the planet and drives soulless consumption, but R150 for a pretty tunic is too good a deal to turn down.
Joburgers love authentic experiences of the city – even the grit and grime on sad lanterns dangling outside restaurants in Chinatown have a sticky kind of charm. But when the bubble tea vendor says there are no credit card facilities it’s a little too real.
All the while China’s imprint on the continent deepens. China is South Africa’s largest trading partner and it means money and politics drags all of us along for the ride. For the Chinese, regardless of their politics, they’re increasingly visible and increasingly vocal. Suddenly it looks like Chinese people are everywhere – in the gyms, in the casinos and even standing in local elections under the banner of the ruling party, nogal.
Because skin colour speaks before anyone says a word, the story of the Chinese in South Africa is too easily repeated with stereotypes, flimsy context and feeble historical understanding. There’s no nod to the reality that these are ever evolving communities within communities and a cookie-cutter understanding of people is hopeless, even for those who by their looks represent the ubiquity of a ‘Made in China’ label.
But actually, labels deserve smashing and dominance by scale and volume also deserves an antidote. And in this department, Jozi creatives have the perfect remedy.
‘Made in Jozi’ is a statement, pushback and a reason to smile. A way to outsmart behemoths and bleak industrialisation any day. It makes you fall in Iove with the home-grown; cheer on the little guy; and give Joburgers a brand they can claim as their own. It’s also a reminder that even if we can’t all be Chinas, we can all make a little more room for understanding each other.
I Love You I Hate You
The second feature of the book is a collection of 34 short essays by Joburg thinkers, doers, and observers that spell out a complicated relationship with the city. Travel down unexpected paths and grapple with the competing emotions of love and hate that living in Johannesburg inspires. The writers include journalists, novelists, city developers, cultural critics, academics, designers, DJs, and entrepreneurs, edited by Laurice Taitz, publisher and editor of Johannesburg In Your Pocket.
Purchase your copy of I Love You I Hate You here and get the matching T-shirt here.
Save the date: Kirshenbaum will tell the funny, heartfelt, and inspiring story behind I Love You I Hate You at Design Week in Joburg on Thu, Oct 10.
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