Check out the trailer for Beijing Punk: Banned in...

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Check out the trailer for Beijing Punk: Banned in China

In the official view of the country that the Chinese government wants to portray, there is no dissent and therefore there is no punk. But even in a country like China, where dissent against the government can result in extreme punishment, there is a flourishing punk scene, and that scene is what Australian filmmaker Shaun Jefford wanted to uncover.

Punk is as far from the picture of the model Chinese citizen as you can get, and the reason for its appeal to the youth of Beijing. Though not against the law, it is anything but socially acceptable to be a punk in China. Set this against the backdrop of extraordinary state control and you have an environment that is ripe for outrageous rebellion where stakes are as high for the bands as they are for their followers. Flaunting freedom and outrage in public spaces in a country where the Internet and YouTube are still being blocked is hugely seductive. It is this flagrant disrespect for the old, staid and conformist that is stoking the desires of China’s youngest generations. And it can get them arrested.

Via