Elsie Chen in Washington and Dake Kang in Beijing collaborated around the world to give a glimpse into an often-secretive subculture of techno-music raves that are suddenly booming and thumping in the dark hallways and tunnels of China.
While much has been written about the pressures young Chinese face from an ailing economy and an increasingly rigid, competitive society, Chen and Kang’s story showed how some are seeking to escape and rebel with rare spaces of pure, unfettered fun.
Through brightly written scenes, video and photos, the story took readers along on several raves that are hastily planned to elude the scrutiny of authorities who have little patience for unsanctioned social gatherings. That included one rave in a red-lit, abandoned air raid shelter, where revelers holding booze and cigarettes swayed to pounding techno beats below a big screen rolling through quotations from Chairman Mao.
Often called “ye di,” or “wild dances,” the raves signal resistance to the narrowly prescribed future their society expects of them. Chinese youth culture has been swept by a series of viral slang terms to describe frustration and hopelessness over the brutal 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week work schedule many companies demand.
Said one rave organizer, the gatherings are about “refusing to be disciplined by society.”
Chen, a Nieman fellow in Washington, hatched the idea after participating in such raves in China herself during the COVID-19 pandemic. She spoke with several organizers she contacted online before one finally wrote back to say he would welcome AP to his raves.
Across 12 times zones, Chen coordinated with all-formats journalist Kang to attend a rave in China’s northeastern rustbelt city of Changchun. Kang was there from start to finish, interviewing a colorful cast of characters, including firefighters, art students and civil servants moonlighting as DJs, and ending the night at 4 a.m., chowing down on roasted cicadas and grilled skewers.
The judges were impressed with how the story deftly wove in the politics and targeted insight about China along the way.
For a smart collaboration that offered a rare look at a rebellious subculture among the young people of China, Chen and Kang earn this week’s Best of the AP — Second Winner.
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