One billion invisible Chinese.

This one isn’t about advertising; rather its a forwarded email I got from Andrew (my biz partner), which he got from his sister in Australia (now you know my content sources). In it is a Chinese man named Liu Bo Lin that literally paints himself into the background. It’s pretty cool in a weird sort of way; so I figured I’d post it and share this Friday after-work oddity with you.

Digging a bit deeper than the obvious entertainment value; we can see glimpses of the Chinese point of view, particularly if you’re on the lower rung of society; feelings of invisibility as the engine of capitalism zooms by; feeling faded into the background, unable to move, unable to catch progress as it sweeps up your “betters” and takes them to the “promise land”.

Just one of one billion; now you see him, now you don’t.

China's advanced new road blocks spurt fountains of blood when you run into them.

Another common scene in China... except for the ghost man in the middle.

Talking to this guy is like talking to a brick wall.

Redefining "wallflower".

Hopefully no one tries to board this gap anytime soon.

Even the invisible man can't hide from the Chinese government.

This one is great; took me awhile to find him

Related Posts:

1. China Consumer Profile; “Young Digital Fashionistas” “Young Digital Fashionista” is a young Chinese girl with college education. She has an average yearly income of RMB 63,420 (USD 9,342), which is considered to be a high income in China; this allows her to “spoil” herself. She...
2. Prying Open Chinese Wallets. I was sent an article today from the author of buzzandthecity; it was a link to a FT article titled “China Goes Shopping” wherein Chinese are described as “penny pinching, ruthless, suspicious shoppers”. One key excerpt from the article caught...
3. My logo is bigger than your logo! The culture of Chinese consumerism. One billion material girls… for the single man, both a blessing and a curse. China consumes 25% of the world’s luxury goods; this surpasses every country, even the US. When considering its per capita income of USD 2000 (I’m...
4. The Meta-Reality of China Advertising. About a month ago, I presented my general thoughts and impression on advertising in China at NextStep @ The Factory. This post is a recreation of that 20 minute presentation; I’ll cover the point of branding, how it applies to...
5. Biotherm; Ubrupt Social Media Campaign. China social media campaigns come in two flavors; the rare flavor of a sustainable campaign that pulls rewards over the course of years; and the more common flavor of one-off promotions. Obviously the sustainable version is better; one off promotions,...

Tagged as: Advertising, Arts and Entertainment, Asia, Australia, China, government, Painting, Road