shanghai brandcity

One of the first impressions in the hyperbusy streets of Shanghai is the omnipresence of brands. However, it is not enough just to claim that Shanghai is a city thriving on the economics of branding. It would even be insufficient to show that the city is branding itself strategically, although of course this is what is happening, and will be happening to a much greater extent next year, with the Expo taking global media presence. But the brand is not just an economic factor here, and not only one present within peoples' lives. Rather, the principles of branding are what defines and structures this city and its culture. The permanent visibility of Volkswagen logos in the mad traffic define the very experience of mobility. Amid the fascinating architectural interactions of skyscrapers in all imaginable forms and sizes, logos are what makes the cityscape readable. And with the frantic play of forms, it seems as if even the creation of architectural forms itself is following the abstract logic of the logo. The Oriental Pearl Tower, I would say, is in fact a logo as much as a building.

While the capitalist rank of the major mega malls might depend on the presence of Western brands, as a whole, it does not seem as if the West is the main point of orientation for Chinese capitalism. The well-criticized logic of Chinese brands copying iconic Western corporate creations, while certainly still happening, is definitely not all there is to the Chinese brand world. Fake Rolex watches here are offered to, and bought by, Westerners. To an extent, China seems to have lost the desire for Western brand imitations. Rather, it is creating its own brand world, with whole malls made up of myriads of apparently hilarious brand names such as "newtiful" or "Successful".

One is tempted to mock and criticize this world of ridiculous wanne-be brands. This, however, would in fact mean to blaim China for its lacking seriousness when it comes to branding. One could also try and think about this from another angle: What if this was an involuntary cultural reflection on the the brand game itself? What if the Chinese version of capitalism has understood that the frantic search for uniqueness in the brand world is always a bit desperate, and therefore ridiculous? What if this new capitalism will in the end be laughing about the seriousness of the late 20th century brand game?

When it does so, then perhaps from a position of ancient wisdom. Searching for an escape from the hyperconsumerist world in central Shanghai, rain and the purposeful design of the People's Park brought me to the Shanghai museum. And what did I encounter there, amid the rich collections of porcelain from the 15th and 16th century? Branding. The different dynasties marked porcelain products, signifying that they were from their time and had been made by their official producers. Each plate, each jar was given the official stamp of the emperor. To signal quality? Surely not. Rather, this "brand" mark connected the triviality of the individual concrete product with the holy sphere of the royal, and therefore, the divine. Branding as the distribution of the divine into the everyday physical world. Sounds very actual today.