'Let’s show the world how strong China is!'

The Chinese aren't really instigating a mass naked protest. So who's behind this ironic ad?

The caption reads "Let's show the world how strong China is! We, the Chinese workers, are going in to battle stark naked. We can overcome every difficulty."

"The idea is to get people talking about the miserable situation factory workers are in"

Tian Hong is the artist behind the ad. He's creative director of Brand Voice agency.

The people most affected by the crisis are factory workers. I put a naked person in the poster to show that they've hardly got anything left. Why did I choose a woman? Because I think that women are the weakest in the face of the current crisis. It was also to be non-conventional and to get people's attention.

I first published the poster on the Xici Hutong forum and a lot of people started talking about it. But then I took it off because I have a particular style and I don't want to make a big fuss. I would like to put it on show another time however, at exhibitions or in private showrooms.

I'm thinking of making other non-commercial ads on the crisis. Maybe videos, animation and poster campaigns. The idea is to get people to talk about the miserable situation factory workers are in; to get people to hear them and support them. In their case, the social security system is not good enough."

Comments

It might be a much more

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Tue, 24/03/2009 - 04:59.

It might be a much more powerful message if it wasn't such a sexy woman. This will make jaws drop, but not for the reasons the artist intended.

Unregistered user

She's supposed to be sexy

Submitted by joe (not verified) on Wed, 08/04/2009 - 22:31.

Yeah I think the artist wanted this women to be sexy. It's definately more eye catching and it doesn't really take away from the message at all.

Unregistered user

The hotter she is, the

Submitted by how to build a fence (not verified) on Wed, 25/03/2009 - 08:19.

The hotter she is, the better =)

I'm not sure if our author would be able to get away with such a harsh looking picture. China has extremely strict policies about company and government bashing so unfortunately he can't do anything that is too provacative (Sorry I spelt that word wrong).

Unregistered user

I feel upset. to be honest,

Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Mon, 23/03/2009 - 17:30.

I feel upset. to be honest, it is nothing about the financial crisis. and I'm sure at least one reason, why you took it off from the website in China, is because it is unacceptable there at all for most of us,Chinese.
Losing job is a difficulty which is too serious to thinking about sex for those chinese people. You are probably very rich in China.

Unregistered user

Angry Black Woman!

Submitted by Unregistered user on Mon, 23/03/2009 - 12:46.

This has definately got my attention and what is the hell does he mean that "women are the weakest in the face of the current crisis." this actually bites into my skin, am not an extreme feminist, but this will take me to a different level. Why not use a man for the advert?
Men are the ones who are cracking under the pressure, isnt Hong reading the news, this is an insult to the chinese womn, and if the poster is what chinese women feels that befits them, so be it, but not the strong African woman, that is not how we feel, we are survivors and this is nothing new.
Non-cmmercial ads my foot. These is a another way of talking about the situation and not by demeaning women.
Hong wanted to sell his ad, why didnt he try Playboy and not pin it to the economy in crisis,

Angry Black Woman.

Unregistered user

Women and labour clarification

Submitted by Sophie Team ... on Mon, 23/03/2009 - 12:59.

In response to "Angry Black Woman",

Although Tian Hong's comment is his own opinion, I'd just like to clarify that by saying "women are the weakest in the face of the current crisis", he is referring to the fact that hard labour workers are the most affected by the crisis, and in China, more women work labour positions than men. Therefore I don't think he was trying to pay any insult to women; only say that women have been worse affected by men in numbers.

I'll leave your other points open to debate!

Sophie Team Observers