Commuting on the Metro is a crashing bore, so the city is
creating some cultural fare. There's a bit of poetry, a mini-series
and snippets about the Olympics, Expo 2010, even lonely
oldsters.
For the past decade, people have been oohing and aahing over
Shanghai's hurtling progress and its monuments to glittering
urbanization, especially its Metro lines.
Eight operating lines stretch 234 kilometers and carry about
three million people a day. By the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, 11
lines will cover 400 kilometers - a distance that took the New York
and London undergrounds a century to achieve.
But commuting is still a crashing bore. Commutes are crowded and
noisy, people push and shove. If it isn't downright difficult, the
commute is dreary and boring, except for the occasional roaming
singer. Still, think how many millions of hours are spent surviving
the ride, just getting from A to B every day.
Tunnel travelers need treats to tide them over during their
tedious journey, and they are beginning to get some.
Passengers can read translations of foreign poetry, watch
cartoons about two kids and Leon the frog, follow a plotless
feel-good mini-series, and take in interesting public service
posters. Another made-for-Metro mini series is likely this year,
and there will be a flood of new posters by top advertising
agencies.
Metro culture is well developed in some Western countries that
nurture artistic Metro stations, themed frescoes, events and
roaming singers. That's still a far way off in China, but it's not
the end of the line.
The mini series "A Sunny Day" debuted last November and its 40
episodes recently finished screening in subway cars and on
platforms. It's about the daily good deeds and kind characters
around the Metro and offices nearby. It received generally
favorable reviews, though some found it vapid and lacking plot or
real interest.
The series produced by Digital Media Group stars actor Huang
Xiaoming and singer Elise Liao.
Huang plays a roaming subway singer.
"The character has a music dream like me," Huang said in an
early interview. "He discovers the good nature among the strangers
who take Metro lines every day."
Each episode lasts three minutes, about the interval between
trains. They were shown four times each hour: It's estimated the
series is seen by more than half a million commuters each day. Many
Netizens like the light-hearted fare, while some say it's hard to
hear over the Metro noise.
In March, viewers can go to a party where they can share their
own Metro stories with the cast. Party information is posted in
subways and on screens; commuters can send an SMS if they want to
attend.
Later this month nearly 1,000 public-interest poster ads will be
put on trains and platforms.
The exhibition is co-organized by Shanghai Shentong JCDecaux
Metro Advertising Co Ltd and Getty Images, the official photo
agency for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The images are eye-catching, satirical and humorous, designed by
17 global advertising agencies such as the JWT Group and Bartle
Bogle Hegarty.
Posters cover aspects of the Beijing Olympics, the 2010 World
Expo in Shanghai, health tips, the dangers of drinking and driving,
global warming, saving water, and the needs of elderly people
living alone, among many other topics.
"We hope this special and creative 'gallery' on Metro lines can
record the changes in our lives, promote a green lifestyle and
arouse public concern about people in need," says Xu Yanfei, deputy
general manager of Getty Images China.
Zhang Lei, 26, takes the Metro for nearly an hour each day from
her home in suburban Songjiang District to her job at a jewelry
trading company in Xujiahui. She says the made-for-Metro mini
series is a good idea but the story is too simple.
"It also has too much promotion about its sponsor, a beverage
brand," she adds. "In each episode the main characters will drink a
bottle of it."
Improvements are expected in the next mini-series. Experts and
audiences suggest more suspense and open endings that allow
passengers to decide the conclusion, voting by SMS, online or on
touch-screens.
Inspired by the mini-series, some young commuters hope to
express themselves in an original Metro short film contest, and
that's under consideration.
"I can see unhappy faces whenever I take the Metro," says Xu
Liang, a 21-year-old college student. "That inspires me to make a
short hilarious comedy to relieve their pressure."
According to Philip Wong, spokesman for Digital Media Group,
traditional media such as radio, television, print and the Internet
still cannot satisfy people living in fast-paced modern
society.
"We will present more interactive programs on this new
alternative media," he says. "Productions will also be uploaded
onto the Internet and there will be instant feedback from Internet
workshops."
Professor Gu Xiaoming from Fudan University says that since the
Metro has become part of Shanghai life, ingenious subway cultural
programs and entertainment have a potentially huge audience.
"It is a good sign that Metro operators and culture agencies are
becoming aware of this," he says. "People are likely to feel
depressed and tired when the train is running through the dark
Metro tunnel."
He suggests immediate living and shopping information in the
carriages, and a multimedia tour for visitors.
(Shanghai Daily January 22, 2008)