Best China Blog Awards Winners : A Chinalyst interview with This Ridiculous World

Another chance for you to meet some of the bloggers behind the blogs that won the Best China Blog Awards 2008 as we ask them to tell us a little bit about themselves and their blogs. This time it's with "This Ridiculous World" that made it to 3rd place in the Best General Blog category.

Background

Blog : This Ridiculous World

Slogan : The best and only source for up to the minute nonpartisan coverage, interviews, and information concerning the still waging War on Dreams.

About the blogger (from the blog) : "We are two twenty-something expats adventuring under the guise of teaching English and hoping to find a lucrative niche in the world of blogs. So far we have made a little under three dollars in a little over a year. Everything on this blog is written or captured by us unless otherwise mentioned."

About the blog (from the blog) : "A humorous social commentary blog currently based in China. We consider our efforts to be an honest attempt towards the explanation of life in this ridiculous world. Updated daily with the finest writing and photographs this side of the Brooks Range, This Ridiculous World is the perfect place to gain an understanding of the world’s most populated nation."

Blogging platform : Self-hosted Wordpress

Age : 25

Years blogging : 2

Years in China : 5-8 years

Originally from : Alaska and Washington (state), USA

 The interview

What was your main motivating force to start writing your own blog?

In the fall of 2007 we transplanted ourselves from the clean air and quiet of the American Northwest to Hubei, Yichang, a city better known to both foreigners and nationals as "the city by the big dam." The night we arrived (after spending one night in a brightly-painted, cramped, tv, bed, ripped-towel, bathroom-is-a-shower Beijing hotel room near the airport) was Mid Autumn Festival. We laid in bed watching as the vibrations from the fireworks loosen clumps of dust on our light fixture. It fell like snow, dancing through the beam of the single operating light bulb. The windows rattled, loose in their sills, and a strange smell permeated from the pillows. At around 3 AM, when we'd finally drifted off to sleep, a spider jumped onto my face from the ceiling. 2 hours later, simultaneously as though started at the jump of the conductor's wand, the metal-smithing shop outside our window and the remodeling one floor above began a melodic cacophony of sledgehammers, electric saws, and welding. We looked around for an outlet through which to share the ridiculousness and though we knew nothing about blogs (Blogger was blocked and we didn't know about web portals or proxies) it seemed like a good, easy solution.

What is your blog mainly about? Please tell us a little bit about the general topics you usually discuss in your blog.

Everything we post is original - meaning that it is either written, captured, or drawn by the two of us - unless otherwise mentioned. Our goal is to present the world as we see it - as a place that is often completely illogical. We do so through satire, mockery, or just plain silliness, as we've found that humor is generally more appreciated than serious criticism. The overall concept of This Ridiculous World is that everything can be interpreted in endless ways. Naturally, we have found that we have a tendency to focus on certain things: garbage, noise, architecture, art, false progress, etc.

What does blogging mean to you? What importance or contribution does your blog have, if any, to yourself or the community?

We hope that people see our blog and begin to notice the ridiculousness that surrounds them in their worlds. It really is everywhere and when you're thinking about it, it's easy to find.

How did your blogging help promote you personally? (either professionally, by reputation, additional direct/indirect income or similar)

So far it's made us about $3.40 USD. Maybe we're doing it wrong.

How much freedom do you feel you have to discuss what you care about in your blog? Are some topics more sensitive than others? Do you include personal details and stories in your blog? Why?

We tend to mock ideologies and we often allude to political themes using extremely vague language, allusions, or absurdly unrelated references. This allows the reader to decide the meaning of the post, and if they get offended it's their own fault. We don't consciously censor ourselves, or fear any sort of repercussions because nothing we say is too inflammatory - at least not explicit enough to be taken as so.

We avoid putting personal details in our blog, not from fear of political repercussions but because our blog isn't a journal of our experiences or opinions, and we teach high school students who are often far too interested in our personal lives. Also, it is interesting to see which posts people assume are written by a woman or by a man.

How would you generally describe the Chinese expat blogosphere? Do you personally know any other China expat bloggers? In your opinion, what contribution or role does the China expat blogosphere have, if any?

We're relatively new to the China expat blogosphere. Last year we were a little too isolated to discover much beyond the Shanghaist and the other big news type English blogs. So far the community seems very supportive and perhaps even to have a higher average IQ than most other corners of the internet. People all over the world are curious about contemporary China and, until recently, have had very limited and often biased outlets for this discovery. English language blogs written by expats living around China have a lot of potential to show the world a little more than they'd otherwise see.

Do you have any favorite blogs about China you would like to recommend?

Xinjiang: Far West China offers a good glimpse of a far away place and of course My Laowai is pretty entertaining. We're still discovering new blogs all the time. Check out our link page to find more.

How did you first make the decision to arrive in China?

Honestly I think it had to do with one keg of beer too many and watching our friends fall one by one into horribly banal "career path" jobs.

What do you think about life in China, the Chinese people and Chinese culture? How would you generally describe your experience in China?

In our experience, Chinese people are like people everywhere else - many are very kind; others are not. I don't know if it's because we're young and more confused than most foreigners but it seems like everywhere we go someone giggles at us. Maybe this is typical but generally it gives the impression that Chinese people, especially the very old and very young, understand that a lot about their country is ridiculous.

What advice would you give new bloggers in China?

Don't try to fit in, write what you want and whatever you need to to keep yourself sane.

What advice would you give someone considering coming to work, study or live in China?

In our experience things are usually not quite what they are presented to be, and contracts are not always definitive. If you can find humor in this you will do fine and maybe even enjoy yourself.

^_^ Thanks, guys, for taking the time to share your world with us. Keep writing.