The Makings of China's Hackerspace Community
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Forum communiTy + cuLTure Community + Culture features practitioner perspectives on designing technologies for and with communities. We highlight compelling projects and provocative points of view that speak to both community technology practice and the interaction design field as a whole. Christopher A. Le Dantec Created in China: The Makings of China’s Hackerspace Community Silvia Lindtner University of California, Irvine | [email protected] David Li XinCheJian | [email protected] Hackerspaces are shared studios In September 2010, China’s first that bring together people commit- hackerspace opened its doors ted to the free and open sharing of in Shanghai under the name software and hardware, as well as XinCheJian 新车间 (literal transla- ideas and knowledge. As of April tion: new workshop, or new factory). 2012, there are more than 500 active Only a year after the founding of hackerspaces in existence world- XinCheJian, the Shanghai govern- wide, making them a global phe- ment announced a call for proposals nomenon [1]. A typical studio will be to build 100 “innovation houses” equipped with tools that allow for (chuangxin wu 创新屋) to be sup- experimenting with the physical/ ported by government funding. digital boundary—laser cutters, 3-D Although the official document [4] printers, microcontroller kits, and described this initiative as part of so forth. Many hackerspaces also a larger effort to build a citywide host educational workshops where platform for supporting popular sci- these tools are used to teach others ence work and innovation, national about manipulating the physical and international media inter- environment through software, or preted this move as an endorse- vice versa. The global hackerspace ment of China’s fledgling maker movement has helped proliferate a culture by Chinese politicians. “maker culture” that revolves around What is going on here? What both technological and social prac- motivated politicians in China to tices of creative play, peer produc- support the growth of a community tion, a commitment to open source that has come to be known for its principles, and a curiosity about the commitments to a do-it-yourself inner workings of technology [2,3]. (DIY) approach toward making tech- nologies and to the free and open ! Figure 1. Promotional flyers for the exchange of knowledge? How does HAXLr8r program. maker culture manifest itself in communiTy + cuLTure Forum China, where “making” in the DIY Making Community for its acceptance of DARPA fund- sense collides with China’s image as The establishment of XinCheJian ing for an educational mentoring the world’s largest manufacturer? in Shanghai marked the beginning program aimed at bringing “the Here we explore what goes into of a nascent community in China practices of making into education making a hackerspace commu- committed to both the techno- and [to] extend the maker move- nity in China today. In doing so, logical and ideological processes of ment into schools” [8]. Altman’s we debunk two common myths: free and open source software. It concern was a principled one, based first, that maker culture is inher- consists of six hackerspaces across on tying the maker movement, a ently apolitical, and second, that the cities of Nanjing, Shanghai, grassroots organization, to the goals innovation is limited to so-called Beijing, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, and of the defense industry and the U.S. post-industrial or developed regions Haerbing. Their members share military [9]. Altman recently toured functioning on the principle that ideas across several mailing lists, through China, where he promoted wealth production comes from collaborate on projects, and attend hackerspaces as community spaces “ideas, knowledge, skills, talent or organize international technol- that bring together people who are and creativity” [5]. Our explora- ogy and arts events. For example, committed to doing “what they love tions are based on a two-year col- in April of this year, they orga- doing,” even if it might entail giving laboration between the co-authors nized the first Mini Maker Faire in up a secure job and taking some that unfolded through a series of Shenzhen and a maker carnival in risks: “Hackerspaces are supportive engagements, including ethno- Beijing that drew participants from communities for people to explore graphic research, the organization China and abroad. what they love… You might find and attendance of workshops and Members of the growing scene that if you love what you are doing, conferences in the field of DIY and are not only into making and you can make a living off of it. The maker practice [6], and exchanges remaking technologies, organizing Internet is all fine, it’s a great tool. through emails and social network- workshops, and showcasing their But it’s not real community. When ing sites. This ongoing collaboration work to others, but also are actively people come together in physical includes members of XinCheJian engaged with political debates. For places and share what they love, as well as people in our network in example, the announcement by the magical things happen. That hap- and beyond China [7]. Shanghai government to support pens all day long and all year round One of the points we make is that the establishment of hackerspaces in a hackerspace.” For Altman, establishing a hackerspace in China as innovation houses has been the hackerspaces have the potential to is necessarily entangled in both the subject of heated debate. At the independently sustain themselves, nation’s wider economic and politi- maker carnival in Beijing, Ricky because first, they have access to a cal transformations and the global Ng-Adam, one of the co-founders of global community of like-minded maker culture. The story of setting XinCheJian, initiated a discussion people who support one another, up a hackerspace in China is not about the official announcement, and second, they know how to make about the linear transfer of knowl- proposing that it “only focuses on technologies that can be sold direct- edge and tools from the West to the the tools and physical space without ly to the consumer, rather than East. On the contrary, the story of consideration for the community— depending on institutional funding. China’s hackerspace community the aspect which ought to be the What the co-founders of the two critiques such a view and highlights most prevalent.” hackerspaces share, despite working how technologies and values are Financial sustainability is a con- within different economic and polit- sites of negotiation, remaking, and stant issue for hackerspaces and the ical regions, is a careful attention constant appropriation as they are subject of continuous reflection. The to the social and cultural processes translated into particular local set- Chinese hackerspaces are not the of making technologies. They put tings. By looking at hackerspace first to wrestle with how and when as much emphasis on the writing developments in a place like China, to seek or accept support from insti- of code as on the creation of com- 2012 December + November where commercial hardware manu- tutions. Mitch Altman, one of the munity, social cohesion, and critical facturing provides employment for co-founders of a hackerspace in San reflection on their practices. many, we provide an alternative Francisco and a long-term member By “making community,” then, we perspective on dominant stories of of the U.S.-based maker community, stress the importance of consider- innovation and peer production. sharply criticized O’Reilly Media ing the relationship between the interactions 19 Forum communiTy + cuLTure The story of setting up a hackerspace in making of things (e.g., the work that ate their work today. Rather than China is not about the goes into setting up a physical hack- focusing on a European or American erspace, the acquisition and making history of counterculture, however, of tools and digital and electronic they leverage China’s past and its linear transfer of objects) and the making of meaning current role in global manufactur- (e.g., reflecting on what it means to ing. In particular, they propose that knowledge and tools make these things in the first place). many factories in China have long Reflective engagement with things sustained their low-cost production such as DARPA or Shanghai govern- through the open source sharing of from the West to ment funding show that—contrary resources and ideas within a net- to common perceptions—maker work of hardware manufacturers. the East. On the culture is all but apolitical. Maker For members of hackerspaces in culture in China’s hackerspaces, China, this means that open source similar to hackerspaces elsewhere, production has been around all contrary, the story of possesses a strong engagement with along, albeit out of economic neces- contemporary politics and debates sity rather than motivated by coun- China’s hackerspace over both societal and technological tercultural sentiment. issues, such as freedom of expres- China’s hackerspaces see them- sion, innovation, and what counts as selves as hubs that bring together community critiques post-industrial. these two cultures of making: maker culture and the countercultural sen- such a view and Remaking Innovation timents of the U.S. and Europe on While China’s hackerspaces partici- the one side, and open source man- pate in the global maker culture, ufacturing in China on the other. highlights how commitments to working beyond Their ultimate goal is to remake existing institutional frames and what innovation means for China. technologies and a DIY approach toward technology Shanzhai—open source of another production take on unique forms. kind. Shenzhen is most widely values are sites of Maker culture is often associ- known as home to the Foxconn ated with a critical, hands-on factories, where firms like Apple, approach toward challenging the Hewlett-Packard, Intel, and negotiation, remaking, status quo.