Liwai Intercultural Action
It is a platform that promotes various intercultural activities focused on the Chinese community in Madrid. It is an important reference point for the Chinese diaspora in Spain. The association Liwai is based in Madrid. Founded in 2019, it is comprised of an interdisciplinary team of young professionals of Chinese origin residing in Madrid. Its philosophy and work methodology are based on intercultural mediation. Its goal is to serve as a liaison between the Chinese community and the rest of society.
After the inauguration of the First Meeting of the Chinese Diaspora in Spain, held in March 2019, Liwai began a long journey of collective creation in the Matadero Madrid Artist Residency Center (CRA). During the three years (2020-2023) of its residency as a research and action collective, working with a group of professionals of Chinese origin, Liwai has been able to form an artistic and creative community focused on Chinese people, carrying out a variety of actions based on interculturality and interdisciplinarity: artistic, cultural, social, and educational. It has carried out most of its cultural activities in a continuous and systematic manner with the aim of creating spaces for encounter, support, reflection, and creation from and for the Chinese diaspora in Madrid and Spain.
During this process, several have been created ssubgroups, such as:
- Group of young artists of Chinese origin
- Intercultural Mediation Platform
- Support group for teenagers of Chinese origin
- Group of young adopted Chinese creators in Madrid.
Several have also been created virtual subgroups to facilitate organization and communication and, in addition, explore other lines of action and create subcommunities.
In addition to its own projects, Liwai also produces various co-productions and collaborations with artistic collectives and projects from the Chinese diaspora in Spain.
I am the co-founder of Liwai, along with my partner Yue Fu. Over the years, we have created a cultural platform and an active network of communication and action for the Chinese diaspora in Madrid. Within the group of young artists we have formed, numerous connections and exchanges have been established, and collaborations have emerged outside of the activities we have carried out through Liwai at the CRA, as well as subgroups to create Chinese subcommunities within this cartography. The movements they generate are quite active and participatory. The young people of the Chinese diaspora in Spain are creating their own culture and identity in various ways.
Co-production projects:
2021-2023
Photographic project Bamboo roofLucía Sun, Elena Pascual, and Ying Kirkpatrick. The project was created with the aim of showcasing the diverse realities experienced by Chinese women in order to break down normalized prejudices and stereotypes.
2023
Performance What do you see when you see blue?Emily Sun, Julio Hu Chen, and Run Xin Zhou. This is an experimental piece that combines distance, silence, and strangeness as axes of the racialization of diasporic and East Asian bodies in Spain. They seek to weave a personal archive of memories and emotions into everyday life, emphasizing the importance of improvisation and sound.
2021-2023
Activities hanfu – Traditional Chinese Clothing (2021-2023). Co-organized by Bixia Xu (Liulian). This is a meeting place for people passionate about Chinese culture. hanfu (汉服) and traditional Chinese culture.
Collaborative actions with the Chinese diaspora:
2019-2023
Chinese Diaspora Network in Spain
This is a self-managed network made up of groups of Chinese origin. We organized the 我们, 我们 / wŏmen wŏmen, the 1st Meeting of the Chinese Diaspora in Spain in 2019. We also counted on the support of member groups in organizing the 我们, 我们 / wŏmen wŏmen, the 2nd Meeting of the Chinese Diaspora in Spain in 2022.
27-01-2023
Liwai x Queering All (01-27-2023. 6-8 p.m. CRA)
Although feminist humor is gaining ground in China, it also receives criticism for the deeply rooted misogyny of a patriarchal society. In this discussion, we discuss feminine humor and the performance of Chinese female comedians from a gender perspective. We sought to create a free space for sharing and discussion so that everyone's voices could be heard.
09-12-2022
Liwai x Salon 2+2 (09-12-2022. 18-20 h. CRA)
It was the first activity of our collaboration on “The power of live singing and the playback unbridled”. In it we talk and debate a phenomenon that is very present in the music market: lip syncing or playbackIt was an event led by Laomu, a Chinese-born musician with a long career in the industry and organizer of the Salón 2+2 discussion groups.
Gallery
Liwai CRA Dossier
Liwai's Actions and Projects Dossier (2023). Presenting the design and content designed by Valeria Xu for the Liwai Residency Closing Party. in July 2023.
