Join us for a special Listening Party with writer and curator Alvin Li, exploring the vibrant and contested terrain of Chinese hip-hop through the lens of multilingualism, identity, and resistance. Drawing from his essay West Side Stories—published in the Slavs and Tatars-led volume The Contest of the Fruits—Li takes us on a journey through the evolution of rap in mainland China and the Uighur region of Xinjiang.

Focusing on how Uighur rappers navigate linguistic hybridity and regional identity within complex sociopolitical conditions, Li presents selected tracks alongside commentary that considers rap as a space for affiliation, storytelling, and resilience. From early underground collectives to the breakout moments of national reality television, this session listens closely to the layered narratives encoded in beat and verse.

“Many rappers from Xinjiang have adopted the term ‘West Side’—not in Uighur or Chinese, but in English—to refer to their home. A clear homage to West Coast hip-hop, this choice signals the global imagination at the heart of Uighur rappers’ efforts to forge a strong regional identity.”
— Alvin Li, West Side Stories

This Listening Party is presented as part of the public programme for Slavs and Tatars: The Contest of the Fruits at esea contemporary, and continues the exhibition’s engagement with language politics, humour, and the subversive potential of vernacular culture.

Booking is essential, as spaces are limited.