My senior thesis, entitled “China Too Cool: Vernacular Innovations and Aesthetic Discontinuity of China”, examines the cultural phenomenon and aesthetic style of "Too Cool": the unoriginal, tacky-cool styles of cultural productions "Made in China." I argued that there is a different kind of creativity involved in making low quality rip-offs, resulting in intriguing aesthetic outcomes. The birth of “Too Cool” is a two-fold phenomenon—a naive layer and a second layer of conscious remaking—and is a result of economic and generational differences in China. By examining aspects of fashion, popular culture, interior and graphic design in the Too Cool style, we gain a more nuanced understanding of Chinese cultural productions. Find the free pdf here and join the discussion, or email me to purchase a print version.
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/4e05ecff-d391-44a6-b056-815adb393ee3/0/0/0/0,0,2550,3300,700,3300/0-0-0/3d8cba7f-1cfa-4b4c-809c-246740827b5c/1/1/china_too_cool-Mar_27_20194.jpg?fjkss=exp=2037484140~hmac=03f5fbc0fbe8772399813b6233dbad7f8c17787cc87f7d8db969040747139ff7)
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/4e05ecff-d391-44a6-b056-815adb393ee3/0/0/0/0,0,2550,3300,700,3300/0-0-0/d578f8d0-aba6-4bd0-bfdf-f601f33703b0/1/1/china_too_cool-Mar_27_20199.jpg?fjkss=exp=2037484140~hmac=03f5fbc0fbe8772399813b6233dbad7f8c17787cc87f7d8db969040747139ff7)
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/4e05ecff-d391-44a6-b056-815adb393ee3/0/0/0/0,0,2550,3300,700,3300/0-0-0/b5640afb-e0f5-4bcd-93a2-a910c6aa8c3f/1/1/china_too_cool-Mar_27_201910.jpg?fjkss=exp=2037484140~hmac=03f5fbc0fbe8772399813b6233dbad7f8c17787cc87f7d8db969040747139ff7)
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/4e05ecff-d391-44a6-b056-815adb393ee3/0/0/0/0,0,2737,1771,700,1771/0-0-0/1b1e1e2a-4501-4a80-9bd6-3458c96ef602/1/1/china_too_cool-book_Page_08.jpg?fjkss=exp=2037484140~hmac=ed2d9f52c068e320a31cd30bf8c0390a5b7ac5116e9f90886aa219e0f6d4976f)
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/4e05ecff-d391-44a6-b056-815adb393ee3/0/0/0/0,0,2550,3300,700,3300/0-0-0/f0b670d9-f653-47fb-a556-29ebf8dd0aba/1/1/china_too_cool-Mar_27_201921.jpg?fjkss=exp=2037484140~hmac=03f5fbc0fbe8772399813b6233dbad7f8c17787cc87f7d8db969040747139ff7)
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/4e05ecff-d391-44a6-b056-815adb393ee3/0/0/0/0,0,2550,3300,700,3300/0-0-0/71743f51-dca0-4cdd-a4c3-9718171c1ef2/1/1/china_too_cool-Mar_27_201922.jpg?fjkss=exp=2037484140~hmac=03f5fbc0fbe8772399813b6233dbad7f8c17787cc87f7d8db969040747139ff7)
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/4e05ecff-d391-44a6-b056-815adb393ee3/0/0/0/0,0,2550,3300,700,3300/0-0-0/38a9c911-6622-439b-bd6b-0bcf57b4e0df/1/1/china_too_cool-Mar_27_201924.jpg?fjkss=exp=2037484140~hmac=03f5fbc0fbe8772399813b6233dbad7f8c17787cc87f7d8db969040747139ff7)
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/4e05ecff-d391-44a6-b056-815adb393ee3/0/0/0/0,0,2550,3300,700,3300/0-0-0/16bcd13c-e622-4840-9981-ab7188dfe594/1/1/china_too_cool-Mar_27_201925.jpg?fjkss=exp=2037484140~hmac=03f5fbc0fbe8772399813b6233dbad7f8c17787cc87f7d8db969040747139ff7)
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/4e05ecff-d391-44a6-b056-815adb393ee3/0/0/0/0,0,2550,3300,700,3300/0-0-0/65693672-50d2-437e-b788-068000691cf6/1/1/china_too_cool-Mar_27_201926.jpg?fjkss=exp=2037484140~hmac=03f5fbc0fbe8772399813b6233dbad7f8c17787cc87f7d8db969040747139ff7)
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/4e05ecff-d391-44a6-b056-815adb393ee3/0/0/0/0,0,1887,1221,700,1221/0-0-0/50db0894-cb85-4b88-935c-5a8238c1f9a4/1/1/china_too_cool-book_Page_17.jpg?fjkss=exp=2037484140~hmac=9e75bfe5f7543c09a4fcad53018e5bda4fa7e2688cecbfff504a253fababa773)
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/4e05ecff-d391-44a6-b056-815adb393ee3/0/0/0/0,0,750,1333,700,1333/0-0-0/78c77328-97e7-4aa9-a176-0e4138d344b3/1/1/IMG_5902_JPG.jpg?fjkss=exp=2037484140~hmac=18773e937cfa83dff285ff10ae7667a6a92031b7cebac0208486910c45a5ed4a)
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/4e05ecff-d391-44a6-b056-815adb393ee3/0/0/0/0,0,2448,3264,700,3264/0-0-0/2d2bd995-f046-4031-84ea-137843cbffcb/1/1/IMG_8016_JPG.jpg?fjkss=exp=2037484140~hmac=21663109cb36aaa4fbe225d90317a59923713a2e573b15b579469ece00343259)
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/4e05ecff-d391-44a6-b056-815adb393ee3/0/0/0/0,0,1080,1440,700,1440/0-0-0/40021b41-8efc-406d-906b-60d62340faad/1/1/IMG_8177_JPG.jpg?fjkss=exp=2037484140~hmac=0a4dc7f49532ac458761ffc7bf94dc26733c09caba7e59ac63ae6df378d84b5e)
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/4e05ecff-d391-44a6-b056-815adb393ee3/0/0/0/0,0,2448,3264,700,3264/0-0-0/f46d8c9c-8416-4ae0-aaf7-1c9cb4456167/1/1/IMG_8804_JPG.jpg?fjkss=exp=2037484140~hmac=21663109cb36aaa4fbe225d90317a59923713a2e573b15b579469ece00343259)