Part of the Spittoon Arts Collective archive. Spittoon chapters across mainland China, 2017–2021.
Beyond Beijing and Chengdu
As Spittoon grew, the model spread. By 2021, regular events were running in six Chinese cities outside Beijing. Each chapter developed its own character while sharing the same founding principle: bring people together, give them a stage, see what happens.
Shanghai
Spittoon Shanghai hosted events including the MEGACITY Shanghai day on December 8, 2019 at Bohemia on Hengshan Lu. The programme included a Beijing Lights presentation, a literary pub quiz and Meet the Lit Mags — a showcase featuring eight China-based English-language publishers. Co-organised with the Shanghai Writing Workshop, Spittoon Shanghai also hosted Spittunes events in collaboration with The Shanghai Literary Review.
Hangzhou
MEGACITY Hangzhou ran on December 7, 2019, in collaboration with the Hangzhou Writers Association at Shang Cheng craft beer bar. A full-day event including open mic, writing workshops, paint and sip, and networking. Both Chinese and international participants took part — one of the clearest expressions of Spittoon’s cross-cultural reach.
Xi’an
Xi’an became an active Spittoon chapter by at least March 2021, participating in the MADNESS themed month — a coordinated series of events running simultaneously across five cities around a shared theme.
Shenzhen
Spittoon Shenzhen was confirmed active by January 2021, listed among the six cities running concurrent programming in Spittoon’s Tale of 6 Cities series.
Dali
Spittoon Dali participated in the MADNESS themed month in March 2021 — one of the more unexpected outposts in the network, reflecting Dali’s long-standing reputation as a haven for artists and writers in southwest China.
Read the Archive
Articles and event write-ups from Spittoon’s China-wide programming — republished from the original WeChat archive.
matthew-byrne.com 