Helping Chinese Rural Communities Through *Fair* Fair Trade

This Saturday from 1 to 5 pm at Argo, a social enterprise network called brandnü will hold Beijing's "first ethical trade fair." You may be familiar with the concept of "fair trade," a public-spirited means of stimulating the local economies of developing countries and promoting environmentally friendly practices. So what exactly is "ethical trade fair"?

Well, essentially the same thing.

"We cannot call it 'fair trade' because fair trade is a sensitive topic in China," says brandnü founder Nathan Zhang. "It doesn't exist (here). It's not ready yet. There's no system, so that's why we call it 'ethical trade.'"

But by whatever name, the concept is similar: take products and handicrafts from rural artisans -- mostly women, in this case (the "nü" of brandnü represents the character for "woman") -- and sell it at "urban prices." The profit margin gets funneled back to the creators. "It's for-profit, but to benefit other people," Zhang says, adding that those in China who have tried doing "fair trade" in the past have come short of international standards -- sometimes they take a bit more of the cut, or use too many of their own handicrafts instead of ones from rural producers.

"(Nathan's) invested so much of his time and energy into the project, it's exciting to see it about to take off," says Joanna Wong, a veteran of NGO and charity work who's transitioning into social enterprise. She and Nicholas Pope have helped plan and coordinate Saturday's event from the beginning. "It represents a long-term collaboration between brandnü and some of China's most inspiring producers of ethically sourced and eco-friendly products."

On display will be shoes, clothes, accessories and other items from more than a dozen producers. The trade fair is done in collaboration with artists, fashion designers and charities, so it also presents a networking opportunity for those interested in social enterprise or NGO work. The event's highlight is a 3 pm talk by Wu Qing, a former English professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University who is a women's rights advocate and 2001 recipient of "Asia's Nobel Prize," the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service.

"I call her a Chinese punk," Zhang says about the 73-year-old. "She doesn't look that way, but she believes in herself, she believes in good things and she works for that and fights for that. She's really a hero.

"I've brought Wu Qing to the expat community (before), and they get so inspired. They're so surprised China has such a figure, this person who has such big ideas. I've told Wu Qing I want to bring her voice to everybody I can -- that's my duty. (People) need this kind of voice."

Zhang is well situated to expose people like Wu to greater audiences. He is, if ever there were one, a connector who bridges disparate communities. Born in Liaoning Province, Zhang trained as an engineer and had a comfortable job as a power plant electrician when he abruptly quit in 1993. "I think I'm the first person to ever quit a government job in 1993 in my factory," he jokes -- though he's serious. He enrolled in Jinzhou Teacher College to learn English, and three years later opened a restaurant. One day -- as these things have a way of happening -- a woman walked through his restaurant's door and changed his life. She was Terry, a Canadian teaching English, his future wife.

After a stint in Shanghai, the couple lived in Canada for nine years. Terry enrolled at Toronto's York University in a Master's program that focused on the life of Ling Shuhua, a passionate 20th century female writer who gained some added posthumous renown when a 1999 erotic novel documented an alleged affair she had with Virginia Woolf's nephew. Through Terry, Zhang discovered his own interest in women's issues.

The two returned to China in August 2008, to Beijing, a city that had always held a special place in their hearts. (Zhang's first visit was as a 17-year-old in June 1989, when it was still forbidden to walk across Tiananmen Square; he exploited a loophole in the garrison and hired a pedicab to bike him across.) Zhang worked briefly as a TV director at Zebra Media, which gave him a Rolodex of contacts within the media. Then, about a year ago, he opened brandnü (No. 61 West Wudaoying Hutong), a tiny one-room handicraft store that gradually became a hub for designers and artists from both the Chinese and expat communities.

"When I opened the shop, I didn't really plan anything," Zhang says. His store still hasn't turned much, if any, profit, and its existence owes partly to the generosity of donors like Dominic Johnson-Hill of Plastered T-shirts. But as Zhang built more connections, he realized he could do more. "I'm the only person who can do this (trade fair)," he says. "I know East, West, I know the media, the charities, I know the donors, the receivers, and I know designers and I know the rural women."

As an example, he recently collaborated with artist Wen Fang on an exhibition called "Textile Dreams," which raised money for Ningxia's women embroiderers. Wen, who studied in Paris and is well known in France, used Zhang's English-speaking contacts to widen her scope.

Nowadays, Zhang finds himself with too many plans. "I'm just starting. I'm really just starting," he says. "After one year, I know where I need to go."

As for fair trade and his current project: "I want to bring public awareness that this is doable, it has a future, if we work together."

Beijing's first ethical trade fair begins this Saturday at 1 pm on the rooftop terrace of Argo (59 Wudaoying Hutong).