Beijing’s long list of expat departures just added another name; American Charlotte White, known by many as ‘Mistress of Rumble,’ announced she will leave the Chinese capital.
The announcement was made via the WeChat Official Account RumbleintheJumbleBJ in a post published on June 20.
White – an artist, writer, voice actor, linguist and, most of all, a pop-up event organizer – has been involved in Rumble in the Jumble since the event’s founding in Beijing six years ago. Having started out as a vendor at the very first Rumble event, she has been in charge of Rumble for the past several years and garnered quite a reputation, hence her very apt nickname.
For those not in the know, Rumble in the Jumble is a pop-up bazaar where all sorts of vendors – artists, crafters, foodies, second-hand sellers, tattoo artists, fortune tellers, animal rescuers, etc. – can be found. The event usually takes place once or twice a month in a bar somewhere in Beijing.
In White’s words, Rumble is not just a bazaar, but is also an “ever-evolving network of small businesses” in which everyone “supports one another in their respective creative and philanthropic endeavors.”
However, with COVID restrictions coming and going, it’s been a tough time for Rumble in recent months, a reason White cites for her departure from Beijing, along with the fact she and her husband are “ready for something new.”
Nonetheless, despite White’s departure, she reassures the capital’s residents that future Rumble events will still take place (COVID permitting, of course).
That’s caught up with the “Mistress of Rumble” herself. She told us about her decision to leave Beijing, her fondest memories of Rumble, future events and how she found the confidence to identify as an artist.
You've been with Rumble in the Jumble almost six years. What motivated you to get involved and what has your role been?
Well, I didn't exactly start Rumble, but I've been there from the beginning. It was originally started by a friend of mine as a way to clear out our closets, and an excuse to hang out in a bar all day.
For the very first Rumble, I joined as a vendor. It was a huge success, so she and I decided together to start doing it every month. My friend / Rumble partner left Beijing a couple of years later, but by then we had such an awesome network of vendors and followers that I knew I needed to keep it going.
So, from then on, I was the “Mistress of Rumble.” For a long time, I was pretty much the sole organizer of the events. I was the entire Rumble team. But, I would never even have bothered if it weren't for the amazing community that had grown up out of the bazaars.
The "Mistress of Rumble" herself, Charlotte White
Why have you decided to leave Beijing?
Well, there are a lot of reasons. The first is simply the fact that my husband and I are ready for something new. We're dynamic people who love to travel and experience the world, and we've been in Beijing for a long time. A new experience, a new environment and some new inspiration sounds great.
But, there's also the fact that, well... Beijing hasn't been a very easy place to live over the last couple of years, especially for somebody who plans events. There have been a whole lot of cancellations and postponements. Honestly, it's frustrating to spend so much time, energy and passion on something that just gets cancelled in the end.
It's a bit heartbreaking because I had such big plans and dreams for making awesome things happen in Beijing. Hopefully, they will still happen. But sadly, I won't be here for them.
You said in your WeChat article that Rumble has given you “confidence to actually identify as an artist.” Can you elaborate on this?
I've always loved doing art. When I was in high school, I thought of going to an art college, but I never thought I was good enough, so I never even tried.
Being the organizer for these pop-up bazaars, I saw crafters, artisans and small business owners joining month after month. They would always tell me how grateful they were to me for creating a space for them to pursue their dreams. I saw them turning their hobbies and passions into actual successful businesses and careers. All it took was for them to have a platform and the support of somebody who believed in them.
Eventually, I realized that I had been neglecting to apply that rule to myself. So, I finally decided to take this great big pile of art I had been creating and set up a table at my own market. And, surprise! People bought it! Suddenly, I realized that all it took for me to actually be an artist was to do art, and then share it with others.
You must have a lot of great memories of Rumble. Are there any memories / events in particular which stand out?
Well, I've done over 70 events altogether, and so many of them have been so awesome.
It's a bit hard to choose favorites. But, two particular Rumbles do come to mind. One was our Fifth Birthday Bazaar in August, 2021. We had it at Aotu Space, which is one of my favorite spots to do events. There were about 60 vendors and hundreds of visitors spread out over the rooftop, through the gallery and in the courtyard. It was pretty epic. It was a beautiful day, and seemed like everybody was just super happy to come together and celebrate Rumble. It was very gratifying.
The other event that pops to mind is the last one that I successfully held – The Ruff n Rumble Adoption Day & Bazaar. Team Rumble came together with three different animal adoption organizations and held a huge event at Tongli Market in Shunyi. There were tons of puppies and kittens for adoption, great music, food and drinks, as well as lots of family activities and crafts. We managed to fundraise almost RMB9,000 for animal rescue. It was just awesome.
Please introduce us to some of your upcoming events.
For our next few events, and probably the next few after that, Team Rumble is collaborating with the awesome MusicDish, a great indie music promoter. We've got some really fantastic stuff in the works.
The next event on the calendar is the Beijing SKIN tattoo festival. There will be five tattoo studios, five indie rock bands, a drag show with all tatted drag performers, about 20 super cool vendors, live art and much more!
Another event that we're planning is the Mermaid Jamboree. That’s taking place at Woodmood campground in Haidian district. It'll be a camping and outdoor festival with live music, about 40 vendors, water activities like kayaking and paddle-boarding, yoga and dance workshops among the trees, as well as a mermaid parade. There’ll also be cosplay, water fights and the crowning of a mermaid queen and king. It's going to be crazy fun.
Tell us about some of the recent hardships faced by vendors, venues and others who collaborate with Rumble.
I've already complained a bit about how frustrating it can be to try to hold events with COVID restrictions in place. I think everybody is feeling that. I suppose the biggest issue is the constant changes, and feeling like everything is out of your control. No matter how hard an organizer, a venue, a vendor or anybody else works to make something happen, it's always uncertain as to whether or not it'll actually happen.
Most people are apprehensive these days to even try to organize activities or create products for a specific event because the chances are that it'll be cancelled or postponed. The situation is out of our hands.
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This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
[All images via Rumble in the Jumble/Charlotte White]
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