In speaking of “culture” we have reference to the conventional understandings, manifest in act and artifact, that characterize societies. A culture is an abstraction, it is the type toward which the meanings that the same act or object has for the different members of the society tend to conform. We may as well identify “culture” with the extent to which the conventionalized behaviour of members of the society is for all the same. However, where people who engage in deviant activities have the opportunity to interact with one another they are likely to develop a culture built around the problems rising out of the differences between their definition of what they do and the definition held by other members of society. In another word, they develop perspectives on themselves and their deviant activities and on their relations with other members of the society. Since these cultures operate within, and in distinction to, the culture of the larger society, they are often called subcultures. Sub-culture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates themselves from the larger culture to which they belong, often having beliefs or interests at variance with those of the larger culture.

Becker (1963) has discussed the deviant career, considering the development of marihuana use and the kinds of careers that develop among dance musicians, a group of “outsiders” that considers itself and is considered by others to be “different”. Here I relate the conception of “independent filmmakers” in subcultures. Differentiation from film directors, independent filmmakers do not make films for commercial purpose, instead their works are mainly for self-expressions or reflecting social phenomenon. They do not “work” for public, but focus on the minority who are probably being misunderstood, belittled and marginalized by societies. “As they do not wish to be forced to live in terms of social conventions”, independent filmmakers do not attempt to force these conventions on others. This group of people is belonging to the society, but their acts and beliefs are various with majorities of the larger culture. Most people in the society often see the commercial films which release officially.

Speaking from my own experience, I did not follow the “normal” path as my other peers do, I decided to take a “gap year” after I graduated from university in 2012. Most of my classmates started working, or being a civil servant which are much easier to be accepted and appreciated by the mainstream Chinese society. I spent 15 months working and traveling in New Zealand, I worked as a farmer, waitress, fruit packer and factory worker. And I experienced hitch-hiking, couchsurfing, hunting, fishing, skydiving, glacier exploring, horse riding and so on.

I was inspired by the novels On the Road and The Dharma Bums by American writer Jack Kerouac, I wanted to escape from the city I had lived for 21 years, put myself in a completely strange environment to challenge myself, walked out from my comfort zoon. Just like what have been said in the novel:

"Japhy," I said out loud, “I don't know when we'll meet again or what'll happen in the future, but Desolation, Desolation, I owe so much to Desolation. Thank you for guiding me to the place I learned all. Now comes the sadness of coming back to cities and I've grown two months older and there's all that humanity of bars and burlesque shows and gritty love, all upside down in the void God bless them, but Japhy you and me forever know, forever youthful, forever weeping."

This group of people is called “backpackers”, they are not labelled “deviant”, but very “non-mainstream” by the society. My parents, relatives and neighbours do not understand why I would spend so much precious time doing “meaningless” things (they refer “meaningful” to “have a stable job and income”). In the larger culture, backpackers are seen as a very small group, but in my world, most of my friends are or used to be backpackers, they account for a large proportion of my friend circle. We do not see our acts as deviant, we have similar values, beliefs and interests and often encourage each other--“keep doing what you like and do not be changed by the world”.

I did well when I was a backpacker. I often wrote “guides and tips” to post on our social networking sites such as www.backpacker.com and www.doubao.com. Many people marked the Travel Raiders I posted as useful and that made me feel good. In order to gather the tips, I need to take notes and write journals, I need to be careful about all the information so that I wound not be fooled. Besides, the writing skill is required. I like writing and I practice it regularly. Moreover, I often read others’ articles for the intake of wider knowledge and learn how to write things that can be better understood.

After a few years, now backpackers are becoming a kind of “life style” in China. Young people are to some extent encouraged to pack backpackers to explore the world on their own. They are promoted to see more possibilities except of doing stable jobs. I understand that “Deviant is not a quality that lies in behaviour itself, but in the interaction between the person who commits an act and those who respond to it.” And, there is no never-changing rule, “social rules are the creation of social groups,” the society is changing, the rules are therefore changing and the acts that would not be appreciated before may become popular.