Asia Magazine #30

SINGAPORE

JAPAN

SOUTH KOREA

HONG KONG

What's cooking in Singapre

Entrepreneurship at University of Tokyo

One of the safest cities in an unsafe country

A Hongkonger from the late 70’s

BY CHALMERS STUDENTS IN ASIA

ISSUE 30

SPRING 2018

WELCOME! In your hand you are holding the latest issue of Asia Magazine, a joint effort carried out by Chalmers students in Asia. The magazine is meant to be informative and entertaining regarding current topics of Asia as well as a source of inspiration for students curious about exchange studies. With this dynamic region in focus, it features articles on cultural, political, economical and social subjects. The magazine is coordinated and compiled by students at the Chalmers International Taiwan Office.

CITO WHO?

CITO WHAT? Chalmers International Taiwan Office, CITO, was opened in March 2003 and is the result of a bilateral exchange agreement between

Johanna Udesen

Tobias Stenshagen

HEAD OF OFFICE

DEAPUTY HEAD OF OFFICE

Management and Economics of Innovation johanna.udesen@chalmers.se

Supply Chain Management tobias.stenshagen@chalmers.se

National Chiao Tung University, NCTU, and Chalmers University of Technology. CITO is strategically located at NCTU, near the Hsinchu Science Park.

Nils Andrén

Daniel Berg

EDITOR IN CHIEF

ART DIRECTOR

Systems, Control and Mechatronics nils.andren@chalmers.se

Industrial Design Engineering daniel.berg@chalmers.com

CITO WHY? The main purposes of CITO are: • To increase awareness about the development of East Asia, with focus on Taiwan, at Chalmers

Jakob Larsson

Victor Pantzare

ACADEMIC EXCHANGE

CORPORATE RELATIONS

Management and Economics of Innovation jakob.larsson@chalmers.se

Management and Economics of Innovation victor.pantzare@chalmers.se

• To support mobility of students and staff between NCTU and Chalmers • To enhance the visibility of Chalmers in Taiwan and in the neighbouring region • To act as a hub at NCTU for Chalmers students in East Asia

Linnea M Andersson

Erik Almblad

CORPORATE RELATIONS

IT RESPONSIBLE

Supply Chain Management linnea.andersson@chalmers.se

Supply Chain Management erik.almblad@chalmers.se

• To further develop Chalmers’ cooperation with Swedish companies in Taiwan and Asia

CITO CONTACT! Ebba Johansson

Samuel Eksmo

PUBLIC RELATIONS

ALUMNI RELATIONS

Management and Economics of Innovation ebba.johansson@chalmers.se

Software Engineering samuel.eksmo@chalmers.se

Looking for internship, master's thesis or other co-operations in Asia? Or do you just want to say hello? Don't hesitate to contact us! www.asia.chalmers.se National Chiao Tung University

Cover photo by Erik Almblad

1001 Daxue Road, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan R.O.C 1

CHALMERS IN ASIA Studying at Chalmers does not limit you to Gothenburg, Sweden. Through many exchange programmes Chalmers students are given the opportunity to study at a range of Asian universities. Likewise, students from many different countries are invited to study at Chalmers in Sweden.

Singapore Nanyang Technological University

National University of Singapore

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Beijing, China

Shanghai, China

Tsinghua University

Tongji University

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Seoul, South Korea Seoul National University

Chung-Ang University

Sendai, Japan Tohoku University

Tokyo, Japan The University of Tokyo

Tokyo Institute of Technology

Hsinchu, Taiwan National Chiao Tung University

Hong Kong, China City University of Hong Kong

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

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CONTENTS 5 6 8 10 14 16 18 22 24

4

Editor’s Letter

Nils Andrén

Singapore

What’s cooking in Singapore Eric Josefsson

Hong Kong

A Hongkonger from the late 70’s Anton Petersson

Tokyo

Entrepreneurship at University of Tokyo

Erika Skoglund

Singapore

Singapore housing - an outdated strategy

Linnea Palmkvist

Seoul

SNU buddy

Benjamin Strömberg

Taiwan

Asia internship

Nils Andrén

Taiwan

Taiwan, the island of contrasts

Johanna Udesen

Singapore

Getting around town

Jonathan Bergström

26 29 36 38 40 43 44 48 50

Shanghai

Religion in China

Josef Ydreborg

Asia Photos Singapore

Immigrant workers in Singapore

Lovisa Hagström

Tokyo

More than courses Anton Björk

Seoul

One of the safest cities in an unsafe country

Rasmus Lindy

Taiwan

Company visit at Nodooe in Taiwan Victor Pantzare

Shanghai

The diversity of Shanghai

Katerina Gurova

Singapore

Coffee o´clock in Singapore

Elin Forsberg

Tokyo

This is so convenient...but I really shouldn’t

Björn Langborn

S

Editor’s Letter Editor’s Letter

2018/01/01

“The PIN code of the World is 1114. 1 billion people in the Americas, 1 billion in Europe, 1 billion in Africa and 4 billion in Asia.” Hans Rosling used to say.

If more than half of the world’s population live in Asia, how come it gets so disproportionately little attention in western media? By contrast, the second Donald Trump publishes a tweet a new headline is being made by Swedish newspapers.

This magazine - written by Chalmers students in Eastern Asia - aims to be a source of inspiration and increase awareness of the development in Asian countries. Even if it is just a glimpse into an enormous region, I can promise you that you will learn a thing or two. And the best thing? It’s for free!

What’s unique about this magazine is that it’s written by students who just recently moved to an Asian country. Hence, their articles catches some of their first impressions of a different culture.

The 30th issue of Asia Magazine offers, as usual, a wide spectra of different article topics. From the food and coffee culture in Singapore, to a South Korean’s perspective of the long lasting conflict with North Korea. From Japan’s actions to promote entrepreneurship, to what it’s like being a Christian in China.

From a Hong Kongers view of the past and the future development of his city, to a glimpse of Taiwan: the island of contrasts.

You will also get more insight of how Singapore looks like for the majority of its citizen, beyond its luxurious fasade. This is just a sample of all the topics brought up in this episode.

Are you interested in an internship abroad? Head over to the Asia Internship section, and read the interview with a former Chalmers student who continued working as an expat in Taiwan after doing an internship. Maybe you are considering doing a PhD in the future. If so, an exchange to Japan could be something for you, where the master’s studies consist of research besides regular courses. There’s also information about how you can apply for exchange studies in Asia, through the World Wide and Terzio programs.

Some of you who read this might have already been nominated to the World Wide or Terzio exchange programs in Asia, and some of you might be thinking about applying in the future, or do an internship, or work there. I don’t want to make the common mistake and clump together all of Asia as one place, but I believe that if you decide to go to an Asian country, you most certainly to some extent - have to get out of your comfort zone. Whether it’s the climate, the intense traffic, the food or the language barriers (probably all of them). But I can ensure you, that it will be an enlightening experience, in a part of the world that is growing in many aspects.

“In year 2050 the PIN code of the World will have changed to 1125. 1 Billion people in America, 1 i Europe, 2 in Africa and 5 billion in Asia.”

Editor in Chief Nils Andrén

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What’s Cooking in Singapore?

The reason for someone leaving everything behind to go on an exchange year probably varies substantially. Some might be looking for one last adventure before conceding to the idea of adult responsibilities while some perhaps regarded the exchange student Fez of That 70’s Show as their lifestyle role-model. When I had boarded my flight and the wheels of the airplane finally stopped being in contact with Swedish ground, I heaved a deep sigh of relief. Because I wasn’t really looking for anything, I was running away from it.

Over the last years I have spent countless hours in the kitchen, encountering one failure after another. Neurotic following of recipes, expensive purchasing of equipment or walking down the awkward path of “free-styling” - nothing seemed to work. All this for that one moment of laying every card on the table, the rotten Swedish tradition of bringing lunch boxes from home. Every embarrassing mistake suddenly becomes evident, the shortcomings of your abilities completely trans-

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parent to your environment. My rescue unexpectedly came at one of those exchange fairs where my ear picked up the phrase that instantly set me on a new course: “I didn’t cook a single meal of food when I was in Singapore, it’s ridiculously cheap to eat out over there.”

Long story short, I eventually ended up here.

And the convenience of cheap food in proximity wherever you are can’t be stated enough. Let’s just say that my unforgiving, blood thirsty kitchen-knife is not exactly missed. What quickly struck me about the food here is the diversity. With Singapore’s history to mind, a trading powerhouse where people from all over the world have migrated to seek opportunity and fortune, it makes sense.

You would expect a multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-racial country to be multi-licious, right?

While Singapore doesn’t run short of remarkable high-end restaurants, my loan-financed wallet does so on funds. Fortunately, the city has a wide offering of affordable dishes among its many dis-

tricts. Grabbing a Nasi Padang in Little India may take you a little further on your path to Nirvana and when visiting Chinatown, you can’t miss out on Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle, believed to be the cheapest Michelin-awarded meal in the world for only $2.

Conveniently, you don’t have to travel to all of these districts to content whatever set of mood your taste buds currently are undergoing. The infamous Hawker Centers is the reason why you never have to spend particularly much eating out.

This special type of food court usually has around

“I didn’t cook a single meal of food when I was in Singapore, it’s ridiculously cheap to eat out over there.” a dozen of restaurants and is found pretty much everywhere in the city. The choice of food is not easy, as the many restaurants always offer a wide array of dishes. You can expect to find anything from Japanese ramen and Chinese dim sum to Indonesian barbecue and Korean kimchi. Fish-head Curry is another course usually found in these centres, and is by many regarded as the true national dish of Singapore. Just don’t expect to top off your meal with a decent cup of coffee after a meal at a Hawker Centre, I’m still in search of those.

While Sweden also has had a boom of international newcomers in the restaurant scene (we’ve come far from only being able to choose between Pizza or Chinese) the new unaccustomed food is usually very approachable. Ingredients are clearly

stated, some adaptations might have been made to recipes and it is usually served in an easy-onthe-eye, Instagram-friendly environment. Hawker Centers are nothing like this, and are still being internationally praised from everyone from reputable food critics to clueless tourists. If there is anything to be learned from the food of Singapore, it’s that it’s adored immeasurably even though it’s a shuffle of peculiar-looks, surprising tastes and food bites that you rather avoid asking what it really is. At least, that is something I will consider the next time my lunch box is being frowned upon!

WORDS AND PHOTO Eric Josefson Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Enginnering and Management Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Management and Economics of Innovation jeric@student.chalmers.se

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A Hongkonger from the Late

70

‘s

Chi-Yin Chow, also known as Ted, gives his view of the city Hong Kong is one of Asia’s given metropolis. On the world’s most densely populated island, there are of course vibrant business and entertainment districts, filled to the width with modern, fancy buildings. But the former British crown colony has much more than that to offer – there are large green areas with subtropical rainforest, adorable mountain parks and an open countryside. To get a better understanding of Hong Kong, Chi-Yin Chow, whom I’ve gotten the honor to interview, gives his view of the city.

Where did you grow up and how has that area changed?

I was born in 1978 and grew up in Nam Shan Estate in Kowloon which is a public housing, located near Yau Yat Tsuen and City University of Hong Kong. I lived with my parents and my elder sister in an apartment with the net area less than 300 square feet. Since Nam Shan Estate was not acquired by the Link Real Estate Investment Trust, its environment is almost the same as in my childhood. Traditional food markets and shops are still there. Many young people like taking photos in Nam Shan Estate. Sham Shui Po is one of the areas that has not changed very much either. It is still one of the poorest areas in Hong Kong and is full of old Cantonese buildings, electronic markets and fabric markets. To me, both these places are very genuine.

Where do you live now and why did you choose that area?

I am living with my wife, Christine Liu, in Park Island, Ma Wan which is a small island connected to the Tsing Ma Bridge. It is a very beautiful island that attracts many visitors during weekends and public holidays. Private vehicles are generally not permitted to enter the island. The public transportations, including buses, ferries and taxis, are very convenient. Ma Wan is very quiet and beautiful.

You can breathe fresh air there, which is rare to come by elsewhere in Hong Kong.

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world-class city in the world. As a professor and scientist in big data and artificial intelligence I have to look forward and think of how to use my knowledge and skills to increase the competitiveness of Hong Kong. Although the development has been rapid in Hong Kong and made improvements for people’s living standard, there still exists a lot of societal problems and conflicts.

What do you think of Hong Kong in 30 years?

Many multinational companies will probably move to mainland China. We may not have a one country, two system after 2046. Hong Kong may become just a city in China, not a special administration region any more. The future of Hong Kong highly depends on how China develops. We should work together to keep Hong Kong as one of the best and competitive cities in China.

How was your childhood when it comes to exposure to foreign culture?

What do you recommend that the Before 1997, Hong Kong was governed by UK; Swedes discover, as you think they are thus, the medium of my primary, secondary and university education was English. As my family unfamiliar with? was poor I had an extremely small chance of exposure to foreign cultures. That’s the reason why I studied very hard to grab an opportunity to study a PhD in USA. After that, foreign culture became normal.

What is the biggest difference of Hong Kong today compared to 30 years ago?

Cantonese is the mother tongue for Hong Kong people and we write and read with traditional Chinese characters. As a large portion of the Hong Kong population migrated from mainland China, mandarin and simplified Chinese characters have become more common and popular. As the current generation of Hong Kong people grew up in a very good environment (e.g., their parents are well educated and professionals), they are not aggressive and are working harder than the people born in 1970’s. One can also say that there has been a change both politically and culturally. Politically, we are no longer a colony, but on the other hand, we are not sovereign either.

What are your and your family’s views of Hong Kong’s historical change?

After the historical change, Hong Kong is still a

Make friends with local people and ask them to show some old parts of Hong Kong and have the traditional food, usually, in some poor districts. In Hong Kong, there are different types of temples, from Taoism and Buddhism. Many foreigners think that they are the same, but they have a lot of key differences. One should figure them out by yourself.

WORDS AND PHOTO Anton Petersson City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Enginnering and Management Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Management and Economics of Innovation antpet@student.chalmers.se

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Entrepreneurship at University of Tokyo 10

Entrepreneurship, startup and unicorn are some of the words that are becoming more popular to associate oneself with. Who would not want to be the founder of the next Facebook, Amazon, Spotify or Airbnb? Though, the startup mania has not yet covered the whole globe. In Japan, the dream of most students is still to get hired by one of the larger corporations such as Toyota or Sony.

Google is also one of the most attractive employers despite its relatively new entrance.

A culture that stimulates innovation typically has an acceptance attitude towards failure, high risk taking, openness and diversity. Qualities that are not generally associated with Japan. However, professors at University of Tokyo believe that this is not necessarily a part of Japanese culture, rather a part of the work culture that has developed over the last century. Hence, this culture can shift.

At University of Tokyo, the Division of University Corporate Relations has as one of its quests to create innovation. Professor Hasegawa, from the aforementioned division, believes that the change towards entrepreneurship is inevitable. If Japan wants to stay a strong force of innovation, entrepreneurship and startups must be a part of the economy. The University of Tokyo wants to be a part of this change and the Division of University Corporate Relations is therefore working towards including entrepreneurship in the school environment. The aim is that the University shall be a one-stop-shop for students to develop ideas and companies, both through education and incubation. The educational part of these efforts includes courses about entrepreneurship, innovation competitions, field trips to innovation fairs and facilities for idea testing. The incubational part of the efforts includes consultations, outside services such as legal advice, networking, funding opportunities and incubation facilities. In this article, three of these initiatives will be presented. Namely: Hongo Tech Garage, University of Tokyo Edge Capital and Entrepreneurship Dojo.

Hongo Tech Garage is a base for ideas to be tested. The facilities offer fast Wi-Fi, professional software, cloud computing resources, lots of whiteboards and manufacturing machines such as 3D printers, laser cutters, drills, benders, soldering irons etcetera. This somewhat geeky base even provides free drinks. The main purpose of the Tech Garage is not to create companies, rather letting students test their theories. You learn from failure is a common belief in the startup scene and 11

the garage is built upon that philosophy. Students have a chance to test, reject, improve and further develop their ideas. Perhaps it will result in something great, perhaps it won’t. Either way, it is a learning experience. The Hongo Tech Garage further offers acceleration programs and mentoring support from successful entrepreneurs and professors for those students who wish to take their ideas further. Nevertheless, the foremost purpose of the Tech Garage is being a place where young, tech-savvy and entrepreneurial students can flourish.

If students get so far as to starting a company,

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the next step is often to search for funding. At this stage, the University can be of assistance as well.

University of Tokyo Edge Capital, UTEC for short, is a seed/early stage venture capital firm. UTEC has strong relations with University of Tokyo, and it is students from this school who mainly have received funding. However, UTEC is affiliated with several universities, mainly in Japan and USA. The firm introduces themselves as technology focused, several of the employees having a background in research at University of Tokyo. UTEC has operated funds totaling 30 billion yen (about 265 million USD), investing in over 70 companies. Of these

70 companies, nine went public and eight were acquired in M&A transactions. Hence, they have contributed to several successes of former University of Tokyo students.

Entrepreneur Dojo is a university-wide 6-month educational program. The aim of the program is to teach students how to create startups, write a business plan, build an entrepreneurial team and work with the venture capital community. The program is three-phased, the first phase focusing on lectures and development of business ideas. Thereafter the focus is seminars and writing of business plans. The third phase consists of mentoring as the students continue to work on their ideas. The finale of the program is a business plan competition where all teams present their work.

From 2005 to 2016, a total of 2839 students have been enrolled, from PhD students to undergrads, majoring in everything from engineering to psychology. After the program, UTEC is ready to offer initial capital if the business plan developed by a student team is feasible enough.

Despite Japan not being a particularly entrepreneurial country, there have been some successful startups. SCHAFT, a robotics company that emerged from University of Tokyo, won the DARPA challenge in 2013 and was later bought

by Google. PeptiDream, a bio venture company, and Euglena, a biotech company, started their days incubated at University of Tokyo and are today listed at Tokyo Stock Exchange. All three of these companies are quite famous in Japan and in their specific field. Considering the efforts University of Tokyo are putting into promoting startups, stories like these are likely to occur more frequently in the future and perhaps entrepreneurship, startup and unicorn will be titles sought out for even in Japan.

WORDS AND PHOTO Erika Skoglund The University of Tokyo, Tokyo Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Enginnering and Management Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Supply Chain Management skerica@student.chalmers.se

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Singapore Housing - an Outdated Strategy What would you think about if I said Singapore buildings? When you imagine buildings in Singapore before you have been there you probably think of modern glazed skyscrapers and futuristic architecture. That is also all the images you get when you just google Singapore, Singapore buildings or Singapore architecture. Almost all the images you get from Singapore in a quick search are just from the Marina Bay area which is where the central business district is located with all what that means and is also what the government wants to show off to tourists and the rest of the world.

You have probably also heard that Singapore is a rich country with a lot of millionaires and when you picture Singapore housing you probably think about condos with infinity pools and gated communities. While this is the reality of a few people, the rest of Singapore is not like that.

Roughly 85% of the residents in Singapore live in public housing in so called HDB flats (Housing and Development Board).

While public housing usually is associated with stereotypes of neglect and poverty, HDB housing estates are generally well kept. Singapore’s public housing system is praised around the world as a model for affordable access. Low-cost housing was prioritized in Singapore’s early years, when home ownership was seen as key to building a stable society. The People’s Action Party, which has ruled the country since its independence in the 1960s, ramped up construction and moved Singaporeans from squatter communities into planned estates. The move from ground-level abodes to high-rise towers also freed up land for developing the state.

But in a context where property has become

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increasingly costly in the densely-populated small nation, many Singaporeans are falling through since the public housing is not that affordable anymore. Earlier the prices of the HDB flats were construction cost-based and market resale-based, today it is based on median house price which means it is much more expensive.

Just as Sweden’s “miljonprogram” the apartment layouts of public housing of Singapore are well planned and easy to build quickly but the architecture is not too exciting since they all look more or less the same. The first HDB blocks were typically brutalist architecture. After the initial rush to mass-build flats in the 1960s, varying design began to appear, initially only through subtle variations such as different colours of the facade.

In the 1990s full-scaled multi-coloured paintwork complete with bright motifs were developed on the facades. The flats are in so called housing estates which are also similar to Sweden’s “miljonprogram-blocks”; self-contained towns within the city with its own schools, supermarkets, clinics, hawker centers and sports facilities etc. Hawker centers could simply be described as an open air complex with food stalls working as an inexpensive food court typical for some countries in Southeast Asia.

Instead of waiting in a queue system to rent an apartment, as social housing works in Europe, in Singapore you ballot for a flat that you are interested in buying. If you are lucky to get the apartment you want, you pay for it, but the lease only lasts for 99 years before it goes back to the government.

This means your kids will not be able to heir it in the future and you never fully own your home.

State restrictions are placed on who is able to purchase a new flat and priority is given to het-

erosexual Singaporean couples. If you are single, unmarried and under 35 years old you are not able to get a HDB flat and therefore most Singaporeans live with their parents until they get married since it is too expensive to live in a private apartment.

If you are a single parent or a LGBT couple you will also face difficulties since you are not allowed to get married. There are also restrictions on how much money you can make to live in a HDB flat.

To avoid physical segregation the government has decided that the apportionment of all apartments in one block should depend on ethnic groups comparable to the national average. The allocation are as follows; 84% for Chinese, 22% for Malays and 10% for Indians and other minorities.

Even though they are all Singaporeans and might be born and raised there, the government still identify them based on their background. Even if they live all together I have understood from my fellow classmates that some ethnic groups have higher status than others within the blocks.

If you are a Chinese and want to sell your apartment you can only sell it to another Chinese to keep the right apportionment. In other words, you might have a Malaysian interest and five empty apartments but he or she cannot buy an apartment in that block until another Malay moves out if their quota is filled. You also have to live in your

flat for at least five years before you can rent it out or sell it which leaves you stranded with your home if you want to move overseas or just get a new job in the opposite side of the city.

When avoiding segregation between different ethnic groups you are not dealing with economic or social segregation. The biggest physical segregation in Singapore now is instead between private and public housing where in average a private apartment is four times more expensive. While public housing has courtyards, ground floors and lift lobbies open and available for anyone; private apartments in Singapore more or less are equal to gated communities with a lot of facilities such as pools and gyms, all exclusive for the residents.

To sum up I think the intention of public housing policies in Singapore was good when they were established but they don’t work very well anymore and must be updated to be more flexible to fulfill the needs of today’s modern society.

WORDS AND PHOTO Linnea Palmkvist National University of Singapore, Singapore Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Architecture and Urban design linpal@student.chalmers.se

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U

SN B DDY

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You cannot come to Seoul National University (SNU) as an exchange student without hearing about SNU Buddy. Honestly it would even be a hassle to not be completely surrounded by it.

Well, what is the SNU Buddy Program? Obviously, participation is completely voluntary (it kind of isn’t), but it is highly recommended. To put it simple it is a social program at the university which consists of voluntarily participating Korean students who organize events and socialize with the foreign students, but it is much more than that.

As a Chalmers student you might find this concept quite familiar. If you replace the foreign students with university freshmen and the Korean “buddies” with 2nd and 3rd year students, it is very similar to Chalmers’ reception, called “Mottagningen”. The only difference is that the SNU Buddy Program continues for the entire semester!

It is definitely one of the best things as an exchange student at SNU. It has offered me and many others a great opportunity to explore Seoul. From the hipster neighborhoods of Hongdae to the (im)famous “western town” Itaewon, to flashy Gangnam. Yes. that is the place from the song. Although you rarely hear Gangnam Style being played nowadays the Gangnam way of life is still there as well as plenty of other K-Pop songs.

A big part of SNU buddy is pubbing and partying but hey, I hear that’s the ONLY thing Erasmus students do. No offence meant towards Europe, it’s a great place. Having drinks with your friends is an important part of culture almost anywhere in the world, I would however argue it is even more so in Korea. A typical night out with our Korean buddies starts off with a solid portion of chicken and beer. This concept, having beer and fried chicken with your friends is loved by everybody.

I have asked several of my Korean friends where this phenomenon which now has spread to other parts of Asia and to the US originated from. The usual answer I get is the following: “Since pretty far back, it came up as being together. It just naturally happened”. Now it is as natural as 소맥, wait what?

Pronounced somaek or somak, I am unsure, it

means pouring soju in your beer. Soju being the Korean rice spirit.

SNU Buddy has also let me explore more of South Korea than just Seoul. When we went white water rafting in a river just a few kilometers from the Korean demilitarized zone, which separates north from south, I was told that North Korean defective soldiers had been fished out of the river.

I am not sure if this was actually true, but I wanted to believe it. When paddling down the rapids the notion of slamming your paddle into a North Korean soldier made you a bit more careful and also made you put the otherwise joyous experience into perspective. Only about an hour’s drive separates the racoon cafés and E-sport tournaments from the third least free country in world after only Somalia and Syria.

Besides rafting the Buddy Program has involved activities such as, hiking through Korea’s beautiful nature, beach camping and a stay at a Buddhist temple to name a few. I think I speak for all participants, Koreans and foreign, when I say that this semester with SNU Buddy has been a blast.

Having experienced mottagningen at Chalmers as you probably have too I think you will agree with me that you would want to do it again, as it was the first time. SNU Buddy was and is a way to in fact do that but spelt with a capital K.

WORDS Benjamin Strömberg Seoul National University, Seoul Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Enginnering and Management Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Supply Chain Management benstro@student.chalmers.se

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ASIA INTERNSHIP FROM SWEDEN TO TAIWAN

MEET HUGO FROM SHL Last october, CITO did a company visit to SHL Group (Scandinavian Health Limited, not the Swedish Hockey League) in Taoyuan, Taiwan. The visit was arranged by Young Professionals which is a part of the Swedish Chambers of Commerce in Taipei. SHL Group is described on their website as “one of the world’s largest solution providers in design, development and manufacturing of advanced drug delivery systems, such as auto injectors and pen injectors”. SHL has over 3700 employees with offices in Sweden, Taiwan and USA and was founded by the Swede Roger Samuelsson in 1989.

At the visit we met Hugo Af Klint, a former Chalmers student and CITO alumni that currently works at SHL in Taiwan. SHL is currently looking for new interns, and if you are curious about what it could be like, this interview might help you get a little insight in what it can be like to work abroad.

You studied in Taiwan 2009 and now you work here, could you describe your journey from a student at Chalmers to what you do today?

After spending a year in Taiwan as an exchange student, I knew I wanted to come back one day.

When I was looking for suitable subjects for my master’s thesis, I remembered SHL in Taiwan and the good impression I got after the company visit and discussion I had with the former General Manager Frank Isaksson. I carried out my thesis in conduction with an internship during 6 months at the Test Department of SHL Medical Taiwan and it was a truly exciting time and a great experience.

When I later graduated from the Quality and Operations Management program at Chalmers in 2014 I already had a position waiting for me at SHL. I started to work at SHL in Stockholm 18

while waiting for my Taiwanese working permit.

I moved to Taiwan in late May 2014 and started to work in the Test Department at SHL Medical.

From the start I was hired as a Quality Support Engineer and was working with improvements of the department as well as with alignment among the Test Departments globally. After about a year, I was promoted to a Design Verification Leader (Team Leader) where I have been working with ensuring that the products under development meet the specifications. It has been a great experience leading one of the teams consisting of people from five different countries, it truly is a mix of ages, languages, gender, and culture. From next year my focus will, again, be at operations and improvements of the department, so right now I am in the middle of project work as well as improvement work.

At the company visit I got the impression that SHL has grown quite fast in recent years.

What are some changes at SHL since you started working there?

When I first met with Frank Isaksson 2010, SHL was in an entrepreneurial start-up phase. Since then, the company has had a steady growth and has tripled the amount of employees. Since 2014 when I started to work at SHL I have noticed a lot more expats at the Taiwan site. The company has acquired an experienced workforce to prepare SHL for the future as one of the larger, more mature player in the industry. Another noticeable exciting change is the introduction of digital technology in the medical devices.

How about Taiwan, have you noticed any changes since you first came to study here?

What would you say are the biggest differences between living in Sweden and Taiwan, and what do you like the most about Taiwan?

The biggest change is the exploitation by foreigners. When we (the group of students) went to Taipei the first time, people were waving to us, coming up asking if they were allowed to take pictures with us and we were almost the only foreigners in the city. Nowadays there are foreigners everywhere and it is a lot easier to get around speaking

English. Also, I have noticed that the weather also is changing. Before it was typhoon season from June to August but now it has extended and it is not uncommon to have typhoons in October.

The biggest differences between Sweden and Taiwan must be the language, food, weather, culture, nature and traffic. Living in Taiwan is very convenient. It is easy to find an apartment, the taxes are low and it is very safe. Quite often you see keys left in scooters when people are shopping in stores, simply because people do not steal here. I believe it is part of their culture not to take what is not yours. On the contrary you are exposed to CCTV cameras almost everywhere you go, perhaps troublesome in the beginning but if you obey the law they do not affect your life. To my knowledge, Taiwan has the highest density of convenient stores, most of them open 24/7 where you also can pay your bills. Taiwan is much smaller than Sweden and the High Speed Rail takes you from north to the south in a couple of hours. The condition of the roads is really good, especially the highways. The traffic on the other hand works well in Taiwan but is much more hectic than in Sweden. Nowadays, English works fine and together with a low level of Chinese (Mandarin) I get around very well. The food is quite different from back home, for good and for bad. Some

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Internship in Taiwan

Medical Device Engineering & Manufacturing

SHL (Scandinavian Health Ltd) is currently the world’s largest privately-owned designer, developer and manufacturer of advanced drug delivery systems such as Auto Injectors & Pen I njectors. SHL was established in 1989 by Swedish entrepreneurs Roger Samuelsson and Martin Jelf with the goal of combining world-class manufacturing in Asia with the strengths of Western Management practices.

We design, develop and manufacture advanced drug delivery devices such as auto injectors, pen injectors and inhalers. We also manufacture a range of other products including pressure mattress systems, patient lifting slings, medical soft goods, beds and offer design -to-build and contract manufacturing services for products such as laboratory handling equipment, neurosurgical devices, catheters and industrial equipment.

Scope and Conditions SHL offers challenging internship opportunities in Development and Engineering, Manufacturing and Test of our products and the related machinery and equipment; Depending on your background you will work on a specific project which will be directly embedded in the work at the corresponding business unit / department ; Dedicated Mentor during the entire internship period; Competitive compensation (income tax and personal contribution of labor insurance need to be borne individually), a round-trip flight ticket and local HR support; Gaining Asia experience by applying western technical knowledge into Asian work environment; Internship duration: 6 months Expected start date: April or October of each year, or other timing upon agreement Your qualification Technically oriented engineering student (Mechanical, Mechatronic, Electrical, Medical Engineering or related); Completed undergrad/Bachelor degree preferred; must currently be a student; Interest in hands-on measurements, engineering design, development, and troubleshooting; Strong intercultural and interdisciplinary communication skills in English (spoken/written); Experience in one or more of the following fields: Engineering Design, Automation & Manufacturing Engineering, Metrology & Test, Machine Vision, Software Development, Process Development, Material Analysis, Project Management; Diligent, reliable and target oriented working attitude to comply with a highly regulated industrial environment; Students who have double majors in science/engineering related and marketing/business and are pursuing thesis writing in the area of market development for one year are also welcome to apply.

How to apply: Please submit Cover letter, CV, full transcript of records, copy of any education, professional or training certificates, and reference (if available) to HR Department Jessica.Huang@shl-group.com Please feel free to visit our company website at www.shl-group.com

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Is there something specific that you think stands out with SHL as a company?

SHL has the whole package, from design, tool making, molding, testing, assembly to mass production. When other companies outsourced, SHL built up the capacity in house. Furthermore, SHL is a very diversified company with qualified employees that are driven to improve the quality of life for people with illnesses. SHL has more personality to it than just a corporate logo - we are like a big family under the SHL umbrella.

dishes are really tasty while others, such as stinky tofu, are far from my favorite meal. The weather is way better than Sweden, if you do not prefer horizontal rain and half an hour of sunlight each day, as it is for about 4 months in Gothenburg. On the other hand you kind of miss to have distinctive seasons, especially the autumn colors of the trees.

Still, the nature of Taiwan is extravagant. Next to the big city there is a jungle and the east coast is breathtaking. It truly is a country of contrasts. For me, the only negative thing of living here is that it is far from home and you miss your family and friends, even though I return home at least once a year.

In what ways do you notice that SHL was founded by a Swede?

It is evident that SHL is a privately owned company with roots from a Swedish entrepreneur. The owner’s vision and strategy has made SHL what it is today. Over the last years, SHL have found its identity and is emphasizing Swedish values as it cares about its employees and it stays innovative.

Compared to traditional Taiwanese companies, employees at SHL has flex-time, longer vacation, better benefits for vacation and maternity leave, and provides an ability for individuals to grow if they stand out. Traditional Taiwanese companies has promotion ladders based on amount of years in the company, almost regardless of performance.

Would you encourage students to do their master’s thesis and/or an internship at SHL? Yes, it is a great opportunity to learn more about the medical device industry at the other side of the world. I have been an intern myself and I have supervised interns and SHL allows for hands-on experiences where students can enhance an european mindset in an Asian environment. Furthermore, with offices in Stockholm, Miami and Taiwan (Taoyuan), an internship or master’s thesis might open the door to many opportunities.

WORDS Nils Andrén National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Automation and Mechatronics Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Systems, Control and Mechatronics andrenn@student.chalmers.se

PHOTO Erik Almblad National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Automation and Mechatronics Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Supply Chain Management alerik@student.chalmers.se

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TAIWAN THE ISLAND OF CONTRASTS

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When I left Sweden for exchange in Taiwan I tried to imagine the cultural differences I would face here. Now four months after my arrival, I have realised that it is the contrasts in Taiwan that has surprised me the most. The mere landscape of Taiwan is impressive enough, and although an island only 8 percent of the size of Sweden, the diversity never ceases to amaze. Whether watching the view from Taipei 101 or climbing up 4000m high mountains, the experience stays with you.

Looking at Taiwan as a whole there are obvious contrasts to be seen all around; from four storey highways to forests too dense to enter, from semiconductor manufacturing industries to beaches that stretch for kilometers, from dense cities to steep cliffs and endless amounts of waterfalls. And looking from above, it seems as if the Island is split in two. Along the east coast and the middle of Taiwan is a mountain range covered in a tropical forest stretching from north to south with the only cities settling close to the coast line.

Facing the North Pacific, this area is vulnerable to weather and the occasional typhoons sweeping in.

The forests themselves are inhabited mostly by the indigenous people of Taiwan, consisting of 16 recognized tribes, and even more unrecognized ones.

Belonging to the Austronesian people they have linguistic and genetic ties to Filipino and Polynesian groups, and research suggests they have been living in Taiwan for approximately 5000 years before the Island was first colonized in the 17th century.

Move to the east coast and you will find an urban jungle, with cities slowly merging into an entire urban area. Considering the country’s population of 23 million, this comes as no surprise. In the northwest part one hour south of Taipei lies Hsinchu, my current hometown and the location of Chalmers’ partner university National Chiao Tung University, NCTU. Taiwan is often associated with manufacturing industry of hardware, but in truth, it has more in store. Through Chalmers International Taiwan Office we have visited both sides of the spectrum, from a growing manufacturing company with 4000 employees, to one of

the most prominent entrepreneurial driving forces that showed us how Taiwan is taking a new turn in business with their personal take on entrepreneurship. NCTU is displaying the same diversity, offering education in entrepreneurship and creativity management alongside with engineering and computer science. This is much thanks to Hsinchu Science Park that was created in Silicon Valley’s image and generates one tenth of the revenue of Taiwan’s manufacturing sector.

As a foreigner, being surrounded by so many people (compared to the Swedish population) may initially make you feel alone and out of place. But within a short time I got to know the Taiwanese as a people with strong values and good intentions.

A major difference to Sweden is the tradition of opening up one’s home to strangers for a family dinner or holiday. Never before have I been received so friendly on my travels as here in Taiwan, and never is there a situation where a stranger is not prepared to help out when needed. Rules are also strictly followed, and whether it’s queuing for the Taipei subway or waiting for the light to turn green, the Taiwanese are not ones to try and sneak past.

The contrasts in Taiwan are many, and I constantly find new ones. Before arriving to Taiwan, I was certain I would manage to experience most of this country before I left again. Today I am happy knowing that I never will.

WORDS AND PHOTO Johanna Udesen National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Management and Economis of Innovation udesenj@student.chalmers.se

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Getting Around Town One of the first things you have to do when travelling to a new country is to figure out how to get around. What choices are available, what do they cost, how long does it take are all questions that need answers before you decide, and even then the decision may be difficult. But not in Singapore. Here, we take the metro.

Singapore is the 20th smallest country in the world, coming in at just over 690 km2. To put this in comparison: Öland, a southern island off the east coast of Sweden, has an area of about 1320 km2, almost double that of Singapore. Now imagine putting just over five and a half million people in a country of that size. It’s going to be crowded. Could you imagine if every one of those people had a car? Total chaos.

This is why the Singapore government has taken several steps to decrease car usage, the first and foremost way being to make it extremely expensive to buy and own a car. For example, the starting price for a new Volvo XC60 in Sweden is 400 000 SEK. In Singapore, a new Volvo XC60 starts at 230 000 SGD or almost 1 380 000 SEK. And this is

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just the purchase cost, after time you have to pay different taxes and fees, making the cost of owning a car in Singapore prohibitive for most. Which is why the Singapore government has made sure to create one of the best public transportation systems in the world.

The public transportation system in Singapore consists of both rail and bus services, with rail services being split in two parts: LRT (Light Rapid Transit) and MRT (Mass Rapid Transit). The bus services and LRT work together to bring people from their homes to the MRT, which is the backbone of the system and has been since the start in 1987 (making it the second oldest metro system in Southeast Asia). The reasoning behind creating a rail system instead of an all bus system was due to the fact that the buses would have to compete for road space in an already crowded city.

Since the opening, the MRT has grown from only two lines and 15 stations to 119 stations spread across 5 lines (North South Line, East West Line, North East Line, Circle Line, Downtown Line) with 178 kilometres of track running both

above and below ground. This means that you are hardly ever far away from a station, and thereby have access to the whole city. Which makes sense, since the goal is to have 8 out of 10 households within a 10-minute walk of a metro station.

When the MRT opened it was meant to be as efficient as possible, meaning that focus was on functionality and not aesthetics. In addition, the stations were not accessible for disabled. This

“For example, the starting price for a new Volvo XC60 in Sweden is 400 000 SEK. In Singapore, a new Volvo XC60 starts at 230 000 SGD or almost 1 380 000 SEK.” was by design, as both elderly and disabled were discouraged from using the system. Nowadays however, all stations are completely accessible and there is a much greater focus on art and architecture throughout. As an example, the station at Changi International Airport has been rated the 10th most beautiful subway stop in the world.

It is not enough however to have a well built and wide-reaching network in order to get people to take public transport. You also have to make it affordable. This is another way that the Singaporean government promote their public transport, they subsidise costs for the train operators and issue fare caps to ensure that the MRT stays affordable for the masses. In addition, the Ministry of Transport (MoT, who are responsible for public transportation) issue concession cards for many

different groups such as seniors, national servicemen and students as well as low wage workers, which further decreases the price of using public transport and increases ridership. This results in the MRT being the absolute cheapest way to get around town, except for walking. And if you have a choice between walking in 30 degree heat with 80% humidity and taking the air-conditioned metro, it is not a difficult choice.

Another great thing about the MRT system is that it runs very frequently. At peak times, there are trains every 2-3 minutes, and off-peak the trains run every 5-7 minutes, which means you never have to wait long before the next train arrives. But even though they run so often, the trains can still get quite crowded during the most popular times. This is a downside that comes with increased usage.

Another downside to the high utilization is that the risk of a breakdown or fault increases.

Since so many people depend on the metro when there is a breakdown it affects a lot of people. As such, when the trains stop running as they should, not only do the train operators issue “excuse notes” for employees to hand to employers but they also offer free bus rides for all passengers. There is also cooperation between the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Education, which is especially important during exams. If there is an incident delaying students, there are usually special rules in place as to not affect the students.

But even though it sometimes breaks down and sometimes is crowded, the positives outweigh the negatives. Frequent, cheap, close and cooled, the metro is the perfect way to get around Singapore.

WORDS AND PHOTO Jonathan Bergström Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Supply Chain Management jonatber@student.chalmers.se

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RELIGION

IN CHINA

BEING A CHRISTIAN IN

THE MIDDLE KINGDOM

China has had a very rich and interesting history with religion from ancient times, through the cultural revolution, until the present day. Among these religions are Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, The mandate of heaven, and Islam. Christianity, which is the main topic of this article, has had a history with China since the 7th century, and has become more influential with time. However, since the formation of the communist government in 1949 all religions were discouraged, but permitted to exist as long as they submitted to the directions of the Chinese state. However, during the cultural revolution, from 19661976, all religious expressions were banned and only permitted to resurge again at the end of the 70s. The revolution was a sociopolitical movement set into motion by Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Communist Party of China, to preserve ‘true’ Commu-

nist ideology in the country by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society, and re-impose Maoist thought. Since then Christianity has grown significantly and continue to grow despite many restrictions. Today, cities like Wenzhou, often called “China’s Jerusalem”, are littered with crosses and Christians are starting to take a bigger part in social and political activity. On the other hand, there are still many restrictions, especially if you are not part of a registered church, such as the Three-Self Church or the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Church. To get a perspective from Christians in China, I have interviewed two Christians with experience in the country. Sara, who is Chinese and was raised in Hubei province, and Dalton, who is a long standing exchange student currently studying Civil engineering in Shanghai.

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What is your history as a Christian in China?

Sara I was born and raised in a Christian family in China, so it’s not that uncommon to be a Christian here. I think there are 80 million protestant Christians in China, and the number is growing each year.

Dalton I came in 2011 to study my bachelor’s in Civil Engineering and stayed there for four years and then I went to Shanghai for my master’s degree. In Hangzhou there is a non-denominational international church called Hangzhou International Fellowship, that I attended. For me, transiting from Hangzhou to Shanghai was easy since I already knew about Shanghai Community Fellowship.

What is your family’s history as Christians?

Sara My mom is a pastor and my dad is a party member, but he became Christian after they got married. My mom, my mom’s mother and her mother were Christian, so I’m a fourth generation Christian. Maybe that’s because Henan, the province that my mom grew up in, that has many Christians.

Dalton I come from DRC, the Congo. My family are Methodists, since the Methodist church came through the village of my ancestors. At that time my great grandfather was the king and he was the first person to be baptised, and he became Solomon.

What was it like being Christian for previous generations?

Sara In material terms it’s obviously easier for my generation. I would say that the main difference is that during my mom’s generation they didn’t have any bibles, because of the cultural revolution in the 1960s-70s.

So, my mom had to memorize it or copy it in a notebook when they listened to a pastor. Knowledge was not praised at that time and many intellectual activities, including reading the bible, was prohibited.

What are the challenges of being a Christian in China today?

Sara I think that if you’re in a house church, especially in a big city, there are more restrictions. When I was studying in Beijing I knew about a house church, but suddenly one day they were forbidden to have their service at home. Instead they had to have their service in a public space. When they were sending out announcements they avoided using certain words, instead they were using English or pinyin (Chinese with roman characters). For a registered church, you need to report to the department of religion. For example, at Christmas you need to tell them in advance what kind of activities you are going to have and get it approved. Another restriction is that if you want to work for the government, it’s better if you’re not a religious believer, since you need to be a party member and a Marxist.

Dalton Back in my church in Africa, I can be ordained to be a minister and start a Methodist church. But it’s not as possible here, or rather it’s a very long process, and that process might cause me a lot of problems in school because of the regulations. When you come to the school they give you a list of religious regulation. It says China allows religious activity, but it can only be done in a registered place like the Chinese church, and those churches don’t allow extra activities like evening all night prayer or meeting in the week. In Hangzhou we had a bible study that grew from three people to a hundred. We used to meet on 27

Saturdays at my place, but one day I received a phone call from the school telling me we are not allowed to meet anymore. It makes you feel like you can’t do anything in public because they don’t allow that.

What are people’s reactions when you tell them that you are Christian?

Sara “Interesting! Are you a Christian? Wow! Interesting? What’s the life of a Christian?” People would ask that kind of questions. Most people are curious and want to know more about it, but if you are trying to preach then some people would not want to hear about it.

Dalton The first thing is that Christianity is viewed as a Western religion in China. “It’s not for us, you keep your religion, I keep my religion, my belief, your belief ”. The second thing is that religion in general is viewed badly. Many say that religion controls a person. The third thing is that many people will bring up many bad examples of religion and say that all Christians are like this. Regarding positive reactions, I will summarize it in one word: Curiosity! Chinese people, and one thing I really like about them, are curious.

Many become Christian because they go to listen to a sermon out of curiosity.

What is the future of Christianity in China?

Sara In China you don’t have that many resources and you don’t have many chances to hear about Christianity. Many people really cherish the opportunity to become a Christian and they are truthful and steadfast to their faith, so you can see why Christianity is growing so fast in China. I think there will be more people from developing countries going to developed countries to do mission in the future.

Dalton The future is good! The number we have now will definitely increase. Compared to before, the freedom of meeting is higher, and the government is opening up to foreigners coming into China. With the people will also come the belief of the people. Bringing more foreigners into China will spread that belief, because remember I said that Chinese are curious. So, the more foreigners will come to China the faster the expansion will be. So, foreigners in China is really good!

Conclusion China is a country that is on the rise and is constantly growing and changing, in both economic and cultural aspects. China opening to the rest of the world, for example through the new Belt and Road project, will bring external commercial interests into the country. However, it will also inevitably bring the culture and beliefs tied to the people carrying those interests. As you can see, despite many regulations, Christianity is growing very rapidly and if it continues in the future China might become a centre for Christian belief, juxtaposed to an increasingly secular western world.

WORDS AND PHOTO Josef Ydreborg Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrial Enginnering Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Wireless, Photonics and Space Engineering ydreborg@student.chalmers.se

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ASIA PHOTOS

Japan Photo by Erik Almblad 29

Indonesia Photo by Johanna Udesen

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1

2

3

4 Photo by: 1. Anton Petersson, Hong Kong 2. Eric Josefsson, Singapore 3.Linnea Andersson, Taiwan 4.Linnea Andersson,. Taiwan 5.Katerina Gurova, Shanghai

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Japan Photo by Johanna Udesen

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Taiwan Photo by Daniel Berg

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Japan Photo by Erika Skoglund

Taiwan Photo by Erik Almblad

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Immigrant Workers in Singapore

From slum in the 1960s to metropolis in the 2000s, Singapore might be the fastest developing country in the world. Boasting fantastic buildings such as the luxury hotel Marina Bay Sands, which during construction only needed four days to raise one new hotel floor, Singapore surpasses most countries when it comes to creativity and speed in building. But, as with most things, Singapore’s excellence in construction comes at a price. A price which isn’t paid by the Singaporeans but by the migrant workers who constitute most of the construction force in Singapore.

According to an article in Straits Times from 2016, there are approximately 1.4 million foreigners working in Singapore, out of a workforce of 3.7 million and a population of 5.6 million.

This means that two in five workers in Singapore are foreigners and that one in four people in Singapore is a foreigner. The bulk of these foreign workers are work-permit holders doing manual work such as construction or maid work.

Underpaid and unappreciated, the migrant workers of Singapore can be paid as little as 2 SGD (12 SEK) per hour and most live in crowded dormitories or in others’ homes without nearby family, as reported in an article from 2013 in The

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New York Times. They face poor working conditions, difficulty in voicing complaints and no minimum wage is offered. Furthermore, union representation in Singapore is extremely limited and the foreign workers must struggle to receive compensation after injury. There are even instances when the workers are cheated on their salary.

Unsurprisingly, the migrant workers got restless and in 2013 there was a riot in Little India, Singapore. It started after a 33-year-old Indian migrant worker was hit and killed by a private bus.

The Guardian reports in 2013 that about 400 people, who were not Singaporean, set fire to vehicles and clashed with the police. 300 officers were deployed to quell the riot and 200 migrant workers were issued advisories against any future disruptive conduct, according to an article in The New York Times from 2013.

In 2014, one year after the riot, an article written by Lim Yan Liang and Walter Sim in the Straits Times reflects on the situation. They note that the authorities seem to be doing more for the workers after the incident, while they still reflect that many Singaporeans may see the migrant workers as separate from the rest of the Singaporean society. An underlying segregation exists in Singapore according to the article. The segregation encompasses for example moving foreign workers towards the

outskirts and putting them in gated communities.

Unquestionably, Singapore faces problems with segregation and subsequent discontent from the segregated parts as the interaction between Singaporeans and migrant workers deteriorates.

For such a multicultural and multiethnic country as Singapore, with four different official languages (Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English), it is remarkable to find that they face problems with segregation.

It is fascinating to see how two so different and distant countries such as Singapore and Sweden can have a problem as segregation in common.

While Sweden in general provides better working conditions for construction workers, we do face problems with segregation. Swedish newspapers such as Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet as well as the Swedish Government report that Sweden is a segregated country.

Singapore has in the past displayed great capacity in identifying and solving sizable societal problems. There should be no doubt that they will handle this problem as well. The fast-developing Singapore depends on its construction workers, so the migrant workers’ situation must be resolved.

What will be interesting to see is whether Sweden and the rest of the world can learn something from how Singapore handles their problem with segregation.

The New York Times. “Singapores Angry Migrant Workers” The New York Times. 27 Dec. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2018 Yan Liang, Lim and Sim, Walter. “Little India Riot: One Year Later - The night that changed Singapore” The Straits Times.

6 Dec. 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2018 The Guardian. “Singapore shocked by worst riots in decades, as migrant workers vent anger” The Guardian. 9 Dec. 2013.

Web. 20 Feb. 2018

WORDS AND PHOTO Lovisa Hagström National University of Singapore, Singapore Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Physics Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Complex Adaptive Systems lovhag@student.chalmers.se

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MORE THAN

COURSES Are you thinking about doing a PhD but aren’t sure whether you would like doing research or not? An exchange year at Tokyo Tech might be something for you!

There is no other country like Japan, and this is not only because of manga, the famous seafood, samurai and misbehaving octopuses. Like everything else about Japan, the education system has a unique twist. Contrary to the Japanese culture that attracts a lot of attention, this is often overlooked, but has the potential to provide an exchange student with experience that is hard to come by in Sweden.

In Japan, the connection between the master students and the faculty of the universities is a lot tighter than in Sweden. At Tokyo Tech, master students become members of one of the many research groups at the university, commonly referred to as labs. The research carried out in these labs makes Tokyo Tech the 4th highest ranked uni-

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versity in Japan. The Japanese students spend a lot of their time, typically 3/4 or more, doing research in their labs. In contrast to Sweden, taking courses is regarded as a secondary activity while pursuing your master’s degree. As an exchange student, you too will have the opportunity to participate in the research of your lab. Depending of what lab you become part of, you might also be expected to participate, at least to some extent. So, for those wondering what it is like to do research, an exchange year at Tokyo Tech is a rare opportunity to get a feel for it before committing to a three or four year PhD program. As a bonus, by spending time in the lab, you will have a unique chance to experience Japanese everyday culture and get to know Japanese people.

N

S

When you have been accepted by Chalmers for the World Wide program at Tokyo Tech, it’ll be up to you to find a professor at Tokyo Tech who will let you join their lab. If you want to spend a lot of your time doing research, you probably also want to spend a bit of time looking for a suitable professor. Many labs have homepages, but often they are in Japanese only. Looking at the publications of the professor you think about contacting will give you a pretty good picture of what the research topic is in his or her lab, so look for something that you’re interested in studying.

Since the professors run their labs quite independently, the culture and attitudes of the different labs can vary quite a bit. Traditionally, Japanese culture emphasize respect for your seniors and the hierarchy is not as flat as in Sweden. Some professors might have high expectations when it comes to research progress and time spent in the lab and might express their disappointment more strongly than their Swedish counterparts if the expectations are not met. However, in my experience, Japanese people in general are very kind. Also, you have a bit of slack as a foreigner. Trust me, you will stick out a lot in any crowd, and they don’t expect you to understand or be part of the Japanese culture in the same way as the natives.

While looking for a lab, any indication that the professor has experience from outside of Japan or that the lab has other foreign students is a good sign. Partly because that probably means that the professor knows about the culture outside of Japan and will be more understanding when you want to go skiing in Hokkaido for a week or two. Partly because the English skills do vary a lot in Japan, even at master level studies, and the better your lab mates are at English, the easier it will be for you to communicate and get to know each other.

Chalmers will accept certificates of research from Tokyo Tech (effectively your professor) for up to 15 hp per term, totaling 30 hp for the full year. Thus, you can spend up to half of your time at Tokyo Tech doing research. However, Chalmers will independently assess your work in the lab after your year in Japan and judge whether

the work is worth the credits you have certificates for from your professor. If you want to do less research there is also a solution where you can get a little bit of extra credits for the courses you take, giving you time to run a smaller project in your lab without the hassle of getting certificates from your professor and getting your project accepted

by Chalmers. A bit of a disclaimer is in place here.

Since the Japanese and Swedish systems differs, it has been a bit hard for Chalmers to find a solution for exchange students doing research. Thus, the rules and practices from Chalmers side are not set in stone, and sometimes no one is completely sure what applies. Thus, make sure to keep good communication with the coordinators and program secretaries from Chalmers when you plan your exchange year. Also feel free to get in contact with me after you have been accepted by Chalmers for the World Wide program at Tokyo Tech. I’d be happy to answer any questions I can!

Since focus is on the lab at Tokyo Tech, the course quality can vary a bit more than at Chalmers. However, the course registration takes place a few weeks into the quarter, so it’s possible to go to the first lectures of several courses, and choose the ones you like the best after that.

At Tokyo Tech, (and the other universities of Japan as far as I know) studies at master level is all about the labs and the research, and the labs are one of the biggest strengths of the Japanese education. If you’re thinking about going to Japan, I highly recommend trying to take part in it in some way!

WORDS Anton Björk Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Engineering Mathematics and Computational Science anbjork@student.chalmers.se

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SEOUL ONE OF THE SAFEST CITIES IN AN UNSAFE COUNTRY

There is a lot of discussion in the world today regarding the Korean Peninsula. Newspapers are mentioning the dictator of North Korea (Kim Jong-Un) and the president of the United States of America (Donald Trump), daily. The conflict over the Korean peninsula has been an ongoing event since it got released from Japan back in 1945. Today, it’s a problem which is entangled deep in the world’s superpowers (China, Russia, USA) and has recently boiled to the surface to affect the politics on a global scale.

As an exchange student going to Korea, the ongoing situation regarding South Korea, North Korea and the USA isn’t something that will get you more excited for your travel. Even though I didn’t feel that worried I still had some anxiety, since the possibility of the situation becoming worse

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was still likely. Upon arriving to Korea, the time to worry doesn’t really exist, since there are many things to experience and there is a lot of information to process like cultural differences, language, sightseeing and meeting new individuals. However, despite what is being written in the news, my impression of the Koreans is that they don’t seem to care that much about the situation, which gets clearer when you visit Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Seoul is one of the leading and rising global cities, with a world-leading technology hub and home for 15 ‘Fortune Global 500’ companies such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai-Kia. Furthermore, the city includes a remarkable infrastructure and takes the 14th place on the list of the safest cities in the world according to the “Safe Cities Index 2017”. For a country that is still considered to be in

war, this is a rare phenomenon.

The Korean War arose from the Cold War and began back in the 1950s when North Korea asked Russia for permission to invade South Korea. This war caused millions of casualties and the creation of South Korea and North Korea. Technically, South Korea has been in war with North Korea since the 25th of June 1950 but formed an agreement on the 27th of July 1953 to create the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which is still active.

DMZ is a zone that stretches across Korea from west to east, and roughly divides the country in half. Over the years North Korea has been taking different actions regardless of the contract, such as

trying to assassinate the South Korean president (known as Blue House Raid), hijacking a South Korean airliner, and kidnapping South Korean citizens. Despite these events, the contract is still active and the condition between the countries hasn’t changed. Since the war has been going on for such a long time, and has remained in the same state for so many years, it has gotten to a point where it’s not worth it to be too concerned as a citizen anymore, the Koreans have their own business to think about. I interviewed a student citizen who has been serving in Republic Of Korea Army, “ROKA”, to get his perspective of the situation.

How would you compare the situation today, to when you were little?

When I was little, around year 2000, the entire peninsula was filled with hope that the long wish we’ve always had to reunite was gaining momentum. President Kim(김대중) had successfully opened a communication channel between the two governments and it seemed that the two countries were finally getting around the table for some serious talk on the then current issues. But within few years, the situation got messy and now the relationship between the two countries is worse than ever.

So, if the question was directed toward asking about the relationship between the two countries, the situation is much more worse than that of when I was young. Today, the two countries are playing each other down to the bottom. I am not sure where it will end, if it will ever come to an end.

Does it affect your everyday life?

The contradiction is that it doesn’t. Living as a student everyday, life is not at all affected by the issues. Some may say that the tension causes fear among the citizens, but to be rational there are not many reasons for ordinary citizens living in Seoul to ever be tensed up about the situation.

The conflict between Korea and North Korea, is it a common subject to talk about between your friends/family?

Never. As mentioned most of us think that the part where the two countries are getting to the bottom of things will not result in anything. If ever the subject rises in everyday conversations it is mostly about Kim Jong-un, how much trouble he is causing us and the people of DPRK. It barely comes up as an issue. Most of the Koreans are too busy taking care of their own business.

Do you actively follow the news?

No. I believe that the information that most of the news media is providing is not that factual.

With everything that has been going around on the news lately, what are your thoughts, are you worried?

Not at all. I personally think that the international relations around the peninsula doesn’t want war at all. Things may have changed as Trump became the president, but still I believe that war is not an option for any of the countries involved.

This was my thought before my service at the ROKA, and the thought hardened as I retired from my services. As a matter of fact, I believe that the situation is not much more than a power game.

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Photo by Victor Pantzare It is hard for me as a young Swedish man in my early 20s, growing up in a calm and safe environment without any signs of war at the horizon, to imagine being in the same boat as the Koreans. They are tired of this conflict and want nothing more than to reunite and become one whole complete peninsula.

However, because of the situation being in this particular state, it is something that won’t be possible, not for now. The majority of the people in South Korea are not worried and won’t let it affect their career or everyday life, which you also realize by how nice and helpful they are. Seoul is still growing with a remarkable speed and has given me lifelong memories and experiences, and I didn’t feel worried for one second during my semester in South Korea.

WORDS AND PHOTO Rasmus Lindy Chung-Ang University, Seoul Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science rasmus_lindy@hotmail.com

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Company

visit at Noodoe in Taiwan Ten years ago, in 2007, I used a telephone with a touch screen for the first time in my life.

It was my friend Alex’s phone, a HTC Touch Diamond, and it was the coolest phone I had ever seen. For example, it organized the text messages into conversations (like all phones today) instead of just keeping all messages in a long list where it was impossible to keep track of the conversation.

This was not a very advanced feature, but I immediately realized how useful it was. Apart from that, I of course loved the 2.8 inches huge (for the time) touch screen display. I remember that I had some trouble using it, but Alex ensured me it was really easy once you got the hang of it. At that day my interest in smartphones took off, and I quickly searched the Internet for similar phones.

I discovered the iPhone, the upcoming operating system Android and all the cool apps. My parents wouldn’t buy me one though, since I “already got a phone”, that is my Nokia 3310.

Some years later, HTC came up with more smart features as the one organizing text messages. For example, they made the phone ring louder when it was in a purse, since it was hard to hear the signal otherwise. They also made it possible to mute the ringtone entirely only by putting the phone face down on a table, in order to help business people in meetings to avoid the embarrassment of not finding how to turn the sound off. All these things really sparked my interest in technology, and is probably the reason why I am studying at Chalmers today.

Ten years after first knowing of HTC, I visited the company Noodoe in Taipei, Taiwan together with CITO. There, we were received by John Wang, the former CMO of HTC. Noodoe is an IoT company, whose latest product is the display of Kymco scooters (scooters are extremely popular in Taiwan), which lets the driver see things like speed and upcoming weather while driving, but switches to missed social media messages and news as soon as the driver stops at a red light. John explained how Noodoe have strived to create magical user experiences, and not only to put meaningless features in the product just because they could. John told us that his goal when coming up with new features for a product is that it should be something obvious that just no one is doing yet, so you get the feeling “How can no one have thought of this before?”. He also told us about the company culture he wanted to keep at Noodoe, where he wanted anyone to try any ideas that came to mind. The only thing he demanded from them was to fail fast if the idea didn’t work out, and in that way Noodoe is a company which embraces failure.

This philosophy came to being during John’s time at HTC, where he was managing their innovation centre. He told us about how they found a way to make touch screen phones before there were any in the market, and how Apple launched their first iPhone just a couple of months before they would launch the HTC Touch. John was devastated of this at first, since he realized Apple would crush the competition from HTC, but he soon realized HTC would gain a relatively big market share just to be named as Apple’s main competitor. Therefore, HTC kept on creating their magical user experiences, which I later discovered and became so fond of.

WORDS Victor Pantzare National Chiao Tung Univeristy, Taiwan Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Management and Economis of Innovation vicpan@student.chalmers.se

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THE DIVERSITY OF

SHANGHAI Shanghai. A megacity where enormous skyscrapers, sometimes in shapes that make you question gravity, embrace traditional old houses and messy back alleys. As a global financial center with a booming economy, Shanghai is adapting to physical, social and cultural growth with incredible speed. The modern urban lifestyle asks for maximum efficiency, especially when experienced by 24 million people. In order to keep up with the constant evolvement, speed has become a premise for everything.

This can be seen in the countless skyscrapers raised during the last dozen years. But it can also be seen in the parts of the city which have been neglected. Because as we all know, when things are done in a rush, something is usually left behind. This has given birth to what I like to call a city of contrasts.

As a foreigner, in my case a Swede, you might experience mixed emotions about the highly advanced technology in contrast to the less evolved aspects of everyday life. When walking around the streets of Shanghai, it feels like a new impression is waiting around every corner. Narrow, cozy but vibrant streets are filled with restaurants and shops. The shop owners will often claim the

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nearby outdoor space by extending their activities to the streets, transforming them not only into a place for walking, but also for preparing food, repairing items, playing games and resting. Meanwhile, loads of traffic in forms of pedestrians, bikers, motorcycles and car are passing by. The traffic, that I would like to call an organized chaos, is a risk for everybody involved.

The city has an established and frequently used bike pool. The massive quantity of bikes allows people to park and pick them up anywhere. The bikes are unlocked through an app connected to your bank account. Apps are used for almost everything, like paying bills, ordering food and other goods, paying in most stores, sending money to friends and connecting with people. Via WeChat, a Chinese multifunctional app, I stay in touch my friends, landlord and school. Me and my roommate also used it to rent our apartment, which took us only one day to get. Another efficient transportation method is the fast and advanced metro, consisting of the longest net in the world.

In the built environment, cost and tempo are often prioritized over design and quality. This

can be seen in many identical, massive residential complexes. To loosely quote my contemporary architecture professor: “uncertainty, cheapness and swiftness are some of the premises of modern Chinese architecture”. The ambition to build quickly forces fast decisions to be made, unfortunately often resulting in additional costs and an extended building process in the long run. Construction work is often performed without the necessary safety equipment, and the apartment I stay in is a good example of a quick fix. It is an old but newly renovated apartment, that at a first glance appears almost luxurious for a student’s regular standard.

But after staying here for a while you will notice the kitchen gutter that pours out water, the wall that leaks every time it rains and the remaining building dust on the floors. Meanwhile, other parts of Shanghai’s architecture serve as showpiec-

“As a manifestation of wealth and prosperity, the buildings seem to scream “Look at me”, sometimes disregarding their surrounding environment.”

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es of China’s growing economy. As a manifestation of wealth and prosperity, the buildings seem to scream “Look at me”, sometimes disregarding their surrounding environment. The impressive skyscrapers, office complexes and fancy malls, housing only high-end stores like Gucci and Vera Wang, stand alongside the large-scale residential areas, cozy old neighborhoods and run down old

houses. Your impression of Shanghai will strongly differ depending on which part of the city you visit, and even which street you happen to walk in to.

Living in Shanghai feels both like living in the future and the past. With the speed it is moving now, we can only imagine how it will look in a few years.

WORDS AND PHOTO Katerina Gurova Tongji University, Shanghai Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture and Urban Design Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Architecture and Urban Design gurova@student.chalmers.se

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Coffee O’clock in Singapore After a day filled with writing my name, new address and new Singaporean id-number on different important papers, campus orientation and a full health check including chest x-ray and blood test I was finally registered on my new school. It was three o’clock of the first day of school in Singapore and it was finally time for coffee. “One coffee with milk, please”. For the first time since I arrived to Singapore I ordered coffee from a small coffee booth instead of Starbucks or McDonalds.

My first coffee as a real local. The coffee costs 0,6 Singapore Dollars, which equals to 3,6 SEK. Even though it was three o’clock, or coffee-o’clock in Swedish, the place was not very crowded and it was not hard to find a free red plastic chair to sit down on. I took a first sip of the light brown liquid. I do not know where to start to describe my disappointment.

Singapore is one of the largest coffee consumers in Asia, if seen to consumed coffee per capita. It is also one of the countries in the world with the most branches of Starbucks per Capita.

On the other hand, compared to Sweden, which is one of the most coffee loving countries in the world (measured in kg coffee per capita), Singapore seems quite mediocre in coffee consumption.

In average a Singaporean consumes 2.1 kg coffee

annually, while an average Swede consumes 8,2 kg.

It is not only the volume of coffee consumed that differ between the two countries, but also the characteristics of coffee.

When I during my first day of school ordered a coffee with milk, I did not specify what kind of milk I wanted. Rookie mistake. The coffee lady assumed that I, like most Singaporeans, wanted condensed milk in my coffee. For you who have not tasted condensed milk it is very sweet, and made my coffee sweeter than chocolate milk. In Singapore, there is a love for sugar and sweeteners.

Everything tastes sweeter than back home in Sweden, even natural yoghurt and coffee have a sweet taste here. The second time I ordered coffee like a local, I played it safe and asked for a black coffee.

Rookie mistake. In Singlish, Singaporean-English, black coffee means coffee with sugar. Before ordering coffee in a coffee shack a third time, I did my research. Now I always order Kopi-C-Kosong or Kopi-O. Despite the widespread love for sweeteners and sugar in Singapore, it is not very common with pastries, cookies or a small piece of chocolate to the coffee. However, cookies, cakes and sweet desserts exist in Singapore, but they are not related to coffee in the same way they are in Sweden.

In addition to a lot of administration, the first

SINGAPORE COFFEE 101 KOPI KOPI KOPI KOPI KOPI

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= O = C = Black coffee KOSONG = C KOSONG =

Condensed milk Sugar

+

Evaporated milk and sugar Sugar or milk Evaporated milk without sugar

SWEDEN AND SINGAPORE

week after moving into our apartment in Singapore consisted of some necessary investments for a decent living. Among other things, me and my flatmates bought a coffee brewer. The search for a brewing machine was a full day activity and not until we had visited ten stores we found a coffee machine. The next challenge was to find ground coffee in the supermarket. It was not placed on the coffee shelf among all kinds of instant coffees and whole beans, but in a distant corner of the store.

In Singapore almost 96% of the coffee consumption is instant coffee, while the same number for Sweden is 4%.

“Fika is much more than having a coffee. It is a social phenomenon, a legitimate reason to set aside a moment for quality time.” – Unknown However, the most interesting thing about coffee consumption, is not the number of coffees consumed or what is consumed but rather how it is consumed. I drink coffee for several reasons; because I am cold, because I do not have anything better to do, to wake-up, to procrastinate or as a social activity. Whatever the reasons of drinking

coffee are, or whenever drinking the bitter brown liquid, I enjoy my coffee. Coffee or Fika is slow activity that I believe should not be rushed. For many Swedes fika or drinking coffee is a moment of happiness and peace, but in Singapore it feels more of a ‘to-do’ during the day. However, my perception is that many Singaporeans use dinner for the same purpose, to socialize with friends and in some ways disconnect from our stressful and sometimes hard reality. I believe it is important to find and enjoy these small everyday moments of relaxation and joy. It can be taking a fika or a dinner or something completely different, but whenever you experience one of these moments, even if it only something as simple as a fika, remember to enjoy.

WORDS AND PHOTO Elin Forsberg Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Management and Economics of Innovation elinfor@student.chalmers.se

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This Is so Convenient...

But I Really Shouldn’t.

I really have appreciated how convenient a lot of things are here in Japan. Having vending machines placed almost everywhere in the cities.

Being served a warm and wet, though most often disposable, napkin before every restaurant meal.

One-time use slippers for the night bus ride. Machines that automatically wrap your wet umbrella (or plastic bag holders for manual use), so that the inside floor may be spared from the grimy disaster state that may arise during rough weather. The list really goes on!

However, a lot of things done for convenience bothered me from the start or grew to bother me along the way. Things where the convenience was something really nice, up until my environmental consciousness caught up with me. Convenience stores became a major contributor to that feeling. If you were to buy, say an ice cream, a bottle of hot tea and an onigiri (a type of rice ball), you would probably receive three plastic bags for this purchase. One bag for frozen items, one bag for hot items as to separate them and one bag where everything is then placed. If you buy two yoghurts, intended for breakfast at home, you’ll later find two small plastic spoons that were snuck into your bag whilst you were counting money. Same thing if you buy sushi, but with chopsticks.

After a while you of course learn to spot these devious manoeuvres, so that you may choose to end the wasteful piling of plastic spoons at your room. But some things aren’t as easily escapable.

If you really need a banana from the convenience store, you will have to tangle through some plastic before even starting the effort of peeling. Buying a big bag of nuts, you may find the inside of 50

it further portioned with tiny plastic bags. Buying an apple pie at a bakery, you might receive it first wrapped in one layer of paper followed by a plastic bag to keep the heat in, followed by a bag with handle for you to carry.

When buying something fancier from a department store you may not only receive a wellmade bag with properly padded handles, they may also use an extra layer of wrapper material around the handle to reduce possible strain in your hand as you carry.

I think the picture might be clear enough now.

While some of these examples may be motivated with convenience, there are also other aspects involved. Hygiene is one factor for some cases of packaging. Luxurious appearance is another. In other cases, it might just be tradition and consumer patterns that may be difficult to change. With basically every store and product being, to a lesser or greater extent, involved in the wrapping phenomena, deviations may be regarded suspiciously by habitual customers.

On a larger scale these observations and consumption patterns translate into great needs for materials and material handling. For example, in 2006 Japan imported 25 billion sets of one-time usage chopsticks. Roughly 200 pairs per person per year! And whilst not by huge amounts, plastic waste constitutes a larger amount of the household waste in Japan (~11%) than in the EU (~7%).

Moreover, it would have been a lot worse than 11% had it not been for Japan’s impressive recycling rates of around 83% regarding plastic.

So what are the key issues that Japan can improve when it comes to reducing, reusing and re-

cycling waste? Setting aside environmental politics, law and initiatives for the sake of brevity, a lot comes down to the general public’s attitude toward environmental efforts. Environmental education has been conducted since the late 1980s and environmental consciousness has improved in recent years. But the result are not all great. Recent studies show for example the worrying trend that young men and students are some of the least environmentally conscious groups in the Japanese society, whilst also assessing that they vare well enough informed about environmental change. More susceptible, and better performing when it comes to daily action for a sustainable future, are women in general and especially elderly women. But no matter how impressively long lived Japanese women tend to be, Japan can’t depend on them forever. Environmental thinking, and the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse and recycle), needs a far greater push to impact the future of Japan. Towards both companies and the general public. I really hope all of Japan can find this thinking without losing too much of their innovation when it comes to convenience. Because that they really are masters at.

Klar, M. “Everything you (don’t) want to know about plastic.”

Naturskyddsföreningen. 2014. Web. 25 Feb. 2018.

Hornyak, Tim. “Plastic fantastic: How does Tokyo recycle its waste?” The Japan Times. 10 Jun. 2017. Web. 25 Feb. 2018.

Hiramatsu, A. et al.” Environmental Consciousness in Daily Activities Measured by Negative Prompts” Tokyo. MPDI. 26 Dec. 2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2018.

WORDS AND PHOTO Björn Langborn Tohoku University, Tokyo Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Physics Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Wireless, Photonics and Space Engineering langborn@student.chalmers.se

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Want to study in Asia?

CHALMERS INTERNATIONAL TAIWAN OFFICE Part of the Chalmers’ World Wide Programme Over the recent decades the economies of East Asia have shown a remarkable development. China and Japan are two of the world’s largest economies and many more show great promise. The region is vibrant, interesting, dynamic and somewhat challenging. Among those with a background in technical education professional contacts and cooperations with this region will continue to increase. Considering this, Chalmers has developed a unique exchange programme, based in Taiwan, giving students an opportunity to study in and gain experience from these economies.

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The programme is called The Asia Programme and is located at the National Chiao Tung University (NCTU). The university is among the foremost technical universities in Taiwan and is especially profiled towards electrical engineering and information technology. However, in collaboration with the neighbouring National Tsing Hua University, the exchange programme covers all engineering programmes at Chalmers. Courses held in both English and Mandarin Chinese can be chosen.

Contents of The Asia Programme • Intensive course in Mandarin, 4 weeks in July to August at NCTU in Hsinchu, Taiwan • Full academic year of engineering or architectural studies at NCTU • Maintenance of the Chalmers International Taiwan Office at NCTU • Company visits throughout East Asia Students of Chalmers operate the Chalmers International Taiwan Office (CITO). The operations of CITO include arranging events of representation for Taiwanese students at NCTU as well as visiting companies and representing Chalmers throughout East Asia.

HOW TO APPLY FOR WORLD WIDE You apply for nomination to NCTU and all of the other universities in Asia through the MoveOn-portal before the 1:st of December 2017. Attach a motivational cover letter in Swedish with your application. If you are student of Architecture or Architecture and Technology you also need to submit an additional portfolio.

Choose two universities but do not forget to find courses that match you master programme and check these with the coordinator of your master programme.

Main Requirements for World Wide • You have reached your third year of studies at an engineering or architecture programme.

• You have the minimum grade point average of 3.7 credits.

• You have finished at least 60 hp by the first of December.

The selection of students to be nominated for the universities within the World Wide programme is based on the grade point average and study pace of the applying students. The motivational cover letter is used to distinguish between students with the same average grade. In February you are informed whether or not you have been nominated for a university. If you are not nominated you still have a chance to study abroad by applying to the second selection for the universities that still have vacancies to fill.

Asia Magazine aims to be entertaining and informative regarding current topics of Asia as well as a source of inspiration for students curious about exchange studies. The magazine is a joint effort of Chalmers students in Asia.

Chalmers International Taiwan Office is the result of a bilateral exchange between Chalmers University of Technology and National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan.

The office is operated by Chalmers students and acts as a hub between Chalmers and East Asia.