Asia Magazine #34

CHINA

KOREA

JAPAN

HONGKONG

Ghost Towns of China

Skateboarding in Seoul

A City of Concrete

One Counrty, Two Systems

BY CHALMERS STUDENTS IN ASIA

ISSUE 34  SPRING 2020

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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.

Editor in chief Art director Cover photo Reporters

Illustrations Print

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Jonna Josefsson My Starbrink Markus Boström Adam Walman, Alexander Hasselström, Alexander Mattsson, Anna Jarebro, Arvid Wartenberg, Beatrice Bergström, Carl Ahlstrand, Chieu Khuong Nguyen, Ebba Olsson, Emil Johansson, Erik Angert Svensson, Fredrik Forsgren, Frej Karlsson, Gustav Karlsson, Hampus Ek, Henrik Edstrand, Ivar Sörqvist, Jacob Nissén Karlsson, Jasmine Johansson, Jonas Larsson, Linn Stolt, Lucas Andrén, Ludwig Klevtun, Olle Lindgren, Oskar Hammargren, Rasmus Lindgren, Romeo Roos Radevski, Teif Alsadi, Thi Ha Phuong Luu & Veronica Thorfve.

My Starbrink (when not stated otherwise) Linköpings Tryckeri AB

CITO WHAT?

CITO WHY?

Chalmers International Taiwan Office, CITO, was opened in March 2003 and is the result of a bilateral exchange agreement between National Chiao Tung University, NCTU, and Chalmers University of Technology. CITO is strategically located at NCTU, near the Hsinchu Science Park. The office is staffed by exchange students from Chalmers.

The main purposes of CITO are: • • • • •

To increase awareness about the development of East Asia, with focus on Taiwan, at Chalmers 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 To further develop Chalmers’ cooperation with Swedish companies in Taiwan and Asia

CITO WHO?

Thea Emilsson

HEAD OF OFFICE Management and Economics of Innovation thea.emilsson@chalmers.se

Jonna Josefsson

Alfred Lindén

DEPUTY HEAD OF OFFICE Management and Economics of Innovation alfred.linden@chalmers.se

Ebba Olsson

ACADEMIC EXCHANGE Physics ebba.olsson@chalmers.se

EDITOR IN CHIEF

My Starbrink

Fredrik Forsgren

Management and Economics of Innovation jonna.josefsson@chalmers.se

ART DIRECTOR

ALUMNI CONTACTS

Architecture and Urban Design my.starbrink@chalmers.se

Supply Chain Management fredrik.forsgren@chalmers.se

Markus Boström

Sofia Åslund

Ludwig Klevtun

CORPORATE RELATIONS Supply Chain Management ludwig.klevtun@chalmers.se

CORPORATE RELATIONS Management and Economics of Innovation markus.bostrom@chalmers.se

CORPORATE RELATIONS Management and Economics of Innovation sofia.aslund@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!

Olle Lindgren

IT MANAGER Data Science olle.lindgren@chalmers.se

www.asia.chalmers.se Facebook.com/ChalmersAsia Instagram: @Chalmers.Asia

National Chiao Tung University 1001 Daxue Road, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan R.O.C

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CHALMERS IN ASIA AUTUMN 2019 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.

Hong Kong, China

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

City University of Hong Kong

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Singapore

National University of Singapore

Nanyang Technological University

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Beijing, China

Tsinghua University

Shanghai, China Tongji University

Seoul, South Korea

Chung-Ang University

Yonsei University

Seoul National University

Sendai, Japan

Tohoku University

Tokyo, Japan

The University of Tokyo

Tokyo Institute of Technology

Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto University

Hsinchu, Taiwan

National Tsing Hua University

National Chiao Tung University

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CONTENTS 5 6 8 10 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 6

Editor’s Letter Thea Emilsson

CITO: a unique Chalmers Office in Taiwan Ebba Olsson

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT What about Sweden?

Hampus Ek, Ivar Sörqvist

Public trash can Paradox Oskar Hammargren

36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50

SOCIETY & DEMOCRACY One country, two systems Arvid Wenzel Wartenberg

Differences between Swedish and Taiwanese universities Ludwig Klevtun

South Korea: the appearance-driven society Chieu Khuong Nguyen

What does beauty mean in an international city like Hongkong?

Linn Stolt

A city of concrete Veronica Torfve

Singapore’s growing pains, an aging population Romeo Roos Radevski

Design at Tongji University Anna Jarebro

The Haze in Singapore Henrik Edstrand

A plastic nation Adam Walman

Ghost towns in China Jacob Nissén Karlsson

TRADE & BUSSINESS Reaching fo the sky Erik Angert Svensson

Why Japanese products are being banned in South Korea Jasmine Johansson

How South Korea experienced one of the largest economic transformations Jonas Larsson

Changi Airport Singapore - World’s Best Airport for 7th consecutive years Teif Alsadi

How does Volvo roll in China?

Lucas Andrén

First-come, first-served system in South Korea Thi Ha Phuong Luu

52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 70 72 74

LEISURE & SPORTS Skateboarding in Seoul Alexander Mattsson

Horse Racing in Hong Kong Gustav Karlsson

How to eat like a local in Singapore Beatrice Bergström

Soju - The Korean choice Alexander Hasselström

The Korean way of coffee Emil Johansson

Sports in taiwan Fredrik Forsgren

The quest for Japanese beer Frej Karlsson, Carl Ahlstrand

The club culture of Japan Rasmus Lindgren

Dumplings of China Olle Lindgren

Postcards from Asia

Editor’s Letter

Dear student, Asia devotee, Asian who wants to know how Swedes are experiencing Asia, and all you others reading this,

2019/12/03

freely form their own articles which makes the magazine especially unique.

Another thing that is unique, at least for me, is my current way of living. I’ve now spent half a I would proudly like to present issue 34 of Asia year outside Sweden in a country full of scooters, Magazine to you. This magazine is going to give noodles and tea. You can surely say that my you an insight in how students from Chalmers, lifestyle has changed. I drink cold coffee currently on an exchange year and tea which I never would have even in Asia, analyses, experience and looks upon this part of the world. “There is a lot to thought of in Sweden due to the cold As Asia is the world’s biggest learn and a lot of weather. I eat noodles and a lots of other in broth which, a few months ago and most populated continent things to experience.” stuff was just weird. I never cook my own there is a lot of different people, food, it’s cheaper that way. I always have cultures, governments, religions, a layer of sweat on my skin due to humidity and food and ways of living to find here. For those of heat which took some time to get use to because you who never been in Asia this magazine may in Sweden it only happens if you are very late, provide you with enough knowledge for you to half running to school. I have not bought a finally take the step to go here. For those of you scooter yet, maybe that is what’s up next (don’t who frequently visits, do not stop reading, the tell my mom). With this said; I’m so lucky to have magazine can provide you with both the latest half a year left here and I’m extremely grateful to and biggest happenings, directly from the center of attention, and maybe add a new perspective have the opportunity to experience all this! Here is a little tip to all of you that is reading this; if on your own Asia-picture. The students get to you get the opportunity to experience Asia, do not hesitate, you will for sure experience things you never thought you would!

To pass you over to the first article I like to sum this up by saying; do not hesitate to visit Asia, and when coming here, have an open mind. There is a lot to learn and a lot of things to experience.

Enjoy your reading!

Thea Emilsson Thea Emilsson

Photo: Eduardo

Fan

Head of CITO

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Photo: Eduardo

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Fan

CITO - A UNIQUE CHALMERS OFFICE IN TAIWAN Hsinchu, often nicknamed “The Windy City”, holds the position of being the silicon valley of Taiwan. This recognition is met with, among other things, the Hsinchu Science Park and five universities in a city with only 400 000 inhabitants. One of the universities is the National Chiao Tung University, NCTU, which has a very special relationship to the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

In 2002 Van Hoang, a Chalmers student, wanted to go for an exchange where he could both take courses in English, and at the same time learn some Chinese. Together with two other students he went to Taiwan and NCTU for one semester.

This was the start of a special partnership between the two universities which has evolved to the point that every year, ten Chalmers students go to NCTU for a year of exchange studies.

What is special about this partnership is that these students, on top of their studies, operate the Chalmers International Taiwan Office (CITO) which opened in March 2003. In the same way students from NCTU run the NCTU Europe Office at Chalmers in addition to their exchange studies.

So what is the purposes of CITO? One of them is to publish the magazine you are reading right now. Asia Magazine is a good and simple way for the Chalmers exchange students in Asia to share their experiences of their new life to the Chalmers staff, Swedish and foreign companies and last but not least, Chalmers’ students considering an exchange in Asia. Another purpose of CITO is to increase the interest and knowledge of East Asia at Chalmers, and also to promote Chalmers and the Swedish culture in Taiwan. This is done by organizing several Sweden-influenced activities every semester at the NCTU campus, such as celebrating the important Kladdkakedagen (Sticky Chocolate Day), performing a luciatåg or introducing brännboll to the Taiwanese students,

Text:

Ebba Olsson

a Swedish summer sport that resembles baseball and cricket.

Furthermore, the Chalmers office is held open during lunch twice a week for students that are curious about Sweden or Chalmers. One could say that CITO provides a platform where people can meet new friends and at the same time learn from each other. To get acquainted with another culture in this way can be useful both in your daily life and your future career.

CITO also has some missions outside of school.

This includes meetings with companies both in Taiwan and in the neighbouring region. It is achieved by several company visits during the year by the members of CITO through which the cooperations between Swedish and Asian companies may be enhanced. It is also a way to learn about foreign business cultures and also new technology within different areas. All this knowledge can later be brought home to Chalmers and Sweden and thus enhance the cooperation with East Asian companies.

As a member of CITO you do get some additional work outside school, but above all you get a long-life knowledge that is unlike any other.

You get the chance to meet fellow exchange students and local students that you would most likely not have met if not for CITO. You get the opportunity to meet companies in East Asia and you have the privilege to be an essential part of a well established partnership between two notable universities.

Personally, this special exchange option is something I would recommend to Chalmers students that want to go abroad in the future.

You will have a fun and educative year and get a unique chance to meet new friends, and at the same time experience the beautiful island of Taiwan.

Ebba is studying at the National Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu, Taiwan. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Physics and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Physics.

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Sustainable development At Chalmers we are passionate about sustainability. As students we hope to be able to contribute to a more green future, by exploring different ways of minimizing our ecological footprint.

Studying abroad not only allows for cultural exchange which can have an impact on the global understanding of different views, it also helps us to reflect on our own behaviour.

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WHAT ABOUT SWEDEN?

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or sure, most of us have impressions and prejudices of other countries and regions, and even though knowing that they probably are nothing more than unjustified preconceptions you still have them. This is at least the case for us, and now when we have moved to Singapore, a country that is undoubtedly different from Sweden we got to experience which of these impressions and prejudices of Singapore are true and not. One example is the common impression that Singapore’s streets are completely trash free which we experienced was true to some extent but also a bit exaggerated. Because of this, we wondered, what prejudices do people living in Singapore have about Sweden? We also wanted to learn more about how concerned people in Singapore are about climate change and what their reflections on the subject are. To investigate further into this, we combined these two question formulations and set out to interview four students at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) with different backgrounds.

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irst out was Mareum, a fourth-year electrical and electronic engineering (EEE) student from Bangladesh who moved to Singapore to pursue an undergraduate

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degree. Why Mareum chose to study at NTU was first of all because of the university’s ranking, but as important was Singapore’s reputation of being a safe and clean city. Quick about Mareum is that NTU campus is her favourite place in Singapore because of its remote location. She doesn’t consider herself a foodie but prefer eating her mother’s home-cooked dishes, especially her desserts. When asking Mareum her thoughts about Sweden there were especially two things she believed, that Sweden has beautiful nature and that Swedes are environmentally aware. But she also points out that it could be an impression influenced by the media since that is often how the Scandinavian countries are portrayed. As Mareum has done a 6 months internship in Switzerland her answers to our questions often related to this experience. Therefore, when she was asked to describe what she thought about the Swedish lifestyle she naturally compared it with the Swiss one, and she answered that you probably work less, value your spare time more and go out in the nature with your friends. Moreover, because of Mareum’s positive experience of the Swiss work-life, she could see herself moving to Sweden later in life.

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fter talking to Mareum more it became clear that she was especially concerned about the environment and climate change.

She keeps up with the latest news, mainly good ones about what is being done in favour of the environment.

Therefore, it was no wonder that Greta Thunberg was the answer to the question “Who is Sweden’s most famous person?”.

Mareum makes it

clear during the interview that she tries to live as environmentally friendly as possible, she does this inter alia by using as little plastic as possible. For Mareum there was no fuss about climate change not being real. She had for certain felt the effect of climate change back home in Bangladesh where the winters that used to be long-lasting and cold, nowadays are perceptible shorter and warmer.

N

ext up was Kyle, a Chinese student from Shantou located in southeast China.

Kyle moved to Singapore to pursue a polytechnic diploma (which can be compared to an engineering preparatory year) and is now a fourth-year EEE student at NTU. Kyle’s favourite place in Singapore is Tiong Bahru, located near the city centre. His favourite food is Dim Sum, a Singaporean dish originated from Hong Kong.

The main reason for Kyle to study in Singapore was because of the tuition grant program, equally important was the similarity to Chinese culture and the safety of Singapore. Kyle has done one exchange semester at KTH in Stockholm. First of all, when Kyle gets asked about Sweden, interior design and IKEA are what first came to his mind. He then told us that Scandinavian design is somewhat popular in China. After a short reflection, he also adds that Scandinavian design utilizes transparent materials to let in a lot of natural light and that this is probably due to Nordic countries having less sunlight during winter. Furthermore, another impression is that Swedes spend more time with friends and family than Singaporeans and Chinese. He also considers Swedes to be a bit shyer and that there is less of a wealth gap between rich and poor people in Sweden. Another thing that he had noticed is that people in Sweden have a bigger need for personal space and that people stand at a considerable distance from each other when waiting for the bus. One difference between Sweden and Singapore is that Singaporeans are more active in the evenings compared to Swedes and that there are more things to do in Singapore in the evenings. Climate change and rising sea levels isn’t something that Kyle reflects that much of, besides the courses he has had at NTU. Comparing the temperatures back home from when Kyle was little to the last two years Kyle have noticed that the temperatures increased and that extreme weather such as typhoons are more

frequent. But he doesn’t think that it’s something people in his hometown are concerned about, at least not on a daily basis.

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hird interviewee was Russell, a secondyear EEE student. Russell was born and raised in Singapore and one of the main reasons he chose to study at NTU was to be close to home, friends and family. Russell fast admits that he doesn’t know much about Sweden.

Therefore, similar to Mareum, his answers stamps from a more general impression of Europe. But taking this into consideration he still can name known companies such as IKEA and Volvo and quickly crowned PewDiePie as Sweden’s most famous person. Comparing Singapore and Sweden Russell mentions that both Sweden and other European countries appear to have a more laid-back view on life. An example he makes is that in Singapore it’s quite common to pursue for a career and a lot of time and effort is put into this, and he doesn’t consider the career equally vital in Sweden.

Moreover, when asking Russell about his thoughts of environment and climate change he has a bit more to offer. One of the things that struck us with

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Russell compared to the other students was that he had a bit more abjected approach to climate change. He felt that the system we live in favour of those not making efforts towards climate change, and therefore the society seems to have an illfated future. But even though having a negative view he is concerned about the environment and for long it has been a goal to work with something that could change the way people live, and in that way, adapt more environmentally friendly practices. Even though climate change is not something Russell think about on a daily basis it’s something that concerns him, and he does have an interesting view on how it could be solved.

Change has to come from major players such as governments and companies as well as from individuals since our behaviour as consumers is one of the driving factors of modern business.

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astly, we interviewed Cheryl who studies her second year of communication with a second major in business. Cheryl is just like Russell a native Singaporean and chose to study in Singapore because this is where she has her

family, friends and feels most comfortable. Quick about Cheryl is that she is a vegetarian and likes her mother’s home-cooked dishes since she knows what Cheryl wants. She also likes to be at one of Singapore’s beaches even though they are not that much to compare with other southeast Asian beaches. Fun additional fact is that Cheryl wants to go for one-semester exchange to Sweden later in her studies. When Cheryl compare Singapore with Sweden, she points out quite accurately that you as a Swede, especially a student doesn’t eat out as much as a Singaporean. This is probably due to the higher prices in Sweden (in Singapore you can get a meal for about 20-40 SEK).

Other than this she mentions similar to earlier interviewees that Sweden seems to be a more relaxed country in the sense that you are not expected to work as much as in Singapore. But also, that Swedes seems to be a bit more closed off than Singaporeans, they prefer to hang around in closer communities.

When asking Cheryl if she thinks that she as a student is more aware of climate change than other Singaporeans her answer is yes. But she points out that it’s just a different level of awareness that is probably a result of being more exposed to this kind of discussion in the school’s curriculum. And that people in Singaporean work life could be exposed to similar discussion within their organisations.

Cheryl’s view on how climate change could affect Singapore is that Singapore probably wouldn’t be that affected directly but rather indirectly.

This would be due to Singapore relying heavily on import, especially food from other Asian countries, therefore the biggest impact of climate change for Singapore would be increasing prices.

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o summarise, the knowledge about Sweden differed notably between our four interviewees, but everyone had some knowledge and prejudices about Sweden. All four had also interesting opinions of climate change that they shared with us. During the interviews, we played a simple game

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A

nother thing we noticed was that people in Singapore, or maybe all of Asia, don’t discuss climate change with each other to the same extent as people in Sweden. Some reasons for this that came up during the interviews were that other concerns are affecting Singaporean’s everyday life more and that the impact you as an individual have often feels insignificant. But all of our interviewees left us with the impression that their generation is more concerned about climate change than previous generations and that this could be a future trend reflecting into younger generations.

to test their knowledge about Sweden. The game was played such that they had to sort images into two piles, one with images that they thought was somehow related to Sweden and another one with not related images. The conclusion from this simple exercise is that even though not knowing that much about Sweden, everyone could perform fairly good. This is probably due to their intuitive knowledge about Europe and Scandinavia. Furthermore, a common thought about Sweden was that the work-life balance is better and that there is a more relaxed view on life.

Text & photos:

Hampus Ek Ivar Sörqvist

Ivar and Hampus are studying at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. They both hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering and are currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Embedded Systems och High Performance Computer Systems.

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OX D A R N PA

LIC B U P

CA H S RA

T

When I arrived in South Korea, I looked up at the tall buildings. It was quite new to me to have so many tall buildings in such a small area. But I also noticed the big difference from house to house where one moment you are looking at a large skyscraper and then the next house is a three story brick house. This was all new to me coming from the swedish countryside. Even most swedish cities do not have buildings this tall. However, it did not take long until I looked back down at the street.

As I explored the streets of Seoul, I started to notice how clean they were, despite the occasional trash piles on the street, which made me feel like there must be a trash can wherever I would need one. But as I wandered the streets of Seoul, enjoying the occasional coffee or snack, I noticed that there were little to no trash cans. I started to wonder how the streets could be so clean despite the lack of trash cans.

So a good question to ask is: “why are there so few public trash cans today in Seoul?� This question can be answered by looking at how South Korea has managed their trash throughout the years. The story of the trash cans started in 1995 when the South Korean government introduced a volume based fee-System for trash countrywide. In this new system, disposing of recyclable garbage

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would be free of charge, while normal trash would mean you had to pay a fee based on the volume. Compared to the old system this would make recycling an attractive option since if you recycle you would pay less than if did not recycle. But this change had some bad side effects since it increased illegal incineration and dumping of garbage. This made the government install cctv cameras and use a bounty system for reporting illegal activities. In the event where a person was caught doing illegal activities, they would be charged with a fine and the person reporting the crime would receive a portion of the fine. However, the biggest negative impact of the value based fee-system was that people started throwing their household trash in public trash cans. This resulted in an increase of the cost of public trash cans. When the public trash cans started to be overfilled more and more often, some municipals did what you would expect when facing the problem of overfilled trash cans - they installed more! Though other municipals did the opposite, they removed public trash cans to stop people from throwing household garbage. After seeing the effect it had on other municipals Seoul would remove a large quantity of its public trash cans. This has left tourists traveling to Seoul with the uncomfortable situation of not always having a trash can nearby.

A possible explanation as to why the streets are not full of trash, despite the lack of public trash cans is that people living in Seoul have grown accustomed to it. This makes them carry their trash with them, usually kept in a plastic bag or backpack, until they find a trash can. When they find a trash can they either empty the bag or just throw the whole bag in. Sometimes when there are a lot of people gathering in one place trash can just pile up in one spot while nearby there is almost no trash.

The problem with not having so many trash cans is that the trash can overpower the existing trash cans. This is not so noticeable during the day except maybe in heavily trafficked areas. But at night some trash cans almost turn into a trash mountain where there is trash on top of the bin and sometimes around it, which is also noticeable in the biggest building on the school where cartons from various fast food places just lay on the ground and around all the trash cans. This is especially noticeable after the weekend but the trash is still removed the next day which makes it only a problem for the nights.

Text:

Oskar Hammargren

Since noticing there were basically no trash cans anywhere I have changed some habits from Sweden. One change I have done is to basically have my backpack with me at all times when doing any sort of outdoor activity in South Korea.

For example when going out in to Seoul and exploring I will always have my backpack with me because of the fear of not finding a trash can, if I eat something from a convenience store I can always put it in my backpack. In Sweden I would not have this fear of not finding somewhere to place my potential trash. However, as it works well for Seoul to have a small amount of trash cans to ensure a high recycling rate, I would say they should continue to do so even if it makes tourists irritated.

Oskar is studying at the Chung-ang University in Seoul, South Korea.

He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering.

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THE

HAZE

In mid-September, the air quality in Singapore worsened significantly. The level of pollutant particles in the air reached unhealthy levels for the first time in three years. In Singapore, it is not mainly caused by air-polluting urban traffic and emissions within the country, but by forest fires which are used by farmers as a land clearing method in neighbouring countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia. To breathe in this polluted air feels like you are having a cold. You start sneezing, coughing and it feels like you have something in your throat and it’s recommended to wear a mask if you are going outdoors for a longer period of time. Large deforestation is ongoing in Southeast Asia to make space for the oil palm plantations which have brought the farmers from poverty to a higher living standard.

The Singaporeans have become aware of this and keen to find a solution because they suffer from the haze.

A good environment for cultivation Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of palm oil since its climate suits the crop perfectly.

The crop thrives in a humid climate where the temperature is between 24-32 °C. The governments in Indonesia and Malaysia are also large investors in palm oil production. They have promoted the industry and helped it to grow through government grants to small independent business owners.

Helped farmers from poverty The palm oil industry has increased the farmers living conditions. They have higher income, access to better health care and the ability to send their children to higher education. So to blame the problems with palm oil on the farmers is just wrong. Understandably, the small independent farmers themselves cannot decide to stop producing palm oil, because it would affect them and their living standards. The change must take place at a more aggregated level.

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IN SINGAPORE

High yield per crop The oil palm crop yields much more oil than any other vegetable oil crop. This means that it takes less land to produce the same amount of oil.

Besides that, it is extremely lucrative for farmers to grow oil palms. Many westerners think that the solution is to stop using palm oil completely.

That’s not the complete solution because oil palm plantations are so land efficiently. Among the vegetable oils, there is no better option than using palm oil, but the production has to be conducted more sustainably.

What causes the haze?

The farmers use a land clearing practice called the “slash-and-burn” method, which means that they set fire to the forest. The peatlands that the farmers set fire too are also very carbon-rich crops, which makes the polluting situation even worse. To clear out land by slash-and-burn cost 5 S$ per hectare and to do it more regularly and sustainably costs 200 S$ per hectare. This makes the farmers stick to the cheapest alternative because if their costs increase they are not competitive anymore since the palm oil is traded as a commodity where only price counts. To get rid of this air polluting land clearing technique, incentives have to be created for farmers to cultivate in a more sustainable way.

Increase traceability in the supply chain so endconsumers can make a conscious decision.

So why is this problem so hard to solve?

Many parties are involved in the palm oil’s Supply Chain and each one of them has different incentives. Palm oil is a commodity traded on the financial markets. How can we encourage farmers to use more sustainable cultivation methods? There are no long term contracts and the price is everything. Singapore often blames the neighbouring countries but in fact, Singapore itself is not entirely innocent. They have a large impact on the oil palm cultivation process through its financial markets. Many

Singaporean banks, such as Development Bank Singapore (DBS) and Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC), provide loans to palm oil producers all over Southeast Asia. The palm oil supply chain is long with almost no transparency and traceability. This in combination with the fact that the crop is traded as a commodity makes it hard for end-consumers to make a sustainable choice. The farmers are not incentivised to build more sustainable productions and up to 40 % of the production is made by small businesses.

Text & photo:

Henrik Edstrand

How can the palm oil industry become more sustainable?

There is no clear cut solution to this issue.

Different stakeholders often blame each other and want someone else to find out a solution.

It’s beyond the ability for one single player to make the necessary changes. Governments, endconsumers, financial institutions and palm oil producers are examples of stakeholders that have to collaborate and find out a solution to have in common. We must not only blame the farmers in poor countries for the haze that shows up in Singapore since this is a problem that needs to be solved on a multi-stakeholder level.

Henrik is studying at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Business Management and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Management and Economics of Innovation.

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A PLASTIC NATION If you go in to any store in Japan you will probably be overwhelmed with the amount of plastic packaging that is used – a tomato has its own plastic wrapping, a pack of gum has a plastic cover on every single piece of gum – nothing is left unwrapped. On the other hand public trash bins are a rare sight, but if you are lucky enough to bump into one it can be quite confusing since the recycling system is very systematic and precise. A country with plastic on everything and a well-organized recycling system made me wonder how it adds up, does Japan manage to compensate for its waste production?

Japan produces is the amount of microplastics in the ocean surrounding Japan, which is 27 times greater than the world’s oceans on average.

Japan’s government officially states that 84% of all produced plastic is recycled, a number which can be a bit misleading as the recycling of plastic

Today Barely a fifth of Japan’s total land mass is habitable, which is one of the reasons that most of the population is aggregated in cities. The greater Tokyo area resides a staggering 36 million people and is the most populated metropolitan area in the world. Many other Japanese cities are densely populated and this comes with a number of environmental problems, one being waste management.

Due to Japan’s small size there is a lack of space to handle the disposal of its garbage. In the past, high volumes of waste and plastic was burned, which lead to issues with air pollution and forced the government to pursue an ambitious recycling program. Today Japan has a one of the strictest garbage sorting rules in the world and the overall plastic recycling rate has improved from 46% to 84% in the last 20 years. Sorting household trash will probably not impress many Scandinavians, but what really caught my eye was that even public trash bins were separated between combustibles, incombustibles, bottles and paper.

Even though the recycling of waste has improved in Japan they still receive a lot of criticism for their love of plastic packaging. Japan ranks second in the world, in plastic package waste per capita – for instance the average person in Japan uses 450 plastic bags per year. Another indicator of the high volumes of plastics that

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uses three types of processes; material, chemical and thermal. Material recycling basically means reusing the plastic, chemical processing means breaking down plastic waste into raw materials

and then used for new plastic products. Finally thermal processing uses the energy produced by heating the plastic in incinerators. And of all recycled plastics the majority is thermally recycled, which has the same negative impact as fossil fuels.

Efforts In 2018 both Japan and the USA declined to sign the G7 pact to reduce single-use plastics which would have committed them to reuse, recycle and collect all plastics by 2030. Instead the Japanese government revealed a proposal to reduce the country’s plastic waste by 25% by 2030 and make it mandatory for retail shops to charge customers for plastic bags. The latter has not yet been implemented in practice, which is obvious for me as a resident in Japan - I have been offered a plastic bag with every purchase I have done. In one of the supermarkets in my area I went in to buy a pear and the cashier put it in two separate plastic bags at checkout. Which is excessive enough, without taking into consideration that the pear already was wrapped in two layers of plastic. For a clearer conscience at the checkout in Japan remember the phrase: “daijoubu desu” (it’s all right).

In general, the public awareness of problems related to plastic use is low in Japan, but awareness is growing. Several local companies and authorities are taking matters into their own hands. The town of Kameoka will ban all retailers from handing out plastic bags and the village of Kamikatsu set a goal to eliminate all of its waste without resorting to incinerators or landfills by next year. These efforts might seem minute for one of the biggest industrial countries in the world, but the efforts have received a lot of publicity in Japan which hopefully can help raise the public awareness.

Even though Japan is taking steps towards better disposal of plastic waste it is obvious that the problem lies in the over-production of plastics.

As one of the top five economies in Asia, and as a well-developed industrial country, Japan can lead the way on reducing production on plastic in Asia. One can only hope that they grasp the opportunity before it’s too late.

The plastic wrappings of a single pear.

Text & photo:

Adam Walman

Adam is studying at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Economics and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Management and Economics of Innovation

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GHOST TOWNS IN CHINA Even though China is the most populated country in the world, there are several cities that are empty of inhabitants, commonly known as “ghost towns”. It is estimated that China has around 50 ghost towns and the area of ghost towns in China could cover all of Madrid. One should also point out that there is a major ongoing urbanization in China today. According to the Communist Party plan, 250 million people will leave the countryside by 2026 - thus being the largest expected urbanization the world has ever seen. It is a controversial issue with China building lots of cities that no one ever settles in. It is a great waste of earth’s resources. The Chinese government believes it will be able to inhabit these cities, but some other countries doubt China will succeed because they claim it is not possible to create so many jobs in the cities that quickly.

Soon I have been in Shanghai for three months and I have already visited one ghost town and passed several by train during my travels. I wanted to investigate these cities more thoroughly and especially why they were built and abandoned.

In the outskirts of Shanghai you can find the town Luodian. What is peculiar about this town is that it is a copy of Sigtuna, a town in Sweden. From a distance you can see a church that stands out among the houses. It is not a church of Chinese architecture.

They have even created a lake to emulate Mälaren in Sweden. Fortunately, it is not as big as Mälaren. When you get off the metro, you come across a blue fence with a sign that says it is under construction. You must walk a kilometer along the fence, and it goes to an abandoned park. The atmosphere is eerie, and it reminds me of “The walking dead” series. Among the houses you can find some people who are living there, but their life looks miserable. The streets are abandoned. If you only take into consideration the buildings, it feels like you are back in Sweden.

I wonder why the Chinese wanted to create this town and why it is now abandoned.

There are several theories about why the Chinese wanted to build fake towns resembling European ones. Some believe that the Chinese think the Europe’s cities are cozy. Another factor is that some architects mentioned Chinese have poor knowledge of modern urban planning. The Chinese want to build fast, then it is more comfortable and cheaper to copy urban planning from an already existing city.

Luodian was completed in 2004 and it covers an area of 1,2 square kilometers.

People moved into the houses and apartments, but some properties never got any owner. After a few years it became too expensive to live there so people moved out and now it has become a ghost town instead. The houses with a sea view were priced between four and five million SEK. The apartments were cheaper, around a half

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million SEK. The average annual salary in China is approximately 100 000 SEK. [1] Loudian is one of many ghost towns in China.

If we go one hundred miles inland, we will find Zhengshou, previously a ghost town that now has a population of 10 million people. Zhengshou is now a super modern and high-tech city with pompous skyscrapers and streets filled with people. But that was not the case a few years ago.

The Foxconn company producing iPhones for Apple, has been a deciding factor in changing the city from a ghost town to a normal city.

There are a few different theories why the Chinese built the cities from the beginning without knowing for sure that all these people will move into these buildings. One is that Chinese municipality have pressure to create growth and get a functioning economy. It is a way to refurbish the rural land and prepare for urban construction. In China, real estate is seen as a safer investment than saving in bank deposits or buying shares. Then there is a law in China that says that as soon as you buy land, you must start building. Another reason is

Text & photos:

Jacob Nissén Karlsson

that municipalities have to invest in schools, local traffic and healthcare if people move in. So they have a desire that people will not move in to fast.

To put it simply, the Chinese think that one day the city will be inhabited.

In 2011, a documentary about Zhengzhou as a ghost town was recorded. After that, China’s government decided to change it. They gave the companies plenty of benefits to build their factories in the region. Benefits eg money and the government help with the procurement. This was done in order to create economic growth in the region and to get people to move here. Today, Taiwan-based Foxconn is the world’s biggest iPhone manufacturer. It has been difficult to find information about why the Chinese became scared when the outside world saw the ghost town documentary. Perhaps this is because China is afraid to show all of its ghost towns?

Jacob is studying at the Tongji University in Shanghai, China. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Supply Chain Management.

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trade

& business Studying abroad might give you a new view of your area of studies. Interesting work opportunities might show up, or you might meet someone who works with something you are really interested in. Letting yourself dive in to your future work arena on an international level is a great first step of your career.

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REACHING FOR THE SKY

- an antenna measurement chamber in a Singapore high-rise This is the story of how an anechoic antenna measurement chamber was built on the 18th floor of an office building in Singapore.

Reaching the 18th floor of one of the high rise buildings in the Fusionopolis complex requires a midway changing of lifts. As the lifts quickly ascend, passing by floor after floor of offices with city views, I can feel the slight pressure difference in my ears. I’m en route to visit the antenna measurement chamber owned and operated by Singapore agency A*STAR as part of a course I’m taking in antenna engineering.

The pressure ceases to change and the view greeting me as the doors slide open is utterly changed. Gone are the neatly decorated offices with accompanying coffee makers carefully preparing cup after cup of liquid alertness. Instead, I’m stepping into a vast room that surely must be occupying most of the area of the floor and reaching at least three times the usual ceiling height. There are no longer any large windows through which the university and national hospital can be seen, behind the latter I could imagine my living quarters. Inside the workshop-like environment another enclosure resides. It measures around 20 metres in length, half of that in width and reaches the ceiling. This is the anechoic chamber where antennas are tested and measured without outside interference as a vital step in the design process.

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The acute importance of this has been shown to me in the appropriately named course Antenna Engineering, in which I’m enrolled at National University of Singapore. The course is – as will be clearly emphasised throughout this story – oriented towards obtaining a practical sense of how to implement fundamental knowledge of antennas as a working engineer. The class visit to A*STAR in Fusionopolis for example, was in large arranged thanks to my lecturer being in charge of building the measurement chamber a few years ago.

As a practising engineer he is eager to share the invaluable tips and tricks he has acquired so far in his professional life. These useful facts and ways of thinking are, should be noted, especially tricky to come across in regular textbooks. With this in mind, it’s now time to introduce A*STAR and the Fusionopolis complex in greater detail.

As earlier hinted, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research is governed by the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the government. Since its establishment in the early 1990s the agency has worked with the goal of advancing the country’s economy in the technology dominated, knowledgeintensive sectors that are of great importance to Singapore. This is done by blurring the lines between the public and private sectors, in other words between the universities and the industry.

Because of this, the main focus for A*STAR is to take an idea or demand from industry and

turning it into a working prototype, which is then handed back to the industry partners for continuing development.

Although Singapore might be most famously known for playing a large role in the world of finance, the country also exports a vast range of refined oil products. Besides these two industries, the country is defined by its business in the fields of semiconductor electronics and medical technology. Both of these sectors are well represented within A*STAR. An interesting note to make when speaking of decreasing the gap between the public and private, is that several of the country’s largest companies are controlled by the government through a large state-owned holding company. Some of them, with high probability, the very same companies cooperating with A*STAR on their next prototype.

“The busy building captures the quintessential of the Singaporean strive for innovation.”

This proof-of-concept approach has its base in the 130 metre, 22 floors high Fusionopolis tower, conveniently located directly on top of the underground one-north MRT station. Complete with a shopping center and a large variation of options for lunch, the busy building captures the quintessential of the Singaporean strive for innovation.

Back on my visit on the 18th floor, far from the sounds of rush hour, I stand with the rest of the class in the previously calm, but now dangerously crowded anechoic chamber. I inspect the chamber walls. They are covered with large blue pyramids pointing outward. The pyramids are made out of a very fragile type of

Text & photos:

Erik Angert Svensson

foam absorbing the radiated energy to minimise reflections disturbing the precise antenna tests. As I vacate the chamber with the rest of the class, their outer tips are at considerable risk of being slightly broken. Clearing the chamber, and I want to emphasise this, without any alteration of the interior, a quick test measurement of an antenna is conducted. This marks the end of the visit, and at last gives me the chance to ask the question that has been on my mind ever since the visit was announced a couple of weeks ago: How come the chamber was constructed on the 18th floor instead of at ground level, which would have been considerably less demanding?

This was not the first time the question had been asked. It turns out that the answer is a sort of fundamental design fault of the entire Fusionopolis building itself. As I mentioned earlier, the MRT runs through the building’s basement. I’m told that the communication systems of the MRT generates a lot of electrical interference which affects the measurements in the anechoic chamber. Because of this, the decision was made to build the chamber as far from the source of interference as possible. The way to go for solving the problem was upward, in the process most likely setting a new world record.

And so ends the story of how an anechoic antenna measurement chamber was built on the 18th floor of a Singaporean office building.

Erik is studying at the National University of Singapore. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Wireless, Photonics and Space Engineering.

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WHY JAPANESE PRODUCTS ARE BEING BANNED IN SOUTH KOREA The year was 1933 and she was 14 years old. Lee Ok-Seon had to work as a comfort woman at a Japanese wartime brothel in China. Abducted from her hometown and dragged into a car while running errands for her parents, whom she would never see again.

If you don’t live in South Korea, you might not have heard about this issue before, you might not even know that Korea and Japan have been on bad terms for over a century, but Lee Ok-Seon’s and tens of thousands of other women’s fate would lead to a state of political hostility and the boycott of Japanese products in today’s Korean society.

Boycotts and bans towards neighboring nations is nothing new. In fact, Japanese media and music were banned in Korea from the end of World War II until early 90’s, while there still are some restrictions even to this day. But, as westerners, we may not really know the story behind the never ending battle of bans and governmental discussions ongoing in Japan and Korea.

Nevertheless, their history is not only important for understanding another culture, but also for understanding women’s history and to learn from the past to not repeat it in the future.

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It all started with Korea signing an unequal treaty with Japan in 1853, opening up the Korean ports for Japanese trade. This treaty itself was not the issue, but it paved the way for several unequal treaties between the two countries, leading to Japan officially annexing the Korean nation. Soon Korean households were forced to adopt Japanese surnames and learn the Japanese language, Korean cultural heritages were demolished and Korean newspapers were prevented from publishing. This imperial era eventually ended with Japan surrendering and leaving their colonized countries after losing in WW2.

This, of course, has a lot more layers to it than what is presented, but these events would lead to the kidnapping of Lee Ok-Seon and all the Korean comfort women during the second world war.

During the world war Korean men were sent to Japan to do forced labor and Korean girls and women were sent to work as comfort women.

Comfort women were, in other words, sex slaves at comfort stations in different countries occupied by the Japanese imperium for the Japanese soldiers.

These women, and girls, were involuntarily having sex with up to 40 men per day. The few

women that survived this have testified that they usually were recruited with false promises of them working as factory workers to be able to provide for their families, or abducted as Lee Ok-Seon.

Most of the comfort women died and those that survived were left with permanent damage, both mentally and physically, and infertility.

When the war ended, South Korea demanded financial compensation for the forced military service that their citizens had to do. This was agreed on and the nations signed a treaty during 1965 for Japan to pay an 800 million dollar aid.

Afterwards there were several other agreements on how Japan was supposed to compensate Korea for their war crimes, but the dispute never ended.

The reason for this was that Japan officially denied the existence of the comfort stations all together while only admitting the forced labor that Korean men had to do. Korea raised statues and created museums in memory of the war victims and several of the statues were symbols of the comfort women. These statues are usually decorated with flowers to respect the victims, and you can see them everywhere walking around in the city. One of those statues were placed right outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul, stirring the hostility between the nations even further, flaring it up to a political issue between the countries.

It took until the late 80’s before the Korean media actually started to criticize the Japanese colonial period and the issue regarding the wartime brothels that they held. The Korean government has repetitively asked Japan for an official apology and aid for the comfort women survivors which has been denied with the argument that the matter had already been settled.

Then, why are Japanese products being banned now? South Korea and Japan are two of the largest producers of smartphone and computer parts. On July 1st 2019 Japan suddenly announced

Text & photos:

Jasmine Johansson

that they would restrict their supply of parts for Korean production of semiconductors, which would affect the Korean economy. Japan justified the restrictions with that they couldn’t trust South Korean export control and what countries they sell their technology to, suspecting them to sell materials to countries like Iran, UAE or North Korea, while South Korea suspects that this was Japan’s way to put pressure on Korean companies, especially since South Korea had provoked Japan by asking them to apologize officially for the comfort women again after the discussion was brought up in late 2018. Then, just a month afterwards, Japan decided to remove South Korea from their “most favoured trade” list of even more products, making South Korea fall to a new trade group that made it harder for them to get other supplies from Japan. South Korea answered with removing Japan from their own lists too, making the issue proceed faster.

Then the people reacted.

Korean celebrities started to encourage the public to boycott Japanese products, putting Japanese companies in a pinch. Since then the Korean streets have been filled with demonstrations and banners criticizing Japan and Japanese brand stores are echoing empty without the customers.

This issue is very complex, and all factors have not been presented, but the outlines leading to the boycott are here. It is difficult to say who is right and who is wrong in this protracted dispute. Time will tell how this will unfold and what the nations eventually will agree on. Until then the Japanese brands will take the hit and survivors like Lee Ok-Seon will have to wait out the storm.

Jasmine is studying at the Chung-Ang University in Seoul, South Korea.

She s currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Management and Production Engineering.

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HOW SOUTH KOREA EXPERIENCED AN ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION Since the late part of the 20th century, South Korea has been a country with a rapid economic development. In the 1950s it was an economy purely based on agriculture terms and had a GDP equivalent to a country in the underdeveloped world. By the counting of GDP as of World bank’s rating in 2018, Korea is placed as country number twelve. How has this change been possible for such a small country with barely any natural resources?

After the destructive Korean War at the beginning of the 1950s, Korea was in a devastating position in both the perspective of economy, welfare and destruction of large cities.

As earlier described, Korea’s economy was at this time underdeveloped as most countries that suffered a large war dependent majorly of economic assistance from abroad. After the war, by 1960, Korea was governed by a military leadership, this period of time is named “Miracle on the Han River”. It refers to a time when Korea with lots of hard work by the labor force with great economic and technological help from Western countries, especially from Japan and the U.S. This concluded in an average annual rate for the economic growth close to 9 percent. By this growth, Korea’s economy was now based on modern manufacturing with high labor efficiency and was referred to as a success story.

In the late 90s, the growth slowed down and declined. In 1997 the chaebols, Korea’s conglomerates had used a highly aggressive strategy to compete on the international scene and due to less growth had extensive problems to show positive integers. This led to an effect that foreign investors backed out from their investments and Korea was in free fall. The International Monetary Fund stepped in and rescued Korea with a bailout worth $57 million, this was the greatest bailout up ever for the fund up until 1997.

After the economic crisis, the corporations found different sources of funding and did drastic labor changes. Already by 1999, the growth was back in a positive trend. Since this, Korea has followed the world’s economy with some setbacks after 9/11 and the financial crisis it had a stable growth. Now Korea is famous for its export industry and big foundation in its economy with developing high-end technological solutions with electronics and IT from electronics companies as Samsung and LG or automobile manufacturing from Hyundai

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and Kia. This has not come for free, Korea has allocated lots of resources for technology development and innovation for promoting growth. In fact, Korea is spending the largest amount of GDP on research and technology in the world.

Because of this fast economic transformation, Korea is very dependent to develop new technology and this leads to a very competitive market, especially for the universities.

This influences to a highly ambitious university culture, due to large and famous employers only offering employment for students with the best grades. Reflecting this as a student in Korea, society puts a lot of pressure on individuals to succeed in their studies. As of the aspects as an engineering student at Chalmers, employers in Sweden generally promote and select new employers to fit well in a workgroup to be a good team, which also affects a more healthy engineering student environment.

To remain at the top the business has to be proactive when following the environmental surroundings. The challenge for Korea’s economy in the future is firstly the competition from the country on the opposite side of the Yellow Sea, China. In recent years China has focused on similar businesses that Korean companies have big market shares in, i.e. Samsung vs. Huawei. China has also been the largest export country for Korea, and by China developing its own electronics and cars, Korea needs to find other markets for their products.

Secondly, due to Korea’s demographic aging, lack of own natural resources and very special geographical positions are all arguments for a potential risk for a decrease in economic growth.

Text & photos:

Jonas Larsson

Jonas is studying at the Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering.

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CHANGI AIRPORT SINGAPORE

- world’s best airport for seven consecutive years

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Changi Airport in Singapore has been ranked the top airport in the world by Skytrax for seven years running. The Awards is based on 14 million airport survey questionnaires that were completed by airport customers. But what makes Changi Airport the best airport in the world?

The airport is located at the eastern end of Singapore. With the dark green East-West MRT line, you can easily get to the Airport from all over Singapore and you will arrive at the MRT station located at Terminal 2.

When you have arrived at the Airport you will have plenty of options to spend your time with as the airport has a ton of amenities. In Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, there are free movie theaters that play first-run movies all day long. When you get tired of watching movies you can easily head to Terminal 1 for a swim at the rooftop swimming pool with Jacuzzi that travelers can access for 17 Singapore Dollars, or about 11 EUR. After the physical activity, it may be a good option to head to terminal 3 and the Kopitiam food court. With 21 food stalls, it has a smorgasbord of local favorites, international cuisines, and desserts which can be found here for low prices.

There are plenteous gardens and nature attractions at Changi Airport. You can find a sunflower garden at Terminal 2 and not far away there is a butterfly garden with more than 1,000 exotic butterflies at Terminal 3.

Although experiencing the movie theaters, the swimming pool and the butterfly garden is exciting, things get really impressive when you arrive at the Jewel. Located on the landside of Changi Airport and connected to three of the terminals the Jewel has the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, standing at 40 meters high and named the Rain Vortex, which is surrounded by a terraced forest setting. The Forest Valley is one of Asia’s largest indoor gardens and it houses around 3,000 trees and 60,000 shrubs with a toroidshaped roof that has more than 9,000 pieces of glass. The whole thing is extremely impressive and it is worth to allow for an additional couple of hours at the airport to make sure to explore all parts of it.

Nevertheless, even if the amenities are impressive and are worth visiting, Changi Airport has not reached its status exclusively because of them. The thing that makes Singapore’s Airport stand apart is the cleanliness, efficiency and customer-centric approach.

Terminal 4, the airport’s newest

Text:

Teif Alsadi Photos:

Changi Airport Group

terminal, is built with the idea that travelers should be able to go from check-in to their plane without talking to another human, if they wish. There are automated kiosks for checking in, printing luggage tags and boarding passes, an automated baggage drop and even automated cleaning robots. In comparison with conventional terminals, Terminal 4 uses 20% less manpower.

A huge advantage as studying in Singapore is that you can use their streamlined bordercontrol process which everyone that has registered their fingerprints at the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority can use. They scan your face and fingerprints to verify your identity and then you are good to go. Their security screening process also uses the latest technology to make the process remarkably faster. This has made it very convenient and comfortable for me each time I have arrived in Singapore after a trip as I have been able to leave the airport in a fast way.

To summarise the benefits of the Airport there is plenty of things to spend your time with at the terminals and you should maybe plan on spending a couple of hours in the Airport to see all the amenities. Nevertheless, you should not be surprised if it only takes 15 minutes from the MRT station to the boarding gate.

Teif is studying at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Business Management and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Management and Economics of Innovation.

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HOW DOES VOLVO ROLL IN CHINA? When I first arrived at Tsinghua University in Beijing, many things in everyday life was drastically changed from an ordinary day at Chalmers. How strange it might sound, one of very few things that made me feel like back in Gothenburg was the large amounts of Volvos rolling around on the streets of the university’s huge campus.

This got me thinking: How much of Liseberg, Haga’s cobblestone streets, and the Feskekôrka is still to be found in the Chinese-owned car manufacturer?

I guess that there are not too many wandering around thinking of the fact that almost ten years have passed since the Chinese company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group became the owner of Volvo Car Group, when acquiring it from Ford.

Even if Volvo has not been under Swedish ownership since 1999, it is still difficult to come up with something more associated with Sweden than IKEA, the name Greta and Volvo in 2019.

As a student at Chalmers University of Technology, it is impossible not to come in contact with the car manufacturer with its headquarters located in Torslanda, in one way or another.

Whether it is through a part-time job during the studies, or the overwhelming amounts of S60s, V90s and XC60s on the streets of Gothenburg, the presence of the brand is always near.

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Since Volvo Cars was acquired by Chinese Geely, the amount of cars sold to the Chinese market has skyrocketed. The development from only amounting for a fraction of Volvo’s revenues in 2010, to selling almost twice as many cars to China in comparison with Sweden today, might help getting a better understanding of why I feel somewhat at home on campus. The importance of China in Volvo’s organization is even more obvious when considering that 25% of all Volvos are produced in the four Chinese manufacturing plants.

I spoke to Henrik Brynzér, a Chalmers alumni and logistic director of Volvo’s manufacturing plant in Chengdu, about the company’s current situation and future prospects in China. Henrik explains that Volvo is a very globalized organization, and that there are not as many differences internally between being located in Europe or China, as one might think. However, there are some differences between how the production plants are managed, as well as differences between the markets.

The Chinese production plants are generally smaller than the Swedish and Belgian plants, with a production capacity of approximately half the capacity in comparison with Torslanda and Ghent. In Volvo-terms, this corresponds to

having an output of around 30 cars an hour, 24 hours a day, when the plants are producing at maximum capacity. The sites in Chengdu and Daqing are thereto a bit less automated than the European ones, and mainly specialized to produce the models XC60, S60 and S90.

When asked about the differences between the markets in the automotive industry, Brynzér says that Volvo, much like in Europe, is associated with quality, reliability and safety. This fact was particularly obvious for me when the professor of my Behavioural Economics course motivated his choice of purchasing an XC60 by comparing its reliability to a Nokia 3310, to prove how rational he was in the context of the Beijing traffic.

It was only a couple of years ago that China passed Sweden as the single largest consumer country, and is still one of the markets that keep on growing the fastest. Just last year, Volvo grew the number of cars sold in China with more than 14%, an increase which equals almost two brand new XC90s per every student at Chalmers. This is something that Brynzér specifically points out as one of the most stimulating characteristics of working with Volvo Cars in China. He finishes our discussion by saying that “The Chinese market is in its early stages, and the potential

Text:

Lucas Andrén

for further development is still huge. This is just one of the reasons why China is very inspiring, another being the amount of appreciation you receive when you can bring experiences to the production plants.”.

Now, I know what you are thinking; “This Lucas seems like a fun guy to grab a Pripps with, running around counting Volvos during his exchange”. First of all, I do not blame you, I agree with you. The counting of cars might seem like some childish game played between a couple of siblings, and the fact that I am the only one playing is not making the situation better.

However, it is a strange experience running around in China where everything is so much more than just different from Sweden. You cling on to things that you recognize and can relate to, even if they are both childish and slightly embarrassing to write about in a magazine.

So meanwhile I, in a proud manner, continue to count the number of Volvos passing me by on the campus, Volvo will probably keep on living up to their Latin translation “I roll”, here in China. It would therefore not come as a surprise if next year’s Swedes might feel equally, or even more at home, during their exchange here at Tsinghua University.

Lucas is studying at the Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Management and Economics of Innovation

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FIRST - COME, FIRST - SERVED SYSTEM IN SOUTH KOREA After the Korea war 1950-1953, South Korea was known as one of the poorest countries in the world with only $64 per capita income.

However, it did not take more than 80 years for South Korea to revive and become one of the richest and most powerful countries in Asia. The country’s development journey is a very clear evidence on how effective and fast they can be. After going through the course registering period and many of the ticket buying systems at Yonsei University, I can tell that Koreans are very punctual and fast. It may be the reason why the first come, first served system is applied in this country.

Unlike in Sweden, where students are automatically registered on courses when a new semester starts, Korea’s students are supposed to choose and apply to courses themselves. Furthermore, they have to create their own schedule and make sure that the courses do not collide with each other. Due to the fact that many universities in Korea as well as Yonsei University, use first come first served basis, both Korean students and exchange students must act quickly or risk losing an opportunity to take desired courses.

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Because of that, I and my friends who are part of the exchange program at Chung-ang University had to prepare very carefully and be ready when the registration was opened, to ensure that we get a spot on the courses we wanted to take.

Just as at Chalmers, there is a welcome week at Yonsei University which is a very good opportunity for students, especially exchange students, to network and to learn more about the country and the school. Yonsei University arranged many activities as well as parties which students could participate in. Instead of queuing in line, students are supposed to register by themselves in different groups on KakaoTalk (the most popular local chat app) that arrange different activities. There the host of the event will announce the time for buying tickets. At an exact time, a link is sent out in the group and students should fill in the form as soon as possible. The system of first come first served helps them to decide who gets to buy ticket based on how fast students submit the answer. For example, the Yon-Ko Games tickets which is the sports competition between Yonsei and Korea University were available on

a first come first served basis and they were sold out in under eight seconds.

There are advantages and disadvantages to almost everything, and so is the case with the first come first served system. One of the benefits of using this system is that it is very easy, useful and effective especially when demand is higher than supply, as in the YonKo Games tickets example above.

Furthermore, customers will be served without regard to social status or favoritism. However, it also creates dissatisfaction among Yonsei’s students. It happens that among a group of students who want to see Yon-Ko games together, some of them can get the tickets and not the others because they were not fast enough. As a result, those students who get tickets may not be able to go with the friends that they intended. In addition, not everyone has a good mobile phone with fast network or not everyone is fast enough at tapping the screen. Therefore many of Yonsei’s students are not happy about the first come first served system.

The system of first come first served is also sometimes applied in Swedish

Text:

Thi Ha Phuong Luu

universities. For instance, during the welcome period at Chalmers, there are many kinds of ticket selling for participating events and activities.

To make it fair, Chalmers uses the first come first served system which makes students queuing in line to be able to buy a ticket. Usually, it works well and we do not think much about it because in many cases, all students who want to join an event will get a ticket. However, the effect of this system is much clearer in South Korea than Sweden due to the fact that demand is much higher than supply. For instance, there are around 1000 exchange students at Yonsei this year but there are only 70 spots for participating on a bus tour around Seoul. Because of that, Yonsei choses to apply first come first served system that can help them deciding who can get the spots on just a few minutes. Therefore, students are supposed to be very fast and punctual to be able to get a ticket. I think this reflects well what I have experienced so far in South Korea, namely how well organized, effective and punctual Korean people are. When they decide on a time they keep it and scheduling their day, week and month is a skill they take for granted.

Thi is studying at the Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Management and Production Engineering.

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society demochracy

When students move across seas and borders it allows for new perspectives to emerge. The new place of study evokes reactions and sometimes changes the way we see ourselves and how we expect things to work. These reflections may spark creativity, content and a will to make things better, and can make us learn even more than we can do in the classroom.

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ONE COUNTRY When the former british colony was uplifted and Hong Kong was returned to China, Hong Kong was granted certain autonomy from China under the “one country, two systems” deal. It was decided that the deal would last for 50 years, ensuring Hong Kong the possibility of, among other things, upkeeping their own currency and legal system.

In early April of 2019, the Legislative Council of Hong Kong proposed a bill which would allow for the extradition of Hong Kong citizens to mainland China. This bill sparked malaise in citizens of Hong Kong, who felt that the bill might undermine Hong Kong’s independence from mainland China. Since the bill was proposed, numerous large scale protests have been carried out with the number of participants nearly reaching two million.

At the time of writing this, Hong Kong closes in on its 20th consecutive week of increasingly violent protests. Molotov cocktails, crushed windows and destroyed MTR-stations have at this point become a part of daily life for Hong Kong citizens. Despite the unstable situation, Hong Kong remains productive as people continue with their daily routines to the best extent possible.

In an attempt to provide an alternative view on the situation compared to what one might find in media, I’ve conducted interviews with two people studying full time in Hong Kong. The first person, is born and raised in Hong Kong, and the

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| TWO SYSTEMS second is originally from mainland China, doing postgraduate studies in Hong Kong. Identities have been kept secret due to the sensitive nature of the interviews.

The local student is a male living with his family in a residential area outside the city.

Have there been protests close to your home?

At first no, as the protests were huge and central in the beginning. But lately, they have shifted to being in different districts. There have been multiple incidents since. More recently, off duty cops have been attacked, and undercover cops have arrested and beat up protesters near where I live.

Have you been affected by the MTR stations being closed at unpredictable times due to the protests?

Lately I’ve had to take the bus way more than usual, which is a lot slower than taking the subway here in Hong Kong. I probably spend five more hours per week on public transportation than I did before the protests.

How is the university environment different this year, compared to earlier years?

It is very different from how it has previously been. People who were previously completely disinterested in politics have now become engaged. For example, the university election became a very hot and sensitive topic this year, previous years people here have not shown interest for the election at all.

Do you ever feel unsafe in ways you didn’t before the protests?

Yes, seeing the police walk around in the city is unnerving and everything feels a bit tense. Also, the people around you may have a very different opinion from yours. It feels scary not knowing if someone might be against you because your difference in opinions.

The mainland chinese student is also a male pursuing a postgraduate degree in Hong Kong.

Have there been protests close to your home?

There have been some instances where students have been chanting and singing things related to the protests, but not much.

Do you ever feel unsafe in ways you didn’t before the protests?

I often feel unsafe when going outside alone. It feels like the people wearing masks and dressing in black might want to hurt you, or say bad things to you if they find out that you are from mainland. So this year I have been trying my best to try to hide the fact that I am from mainland, instead pretending that I am a local. Another consequence of the protests is that the travel industry in Hong Kong has suffered these last four months. A large portion of the visitors here are from mainland, and now that these people don’t feel welcome here, they won’t continue visiting.

How do you think the fact that you are from mainland is Have you been affected by MTR stations being closed at affecting your experience here? unpredictable times due to the protests?

It makes me afraid of going out, or letting people Yes, it has been very inconvenient. know that I am from mainland.

Mainly because I can’t go to “I think that the protests I try my best to try to hide the the city and shop as usual. Also, fact that I am from mainland, earlier this month I returned from started for a noble cause, and pretend that I am a local. I a trip home to mainland. When fighting for freedom.” think that the protests started for a I arrived at the airport the MTR noble cause, fighting for freedom. was closed, and I had to go home by bus. On my With time though, the protests have gotten way way home, I was almost caught up in the protests out of control. Protestors are destroying the which were ongoing.

MTR, destroying shops and hitting mainlanders.

How has the university environment changed this year, compared to earlier years?

I was here during the summer of 2018, before the protests. At that time, people looked happier and less worried. On campus, there are a lot of people wearing black and covering their faces with masks this year compared to then. Seeing these people walk around stresses me.

While two interviews are not a strong empirical ground to assess what the majority of people are experiencing, it is clear that the situation in Hong Kong is affecting different people in different ways, and that it clearly takes its toll on the daily life of people living here.

Text & photos:

Arvid is studying at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Physics and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Physics.

Arvid Wenzel Wartenberg

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THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SWEDISH AND TAIWANESE UNIVERSITIES

Chalmers University of Technology and National Chiao Tung University are located approximately 8800 km apart on two different continents. The differences in teaching and learning between the two universities are big but not as huge as the physical distance between. However, through the Chalmers International Taiwan Office project, there is a strong bond between the two universities. A bond which creates countless opportunities for Chalmers students going to NCTU, and vice versa.

I had been studying at Chalmers for four years before I came here to National Chiao Tung University and Taiwan. Two months has passed since I arrived and there has been plenty of time to reflect upon the differences, and similarities, between the two universities. The first difference you probably will notice is the different style in architecture, and inside the buildings you will not find the large lecture halls that we are used to at Chalmers. Here, you will most likely find yourself in a classroom with room for about 30 students, like back in upper secondary school in Sweden. Furthermore, there are more similarities with the upper secondary school. For example, instead of taking two courses at a time, here at NCTU you will probably have to take five or six courses simultaneously. Also, instead of the typical study period of 8 weeks followed by an exam week, at NCTU the courses in general run for the whole semester.

Furthermore, the structure of the courses differs a lot between the universities.

At Chalmers, your grade generally is determined by how you perform on the written exam during the exam week. But at NCTU it is a lot different. Your grade will not only be determined by a final exam, if there is a final exam.

Instead, it may also include attendance, participation and homework. You

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can argue that this is a better way to make the students study throughout the whole semester and not postpone it until the last weeks. Maybe this is a good system for the Taiwanese students but personally I prefer the Swedish way which includes more responsibility and less homework, attendance and participation. However, when you are about to write your exam, forget about signing up and bringing your ID, at NCTU you just have to show up and you will be able to write the exam.

Moreover, something Chalmers campus is missing is the sporting facilities that are provided at the NCTU campus. At the campus, you will find for example volleyball courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, badminton courts, gyms and swimming pools, both in- and outdoors. Also, Chalmers is lacking the wide variety of foods the are available at the NCTU campus. You can find everything from Subway and McDonald’s, to typical asian food, even fruit shops and bakeries are available at the campus.

To conclude, from this article one can see that there is a big difference between studying in Sweden compared to Taiwan. However, I have to point out that there probably are differences in being an exchange student compared to an ordinary student at a university. Also, two months is not enough time to judge an education or a whole university. But a lot of other exchange students I have talked to share my thoughts. The perspective this article is missing is that one from the Taiwanese students point of view. But one thing is for sure, you will receive a substantial and sustainable education at both universities.

“One thing is for sure; you With that said, if the opportunity is given, I would will receive a substantial recommend you to complete an exchange semester or two in Taiwan. NCTU is a great option, and and sustainable education with the Chalmers International Taiwan Office located at the NCTU campus, the benefits become at both universities.” even greater.

Text & photos:

Ludwig Klevtun

Ludwig is studying at the National Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu, Taiwan. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Business Management and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Supply Chain Management.

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Look

South Korea – the appearance-driven society

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

You may have heard this phrase many times before. The literal meaning of the phrase is that the perception of beauty is subjective, in other words, what one person finds beautiful another may not. I, personally, have heard this phrase many times before, and I fully agree with it. Yes, beauty is subjective.

Yes, everyone has a type. Yes, everyone has different opinions on what they find beautiful. But yet, there is still something that everyone follows. Something that defies the meaning of the phrase. Something that exists everywhere in the world.

That “something” is beauty standards.

Beauty standards have been existing for thousands of years.

They are set by the society and has been constantly changing for the past decades. They are the standards by which we judge someone as “ideal” or “beautiful”. These standards are extreme in several countries, one of them being South Korea, a country that is known as the capital of plastic surgery.

The ideal South Korean woman is described to have a slim figure, small face with v-lined jaws, small lips, flawlessly light skin and large eyes. As for males, growing

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a beard is seen as “dirty”, whereas having a slim body and clear skin is highly prioritized. If you know about the Korean entertainment industry, you might’ve noticed that many K-pop idols and celebrities in South Korea fit in these standards. In fact, they must reach these standards in order to become famous and accepted by society. They are willing to go under the knife and go through hardcore diet if necessary.

However, these standards don’t only apply for celebrities.

Plastic surgery is something that is socially accepted in South Korea. As a matter of fact, young girls are even encouraged by their families or friends to go through surgery to look more “beautiful”. The number of aesthetic centers in Seoul is countless. In 2014, South Korea reached the record of 980,000 recorded surgery operations, making it the most plastic surgeries per capita in the world. Being skinny, like in many other countries, is also considered attractive in South Korea. For women, if you’re over 50kg, you’re considered fat.

These extreme standards have put huge pressure and stress on

s

young teens in South Korea.

As I mentioned before, the K-pop industry put, not only immense pressure on many artists and idols, but also on the young fan-base that the industry is consisted of. What they see on magazines and TV is what they believe is “ideal” and therefore they’re willing to do anything to beautify themselves. They believe that being beautiful is equal to being successful. What makes them think like that? you might wonder. As you may already know, South Korea’s job market is highly competitive.

Because of this, the majority of companies set a high bar when selecting their potential employees. Employers will only take a glance at your degree but will put their full attention on what grades you have and what university you graduated from, and lastly on the attached head-shot that is absolutely required on your resume. Not only do you have to work hard for those good grades, but you have to have an “ideal” appearance in order to get the job that you want. This is the exact reason why young people have developed into the belief that, in order to get to where you want, you have to

reach the beauty standards that is set by the society.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, beauty standards exist everywhere in the world. In other parts of East Asia, the standards are quite similar to South Korea. There is a well-known Japanese saying that goes “The nail that sticks out shall be hammered down” which I personally think is the perfect description of what the South Korean society is like. Going out with a bare face is asking for attention and you will receive judgmental looks from everyone. To my surprise, even elementary school girls wear makeup to school. Walking down the streets of Seoul, you will see many Koreans wearing the same clothing style and similar makeup. Sticking out of the crowd is an absolute no no for many Koreans. As an exchange student in South Korea, I’ve noticed how this also has an impact on me. I don’t feel comfortable going out without makeup here compared to when I was in Sweden. I feel this pressure that I have to dress or act a certain way to avoid being judged.

There really is no space for being different or unique here.

Don’t get me wrong, South Korea is an amazing country. It really is, in many other aspects.

The kind-hearted people, the lively nightlife, the tasty food, the beautiful scenery and

Text & photos:

Ads for plastic surgery can be seen everywhere downtown.

high-rise buildings, and the amazing technology. However, despite it being one of the most technically developed countries in the world, South Korea still lacks in the social aspect. After living here for two months, I realized that the South Korean society is still very narrowminded and conservative. It is a country with a high level of religion, such as Catholicism, Buddhism and Confucian.

The majority of the older generation still believe that the traditional society is ‘ideal’.

Other issues, such as gender inequality and sexism, still exist

Chieu Khuong Nguyen

in South Korea. Many believe that women should act and dress in a certain way. As a result of this, South Korea has evolved into an appearancedriven society that put many Koreans into a deep hole of self-consciousness. It makes them think that they’re not worthy enough if they look different or unique. I truly hope that someday, the South Korean society will realize that beauty begins the moment they decide to be themselves and the only beauty standard that they all should aim for is their inner beauty.

Chieu is studying at the Chung Ang University in Seoul, South Korea. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor’sDegree in Industrial Management and Production Engineering.

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WESTERN IDEALS IN EAST ASIA Luxury brands such as Chanel, Dior, Gucci and Louis Vuitton are worn by everyone in Hong Kong, from taxi drivers to university students to office workers. The need to show off one’s wealth is embedded in the culture and money equals success. Everyone wants to be successful and keeping up the appearance of being so is extremely important. But what does success look like and how far are people willing to go to achieve it?

Being influenced by western culture, one of the many luxuries the locals indulge in is buying expensive bags and clothing from international fashion brands. It is an easy and effective way to demonstrate your success in life. In fact, everything western is idolised.

Caucasian traits such as; blond hair, fair skin, large eyes and a slim body shape are only a few of the beauty ideals pushed upon the youth. In the pursuit of perfection, going under the knife is as common as going to the hairdresser.

Plastic surgery is expensive, and most people can’t afford it. But don’t worry, double sided tape for the eyelids, face-shapers and bleach crème is sold at the supermarket. On average, Hong Kong women spend over 4000HKD (≈5000SEK) on cosmetics every year, which is more than 23% of the average monthly salary.

Swedish

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women spend less than 6 % of the average monthly salary on cosmetics and beauty products, and Sweden is the largest consumer of skincare in all of EU. The perception of beauty differs between individuals, but according to various fashion magazines in Hong Kong, the waist-to-height ratio is very important. The ideal waist circumference is given by multiplying your height with 0.382. Given the average height for women (158.5 cm) in Hong Kong, anything larger than a size 32 or XXS is unsatisfactory. No wonder that H&M has a special line of “Asian fit” clothing.

People are willing to do almost anything to achieve these unattainable beauty standards, but it is not possible to change your race and become Caucasian. If the local students are to be believed, being Caucasian will give you many advantages in life, you will have a higher IQ , get a better job and a higher salary.

It is easy to understand why the locals believe fair skin equals success, since those who live in the rich neighbourhoods are all Caucasian.

Statements like “Being white is just better” (not kidding, a local actually said this to me) are thrown around and seem to gain common agreement.

on an individual’s self-esteem and cause them to engage in harmful activities. Anorexia, bulimia, anxiety and depression are known consequences of unhealthy beauty ideals. Even though we know that these ideals are damaging and can result in both physical and mental harm we still pursue them. The number of reported cases of eating disorders in Sweden has increased by more than 40% during the last ten years and the trend is continuing.

Truth be told, there is a lot of legitimacy in that statement, maybe not about having higher IQ , but the colour of your skin still has an impact on your life in Hong Kong and white worship is a very prominent consequence of the colonial mentality that still characterizes this peculiar city.

If you are Caucasian you will get paid more for the same work as Asian counterparts, you get free drinks and can even get paid to just hang out at the different night clubs.

If you happen to come from India, you will be asked if you

Text:

Linn Stolt

shower in the river (again, not kidding, many locals really believe this is true). And if you are like me (Asian decent but grew up in Europe) the locals will compare you to a banana, yellow exterior but white on the inside. And don’t forget the age-old question: “Where are you really from?”.

I think we can all agree on how ridiculous these beauty standards are, but that does not change the fact that people are still going to try to achieve them. Beauty standards can have dangerous repercussions

Beauty is being sexually attractive to a potential partner, and most of us want to find one. So, we go to the gym, we buy expensive skin care products that probably don’t even work, and we dress in lavish clothes. Regardless of age, gender or ethnicity, we do these things. All in the hope of finding a partner to spend our lives (or at least a part of it) with.

Beauty standards transcend continents and cultures, they aren’t different in Hong Kong compared to Sweden, they just seem more extreme, probably because Caucasians are already halfway there.

If you, as a Caucasian, ever have the chance to visit Hong Kong, be grateful for the preferential treatment that you will receive, it’s a luxury that is not bestowed upon just anyone.

Linn is studying at the City University of Hongkong. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Design and Construction Project Management.

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A CITY OF CONCRETE You could say that there are mixed opinions regarding concrete buildings. You either belong to the disapproving part or to the ones who prefer them. With today’s technology, the aesthetic possibilities that comes with working with concrete are almost unlimited, which has given a range of different architectural expressions. It goes from how you mix the cement and ballast, to which sort of surface treatment you choose.

Some appreciate the feeling of concrete and lets the technical and functional details become a part of the design. While others take advantage of the flexibility and formability of the material in order to create complex and sculptural design. If you’re interested in both, Tokyo is an excellent site for it. The city’s love affair with concrete is clear and consistent, with the myriad of unique buildings which is overwhelming for an architecture student like myself.

Today, concrete has become the signature material for different architects, but it has not

always been like that. The architecture of Japan has been associated with wood, a building material that together with solid craftsmanship have characterized the country’s architecture for centuries. Throughout history, natural disasters like earthquakes and forest fires have continuously shaped the architecture. The Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 is one example of this, where 447 000 wooden houses burnt down and Japan had to re-evaluate their traditional way of construction. The focus was instead directed towards concrete, a more resistant and efficient material against moisture, heat and earthquakes.

Besides disasters, wars have been devastating for the architecture, most notably the bombings during the second World War. Most of the buildings throughout Tokyo had to be rebuilt after the bombing and due to this, there is not many pre-war buildings left. After the war, concrete became a central starting point in the reconstruction of the city. The emerging and progressive style of brutalism clashed with the old Japanese traditional values, at which point western architecture began to rise. Japan went from having a strongly Asian traditional influenced architecture, to becoming more westernized.

The shift didn’t occur without controversy. Wood had long been viewed as a material with a strong religious and cultural connection to nature, something that concrete lacked. Some also argued that raw concrete removed the natural feeling that wooden architecture had shaped for so long.

Others tried to highlight the possibilities with concrete, like its ability to create imprints from wooden frames during casting, how the sculptural qualities made it possible to frame beautiful scenery while also being able to experiment with light and shadows.Therefore, concrete can still embrace traditional architectural values in the

Tilted facade on Terrazza Aoyama by architect Kiyoshi Takeyama, 1991

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Raw concrete with a visible horizontal texture on Tower House by Takamitsu Azuma, 1966

makes them considered unsafe and therefore less valuable.

The idea of buildings being demolished in the long run has led to houses being built based on personal desires and conditions, as the need to compromise on sustainability is lower. This has resulted in architects having larger space to explore innovative ideas that have culminated in limitless and radical architecture that characterize Japan today. However, while this unrestrained and hugely creative workspace is desirable for all architects, it is at the same time not as positive from a sustainable perspective.

The fact that concrete is favourable from an economic and sustainable perspective - even if its planned to be demolished not long after it is built, could be perceived as a bit contradictory.

Furthermore, Tokyo is no doubt a city in constant change with lots of interesting buildings and places.

Japanese culture. In an article on the website The Web Urbanist regarding this fact, they nicely put it like this: “It’s simplicity implies a certain purity associated with Shinto philosophies”.

However, the lack of historical buildings strikes me when wandering through Tokyo’s concrete landscape. It also reminds me of how the housing market is very different here compared to Sweden, because the buildings here are only meant to last up to twenty-five years and thereafter demolished in order to create room for new buildings. The constant risk for earthquakes has contributed to buildings not being regarded as permanent. The building guidelines are therefore often revised and it is common that older buildings does not meet the standard of the latest guidelines. This

Text & photos:

Veronica Torfve

In conclusion, Japan’s architecture is remarkable in its use of modernistic and western values combined with old tradition. The different styles coexist well and are necessary for the survival of the Japanese architecture and the climate condition. Concrete has an important role in this and with today’s knowledge, the material allows great variety in architectural expressions without necessarily losing cultural values in Japan. This goes down to both design and construction – things that have had a huge impact on the development and success of modernism in general.

Concerning my opening remarks; you could say that there are mixed opinions regarding concrete buildings. You either belong to the disapproving part or to the ones who prefer them. In my case, I agree on the last part.

Veronica is studying at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Architecture and Urban Design.

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!

The growing pain of Singapore; an aging population

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During my time in Singapore I noticed that a lot of older people were working in the food courts, hawker centres, cleaning, etc. A lot of the jobs were quite tough and demanding. Many of the working elders who I saw seemed fatigued and too old for their tasks. This made me wonder what the underlying reason for this was. After asking around I found out that there were mainly two reasons for this.

The first reason was economical. Even though Singapore has one of the best pension schemes in the world, many elders still feel like they don’t have enough. Some elders I spoke to also seemed reluctant to rely too much on their funds due to them thinking that the costs of living in Singapore was so high that they needed to also have a salary in order to have enough. They didn’t want to be an economical burden for their family and wanted to provide for themselves. The second reason was more of a social one. Many of the working elderly people of Singapore seemed to be working as a way to keep up with the rapidly developing city, as well as a way to avoid loneliness.

This made me want to dig a bit deeper in Singapore’s aging population. It turned out to be a big challenge that Singapore is currently facing as it keeps developing further. Singapore has one of the highest life expectancies in the world thanks to its well developed health care. It also has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world. When asking young people here in Singapore, everyone told me that it was due to the fact that it is very expensive to have a child in Singapore. So as the population is getting older and older, while fewer and fewer people are born, Singapore seems to have some demographic challenges ahead.

At this very moment one in four seniors are still working. For seniors between the age of 65 and 69, 40% was employed as of 2015 and the

Text & photos:

Romeo Roos Radevski

employment rate for all seniors above 65 was 26.8% in 2018. This trend does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The UN estimates that 47% of Singapore’s population will be 65+ years by 2050 at this rate. As you can imagine, this would put a lot of pressure on the population of Singapore to support such a large group of seniors.

As the elderly are a growing demographic in Singapore, the government are making efforts to keep the elderly in the economy. One initiative is the Special Employment Credit (SEC), which is a governmental budget initiative which aims to raise the employability of older Singaporeans.

The government is also working with ways to extend the age for retirement. The ministry of manpower of Singapore reports that the number of employed seniors aged 70 and above has risen from 16 000 in 2006 to 43 000 in 2016. There are also claims that keeping the elderly working isn’t just about the economy, but also that keeping the elderly active reduce the risk of depression and loneliness.

This demographic challenge is not unique to Singapore, it is however one of the countries in the world where to problem is the most prominent. While there is a lot of support for the elderly, Singapore isn’t a welfare state, but instead the responsibility lies on the individual. This responsibility is not always easy, especially not for the old. In many cases keeping them working does admittedly help them be active, more part of society and less lonely while giving them the means to be financially independent. Nonetheless the hard-working older generation deserves to be taken care of and as the aging population is growing, there will be more and more people who risk falling through the gaps. While taking on this problem is easier said than done, a more accessible and fleshed out social safety net for the elderly could be a step in the right direction.

Romeo is studying at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Management and Economics of Innovation.

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DESIGN @ TONGJI UNIVERSITY The College of Design and Innovation at Tongji University in Shanghai is ranked as the 14th best university for art and design worldwide. Design and innovation emerged from the University of Architecture as late as 2009 and already has a great reputation, with research and design collaborations with companies such as Alibaba, Autodesk and Microsoft.

I’ve met up with two domestic students 黄佳雯 and 马丁, or Coco and Ding as they are called in English, to learn more about how it is to be a domestic student here. Both Coco and Ding moved to Shanghai to study at Tongji and are now doing their first year of a double degree master in Product System Service Design at Design and Innovation.

In order to be accepted into Tongji, both Coco and Ding needed to attend the so called Summer Camp. The summer camp is a week where you do tests, interviews and meet with professors in order to be selected for the education.

Thus, having good grades alone is not enough to be admitted. Once accepted to the university, most students choose to do some sort of exchange programme or double degree and gap years are definitely not

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a thing here. If you are from Sweden and reading this, you already noticed that there is a difference from back home.

I asked why they choose to study design and Ding answered “because it makes me happy”. The goal for educated millennials to find a job that they feel passionate about is just as common in China as it is in Sweden. Due to the one child policy in china during the previous decade neither Coco nor Ding have siblings, and both’s parents are well educated. Unlike most Swedish student, Coco and Ding’s every day expenditures are entirely supported by their parents. They looked a bit surprised when I told them that most Swedish students do not get financial support by their parents for their daily expenditure and explained the concept of Swedish student loans.

Almost every student I know have fears when it comes to jumping the gap between education and making a career. Coco agrees that most Chinese students feel the same way, and refers to the extreme competition that occurs in big cities such as Shanghai.

According to the Chinese newspaper “People’s Daily”

more than 8.3 million people graduated from universities in China 2019. In other words, close to the number of the entire Swedish population is graduating each year.

Furthermore, they tell me about this new term that have been evolving among young professionals called 996. It mostly applies for young professionals working at Chinese companies within IT and means that you work from 9 am to 9 pm six days a week. In other words, you need to be willing to sacrifice a lot in order to succeed. One of the main differences I have noticed between Tonji and Chalmers is that for most domestic students at Tongji school work is their primary priority, always. On

Text, photo & illustration:

Anna Jarebro

Friday afternoons when I have asked about weekend plans the most common answer is “homework”.

Even though Swedish students of course also put a lot of effort in their education, I feel that most of us prioritises other parts of life equally and live in a society where we are allowed to do so. The mindset in China is clearly different, and there is a noticeable top down hierarchy in both university and in society over all. While studying in China I learned a lot about their culture and actually a lot about my own as well, but most importantly I learned how we can merge them and work together despite the cultural clashes.

Anna is studying at the Tongji University in Shanghai, China. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Interaction Design.

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leisure

&

sports

Altough the exchange year consists of a fair bit of work both when it comes to studies and to just finding your way in a new environment, there will be plenty of time for you to explore new hobbies and treat your tastebuds to some new flavors. In this coming chapter some students will share their view on life outside of lectures.

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Backside 50-50 grind down a ledge in Dongdaemun

SKATEBOARDING IN SEOUL

Skateboarding in Seoul is very different from skateboarding in Sweden. As someone who has been skating since early teenage years, I had a lot of expectations on the skateboarding culture in Korea. It turned out that some of these expectations were met, whilst others, unexpectedly, were not.

Before diving into the first expectations regarding skate spots, we should declare what they actually are.

A skate spot is a place where you can skate due to smooth ground combined with some sort of obstacle, like a stair set, curb, rail, slanted wall, ledge, or similar, and I was expecting a lot of them. This is usually the case when a city has an abundance of high rise buildings and modernistic streets. Seeing South Korea in person made me very happy since I found out that there are many of these spots in both Seoul and the second largest city, Busan.

The difference in the amount of skate spots in Korea compared to my hometown, Gothenburg, is staggering. However, looking at other cities such as Malmรถ or Stockholm will result in other conclusions, since these cities are known to have many spots. In these cases, the difference is that the spots per se vary.

One noticeable contrast is the extensive use of marble on the korean ledges and other box-like obstacles.

The second expectation was that there would be a lot of people skating in South Korea. The amount of people skating is correlated to how the culture is in the specific city or country. Something that is affecting this culture and consequently the amount of skateboarders is the amount of skate spots and skateparks. This correlation between spots and skateboarders made me extremely surprised when I found out that there are basically no skateboarders here. In the first month and a half of my stay, I saw nine skateboarders, five of which were korean. Why would this be the case? The answer might have something to do with the amount of people being in the streets, and thereby skate spots, at all time. It could also be a consequence of how skateboarding does not seem to be very accepted by the general public. Furthermore, I asked Hojin, the first and only skateboarder I have spoken with so far, if he

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thought that korean parents could have impacted their children in a way that made them deter from skateboarding. He responded with a no, and that he basically thought that people just don’t like skateboarders.

I only went to one ”skate park”, or plaza, located in Dongdaemun. This park used to be a regular park for civilians to enjoy and relax at, but due to its configuration, it turned out to be a perfect place for skateboarding as well.

The state was going to ban skateboarders from the plaza, but the skateboarders fought back by creating a petition that succeeded. This did not only result in that skating was allowed, but also in the optimization for further skating. Ramps and obstacles were added along with coping for the already existing ledges, making it easier for the skateboarders to grind on them. Hojin, previously mentioned, stated that he thought that this was one of the only skate spot worth visiting in Seoul, which discouraged me to further explore more skateparks. From what I’ve been able to see online, most skateparks in Seoul seem to be in pretty bad condition, meaning that they are not very well maintained, causing cracks and crevices in the ramps and ground surrounding them.

All of this might spawn a new question, that is: ”Should I even skate in South Korea?” Personally, I would say yes! Even though it might be hard to skate in public spaces that are crowded and even though it is possible to worry about disturbing others while skating, I still think it is worth it. The weather usually allows it and there are plenty of skate shops in the area, so if you have the extra money to spend on a skateboard, go for it.

Dongdaemun skateboard plaza

Curved marble ledge with a step in Dongjak

The conclusion here is that South Korea has a lot of nice skate spots, as expected, but almost no skateboarders, which was highly unexpected.

Furthermore, the skateparks can be unpolished and rough, but there are still many available skate shops, so buy a skateboard and go skate if you want to experience an almost non existent, but fun, skateboarding culture.

Angled double stair set in Jongno

Text & photos:

Alexander Mattsson

Alexander is studying at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Computer Systems and Networks.

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HORSE RACING IN HONG KONG

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Every Wednesday night, thousands of people gather at Happy Valley to bet on their favorite horses hoping to make a fortune. With a price tag of 10 HK$, live music and plenty of beer, the atmosphere is nothing but electric!

industry in Las Vegas and Macao. During 2018 the gambling revenue in Macao and Nevada was $37.6 billion, respectively $11.9 billion while the gambling turnover for HKJC was around $30 billion.

Happy Valley, which is located in between the skyscrapers and mountains, has been the home of the horse racing since 1846 when the British people introduced the sport in Hong Kong.

However, it took until 1884 until official racing began, when the Hong Kong Jockey Club was founded as a horse racing club. Initially, the races were usually held around Chinese New Year. As time went on and the sport grew in popularity, more and more races were introduced in the schedule. One big development that quickly showed to be a huge success came in 1973 when the organizers introduced night racing at Happy Valley. Today, the happy valley stadium can fit up to 55000 people and the sport has become Hong Kong’s most popular. Every year more than two million fans will gather at Happy Valley to watch the races.

With these kinds of revenues, it is not surprising that some of the world’s best jockeys and trainers flock to Hong Kong with the goal of making a fortune. The horse racing season runs from September to June with a total of 88 meetings, which is no coincidence considering the number 8 is the luckiest in Chinese culture and often refers to ”wealth” or ”fortune”. Each race features a maximum of 12 racers and the total prize pot of the most prestigious races ranges from 10 million $HK to 25 million $HK. One of the most successful horse racing jockeys in the world is Zac Purton. Zac was born in Australia but has been living in Hong Kong since 2007. Today, at an age of 36 and with over 900 career wins under his belt, he has won more than $48 billion USD in his career.

One way to see how successful the sport is in Hong Kong is by looking at the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC). The non-profit organization is working to promote horse racing but also provides visitors with sports betting and entertainment. The HKJC is the single largest taxpayer in Hong Kong and also contributes to many charities around the city. One such contribution to society was when HKJC in the late 1980s donated over HK$1.9 billion for the construction of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Who knows if I would be studying here today without the Jockey Club and the success of horse racing.

But what might be the most astonishing is when we compare the revenue of HKJC to the casino

Text & photos:

Gustav Karlsson

The gates usually open at 5:15 p.m. and the first race starts at around 7 p.m. Normally, there are around 8 races every Wednesday night and the racing season runs from September to June.

There are several ways to enjoy an evening at Happy Valley, the cheapest of them being a ticket to the general stand for just $HK10. At the general stand, you are at track level and can experience the horses flying by just a few meters away from you. When you get bored of the races you can always grab something to eat or hang out by the beer tents. For more experienced visitors who want to focus on betting, a great option is the Terrace where you get comfortable seating, a great view of the races and comprehensive betting facilities.

Gustav is studying at the Hongkong University of Science and Technology.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Physics and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Data Science and AI.

HOW TO EAT LIKE A LOCAL IN SINGAPORE When I found out that I was going to Singapore for my exchange year and I heard that it was not common to cook your own food, I was a bit nervous about how expensive it was going to be living here. Since Singapore is one of the most expensive countries in the world, I thought that eating out every day couldn’t be very economical. Or could it?

Singaporeans live a very busy life. An average working week here is 42.5 hours, which is more than the average work week in Sweden. Since people’s days are quite busy, they want to save some time through eating out. By doing this, they do not have to shop, prepare and cook the food themselves, and they instead get their food served instantly. But how can this be affordable? Since restaurants are as expensive as in Sweden you would not have much money left for other things,

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at least not if you are a student. The answer to this is instead called Hawker centres.

Hawker centres have been in Singapore since the early 1800 and originated from immigrants who wanted to sell quick and affordable meals. Today, the government of Singapore has gathered the food stalls under one roof to have a safe, clean and open environment so the customers can see the food being prepared. The centres are built up by an array of small food stalls. Each stall serves their own speciality dishes, which has often been in their family for generations. A meal is usually around 3-5 Singaporean dollars, that is between 2.20 and 3.70 USD, depending on what you order. A great thing about the hawker centres is that the tables and chairs are in common for all the stalls, so a group of people can order from different stalls and still sit and eat together.

The question is then, how do you choose which stall to go to? Well, look at the lines and do the opposite of what you would like to do. That is, go to the stalls with the longest queues and not to the shortest. The lines indicate that the food is something special and is worth queueing for, which often turns out to be true.

The food in Singapore is a fusion from different asian countries. Since Singapore consists of a lot of different ethnic groups such as Chinese, Indian and Malaysian, all of these are reflected in Singapore’s food culture. The base of almost every meal is either rice or noodles, which can be infinitely varied with different side dishes.

If you are in Singapore and want to order their most typical and traditional food, you have to order Hainanese chicken and rice. There is absolutely nothing fancy at all with the dish, and you basically get what you order; a pile of white rice, some cut, poached chicken and sometimes also a few slices of cucumber. This is often served with some kind of broth soup, soy sauce and chili sauce. Even though it might sound quite boring, it is actually very tasty and is seen as one of Singapore’s unofficial national dishes.

If you instead want to try the “real” national dish of Singapore, then you will get something completely different, namely chili crab. The crab, which is stir fried, is cooked and served in a sauce made of sambal, eggs and tomato paste, but can

Text & photos:

Beatrice Bergström

be made in different styles. Usually it is served with steamed or deep-fried buns called mantous.

Another very common dish to eat in Singapore is laksa, which has become one of my favourite foods here. Laksa is a kind of creamy, curry coconut milk-based soup filled with vermicelli noodles, thinly sliced fish, fried bean curd, sprouts and sometimes also shrimps. It is very rich, filling and hearty and the noodles are often cut short so you can slurp up the soup using only a spoon.

When it comes to dining etiquette, I can tell you it is very different in Singapore. People spit out the bones from their chicken and meat straight on the tray they got their meal, and to slurp up the soup straight from the bowl is nothing unusual. If you want to fit in when eating in Singapore, the best thing you can do is to learn how to eat with chopsticks. Every place you go to will provide you with chopsticks, no matter if you have a dish of noodles or rice. If you find it too hard, luckily most of the food places also have forks and spoons that you can eat with, which actually is more convenient if you are having rice. The thing that differs the most from western countries is that there are never any knives provided, at least not in hawker centres. Neither are napkins.

Therefore, you might as well say goodbye to every dining etiquette you have learned, and instead embrace all the delicious food in whichever way that is the easiest.

Beatrice is studying at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Business Managementand is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Management and Economics of Innovation.

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SOJU

- the Korean choice The National spirit of Korea is Soju. Even if consumption of alcoholic beverages like beer, whiskey and wine increases in popularity in Korea, a clear and colorless spirit are Koreans obvious choice. Either if a dinner is served or there is a festivity event, Koreans have an apparent go-to choice.

The traditional spirit Soju, which means “burned liquor”, was first made over seven hundred years ago. At that time, a technique of distilling Arak, Arabic unsweetened distilled spirit, was introduced during the Mongol invasions of Korea (1231 -1259). Distilleries were then set-up around roots to what we today know as modern South Korea. In the 1920s, Korea had over three thousand Soju breweries and this has continued.

Today, the total consumption of Soju in South Korea is roughly 32 billion glasses in a year (2017), that is an enormous number! This means that every adult drink 87 bottles on average during a year.

Soju is traditionally made by distilling alcohol from fermented grains. Hard-boiled rice was used mostly back then but nowadays wheat, barley, tapioca and sweet potato are used. Ingredients are used separately or in combination to produce the beverage. With the basic idea of collecting alcohol from the distillation process, manufacturing can still be made in many ways. Every Soju-brand, mostly are located in South Korea, have their own processes and manufacturing. That includes how many days ingredients are being fragmented and aged. Prices range from as little as SEK 12 (1600 Won) up to several thousand for finer bottles.

Bottles can be bought at local convenience stores around central Seoul. Availability and cheap prices make it a popular choice even for visiting tourists.

If you have the chance to try Soju, How to drink it? With a taste that is similar to vodka, but not with

Text & photos:

Alexander Hasselström

the harsh taste of alcohol due to lower alcoholic percentage, Soju is either consumed neat, served in a shot glass, or mixed into cocktails. There is also a wide range of flavours for those who want to enjoy something sweeter.

Another way to consume Soju, and perhaps the way that is most culturally related to Korea, is to mix the spirits together with beer. Koreans proudly name it Somaek and drinks it all the time.

Locals and students at college tell that Somaek is extremely popular in Korea. Furthermore, in a similar manner that the interest in Korean culture and food steadily rising in popularity, this beer-Soju-fusion called Somaek starts to find its place over borders abroad.

Although many Koreans work more than the usual 40-hour week, people enjoy socializing and having dinner in the middle of the week. Not rarely, they share a bottle of Soju to mix with a cold local beer named Cass on a weekly basis.

This maybe can explain why Koreans are in top of lists investigating “Hard liquor consumption”.

However, it is rare to witness all less pleasant sides of alcohol consumption in streets and at subway stations. Seoul is, with a few exceptions, experienced as an accommodating and friendly city.

As a Swedish student in Seoul, many things are new and opposite from home. Soju has been one of those totally new experiences. But like most new things saturates after some time, so does even my Sojuexperience. If I drink Soju after my trip is unsure. Just for fun, I browse the internet, at Sweden’s liquor store site (Sytembolaget), to see if they sell Korean Soju in Sweden. They did but had only one sort available. If supply gradually will increase with interest in Asian culture is doubtful. I will definitely bring home a couple of bottles to share with friends but for now, I am satisfied with all stories Soju has told.

Alexander is studying at the Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea.

He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering.

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THE KOREAN WAY OF COFFEE There are some great news in Seoul for a general Swede that consumes about 8 kg of coffee per year because cafés are everywhere. It is even better for our Nordic friends who consume one or two kilos more. The cafés are everything from large domestic and international chains, to smaller family-owned businesses. As a Swede many brands are recognizable such as Starbucks, Dunkin and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf - all being large American coffee chains. From my viewpoint, the whole city is very Americanized which I also believe Sweden is. For every difference, there is probably twice as much in common. Even though Seoul is a very global and modern city, there are also some regional differences. The two most notable ones are the language and the food. This article deals with one beverage, in particular, coffee. The coffee in Korea is probably the sweetest coffee I have ever tasted. The closest comparison would be chocolate milk, but with a hint of coffee instead of chocolate.

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Furthermore, it’s more common to drink cold coffee compared to warm. It means they fill the cup with ice add some instant coffee and mix it with cold water and to finish it off with an excessive amount of sweeteners. This beverage is in every Korean student’s hand during classes and it does not matter if it’s noon or midnight. I think this translates to most workplaces too, which is seen in the supermarkets. Instead of buying a 24 case of Coca-Cola, they stack up cases with bottled cold coffee.

The same thing happens in cafés when asking for black coffee, the received beverage is a cold coffee with sweeteners. I guess this is because most customers want the sweet kind of coffee and that I am unused to specify warm and unsweetened coffee. It might also be my Korean which is not good at all. It all boils down to me drinking unexpected, sweet beverages while looking surprised. But it’s not all bad, as I have learned my lesson after a couple of months here.

To order a cup of coffee at most places there is no Korean knowledge needed which makes it easy for foreigners to order. The trick is to go to the ordering machine beside the counter and press the American flag to receive all the options in English. It is then easy to get the desired beverage warm or cold and with or without sugar.

For me, it feels like the cafés are smaller than the ones in Sweden and made for takeaway instead of sitting down. In Seoul, the most common cafés I have seen are with one or two small tables while in Sweden it’s more common to see people stay a while inside the café. There are also some cafés resembling the Swedish ones, where more people are staying and socializing. Most of these places

Text & photos:

Emil Johansson

also serve fancy cakes and have decorations around the whole place. These places are known as “Instagram cafés” and are visited when you go to café-hopping. Café-hopping means to visit many cafés in a row and take pictures for Instagram.

In the end, it is easy to find what you want whether it is food or drinks. Seoul is a global city with most items for everyone and after a couple of mistakes, I have learned how to order my coffee when visiting a café. I speculate there will be more mistakes in the upcoming year, but I hope that it is something to look back at afterward.

Cheers!

Emil is studying at the Seoul National University in South Korea. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Complex Adaptive Systems.

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SPORTS IN TAIWAN Baseball, a sport most famous for being played in the U.S. A game consisting of nine players from each team pitching, catching, hitting and running. Basketball, another sport most famous for being played in the U.S. A game consisting of five players from each team on the field at the same time shooting, passing, dribbling and fouling. Being ball sports played and watched by thousands in the U.S. isn’t the only thing these sports have in common.

They are also the most popular sports in Taiwan.

It is one of the first things I notice when I arrive in Taiwan for my one year exchange at National Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu. As a sports fanatic it’s hard to miss actually. The constant watching of baseball. Wherever, whenever. It is watched by basically everyone, in any age. I also notice the massive amount of basketball fields. If there’s a park somewhere in any city, it is most likely a basketball field not far from it. After these observations I felt certain, as the sports fanatic I am, that I was going to feel at home in Taiwan.

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The Taiwanese people do love their baseball.

Taiwan has their own baseball league, the Chinese Professional Baseball League, consisting of four teams, but the Taiwanese people are much more interested to watch the American baseball league, the Major League Baseball, MLB, on TV. Baseball is shown on infinite TV sets around the country, both at cafés, gyms and even on the bus (something I experienced during a bus trip in the south of Taiwan). Baseball is by many people considered the national sport of Taiwan. Taiwan has also been able to export some of their best players to the MLB in the U.S., and more than a handful of players are currently playing in the prestigious league in the west. Both active and former players have been playing for famous teams such as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Basketball on the other hand, is the most played sport among people in Taiwan. Around countless places in Taiwan, such as parks in the cities, there are always several basketball courts which in many cases are filled with people playing. There are two major basketball leagues in Taiwan, one for men and one for women. These are the Super Basketball League and the Women’s Super Basketball league. In fact, both the men’s and

women’s national basketball teams have claimed medals in the Asian Championships, the women being the latest ones bringing the bronze to Taiwan in 2005. Unfortunately, no Taiwanese player has managed to make it to the major league of basketball in the U.S., the National Basketball Association, NBA, yet.

When it comes to more individual sports, badminton, table tennis and taekwondo are some of the more popular ones. For badminton, two Taiwanese players are currently (by the 31st of October 2019) holding the second place in the world rankings for both women and men, these are Tai Tzu Ying (戴資穎) and Chou Tien Chen ( 周天成). Tai Tzu-Ying was just recently surpassed by a Japanese player, but before that she had been number one in the world for almost three years.

Regarding the Olympic Games, Taiwan participate using the name “Chinese Taipei” and have in recent Olympic games had a lot of successful athletes participating in the games, as five gold medals has been brought back to Taiwan from the games since 2004. Taiwan’s first two Olympic gold medals were claimed in the games held by Athens in 2004. Both medals were claimed in taekwondo, one male and one female gold medal. The other three gold medals have all been claimed in women’s weightlifting, one gold medal in each of the Olympic games held in Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016.

Looking into the future of Taiwanese sports, I believe that a strong culture of doing good in the Olympics in sports as taekwondo and weightlifting might tell us something about which sports will dominate in the Olympic arena for the upcoming games. But also looking at the current world rankings in badminton also tells us there’s a possibility that Taiwan’s first Olympic medals in badminton could be claimed in the upcoming Olympic games in Tokyo 2020. Apart from that,

Text:

Fredrik Forsgren

I believe that baseball’s and basketball’s position as the two main sports in Taiwan is probably hard to change due to the strong Taiwanese interest in both these sports, ranging far back in time.

Thanks to the people’s great interest in playing basketball, they might even have their first NBA player in the upcoming year. No one knows, the future will tell.

Fredrik is studying at the National Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu, Taiwan. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Business Management and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Supply Chain Management.

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THE QUEST FOR JAPANESE BEER I think no one at Chalmers has managed to miss the explosion of popularity of craft beer, microbreweries and home-brewing in Gothenburg over the last few years. This is not only true for Gothenburg and Sweden but the trend seems to be worldwide. With both of us of course being hooked on this trend the question arose, how does Japan hold up? What types of beer does Japanese people prefer and how does that hold up to what we’re used to?

While Japan is probably more famous for its sake, referring to rice-wine (sometimes called rice-beer), beer makes up close to 70% of the market for alcoholic beverages and over 40% of japanese adults say that they drink beer on a regular basis. Beer was introduced quite late to japan, only arriving in the 17th century via dutch traders. Initially the introduction of beer was quite limited in scope as Japan followed a strict isolationist foreign policy during the time of its introduction. The dutch was the only western power allowed to trade with japan and the Dutch East India Company subsequently set up a beer hall for its sailors in the trade port of Nagasaki.

The Dutch heritage can even be seen in the Japanese word for beer, ビール (pronounced biiru), which comes from the dutch word “Bier”.

In the late 19th century several major breweries opened in the cities of Sapporo (Sapporo Breweries), Yokohama (Kirin Company), and Osaka (Asahi company). These are still some of the largest breweries in Japan.

Compared to Sweden the laws regarding the sale of alcohol are quite lax and all types of alcoholic beverages can be bought at your local supermarket, 7-11, or even through vending machines. However, one of the most common ways of drinking beer is of course at a bar or restaurant. And one of the first things you might come across In Japanese culture is the social event known as “nomikai” which is kind of an after work with your colleagues. As part of this you start of the night by ordering beer together in what is known as “oshaku”, where you are supposed to pour a glass of beer to your coworker or boss. This is more than often some type of pale

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lager like Kirin or Asahi and first after this beer is finished is one able to order whatever they want.

So with all the basics covered, what types of craft beer is available? Well up to 1994 companies were only able to apply for a license to produce beer if you produced more than 2 million liters annually, making it virtually impossible for small local breweries to exist. Since then more and more microbreweries have been established and today there are over 200 of them scattered all over the country. In Kyoto, a city of 1,5 million people we were able to find 3 of them. It doesn’t quite compare to Gothenburg which has at least twenty active microbreweries with less than half of the population. But as japanese beer is next to impossible to get hold of in Sweden (Systembolaget currently only lists 4 types of japanese beer on their website) we jumped on this opportunity try out what Kyoto had in store for us. We decided to visit one of the breweries, Kyoto Beer Lab, which is situated in the middle of downtown Kyoto. Walking in you felt almost at home and you could be excused for thinking that you walked into a European hipsterbar, although with a Japanese touch (read small, cramped and cosy). The clientele also helped to create this illusion, as most guests seemed to be either American, European or Australasia. But as soon as you got a hold of the menu, with Items like Roasted Tea Stout and Wasabi Salt Goose (which we cover in our test later in the article), it quickly became clear that we were still in Japan. We ended up ordering a few beers, both in the more typical European style and the aforementioned experimental types, enjoying the intimate view over both the kitchen and the match tuns of the brewery itself. The end result? A great evening convincing us both that the japanese beer market definitely is as worth exploring as any other. But if you aren’t quite ready to drop everything quite yet and go to Japan on your own we have compiled a small taste test of different beers we found here in Japan.

Sake, a brewing technique with a long tradition Sake is one of the best known japanese alcoholic beverages and is often translated as “rice wine”.

However the process of making sake is more similar to the process used for beer, making some people to argue that “rice-beer” would be a better translation.

And as the process of making Sake has been around since at least the 3rd century one might also argue that the Japanese history of beer-brewing is much older than what one might assume.

Aooni, Yo-Ho Brewing Company A good japanese IPA from Yo-Ho brewing. The name Aooni means blue demon and like a demon it bites with a strong bitterness. It is balanced with a fruity grapefruit flavour and leaves a smile on your face just as the face on the beautiful can. It maybe lacks the sophistication that you want from a good craft beer, but it’s simple and great. Yo-ho brewing is also a mid-size craft brewery that offers good beers that you can find in the local seven-eleven.

Great alternative to an international lager. Three out of five.

KomuginoBeer, Ginga Kogen Beer Co. No english on this can. After a quick scan of the barcode we find the name KomugiNoBeer.

A fruity beer with a rich wheat taste. The can reminds us of a christmas sweater. Kinda feel like home, but otherwise it’s nothing special really. Two out of five.

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Wasabi Gose, Kyoto Beer Lab Beer and Sushi. Why not, that could work. Put some of wasabi and a pinch of salt in your beer and you have the interesting combo that is the wasabi Gose from Kyoto beer lab. It has a light layer of white foam and a crisp smell. Not knowing what to anticipate the taste takes you on a journey and depending on your preferences, it’s a good or a bad one. It has a strong acidity and a punchy saltiness as most goses.

What makes the experience different is the subtle underlying tone of wasabi.

It’s unexpected and reassembles a dry cider more than anything else. One of us liked it. The other didn’t. But we agreed that it’s worth the experience.

Four out of five.

Clear Asahi, Asahi Breweries Being from one of the largest breweries in Japan, the clear asahi is possibly as far you can get from craft beer. Usually labeled just “beer” in Izakayas (japanese style skewer bars) and various karaoke places it is even worse than what you would expect from an international lager. It’s although popular and one of the most common beers in Japan. The colour is yellow with a nice layer of foam on top. Not too bad, on a closer look you although hit by an acrid odour and realise that the can in front of you might as well have been blue instead of silver. After a quick sip we can conclude that it tastes as it smells. The beer has a watered down subtle taste of bread with a hint of citrus. Quite close to what carbonated water with bread would taste like. Yes... A great way to enjoy this beer is to buy some chocolate and japanese style donuts, pick a sport of your choice look past the drinking experience and you can still have a decent evening. The asahi clear is labeled beer and it is a bland beer, but to excuse all english speakers - “it’s not much to hang in the pine”. One out of five.

️

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ShigaKogenPorter, TamamuraHontenCo. This is a dark porter that has a dark bitter taste of chocolate, “julmust” and soy sauce. It is sweet and has a deep black colour. The bottle is covered by an asian dragon in a light blue colour. Shiitake mushrooms in soy sauce would be a great combo with this beer and they would work well with each other. A lighter porter for the ones who like dark beer, if that’s not your thing then maybe a lighter one is a better option. Three out of five.

Text & photos: Frej

Karlsson & Carl Ahlstrand

Frej and Carl are studying at the Kyoto University in Japan. Frej holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Computer Science Algorithms Language and Logic. Carl holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Business Management and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Management and Economics of Innovation.

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THE CLUB CULTURE OF JAPAN No not that kind of club. I am talking about the tennis, rugby, shogi, a capella, wild birds, sumo wrestling, railways and cat clubs/circles that you can join if you attend a Japanese University. If I didn’t list something you like they probably have that too, with Tohoku University for example having almost 200 clubs and circles dedicated to different activities there is bound to be something for everyone! Before coming to Japan, I had heard about clubs and circles so I was curious about how they differed from similar interest groups in Sweden and also if it was possible for an exchange student to join one.

Firstly, what is the difference between clubs and circles? Well broadly speaking clubs are seen as more serious, they require their members to attend several times a week or maybe every day of the week. The clubs also partake in major tournaments or contests with other clubs from different universities from all over Japan, depending of course on what kind of club it is. The clubs also receive support from their University and often have a dedicated room or space where they practise or hang out.

However circles are a bit more relaxed. For most circles you meet a few times a week or whenever it is convenient for you. The focus of the circles is more about building friendships and serve a more recreational purpose, often if there is a club for soccer for example there is also a soccer circle for students who don’t want to dedicate as much time to the activity. Circles also tend to be more broad with there being video game circles, cat circles, reading circles and so on.

So far it might seem pretty similar to what clubs that we have in other parts of the world as well, however there is one thing which makes the clubs and circles different, the senpai-kohai system.

The senpai-kohai system is a system that is used not only in clubs and circles but also other parts of Japanese society. It is essentially a hierarchical structure where, in the club/circle context, you are either a senpai or kohai where the senpai is an older student and the kohai is a younger student.

The younger student or kohai has to show more respect towards their senpai and one way of doing this is by speaking in Keigo when talking to their senpai, Keigo (means “respectful language”) is a more respectful way of speaking Japanese.

As I heard about this system it made me curious, as someone who has mostly been part of flat organisations and mostly show respect by using exclamation marks and ending emails with “Best Regards” it made me question whether this really existed or if it simply was something that you read online but turns out to be exaggerated. I decided to ask a Japanese friend who had been part of the baseball circle about his experience.

He told me that generally the sport clubs/circles have a more strict senpai-kohai system, and that when he hangs out with his friends and his senpai he would act the same towards his senpai as his

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The university campus

The university club house

friends except that he uses Keigo when speaking to his senpai. He also mentioned that the senpai would often spend more money than the kohai when they hang out or go drinking which according to my friend, is a way for the senpai to seem cooler and impress the kohai. He pointed out however that how important they view this senpai-kohai relationship varies from club/circle and that as a foreigner they wouldn’t expect you to know about all these rules and would treat you as a regular friend rather than senpai/kohai.

I wanted input on this topic from one other person so I asked my professor about it and he told me that he would use Keigo when talking to older people or his father in law. Generally if a person is older than you, even by a year you use Keigo when talking to them. He likewise said that this didn’t really apply to me and told me not to worry about it.

Text & photos:

Rasmus Lindgren

So you probably won’t have to worry too much about the social rules around the clubs, but does that mean that it is possible to join any club/circle you want? Well it really depends on the club/ circle. For the more speaking heavy or reading clubs, such as philosophy or theater circles they will probably require you to have a fairly high skill in speaking and reading Japanese which, honestly, is reasonable. So if that interests you, you should start learning Japanese already! Other clubs however might require a very high attendance and dedication and depending on how long you stay they might consider it to be too short of a time. However don’t let this stop you! There are a ton of clubs/circles that are more relaxed and the experience of being in a club/circle has only been positive from all the people I have spoken to, and it is a great way to get to know the local students.

Rasmus is studying at the Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Interaction Design and Technologies.

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DUMPLINGS OF CHINA According to Chinese legend, dumplings were originally invented by Zhang Zhongjing, a Chinese inventor, physician, writer, pharmacologist and a great practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine during the late second century AD. The story has it that Zhang, on his way home in the dead of winter, noticed that many of the poor farmers he encountered had ears stricken by frostbite.

In order to cure this, Zhang ground and stewed a mixture of mutton, herbs and black pepper together, wrapped the mixture in thin dough packets and boiled the little dough packets.

Together with the broth they had been boiling in, he then distributed the dumplings to his patients and by the time of the Chinese New Year, the cure had proven effective and their black frostbitten ears regained their normal colour.

The mutton-filled dumplings gained the name “tender ears” and to celebrate, people made their own imitations of the dumplings. Over the years, the dumplings came to be called jiaozi and by the sixth century AD, they had become a staple food of the Chinese Han cuisine.

Today the jiaozi is only one of many kinds of dumplings including wonton, xiaolongbao and many more. A variant with thicker dough called bun is also common in Chinese cuisine.

The contents of a dumpling are typically either vegetables or ground meat or both, combined with herbs and spices. The meat is typically pork but beef, chicken and shrimp are also common, and variants even exist with fish, crab and other seafood. The traditional ways of cooking the dumplings are boiling and steaming and these are still the most common ways of preparing dumplings. Dear old Zhang’s original way of serving them with soup is today less popular but can still be found here and there. Another common way of preparing dumplings is to fry or even stir-fry them. Most of these options are

Text & photos:

Olle Lindgren

typically available at both cheaper and more expensive restaurants and diners in China.

Finally, there is the xiaolongbao (small basket bun or small dragon bun), a dumpling filled with soup which originated in Shanghai in the late 19th century. It was then popularized by the restaurant Din Tai Fung in Taipei during the second half of the 20th century. Today the xiaolongbao is considered a delicacy within both the Cantonese and Taiwanese cuisines and almost everyone who try them like them.

Eating a dumpling is typically accomplished by first dipping it in some sauce, much like eating sushi. What sauce is used is a matter of personal preference, but often different kinds of soy, vinegar and sometimes special dumpling sauces are available for mixing in a little tray. There are also often shredded ginger and chili available for mixing in the sauce.

According to Chinese tradition, dumplings are typically appetizers or side-dishes and are mostly eaten at holidays or special occasions like the Chinese New Year, since they are said to signify luck and prosperity. In the region where old Zhang is said to first have created them, they are also traditionally eaten at the winter solstice and are said to signify a warm winter. Nowadays, however, dumplings can be eaten at any time in any way. The Chinese eat them as breakfast, lunch or dinner, appetizer, main course or dessert and all of this is completely normal. If eaten as dessert, they typically don’t contain ground meat or vegetables, but rather red beans, ground sesame, chocolate or some other sweet substance.

Locating the dessert versions of dumplings or xiaolongbao is a bit harder though, but well worth the effort.

Olle is studying at the National Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu, Taiwan. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Business Management and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Data Science.

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POSTCARDS FROM ASIA

Spa mode in Okinawa, Japan. Photo: My Starbrink

Pastel apartment complex in Hong Kong. Photo: Anna Sundvall

Student dinner in Hong Kong. Photo: Anna Sundvall

Mt. YĹ?tei from a ski slope in Niseko. Photo: Ludwig Klevtun

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Rafting Yangshuo, China. Photo: Anna Sundvall

Hawker centre in Singapore. Photo: Romeo Roos Radevski

Sunrise over Alishan, Taiwan Photo: Markus Bostrรถm

Chalmers students in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Thi Ha Phoung Luu

Karaoke night in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Photo: My Starbrink

River view in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Jonas Larsson

Hiking in Yangshuo, China. Photo: Anna Sundvall

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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 30th of November 2020. 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.

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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.

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.

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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.