Asia Magazine #35

TAIWAN

JAPAN

SINGAPORE

KOREA

Facemasks & Desinfection

The Sound of Silence

Striking a Balance

A Runner's Seoul

BY CHALMERS STUDENTS IN ASIA

WELCOME! You are holding in your hand 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 Photos Print

Jonna Josefsson My Starbrink Markus Boström Agnes Ståhl, Alfred Lindén, Amanda Pernald, Anna Sundvall, Carl Christensen, Charlotte Norrby, David Högberg, Edvin Lam, Eric Lindgren, Erik Brorsson, Hanna Carlsson, Jakob Karlsson, Johan Friemann, Jonathan Kraft, Julia Burman, Linnea Ringqvist, Markus Boström, Niklas Forsström, Oscar Brask, Peter Gärdenäs, Philip Nord, Sebastian Rye, Sofia Åslund, Stephie Do, Theodor Eliasson & Zaid Saeed.

My Starbrink, UnDraw UnSplash (unless 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

Alfred Lindén

Anna Sundvall

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

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

Jonna Josefsson

Ludwig Klevtun

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

Looking for an internship, master's thesis or other co-operations in Asia?

Or do you just want to say hello?

Don't hesitate to contact us!

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

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

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

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Management and Economics of Innovation anna.sundvall@chalmers.se

CORPORATE RELATIONS Management and Economics of Innovation sofia.aslund@chalmers.se

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

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CHALMERS IN ASIA SPRING 2020 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

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

Seoul National University

Pohang, South Korea

Pohang University of Science and Technology

Sendai, Japan

Tohoku University

Tokyo, Japan

The University of Tokyo

Tokyo Institute of Technology

Hsinchu, Taiwan

National Tsing Hua University

National Chiao Tung University

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CONTENTS 5

Editor’s Letter

6

COVID-19

8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 4

Jonna Josefsson

Facemasks and Desinfection Anna Sundvall

COVID-19 in South Korea Amanda Pernald

Quarantine Zaid Saeed

SOCIETY & DEMOCRACY Diversity in Singapore Erik Brorsson

An Abrupt End to My Semester Hanna Carlsson

Chaebol - the Rich Elite of South Korea Stephie Do

The Sound of Silence Johan Friemann

Prophecies on the News Jonathan Kraft

Big in Japan David Högberg

Singapore’s Most Strics and Odd Laws Oscar Brask

Tokyo Institute of Technology Charlotte Norrby

Foreign Interventions and Local Activism in Singapore Philip Nord

A Guide to Chinese Apps Agnes Ståhl

36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Gogoro - Taiwan’s Electric Scooters Markus Boström

Where’s the trash can?

Carl Christensen

More Than a Concrete Jungle Edvin Lam

Striking a Balance Niklas Forsström

A Road To Water Self-Sufficiency Peter Gärdenäs

Forgotten Homes in a Modern City Linnea Ringqvist

FOOD & LEISURE A Week Eating Nothing but 7-Eleven Alfred Lindén

A Runner’s Seoul Eric Lindgren

Tea Culture in Taiwan Jakob Karlsson

Food in Japan - Not What I Expected Sebastian Rye

More Than Just a One Hit Wonder Julia Burman

Taiwanese Night Markets Sofia Åslund

Three Hikes in Singapore Theodor Eliasson

Editor’s Letter

2020/05/06

You picked up this magazine, wondering if you should read it. Whether you are a prospective exchange student or not, let me tell you why Asia Magazine issue 35 is worth your time. Asia is interesting, right? And perhaps you would want to go there sometime? Or you are curious over how life and culture look like there, similarities and differences? Then let us take you there today.

Taiwan but most of all a greater insight into a different culture, a new level of self-awareness and friendships that will influence my life forever.

And even though it is challenging to adapt to a new culture, I would do it again and again and again. Because I left home in Sweden to go here almost one year ago, but now, at the end of my time here in Asia, I realise that I will leave home to go home. And having an extra home in your heart is not a small thing.

This magazine is written by Chalmers students who did their exchange studies in Asia during the academic year 2019/2020. We Lastly, I want to remind you to be open“Even though it is will take you with us through minded both while reading and deciding our story of Asia and you will challenging to adapt to on where to go for an exchange. You can be able to see the continent read the articles to get a hint on where through our eyes, experience it a new culture, I would you would like to go for exchange studies from a first-hand-perspective do it again and again or how a specific place would be like, with us. We will take you for but no place is quite as you expect it to and again.” a run in Seoul, through tea be and all places have something great plantations in Taiwan to restaurants in Japan. We to offer you. So take the chance if you have the will help you to not end up in jail in Singapore, opportunity and go with an open mind! And If tell you what apps you should get before going to you are not able to go when, how or where you China and even teach you some Japanese! first planned - don’t worry. Asia will be waiting for you. Until then, let us take you there with us.

As you know, this year has been unusual in some ways, with both protests in Hong Kong and a global pandemic. In this magazine, you will get perspectives from students that were in Asia during these extraordinary events. What did Singapore and South Korea do to handle COVID-19 and what are our writers’ thoughts on that? How was it to experience the battle of CUHK first-hand? These questions and many more are answered in our articles.

Additionally, I hope that this magazine will inspire you to pursue your own adventure in Asia.

Exchange studies, in particular, is the perfect opportunity to get to know a place at a deeper level. Personally, I will not only bring fantastic memories from my time studying at NCTU in

Photo: Eduardo

Fan

Jonna Josefsson Editor in Chief

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COVID-19 The spring semester of 2020 didn’t turn out as expected. To be abroad during a pandemic is both very interesting and very stressful. Asian universities dealt with the spread of the coronavirus in variuos different ways. In this section a few students will write about their experiences.

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FACEMASKS AND DESINFECTION A virus was spreading in Wuhan, China. January 2020, the start of a new year and within less than a month a city of 11 million people was placed under quarantine.

Soon the virus, Covid-19, more known as the Coronavirus, started spreading outside of mainland China. Thailand was the second country to report its first Corona-case.

Taiwan, with many citizens working in mainland China who were set to travel home for the Chinese new year, was thought to become one of the next countries with an extensive spread of Covid-19. The theory was strengthened when Taiwan confirmed its first case the day after Thailand.

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On the day of writing the Coronavirus has hit the world hard. With over 4.2 million people infected worldwide and 280’000 deaths this has become the worst crisis since World War II according to the U.N. chief. I am currently on exchange at National Chiao Tung University, NCTU, which means that I am living in the country that everyone thought would be hit hard with the Coronavirus.

But in Taiwan, I am having problems grasping the severity of the situation. Here I am living my life close to normal. I am going to classes at the university, working out at the gym and hanging out with my friends. We are even going on a flight this weekend, even though it is a domestic flight. So how come the situation in Taiwan is so different from the rest of the world, with only 440 confirmed cases, 6 deaths and now on the fourth day of no new cases?

First of all, Taiwan was quick to realize the severity of the situation as soon as they heard about a new virus spreading in Wuhan. Taiwan had previous experience from the SARS-virus and was determined to contain the spread of Covid-19 better. On the same day as Chinese officials confirms pneumonia from an unknown cause Taiwan starts to health screen everyone arriving via flight from the Wuhan area. This was gradually expanded until screening measures were mandatory for everyone arriving in Taiwan.

Furthermore, Taiwan started to restrict entry for tourists arriving from areas with confirmed spread of Covid-19, including flight transfers through those countries. For example, I had a flight booked from Sweden to Taiwan via Hong Kong. When NCTU was informed of that they immediately advised me to change my flight and informed me that everyone transferring or visiting Hong Kong before arriving in Taiwan had to go through a mandatory home quarantine of 14 days. That would mean not leaving the apartment and get food delivered to the door.

Luckily, I was able to change my flight.

Text & photos:

Anna Sundvall

Eventually, on March 19th, Taiwan chose to shut down their border completely, the day after 100 cases of Covid-19 had been confirmed in Taiwan.

On this day, the total number of confirmed cases was 245’000 worldwide. Taiwanese citizens were still allowed to enter but were placed under a 14 day home quarantine. To enforce this, Taiwan started tracking arriving citizens phones and placed a fine on breaking the quarantine.

Beyond health screening arriving passengers, restricting entry into Taiwan and quarantine everyone returning home, Taiwan also placed a number of guidelines and rules of how to behave in Taiwan. Social distancing is urged and people are required to wear masks on all public transport and taxis. At NCTU, masks are required when entering food courts and shops when picking up food. NCTU along with most shops and public places starts to measure the temperature on everyone entering the buildings to check for fever.

On May 1st, Taiwan could report the 6th day of no new cases. After that a few more were confirmed but contained and the no new cases count could start again on May 8th. In total Taiwan has had only 55 indigenous infected cases and 385 imported cases. Which measures mentioned above that are contributing to the relatively small spread in Taiwan is hard to say.

But sure enough Taiwan has been able to limit the spread and CNN is writing articles about Taiwan having the best coronavirus response globally.

In my opinion, I am very glad that I am able to enjoy this exchange semester relatively normal. If it means being able to discover Taiwan, go out eating on restaurants and hang out with friends, I am more than happy to get my temperature checked a couple of times a day and wear a mask when riding the bus or a taxi.

Anna was studying at the City University of Hong Kong and has now transferred to National Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu, Taiwan. She 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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COVID-19 IN SOUTH KOREA The 11th of March 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that COVID-19 was characterized as a pandemic.

Many countries are suffering due to the virus, but there are some countries standing out from the crowd. South Korea got a rapid increase in infected people, with a peak of 800 people a day, but just after three weeks they had managed to contain the spread to under 100 newly infected a day. So what are the success factors in South Korea’s way of handling COVID-19? And how can this be seen at the university, POSTECH, that I am attending?

Exhaustive tracing. South Korea has created a rigorous tracing regime in order to quickly find infected people and to better protect those who are not infected. The use of surveillance technology, like using CCTV cameras and tracking of bank cards and cell phone usage, is very heavy in the country. This helps them to identify which people who are most likely to be infected and thereby who to test first. Further, both the government and society reveals private information, concerning the location of patients, on different platforms. At the beginning of the outbreak in South Korea I got several emails from governmental authorities with specific information about which buses, restaurants, streets, and so on, patients had been visiting and at what specific time. Whenever new cases are discovered in your district you get emergency alerts on your cell phone. There are also sites, like Corona Map, where private people

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who are infected are sharing their own location information. Hence, the tracing system that is built up helps the citizens to protect themselves from getting the virus, but at the cost of personal integrity.

This tracing system is also implemented at POSTECH. The school sends out information about each new patient in Pohang, where the school is located, and surveys that each student has to fill in, so they can find students who have crossed paths with patients. Everyone also has to blip their student ID-card when entering school facilities, ensuring that the school is able to trace who has been in what building. Hence, in case someone from campus gets infected the school can easily identify people who risk being infected.

Testing capacity and strategy. After the MERS crisis South Korea established a centre (Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, KCDC) for handling laboratory control of infectious diseases in order to improve analysis of infectious pathogens and develop methods for testing and diagnostic reagents. When COVID-19 started spreading in South Korea the KCDC worked closely with field experts, which enabled the national standards for examination to quickly improve in the whole country. To lower the pressure on hospitals more than 600 testing centres were set up, including drive-through and telephone-booth testing stations. The strategy is to test as many people as possible as quickly as possible. The tests are free and anyone who needs a test gets tested. Currently the testing capacity is at about 25 000 samples a day, allowing South Korea to test far more people than many other countries. That combined with their tracing strategies enables South Korea to quickly find infected people.

POSTECH was quick on establishing their own testing strategies. First, a daily health check-up for all students who have been in another country in the last 14 days. If you miss a test or you travel to another city, you have to restart the checkup process. Secondly, POSTECH set up heat detectors to examine the body temperature of every person who enters the campus restaurant area. These measures let the school know if a

student shows any symptoms of fever or illness, making it easier to contain the virus from spreading at the campus.

Quickly isolating potential patients. The thorough work of tracing and testing people is followed up with quickly isolating infected people. Suspected cases are isolated in designated facilities rather than at hospitals or at home. This lowers the pressure on hospitals and it reduces the risk of spreading. However, South Korea has not put any cities in quarantine and people are still allowed to go outside like normal. According to me, the big difference between South Korea and many European countries is the mentality. Many Korean people stay in self-quarantine and when they go outside almost everyone wears a mask.

The strategy of isolating potential patients has quickly been adopted by POSTECH. The school has designated a whole dorm, Dorm 14,

Text & photo:

Amanda Pernald

for students who need to be quarantined. This means no social contact at all; you have to stay in your room except for going to the bathroom and having your meals, which is done at different times for each person. Further, the school has set up rules for how and when students will get quarantined; if you visit another country, specific cities in South Korea, or just cross paths with a patient you will get quarantined in Dorm 14.

If a student in Dorm 14 shows signs of illness an ambulance will pick up the student and an announcement, to inform the other students, will go off in all other dorms.

In summary, the success factors are the rigorous tracing of infected people, extensive testing and then quickly isolating the infected people. So even though my exchange semester did not unfold as I had thought, I am happy to spend it here in South Korea where I feel safe.

Amanda is studying at the Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea. She 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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QUARANTINE

How did Singapore turn into a role model for the rest of the world during the COVID-19 epidemic?

My decision to spend an exchange semester in Singapore must have been one of the wisest choices I have done in my life. Not only is Singapore one of the worlds most developed countries with a leading role in environmentally friendly and sustainable technological solutions and advancements, but they also have an extremely efficient health care system. This is something I quickly learned to appreciate when the COVID-19 virus struck the country and started to take its toll on the world. The epidemic coincided with my studies and here is an insight as to why I felt privileged to be in Asia’s most developed country, Singapore, during such times.

The novel coronavirus emerged just in time for the annual Lunar New Year, an occasion that results in what is thought to be the world’s largest human migration period. For Singapore, this epidemic could have easily had much more catastrophic consequences. However, the country managed to respond to the outbreak in a way that has been considered as a state-of-the-art approach.

Being the most sovereign country in Asia, placed 9th on the UN Human Development Index, and has the 7th highest GDP per capita in the world, it comes as no surprise that the country would manage to contain the situation in such an efficient manner. In general, Singapore has a very efficient health care system ranked as the 6th best worldwide by the World Health Organization.

One of the major things that made Singapore fit for fight was their preparations before the outbreak even had taken place or been heard of. These preparations had already started back when SARS (a prior epidemic) struck Asia.

SARS had a strong impact on Singapore, this helped the government realize the flaws in their infrastructure, they knew that the country wasn’t ready for an outbreak of that kind. Therefore, the government has (since 2002) been reinforcing their healthcare system with isolation hospitals, negative pressured rooms (to prevent crosscontamination) and different legislations.

What signifies Singapore the most is their rapid reactions to setbacks in combination with effective communications to the public! They were quick to

“What signifies Singapore the most is their rapid reactions to setbacks in combination with effective communications to the public! “

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implement strict quarantining, social distancing and banning of mass gatherings when there was news of new cases in the country. One study conducted by Harvard University has shown that on estimate, Singapore’s strong disease surveillance and contact tracing is detecting three times more cases compared to the global average.

As a non-Singaporean citizen, and from a student’s perspective during such times, the officials in the country showed a great amount of care and put in a lot of effort to make sure that we felt safe and secure at all times. Even though they resolved to drastic measures which at first felt as exaggerated, we soon started to appreciate these actions. The staff at school handed out thermometers to all students upon their arrival.

They started using temperature screenings around every major area on campus as well as placing hand sanitizers around every corner. We had to register our temperature on an online platform twice every day, if there was an increase in our temperature or if we felt sick in any way, they would put us in quarantine for 5 days.

Luckily, I did not get sick during that time.

However, I still managed to get myself

Text & photos:

Zaid Saeed

quarantined for 14 days, not because I was sick but because I made one final trip to Thailand right before they implemented a travel ban. As I was in Thailand, the ban took effect, this is something they, unfortunately, did not inform us about. The adventure was still worthwhile despite the 14-day quarantine. Besides, being quarantined on campus was not bad at all. The school staff were kind enough to offer us free breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as room upgrades if needed. I ended up saving a lot of money by being quarantined, and I got to be productive as well, making the most of my time doing homework and learning to play the guitar.

Writing this article has been difficult as I am still in Singapore and the situation is yet to stabilize.

The school has made it fully possible for all exchange students to choose between returning to our home universities and continuing the modules online or staying here till the end of the semester. I currently feel safer here than back home in Sweden, so for the time being, I will be collecting insights on how Singapore is coping with the situation first hand and stay here for as long as I possibly can.

Zaid is studying at the National University of Singapore. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Quality & Operations Management.

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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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DIVERSITY IN SINGAPORE - LIVING IN HARMONY Singapore is remarkable in many aspects. The first thing that comes to mind is the fast economic development the country has gone through making it one of the world’s most prosperous countries today.

However, this article will not review Singapore from an economics perspective, but will rather focus on its demography and culture, which are also somewhat peculiar.

The country borders Malaysia and Indonesia, but the majority of people in Singapore have Chinese ancestry and speak English. To understand why this is the case we will briefly go through the history of Singapore, and thereby learn more about the people who live there. We shall also see how history has shaped the culture that we experience and enjoy today.

The history of modern Singapore begins with the British colonisation of the country between the early 19th and mid 20th century. At this time Singapore was established as an important trade port in Asia, and during the British rule trade flourished and the population grew from a couple of thousands (estimated) to over a million.

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The era of British rule has, of course, left its mark on both the culture and law of today’s Singapore, most prominently through the introduction of the English language which today is used both in the education system and in administration.

English and Mandarin are the most commonly used languages in the households of Singapore, but there is also a significant part of the population that speak Malay or Tamil. Since many languages are used in Singapore, their English, in particular, has been greatly influenced by the other languages.

As a result, the Singaporean English sounds quite different from British English, and therefore it is often referred to as Singlish.

During the second world war, Japan occupied Singapore for a few years, but it was returned to British colonial rule at Japan’s surrender.

In 1963 Singapore became part of Malaysia for a short time until finally becoming an independent state in 1965. Since then, the population of Singapore has grown further to about five and a half million. The growth has largely been due to

many immigrants moving to Singapore for work.

Today, over 70% of the population is Chinese, only about 15% is Malay and barely 10% are from India. Due to the rapid population growth and large immigration, many people have parents or grandparents that migrated to Singapore, and many students are bilingual, as they speak English in school and are taught Chinese for example by their parents. Therefore you should expect to hear a lot of Chinese if you are travelling to Singapore, and also be aware that everyone you meet (especially older people) may not be very comfortable speaking English.

In Singapore, the Chinese and Indian cultures are perhaps best experienced in Chinatown and Little India, which are two areas in the city. There you can enjoy authentic Chinese and Indian food and their respective cultures. Many religious temples are also located in these areas, including Buddhist, Taoist and Hindu temples. One could actually argue that Singapore is one of the countries with the most religious diversity in the world with 33.2% Buddhist, 18.7% Christian, 18.5% no religion, 14% Muslim, 10% Taoism, 5% Hindu, and 0.6% other religions, as of 2015. For anyone interested in the different religions of the world, Singapore is therefore a great place to learn more about these.

Text:

Erik Brorsson

The gist of this post is that people of different ethnicity, culture and religious beliefs live together in Singapore. This is a result of the steady economic growth of the country which has demanded labour and encouraged many people to migrate to Singapore. In the past, there has unfortunately been hostility between the different groups in the country, culminating with the 1964 race riot, in which the Malay and Chinese turned against each other. During the riot, 23 people lost their lives and many more were injured. Today, Singapore claims to be a state of racial harmony, which is celebrated on racial harmony day on the 21st of July every year.

When I arrived in Singapore I did not know that the Singlish they speak is quite different from English, nor that the country is so culturally diversified. During my stay, I found the mix of ethnicity, cultures and religions to be enriching and interesting to explore. We shall hope that today’s people of Singapore feel the same and that they can continue to live in harmony.

Erik is studying at the National University of Singapore. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Physics and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Complex Adaptive Systems.

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AN ABRUPT END TO MY FIRST SEMESTER AT THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG It is early Monday morning, November the 11th.

I wake up tired and a bit stressed about a project due later in the week, not knowing that I have already had my last classes for the semester. I just returned from the Guangdong province the previous evening and had been a bit out of touch with the updates on the protest movement. The protests had been going on since before I arrived in Hong Kong and had become a part of daily life.

I did know that there had been lots of turbulence during the weekend and that the situation seemed to have escalated. On Monday morning there are some videos circulating that show that clashes between the police and protestors have already started. I knew there were lots of planned protests and strikes that day, but at that point, I had gotten used to it. I knew how to avoid those areas, and living on campus, which was quite far away from the city, I had always felt very safe there.

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In an attempt to study, I head for the main library. I see more people than usual in protest gear hurrying by outside carrying all kinds of stuff and my focus on studying quickly fades. I return to my dorm for lunch and meet a student who had been slightly wounded in the clashes at the campus. This is when I realize that this is something different, it is the first day in what some now referred to as the “Battle of CUHK” (the Chinese University of Hong Kong) which lasted for five days.

Classes were cancelled for the day, and then the next day and the day after that. Every day they say that it will return to normal tomorrow.

Assignments were still due as usual, while some students are clashing with the police, who are trying to enter the campus. I watch as the school buses I’ve been riding all year are hijacked by protestors transporting goods and people between the different entrances at the campus, or frontlines as some now call them. Thousands of

teargas canisters have been thrown and countless rubber bullets have been fired by the police.

While the protestors use whatever they can find to counter; petrol bombs, homemade catapults, stolen javelins from the P.E. department, umbrellas as shields, etcetera. Barricades are being built all around campus, from sophisticated brick walls to lines of whatever junk one could find. Watchtowers are placed at strategic points and walkie talkies are being used to communicate between the different stations at school. Students are sleeping on the streets to be ready at all times and some are placed as guards checking people who try to enter or leave.

The canteens have been closed for days and the supermarket at the campus is almost out of everything since no deliveries can be made. Some canteens are broken into and run by students to distribute food while in some canteens the staff have stayed and are giving away food free.

Text & photos:

Hanna Carlsson

From all around Hong Kong people are bringing necessities or gear to help the protestors. Water, food, gasoline, empty glass bottles for making petrol bombs, clothes, gas masks, and umbrellas keep coming in. I watch as my campus and my home gets more and more torn apart and destroyed, and by Wednesday evening my school announces that the rest of the semester is cancelled. Most universities are calling on all their exchange students to leave Hong Kong and I watch as my friends leave, some even in the middle of the night.

I leave on Thursday after my dorm announces they are evacuating, leaving behind local friends who are determined to stay. After lots of walking I manage to get on a way too expensive minibus, that drives away from campus and into the city.

I am filled with all kinds of different emotions, but one thing is very clear, this will not be the end to my exchange. I would return for the spring semester.

Hanna is studying at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Software Engineering and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Computer Science - Algorithms, Languages and Logic.

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CHAEBOL – THE RICH ELITE OF SOUTH KOREA Samsung, LG and Hyundai, big brands who have established their brand name all over the world.

If you go downtown in any city of South Korea, you will see that almost everyone is driving a Hyundai car while the streets are filled with the telecommunication company SK, sometimes there are even two or three stores in the same place.

amongst the family members and most of them attain prestigious degrees from Korea’s most renowned universities.

Being wealthy comes with big influences and connections and in the Chaebols case, in the political system in Korea. During the time when South Korea’s president Park Geun-Hye was accused of corruption, a bigger scandal was These company giants are a result of generationsweeping through the country at the same time. long family-run conglomerates called “Chaebol” The head of the number one Chaebol company and consists of more than 24 different families. at that time, Samsung Group, was sentenced to Chaebol is a combined word of “chae” which prison after having been convicted of bribing stands for wealth and “bol” which means clan. his way into higher positions in the Samsung These families have for generations back been Group hierarchy, though he was later released the leading pillars for the transformation of with a much lighter sentence than the original South Korea’s economy. They and resumed a high position were some of the biggest Samsung Electronics after “It is a patriarchal system in contributors in turning South his release. This scenario is which puts the concentration not uncommon amongst the Korea into one of the largest economies in the world and of political power in the Chaebols and if one looks back even to this day, they continue in the history, one can find hands of just a few people.” many similar cases where the to acquire market shares by expanding to many different Chaebol walks away unscathed. branches and subsidiaries. The top five are Samsung, LG, Hyundai, SK and Lotte and This has sparked the public’s attention about the together they stand for half of South Korea’s Chaebol culture since it is a patriarchal system stock market value. This could be a problem which favors men while also standing in the way per se since if one of them were to fall, Korea’s of smaller businesses, competition, creativity and economy would most likely also suffer as a the biggest factor of them all, the concentration consequences. of political power in the hands of a few people.

There is no doubt that these people are the rich The Chaebol system entails that the men in the elite of South Korea and will continue to be that families compete for the chairman role of the for a while but maybe there might be a change company after the current chairman has either one day when the government decides to take the retired or died. This sparks big competition peoples side instead of favoring the wealthy.

Text & photos:

Stephie Do

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Stephie is studying at the Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Systems, Control and Mechatronics.

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シーン THE SOUND OF SILENCE

It is October 2019 and typhoon Hagibis is slowly but steadily lumbering towards Tokyo, Japan. For a country so often struck by severe natural disasters like high magnitude earthquakes and the ensuing tsunamis, it is surprising to see people in such a panicking manner buy all canned food they can get their hands on.

One would have thought that a mere typhoon would be but a breeze for them. This type of hamstering behaviour is repeating now again in the times of the frightening CORONA-virus, but this time it is surgical masks and toilet paper that are running out in stores.

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Unfazed by the typhoon, my laboratory colleagues and I are heading to a conference in Kanazawa, a two-anda-half-hour ride away from Tokyo with the hyper-modern Shinkansen high-speed rail.

During the short walk from the University of Tokyo’s Hongocampus to Ueno train station we jokingly comment on the panic, it is barely even raining!

We line up to buy our tickets while excitedly discussing what type of Ekiben (bento boxed lunch that you eat while riding the train) we will buy.

We are literally 30 seconds away from getting to the end of the line to purchase tickets when we receive a message through LINE (the most popular messaging app in

Japan) from the lab’s assistant professor: “The conference is cancelled due to the typhoon, have you guys bought train tickets yet?”. We reply: “No, but we were just about to. Is it certain?”. He answers: “Yes! ギリギリ セーフ” (giri-giri safe). My Japanese colleague explains to me: giri giri is the sound of something being just at the limit, or just in time.

The group decides to make the best of the situation and head out for food and drinks, and we quickly forget about the conference and the typhoon that cancelled it. However, giri giri sticks around in my head.

The Japanese language is full of onomatopoeia. Unlike the sounds we are used to making in English like “Crash”, “Swoosh” and “Tsss” the limited phonology of Japanese often makes the words

describing sounds more simple.

Furthermore, as in the case of giri giri, Japanese has “sounds” for more abstract notions like feelings and situations. Just imagine describing to your peer that you were “Ka-pow” in time for the meeting. Even if there was an appropriate word for the situation, an overt onomatopoeic language might be considered as childish or an indicator of lacking vocabulary in an English speaking setting.

To a Japanese speaker, on the other hand, it takes a natural part in spoken or even written language. Even the most stone-faced salaryman might describe his morning commute with a congested train as ぎ ゅうぎゅう (gyuu-gyuu), the sound of being jam-packed.

The phenomenon is best explained through example, so let’s go on an imaginary onomatopoeic journey through Tokyo!

Text & photos:

Johan Friemann

You are sleeping soundly making the sound ぐっすり (gussuri). When your alarm clock starts beeping ピピ (pi-pi) you are startled びっ くり (bikkuri) and wake up.

Freshly awoken your messy hair and clothes rattles ぐ しゃぐしゃ (gusha-gusha).

You quickly overcome your tiredness radiating ワクワク (waku-waku) with excitement from your day exploring Tokyo ahead of you. After leaving your hotel a dog passes by barking ワンワン (wan-wan), it’s owner scolds it in a がみ がみ (gami-gami) fashion for being noisy.

Succeeding a morning filled to the brim with sightseeing your stomach starts rumbling ペコペコ (peko-peko), you’re starving! You decide to have a hearty bowl of ramen for lunch. You can’t wait to have some comforting thick broth emanating うずうず (uzuuzu), not being able to contain your craving. The soup finally

arrives and you slurp your noodles making the sound ズ ルズル (zuru-zuru) and down your drink emitting ごくごく (goku-goku).

The afternoon is spent in an area less frequented by tourists.

The locals are surprised to see a foreigner and stare at you intensely じー (jii). The excursion is concluded by having some green tea and Japanese sweets in a quaint little tea house. The old owner is delighted by the influx of business and presents a bright smile chiming ニコニコ (nikoniko). After a long day, you are absolutely spent, spreading the sound くたくた (kuta-kuta) as you make your way home.

Being all ベタベタ (beta-beta), sticky with sweat you have a shower and go to bed. Satisfied with the day you drift into a す やすや (suya-suya) peaceful sleep in the quiet hotel room.

So what is the answer to the age-old question: what is the sound of silence? According to the Japanese, it is シーン (shiin).

Johan is studying at the University of Tokyo in Japan. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Physics and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Applied Mechanics.

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People will go to great lengths just to make sure that they are in favour of the gods and the spirits

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PROPHECIES ON THE NEWS, RED ENVELOPES & VERTICAL CHOPSTICKS During my time at university in Taiwan, there were certain things I was advised not to do, for fear of bad luck. For instance, on the way to my dorm, there is a staircase next to a sloped path. Taking either the path or the staircase was fine, as long as I didn’t switch paths during the ascent. If I had, I risked failing my exams. Or so I was told by my classmates. Superstitions like this one piqued my interest and got me thinking. In this article, I try to find out just how superstitious Taiwan is, beginning with some of the ways in which you can attract bad luck.

Bad luck can be brought upon you in many ways: Picking up a red envelope from the street? That will bring you bad luck in the shape of a dead woman you have to marry - or be forever haunted by her.

Leaving your chopsticks vertically in a bowl of rice? Bad luck will befall you, as this is falsely similar to the incense people use to appease their ancestors. If you watched the news and saw the prophecy for your zodiac today, it might possibly warn you about bad luck!

Adhering to the different rules set by the superstitions is very common in Taiwan. People will go to great lengths just to make sure that they are in favour of the gods and the spirits. One example of this is the red light that many people in Taiwan light up from time to time. Every year, different stars will align with the zodiacs, influencing life on earth. Having the wrong sign on the wrong year might therefore bring you bad luck, which can only be prevented by going to a temple and lighting a red light.

Another example is the practice of hiring Feng Shui experts, who will determine the most harmonious orientation of buildings, furniture, doors and other architecture. Considering the effort people put into different superstitions, one might wonder how they became so widespread.

One explanation for the range and amount of superstitions in Taiwan could be the mixed religious background. Cataloguing every belief uniquely into a specific religion there is not an easy task, as the religions all blend into each other. It is not uncommon to find a temple praising gods originating from different religions. And, in contrast to western religions, religions in Taiwan do not require you to pick a single religion to follow wholeheartedly. In fact, many people in Taiwan follow a mix of the two largest religious faiths, namely Taoism and Buddhism, along with a touch of the local folklore. This mixed religious culture can be observed in many ways. For example, the two different superstitions regarding the zodiacs I mentioned before actually use two separate zodiac systems: the western zodiac and the Chinese zodiac, one for the news and one for the red light, respectively.

Superstition might be more widespread in Taiwan than in many other places, but it still has a lot in common with other cultures. Even the superstitions I mentioned are not only unique to Taiwan. Every culture has its own superstitions, such as Friday the thirteenth or the break a leg-line some performers use before going onstage. Even the subculture of my home university in Gothenburg has its own set of superstitions, some very similar to the ones in Taiwan. Did you know that as a student at Chalmers, you’re not supposed to walk upon the painted sigil of your student section? Don’t do it, or you might risk failing your exams.

Text:

Jonathan Kraft

Jonathan is studying at the National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Software Engineering and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Complex Adaptive Systems.

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BIG IN JAPAN

The old woman looks at me in awe in the supermarket aisle as I try to decipher the labels for a package of salt to make sure it is not sugar.

From her hand gestures I understand that she wants to know my height. I say “almost 2 meters”, in the sparse Japanese I had picked up so far. “Eeeeeh!? Sugoi!”, she replies and nods enthusiastically. Seemingly I am the tallest person she has seen in these northern parts of Japan.

In fact, the first thing I had to learn in Japanese when I arrived here was to say my name and to say my height. In every new encounter, comments about my stature are as expected as in conversations with my grandmother. This is perhaps not surprising, since the average height in Japan is about 172 cm for men and 158 cm for women. Nonetheless, Japan is clearly not optimized for tall Europeans, and there seems to be a peculiar interest in what stands out from the crowd (literally) that shapes the experience of being a foreigner in this country.

The Galápagos Syndrome Arriving to Japan from Sweden, a noticeable difference is that everything feels just slightly smaller. Buildings, streets, tables, chairs, bars, vehicles, dogs, food portions and shoe sizes are all adapted to the challenging island geography

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and the Japanese way of living. In this sense, Japan suffers from the “Galápagos syndrome” in significant ways, with reference to the divergent evolution of species in the Galápagos islands compared to the mainland that inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution. The country’s product development has diverged towards highly specialized mobile phones and ATMs with little relevance outside of Japan. Additionally, the Japanese “Kei car” is a type of extra light car subsidised by the government for taking up less space, which makes it easier to manoeuvre the rather narrow and congested streets.

The space problem also favours a culture of riding bicycles for everyday commuting, and after hitting my head a significant number of times entering the subway trains, I decided on buying one of my own. However, as it turns out, also the bicycles come with smaller frame sizes compared to most European models. After searching in vain for a cheap second-hand alternative, I therefore ended up special ordering an XL size from a store that has served me well so far.

Metabolic Syndrome While being tall in Japan certainly has its inconveniences, there is a harsher view on being overweight. The peer pressure regarding weight

loss is high and pointing out that someone is gaining weight is considered to the best of their interest. Responding to increasing levels of obesity, the government also introduced a controversial “Metabo Law” in 2008, requiring people over 40 to have their waistlines measured annually and making lifestyle adjustments if it surpasses a certain limit. On the one hand, this all seems to work. Japan has among the lowest obesity rates in the world with people living long and healthy lives. On the other hand, it raises the pressure to conform to a one-size-fits-all body norm and may spur the development of eating disorders in complicated ways.

For a large part of its history, Japan practised a rather strict isolationist foreign policy that arguably had a homogenizing effect on the culture, favouring social cohesion over individuality. In a present context, this of course influences the way people are perceived and noticed in the crowd.

In the case of being a “tall Swedish guy”, this

Text & photos:

David Högberg

can result in funny interactions or at worst some awkward staring, but I imagine other cases with more severe effects. For example, reports of bullying in Japanese schools and workplaces are widespread and rather vicious compared to other countries. The strategy becomes to blend or get pushed out.

Japan in a Larger Context As Japan opened up to influences from the outside world, particularly in the postwar era, this carried with it technological innovations, new forms of entertainment and fashion trends as well as fast food habits. In a global context, then, the evolutionary peculiarities of Japanese culture blend with an increasing diversity of bodies and lifestyles in interesting and complicated ways. To an outsider of the culture, this can be fascinating, amusing, awkward, uncomfortable or several things at once, but it surely makes Japan a unique part of this planet.

David is studying at the Tohoku University in Tokyo, Japan. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Mathematics and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Complex Adaptive Systems.

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SINGAPORE’S MOST STRICT AND ODD LAWS - Five mistakes that could get you in jail!

When I decided to study abroad, Singapore seemed like the perfect choice. As one of the wealthiest and most well-developed countries in the world, with a multicultural population, a tropical climate, and a beautiful nature, it is indeed an amazing country – and city – to spend an exchange semester in. Besides, due to their position as the global financial centre, there are direct flight connections to a lot of exciting travel destinations almost anywhere around Asia. However, living daily life in Singapore requires certain precautions – surveillance cameras are everywhere to gain proof of any illegal activity. And those are not obvious how to avoid – some of the laws and regulations in Singapore are unbelievably ridiculous!

Being naked in your own home Penalty: up to S$2,000 or 3 months in jail All kinds of pornography and pornographic acts in Singapore are illegal, and the government also blocks most pornographic websites. However, being naked anywhere – even in your own house – does count as a pornographic act, which is illegal and strongly penalized. So, make sure to set your curtains before taking a shower!

Connecting to another person’s WiFi Penalty: up to S$10,000, 3 years in jail or both Are you innocently looking around for a WiFi-network and find one which you succeed to connect to? Then you are in bad luck – this is in Singapore defined as hacking. So if the owner hasn’t explicitly given you his consent, then you most probably have committed an illegal act under section 6(1)(a) of the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act! Get rid of your WiFi addiction by buying yourself a good valued sim card in the airport instead, and you’ll be safe.

Painting Graffiti Penalty: up to S$2,000 or three 3 in jail or 3-8 cane strokes This is illegal in a lot of places around the world, and probably not something you would expect to be able to do legally in Singapore. However, if you for some reason do it anyways, the penalties are horrifying. Like if paying S$2,000 or being imprisoned 3 years in jail wasn’t enough, you could also risk a corporal punishment of not less than three strokes and not more than eight strokes of the cane.

You heard right – Singapore still applies caning as a form of penalty… so just don’t do graffiti.

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Playing poker Penalty: up to S$20,000 or 2 months in jail Imagine taking home some friends, sharing some glasses of whisky, and doing a real poker night together. Sounds kind of innocent? Well, as long as any kind of real money is involved, you could all risk imprisonment. In Singapore, all kinds of betting, gaming, or lottery if performed in anything that could be defined as a common gaming house are illegal, regardless of being performed in public or privately. So what should you do instead? Of course visit one of Singapore’s amazing Casinos! The most famous one is located at Marina Bay Sands, and impressive just by its massive size. If you are not a Singaporean citizen, you get a free entrance, which also includes free soft drinks and coffee. Definitely worth it for doing some legal betting!

Singing a song in public Penalty: up to S$1000 or 3 months in jail If you are in a public area and singing, reciting or uttering anything in which obscene lyrics are involved, you do get punished by 3 months in jail. And this is not only for the vocalists. Let’s say you are just playing the guitar or a musical instrument of any kind. Regardless of how sweet and good you are playing, it is an illegal act as long as other people define themselves as annoyed. Be sure to practice your troubadour skills beforehand - or just visit one of Singapore’s awesome karaoke bars instead!

Of course there are a lot of things I haven’t mentioned here, like for example the fact that Singapore for crimes like drugs still performs death penalties. However, in most cases, just practising common sense and behaving in a proper way would usually never put you in any trouble. And just walking around in Singapore and enjoying how extraordinarily clean the streets are, make you realize that some of the laws like the S$100,000 penalty for selling chewing gums, in combination with the S$1000 penalty for littering, actually have its good consequences. It is just the whole mindset about having these strict penalties that feels very different compared to the western part of the world where individualism and freedom are prioritized. Maybe we both have something to learn from each other?

Text:

Oscar Brask

Oscar is studying at the National University of Singapore. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Systems, Control and Mechatronics..

TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY - a view from the inside My first day at Tokyo Institute of Technology was in late September. I had arrived just two days before the start of the courses and was still jetlagged when I stepped out of ĹŒokayama station.

It was a hot and humid day and the sun was shining on the silver letters spelling out the name of the school at the entrance. I had survived the silent train journey where I a few times had to open my eyes and look around to confirm people were still around me in the carriage. Talking on the phone is frowned upon and talking loudly at all should be avoided. It is common to take a quick nap on the train and many late afternoons you will find yourself having a sleeping Japanese dozing off on your shoulder.

Even having talked to previous exchange students at this school, I did not know what to expect when I arrived. Because Japan is quite famous abroad, I had a vague perception of it before coming here.

However, I can honestly say I have been surprised in most ways regarding the country, the people and their way of living. What is exciting about Tokyo is that on the surface, except for the neon kanji signs everywhere, it can be mistaken for a major western city. Nothing could be further from the truth.

A university is, in essence, a miniature version of society. At the university, you find all the trends and societal habits that you find outside but in a compact version. That is what makes studying

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people and the surroundings very interesting at school because Japan is a society far from the one I have always known in so many aspects.

Walking through campus, you do not see people just standing around outside like in Europe. If students spend time outside of classes, it is usually the European exchange students. Chances are you will find them having lunch on European Hill, a green slope named so for this very reason. So where do the Japanese students relax in between classes? Many can be found in the library where it is socially acceptable to take long naps on one’s laptop.

All master degree students are part of a laboratory and spend a lot of time there. The lab has everything needed for long days including food, coffee and entertainment such as tv games.

However, when lunchtime comes around, campus fills up with students and professors alike, heading to the closest supermarket or student cafeteria to eat. Neighbourhood supermarkets, called konbinis, are abundant in Japan and after a while, you start counting on them being everywhere, even in very remote places. When there is not a konbini you can count on there being a vending machine, even high up on mountains and on small boats.

An interesting thing I found out the first time I had lunch on campus is the lack of bins. All over Japan, it is really difficult to get rid of your garbage if you are outside of your home. And you will have garbage after eating, since everything in Japan is impeccably packed which often implies a lot of plastic. If you can visit the women’s restrooms, then you are in luck because there they will have, however minuscule, garbage bins.

But do not expect to be able to dry your hands in any of the restrooms, for some reason, there is almost never any equipment to do so with.

Tokyo is not famous for an abundance of parks, so the green area on campus serves as the local park for Ōokayama residents. This means you will also see many adorable dogs as you have never seen them before being walked. Japanese take great care of their dogs, many have their own stroller and you will seldom see smaller dogs without jumpers or even overalls. A curious thing is that they never bark, I have no idea why. Japan is a fun mix of totally quiet and very noisy. As

Text & photos:

Charlotte Norrby

written in the beginning, trains are notoriously quiet. You never hear sirens or cars honk. On the other hand, the shopping streets have speakers constantly blasting commercials and there are special trucks driving around the city centre playing music. The everyday sounds of the city are completely different. Maybe I will not miss the hysteric noise in the electronics store, but I will miss being able to reserve a seat in a pub by placing my cell phone on it while getting drinks.

I will miss being able to get my chilled green tea whenever and wherever and I will miss the incredibly polite Japanese people. I will be back.

Charlotte is studying at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. She 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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FOREIGN INTERVENTIONS AND LOCAL ACTIVISM IN SINGAPORE One of the biggest advantages of going on an exchange is learning more about the culture and history of another country. Before I went on mine, my view of Singapore was based on the external.

On the world map, Singapore is often depicted as a single red dot on the southern tip of the Malay peninsula. “The little red dot” has become a nickname for the city-state which is home to over five million citizens who share an area roughly half the size of the smallest province in Sweden: Öland. Despite the lack of geographical footprint, the city-state is not shy bragging about its achievements of rapid economic development.

Since gaining independence less than 60 years ago, Singapore has developed to become “the only fully functioning city-state in the world”. But the developing the city-state has come with its own set of challenges.

appealed immigrants from countries all over Asia, creating a supply of cheap labour from different ethnic groups. This has not only shaped the ethnic demographics of Singapore but generated many policies intended to create political, social and foremost, economic stability.

One of these dating back to British rule is the use of racial records. Today the public records track demographics of the main races Chinese, Malay, Indian and Other. These records are actively used to put quotas on neighbourhood demographics, prohibiting the race distribution to skew too far apart from the norm. It also is used to determine which languages you are to learn in school and what roles you may be assigned as during the two-year compulsory national service.

The Singapore Bicentennial of last year marked 200 years since the British arrived, while also pushing to extend the timeline of the narrative by commemorating a far longer, 700 years of history on the island. The process of interpreting history to construct a national identity is a complex task as the baseline of values, systems and laws of the entire country need to be reinterpreted.

The multicultural identity in Singapore is still strongly conservative, with conservative inter-religious values being something that brings together the diverse citizens. This social conservatism builds upon the same national identity glue which keeps views together, making new liberal values “foreign”, even though the origin of both values are external.

The government doesn’t allow foreigners to participate in political rallies to prohibit foreign intervention.

The years of colonial rule leading up to the relatively recent independence in the 1960s has shaped the requisites for building the independent nation. The then British government focused on developing policies to keep the port trade open.

The economic opportunities of the growing port

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A value that Singapore is trying to uphold is the immorality of their gay citizens. British rule left a big legislative heritage, including the controversial Section 377A of the penal code which criminalizes male homosexuality. While this is not enforced on the estimated ~200,000 Singaporean men who have same-sex relations, the threat of punishment with two years in prison still sets the tone of right and wrong.

While this rule has been repealed in the U.K., India just recently successfully appealed and overruled this law in the high court, sparking new encouragement to Singaporean humanrights activists to once again push for legal considerations. Unfortunately, the rejections for all three separate appeals claimed that the law should uphold the moral values of the public.

But to break down the prejudice of the local gay-rights movement being an agenda of foreign intervention, the local LGBTQ community works hard to create trust in the public space. With the fear of being judged as too loud and outspoken about sexuality by arranging a yearly pride parade, local activists have created a humble tradition called “Pink dot”. It started as a small group of LGBTQ Singaporeans spending one day in Hong Lim Park wearing pink to form a small but visible dot in the green. The park is the only venue assigned a “free speech area” by the government, but though spatial confinement, the event has been growing each year in participation and outreach. The aim is to signal the hidden numbers of people suffering from discrimination, while exhibiting a non-threatening familyfriendly vibe.

There are also a growing LGBTQ movement among university students. The singaporean Inter-University LGBT Network include local groups from five of the biggest universities.

During my exchange at NTU, I’ve been given the chance to get to know the people behind the local chapter, Kaleidoscope. And it’s been a humbling experience to learn about the issues they care about and policies they’d like to see change.

Singapore says it is still open to change the law, as long it’s reflected in public opinion. While the public opinion has rapidly swayed towards approving same-sex relations, much thanks to the Pink Dot movement, it has not quite reached consensus enough for change. What doesn’t wait for approval is the lives of all the citizens of

Text & photos:

Philip Nord

Singapore. No matter their ethnicity, language or religion, they aim to stay united, whatever the cost.

Singapore, with all its minorities contributing to creating a common national identity, has come a long way in catering to the needs of all its inhabitants. The LGBTQ community, however, will keep demanding the right to add some pink to the little red dot.

Philip is studying at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Software Engineering and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Computer Science - Algorithms, Languages and Logic.

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A GUIDE TO CHINESE APPS In our daily life today we depend on many apps and websites to keep us updated on what is going on in the world, what our friends and family are up to or to entertain ourselves in many different ways. We live in a world where most things are happening online, if it is not posted on Facebook or on Instagram it did not happen.

When going to China you need to be aware that many of the apps and websites you use daily are not going to work, and be prepared to live without them for a while. With that said, you are still going to be able to contact your friends and family, you just need to know the right ways to do it. I am going to guide you through the most important apps to have when living or visiting China. There is of course many with similar functions but these are the ones that I used the most.

WeChat This is the app to use when keeping in touch with people in China. Mainly you can have conversations in the app, either with just one person or in bigger groups, like Messenger. A lot of the communication in school was happening here both with students and teachers. In memories people post pictures and texts, kind of similar to Instagram. There is also a scanning function that is very good when in need of translating from Chinese, which often is the case. When having a Chinese phone number and bank account this is one of the main ways to pay in the country, which works a lot like Swish. So what for us are many different apps is here collected into one.

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WhatsApp This is not an app-specific for China but this is a communication app that is known from home that actually works in China. So if you want to be able to keep in touch with the people at home this is a good way to go.

Alipay This together with WeChat and cash is the way to pay in China, do not count on being able to use your Swedish bank card except in ATMs. To be able to get your Alipay to work you need to have a Chinese phone number and bank account, after that is fixed paying is super easy.

In Alipay you can find a lot of apps in the app, for example you can hire bikes all over the city with Hello bike. You can rent a bike for each time or go for the monthly contract. The bikes is a nice way to get around and see more than on the subway.

There are also several ways to order food, the one that we tried was connected to Alipay and is called Eleme. Here you can choose from many different restaurants and for a very reasonable price get the food delivered to your door. They will call you when they get close to the apartment.

Most of the time they only speak Chinese so get to the door as soon as possible to make sure to get your food.

Text:

Agnes Ståhl

TaoBao This is one of the apps used to order things home. Here you can find anything from clothes to games and home equipment. Just make sure to get the deliverance information right, it is all in Chinese so it might be good to get help from a friend.

Maps or Baidu Maps Something that we struggled a lot within the beginning was that Google maps were not accurate. My advice is to use your phones own map, at least with apple maps that worked really great. There is a Chinese version called BaiDu Maps, which probably works great, if you speak Chinese.

Didi This app is similar to Uber, you order a car and a few minutes later it will show up. By adding the destinations address you will beforehand know roughly how much the trip will cost you and you can pay by cash or directly in the app. Many of the drivers in the cabs do not speak any English so by being able to order one in advance they already know where to go and the trouble never has to exist.

Agnes is studying at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning in Tongji, China. 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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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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GOGORO

- Taiwan’s electric scooters Upon first arrival to Taiwan you will be greeted by the many scooters zooming by you in the cities.

Taiwan is the country with the highest scooter density in the world. From the beginning most of them were noisy two stroke engines, now the four stroke engines are dominating, but there is one upcoming trend, the electric scooter.

Taiwan’s population is currently over 23 million.

With over 13 million registered motorcycles, majority of them scooters, there is no wonder the streets are crowded with them. How come

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this massive popularity? The history plays one important role, during the 1960s imported cars were heavily taxed and the domestic car manufacturers were not as competitive, lowering the car usage. Meanwhile the Japanese established joint ventures in Taiwan, laying the foundation for big scooter companies like Kymco and Sym. The availability of high-quality scooters in Taiwan

during these times contributed to a high scooter adoption, which still reflects today’s vehicle fleet.

Taiwan’s climate is also suitable for scooter usage, people can drive their scooter all year round. The numerous dedicated traffic lanes for scooters in Taiwan makes the scooter the swiftest alternative for the city trip in most of the cases. Except for the capital Taipei, there few cities with a welldeveloped metro system, making the scooter a wise choice for traveling around the city.

In 2011, Horace Luke and Matt Taylor, former HTC executives, established Gogoro to rethink the energy infrastructure in cities and create a better future for its residents. The air pollution in the cities of Taiwan could certainly be improved by the electric scooters. Gogoro have since its inception raised $480M, among the investors are Panasonic, who supplies the batteries, and Taiwan’s Government. The first model was revealed during CES in Las Vegas in 2015. In august 2016 Gogoro had sold 10,000 scooters.

The sales accelerated and in the beginning of 2018 50,000 scooters from Gogoro were on the roads in Taiwan. In 2019 sales surpassed 145,000 scooters, an increase of 105 % compared to the previous year. This accounts for a 16 % market share of the local motorcycle market. Taiwan’s government offering subsidies for electric scooters has facilitated the sales.

The Gogoro Network is Gogoro’s battery swapping platform. Here the scooter users can swap their batteries in a manner of seconds.

The batteries sit under the scooters seat and the driver can simply pick them up and change with newly charged ones from the station. There are over 1,600 stations like this in Taiwan now and the number keeps on increasing. Yamaha released their new electric scooter EC-05 in 2019 which is a collaboration with Gogoro. This scooter uses the same batteries from the Gogoro Network.

Text & photo:

Markus Boström

Gogoro have a sharing platform called GoShare, this is very similar to what the companies like Voi and Tier has established in Europe, but with Gogoro’s scooters. There are now 4,000 scooters in Taipei and Taoyuan. GoShare has 550,000 registered users and launched in August 2019.

Gogoro have four different scooter models to date with a lot of different variants when it comes to accessories and colour schemes. The power and range differ from the lowest spec model at 3 kW and 85 km range to the highest spec model at 7,6 kW and 170 km range. There are a lot of available accessories, for example a lot of the scooters in Taiwan have customized scratch covers with different printing, such as Pacman. This is ideal for the ones wanting to create their own unique styling of their scooter. I believe this to be one of the key factors behind Gogoro’s success in Taiwan, their scooters stand out amongst the others by being more stylish and cool looking and the brand has a Tesla feeling over it, with well thought out design and a futuristic feel.

Depending on where in Taiwan you live and therefore what subsidies you get, you could buy a Gogoro Viva for under US $1,000 after the subsidies. The bigger Gogoro 3 had a price tag on US $2,555 when it was launched in 2019 and could be purchased for around half the price when accounting for the maximum subsidies. To get access to the Gogoro Network users pay a monthly fee, there are different pricing plans, but for example US $16.65 for 315 km per month and US $29.99 for unlimited range. Unfortunately for me foreigners cannot receive any of the subsidiaries, otherwise I would probably have bought one myself during my exchange year in Taiwan. Instead I must wait for an international expansion, which Gogoro are planning to start in 2020.

Markus 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 Management and Economics of Innovation.

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A GUIDE TO RECYCLING IN SINGAPORE Singapore is in many ways one of the most developed countries in the world and its economy have continuously grown for the last couple of decades. This has allowed their citizens to increase their quality of life and consequently consumption, similar to that of the western world. But with consumption comes waste and this needs to be managed.

In Sweden, environmental consciousness is prevalent in society and the infrastructure also makes it a lot easier for Swedes to be environmentally conscious. One example is the recycling of waste, with sorting bins in close proximity to another. So when I went to Singapore I took it for granted a modern society like this would have equivalent possibilities.

However, during my first week here I was faced with the issue of having a few aluminium cans that I wanted to throw away. With no obvious recycling for cans, I asked my landlord if the condominium had a room for recycling to which she responded: “no, just throw it in the bin”. After

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reluctantly throwing the cans away in the regular bin I started wondering if this was standard in Singapore and started taking notes of how the situation was in reality.

On the surface, there seems to be not nearly as many recycle bins in Singapore as in Sweden. In public, you can barely find more than a general waste bin spaced out a couple of 100 meters. At our university, NTU, the bins are almost equally scarce so it goes to question if Singaporeans even recycle. According to an article by CNA, approximately 60% of Singaporean households recycle regularly but not always correctly. This number isn’t perhaps too bad but compared to Sweden’s 99.5% it is a big difference.

One reason for the lower percentage of people recycling can be found by the National Environmental Agency (NEA). In 2001 a National Recycling Programme was initiated wherein recycle bins and waste collection programme was made available to those estates and properties opting in for it. Clearly, from my experience, the estate where I lived was not signed up for this programme and recycling was not even possible.

But looking further into this programme, what is even more surprising, these recycling bins have no sorting compartment. Instead, the NRP adopts a collection system in which paper, plastic, glass and metal recyclables are deposited into the same blue recycling bin for collection. The mixed recycling is then sent to Material Recovery Facilities where they are sorted and sent to individual recycling facilities.

Text:

Carl Christensen

This is obviously quite different than from Sweden but still proves my initial thought wrong, there is recycling in Singapore, it just is not as visible as in Sweden. Additionally, it requires less from Singaporeans when they can recycle without sorting. But this also seems to be an issue for 40% of Singaporeans since the big containers allow for all trash. In the article by CNA, it was recommended that beyond educating Singaporeans about what they can and cannot recycle, separating recycling bins into categories could also help.

With all this being said, Singapore has several initiatives to be more environmentally conscious and to improve recycling. Their Zero Waste Masterplan, which maps out key strategies to create a sustainable and climate-resilient, Singapore has taken a step in the right direction.

But perhaps as with any nation, the main difficulty lies in getting its citizens aboard. Something that might take a while in a country where plastic bags are still free at supermarkets and an average of 146 are used per person annually.

Carl is studying at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Economics and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Supply Chain Management.

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HONG KONG - more than a concrete jungle

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The bustling street markets of Kowloon. The lively nightlife of Central. The towering skyscrapers along Victoria Harbour. The name Hong Kong brings forth an image of a sprawling, cyberpunk urban landscape with neon signs hanging aloft, looming above busy pedestrian streets in an endless concrete jungle. Surprising as it may be, this description accounts at most for only a quarter of Hong Kong. In actuality most of Hong Kong is uninhabited.

Hong Kong is a city situated in the eastern part of the Pearl River Delta in southern China, bordering the Chinese city of Shenzhen to the north. It consists of the Kowloon Peninsula connected to mainland China and over 260 islands scattered about. Furthermore, Hong Kong is divided into three regions: Kowloon, encompassing the southern part of the Kowloon Peninsula; Hong Kong Island, the city’s second-largest island; and the New Territories that is by far the largest, constituting 86 per cent of Hong Kong’s land area.

Although spouting a population of over 7 million, only a quarter of Hong Kong is developed land.

Half the inhabitants live in areas concentrated around Victoria Harbour; Kowloon to the north and Hong Kong Island to the south. The rest of the population reside in the New Territories. It is on average less densely populated than the other two regions due to

Text:

Edvin Lam

its larger size, but the inhabitants of the New Territories reside in numerous satellite towns meaning that there are clusters of considerable population density.

The terrain in the undeveloped lands of Hong Kong is mostly hilly or mountainous; there are 50 peaks reaching a height over 500 metres. This is true not only for the mainland part of Hong Kong but the insular part as well. Some of the highest peaks are on Lantau Island, and the popular tourist destination Victoria Peak is on Hong Kong Island with an incredible view of Victoria Harbour.

Mountains aside, Hong Kong is also a host to a rather long shoreline due to its numerous inlets and islands. Much of it is rocky, but there are some white sand beaches too. In conjunction with the subtropical climate, secluded beaches and islands make for a quite convincing substitute for a tropical paradise.

The contrast can be jarring since the city is just a stone’s throw away.

Roughly half of the undeveloped land is part of Hong Kong’s twenty-four country parks, protecting the natural landscape while also providing scenic hiking trails and other opportunities for outdoor recreation. They range from the coastal Sai Kung East Country Park to the mountainous Tai Mo Shan Country Park and cover a wide variety of terrain. In the New Territories lies also Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark which is an area with unique rock formations and diverse geological features.

All in all, Hong Kong is unique in its closeness to nature while still being so developed and highly populated. You can enjoy the beautiful country parks in the morning and then be out clubbing by night. So maybe next time you hear someone mention Hong Kong you will also think of the pristine beaches of Sai Kung, the winding mountain trail to Lantau Peak and the impressive islands of the Ninepin Group.

Edvin is studying at the The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Physics.

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STRIKING A BALANCE Exchange in South-East Asia taught us different lessons, among them the importance of balancing economic growth and environmental sustainability. There are consequences in solely focusing on the former, an example of which being air pollution. Remote, sparsely populated areas in Northern Vietnam are perpetuated by smog due to industry, transportation, coal power plants and household solid fuel usage, and autumn blows into Singapore a haze so strong that outdoor activities are cancelled.

How can the two be balanced? A method could be the one which received the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics, awarded to Michael Kremer, Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo for their experimental approach in alleviating global poverty. Through randomized control trials, they have identified interventions resulting in quantitatively measurable improvements in areas such as education and health care. Their findings provide policy makers with direction when creating and implementing solutions that can effectively alleviate poverty, and could also identify the ones with the least environmental impact.

Upon further research, we learned that India especially faces the consequences of air pollution.

It is estimated that breathing Delhi’s air for a day has the same health consequences as smoking more than 25 cigarettes, and the Average Air

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Quality Index (measuring PM 2.5) is above 400 on a scale ranging from 0-500. Less metropolitan areas face these challenges as well, and some - like Punjab - contribute to an annual dip in air quality due to the common practice of field burning.

Punjab is a northern district in India with a natural environment well suited to agriculture, a large portion of which is dedicated to growing rice - in 2015 the region accounted for 11% of India’s total production.

There are two growing periods throughout the year, summer and winter. Rice grows during the former, and is widely farmed due to an existing policy - the government pays a guaranteed amount for it. Once the growing period is over the fields must be cleared, and due to the thin and often volatile profit margins of farming as well as regulations limiting the growing periods, the cheapest, quickest and thus most widely practiced method of doing so is to burn them.

This burning has severe long-term implications for all of society. Firstly, the smoke pollution extends as far as Dehli, 200 miles away, and is so extensive that it can be seen from space. Secondly, the soil quality is reduced due to a reduction of phosphorus, potassium and sulfur.

Laws have been enacted - field burning is illegal, but while burning remains the cheapest and quickest way for farmers to protect themselves financially these laws will continue to be broken.

So what can be done to reduce the amount of field burning? Is it better to reduce the amount of rice grown? Or continue subsidizing harvest machinery that speeds up the work?

An Experimental Approach The two barriers farmers face are time and money - specifically, not enough of either, so an effective solution must address these concerns.

Potential ones are: •

•

•

•

Developing and improving the design of Combine Harvesters that do not leave the stubble behind, which can be easily done by manufacturers through minor modifications.

Incentivise the farmers to not burn their fields by providing economic value for the crop residue, which may be converted into either cattle feed or fuel. Additionally, the government could consider setting up “Agriwaste Collection Centres” alongside the “Paddy Purchase Centres” for farmers to sell agri-waste at reasonable prices Encourage and incentivise the farmers to go for early paddy, so as to give them enough time to harvest and thereafter prepare their fields for the next Rabi crop.

Encourage and educate the farmers to go for alternate fruit and vegetable crops, instead of paddy, that not only consume less water but also give better economic returns. It makes no sense to promote crops like Paddy (that consume a lot of water), in water scarce areas.

Text :

Niklas Forsström

Conclusion In speculating about potential solutions, it is important to acknowledge that they must take behavioural and social factors into consideration as well. Many of these farmers come from families with generations of experience - they naturally prefer continuing to do as they have always done, they are set in their ways. Realizing and understanding this helps identify the best implementations to test - stricter regulations, for example, are much less likely to be effective.

A balance can and should be found, because every decision and every prioritization results in a trade-off. And the trade-off of focusing solely on economic growth, as previous generations have, means that the responsibility of paying the massive costs of climate change will be shouldered by us. Our parents and their parents leveraged our future for their benefit, and this is a loan with a potentially unpayable amount of interest - we cannot continue doing things as they have.

Niklas is studying at the National University of Singapore. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Engineering Mathematics and Computational Science.

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SINGAPORE’S ROAD TO WATER SELF-SUFFICIENCY In Singapore today nearly half of all the water is imported from its only land neighbour, Malaysia. But Singapore looks to become completely self-sufficient before 2061, when a 100-year long import agreement with Malaysia ends. How could a city-state with a population of almost 6 million and an area smaller than Gothenburg municipality meet the water demands of its entire population and industry?

With the small size of the country comes two main challenges, storage and production. To solve the problem of storage, every major lake in Singapore was turned into reservoirs with new artificial ones being constructed as well. Furthermore, dams were built at the mouths of almost every bay, sealing the bays off from the ocean and turning

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them into reservoirs. Even Marina bay, which the perhaps most famous area in downtown Singapore is named after, was turned into a reservoir, facilitating alone more than 10% of Singapore’s water supply.

To meet the demands of production Singapore plans to improve all three locally produced water sources of today: desalination, water treatment, and rainwater collection. The two main sources, desalination and water treatment, are expected to stand for 40% of the supply each. Desalination, the process of turning seawater to drinkable water, is an expensive process used in many countries and regions with low access to fresh water. Water treatment, simply cleaning already used water, can be expected to be

done in every country in the world.

But the heavy rainfalls in Singapore of 2400mm yearly, three times as much as Gothenburg, creates a unique source which the Singaporean government have gone to great lengths to utilize to maximum capacity.

To ensure that as much of the rainfall as possible reaches the reservoirs, water tanks, and treatment plants a complex and vast network of drains, sewers, canals, and rivers were created. The network today connects the reservoirs with two-thirds of Singapore’s entire land area with future plans to increase the share of the land area covered by the network to 90%. To achieve this every part of the country has been incorporated in the network, whether it be the airports, the roofs of skyscrapers

Text & photo:

Peter Gärdenäs

or national landmarks such as the giant metal trees at Gardens by the bay. While most of the water is sent to reservoirs or treatment plants some are stored locally where it might later be used for flushing the toilet or watering the plants. But the Singaporean government’s effort to collect rainwater does not stop there, it further requires companies to seek licenses to collect rainwater and imposes taxes on the water collected. An improvement from earlier laws straight up forbidding individuals to collect any rainwater on their own.

In the end, the key for Singapore to achieve sustainable self-sufficiency of water seems to be to utilize both its unique weather conditions and every single inch of its lands and waters.

Peter is studying at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Software Engineering is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Algorithms Languages and Logic.

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FORGOTTEN HOMES IN A MODERN CITY What happens when large parts of the cities are demolished and new residential or commercial buildings are built at the place where someone has lived their whole life? The city of Shanghai is changing fast to an urban and modern city.

Not only expanding in new dimensions, but

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existing places are also demolished and rebuilt by new modern ideals. Many citizens have lived their entire lives in a home whose location is now considered more appropriate for urban development and densification. Is the identity of these homes forgotten in the modern city?

One significant character for Shanghai is the historical lane house, or lilong houses, that was built under both Chinese and Western influences during the early 20th century. It is a three-story residential building connected to a straight and narrow street, which can be found in all different parts of the city. This kind of townhouse has been the home for many Shanghainese citizens during many decades, forming a shared identity and attachment to the city.

habits are seldom seen in new neighbourhoods with modern towers. The shared community is replaced by private rooms in a gated community, where the lively street life is absent. This tells the story that architecture can sometimes break down a sense of identity. Considerations should therefore be taken on what social impacts the redevelopments have, what kind of new habits you apply to the households, and what you may take away.

As the population grows and the standard deteriorates in the old neighbourhoods, it has been natural to replace these houses with big and modern high-rise buildings. The new neighbourhoods consist of both residential blocks and commerce, and it is not unusual that the redevelopment is profit-driven. In other words, the focus is not always on protecting and preserving old and historical structures. When urban fabric changes, parts of the city’s identity may get lost. But more notably, the urban regeneration often leads to relocation of original tenants and communities. An occupant that can’t afford to stay gets displaced to other parts of the city. When the living standard rises in these areas, the prices will rise too. The original households and companies get replaced by higher income groups. This process is what we call gentrification, and this is common in cities all over the world.

With that said, life in a traditional lane house is something that should not be glorified in all cases. The streets are lively and the people have a rich social life with many interactions, but if you go to the bottom of it, these habits also derive from cramped housing accommodation. The condition of the apartments are often poor and many families live in a small area. The standard is deteriorating in most of the old districts, and some kind of redevelopment needs to be done.

But what should be considered is to put more efforts to improve the living environment for the original households and companies. Not by relocating to a completely new environment far away, even if that seems to be the easiest way. In this way, we can improve the living environment in the city with equity and inclusion.

Furthermore, this development surely also has an impact on people’s identity. The process may tear up old habits, culture and social relations among original households. When looking at an old neighbourhood in Shanghai, it is very clear that a lot of the everyday life is lived on the streets.

There are people meeting each other, eating, playing games or doing daily chores. The identity of the people is in one way in close connection to one’s home, neighbours and surrounding. These

Text & photos:

Linnea Ringqvist

In the end, even if the lane house is something very characteristic about the old Shanghai, there are other aspects that can be considered as unique today. The interesting mix of the historical old and the modern new is what makes Shanghai so exceptional. The small and big scale buildings, which are doing their best to function side by side. The mix of people, culture and commerce intertwined together. This kind of diversity is desirable in the development of a modern city, but only if you also find a model to improve the equity in home value.

Linnea is studying at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University in Shanghai, China. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Architecture and Urban Planning.

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food

&

leisure

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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A WEEK EATING NOTHING BUT 7-ELEVEN The very essence of life in Taiwan is in a way convenience, and nothing captures that better than the abundance of convenience stores scattered on every corner of the country’s streets, in particular the Japanese-American store franchise 7-Eleven. However, unlike 7-Elevens back home in Sweden where you can mostly buy expensive snacks, coffee and sandwiches, 7-Eleven in Taiwan is rather cheap, and they offer everything from baozi, baked sweet potatoes, weird tea eggs to a wide selection of fresh microwaveable meals, coffee, alcoholic beverages, snacks and everyday necessities. Since it is socially acceptable to eat at 7-Eleven here, I decided it would be an interesting challenge to try and eat and drink (except for water) exclusively from this chain during a week to see how enjoyable and convenient the experience proved to be.

Monday morning. I wake up rather excited with the prospect of this challenge, and instead of making oats in the kitchen, which is my usual breakfast, I take the elevator down 21 levels and start walking to the nearest ‘seven, which is approximately one block from my flat.

Finding 7-Elevens was actually the easiest part of this challenge, since there are more than 5000 locations all over Taiwan, meaning that you can find them just about anywhere, from the busiest shopping areas to remote mountain towns.

The selection of meals at ‘seven has also been quite good. I have been able to choose different dishes everyday, including everything from

Text:

Alfred Lindén

western pastas to eastern noodle dishes, often to my liking. However, the rice porridge which I tried one morning in belief that it might have been a suitable replacement for my oats, proved to be terrible mistake. In terms of snacks, 7-eleven offers anything from crisps and snickers to fruits and a wide selection of drinks as well as fried chicken and sometimes pastries. Since I have been scouting for healthy options, I have mainly bought sweet potatoes, bananas and protein enriched soymilk to consume post workouts.

One thing that has become apparent and slightly worrying with eating exclusively from ‘seven is the staggering amount of plastics that are used to package everything neatly, together with the fact that heating plastics in a microwave is normal practice. I read a study from Harvard Health which suggest that heating single use plastics risk putting phthalates and Bisnol A in the food, two substances which in high enough concentration are toxic to the human body. So probably one should consider this when eating there.

I completed the week relatively easily. By far the most challenging aspect was to have to walk to 7-Eleven every morning, rather than having the convenience of eating breakfast in your own home. Another aspect was the fact that I did not bring my wallet, which usually is a problem in Taiwan since cash is necessary in almost all shops.

Fortunately, ‘seven has mobile payments, to buy beef noodles. Arguable the best dish they serve in my opinion.

Alfred is studying at the National Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu, Taiwan. 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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A RUNNER’S SEOUL I finish tying my shoes, stand up, start my tracker-watch and begin running. The warmth of the sunlight greets me as I turn onto the main road towards Seoul National University (SNU) campus from the student dormitory. The sun promises that this will be a proper Spring day, one of the first since I arrived here in South Korea one and a half weeks ago. I reach the campus gate and join the main road in its climb upwards, towards the far side of the campus. Up ahead I can see my target, the peak of Gwanak Mountain, serving as the backdrop against which the bustling academic life of SNU plays out. The campus is set on the slopes of the mountain and is home to more than 30 000 students and members of faculty. I have to traverse about three kilometres of monolithic research buildings, colleges and lecture halls before I reach the entrance to the Gwanak natural reserve.

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This first part of the climb isn’t too taxing, I pass the department for Environmental Engineering and enter the natural reserve. The tarmac is replaced with stone and dirt, and the slope quickly steepens. I try my best to keep up the pace, but after around half a kilometre on this terrain, I have to yield to the mountain and settle for a brisk hiking pace. My spirits are kept high by my surroundings. The path is interwoven with a stream trickling happily, flanked on both sides by a thicket of pine trees and low bushes. It is curious that this foreign forest halfway across the world reminds me somewhat of the Swedish forests that I’m accustomed to, although it is a bit less damp here than ever-raining Gothenburg.

Seoul experiences a tempered climate with four distinct seasons, of which winter is the longest with a mean temperature of -5 C. Spring and autumn are quite pleasant, and summer is very hot, humid and rainy, experiencing almost twothirds of the yearly precipitation.

The rising sun soon approaches it’s zenith, bathing the hillside in its golden glow. Encouraged, it doesn’t take long until I reach the summit. And gaze upon the magnificent view surrounding me.

Straight ahead the glistening skyscrapers of the megacity Seoul reach as far as the eye can see and is home to almost 10 million people. Today is a good day; there isn’t too much smog or pollution, so you can see all the way across the Han river to the bustling shopping district of Myeong-Dong and the tourist-dense Itaewon. In the foreground to my left the SNU Gwanak campus can be seen, the modernism of its steel and concrete buildings contrasting the green forest of the mountain slopes.

Text & photos:

Eric Lindgren

To my right on the other side of the mountain lies the sprawling neighbouring cities of Anyang and Seongnam, both with populations of well over half a million people. Almost as dramatic as the view is the sight of a small summit Buddhist hermitage, placed high above the mountainside atop natural stone pillars resembling bamboo shoots. The hermitage was originally built by a Buddhist monk in 677 A.D and is part of South Korea’s complex religious heritage, in which folk religion, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity and secularism have all played a role in shaping the country.

What begun as a run ended up like a hike. But after having marvelled at the vertigo-laden view of Seoul, it’s neighboring cities and the summit hermitage, I feel reinvigorated and set of down the mountain. My pace quickens, treading lightly on stones and I race along the dirt tracks. Who would have known that it would be so much easier to run downhill? Before I know it I’m down at the entrance to the natural reserve. It feels good to feel flat (or at least flatter) tarmac under my feet, and I fly down the hills past the lecture halls of the College of Engineering. Panting, I end up at the entrance to the student dormitory, from which I began my run a little over one and a half hours earlier. I feel taken in by the whole experience, from start to finish, and I know that this is just one of the many amazing experiences I will have during my exchange studies here in Seoul.

Erik is studying at Seoul National University in South Korea. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Physics and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Physics.

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One of the first things you notice when you come to Taiwan is the sheer amount of tea shops present. Whatever street you walk, in whatever city you are, you will always find a shop (except when you are looking for one, of course). My first thought was that all these shops cannot make enough money to be a profitable business, but somehow, they are. Do the locals really love tea that much? The short answer is yes, but let’s make a deep dive into the tea culture to know why.

TEA CULTURE IN TAIWAN

The first record of tea plants in Taiwan is back in 1717, where they were found in the central mountainous region of the island. From that point, the plant started to get cultivated, and eventually traded within Taiwan. For the next century, more tea plants were brought into Taiwan for cultivation and in the middle of the 19th century, the tea was traded globally. This has continued until today and in 2018 Taiwan accounted for 1,4% of the world´s total tea export.

Taiwan is after sought to cultivate tea plants in because of its special climate.

The island has a hot and humid climate all year round as well as being mountainous, making it perfect for growing tea plants. Growing the tea plants at high altitude is what gives the leaves its special properties, especially giving the leaves a more prominent taste. This happens at high altitude because of the low oxygen levels, making the flavour stronger in the leaves. Some famous Taiwanese high altitudes are the Alishan “The Dongding Oolong gets Oolong Tea and Dayuling Oolong. Another specific taste from continuous famous oolong tea from Taiwan is the over the tea plants” Dongding Oolong that gets its specific taste from continuous fog over the tea plants.

Oolong teas are one of the teas grown in Taiwan (and probably the most famous one) but there is also green tea and black tea. The most popular Taiwanese black tea is the Black Jade Taiwan Tea. This tea is grown together with the insect Leafhopper making the sweeter. The Leafhopper bites the tea leaves and lay an egg on them, making the plant to produce chemicals as a defence mechanism. These chemicals are meant to attract spiders to deal with the insects, but also make the tea leaves naturally sweeter.

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its fog

Not all teas are fancy and expensive, in fact, one of the biggest tea trends in the world, Bubble Tea comes from Taiwan. It was invented in the 1980s and has become so popular that today you can buy in most of the world.

The name Bubble Tea comes from the special ingredient you add to the tea, called pearls or boba. These are black balls made from tapioca, which is the starch extracted from the cassava root. The pearls are generally five- to ten millimetres and tasteless, making them a perfect addition to sweet tea. Black and green milk tea are the most common variants of Bubble Tea

Text & photos:

Jakob Karlsson

Jakob is studying at the National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Materials Chemistry.

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FOOD IN JAPAN, NOT WHAT I EXPECTED Since the very first time I heard about exchange studies at Chalmers, I knew I wanted to go to Japan. I have been asked the question “Why Japan?” so many times by now, but I haven’t had a really good answer - and I still don’t. I suppose my fascination with their unique culture, nature and language has developed gradually over the years of watching movies and hearing stories.

Being a great fan of sushi, I also imagined that I would become a complete pescatarian and eat sushi every day for my whole exchange year.

With this confidence in my choice, I awaited my departure, learning hiragana and katakana (the two phonetic alphabets of Japanese) but without doing much research into what my year would actually entail.

After a few weeks, I had acclimatized somewhat and started to figure out how the Japanese got their nutrition. One of the first things I had realized was that sushi in Japan was quite different from the ones in Sweden, and not even close to the dominant dish I had imagined. Sushi was more of a luxury and not something that everyone could make. I have two examples of this. Through my university, I was invited into the home of a Japanese family, where we were treated to home-made maki (the sushi rolls with seaweed around them) and got to roll one for ourselves. I

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then asked if they also make nigiri (the traditional sushi piece, a slice of fish or other on top of a rice cushion) at home. They almost laughed while shaking their heads, “to make nigiri you need many years of training”, they said. The second example comes from Christmas Day last year, when I enjoyed one of the best meals of my life: a 20-piece sushi menu at Udatsu Sushi in Tokyo.

After the meal, I talked to the sushi-master and learned that he trained for 16 years before he opened his restaurant. This is the way of the Japanese. They master their craft to perfection, which in this case results in some extraordinary, but very expensive, sushi.

The unexpected big player in the Japanese culinary field for me was ramen, the seemingly simple noodle soup. The most common bases for the delicious, salty and rich soup are soy sauce, salt, miso (a paste made from fermented soybeans) or pork bones. Toppings include bean sprouts, slowly cooked pork and creamy boiled egg. I found this to be the best combination of delicious and affordable Japanese food, especially during the colder winter months. The number of times I have eaten ramen compared to sushi here in Japan is probably ten to one or more! Different regions in Japan have their own specialities, and you often find the best ramen in a narrow alley

somewhere. But don’t get me wrong, it’ll probably still have a long line of Japanese outside waiting for their favourite soup!

Besides ramen and sushi, there are so many more delicious dishes that make the Japanese cuisine so diverse and interesting. There are endless variants of donburi (bowl of rice with choice of topping), a pork version being my goto in the school cafeteria. Another popular dish is nabe, where meat and vegetables are thrown into a pot of delicious broth (sukiyaki being my favourite), that’s then put in the middle of the table to boil. This is a very social way of eating, where food is shared among the party. Foodsharing is quite common in Japan, especially in izakayas (Japanese-style bars), where dishes such as chicken skewers, edamame (boiled soybeans), fried chicken and french fries are eaten in a tapasstyle way while enjoying some Japanese beer,

Text & photos on this page:

Sebastian Rye

sake or very popular highball (Japanese whisky and soda water). This is a very popular concept among younger people (yes, myself included), as they meet up to enjoy some socializing. It is also common among businesspeople, to blow off steam with the boss after a long day’s work. If you want to see a Japanese out of their usual quiet, ultra-polite and somewhat withdrawn daily self, go to an izakaya Friday night, and you’ll see a different, louder and more outgoing version.

Japan also serves some fascinating street foods and snacks. How about an octopus cracker or a rice ball with bean paste inside? Some squid balls or a deep-fried bread bun with curry stew inside?

There are so many culinary aspects to explore, all of which are completely new to me. Suffice to say, I am glad I still have one semester left here in yummy Japan.

Sebastian is studying at the University of Tokyo in Japan. 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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GANGNAM MORE THAN JUST A ONE-HIT-WONDER The year was 2012 (yes, it’s been a while) and everyone from children to parents, Korean to Swedish, was dancing and singing to Psy’s super hit - “Gangnam Style”. It is old news that Gangnam really is a city part of Seoul, but few know about the uniqueness of this area and how highly appreciated it is among the locals who enjoy spending the day in “Beverly Hills” of Seoul.

Gangnam is located south of the Han-river and literally translates to “south of the river”. As the home to more than half a million residents, Gangnam qualifies as one of the largest and most populated areas of the Seoul region. It is hard to say whether this is the reason behind the areas high real-estate prices, the highest in whole Seoul, or if that is just because the attracted demographics that likes to be close to Seoul’s best high-end shopping opportunities and trendiest night-life.

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If you translate Psy’s one-hit wonder, you’ll notice it won’t provide much more information about the area besides - a perhaps biased perspective - that being like Gangnam is like being the best.

Walking down the streets of Gangnam you will see the nation’s most exclusive brands, and if you know your K-pop celebrities, even recognize one as they are finding unique high-end pieces to add to their on-stage outfit. If you want to make sure to spot a true celebrity, head to the studios in the area where the country’s largest entertainment companies record their shows.

Once you have shopped til’ you drop, or decided to skip it due to financial restrictions, there is much more to see in the area. Typical for whole Seoul is the great amount of green spaces found around the city and the great contrasts of fancy, glasscovered, skyscrapers placed next to historical traditional temples. Bongeunsa is one example of such, the Buddhist temple rises in the middle

of the busy district creating a zone of peace and silence. Here you can reside for a pause, if you need a longer one you can even book a temple stay and try out the real life of being a monk.

Kimchi Museum. Who doesn’t want to get their mind blown by the history and great variation of kimchi, or perhaps watch the lactic acid bacteria live?

Gangnam is easy to describe as high-end and posh, but if the temple didn’t prove that there is diversity, take a visit to the Olympic Park that is conveniently located in the area. Built for the Olympic Games in 1988, the park is still an impressive arena where you can even get more culture by visiting a K-pop museum, or break some sweat yourself and visit one of the fitness centres. On that note, it is worth mentioning another museum located in the area. The

For the tech-nerds, there is something for you as well. As one perhaps didn’t know, the national pride is the electronics company Samsung which has a showroom in Gangnam. At Samsung D’light you can see the latest technology provided.

If you are still not convinced Gangnam is a truly diverse area, head to the top floor of Lotte Tower, the highest building in Seoul (and actually whole Korea) and see if the 500m above sea level might provide a better perspective.

Text & photos:

Julia is studying at the Seoul National University in South Korea. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Quality and Operations Management.

Julia Burman

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TAIWANESE NIGHT MARKETS What would a trip to Taiwan be without a visit to a night market? According to most people (especially me), you would probably miss one of the best things that Taiwan has to offer!

Taiwanese night markets date back to 1899 and play an important role in the Taiwanese culture.

You can find these markets in almost every city you go to in Taiwan, they are either located on the sidewalks or occupy entire streets that in daylight carries traffic.

Night markets have their roots in the Chinese Tang Dynasty, and in Taiwan most markets started with a small gathering of groups of people that wanted to sell their local food. They used to gather beside temple plazas or in street corners.

Besides the food, you could in some markets also find retailers that sold handcrafts or medicine.

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Nowadays the markets typically offer foods, clothes, games, and drinks. But they are most known for their foods, especially for xiaochi which translates to ‘’small eats’’. These are small dishes offered to a low price mostly around $1-$3USD and you usually get the dishes from the stands ‘’to go’’. Some of the more traditional xiaochi are stinky tofu, chicken feet, and oyster omelettes.

Stinky tofu is one of the dishes you will notice that many Taiwanese citizens want you to try. It is a form of tofu that is fermented and has a really strong odour. I have never tried it myself, but I have noticed the smell in many nights markets, but I want to try it before I go back to Sweden.

Most people say that it tastes really good if you just give it a try and can handle the strong smell!

There are many different night markets in Taiwan, so wherever you go you will probably find at least one. Most of them are located in big cities such as the capital Taipei, Taichung,

or Kaohsiung. Shillin Night Market is one of the most popular ones in Taiwan, located in the centre of Taipei. At this market, you can find various dishes but they are probably most famous for their deep-fried chicken or spring onion pancakes. Personally, my favourite night market is the Ruifeng Night Market, located in the southern part of Taiwan more precisely in the city of Kaohsiung. What I really liked about the market was the variety of food and drinks you could get, but also the atmosphere. From each stall people are shouting out what they are selling in order to get people to buy from them, the stalls are decorated with neon light and upbeat music is playing from a multitude of them.

My personal favourite among the variety of foods the markets have to offer is likely the roasted duck wraps which I found at the Ruifeng Night Market. The mix with vegetables, bread, and the duck is a combination that works well together. I also love desserts, so I have to say that the wheel cakes are one thing I would recommend everyone to try when they travel to Taiwan. The cakes are composed of two halves of cooked dough and a sweet filling in between and they are very tasty, a perfect ending to a night market visit.

Text & photos:

Sofia 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 Management and Economics of Innovation.

Sofia Ă…slund

I hope all these tips will make you want to try the night markets in Taiwan, because like I said in the beginning, a trip to Taiwan is not complete until you have tried all the delicious foods!

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THREE HIKES IN SINGAPORE Singapore is a dazzling urban jungle that stuns visitors with a glittering skyline, extravagant shopping, rooftop bars and a vibrant food scene.

Looking at a map of the city-state it is obvious that human settlement covers large parts of the island. Given these impressions of Singapore it could come as a surprise that the islands also offer some very nice hiking opportunities and nature experiences.As a small state with limited land area and a high development and exploitation pressure, Singapore’s government has invested significant resources and efforts into preserving and enhancing the country’s green spaces. With the spread of the coronavirus in the spring 2020 and its negative effect on air travel it also gave me incentives to explore more unknown sides of Singapore. This article will present three hikes in Singapore, but this is just a sample and there are many more places to explore, for a good overview access the National Parks Board’s website.

The Southern Ridges This is a connected strip of parks and green areas that runs along the southern end of Singapore, just north of where the island Sentosa connects to the Singapore island. The area is hilly and covered by tropical rainforest, as the name implies you will be walking partly on the top of the ridges that constitute the area. As the terrain rises above the surroundings you can enjoy extensive views of downtown, the waterfront and Sentosa. At the east end of the hike at Mount Faber, which is also the highest point, you will find a restaurant and a cable car station that connects to Harbourfront and then over the water to Sentosa. Nearby is also a big Bell of Happiness that you can ring and hope you will be blessed with good fortune, harmony and happiness.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve In the centre of the Singapore island the Bukit Timah hill is situated. This is the highest natural point of Singapore, though with a quite modest

Text & photos:

Theodor Eliasson

height of 163 meters. The top does not offer any extensive views either, as the area is covered with rainforest all around. Though there is a good reason why the forest has not been thinned out around the peak to better the views, the forest on the hill constitutes one of the few areas of primary rainforest in Singapore. The biodiversity is very high and you will experience the very tall growing trees that are typical for Southeast Asia’s rainforests. There are several good detours in the nature reserve as well, pictured below is the Hindhede Quarry where old extraction operations have carved out impressive rock formations. The basin in front of the rock side is filled with very clear water where turtles and fish can be seen swimming around. In the trees surrounding the lake it is also likely that you will spot monkeys.

The Treetop Walk The last hike is situated in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, this is the largest continuous green space in Singapore and the lakes in the area also serves as a large freshwater reservoir for the country. There are many routes in the area but one section that is a highlight for the different hikes is the Treetop Walk. This is a 250-meterlong canopy walk, suspended 25 meters above the forest floor at the highest point. The walking bridge gives visitors a view over the canopy of the rainforest and a vast surrounding area with the water reservoir visible in the distance.

Some general advice for visitors in Singapore who want to explore nature areas is to preferably go out early in the morning and bring generous amounts of water. The weather is very hot and humid, but an early start can help to make it more comfortable. I hope this small guide can inspire visitors to experience some other parts of the island than the concrete jungle that Singapore is mostly associated with.

Theodor 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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POSTCARDS FROM ASIA

Bike hike at Pulau Ubin in Singapore, photo by Zaid Saeed.

CITO office having a picnic at campus, photo by My Starbrink

Mountain hike in Taiwan, photo by Markus Bostrรถm

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Amanda Pernald snapped this picture of the cherry blossoms at the campus of Pohang University of Science and Technology.

A street in Shanghai, photo by Agnes Ståhl

Walking up Taiwan’s highest mountain, photo by Markus Boström

Bike trip along the coast of Hsinchu, Taiwan, photo by 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 2:nd of December 2019. Attach a motivational cover letter in Swedish with your application. If you are student of Architecture or Architecture and Technology you also need to submit an additional portfolio. Choose two universities but do not forget to find courses that match you master programme and check these with the coordinator of your master programme.

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

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

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

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

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

Chalmers International Taiwan Office is the result of a bilateral exchange between Chalmers University of Technology and National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan. The office is operated by Chalmers students and acts as a hub between Chalmers and East Asia.

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.