April 18-24, 2014
HONG KONG FILM INDUSTRY
LOOKING FOR A HERO
Contents April 18-24, 2014
❖ Entertainment
❖ Weekly Briefing
❖ Politics
Searching for the next Jackie Chan
Pacquiao, Songkran, depressed panda
Getting democracy to work for India
COVER IMAGE : AFP
Contents April 18-24, 2014
❖ Life Broken love, shattered image
❖ Entertainment Indie spring
❖ Entertainment
❖ Entertainment
Horror served Thai-style
The road less travelled
Contents April 18-24, 2014
❖ Lifestyle
❖ Travel
Datebook
Summer tips, health and face savers
Magic of Mercedes’ 7-island paradise
Happenings around Asia
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WEEKLY BRIEFING
April 18-24, 2014
LAS VEGAS: Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao is back to sow fear in the ring—and one of his chief targets is Floyd Mayweather, the undefeated American. “My line is open 24 hours, seven days a week,” the Filipino world welterweight champion said after demolishing the previously unbeaten Timothy Bradley. “All they (Mayweather camp) need to do is call.” Pacquiao’s victory over Bradley raised his record to 56-5-2, with 38 knockouts, and assured him of US$20 million. Pacquiao had a cut over his eye that required 32 stitches to
AFP
Pacquiao is ready for Mayweather
close in a double-layer procedure done by a plastic surgeon. He said he would fight anybody put up against him by Bob Arum, his promoter.
Arum also wants a Mayweather fight for Pacquiao but the flamboyant American had never touched base with him.—Roy Luarca/Philippine Daily Inquirer
April 18-24, 2014
Songkran 2014 It was not all fun and wet for revellers in Thailand’s biggest festival, Songkran held from April 13-15, as death toll hit 204, mostly from road accidents. The country’s Road Safety Centre said the first four days of Songkran had seen 2,027 road accidents with at least 2,142 people injured. The number of accidents and injuries rose by 130 and 122, respectively, from last year, while the number of deaths fell by 15.
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Cheering up a depressed panda KUNMING: The the Yunnan Wildlife Park in Kunming put up a TV and a swing to cheer up eightyear-old giant panda Sijia who has been “depressed” since her pal returned to her hometown last month. Sijia’s depression started after her friend Meiqian returned to Ya'an, Sichuan province, on March 31. In the first several days after Meiqian's departure, Sijia ignored the keepers and was not interested in her food. In May 2008, the pandas were displaced from their homes in Sichuan after a magnitude-8 earthquake struck the province, affecting the animals' habitats and threatening their safety. Three pandas—Sijia, Meiqian and Qianqian—were then brought to the Kunming wildlife park's panda house, which is located in a mountain valley and features a 400-sq-m playground.
In 2012, when the pandas were scheduled to return to Sichuan, Kunming residents petitioned to let the animals stay. But still Qianqian left for home that year, followed by Meiqian in March, leaving Sijia alone, said Bai Tuo, a senior keeper at the park. After finding she was in low spirits, workers at the park installed a swing for her. A television set was
later set up to broadcast videos of the three pandas being raised at the park. The keepers hope the images of her old friends will help to comfort Sijia. The keepers also placed a fake panda, which is the same size as Meiqian, in Sijia's enclosure in attempt to ease the panda's loneliness.—Hu Yongqi and Li Yingqing/ China Daily
April 18-24, 2014
WEEKLY BRIEFING
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WEEKLY BRIEFING
POLITICS
April 18-24, 2014
Getting democracy to work for India The Straits Times Singapore
T
o the extent that democracy is a festival of popular representation, there is much to celebrate in India's experience of it. The fact that a country of 1.21 billion can go to the polls, with full confidence that the will of the people will be respected by the losers, is a measure of its democratic maturity. Peaceful transitions of power that are possible in spite of tremendous diversities of class, caste,
creed, language and region, attest to a fundamental stability that characterises the Indian political psyche. India can depend on the strength of such fundamentals as it kicks off the hustings for its general election next week. Opinion polls point to a change in the air, perhaps an overwhelming one, as an electorate tired of corruption, political gridlock and economic indecisiveness looks for a fresh set of leaders. A Pew Research Centre survey, for example, has found that Indians favour the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the ruling Indian National Congress by a ratio of more than three to one.
All eyes are on BJP leader Narendra Modi, the enigmatic leader who has helped transform his home state of Gujarat into an economic success. Many young Indians believe that the BJP will do a better job of fighting corruption, creating jobs, curbing inflation and reducing terrorism. Tapping into the public mood, Modi wants a mandate strong enough to bring about the far-reaching changes which the electorate seeks. However, the incumbents are not without substantial blocs of support. The Congress also enjoys the iconic allure of the Nehru-Gandhi family, which has given the country three prime ministers.
April 18-24, 2014
SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP
A voter awareness billboard in New Delhi.
POLITICS
April 18-24, 2014
POLITICS
Manjunath Kiran/AFP
Chief minister of the western Indian state of Gujarat and Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi addresses supporters during a rally held in the outskirts of Bangalore.
POLITICS
April 18-24, 2014
Whoever wins the election, change will not be easy. The labyrinthine Indian bureaucracy, a universe unto itself, has survived many a political change. It would take an extremely motivated leader to transform it from a giant mechanism of apa-
thy, inherited from the British Raj, into a responsive and enabling agent for business in particular and the people at large. India's infrastructure needs to be overhauled if its economic prospects are to match the expectations of its talented and RAVEENDRAN/AFP
India's Aam Admi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal (C) campaigns with AAP candidate for Northwest Delhi constituency Rakhi Birla (L) during a road show in New Delhi.
Every five years, Indians have the opportunity to redefine their country's role in the world. This election will give them a chance of focusing on its strengths. Foreign policy begins at home. resourceful people. The old mindset of treating wealth as a function of wrongdoing is gone, but now the challenge is to ensure that prosperity trickles down to citizens without the education and employment to have access to it. It is on the basis of these changes that India would take its place at the international table. Solid relations with the United States, China and Southeast Asian countries, among others, will be crucial. ÂŹ
April 18-24, 2014
LIFE
BROKEN LOVE, SHATTERED IMAGE Love is not blind for actor Wen Zhang whose infidelity reflects the rising trend of divorce in China
Wen Zhang and Yao Di
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Yang Wanli, He Na and Zhang Lei China Daily Beijing
C
hina's rapid economic development has been accompanied by an increasingly open attitude toward sexual matters, leading to greater public indifference about extramarital affairs among celebrities. However, the power to shock remains. A recent case in point is that of Wen Zhang, a well-known actor who has admitted having an affair with an actress. On March 30, the 30-year-old posted a message of apology to his wife on Sina Weibo, confirming rumours that had been circulating on the Internet for several days.
Wen Zhang with wife Ma Yili
Within 24 hours, Wen's message had received 1 million comments and had been reposted a million times. Most of the comments expressed anger toward a man who had previously been regarded as a model husband. The public perception of Wen as a happily married man had been built through his habit of posting photos of him kissing his wife, actress Ma Yili, or expressing his devotion on TV chat shows. As a heavily pregnant Ma accepted a best actress award at the Changchun Film Festival in 2008, she received an affectionate text message from Wen. Moved to tears, Ma could only utter the words, "Thank you, my love".
LIFE
April 18-24, 2014
"It's hard to believe that a man who loved his wife so deeply could break his pledge and cheat all those people who trusted him so much," wrote one micro-blogger called "Baby Cat". "All this news about divorce or sex scandals involving public figures means it's barely possible to believe in love anymore," she wrote. According to Zhou Xiaozheng, a sociology professor at Renmin University of China, the growing public acceptance of sex scandals and extramarital affairs involving public figures should not be misinterpreted as indifference to traditional values. "This does not mean people have changed their negative perception of the nature of affairs. People are aware that the media has created many false 'virtuous gods' and therefore they are no longer shocked by news of this kind," Zhou said. He added that pop stars, actors, and even government officials are now public figures: "When their lives are played out in full view of
the public, they need to be transparent or problems will arise. In particular, Wen has always portrayed himself as a good husband and father. Naturally, this image has formed a sort of public credibility and when that's damaged, the public figure has to pay the price."
SOARING DIVORCE RATE
Even though public opinion appears to have come down firmly in favour of Ma—a 38-yearold who gave birth to her second daughter in February—the divorce rate is rising rapidly. Statistics from Beijing Maple Women's Psychological Consulting Centre show that the number of consultations involving divorced couples or those on the verge of divorce doubled from 1992 to 2013, with nearly 50 per cent of the cases related to unfaithful husbands. The centre's research found that men between the ages of 31 and 50
are the most likely to have extramarital affairs. "Men of that age are relatively wealthy, and their mature personalities are attractive. After many years of marriage, they are also likely to have grown tired of the relationship," said Na Lixin, the director of the centre. Nearly 10,000 marriages end in China every day and statistics from the Ministry of Civil Affairs reveal a rapid rise in the divorce rate during the past decade. In 2012, 3.1 million couples got divorced, a rise of 133 per cent from 2003. Wang Xiuquan, a senior marriage lawyer at Beijing Chang'an Law Firm, said there is no available nationwide data detailing the number of extramarital affairs that prompted divorces, "but in the cases handled by my firm, extramarital affairs are definitely the most-cited cause, and account for more than 70 per cent of all divorces." The rising social status of women, who now have improved edu-
LIFE
April 18-24, 2014
cational backgrounds and greater economic independence, has seen a sharp rise in the number of them having extramarital affairs. Contrary to speculation that extramarital affairs invariably involve abandoned wives and "gold-digging" young women, sex is only one of the driving forces, according to Wang. "When pursuing a partner, people often try to show their merits and may even pretend to be more caring than they really are, but usually their shortcomings are exposed after they get married. Trivial complaints, quarrels, a lack of attention and care on both sides, and the sometimes fraught relationship between mothers- and daughtersin-law are among the fundamental causes of failed marriages," he said. Wang cited one instance where a man fell out of love with his wife of many years. The man had an affair with his secretary, which humiliated his wife, who worked for the same company. She proposed
divorce and made a claim for the couple's property as compensation. However, when the husband fought the claim, and began investigating his wife's behaviour, he discovered that she also had affairs. "For people like them in their 50s who have already fallen out of love, the earlier they get divorced, the more liberated and relaxed they feel," Wang said.
UNREALISTIC ATTITUDES
According to Xu Li, vice-president of the dating network True Love Online, marital problems are a direct result of unrealistic attitudes and unwillingness to work to save a failing relationship. "Nowadays, people are too idealistic about marriage. If they find that it's not as perfect as they'd like it to be, they are tempted to end it as quickly as possible." With the increasing social pressure, he said, more people empha-
sise quality of life, and have higher expectations of marriage. "This is not to say that people are treating marriage lightly; on the contrary, newlyweds pay more attention to the quality of their marriage life nowadays," he said. When Xu's company conducted a survey about attitudes toward infidelity, the results showed that 80 per cent of women would opt for a divorce if they discovered that their partner had been unfaithful. The remaining 20 per cent said they would try to keep the marriage going because of economic pressures, their children or psychological dependence. However, when men were asked the same question, 99 per cent immediately chose divorce. Wang Jun, manager of the Beijing Weiqing Marriage Consultancy, said that although cheating undoubtedly plays a part in the breakdown of a marriage, the impact of an accumulation of problems in people's daily lives should not be underestimated.
LIFE
April 18-24, 2014
"People have always considered marriage to be a guarantee of loyalty, so instead of spending time with their spouse, they place greater emphasis on work and other factors," she said. "Neglecting a partner's needs can lead to a vicious circle and result in a lack of communication. In the most extreme cases, people become paranoid about their spouses and worry that they will have an affair. When distrust enters a previously harmonious relationship, the effect can be devastating." "Family problems are the fundamental causes of many other social problems. This not only affects the lives, work and families of those who divorce, but can also affect their children's concept of love and life," she added.
'TROUBLESHOOTERS'
Measures are being considered to tackle China's rapidly rising divorce rate, according to the Department
of Social Affairs at the Ministry of Civil Affairs. In an interview conducted on March 30, Zhang Shifeng, the head of the department, said the measures under consideration include improved counselling services. In 2013, approximately 164,000 couples married in Beijing, but 55,000 couples divorced, and the capital experienced a 65 per cent rise in divorce between 2011 and 2013, according to the Beijing Marriage Registration Office. Other major cities such as Shanghai and Tianjin have experienced similar trends. Ge Dongsheng, deputy director of the office, said that earlier this year the authorities launched a programme that involved inviting trained mediators to tackle marital problems. "The 'troubleshooters' will try to help couples that still love each other, but have irrationally decided to divorce," he said.
Unlike Western countries, where the marriage ceremony usually involves taking vows based on religious practice, most Chinese couples simply sign a registration form and then hold a lavish celebratory banquet. To promote stronger awareness of marital responsibility, all of Beijing's registration offices will soon provide couples with the option of making voluntary marriage vows before they register. In January, the marriage registration office in Beijing's Fangshan district started to provide voluntary premarital education classes designed to teach newlyweds the skills to promote better communications, along with tips on resolving the daily conflicts that are inevitable in a marriage. "We invited along a couple who had been married for nearly two decades to address the young people. They described their experiences, explained how they re-
April 18-24, 2014
solve their disputes and also gave tips on preserving a harmonious relationship. The details they provided were invaluable," said Jin Mingxian, the director of the registration office. Wang, the marriage expert, said couples should communicate as often as possible instead of using "cold war" to solve their problems. People need to look at problems from the others person's point of view, put themselves in their shoes and learn to compromise. Failure to do so may result in divorce, and even if the protagonists enter a new marriage, they will still be faced with the same problems. If an extramarital affair happens, couples need to determine the root causes before considering any other course of action. They need to negotiate to see if they can change, meet each other's demands and move on. "If they fail to do that, divorce is the best option. If they stay together, their marriages will always be plagued with similar problems," she said. ÂŹ
10,000 marriages end in China every day. 3.1 million couples divorced in 2012, a rise of 133 per cent from 2003. 65 per cent—rise in the number of divorce in Beijing from 2011 to 2013.
LIFE
ENTERTAINMENT
April 18-24, 2014
INDIE Spring South Korea may be known for its popular dramas and movies but it also offers small, independent gems
Claire Lee The Korea Herald Seoul
T
he year 2011 was a memorable period for Korea’s independent cinema. A number of films, such as Yoon Sung-hyun’s Bleak Night, Park Jung-bum’s The Journals of Musan and Min Yong-geun’s Reencounter, enjoyed both critical and commercial success. The industry hopes to see such success repeated this year, as some of the most anticipated indie films are opening in theatres all at once this month. One of them is director Lee Su-jin’s local debut feature Han Gong-ju, which nabbed eight trophies at international film festivals including Rotterdam, Marrakech, Deauville and Fribourg.
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HAN GONG-JU BY LEE SU-JIN The film, which tells the tragic tale of a teen gang rape victim, had its world premiere at the Mar-
rakech International Film Festival in November, where it won its first international prize, given by a jury headed by Martin Scorsese. Its cinematic accomplishment aside, the film drew attention in Korea for its resemblance to the
horrible 2004 Miryang gang rape case, in which 44 male high school students raped three teenage girls on multiple occasions for over a year in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province. The film opened in theatres on April 17.
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April 18-24, 2014
SHUTTLECOCK BY LEE YU-BIN Opening on April 24 is upand-coming director Lee Yu-bin’s coming-of-age tale Shuttlecock. The film was featured at last year’s Busan International Film Festival, along with Lee’s Han Gong-ju. While Han Gong-ju won the CGV Movie Collage award, Shuttlecock won the NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) prize. The two films shared the Citizen Reviewers’ Award at BIFF. The film is about a teenager named Min-jae (Lee Ju-seung), whose stepsister disappears with all the money in the house after their parents die in a car accident. After spotting a YouTube clip of
his sister working at a grocery store in a rural town, Min-jae embarks on a road trip to find her, with his bratty younger stepbrother Eun-ho (played by child actor Kim Tae-yong) in tow.
The film is noted for its depiction of first love and loss, and its cinematography, which captured images of different cities in the country, including Jeonju, Seosan and Dangjin.
April 18-24, 2014
MY FATHER’S EMAILS BY HONG JAE-HEE
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Also opening in theatres this month is filmmaker Hong Jae-hee’s personal documentary My Father’s Emails, which won the top prize at the Seoul Independent Film Festival in 2012. The film is often compared with Canadian filmmaker Sarah Polley’s documentary Stories We Tell, which is about her own family history and secrets. The documentary features the life of Hong’s late father, who sent a total of 48 emails to the director throughout the last year of his life. He shared his life story, from his experience in the Korean War (1950-1953)—he was born and raised in Hwanghae Province, which now belongs to North Korea—the Vietnam War (1956-1975), up to what he saw during the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Hong’s father had an estranged relationship with his two daughters. Hong’s older sister moved to the US to stay away from him because, among other reasons, he suffered from alcoholism and was often physically abusive. The film is recognised for its brave, nuanced depiction of a family’s history, which is inseparable from modern Korean history. The film opens in theatres on April 24.
ENTERTAINMENT
April 18-24, 2014
Horror served Thai-style
Thanks to the supernatural being entrenched in their culture, Thai directors keep scoring scary hits that are novel yet realistic
Boon Chan The Straits Times Singapore
W
hen Singapore’s Sentosa Leisure Management was planning its Halloween event Sentosa Spooktacular last year, it turned to a few Thai filmmakers to helm its scares. It made perfect sense. Since the success of 2004 Thai horror flick Shutter at the box office here, more of the country's horror movies have invaded Singapore's screens and made moviegoers here toss
and turn restlessly in their beds. There are seven Thai horror movies pencilled in for release this year or already released. Next up on April 24 is She Devil, about a man who discovers that his wife is the titular ghoul. Shutter remains one of the top-grossing Thai films of all time in Singapore with S$1.3 million (US$1.04 million), second only to the Singapore-Thailand co-production The Coffin (2008), which grossed S$1.35 million. Distributor and exhibitor Golden Village had four titles last year and has about five planned for this year. On average, they earn about S$200,000
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April 18-24, 2014
A scene from Parkpoom Wongpoom and Banjung Pisanthanakun’s Shutter (2004).
each. It might not seem like a lot, but a spokesman for Golden Village says they are "generally profitable". On the appeal of Thai horror flicks, she notes: "Thai film-makers are incredibly creative storytellers. Their culture is one where the supernatural and superstition is part and parcel of everyday life." Indeed, as a producer, Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, 46, senior director of major Thai film studio GMM Tai Hub's international business department, shares that the projects which interest him are the ones that are rooted in the familiar. Yongyoot, an adviser to Sentosa Spooktacular last year, says that what he likes is "something that is very common, like daily, with a supernatural twist to it". Such as photographs which capture unexplained images in Shutter. If you have a fear of the dark and small, enclosed places, stay away from Shutter—it makes even photographers pause before entering
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April 18-24, 2014
the dark room. Co-director and co-writer of Shutter, Banjong Pisanthanakun, 34, tells The Straits Times that he finds inspiration from things around him. "I saw a very old photo and thought it was very scary. It reminded me of spiritual photography and I got the concept from there." He clarifies, though: "There was no ghost in it." After Shutter came the likes of Alone (2007) by Parkpoom Wongpoom, 35, who also co-directed and co-wrote Shutter. In addition, Body (2007) by Paween Purijitpanya, 35, Coming Soon (2008) by Sophon Sakdaphisit, 33, and Dorm (2006) by Songyos Sugmakanan, 40, all took a stab at scaring audiences here. The Straits Times caught up with the film-makers when they were here for Sentosa Spooktacular. As the event was such a success last year, this
PARKPOOM WONGPOOM
year's edition will again incorporate elements from Thai horror. Sentosa saw a 30 per cent increase in ticket sales last year compared to 2012. The film-makers' involvement makes Halloween, which originated in the West, more relatable, just
like their movies are culturally closer to viewers in this region. As the Golden Village spokesman says: "Thai horror films have developed their own niche in the world of film, incorporating believably scary stories, packaged in a sleek and novel film with a perceptible Southeast Asian flavour." Paween elaborates on the Southeast Asian commonality: "The Thai people believe that a ghost is a karma thing and that is common to countries in the region. Only people who do bad deeds meet ghosts because of karmic payback. You need to have done something to the person or have some relationship to him or her, but in Western horror films, anyone can encounter a ghost." For some directors, making a horror film is a way of confronting their own fears. Says Songyos: "When I go to certain places, my imagination runs
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BANJONG PISANTHANAKUN
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PAWEEN PURIJITPANYA
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SOPHON SAKDAPHISIT
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SONGYOS SUGMAKANAN
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wild. I place myself in the centre of the scene and think that if I get scared, the audience will as well." In the movie Dorm, a young boy sent away to boarding school is frightened by the ghost stories he hears. Then he makes friends with another lonely outcast, who turns out to be the boy who drowned in the school swimming pool. Another distinctive feature of Thai horror is the way comedy is added to the mix. Thai horror fan Lily Tan, 24, who is self-employed, says: "The films play with your mind and scare you in usually unexpected ways, especially when they incorporate humour into horror, that totally catches me off-guard." Songyos says: "That element doesn't tend to appear in Japanese, Korean or Western horror movies." Banjong adds that the humour is of the "down-to-earth
and very local" variety. Take, for example, his horror-comedy flick Pee Mak (2013), about the titular soldier returning to his village after war and reuniting with his beautiful wife—rumoured to have died while giving birth. While the director admits some of the local jokes and wordplay might not translate well outside of Thailand, he notes that the film also contains situational jokes which do travel. For example, there is a dinner segment in which Pee Mak and his army buddies have to stomach a ghost's idea of a hearty meal. The film was, in fact, a hit in Singapore, with box-office takings of S$922,000. In Thailand, it is the highest-grossing local film of all time with 560 million baht (US$17 million). It is getting harder to turn out that big hit, though, say the Thai film-makers. Yongyoot observes that the number of Thai horror films
made in a year remains steady —at least 20. But only one or two would break out. Sophon notes: "The audience is now familiar with the genre and getting more intelligent. You have to step it up to another level to keep ahead of them." And because of the challenge of doing so, Yongyoot says the wait between movies from GMM Tai Hub is getting longer. Even Shutter's Parkpoom is not immune to the pressure. But he thinks Thai horror still has legs. He had contributed to the horror compendiums 4bia (2008) and Phobia 2 (2009), but his last standalone feature was Alone, about a formerly conjoined twin being haunted by her dead half. He says: "I don't think it will die off, but I won't do one until I have a good plot.
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THAI SCARE MEISTERS PARKPOOM WONGPOOM, 35 Worked on: Shutter (2004), Alone (2007), 4bia (2008), Phobia 2 (2009) Parkpoom is best known for Shutter, about a photographer who takes pictures with mysterious images after he is involved in a car accident. A hit at home, it also led to Thai horror clicking with the region. He has been working on a script for a political drama. Favourite horror film: William Friedkin's The Exorcist (1973)
BANJONG PISANTHANAKUN, 34 Worked on: Shutter (2004), Alone (2007), 4bia (2008), Phobia 2 (2009), Hello Stranger (2010), Pee Mak (2013) With his recent works, Banjong has been moving away from pure horror. Hello Stranger is a romantic comedy that takes place in South Korea, while Pee Mak is a blend of horror and comedy. What has not changed is his winning touch as both Hello Stranger and Pee Mak were hits. He is developing a horror-comedy project for the China market with Hong Kong funnyman Stephen Chow. Favourite horror film: M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense (1999)
PAWEEN PURIJITPANYA, 35 Worked on: Body (2007), 4bia (2008), Phobia 2 (2009), Seven Something (2012) Body was inspired by a real-life case in which a doctor killed and dismembered his wife. Paween says the doctor has since been released from jail and is seeking to become a court judge. He adds: "I have to make a Body Part 2." In the meantime, he is working on television commercials and music videos. Favourite horror film: Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead (1981)
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SOPHON SAKDAPHISIT, 33 Worked on: Coming Soon (2008), Ladda Land (2011) Sophon's credits as a scriptwriter outpace those as director and he had a hand in penning Shutter (2004) and Alone (2007). He is probably best known for Ladda Land, about a family encountering creepy events after they move into a new house. The film was a popular and critical hit, sweeping six awards at the Thailand National Film Association Awards, including for Best Film. His next offering will be a horror flick centred on teenagers. Favourite horror film: Alejandro Amenabar's The Others (2001) SONGYOS SUGMAKANAN, 40 Worked on: Dorm (2006), Hormones (2008), Phobia 2 (2009), Hormones (TV series, 2013) Songyos has moved away from horror to youth-oriented drama and romance.
After the success of the movie Hormones, he went on to helm the television series. It has been picked up for a second season which is slated to air next month. He says: "I can't really find any more plots
for horror movies and that's why I changed genres altogether." Favourite horror film: Sophon Sakdaphisit's Ladda Land (2011) ÂŹ
ENVIRONMENT ENTERTAINMENT
April 18-24, 2014
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED A Taiwanese band introduces gothic metal to local audience
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John Liu The China Post Taipei
T
he music industry is different in every country. In Taiwan, pop music dominates the scene and the local population is not too familiar with other types of music. Professional and amateur musicians, however, are well aware of other music genres. "Gothic metal" was introduced to Taiwan by William Lee, who founded the band Renascimento at the end of 2010. Originating in Europe, gothic metal is a subgenre of heavy
metal that combines the heaviness of doom metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. Renascimento in Portuguese means "Renaissance". With this name, the band fuses three elements: gothic metal, classical music and Chinese literature, and aims to revitalise them. The band writes a unique style of gothic metal that adds ingredients of Chinese culture. Traditional instruments such as the Chinese flute, guzheng (plucked zither) and
erhu (a spike fiddle) are used by the band. Traditional poems and folk stores are adapted into lyrics. The 28-year-old Lee has been playing music since he was very young. He started to play piano in grade school, and learned to play guitar in high school. Lee said there are few music genres that are popular in Taiwan, and would like to introduce heavy metal to more local audiences. According to Lee, post-rock and folk rock are most popular in Taiwan. But Lee believes gothic music has its charm, the lyrics of which are generally introspective with inspiration from gothic fiction. Lee believes it is important to add melody to heavy metal, and that is what Renascimento has been trying to do. The band is comprised of many talented musicians. Lee is the band's guitarist, and other members include lead vocal Hsu Yihwei, keyboardist Hikari Tsai, bassist "Uncle" and drummer Zhang. With a vocal music master's degree
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April 18-24, 2014
from the Taipei National University of the Arts, the charismatic Hsu is a skilled soprano. Lee and Tsai write most of the band's music. Pursuing a passion does not necessarily entail a stable income. Most members of Renascimento have a daytime job and only play music after work. Lee is a public servant, Hsu is a music teacher and Lee said his music passion is likely to last. Both Lee and Tsai enjoy writing songs. They have signed contracts with music label companies, which pay a commission when adopting their creations. Lee said he will continue playing music in his spare time. While gothic metal has a strong fan base in some Western countries, many in Taiwan are still not familiar with it. Given Taiwan's limited market size, it is especially difficult for gothic metal to take root. While Lee tries to introduce this music genre to more people, taking the road less travelled is never easy. "It is a difficult journey," Lee said. "It is similar to trying stinky tofu.
People would never know what it tastes like unless they try it," Lee said, adding that "People should have the opportunity to listen to other types of music." Renascimento has achieved good results in the past four years. As of today, it has a fan base of more than 3,600 people on its Facebook page. Between October 2013 and March 2014, the band participated in the reality-singing competition series Genesis Music, which was broadcasted on the Public Television channel. Out of the 60 bands that competed in the show, Renascimento entered the final round of competition and won 5th place in the end. During the competition period, Lee and Hikari wrote one piece of music every week for seven to eight weeks. Lee said he cherished the experience. The panel of judges offered insightful advice, which the band adopted to roll out music that appeals to the public more. Instead of merely playing music, Lee said the judges advised the band to in-
corporate our attitude and thoughts, which is very "enlightening". The band will continue making adjustments to its music as it learns along the way, Lee added. In an effort to promote public awareness of gothic metal, Renascimento has performed in dozens of live concerts, including Spring Scream, an outdoor music festival held in early April each year at Kenting in southern Taiwan, and the Hohaiyan Rock Festival, an annual Taiwan rock music festival held in Fulong Beach, Gongliao, New Taipei City. Renascimento rolled out its first album "Great Wall", with seven songs, in 2012. This year, the band plans to roll out its second album with 10 songs in it. The band has also made plans to perform in another music festival held in Hualian this year. As Renascimento tries to increase exposure, the band is expected to participate in many more live events this year. ÂŹ
ENTERTAINMENT
April 18-24, 2014
SEARCHING FOR THE NEXT JACKIE CHAN Li Xueying The Straits Times Hong Kong
W
hen the screenplay for a proposed film called Infernal Affairs landed on his desk over a decade ago, movie producer Peter Lam thought it was "a very good script". But was it enough to woo movie goers—disappointed by the quality of Hong Kong films—back to the theatres?
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April 18-24, 2014
Can Hong Kong’s film industry find that something extra to regain status as a cultural trendsetter?
Lam was unsure. "The Hong Kong film industry was really struggling," he says. "I already liked the script. But it needed something more." That extra something was what he calls a "talking point". And he created one by casting two of Hong Kong's biggest names—Andy Lau and
Hong Kong’s biggest names in entertainment Tony Leung and Andy Lau were the “extra something” movie producer Peter Lam needed for his film Infernal Affairs (2002).
Tony Leung—who had never appeared together in the same movie before. "People were saying, no way, Andy and Tony, you can get both? How can you create such a big-budget movie at such a time? Can you take back the profits?" Well he did, he could, and it did. "Andy and Tony" came on board, the budget was inflated to HK$50 million (U$6.4 million)—10 times the average movie budget then. The movie earned gold at both the box office and the awards, while Hollywood paid tribute with a remake. Today, Lam, 56, is one of the power play-
ers in Hong Kong's film industry. In 1998, he founded the Media-Asia group. Alongside others such as Edko, Universe and Emperor Motion Pictures, which have become notable names, it succeeded the likes of Shaw and Golden Harvest, whose logos and distinctive fanfare lit up darkened cinemas across Asia for so many years. But in interviews with The Straits Times, Lam and Albert Lee, chief executive officer of Emperor Motion Pictures —its Let the Bullets Fly (2010) became the first Chinese film to hit the US$100 million box-office threshold in China—dismiss any sug-
April 18-24, 2014
ENTERTAINMENT
April 18-24, 2014
Younger stars in Hong Kong’s film industry do not 'measure up' to the big names of previous years such as Jackie Chan— posing a big problem for the country’s film industry.
ENTERTAINMENT
April 18-24, 2014
Veteran movie producers like Peter Lam sees a shift in the Hong Kong’s film industry toward the Chinese market.
ENTERTAINMENT
ENTERTAINMENT
April 18-24, 2014
gestions that they represent a new generation of movie moguls, succeeding Golden Harvest's Raymond Chow and Sir Run Run Shaw, who died in January at age 106. "I won't use the word movie mogul—we don't have them around anymore," says Lee, 60, bluntly. "Yes, 20 or 30 years ago, Sir Run Run or Raymond Chow, etc, were movie moguls. But the business has changed substantially." Today, he says, "we are just people who work in the movie business". The numbers illustrate the changing fortunes of Hong Kong's film industry. In the 1970s, it produced about 120 movies a year. This rose to 200 in the 1980s. At its peak, in 1993, Hong Kong was the world's third-largest movie town, after Hollywood and Bollywood. That year, it made 238 movies, ranging from Wong Jing's Last Hero In China to Tsui Hark's fantasy Green Snake.
Today, this has slowed to a relative trickle, with only 40 to 60 films, half of them co-productions with mainland partners, says veteran filmmaker Wellington Fung. The fact is, Hong Kong has lost its position as a cultural trendsetter that can project its soft power — whether in films, television or music — in traditional markets ranging from Singapore and Malaysia to Taiwan and Thailand. Taiwan has liberalised quotas on American imports. Singapore too has become "less of a market", given its appetite for Hollywood films. Just as crucially, Thailand and South Korea have successfully cultivated their own industries. Indeed, the latter has usurped Hong Kong as leader of the pack. "Hong Kong has basically lost out," notes Lee. Besides growing competition, the cultural ecosystem that once nurtured the Hong Kong film industry is broken. TV station TVB
was a training ground and feeder of movie stars such as Leung, Lau and Chow Yun Fat, as well as directors like Tsui. As TV standards declined, the film industry suffered too, observes Lam. Lee agrees, saying: "The big stars today are those from 30 years ago —Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Jackie Chan. That demonstrates a very serious problem of not enough talent coming through." There are younger stars such as Nicholas Tse, Shawn Yue and Donnie Yen, but they are hardly in the same league, say both producers. "We are always asking, who is the successor of Jackie Chan? Who can be the next kungfu star?" Lam says. Andy Lau, he notes, is 52. Tony Leung is 51. "I won't say they are entering a middle-age crisis... but well, we are always looking for the next young up-and-coming stars." The two men hail from different backgrounds.
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April 18-24, 2014
Lam, the son of tycoon Lim Por Yen, also oversees the Lai Sun property conglomerate. A personality in his own right, he is also active in civic life, serving as chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, and is a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. His 50th birthday was duly celebrated with celebrities such as Shu Qi and Miriam Yeung. Lee is a professional movie man through and through. He joined the Emperor Group—founded by tycoon Albert Yeung—in 2003 after 21 years working at Golden Harvest, where he rose through the ranks to become executive director. For both, the lay of the land is clear: China. It is now the world's second-largest movie-going market after the United States—and is predicted to surpass it by 2020. "We are quite thankful for the emergence of the China market," says Lee wryly.
China's box office last year was 22 billion yuan (US$3.5 billion), four times that of Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore combined. Hong Kongers spent HK$354 million (US$45 million) at the movies, Malaysians 692 million ringgit (US$214 million), the Taiwanese NT$9.1 billion (US$302 million) and Singaporeans US$170 million. This has upended the Hong Kong film industry. The movies it makes today are essentially geared towards the Chinese market— made easier by trade pacts that free certain Hong Kong-made films from the mainland's import quota for foreign films, set at 34 a year. As Lee puts it: "We are basically focusing all our strategies to take advantage of it." "One hundred per cent," he says without hesitation, when asked the proportion of his company's films aimed at the Chinese market.
For MediaAsia, the ratio is 80:20. Some smaller movies target Hong Kong and the other smaller territories but the difference is far greater in terms of budget, says Lam. "You can make Hong Kongtype movies, but obviously the budget will be much smaller because otherwise it makes no sense at the box office." All this means a very real change to Hong Kong cinema. Within a smaller output, Hong Kong-centric material is necessarily marginalised: its brand of comedy, a la Sandra Ng, raises few chuckles in China; Johnnie To's cop and triad movies are limited in their appeal; and horror movies are banned altogether. On the other hand, there is a preponderance of movies set in period China, because it is "much easier to get censorship approval", says Lam. Hong Kong actors also have to adapt, given the language barrier, he adds. "The Chinese audience
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April 18-24, 2014
watch Mandarin movies—and Hong Kong actors don't speak it." Simultaneously, the search for fresh faces has widened to China which in recent years has produced actresses like Zhang Ziyi and Tang Wei. Sentimentalists may rue "the loss of Hong Kong cinema". But with such high stakes, and money to be made, there is little room for hand-wringing. As Lee responds drily: "Sense of loss? No. We have been in this business long enough. Hong Kong filmmakers are very adaptable. The people may complain, oh there are fewer films (for us). Yes, of course. The whole business has changed." For the city's movie moguls today, there is "more money to be made than before—hundreds of millions of renminbi", says Lam. "But the costs are higher." In the past, a movie made for
HK$30 million to HK$40 million was considered a "mega movie". Today, it requires HK$200 million to HK$300 million. "And so the risks are higher." he says. "And you have to be more careful." The Chinese market, big as it is, is not a sure-win, however. There is stiff competition—not just from Hollywood studios, but also within the country itself. Mainland players, both stateowned enterprises such as Shanghai Film Group and private entities like Wanda and Huayi, produce 600 titles including non-feature films annually, says Fung. Despite being among Hong Kong's biggest players, Emperor last year captured only 6.5 per cent of the mainland market while MediaAsia took 5.8 per cent. But the large pie means even small bites yielded 1.42 billion yuan and 1.26 billion yuan respectively. Thus, unlike Sir Run Run,
who invested in Ridley Scott's cult classic Blade Runner, Hong Kong's producers today harbour few Hollywood ambitions. As Lam puts it: "If I do it successfully in China, I will do well." It is not easy, however. The Hong Kong movie industry is a famously vicious one that requires a producer to handle crises from a ballooning budget to diva celebrities and corrupt politicians. Lee, for one, had to go from sitting out typhoons in Taishan, Guangdong, during the filming of Let The Bullets Fly, to being locked up in hotel rooms fighting over the script. He says bluntly: "I don't enjoy it but it's part of the process." For him, the favourite part of his job comes at the end: "Sitting down and watching it and you look around and say, well, it's quite good." Now, let the tickets fly. ¬
LIFESTYLE
April 18-24, 2014
Summer Tips,
Health and Face Savers
LIFESTYLE
April 18-24, 2014
Cory Quirino Philippine Daily Inquirer Manila
S
Sunny days are perfect for frolicking and adventure. The vitamin D benefits of 15 minutes of early-morning sun exposure (6:30am to 7:30am) is a plus. The sun also lifts the mood by stimulating the brain to release feel-good hormones. Statistics show that countries which have more night than day have higher depression and suicide rates. But sun exposure has its disadvantages, too.
Disadvantages include: Skin damage—powerful UVA/ UVB rays can destroy collagen, causing wrinkling of the skin and inhibit skin elasticity. -Skin cancer—overexposure to the sun on a daily basis may lead to this deadly disease. -Sunbathing four to six hours daily for two weeks will certainly damage your skin. Beware of sun exposure from 9am to 4pm (especially 11am to 2pm when the sun is at its hottest). Use sunblock for failure to do so is the surest way to develop skin problems. UV protection from 30 SPF (sun protection factor) to 75/90 is best. Sunblock should be reapplied every two hours or each time you swim and dry up using a towel, unless your sunblock is waterproof. Read the ingredients. Certain types of sunblock are loaded with chemicals. Lavishing yourself with these may cause health problems in the long run. ∫
Pigmentation—if you think you’re not prone to freckles, think again. Try sunbathing unprotected at noon and within two days, freckles will appear. ∫ Hypopigmentation—take a closer look at your arms and legs. If you see small white spots/dots, it means that you lack the melamine to give you an even tan. Instead of dark spots, you get the white ones. To prevent this, avoid the sun or cover up with long-sleeved shirts, hats, sunglasses, towels, beach covers that are not seethrough. ∫ Dehydration—any activity under the sun requires you to increase your body’s defence with two full glasses of purified water before you step out of the house. Also, increase your water intake from eight to 10 glasses daily to 1215, because the summer heat can dehydrate you faster than expected. ∫ Sunburn—when the redness on your shoulder is evident, prepare for the stingy pain of sunburn to set in. ∫
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April 18-24, 2014
Remedies:
Vinegar wash—native vinegar mixed with cool water will release the heat from your skin. ∫
Recipe: Mix five tablespoons
of native vinegar (not the commercial-grocery variety) with two cups of cool water. Apply on the affected area two to three times daily. ∫ Aloe Vera—Get one branch fresh from the plant, peel the skin, remove the yellow sticky gel. Apply the transparent gel directly on the skin. The result is instantly soothing. Remember that aloe vera is excellent for minor wounds and hemorrhoids, too. An aloe vera scalp massage will likewise remove dandruff, allergies and stimulate hair growth when applied daily for one month.
-Cucumber salvo—thinly sliced fresh, raw cucumber, when applied to the sunburn, will provide a cooling effect on the skin. -Cabbage—finely shredded green cabbage can be applied to damaged skin for 10-15 minutes. If you wish to increase its cooling effect, put the cabbage in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before applying.
Cooling tonics:
Cucumber cool— mix one whole peeled and seeded cucumber in a juicer together with a sprig of mint and one whole seeded and peeled green apple. Add honey to sweeten. Optional: chill in fridge for 15 minutes. ∫ Aloe relief—in a juicer or blender, mix one branch of peeled and washed aloe vera with one ∫
singkamas (turnip) and four chunks of fresh ripe pineapple. ∫ Guyabano/soursop aid—peel and seed one medium-sized soursop, add a tbsp of virgin coconut oil and a tsp coconut syrup or coconut sugar. Mix in a blender. Coco Revive—drink the juice fresh from the nut. It acts like dextrose to your body. And if you’re on a diet, eat the fresh coconut meat. It will fill you up quickly.
Skin Defence:
The best skin defence is vitamin C. The higher the dosage of vitamin C, the greater the sun protection factor is on the body. So take 1,0003,000 mg of vitamin C daily. “I am radiant as the sun!” ¬
April 18-24, 2014
TRAVEL
Magic of Mercedes’ 7-island paradise
April 18-24, 2014
TRAVEL
April 18-24, 2014
Shiena M. Barrameda Philippine Daily Inquirer Naga City, Philippines
M
agical may not be the right word to describe the seven wonders surrounded by white sand scattered just off the coast of Mercedes town in Camarines Norte—a province of the Philippines in the Bicol Region in Luzon—but it sure comes close to it. Located at the east of Camarines Norte, the Mercedes Group of Islands is a wonderland of white sand with a surprising abundance of pine trees and protected fish and coral sanctuaries, just a onehour boat ride away from the mainland.
TRAVEL
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April 18-24, 2014
It is now touted as the next big attraction in northern Bicol, Coleen Ibasco, Mercedes Tourism Officer, said. The islands of Caringo, Canimog, Apuao Grande, Apuao Pequena, Canton, Quinapaguian and Malasugui are offered as an adventure package that would include excursions to its white-sand beaches, mountain hiking and trekking, boating and kayaking, and snorkeling, she added. Although it has yet to attract enough publicity, Mercedes’ seven-island paradise is a favourite of backpackers, campers and tourists who seek to experience a different travel adventure apart from beachcombing and indulging in extreme sports like kite-surfing that Camarines Norte has in store in Bagasbas Beach and Calaguas Island. Ibasco says the Mercedes Tourism Office is working with other local government units (LGUs) in the Bicol region to promote the potentials of the Mercedes Group of Islands.
In Naga City, Alec Francis Santos, head of the Naga Arts Culture and Tourism Office, says LGUs under Naga Excursions (Naga X) are planning on creating a tour package that would involve a trip to the Mercedes islands.
Big Four
The main attractions of the Mercedes tour are the four largest islands of Caringo, Canimog, Apuao Grande and Apuao Pequena. Only two of the islands, Caringo and Apuao Grande, are inhabited by residents. Despite the influx of visitors, local governments and residents themselves are able to preserve the islands’ diverse ecosystem, lush mini forests and pine tree groves, according to Ibasco . If you take the route from Mercedes Port, your tour will start with Canimog Island. The route via Palms Farm Resort in Cayucyucan starts at Caringo. Canimog, the largest among the
seven islands, is shaped like a crocodile, thus, the nickname “Crocodile Island”. It has a bat sanctuary and a lush green forest of pine trees and fruit-bearing trees that are home to teeming wildlife. On top of its highest peak is a lighthouse built in 1927 with a 104-step stone staircase leading to it from the white sand and pebble beach below. The lighthouse was operated by locals since June 26, 1927, until the early '90s, to guide fishermen entering the craggy Mercedes coastline. It used to run on petrol but now operates on solar power. At the opposite side of the island is a 500-metre white beach. No other manmade structure has been put up there except for the lighthouse. In Caringo, some 288 households, or about 1,000 residents, maintain the pristine state of the white-sand beaches that surround the island, Caringo village captain Fernando Navales said. It is the only other island, apart
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from Apua Grande, where visitors can avail of home-stay accommodations, apart from Apuao Grande, he said.
Fish, coral sanctuary
A 17.17-hectare fish and coral sanctuary, one of the four fish and coral sanctuaries hugging the Mercedes islands and coastline, is guarded by a group of women who have banded together under an association called Samahan ng mga Kababaihan sa Caringo. One of the women fish sanctuary guardians, Susan Aseron, won for herself and her group the second place in the Outstanding Rural Women of the Philippines competition held in 2012 for their work in keeping the sanctuary safe from illegal fishermen since 2007. Aseron said she received as prize a fiberglass boat from the Philippine Commission on Women.
The women also make delicious jelly (gulaman) made from seaweeds they culture themselves, Navales said. Despite being a healthy delicacy, they do not mass-produce it or sell it in the market since their entire output is earmarked for home consumption. The gulaman-from–seaweed making will be made part of the culinary package that will, in turn, form part of the Mercedes islands experience. The oldest house in Mercedes, built in 1920, is in Caringo. It is known as “Dakulang Harong”, or “big house,” the ancestral house of the Ibasco family.
Marine ecosystem
The presence of a healthy marine ecosystem gives the seas around the Mercedes islands its turquoise and teal colours that remain the same regardless of how
deep the water may be. In Apuao Grande, home to more or less 1,000 residents, crabs, fish and livestock are sources of livelihood in the quiet cove that connects the island to Apuao Pequena. Pine trees line some 40 hectares of silky white- sand beaches on a part of the island away from the Pacific Ocean. The area is perfect for camping and bonfires. In Apuao Pequena, a mini-rain forest covers a mountain that is home to fruit bats and wild boar. Pine trees provide cover to the entrance to the forest. Ibasco said fruit bats, which could grow to as tall as two feet from tip to tip of their wings, moved in from Canimog after residents began hunting them down. An hour of hiking to the top of the mountain ends at a stone bench, right in the middle of the island.
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April 18-24, 2014
The Rock
The Canton Island is called “The Rock” because of its massive rock formations, caves and craggy shores. Ibasco said it was a favourite of visitors who love spelunking and outdoor rock climbing. Quinapaguian Island, on the other hand, is a tiny uninhabited island surrounded by white-sand beaches. It is also perfect for camping as well as swimming and hiking. Malasugui is the smallest among the Mercedes Group of Islands and is situated in the middle of the six others. Most of the trees that grow on its flat surface are pine trees that end on its whitesand shores. From Malasugui, you can view the entire island cluster and the mainland of Mercedes.
Package
Ibasco said the complete Mercedes Islands tour package would
be launched by the end of April. The package, Ibasco says, will be a one-of-a-kind experience.
Fish, coral sanctuary
Navales says they are in the process of identifying houses in Caringo that will be offered for homestay visits for those who want to stay in the area overnight. The package is estimated to cost about 3,000 pesos-3,500 pesos (US$67-$79) for a one-day island hopping trip for a group of 10. The cost includes the boat rental and a tour guide’s fee . A 2-day/1-night tour for 10, including meals and homestay, will cost 1,500 pesos ($34) per head.
Getting there
From Manila, fly or take the bus to Naga City, which will be the starting point. From there, one can take a two-hour 87-
kilometre van ride to Camarines Norte’s Daet before embarking on an 8.4-km journey by jeepney or car to Mercedes. There are two starting points for the island-hopping: One is via the Mercedes Port and the other is from the beach at Palms Farm Resort in Cayucyucan, Mercedes. The journey to the island by boat can take 45 minutes to an hour on both routes, depending on the roughness of the waves. Basco says the waves are rougher during the route via Mercedes Port because it is directly facing the Pacific Ocean. Boat rentals can be arranged with the tourism office of Mercedes, travel agencies and tour operators accredited by the Department of Tourism Office in the Bicol region. ¬
April 18-24, 2014
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ÂŹ Hong Kong Ocean Art Walk 2014 It might be hard to believe, but Hong Kong has more species of coral than the Caribbean. Spend some time appreciating our oceans and educating yourself on what we can do to reduce our damaging impact on marine life. There will be photo exhibitions, ocean-themed activities and performances, including a special showcase of artwork created from recycled objects.
When: April 12 to May 4 Where: Stanley Plaze, Carmel Road, Hong Kong Info: www.stanleyplaza.com
April 18-24, 2014
DATEBOOK
¬ Kuala Lumpur Welcome to the Jungle
A collaborative effort between National Visual Arts Gallery of Malaysia and the Singapore Art Museum (SAM), this exhibit showcases the finest of SAM’s post-millennium ‘Southeast Asia Contemporary Art’ collection.
When: Until May 30 Where: Gallery 2A, National Visual Arts Gallery of Malaysia
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April 18-24, 2014
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ÂŹ Sarawak, East Malaysia Kaul Festival Kaul is the traditional festival that is celebrated by the Melanau community who live predominantly in East Malaysia. It is a spiritual celebration to appease the spirit of the sea after the end of each fishing session. This festival showcases all the traditional practices of the Melanau which include the traditional games of "Tibau", displays of "Serahang" and authentic Melanau food and cuisine. The most spectacular element shown during this festival is the ritual ceremony done in the sea by the shaman to appease the sea spirit. Apart from witnessing the ritual ceremony, tourists also join locals in processing sago flour in the traditional Melanau way. When: April 25-May 1 Where: Kaul Festival Square, Mukah, Sarawak
April 18-24, 2014
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ÂŹ Rajasthan, India Mt. Abu Summer Festival The Mt. Abu Summer Festival kicks off with ballad singing, followed by regional folk dancing. The festival also offers sports such as boat racing on Nakki Lake, and a rollerskating race. It concludes with a fireworks display. The highlight of the festival is the Sham-e-Qawwali musical show, which features some of the most renowned qawwals (a form of Sufi devotional music) from various parts of India.
When: May 12-14 Where: Mt. Abu, Rajasthan Info: rajasthantourism.gov.in
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April 18-24, 2014
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April 18-24, 2014
DATEBOOK
ÂŹ Tokyo The Watanabes live in Tokyo Tokyo-based indie pop-rock band comprising members from the UK and Japan will take the stage to wow their fans again this May.
When: April 23 Where: The Aldgate, Tokyo Info: www.songkick.com
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April 18-24, 2014
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¬ Tokyo Ali Jackson American jazz drummer Ali Jackson is set to impress jazz enthusiasts as he performs in Tokyo with fellow genre stars Dan Nimmer, Carlos Henriquez, and Michael Rodriguez.
When: April 23-25 Where: Cotton Club, Tokyo Info: www.songkick.com