December 6-12, 2013
The Chinese Oscars
Golden Horse goes beyond Taiwan
December 6-12, 2013
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Contents We e k l y B r i e f i n g Entertainment
Bigger than Taiwan
Business
Testing time for China's tea growers
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December 6-12, 2013
Contents Politics
Going nowhere?
Life
Left behind but not forgotten
Art
Bringing life to bronze Politics
Konichiwa, Caroline
December 6-12, 2013
Contents Business
Plight of the ‘J apan’ brand
>>DATEBOOK Politics
Happenings around Asia
Plain or elegant?
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WEEKLY BRIEFING
Santa Psy SEOUL: Korea’s comedic rap star Psy has released a new promotional image of his head placed on a muscular male body sporting a sexy Santa outfit, revealing the event’s dress code for his upcoming winter series. As in Psy’s previous concert in Seoul, with its all-white dress code, the singer has set a dress code for upcoming concerts: He is asking that fans come dressed up in their best Santa outfits. The performer is making his return just in time for the holiday season and holding a special fourday solo concert series titled “2013 Psy Concert [All Night Stand]” from December 20 to 22 and on Christmas Eve at Seoul Olympic Park’s Gymnastics Stadium.
The upcoming performances will mark his first concerts in Korea since his internationally aired “Happening” show in April. —Julie Jackson in Seoul/The Korea Herald
Marked apples TOKYO: Apples bearing the kanji character for “kizuna”, meaning bond or emotional ties, are prepared for shipment in Fukushima. Seals in the shape of the kanji were placed on the apples in August and removed prior to shipment. After being checked for radioactive substances, they will be given to children and elderly people in three places hit hard by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. —The Yomiuri Shimbun
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WEEKLY BRIEFING
Thais’ must gear BANGKOK: Protesters in Thailand are creating increasingly innovative handmade protective gear to withstand the irritant effects of tear gas used against them by police. Many demonstrators are opting for a basic approach, using wet pieces of cloth to cover their faces at the first sign of smoke or water spray. Others simply cover their heads with plastic bags when they detect gas. But others are better equipped, using gas masks
and other types of air-filterequipped face masks to withstand the measures. The Thai unrest began as a protest against the controversial amnesty bill and has evolved into an ouster move against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.—Budsarakham Sinlapalavan/The Nation
BEIJING: Chinese film director Zhang Yimou has apologised for breaking China's family planning rules. In an open letter posted on December 1, Zhang said he and his wife Chen Ting “has two sons and a daughter and is willing to accept investigation and punishment in accordance with China's laws and regulations". He, however, denied that he has mistresses and as many as seven children to various mothers. The director plans to seek legal redress against those who have spread these libellous claims. In the 1970s, China introduced a family planning policy aimed to stop the surging population. Urban couples were limited to one child and most rural couples to two, if the first child was a girl. The policy was recently relaxed: Now, if both parents are only children they are allowed a second child. In November this year, the decision to further loosen the policy was taken, allowing couples to have two children even if just one of them is an only child.
AFP
Zhang Yimou, prolific father
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WEEKLY BRIEFING
Manny’s visit TACLOBAN CITY: Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao tramped through the ruins of one of the worsthit villages in this typhoondevastated city, and found two bodies in the debris. “A lot still needs to be done,” Pacquiao said. “In my entire life, I have seen nothing like this. The damage is just so enormous. I cannot imagine how the people can manage without help from the government.” Pacquiao, who holds Sarangani’s seat in the House of Representatives, plans to launch a fund-raising campaign in the United States, where he intended to travel to before yearend, to help rebuild homes in Tacloban. The boxing champ exhorted the people of Tacloban to never to give up.
“I know you can rise again just like me. In the past, I, too, fell. But I persevered to get up and I rose again,” Pacquiao said. “Don’t lose hope. As long as we live, there is hope. We can manage to return to normal living. Never forget God. He will never abandon us,” he said. As he travelled through the city that was slowly coming back to its feet, he pulled down the window
of his sport utility vehicle to wave at crowds of people who broke into squeals of delight and cheers of “Manny! Manny!” “At least his visit makes us forget the calamity. Thank you for visiting us. We will never forget you, Pacman,” Roland Ubal, 35, said.— Philippine Daily Inquirer
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LIFE
Left-behind but not forgotten
Zhao Kai/China Daily
STUDENTS SPEND THEIR SPARE TIME READING AT THE DONATED LIBRARY AT MAOCAOPING PRIMARY SCHOOL IN WANFENGHU COUNTY, GUIZHOU PROVINCE.
LIFE
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Zhao Kai /China Daily
YANG YUANSONG, AN AMATEUR WRITER HIMSELF, HAS ALWAYS ENCOURAGED HIS STUDENTS TO WRITE DIARIES AS A WAY TO BUILD UP THEIR CONFIDENCE IN EXPRESSING THEMSELVES.
LIFE
Sun Yuanqing China Daily Anlong, Guizhou
Y
ang Zhengxing is 13. Like many of his peers in the mountainous county of Wanfenghu in Guizhou province in Southwest China, he looks much younger than his age because of malnutrition. His mother left the family when he was 4, and his father works as a construction worker in Zhejiang province, some 25 hours' train ride from home, and returns only once a year. Yang lives with a younger brother and his grandparents who are both in their 70s. Despite his small frame, Yang is considered a major labour source in the family. He toils in the corn field with his grandfather and takes care of his brother. Whatever happens in his life, he records it in his diary. "It's like having someone to talk to," he
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says. "Putting it on paper makes me feel better than burying everything in my heart." As of May, there are 61 million "left-behind children" in China, as estimated by the All China Women's Federation. That means one out of every five children is living without one or both parents, who have left to become migrant workers in urban areas far from home to earn a living. The percentage is even higher in central and western China, where the economy is less developed and the adults have to seek jobs in the cities. It is reckoned that more than 40 per cent of the children in Guizhou are leftbehind by either one or both of their parents. However, little was known about the experiences of these children until last January's release of the book "Diaries of China's Left-behind Children", a collection of the diaries of the "left-behind children" in Wanfenghu. The book unveils for the first time the inner lives of these young people. "People tend to have a stereotype about left-behind children, seeing them as pitiful kids who live in poverty and isolation.
LIFE
People think all they need is something to eat and wear. But they are so much more than that," says Yang Yuansong, initiator and compiler of the book. Yang, 34, who teaches at Maocaoping Primary School, was dubbed one of "China's Most Beautiful Rural Teachers" by China Central Television in September. With 220 diary entries, 12 letters to parents and 21 pictures by 26 children with an average age of 9, the book tells of their joy and sorrow, strengths and fragility. There are 74 students in the primary school Yang works at, and 44, or 60 per cent, are "leftbehind children". Many of these students, cut off from their parents and the outside world, have difficulties communicating with others and lack confidence. Yang, an amateur writer himself, has always encouraged the students to write diaries as a way to build up their confidence in expressing themselves. In 2010, a severe drought hit Guizhou. Yang did not take much notice at first as the school had a water cellar. But Yang Haijiao, a sixthgrade student, began to ask for leave every
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Tuesday and Thursday. She later explained to Yang that she had to fetch water from a place far from home on those days. Her parents were migrant workers in Guangdong province, and she lived with her younger brother and sister and a sick grandmother, making her the only person in the family able to carry water. Yang Haijiao wrote in her diaries about how hard it was for her to carry the 25-kilogramme water bucket, how she was injured on the way back but held back her tears because she didn't want her grandmother to worry and how she struggled to hold the family together while her parents were away. A Miao ethnic child, she did not learn to write in Mandarin until the fourth grade. But now her expressiveness struck even her teacher. "I was totally overwhelmed. I think it was because of the power of the impulse to express herself," Yang Yuansong says. That same kind of power began to show in the diaries of more students. The power was so strong that Yang wanted to share it with more people. He began to compile the diaries and look for a publisher.
LIFE
"I promised the children that I would publish a book about them, but they didn't believe me," Yang recalls. "Their reaction made me more determined. I want to set an example for them. I want these children to witness that one can realise his dream if only he tries and persists. I want them to know the power of dreams." Born into a farmer's family in a nearby county, Yang knows the power of dreams. He dropped out of school 13 times because of poverty before he graduated from a teacher's college. But he counts himself as lucky. "I have always loved writing and wanted to be a writer. I met a teacher in middle school who nurtured and encouraged me to chase my dream," Yang says. "Now it's my turn to do the same for my students." Yang travelled to Beijing and Shanghai to look for publishers but was refused 10 times. He finally secured a publisher in Jiangsu province to publish the book in early 2012. With an initial print run of 15,000 copies, the book sold more than 100,000 copies in its first few months
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on the shelves. The left-over children in the school received subsidies from the sales. The book proved the power of dreams to the students; it also opened their eyes to new dreams. "Some children didn't have dreams because they didn't know so many vocations exist," says Yang. "Now from contact with philanthropists from all walks of life, they are seeing a bigger world." However, Yang remains cautious about the attention given to the students. "Whatever we adults do for them, we should keep it to ourselves. They have to know that they are great, but not pitiful," Yang says. "What they really need is a theme of life, something drives them to jump up and try. And they need a listener, a pair of eyes that follows them around. With the limited resources in the school right now, it is very hard for us to realise it for every student. That is where we need outside help." Yang is now preparing a second volume of the book, which will be released early next year. ÂŹ
POLITICS
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Going nowhere? Many fear that polarised Thailand is sliding toward a political precipice
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POLITICS
PROTESTERS GATHER AT DEMOCRACY MONUMENT IN BANGKOK.
POLITICS
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POLITICS
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POLITICS
Nirmal Ghosh The Straits Times Bangkok
A
t anti-government demonstrations in several Thai cities, some protesters handed flowers to government officials as a token of their peaceful intentions. Yet, some of the images seen at the protests were far from peaceful; one banner featured the severed heads of politicians. As Thailand's politics remain highly polarised and the idea of reconciliation is still just an idea, the underlying potential for savagery has stayed as real as before. There is little middle ground left in Thailand. Even the media has felt the heat of the bitterly polarised environment. Underlining the extreme intolerance for anything that does not support the protesters of the moment, journalists covering the current protests have been harassed and assaulted if their reportage is perceived as pro-government.
This has happened on both sides of the divide; in 2010, protesters against the government of the Democrat Party—now in opposition— attacked a Thai TV station for its perceived negative coverage. The conflict broadly pits Bangkok's old royalist elites and middle class, distrustful of electoral democracy which they insist remains corrupted by money, against the Shinawatra political family, now in power, and its largely rural vote bank. The current protesters, backed by the opposition Democrat Party that represents the interests of the conservative elites, are trying to bring down the ruling Puea Thai party that is backed by former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin, kicked out by the army in 2006 on grounds of corruption and disrespect to the monarchy, is in selfexile abroad to escape a jail sentence
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POLITICS
and his sister Yingluck is now the prime minister. The clan's persistent popularity, especially among the up-country rural masses, is seen by conservatives as a threat to the monarchy itself. The monarchy is seen as synonymous with Thailand's identity; the conflict will reveal whether the country can live up to its label of democracy under a constitutional monarchy. Some think the country has a long way to go. On November 24, Bangkok Post columnist Voranai Vanijaka wrote: "Thailand is no true democracy, although that is what we should work at becoming one day." He added: "We are an 80-yearold country with a fragile, infantile democratic system and a huge baggage of feudalism, with our history often interrupted by military regimes. The past decade is short compared to 80 years of confused identity, and even shorter compared to centuries of feudal traditions."
Putting it bluntly, Thai professor Pavin Chachavalpongpun said: "We are going nowhere." The associate professor at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies at Japan's Kyoto University is optimistic that the government may ride out the current crisis if antigovernment protests lose steam. But he adds: "There will be no solution until all sides sit down and agree on something—but obviously they can't agree on anything and they hold the people hostage." Other analysts are slightly more positive. Political scientist professor Panitan Wattanayagorn, erstwhile spokesman for Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva when the latter was premier from 2008 to 2011, points to a high voter turnout in elections— around 75 per cent—as evidence that Thailand is not a failing democracy. But he concedes that in the current situation, a compromise between the Puea Thai party and
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POLITICS
Democrat Party is unlikely. And he warns: "If they cannot sit down and work together, the people will move Thailand to the next stage, and it is going to be messy." Into this fray, the military may have to step in once again—particularly if clashes erupt between pro- and anti-government civilians. But the military is seen to be reluctant to intervene again after the 2006 coup against then Premier Thaksin for which it was criticised by the international community. It was the coup and the military's subsequent one-year rule, seen to be illegitimate and inept, that spawned a backlash in the shape of the largely pro-Thaksin "red shirt" movement. Since the Thaksin-backed Puea Thai party came to power in 2011, however, it has engineered a detente with the army. It remains to be seen on which side of the divide the military will place itself.
"The military has tried to work with the Yingluck Shinawatra government," says Pavin. "The best option for the military is to maintain the status quo." "The army is quietly gearing up, which is their job," says Panitan. "It wants to send signals to the bad elements (on both sides)." "The conflict is intense. Aggressive elements on both sides are very destructive, and if these people come out again it will be like what we saw two to three years ago. It will be approaching civil war." In the coup of 2006, not a shot was fired. But each subsequent eruption of violence—2008, 2009 and 2010— has been progressively more savage. In the street battles in Bangkok in 2010, at least 91 people were killed. Since then, no progress has been made on bridging the political divide. Compromise is elusive, and once again Thailand is sliding towards a precipice. ¬
POLITICS
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AFP
Konichiwa, Caroline
POLITICS
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POLITICS
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POLITICS
I Mai Niimi The Yomiuri Shimbun Tokyo
f she did not bear the name Kennedy, articles reporting her appointment would have been headlined “first female US ambassador to Japan”. But Caroline Kennedy is the only living child of former US President John F. Kennedy, and was the adorable little girl who captivated the United States decades ago as she rode her pony, a gift from Lyndon Johnson, on the White House grounds. Singer Neil Diamond revealed that she was the inspiration for his hit “Sweet Caroline”. Few talk about her without mentioning she is a member of the Kennedy family. Though it has been 50 years since her father was assassinated in Dallas in 1963, the Kennedy family legend remains very much alive. In her confirmation hearing at the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 19,
Chairman Robert Menendez said, “The Kennedy name has been synonymous with public service for over a century—a family that has sacrificed so much in service to this nation.” Although some critics have pointed to her lack of political and diplomatic experience, Kennedy seems to have been greeted by senators as a representation of the family legacy. The atmosphere there was “particularly friendly”, and it was the “equivalent of a big, wet kiss”, The Washington Post said. Nevertheless, her grandfather Joseph Kennedy was an ambassador to Britain, and her aunt Jean was an ambassador to Ireland. Some experts say that because she grew up in the family so involved in and surrounded by politics, it would be little surprise if she has special political instincts. Despite those public
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POLITICS
expectations, Kennedy steered away from the political world and spotlight—until recently. She is a lawyer and writer, a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Law School. In 1980, she began working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as a researcher and associate film producer, where she met her future husband, Edwin Schlossberg. She married the museum exhibit designer in 1986, and they have three children. Kennedy, 55, is the editor of several New York Times bestselling books on topics ranging from constitutional law to politics to poetry. Among them is “The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis”, which introduces poems her late mother read to her own children and even some written by the former first lady. She is also known for her commitment to educational and
cultural issues. She has held posts including member of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award Committee; chair of Harvard’s Institute of Politics; honorary chair of the American Ballet Theater; and vice chair of the Fund for Public Schools. In exclusive interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun, Kennedy talked about her work as an educator in New York City to teach poetry to children. “One of the greatest gifts I received from my parents is the belief that words have the power to change the world—and the arts can bring us together,” she said. The Profile in Courage Award is a private award created by the Kennedy family to honour public servants who demonstrate politically courageous leadership. But in recent times, the ceremony has been attended by fewer and fewer Kennedys—there used to be her mother, brother John Jr., who died in a plane crash, and
her late uncle Edward, a senator affectionately known as “Ted”. Caroline has come to represent the family on more occasions, and seems to have taken on the role as the guardian of the family. Her appointment as ambassador to Japan seems to underline this pattern. Kennedy described the thousands of well-wishers who lined the streets to watch her travel in a horse-driven carriage to meet the Emperor as “a tribute to the United States and to my family”. It is a “meaningful gift that I can represent my country and family”, she added. In the campaign for the 2008 US presidential election, she endorsed then senator Barack Obama from the early stage, and successfully persuaded Ted to back Obama, too. In January that year, she contributed an article to The New York Times in which she wrote: “I have never
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POLITICS
had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president—not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.” In the 2012 election, she was a cohead of Obama’s campaign office. Kennedy appears to be getting passing marks so far. At her confirmation hearing, she talked about major issues that she would face while stationed in Japan— the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade framework, tensions with China over the Senkaku Islands, and the relocation of a US Marine Corps base in Okinawa Prefecture—in a manner that many media outlets praised as studious and knowledgeable. In her statement, Kennedy said she would be “humbled” to follow in the footsteps of her forerunners, and added
she would “be humbled to carry forward” her father’s legacy “in a small way”. Her husband and two of her children also came to the confirmation hearing, creating a picture of the ideal American family, just as her parents had done. But Menendez, the committee chairman, also said Kennedy brings “your own experience, your own abilities, your own perspective—that uniquely qualify you for this position”, after praising the legacy of her family. Kennedy is keen to stress her individuality, while stressing the importance of her family. In a video message released on November 13, shortly before her departure to Japan, she introduces herself as an “author, educator, attorney and a mother”. While some observers have suggested that she lacks relevant
links to Japan, Kennedy has proactively shown her interest in and ties to the nation. She closed her video message with the Japanese words, “Nihon de oaishimasyo” (I will see you in Japan), and used quotes from Japanese classics in some of her recent speeches. She has began tweeting messages on her official account in English with a Japanese translation. During the interview, she said she loves sukiyaki, tempura and sashimi. “I love being hungry in Japan,” she quipped. These are the new steps Caroline Kennedy is taking. They are unlike those of her father or other members of the family, but she has become a new representative of the Kennedy family. Carefully, but steadily, she is becoming the latest Kennedy to stand in the limelight. ¬
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POLITICS
EXCLUSIVEINTERVIEW: A true friend to Japan The United States “has no more important ally than Japan”, Caroline Kennedy describing the importance of the bilateral relationship and also urged Japan to play a more active role in the international community. “America has no truer friend than Japan, and there is no more important place I could serve my country than in Japan,” said Kennedy, the daughter of the late US President John F. Kennedy. The new envoy, who arrived in Japan on November 15, had the interview with Yoshimitsu Ohashi, managing editor of The Yomiuri Shimbun, at the US ambassador’s official residence. This was her first exclusive interview with a news organisation since assuming the post. The new envoy faces a mountain of important issues to deal with,
including the relocation of the US Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture. “I look forward to visiting Okinawa soon,” Kennedy said, who described the prefecture as “an important strategic location for both countries, particularly in light of an evolving regional security dynamic.” The Japanese and US governments have agreed to relocate the air station from Ginowan to the Henoko district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture. This view was reaffirmed at a meeting of a bilateral security consultative committee last month, but faces strong objections from the prefecture. Kennedy called Henoko “the best option” for the relocation. “We hope that substantive progress is made in the near future,” she said. When asked if she supports the possibility that Japan might reconsider
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POLITICS
its interpretation of its Constitution so it can exercise its right to collective self-defence, Kennedy said that is a question for the Japanese people. However, she expressed hope that Japan will play a more active role in the international community. “Of course, the United States welcomes Japan’s working more closely with us and with others in the international community to address common challenges and threats,” she said. “A Japan that can more easily participate in international peacekeeping operations, for example, is in everyone’s interest.” Asked about her views on the changing security environment of the Asia-Pacific region, Kennedy said: “Peace and stability centre on our close alliance with Japan—our ‘full partnership’—and has been indispensable to the economic
expansion that has lifted so much of Asia out of poverty.” Kennedy also expressed some concern over Japan’s tense relations with China and South Korea over territorial issues and perceptions of history. She urged Japan to make its own efforts to improve ties with the two countries, which she declined to specify by name. “We also believe that good relations between Japan and its neighbours are in everyone’s interest,” Kennedy said. “We trust Japan, and we trust that it will find ways to work through contentious issues diplomatically.” Kennedy studied Japanese art at college. During the interview, she said she is interested in learning more about Japanese poetic traditions. “I am eager to play ‘Hyakunin Isshu’” during the New Year holidays, she said, referring to a card game based on a collection of ancient waka poems.
POLITICS
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AFP
Plain or elegant? Whether it’s a formal pantsuit or the traditional hanbok, South Korea’s first woman president is making people pay attention
POLITICS
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POLITICS
Lee Woo-young The Korea Herald Seoul
F
ashion would seem an unlikely topic for discussion in the maledominated world of politics, but with more women entering politics and ascending to positions of power, it has become a frequently raised topic. For better or worse, the style of women leaders have been under constant scrutiny, making women leaders and their fashion inseparable. “Women leaders are getting more attention for their fashion because there isn’t a set of specific sartorial rules and guidelines as in menswear. For men, suits are the appropriate choice for formal settings and have become like uniforms. But for women, there’s no style that is accepted as appropriate ‘uniform’ for formal settings. People expect different styles from women leaders and show more diverse responses to it,” said Geum Key-sook, professor of textile art and costume design at Hongik University.
Ever since President Park Geun-hye was sworn in as South Korea’s first woman president in February, Park has received mixed comments on her style, something that her predecessors didn’t get. Some of her styles have been criticised for being non-descript and old-fashioned, while others were reminiscent of the elegance and grace of her late mother, former first lady Yuk Young-soo. Park’s style has been either pantsuits for local events or traditional Korean hanbok for formal banquets, especially on overseas trips. Her pantsuits create an authoritative, yet soft image for Park: her mid-thigh, two- or three-button Ottoman jackets usually come in a high collar and a variety of toned-down colours, and her tailored trousers are shaped comfortably, leaving room for her to move with ease. “The pantsuits are well tailored, do not really look rigid and have interesting seam details.
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POLITICS
The soft and well-tailored pantsuits suit her image well,” said London-based Korean fashion designer Eudon Choi. Another veteran fashion designer, however, said the shape of Park’s pantsuits was not very flattering to her figure when asked to comment on her clothes. Park’s suits connect with the past through custommade formal skirts or pantsuits reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s, the time when she was in her 20s and 30s. Some designers say it can be interpreted as maintaining the old elegance of her generation. “Presidents must have elegance in their style. I think Park has the elegance she needed for her role,” said a Seoul-based fashion designer who wished to remain anonymous. “But what’s different from other women leaders is that she keeps her elegance connected to the average people.”
Meanwhile, reactions to her hanbok style are varied. One well-known hanbok designer in Seoul said Park’s hanbok should be more formal to show her authority and position. “There are formulas in hanbok style that accentuate a wearer’s dignity and status,” said the hanbok designer, who wished to remain anonymous, but added that Park still had to get used to the traditional gown. “She should wear hanbok more often, perhaps during her free time, just walk around in it in the Blue House to become at ease wearing it,” she said, referring an incident in London when Park tripped on the skirt of her blue hanbok while getting out of a car. Some designers said Park should wear more clothes and accessories made by Korean designers as she is in a position to give much exposure to clothes by local designers.
“She could help the Korean fashion industry by wearing things by Korean designers when she goes abroad,” the veteran designer said. Choi said designers’ brands can get the spotlight after their clothes are worn by famous figures, such as when Kate Middleton wore a draped blue jersey dress for her engagement, launching its creator, Issa London, to global fame. Geum of Hongik University agreed that Park holds power to give publicity to a particular brand or designer she wears, which can stimulate the whole fashion industry. “It will definitely help the fashion industry to develop. But I don’t think she’s willing to promote what she wears as fashion-wise she’s a reserved person, but that will certainly help designers and the fashion industry,” she said. ¬
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ARTS
Bringing life to bronze A Vietnamese artisan reforms the local ancient bronze casting industry industry Chung Tu and Bui Tuyet Viet Nam News
L LE VAN KHANG IN HIS WORKING CORNER AT HIS HOUSE IN A SMALL ALLEY ON HANG KHOAI STREET IN HA NOI'S OLD QUARTER.
Hanoi
e Van Khang is no ordinary bronze casting artisan. The Hanoian craftsman creates traditional bronze reliefs using modern industrial methods, an innovation that helped him earn the title of Meritorious Craftsman, one of 13 artisans nationwide formally recognised by the state in 2010.
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ARTS
KHUE VAN CAC (PAVILION FOR LITERATURE DISCUSSION), ONE OF THE MINIATURES OF FAMOUS PLACES IN HA NOI CRAFTED BY KHANG
His three-storey house is located in a small alley on Hang Khoai Street in Hanoi's Old Quarter, near Hang Dong, a street famous for the production and trade of bronze casts. The house is like a private museum, full of bronze statues and other casts created by the artisan himself or collected from trips around the country. Khang was not born into a family of bronze casters. After graduating from technical college in Hanoi in 1963, he stayed on to teach metallurgy. "During this time, I discovered my passion for bronze relief," Khang said. For the next 30 years, he worked in craft villages in northern Vietnam such as Vo Commune in Bac Ninh Province, Nom Commune in Hung Yen Province and Ngu Xa Commune in Hanoi.
However, he realised that the traditional techniques, for all their beauty, had many technical shortcomings. So after leaving the craft villages in 1993, Khang tried to combine the skills he had learned with modern industrial methods. "Bronze was very expensive at the time, and there were few people buying bronze products," Khang said. "Depending on how intricate the detail, it can take weeks or months to complete a product." But after starting to sell his works at souvenir shops in Hanoi, he found himself receiving many orders. "The results far exceeded my expectations," Khang said. The orders continued to pile up. In 1999, Khang received an order to produce miniatures of the Temple of Literature and a bronze drum as Vietnamese souvenirs for heads of states at the Francophone Summit.
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ARTS His bronze statue of Buddha Kwan Yin won two awards: national prize "Vietnam Quintessence" and the Indochina Arts Partnership "Golden Hands" award. At 71, Khang is still passionate about bronze relief. Frequent motifs in his work include the four supernatural creatures (dragon, kylin, tortoise and phoenix) and four precious plants (pine, daisy, bamboo and apricot). He also creates bronze busts of Vietnamese celebrities and heroes such as Tran Hung Dao, the Supreme Commander of Vietnam during the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400), celebrated poet Nguyen Du and well-known doctor Ton That Tung. When casting busts, he always tries to illustrate the underlying character of each individual. "Besides sculptures and other artistic casts, artisans should know about physiognomy to make busts more lively," Khang said. He was once commissioned to
cast a bronze statue of President Ho Chi Minh, which can now be found at the government office of Vietnam. Khang is now working on a series of miniatures of famous places in Hanoi such as Thap Rua (Tortoise Tower), Khue Van Cac (Pavilion for Literature Discussion) and Chua Mot Cot (One-Pillar Pagoda). The products, intended primarily as souvenirs for foreign visitors to Vietnam, will be available for purchase after he completes copyright registration. Khang hopes that his fellow bronze sculptors will continue the process of innovation. "Bronze casting artists in other countries have applied modern technology to their creations to improve their products' beauty and quality. Vietnamese bronze workers now have to open their minds and learn some of these new techniques so that we do not fall behind," Khang said. ÂŹ
BUSINESS
Chinese producers take the less travelled road in Africa and Europe for sustained growth Todd Balazovic and Li Aoxue China Daily Beijing
W
hat started 5,000 years ago with a haphazard gust of wind dropping foliage into the boiling pot of a wandering Chinese emperor has brewed into a cultural cornerstone worth billions in any currency. China may be the world's largest tea producer—growing about 2 million tonnes annually—but international demand for leaves from the country best known for its exports is a fraction
Song Chen/China Daily
Testing time for China's tea growers
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BUSINESS of what it produces, with most of the quality product sold domestically. Although it accounts for more than 40 per cent of the tea produced in the world every year, China exports a tiny fraction of the annual crop yield. Tea producers from countries such as Kenya, India and Sri Lanka dominate the global export market, producing mid- to lowquality teas for mass consumption in the US and Europe. The reason for China's small portion of the pot is simple—for Western drinkers unaccustomed to the sophisticated process of fine tea appreciation, the price tag of Chinese tea is too steep. "There is a culture behind Chinese tea that is not found in the West," said Li Zongjian, founder of Lijiang-based tea producer Li Liang Xi, at the recent China Tea Expo in Beijing. Li, who earned his degree studying the ceremony, growing process and health benefits
of tea, says much more goes into Chinese tea than simply creating and consuming. Perched on a bamboo stool before a meticulously carved wooden serving table, Li is eager to prove his point, theatrically clinking together heated cups as he prepares for a Chinese tea ceremony. Carefully pinching a dark chunk of Pu'er tea, fermented black tea leaves made famous by China's southern Yunnan province, he holds them under his nose, inhaling deeply. With a look of satisfaction, he begins preparing the leaves in the way most of the Western world is familiar—boil water, add tea. But before the brewing process is complete, Li dumps the entire pot of US$150 tea into a hidden drain on his serving table— evoking the obvious question "What was the reason for that?" The first boil only works to awaken the tea leaf, he explains. This takes place two more
times before he serves what he has deemed an appropriate cup of tea according to the gongfucha serving method he spent years perfecting. "When Chinese people drink tea, they don't consume it like a product. We have tea as a part of our culture, so the standard is high," Li says, continuing his showmanship with an exaggerated sip from the steaming glass. "For Westerners, it's simply a beverage." Although it's hard to put a price on culture, Li can sell 100 grammes of his hand-picked teas for between $100 and $1,500, depending on the age of the leaves and method by which they were grown—compared with $28 for the same quantity of popular UK tea brand Twinings.
Auction power
While finding someone willing to pay up to four times the price for a block of tea may be difficult, one auction house in Africa
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BUSINESS Tan Kaixing/ For China Daily
FARMERS PICKING TEA LEAVES IN DONGLING VILLAGE, LIUZHOU CITY, IN THE GUANGXI ZHUANG AUTONOMOUS REGION.
has answered the call of tea aficionados from across the globe. The Mombasa Tea Auction house is one of the most famous in the world, selling teas from across the continent to buyers in the US, Europe and Asia, supplying to big names such as Lipton in a traditional live auction format. Facing the opposite problem as
China—Kenya is the third-largest producer of tea globally, with very little demand domestically— the auction house is now revamping the process to allow international bidders the chance to take part in an e-auction. The plan is designed to expand the reach of the world's largest tea auction house, matching
distributors with buyers at a price both can agree on. While Western consumers may be perceived as having a less-sophisticated view of tea drinking, the US and Europe are mass consumers—with US citizens alone sipping more than 79 billion servings in 2012, according to statistics from the Tea Association of the USA. They help fuel an international tea market worth more than $30 billion a year worldwide. But unlike in China, where tea is the centre of many social functions, from gatherings with friends to traditional marriage ceremonies, Americans and Europeans often view it as a cheaper, easy alternative to coffee. More than 50 per cent of the $10 billion annual tea sales in the US last year were ready-todrink beverages. The pre-prepared bottled tea drinks selling for $1 to $2 a bottle in US grocery stores accounted for $4.8 billion in sales, according to numbers from the
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BUSINESS Tea Association of the USA. It was the flourishing success of on-the-go drinks in the US that pushed drinks giant CocaCola to phase out an agreement with Nestle's Nestea last year, instead refocusing efforts to capitalise on the trend in Europe, where traditional teabags still dominate the market. One report, by research company MarketsandMarkets, estimates that by 2017, ready-to-drink tea and coffee sales will make up a $125 billion global industry.
Market dynamics
But while ready-to-drink sales may be on a quick rise, something has been lost in the bustling consumption, says tea enthusiast Par Carlson. "We need to learn the slow process of drinking tea. In Europe it is mostly coffee and quick consumption," he says. One of just a handful of nonChinese attendees at the China Tea Expo, the 49-year-old Swede stands
surveying a row of sweet-smelling black teas from Fujian province, occasionally picking up a handful to take in the aroma. Approached by a salesperson, he eyes the price tag before waving his hand, dismissing any thoughts of a potential sale. "It's hard to put a price range on what I would pay, but this is too much," he says, refocusing his attention on a bushel of Pu'er. Visiting extended family in Beijing, Carlson is one of a small percentage of Europeans who take a more in-depth view on drinking tea. He says in Sweden his local teashop sells 100 grammes of Chinese Pu'er tea for a quarter of the price. The reason for such a price gap, says David Duckler, president and founder of US-based Verdant Tea, is because the cost of famous brands and teas grown in recognised regions is driven up by huge domestic demand. Dispelling the notion that Chinese tea is too expensive, the 26-year-old American's Minnesotabased teahouse sells a variety
of high-quality teas, sourced directly from farmers for less than $5 a cup—the equivalent of an average coffee at Starbucks. "Whenever possible, we try to source from regions or farmers who are doing high-quality work but are not yet famous," he says. "This allows us to present the best value to American customers by providing high-quality tea at more affordable prices and not affected by the high domestic demand." Establishing contact with farming families while working as a Fulbright Foundation scholar to examine tea in China in more depth, Duckler says the reason for the lackluster interest in fine teas is simply because of a scarcity of information. "The Western market is full of young professionals excited to spend money on Scotch whisky, wine and coffee. Tea companies in America have simply never given Americans a reason to spend more than what tea bags cost at the grocery store," he says.
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BUSINESS "When an American customer spends money on coffee or Scotch, they expect to know when and where it was produced, how much was produced and whether flavour, texture and aftertaste make it worth the money. "Tea sellers in America usually focus on health benefits, but not much is said about taste. Even less is said about the origins of the tea." Starting Verdant as an online distributor, Duckler eventually opened a small tearoom to attract customers who wouldn't otherwise seek out his products. His tearoom, complete with carved wooden tables sporting hidden drains, seems more at home in a city such as Shanghai or Guangzhou than in the cold northern state of Minnesota. But it is transplanting that piece of Chinese culture in America that captured his interest while living in China that pushed Duckler and his wife to create Verdant. Preparing tea in the gongfucha fashion and holding tea tasting
daily, Verdant has become a cultural beacon in the local community. "Our strategy is to make sure that the Chinese tea ceremony is approachable," he says. "By showing people how easy and fun tea can be instead of making it seem strange and foreign, we are helping Americans embrace this important piece of Chinese culture and connect with farmers and growing regions." While Verdant may be gaining the attention of locals, supply of his 25 teas is seasonal and the quantity is limited, so expansion will be slow, he says.
Quality issues
Limited supply chains and tough customs inspections are the major roadblocks for Chinese high-end tea growers who have their eyes on shifting their products abroad. Gao Cheng, managing director at Heimeiren Tea Ltd Co, says while his teas might meet the quality standards in China, often stringent policies in Europe
and the US prevent shipments from ever leaving the country. "But with enough people in China demanding our products, there's no real need to ship outside China." At the beginning of the year, Japanese food producer Ito En recalled more than 400,000 packages of Chinaproduced Oolong tea after it failed to meet the nation's pesticide residue standards. Incidents like these hurt the international reputation of Chinese tea, says Chris Yang Hanjun, CEO and founder of international online tea distributor TeaVivre. "We think this is the top reason that has so far inhibited the development of Chinese tea in the international market," he says. Yang, who started TeaVivre in 2010 after noticing there were no famous international tea companies specifically branding Chinese tea, says that for someone trying to establish a name, ensuring quality is the biggest barrier.
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BUSINESS In addition to inviting closer scrutiny from customs officials, it pushes tea aficionados to look elsewhere to get their fix. Yang says he tests the tea quality several times before putting it on offer, something that many mass producers often overlook, because it means the difference between success and failure. "The premise of much of our testing is that the tea meets the low pesticide residue requirements in the US and Europe," he says. "It is the most important factor." But Yang reiterates that creating a culture that looks to appreciate tea, viewing it beyond just a convenient afternoon pick-me-up, is crucial to creating the demand that will have Chinese producers ensuring their products meet international shipment standards. This was the precise aim of Chas Kroll when he initiated the American Tea Masters Association in 2007. Having spent more than a
decade sourcing specialty teas from Johannesburg to Jiangxi, Kroll identified the need for the training and education of tea masters in the US. "At the time there was only one organisation in the US that was doing any training—and looking at their curriculum it was really inadequate," he says. Kroll applied his expertise of tea tasting acquired from his years as a supplier and many similar techniques found in wine tasting, to create a curriculum that certifies enthusiasts as tea masters. So far, Kroll has certified more than 300 people internationally— from Germany, to Australia and the US—as qualified American Tea Masters. With certification costing $2,975, it may be a while before any but the most ardent tea lovers partake—but for Kroll that's a good thing. "We really are aiming to work with people who are willing to dedicate a good amount of time in appreciating good teas," he says.
"As a tea master, it's not just about getting certified. It's about the ongoing process of pursuing knowledge about tea." While American Tea Masters may become certified in a matter of months, Li of Li Liang Xia tea, who spent years studying the complexities of the tea leaf says the process is not so simple. "We cannot simply say let's promote Chinese tea to the world, because it is a culture; it is not something that can be easily learned by foreigners," he says. "Even for Chinese people, it takes five or six years for them to understand the intricacies of tea culture. "But we could use tea as a platform, to let more foreigners understand Chinese culture." Until then, growers like Li are happy to continue selling to the domestic market, where Chinese buyers, appreciating the cultural heritage of the product they're buying, are willing to spend more money. ¬
BUSINESS
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AFP
Plight of the ‘Japan’ brand Scandals in the food and service industries taint Japanese reliability
BUSINESS
| December 6-12, 2013
AFP JAPAN'S LUXURY OKURA HOTEL CHAIN EXECUTIVES BOW THEIR HEADS AT A PRESS CONFERENCE IN TOKYO TO APOLOGISE AFTER THE HOTEL SERVED MEALS MADE WITH INGREDIENTS FALSELY LABELLED AS BEING OF TOP-END QUALITY.
BUSINESS
| December 6-12, 2013
AFP VISITORS DRESSED IN COSTUMES OF DISNEY PRINCESSES POSE FOR PHOTOS AT TOKYO DISNEYLAND. DISNEY JAPAN RECEIVED BAD PRESS RECENTLY AFTER ONE OF THE RESTAURANTS IN TOKYO DISNEYLAND WAS FOUND TO BE SERVING SUB-PAR FOOD.
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BUSINESS
Kwan Weng Kin The Straits Times Tokyo
F
or several decades now, thanks to manufacturing industries obsessed with perfection and a work ethic often considered to be without parallel, Japan has become a symbol of quality and reliability. That reputation has arguably extended well beyond manufacturing to even its service sectors. Nevertheless, I always had some doubts. This happened each time the owner of an eatery that boasts shukketsu sabisu (literally, "hemorrhaging service") tells a television reporter that, even though he was barely making even, he was happy “as long as it made his customers happy”. How could that be, I would ask myself. Surely the poor man needs to make enough to pay for his rent
and his three meals a day. Few people can afford to operate a restaurant as a charity. But now we know that meals sold at give-away prices at shukketsu sabisu establishments do not necessarily mean zero profit. A hint as to how such eateries manage to survive came in the recent humiliating scandal that saw a host of hotels and restaurants—beginning with a hotel chain in Osaka—lining up to admit to the long-time use of ingredients cheaper than what their menus advertised in order to improve their bottom lines. Cooks, under constant pressure to cut costs, resorted to using the cheapest supplies possible without giving the game away. One Chinese restaurant turned out sharks fin soup made with artificial fins moulded with
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BUSINESS
gelatin and other materials. The same dish made with real sharks fin would have easily cost 10 times more. Restaurants in one seaside town that touted the freshness of seafood they labelled as local but which it turned out they were buying from other parts of the country when the local catch was poor. When they did so, they didn't think it was necessary to say so on their menus. Such culinary sleight of hand was no doubt pretty widespread: if major hotels and restaurants had no qualms about getting their cooks to use cheap substitutes, what more the small and nameless operators in one's neighbourhood. We are told that all these problems have since been remedied, at least by those
restaurants that have confessed their sins. For example, canned juice is no longer passed off as freshly squeezed. But can we be really sure? The scandal seems to be far from over yet. Restaurants and hotels continue to queue up to confess to hoodwinking their customers. The only difference is that, since most of these new cases involve businesses in smaller cities, such reports are carried in the back pages of local newspapers, not the national editions. But the damage done to Japan's name is untold. The erosion of the country's hard-earned reputation is happening not only in the food and beverage industries but others as well. The bad news came quickly. A series of breakdowns over
a matter of weeks led to the revelation that the company that manages the train services in the northern island of Hokkaido has apparently lost its rudder. Maintenance was found to be erratic. Problem spots in many lines have been forgotten and not resolved. One driver regularly drove his train way over the speed limit until he was caught. Even Japan's highly vaunted delivery service companies have been found wanting. Sure, they deliver parcels on time and at highly competitive rates. But a scoop by the influential Asahi Shimbun daily woke consumers up to the fact that refrigerated parcels — at least one company—were frequently sorted in nonairconditioned rooms, thus ruining their contents. Meanwhile part-time workers
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BUSINESS
at a few convenience stores gave their fraternity a bad name. They earned the ire of their employers after they not only chose to frolic among the foodstuffs they were supposed to sell, but also got their friends to photograph them in action and upload the pictures to social media sites for all the world to see. The strange thing is not everyone who is guilty gets flak in Japan. The Osaka-based Hankyu Hashin Hotels whose CEO decided to quit, was not the first to admit to fraudulent menu descriptions. The first culprit to come to light were, in fact, one restaurant in Tokyo Disneyland, which is located just outside the capital, and three hotels managed by Tokyo Disney Resort.
Yet the news merited only a tiny column in a not sowell-read daily in May. Disney officials did not hold any press conference nor offered any public apologies. Key television stations in particular shied away from touching the Disney story. Critics suspect that the media avoided talking about scandals concerning Disney because of the company's advertising clout. Not only is Disney a major advertiser, Disney-related programmes, which are consistently popular with viewers, require Disney's cooperation for their production. Do not forget, Disney is the largest entertainment powerhouse in Japan. Tokyo Disneyland, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, has logged
over 500 million visitors, recession or no recession. With the increasing popularity of Japan’s food and pop culture around the world, more and more Japanese companies can be expected to try and gain a footing in overseas markets. This latest series of scandals do not help their bid to win customers in other countries. The influential Nikkei daily put it rather starkly in an editorial: “If Japanese companies lose the trust of consumers at home, they will not only be in a fix. Their managements must realise that Japan as a brand will also be damaged.” However, your Japanese hybrid car and video game machine have not lost their sheen. There are still many things that the Japanese do very well and I hope they continue that way. ¬
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ENTERTAINMENT AFP PHOTOS
Bigger than Taiwan The Golden Horse, also known as the Chinese Oscars, has solidified its importance in the Chinese-speaking world
TAIWANESE ACTRESS KUO SHU-YAU HOLDS A TROPHY AFTER WINNING THE BEST NEW PERFORMER AT THE ANNUAL AWARDS.
ENTERTAINMENT
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KEVIN TSAI, WHO HOSTED THE CEREMONY, WALKS THE RED CARPET.
ENTERTAINMENT
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TAIWAN-BASED FILM DIRECTOR TSAI MING-LIANG FROM MALAYSIA SPEAKS AS HE HOLDS HIS TROPHY AFTER WINNING THE BEST DIRECTOR.
ENTERTAINMENT
HONG KONG ACTRESS MAGGIE CHEUNG, PREVIOUS GOLDEN HORSE BEST ACTRESS WINNER, ARRIVES AT THE GLITZY CEREMONY.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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HONG KONG ACTOR ANDY LAU MAKES THE "50" SIGN IN HONOUR OF THE AWARDS' GOLDEN YEARS.
ENTERTAINMENT
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The China Post Taipei
T
he Golden Horse Awards celebrated its 50th birthday at Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall in Taipei on November 23. Over a hundred internationally renowned directors, actors, actresses, and filmmakers from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other countries walked down the red carpet and together marked a historic moment. Audiences, perhaps, are still caught up in reminiscing about the last 50 years of Chineselanguage film history, but achievements made by the Taiwan-based Golden Horse Awards on its 50th birthday have solidified its importance in the Chinese-speaking world. To some netizens, however, it may be a surprise that on its 50th birthday, instead of giving the top award for best feature film to a Taiwaneseproduced film, the Golden Horse Awards chose to hand it to the Singaporean low-budget film Ilo Ilo, which features a story based around a family, depicting the relationships between a foreign worker and her employer's child.
TAIWANESE FILM DIRECTOR ANG LEE, THIS YEAR'S CHAIRMAN.
A film need not be American to win an Oscar, and need not be French to get the Palme d'Or, so surely it is not a must that a Taiwan-based film production win the Golden Horse Awards. When Singaporean Anthony Chen went on the stage and received his trophy from Oscarwinning director Ang Lee, he said that he could not believe the film won the award, commenting that “I finally got a chance to hold Lee's hand.” “This film is made in a small country, it is a small-scale production, and yet that an international film awards would give such an honour to us makes me greatly appreciative to the
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ENTERTAINMENT Golden Horse Awards,” Chen said. Tsai Ming-liang, a Taiwan-based Malaysian director, shared the spotlight in the 50th anniversary ceremony by winning his second Golden Horse best director award for his film Stray Dogs. The moment when Taiwanese actress Yang Kuei-mei, who often stars in Tsai's films, announced the news on stage, Tsai burst out in tears. Tsai wiped away his tears on stage, and said he really has mixed feelings on the Golden Horse Film Awards, stating that “we have a complicated history, I don't like the Golden Horse Awards, and it doesn't like me either ... Nevertheless, to allow a Malaysian overseas student who had quarrels with the award in the past to still get the trophy—only Taiwan can make it happen.” Tsai was the first director who was nominated in the Golden Horse Awards and withdrew himself twice from competition. Both Chen and Tsai's on-stage
remarks highlighted the fact that the Golden Horse Awards is not merely a film ceremony for Taiwan, but for the entire Chinese-language film industry. The Golden Horse Awards ceremony has broken barriers and has proved to be an important awards ceremony across the international film industry. After the ceremony, Ang Lee told local media that it does not matter where the film comes from, or by whom it was directed; as long as it has what it takes to win the Golden Horse, the trophy belongs to the film. The Golden Horse was established in 1962 to promote the Taiwanese film industry, and it invited Hong Kongbased film productions to join its competition. Although the government might not be willing to admit it, the original intention of the awards was to get closer to Hong Kong—when it was still a UK colony—for more complex political reasons. The intention
may have been political in the first place, but after decades, it is no longer about politics, but about film industries in Chinese-speaking countries. Over the decades, the Golden Horse Awards gradually enlarged its scale, and is now the most prestigious and time-honoured film awards ceremony in the world of Chinese-language cinema. It now welcomes films from Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and other Chinese-speaking areas. On the other hand, the Golden Horse Film Festival, established in 1979, intends to introduce excellent films from around the world to Taiwanese audiences to stimulate an exchange of ideas and to inspire creativity. Moreover, world-renowned director Hou Hsiao-hsien founded the Golden Horse Film Academy in 2009 to create a platform for talented filmmakers to exchange professional experiences and opinions. ¬
DATEBOOK
| December 6-12, 2013
HONG KONG
VERY HONG KONG FESTIVAL The Very Hong Kong is the city's first independent, annual programme with a mix of communityfounded arts, culture, food, lifestyle, sport and design events, held in various public spaces in the city. It will be celebration of Hong Kong's unique mix of culture, heritage, cosmopolitan lifestyle and urban environment by transforming the city's public space. When: December 7-15 Where: Major streets including Wan Chai and Kowloon East
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TOKYO
SEAONAL ILLUMINATIONS Seasonal illuminations around Christmas have become a popular attraction in streets across Tokyo. Illuminations are typically displayed from now on to around Christmas or New Year, while a few are kept up until Valentine's Day in February. Miss the illuminations will be a lifelong regret for tourists in Tokyo. When: Until Christmas or New Year Where: Shiodome, Shinjuku, Ginza, and Roppongi Hills
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SEOUL
CULTURE FOREST PROJECT Korean performances now are renowned for the combination of western and eastern art essence. "Everyday is a festival at Garden5," is best shown during the Garden5's annual Culture Forest Project, which will feature scheduled concerts and performances at one of Korea's largest multi-purpose shopping and cultural complexes. When: Until Jan 31, 2014 Where: Garden5
KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN
PURPLE BUTTERFLY VALLEY-TWO YEAR BUTTERFLY VIEWING EVENT In the Maolin National Scenic Area, millions of migrating Euploea butterflies (purple in colour) cross the ocean and arrive there to winter over. The area has one of only two winter migratory butterfly gorges in the world. The purple Euploea is a rare wintering butterfly. Tourists from every corner of the world travel every year to Maolin to experience first hand this magnificent, worldclass scene of beautiful purple butterflies dancing in the air. When: December 2013-March 2014 Where: Maolin District
DATEBOOK BANDUNG, INDONESIA
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ASEAN WOMEN: “EMPOWERMENT: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES” The world community sees women become heads of state, CEOs, bank governors and important figures in organisations. However, equally true are the many women around the world still struggling with their lives to get access to even basic human/women rights such as right to education, right to personal security and right to determine her own course of life. The event will explore why and how to address the issue. When: December 10-12
PHUKET
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EMERGING TRENDS IN ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (ICETET'13) The event aims to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and scholars to exchange and share their experience and research results about all aspects of engineering and technology, and discuss the practical challenges encountered and the solutions adopted. When: December 7-8 Where: Patong Beach
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| December 6-12, 2013 BEIJING
WANGFUJING Large-scale drama Wangfujing, originally produced by the National Centre for Performing Art after more than two years of painstaking efforts, features a grand panoramic view and showcases the hundred-year vicissitudes of Wangfujing, China's No.1 commercial street. It vividly outlines the image and spirit of Beijing people and displays a rich and profound Beijing flavour. When: Dec 7-21 Where: National Centre for Performing Art
SINGAPORE
1ST ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ADVANCES IN VETERINARY SCIENCE RESEARCH (VETSCI 2013) The brand-new event aims to explore the study of animal health, animal diseases, prevention and cure. Through sharing and networking, VETSCI will provide researchers and practitioners to exchange information on current advancements in the study and practice of Veterinary Science. When: December 9-10 Where: 11 Canning Walk
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