Asianews October 18- 24,2013

October 18-24, 2013

Disney

in China

| October 18-24, 2013

October 18-24, 2013

Contents We e k l y B r i e f i n g Entertainment

The news in numbers

Disney's new heights

Business

‘Meat’ing the demand

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October 18-24, 2013

Contents Life

Lessons on ageing population Lifestyle

Finding happiness

Life

Breaking the mercury Travel

Narrow road north

October 18-24, 2013

Contents

>>DATEBOOK Food

Culture

Please eat the exhibits

Museum of my own

Happenings around Asia

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WEEKLY BRIEFING

The Nation

US$1.8 million

AFP

Amount the Cambodian government is providing to the Khmer Rouge war crimes court for salaries of the national staff until the end of 2013.

The UN-backed tribunal will continue to try case 002 of 'brother number two', Nuon Chea, 87, FORMER KHMER ROUGE and former head of state, LEADER NUON CHEA Khieu Samphan, 82, for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. Established in 2006, this hybrid court had already achieved a conviction in case 001, sentencing former prison chief Kaing Gech Eav, alias Duch, to life in prison for overseeing the deaths of around 15,000 people tortured and killed in Tuol Sleng prison.

42% Ratio of MPs who are heirs or relatives of big political clans and families in Thailand, King Prajadhipok's Institute says. Thailand leads Mexico (40%), the Philippines (37%), Japan (33%), Argentina (10%) and the United States (6%).

7

litres

Average yearly alcohol consumption in Laos, which ranks top out of the 10 Asean countries for alcohol beverage/ beer consumption, a survey by the World Health Organisation says.

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WEEKLY BRIEFING

CYBER TERROR RESPONSE CENTER OF THE NATIONAL POLICE AGENCY IN SEOUL AFP

AFP WOLSUNG NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

22-29%

Designated evacuation sites in Japan's 44 prefectures that are quake-resistant, according to a survey conducted by the Board of Audit. Out of the 90,262 shelters in 1,615 municipalities, only about half or 50,964 could adequately withstand earthquakes. The survey did not cover Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures.

+49

Number of cyberattacks on the Military Manpower Administration of South Korea in the past three years, a lawmaker says, citing a report from the agency to a parliamentary audit.

The net satisfaction rating of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, down from +64 in June, the latest Social Weather Stations survey shows. Aquino's office acknowledged public outrage over the pork barrel scam may have dragged down the numbers. Meanwhile, 45% of Filipinos want pork junked, a survey

by Pulse Asia Research Inc. says.

AFP

56%

Amount of nuclear energy that South Korea is eyeing by 2035, according to recommendations from a joint working group.

1,607

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WEEKLY BRIEFING

AFP

100 million

Number of trips that Chinese tourists will have undertaken by next year.

CHINESE TOURISTS IN HONG KONG

60% Percentage of luxury purchases done by Chinese outside their country, a report by consultancy Bain & Co. says.

$12,800 Average that Chinese tourists spend on shopping in London, higher than the former record holders from the oilrich Middle-East countries, according to the Daily Mail UK

$2,300

Average that Chinese tourists spend on shopping in Japan, nearly three times that of South Korean tourists, according to the Japan National Tourism Organisation.

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BUSINESS

comes

‘Meat’ing

the demand The meat business is probably as old as humanity, but it’s something we rarely think about

BUSINESS GRACE CHEN The Star Petaling Jaya

T

he meat industry in Malaysia was in the limelight recently courtesy of Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) taking a central role in the Food and Hotel Malaysia 2013 (FHM) trade show at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center.

For an idea of how much Malaysians have grown to appreciate their meat, here is an interesting statistic provided by MLA regional manager Andrew Simpson.

“When Australia started exporting meat to Malaysia in the late 1980s, the quantity was only 1,000 tonnes a year. Today, the combination of chilled and frozen beef and lamb is about 40,000 tonnes a year, estimated to be worth A$200 million (US$189 million). That makes Malaysia a very important market,” says Simpson.

Consider the kind of prices Malaysian consumers are willing to pay for premium meats; a piece of wagyu striploin with a marble score of 8+ for example, may cost 109.82 ringgit (US$34.54) for only 256gm. The very

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same cut with a lower marbling score of 6+, is a tad cheaper at 82.57 ringgit for 230gm.

The more affordable cuts like an Angus striploin retail at 24.63 ringgit for 226gm.

Simpson reckons the early pioneers who got the ball rolling between the Malaysians and Australians were veterans, like See Wing Kee of Lucky Frozen Sdn Bhd and Lawrence Pok of Pok Brothers Sdn Bhd, who formed partnerships with exporters, processors (a pleasanter term for slaughter houses) and farmers.

“Back then, compared to the Japanese and American market, which today import 320,000 and 240,000 tonnes of meat respectively, Australia did not identify the Malaysian market for what it was—up till five years ago.

“This was when Australia took the big step to obtain special accreditation for its meat plants to comply with the halal status sought by Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Advancement (Jakim). In fact, halal processing in Australia had begun as far back as the 1970s to cater to the Southeast Asian and Middle-East markets,” says Simpson.

Burgeoning appetites aside, credit also goes to marketing efforts—and perseverance. Rose Yong, now MLA country manager, says when

BUSINESS she started as a fresh sales representative working from a home office in 1998, her only companion was an electronic typewriter.

“Meat inventories in supermarkets then were largely made up of New Zealand and US exports so we had to create demand for Australian meat. To penetrate the market, we aimed for two areas—retail and food service.

One of my first customers was Hock Choon Supermarket, then owned by Diana Lim, before it was sold to Jaya Grocer. I recall arriving at her office at 10am, but she was so busy with store operations I had to wait till 4pm!” recalls Yong who finally convinced Lim to give her a small section at their butchery counter.

Once she got her foot in the door, Yong wasted no time.

“We gave our customers samplings where we had promoters cooking our beef and lamb so shoppers could get their first taste of Australian meat. The customer education plan was instrumental in pushing our products to the forefront,” says Yong.

Much effort was also made to penetrate the Chinese banquet sector. Realising the cooking of lamb and beef had evolved little in Chinese restaurants, MLA introduced the Red Majesty Chef programmes in 2010

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SILAGE: CUT NAPIER GRASS MIXED WITH MOLASSES, ENZYMES, MULTI VITAMIN POWDER AND SALT IS USED TO FEED LIVESTOCK.

where 100 Chinese cuisine chefs were exposed to a year-long culinary series that included visits to meat farms in Australia.

“The programme’s focus was the banquet sector where new cooking techniques were introduced. In Chinese cooking, stir-frying is the norm for cooking, but when you

BUSINESS have to feed 5,000 guests who will consume approximately two tonnes of meat, this will be very time consuming, not to mention tiring.

So, we introduced the use of technology such as Combi ovens to cook large batches of meat and preserve texture and flavour,” says Rose.

MLA has invested heavily in promotion and educational drives in Malaysia over the past 15 years. For the master butchery competition at FHM 2013 alone, MLA provided 29 lamb carcasses for participants to utilise.

This does not include meat used in other culinary competition categories for mains and appetisers where students from Yong’s culinary and butchery "theatre" called Beyond Culinary, also took part. The MLA is also no stranger to organising special appearances by celebrity chefs like Jasmine Said, former executive chef of the Queen Elizabeth luxury cruise liner and master butcher Alan Palmer, who presided as judge at the FHM 2013 butchery competition.

“The fact that we have given chefs and shoppers ideas what to do with our meat has contributed greatly to sales,” says Simpson.

“Chefs love our cost saving ideas. For example, we have shown them how to obtain a similar texture to tenderloin cuts from the rump which is about 23 ringgit

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MUTTON MAN: AMURTHALINGAM MUTHIAH OF TOMARA AGRO RESOURCES (R) GETS HIS CABRITOS FROM DAIRY GOAT FARM OWNER RAFIK VAUGHAN WILLOUGHBY.

a kilo as opposed to the actual tenderloin, which is 30 ringgit a kilo,” he adds.

Just how lucrative is the meat market?

Amurthalingam Muthiah of Tomara Agro Resources, a local farm development consultancy and livestock supplier, says prospects were attractive enough to lure him away from his jasmine flowers business. This was in 1997, when jasmines were fetching 600 ringgit to 800 ringgit per acre, double the price of palm oil. Currently, Tomara largely deals with ruminants like goats, sheep and

BUSINESS horses (commercially known as dog meat and used in canned pet food). He also supplies camel, ostrich and venison to niche markets.

“When I found the business contact to venture into livestock in 1999, I knew I was looking at a universal need. True enough, in a year, I made 10 times more than the jasmine business,” says Amurthalingam, who reveals revenues can touch 1.3 million ringgit a year.

Today, the bachelor’s focus is on cabritos, young male goats aged no older than six months, weighing between 18 to 22kg each.

Supply is obtained from select meat and dairy farms in Negri Sembilan, Pahang and Perak.

The demand for cabritos began in 2000 together with the mushrooming of Middle Eastern restaurants here. Cabritos are considered ideal for the Middle Eastern diet as they were leaner and without marbling. The current market price for cabritos is 70 ringgit per kilo, about 700 ringgit a head, compared to regular adult goats, which are priced between 500 ringgit and 600 ringgit each.

Amurthalingam says Malaysia is currently only 20 per cent selfsufficient when it comes to meat.

“Largely, it has to do with local mindsets about the livestock industry. Due to this, we

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have lagged far behind, especially in research on crucial issues like precision farming to improve yields with less acreage. At present, most cattle farms are located in palm oil estates as regulations dictate that livestock farms must be 3km away from housing estates.

“The usual set up for meat cattle farming is about six cows to an acre based on a cutand-carry arrangement (where cut grass is brought directly to the cow sheds). One other threat to the industry is theft, a rampant affair. It is not uncommon to hear of robbers tying up a farmer and making off with his entire flock! Next is smuggling along the Thai and Indonesian borders,” he says.

Currently, the cost for feeding a local cow for meat hovers around 3.50 ringgit to 7 ringgit a day, plus vitamin injections.

It takes about two years for a cow to mature. A live cow can command up to 6,000 ringgit a head, at today’s prices.

But being in the meat business is not only about livestock. There is the question of pasture and the grass is looking very green here.

“Let’s not forget that a cow needs close to 40kg of grass a day,” says Amurthalingam who stresses feed as the most crucial aspect for meat farms, in addition to hygiene.

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BUSINESS Answering this call for livestock feed is Azlan Abdul Karim and his company, Sweet Grass, a year-old venture in Kampung Tengah, Lenggeng, Negeri Sembilan. The airline security head saw a niche when his wife, who works with the veterinary services department, confided local farmers were complaining they could not find enough feed for their livestock.

At present, the common daily menu for livestock is a salad of leucaenas, acacias, oil palm fronds and Indian napier grass.

“Logistically, it is a challenge for a farmer to manage the growing of feed for his livestock because of land scarcity. So, I started a 1½ acre grass farm in July last year,” says Azlan who grows Indian napier because of its high protein content.

Taking it a step further, Azlan has also started making sileage, fermented Indian napier grass mixed with molasses, salt, enzymes and a special nutrient powder imported from the US that contains 69 micro nutrients. The fermented grass is packed in 42kg plastic drums and sold for 15 ringgit each. The idea is to provide the farmer a convenient solution for rainy days.

This is not entirely a new idea as the veterinary services department has been

teaching farmers how to do it since the 1970s.

Currently, sales have reached 3,000 ringgit per month, but by the time the farm reaches full capacity, sales should touch 10,000 ringgit.

The challenge is in meeting market expectations as cattle farmers are very sensitive to cost. But Azlan hopes the convenience of regular supplies, freeing the farmer to focus on animal well-being, will be a selling point.

Lastly, comes the question of animal welfare. Though Amurthalingam maintains farmers do not develop emotional attachments to their livestock, there is a code of conduct to ensure the animals are treated as humanely as possible during their short lifespans.

“You must remember animals have feelings too. For this reason, an animal should never be slaughtered in front of other animals but in an enclosed area. Even then, killing is done in a humane way where the animal is knocked unconscious first so that it does not struggle,” says Amurthalingam.

He also points out that people should refrain from wasting food out of respect for the animal’s sacrifice. US$1 = 3.17 ringgit

LIFE

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JAPANESE ENVIRONMENT MINISTER NOBUTERU ISHIHARA (R) AND ACHIM STEINER (L), UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LAYS CHRYSANTHEMUM ON THE MEMORIAL MONUMENT FOR THE VICTIMS OF MINAMATA DISEASE OF MERCURY POISONING AT MINAMATA CITY IN KUMAMOTO PREFECTURE, WESTERN JAPAN ON OCT 9, 2013.

Breaking the mercury THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN Tokyo

A UN diplomatic conference has adopted the Minamata Convention on Mercury to regulate the global mining and trade of mercury and the manufacturing of products containing the substance. The convention is

designed to control the global output of mercury to prevent harm to health and the environment.

Participating countries and territories will now begin procedures to sign and ratify the treaty.

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LIFE

CHINA: 'City of mercury' TAKAHIRO SUZUKI The Yomiuri Shimbun Wanshan, China

JIANG WENZHU, WHO WORKED AT A MERCURY REFINERY IN WANSHAN, GUIZHOU PROVINCE, SUFFERS FROM CHRONIC MERCURY POISONING, WHICH HAS CAUSED SEVERE BODILY PAIN AND LOSS OF ALMOST ALL HIS TEETH.

Wanshan in Guizhou Province, China, was once known as the “City of Mercury”. Local mercury production once accounted for 60 per cent of China’s entire production due to large-scale regional development of mercury resources since the 1950s.

About 970 kilometres of tunnels were dug at Wanshan and their resources were depleted by the end of the century. Visitors to a mining tunnel opened to the public can see what remains of the old days on the walls. Mercury ores of a dull vermilion sheen dot the tunnel walls.

The gums of Jiang Wenzhu, 81, who worked at a mercury refinery in Wanshan for 30 years, started bleeding in his 40s—a common symptom of chronic mercury poisoning. He began to feel numbness in his body more than a decade ago. Jiang, who has lost most of his teeth, said: “My condition isn’t serious. Patients who were seriously ill died soon after coming down with the chills.”

When I asked a 55-year-old male worker about the health effects of mercury at a construction site in the town, he said he was suffering from

chronic mercury poisoning. Hearing our conversation, many people nearby chimed in that they were also victims.

These people had been employed in the mercury mining industry.

In spite of the health hazards, mercury is still widely mined in China because there is a strong demand.

China is believed to use about 1,000 tonnes of mercury a year, accounting for one-fourth of the estimated world demand, according to the UN Environment Programme.

The suburbs of Wanshan are lined with recycling plants that collect used mercury catalyst. The Minamata Convention on Mercury calls for a 50 per cent reduction in the use of mercury catalyst by 2020 from the 2010 levels and decreased dependence on mercury ore.

Recycling mercury catalyst will help reduce mercury output.

However, urgent changes are needed in production methods of chemical products and other substances to avoid the use of mercury catalyst.

Suzuki is a correspondent based in Shanghai.

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LIFE

JAPAN: No relief after 50 years

FUJIE SAKAMOTO

For more than half of her life, Fujie Sakamoto has been forced to live in agony because of Minamata disease. “If it were not for Minamata disease, I could have lived peacefully by the sea,� the 88-year-old said.

All four of her family members, including her late husband and their eldest daughter, who died young, are officially recognised as patients of the disease.

The disease is neurological poisoning caused from eating seafood contaminated with methyl mercury in industrial waste water. Regarded as Japan's first major pollution problem, the disease was officially recognised in Minamata in 1956. Seeking official recognition as patients of the disease, victims have filed one suit against Chisso Corp., a chemical company blamed for

causing the disease. In 1995, the government attempted a political settlement such as offering sufferers lump-sum payments. However, the Supreme Court handed down a ruling in 2004 that found the government responsible for the outbreak of the disease. Following the ruling, the number of victims seeking to be recognised as Minamata disease patients soared.

The law concerning relief measures for Minamata disease victims was enacted in 2009. About 65,000 people, including patients of Minamata disease in Niigata Prefecture, have applied for recognition to become eligible for compensation and financial aid.

Sakamoto’s husband, Takeyoshi, was a Chisso employee. In the summer of 1953, the couple had their first child, Mayumi.

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LIFE Around that time, mysterious deaths of cats were reported in Minamata after the cats became unable to walk. The couple never imagined the deaths were caused by mercury in fish from Minamata Bay. Mayumi, meanwhile, began stumbling and crying in the summer of 1956, just before turning 3. In May that year, Minamata disease was officially recognised, but the cause of Mayumi’s symptoms remained unknown at that time. A month after falling sick, Mayumi lost her eyesight. She then began having difficulties in walking, speaking and eating.

“She collapsed every day and looked as weak as a doll,” Sakamoto said.

Mayumi died at the age of 4 years and 5 months.

Sakamoto filed a group suit against Chisso to seek compensation. In 1973, the Kumamoto District Court

ordered the company to pay from 16 million yen to 18 million yen per patient.

Soon after the court decision, Sakamoto visited the company’s headquarters in Tokyo because she wanted to prod the firm to pay compensation to victims who were not plaintiffs of the suit.

“Chisso’s executives at that time were cold. Their attitude was like, ‘Why don’t you let it go because we’ve already paid,’” she recalled. “With feelings of anger and pity building up, I threw back their money and said to them, ‘Here’s your money back. Now bring Mayumi back to life.’”

“Some people believe anything can be settled with money. I believe such thinking leads to pollution problems,” she added.

Sakamoto also said, “We can’t prevent these problems unless companies and governments around the world give serious consideration to the lives of people in vulnerable positions.”

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LIFE

The Minamata Convention is designed to regulate the mining, export and import of mercury, as well as the production of products using the substance and its emission into the atmosphere, soil and water.

To be specific, the mining of mercury will be banned within 15 years after the convention takes effect, while no new mine development will be permitted.

Meanwhile, manufacturing, exports and imports of blood pressure gauges and antiseptics using mercury, along with fluorescent lamps containing a certain amount of mercury, will be banned, in principle, from 2020.

When newly constructing a coal-fired thermal power plant that will emit mercury into the atmosphere, a plant operator will be obliged to adopt the best technology available to curb the emission. As mercury is being used the most at small-scale gold mines, the convention included a provision calling for reducing the amount of mercury to be used and emitted at such mines.

The convention is also expected to be ratified by China, which accounts for 30 per cent of the world’s emission of mercury into the air, and the United States, which has not concluded any conventions concerning chemical

materials and wastes.

Mercury discharged either into the air or into rivers as a result of industrial activities accumulates in fish and other seafood, causing harmful effects on the nervous system of humans when eaten.

Although it is hardly used in Japan, mercury is still used in developing countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America, raising concerns over health hazards.

The convention will take effect 90 days after 50 countries and territories have ratified it. The United Nations Environment Program aims to have the convention take effect in 2016.

LIFE

| October 18-24, 2013

Lessons on ageing population AFP PHOTOS

AFP

Number of elderly in Japan needing home care and care in institutions tripled—from 1.49 million to 4.45 million—between 2000 and 2012.

The number is set to grow as the Japanese are likely to live even longer

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LIFE SALMA KHALIK The Straits Times Tokyo

I

n 20 years, Singapore will have the same demographic profile as Japan has today. In other words, about one in four people will be over the age of 65.

And in Japan, the picture is not pretty. Unless the right steps are taken and changes are made early, Singapore will face the same problems that Japan is trying to handle now.

Japan has more than 50,000 people aged 100 years and older, with the vast majority living in nursing homes.

These homes also have many patients who are in their late 70s and early 80s, and who could remain in nursing care for two or three decades more.

At one home in Tokyo that Health Minister Gan Kim Yong visited last month, the oldest

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LIFE resident was 116 years old.

Over the past 70 years, the lives of the Japanese have lengthened by about 35 years.

In itself, this is good, since it means people are living longer.

But unless they remain healthy for the bulk of their lives, the number of people who will need care in their later years will go up.

Between 2000 and 2012, the number of elderly needing home care and care in institutions in Japan tripled—from 1.49 million to 4.45 million.

As there is nothing so far to indicate that the Japanese have reached their ultimate lifespan— currently an average of 86 years for women and 82 for men— the number of people requiring help in their old age will likely continue to grow as the youngold join the ranks of the old-old.

But despite their longer lives, more Japanese are dying each year than are being born. Japan's population last

year declined by 212,000, the biggest drop on record.

Projections by the Japanese government indicate that if the current trend continues, the population will decline from its current 127.5 million to 116.6 million by 2030, and 97 million by 2050.

This could badly impact the country's economic growth as it means there will be a smaller working population. Unlike Singapore, Japan does not have a large pool of foreign workers to bolster its flagging workforce.

Language is one of the barriers.

Japan's woes don't end there.

Not only is the population shrinking, but it is also moving away from the "ideal" pyramid shape where there are many young people supporting relatively fewer older people.

It is now apple-shaped, with a big number of middleaged people. By 2060, this will change to become topheavy—many older people

supported by relatively fewer younger adults, with even fewer young people in the pipeline.

Japan and Singapore are responding by trying to keep people's disability years, or years lived with severe ailments, to a minimum by assisting the elderly to remain healthy and independent for as long as possible.

That way, longer lives would be more meaningful as the elderly enjoy a better quality of life. It would also reduce their need for care services—except perhaps for the last handful of years, rather than for a decade or two, as some people now require.

Professor Junichiro Ohgata of Tokyo University's Institute of Gerontology has also suggested redefining the working age group.

If people continue to work beyond the age of 65, it will increase the group of workers while shrinking the group of elderly people being supported.

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LIFE Instead of retiring at 65, as they now do, they should be encouraged to continue working until they are 75, he said.

Keeping people in the workforce for a longer time has an additional benefit, he said.

It will not only boost the work pool, but also give older people the motivation to carry on, and to keep themselves healthy.

The institute is involved in several projects concerning the elderly, including the "Smart City", a custom-built estate some 40km away from metropolitan Tokyo for about 400,000 older people. It has all the necessary support services, such as medical care, home help, social support group and accessible, barrier-free transport, so they can continue to live a good life in the community despite their increasing frailty.

The institute also has a project which finds work for people in their 70s—called secondlife careers—such as running a

cafe or growing vegetables in a climate-controlled container.

But the project is still in the pilot phase, so it is not known if such jobs can be profitable or even self-sustaining.

But so far, the university has found that people who continue working are generally healthier than those who don't.

Although the jobs they are doing may not be contributing much to the economy, Ohgata said working keeps them away from nursing homes, which is a major benefit.

With more elderly people expected to need considerable help in their daily lives, the Japanese government recently announced that the sales tax will go up from the current 5 per cent to 8 per cent, to help the country cope with its mounting debt.

Meanwhile, Japan needs to divert people from its shrinking workforce to look after the dependent elderly—either in

nursing homes or to provide home-care services for them.

Even with the use of technology to make caring for the dependent elderly less onerous, the staff-to-patient ratio remains high: one staff member to two to three patients when looking after the more able patients; and one staff to one patient for the more dependent ones, as well as the wealthier patients willing and able to pay for the service.

This is what awaits Singapore —unless things change.

What needs to be done is easy to identify: People here need to have more children, everyone needs to remain in good health, and the working age needs to be extended.

What's tougher is getting the desired results.

But it is obvious that it is not something the government can do alone. Singaporeans themselves must realise the consequences of inaction. ¬

LIFESTYLE

| October 18-24, 2013 Roslan Rahman/AFP

Finding happiness SINGAPORE EMERGED TOP IN ASIA AND 30TH WORLDWIDE IN A WORLDWIDE HAPPINESS REPORT.

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LIFESTYLE

Andrea Ong And Melissa Pang The Straits Times Singapore

HAVING SOMEONE TO COUNT ON IN TIMES OF TROUBLE, PERCEIVED FREEDOM TO MAKE LIFE CHOICES, AND GENEROSITY IN DONATING TO CHARITY ALL CONTRIBUTE TO HAPPINESS.

I

f global happiness surveys can be thought of as emotional thermometers, the mercury levels for Singapore would have been seesawing over the last month.

Most dramatic was the Gallup poll on happiness, where Singapore registered the greatest leap in positive emotions worldwide, entering the top half of 143 countries after being deemed the least positive country last year.

But last month, Singapore emerged top in Asia and 30th worldwide in the United Nations' second World Happiness Report.

What can be made of these fluctuating numbers? Some have questioned the reliability of such studies, especially since they touch on "fluffy" ideas like happiness.

But while evaluating happiness is indeed an evolving science, this should not derail the conversation on well-being which has been picking up steam around the world and in Singapore. The larger picture to bear in mind is not

rankings but how well-being data can improve policy-making by offering a better understanding of human behaviour and emotions.

As the economist Jeffrey Sachs, who contributed to the 153page UN report, notes: "There is now a rising worldwide demand that policy be more closely aligned with what really matters to people as they themselves characterise their well-being."

The question to ask, therefore, is not so much how well Singapore did in XYZ world ranking but how best to put a finger on the pulse of people's well-being.

One point to note is that this week's Gallup findings and last month's UN report measure different aspects of well-being.

The Gallup release covered only "positive affect", where respondents are asked questions on how they felt the day before, such as whether they felt well rested, treated with respect and whether they had smiled or laughed a lot.

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LIFESTYLE The UN report, on the other hand, measures people's happiness with life as a whole.

It also uses Gallup data, but for a different question on what is known as the Cantril ladder: how people rate their lives from zero (the worst possible life) to 10 (best possible). Singapore's UN ranking improved three places this year but Singaporeans were slightly less happy with their lives, scoring 6.55—a whisker shy of 6.6 last year.

More importantly, this year's UN report shows how the conscientious study of well-being can be refined over time to add to the discourse on policy-making.

The report zooms in on six factors that explain 75 per cent of the variation in scores over time and among countries: real gross domestic product per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, perceived freedom to make life choices, freedom from corruption, and generosity.

There has been a tendency for debates on well-being in Singapore to end in an impasse, with one side saying the government has focused on growth at all costs, to the detriment of Singaporeans' happiness, and the government saying its goal has always been growth to bring about a better life for all.

The UN report sheds clarity on the issue. The factors it deems more objective—GDP and life expectancy—are strong determinants of life evaluation but have little effect on emotions.

Perceived corruption affects life evaluation and negative emotions, but freedom from corruption does not have a corresponding effect on positive emotions.

But the other factors—having someone to count on in times of trouble, perceived freedom to make life choices, and generosity in donating to charity—have strong links with both positive emotions and life evaluation.

BOOSTING HAPPINESS

Singapore has undeniably done well in the first three areas. But these may have led to greater life satisfaction without a corresponding rise in positive emotions.

To boost happiness, perhaps policymakers could pay more attention to the other three factors, tough as they are to legislate, especially since they are also part and parcel of the goal to build a caring and inclusive society.

But well-being data extends beyond signalling directions.

Former British civil service head Gus O'Donnell argues in a chapter of the UN report that using wellbeing as an approach can change the shape of policy-making.

This is particularly powerful in areas cutting across portfolios like climate change, he says: "Focusing on well-being allows a common language and a common metric to compare different policies and outcomes."

The same could apply to

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LIFESTYLE Singapore, where there is a trend of greater inter-agency cooperation on issues like ageing.

Lord O'Donnell also illustrates how a "well-being approach" could change the usual cost-benefit analyses. In health care, studies show that reductions in physical functions may matter less to wellbeing than reductions in mental health. This could have a bearing on how treatment is tailored and resources are allocated.

In education, a standard way of measuring its value is to look at the increase in lifetime earnings resulting from educational intervention.

Lord O'Donnell argues that if this definition is widened, such as by urging students to pick courses based on the well-being of those working in a field, it could lead to more entering teaching, health and social services.

MERRY IN SINGAPORE

What of Singapore? To be sure, policies here have moved towards such well-being approaches, in

health care and education for instance. But the question remains, how do we assess their impact when there is no corresponding measure of well-being?

It is like trying to keep water at a temperature that is not too hot and not too cold without using a thermometer. The only warning sign is when bubbles appear as the water starts to boil.

Singapore does not have an official well-being index, though that has not stopped organisations and academics from stepping forward with their own, adding to the conversation and forming bases that can be built on in the future.

Earlier this year, the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre released the Singapore Social Health Project which measured nine areas like income security, community cohesion and values.

Another notable study is by National University of Singapore dons Siok Kuan Tambyah and Tan Soo Jiuan, whose surveys of Singaporeans' happiness and well-being over some 15 years are

valuable for being among the few local academic records of how well-being has changed with time.

One finding stood out. In 2006, 52 per cent were very proud to be Singaporean. But in a similar question in the 2011 survey, this fell to 21.9 per cent. To me, this was a red flag of the growing anomie some Singaporeans may have felt as a result of the influx of foreigners.

With the benefit of hindsight, I wonder if having more such dipsticks of Singaporeans' wellbeing could have painted a better picture of their feelings before things bubbled over in the 2011 General Election and the Population White Paper uproar.

But things may be changing.

The recent Our Singapore Conversation survey, for instance, had sections similar to global well-being polls.

In a more complex era, it is even more imperative that people can trust that policymakers are acting with both heart and mind.

So, thermometers in hand, let's talk about well-being. ÂŹ

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TRAVEL

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE

NARROW ROAD NORTH Tracing the footsteps of 17th century Japanese poet-wanderer Matsuo Basho LEE SIEW HUA The Straits Times Japan

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walk in the isolated north of Japan for five days, my senses awakened as I traipse through whispering cedar forests in misty rain.

It is a quest composed of many little sojourns that reveal the beauty of Japan—a trek on an ancient highway, a cruise around the pine-clad islands of Matsushima Bay, a climb up 2,466 steps to Mount Haguro.

TRAVEL

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Photos by The Straits Times

IT IS EASY TO SEE WHY MATSUSHIMA BAY, WITH ITS 260 ISLANDS SUCH AS KANEJIMA (ABOVE), FORMS ONE OF THE CLASSIC THREE VIEWS OF JAPAN.

TRAVEL

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Photos by The Straits Times THE TREES IN HIRAIZUMI, JAPAN’S LATEST WORLD HERITAGE SITE, ARE STARTING TO CHANGE HUES WITH THE ARRIVAL OF AUTUMN.

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TRAVEL

Photos by The Straits Times

RICE-STALK STACKS ARE OFTEN SEEN NEXT TO HOMES IN HIRAIZUMI.

TRAVEL

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Photos by The Straits Times

MEMORIALS TO VICTIMS OF THE 2011 TSUNAMI AND EARTHQUAKE. THE COLOURFUL FLOWERS REPRESENT CHILDREN.

TRAVEL It is all very poetic. After all, I am retracing the quixotic foot journey of poet-wanderer Matsuo Basho, who penned the timeless travelogue Narrow Road to the Deep North in the 17th century.

Written in an era of social turbulence, his classic, a blend of prose and haiku, evokes the Japanese sense of beauty and the transience of life.

In middle age, the feted poet sold his house and devoted five months to traverse a 2,000km route in the spring of 1689 with a disciple-friend, Sora.

They were walking on the edge of civilisation in those days, for beyond lay a terrifying terrain of bandits and barbarians who roamed the mountains.

So the north, which includes the tsunami-hit prefectures of Fukushima, Iwate and Miyagi, was an unexplored land that evoked mystery for Basho.

Today, this Tohoku region is still remote and little visited

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by non-Japanese. I barely see Shiogama or stopping at shrines foreign faces on my sojourn to think about the afterlife. with a dozen walkers on the first Each new day brings a stream Basho Tour hosted by pioneering of highlights, which inspire adventure company Walk Japan my travel companions to write (www.walkjapan.com). haikus on the move while I tweet A 10-day trip, which starts in instead. I have yet to compose Tokyo and ends in Kyoto, costs any haiku about nature, though 418,000 yen (US$4,245). I ask for I have taken much delight a compressed five-day version. in the following episodes.

Like Basho, I begin my road trip in Tokyo, though we hop onto a blazing bullet train to Sendai, slicing off the urban sprawl in a couple of hours to focus on the far north.

We walk 8 to 10km a day, a dreamy stroll compared to the 30 to 40km clocked by the tough-minded poet.

But it is enough time and distance for me to savour the haiku moments of each day, whether we are looking VIVID GREEN MATCHA (GREEN TEA) AND DELICATE PASTRIES at a salt cauldron in ARE SERVED AT THE TINY TEAHOUSE

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TRAVEL Photos by The Straits Times

A 1,000-YEAR-OLD CEDAR AND FIVE-STOREY WOODEN PAGODA, ON THE UPWARD PATH TO MOUNT HAGURO.

A STATUE OF BASHO IN A HIRAIZUMI GARDEN.

Matsushima Bay: Longevity pines The bay with its pine-clad islands is one of the beloved Three Views of Japan. The other two are the Amanohashidate sandbar in Kyoto and Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima.

On a 50-minute cruise, we view the islands and their twisted pines, which symbolise long life and joy.

The place in Miyagi prefecture is lovely with a touch of whimsy. Locals

say a tiny islet looks like the crest of a wave, and for me it does conjure up “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa”, a woodblock print by artist Hokusai.

Then there is a cigar-smoking man, a heron taking flight and a fanciful pot island. Kanejima island apparently sounds like a bell when waves crash through its four crevices. Basho longed to visit the bay and later described the sight: "Islands are piled above islands."

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TRAVEL

Hiraizumi: Ancient warriors The moment I step off the local train into little Hiraizumi, I love its manicured beauty and intimate scale, which allows us to walk in minutes to its Motsu-ji Temple and gardens, and the trails beyond.

Hiraizumi is Japan's newest World Heritage Site. The status was conferred in June 2011 and this uplifted northerners greatly three months after the tsunami, earthquake and nuclear scare.

Hiraizumi, 40km from the Pacific Coast, was spared the devastation. Indeed, its trails and temples are pristine, while the kabuki-like story of its powerful Fujiwara family, which reigned during the 11th and 12th centuries, still intrigues the modern soul.

Under the Fujiwaras, Hiraizumi rivalled the old capital Kyoto in splendour, and

the town in Iwate prefecture retains an exquisite spirit now.

It feels like a less-explored gem, when I look at the quiet autumn-tinged gardens styled as a Buddhist "pure land paradise" by the Fujiwaras.

Basho, catching echoes of the family's vanished glory, compared their ancient warriors to "summer grass".

Dewa Sendai Highway: Enchanting forest I imagine soldiers and sojourners such as Basho on this ancient national highway, which had its origins in 702 AD and was influenced

by Chinese systems.

The Edo highway is now a forest trail, wild and lovely, that is profusely signposted in Japanese and English. The boards carry facts and little narratives, such as the one

about the merciful monkeys that sheltered and offered sake to a runaway ruler.

In mist-like rain, I trek through gorges with hairpin bends and over streams like Basho. But he had less fun than me. He was questioned by barrier guards on the highway, who viewed him with intense suspicion as he came from a land of ninjas.

He also slept at an inn in Yamagata prefecture infested by fleas and lice, he complained. When I visit the lovingly restored inn, however, my trek-weary toes are warmed by a fireplace built into the floorboards and I am soothed by the hot tea poured by a storytelling host.

The inn, built with chestnut pillars, also has glass cases of straw sandals, replicas of those worn by Basho. ÂŹ

TRAVEL FOOD

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Please eat the exhibits YU JUN China Daily Huai'an, China

FOOD

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FOOD

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FOOD

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cuisine style considered so important that locals created a museum for it has to be worth trying. Cai Guobin, a 37-year-old from Huai'an, Jiangsu province, is executive chef with China Huaiyang Cuisine Cultural Museum.

"Huaiyang cuisine has several hundred years of history. The local government places a lot of importance on it. More than 10 gourmet festivals have been held," says Cai, who has worked for 21 years as a cook.

The museum, according to Cai, has 8,000 square metres for displays that include local wedding customs, the story of Huaiyang cuisine, and a history of the regional salt business.

The name Huaiyang comes from the initial characters of Huai'an and

Yangzhou, but the concept of Huaiyang cuisine is already extended to include food styles of the nearby area. The cuisine immediately relates to Huai'an, Yangzhou and Zhenjiang, cities on the path of the BeijingHangzhou Grand Canal, a lifeline of transportation in ancient China. A flourishing salt business brought prosperity to the area, giving rising to beautiful gardens and a gourmet cuisine.

In modern times, Huai'an has been the hometown of some famous people, too. These include China's late premier, Zhou Enlai, and Wu Cheng'en, author of Journey to the West. Apart from the cultural displays, the museum has two kitchens serving classic and new dishes of Huaiyang style.

Cai, who runs both kitchens, says while Yangzhou food adopts ingredients from around the country, Huai'an cuisine uses a lot of local produce.

This is reflected in the Huai'an menu at Red Chamber. Many specialties are named after the area in Huai'an where the ingredients hail from.

Bean-curd soup is from Pingqiao. A local landlord is said to have served it almost three centuries ago to visiting Qing Emperor Qianlong—quite a gourmet himself, if we judge from the number of foods with

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FOOD stories relating to him. The emperor praised it, and the soup has been popular ever since.

Of course, the secret of any food's long-term popularity lies in good taste. Tofu for the Pingqiao-style soup has to be cut neatly into small rhombic shapes, and made with chicken stock.

Pucai, or cattail from Kaiyang, is also very special. It is the crisp and tender stem of a water plant, raised in very deep, fertile silt.

Very tender and delicate, pucai is mostly sauteed and added to chicken soup, then topped with dried shrimp. The tenderness reminds one of white asparagus, only more tender. It's become a high-end delicacy locally.

Huai'an has many rivers and lakes, such as Hongze Lake, Dayun Lake, the ancient Yellow River, and Baima Lake.

The city is a proud producer of good rice and fishes.

Silver minnow is lightly brined and dried to give it a bit of good

chewy texture, before it's steamed and served. Huai'an's braised eel uses only the back of those about the size of a chopstick, because they offer the best taste.

The preparation of the eel is a good example of how much effort is made in the food style.

The eel is boiled until the pot is seething, and then simmered for 15 minutes with an array of seasonings—ginger, shallot, yellow rice wine, salt and vinegar. Then the eel is taken out, and rinsed with water.

Chefs will slice it open to take only the flesh on the back, frying it in salad oil with soy sauce, black pepper, yellow rice wine, starch and garlic slices.

Chef Cai says Huai'an food offers simple but good countryside taste, like that made by "an old mom". Compared with Cantonese food, which uses a lot of seasoning, Huai'an cuisine relies more on the taste of the ingredients themselves.

Although the dishes look simple, the chef 's effort is apparent in the food and its taste.

To adapt to modern tastes, Cai says local chefs have meshed modern concepts of health into Huai'an food. Local people, who once used pork fat in the cooking, now replace it with vegetable oil. "Clear water" beef is braised in vegetable juice during preparation to make it more tender and healthy.

Quick-boiled bean-curd slices, brined "oily chicken", and Qingong pork meatball processed with an iron pole are also classic Huai'an specialties.

The chef says he and his team have worked to present "the tastes we had in childhood". Although he depicts Huai'an cuisine as that made by a countryside grandma, the amount of effort put into the food, and its simple but natural taste, may explain why the food style has earned its place in a museum. ÂŹ

CULTURE

| October 18-24, 2013 THE PRIVATE MUSUEM NOW RUN BY FOUNDER DANIEL TEO’S DAUGHTER RACHEL.

Museum of my own

Private museums are gaining popularity in an increasingly affluent Asia, and Singapore is no exception

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CULTURE CLARISSA OON The Straits Times Singapore

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ccording to industry estimates, about 20 privately funded homegrown museums in areas such as art, lifestyle and heritage have sprung up here in recent years, while Paris' largest private museum will open its first venue outside Europe here.

The Singapore Pinacotheque de Paris is set to fully open at Fort Canning Centre by the first quarter of 2015, although its ongoing pop-up exhibition of paintings by five centuries of art masters gives a taste of what to expect.

The Pinacotheque shows artworks on loan from private collections around the world.

In its concentration of such museums, Singapore is not alone in this region.

Japan has established private museums such as the Mori Art Museum and Suntory Museum of Art, while China has lately seen a string of museums bankrolled by wealthy private collectors. Among them is Chinese Indonesian collector

Budi Tek, who owns a private museum in Jakarta and is now building a second one in Shanghai.

Private museums are owned by an individual or organisation, rather than a government body, and serve a primarily educational function. Within this umbrella definition, there are many different operating models out there.

The Museum Roundtable, an informal grouping of museums led by the National Heritage Board, now counts 16 private museums among its 57 members.

These private institutions range from those showcasing the collection of an individual owner, such as the Mint Museum Of Toys and Peranakan home museum The Intan, to heritage centres owned

by Chinese clan associations, hospitals and other private bodies.

The number does not include museums that opened in the last few months such as the Kong Chow Cultural Centre, set up by Kong Chow Wui Koon which turned its entire 89-year-old clan association

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CULTURE building into a living museum.

Art spaces which exhibit private collections and engage to some extent in the sale of these artworks, are not considered for Roundtable membership.

Examples of such spaces include The Private Museum in Queen Street and ArtSafe, an art storage facility-cumprivate museum in Changi.

The heritage board is the main operator of museums here, running nine museums and heritage institutions. Its group director of policy, Alvin Tan, sees great potential in bringing in more museums not under the board's umbrella into the Roundtable, which allows for joint promotions among members.

In 2011, these small museums funded by other government agencies—think the Navy Museum of Singapore or the Home Team Gallery— and private organisations or individuals drew a total of 5.31

million visitors, compared to 2.92 million for all the museums under the heritage board, such as the National Museum of Singapore and the Asian Civilisations Museum.

The board does not have visitorship figures for private museums alone.

The Intan's owner Alvin Yapp puts the growth of private museums down to the "maturing of society, where there are individuals who can afford and have the passion and drive to collect and research a particular category of material art".

"At the same time, you have a community who would be interested to learn more about that art," he adds.

One limitation he and other passionate museum owners face is that they are amateurs in the area of museum design and curation. Keeping a museum going is also costly and small organisations lack manpower.

The heritage board's Tan

says it plans to offer more talks and lectures on curation and exhibition design to Roundtable members and other players to help them raise capabilities.

Another new initiative is to work on joint travelling exhibitions among Roundtable members. Membership is by invitation or application, and museums are selected according to their collection and outreach.

There are also grants which all private museums, whether or not they are in the Roundtable, can tap on to refresh their exhibitions.

While the board hopes to create conditions where unique and distinctive private museums can flourish, it draws the line at coming in too strongly.

Tan says: "We function more as a partner. While we can't do everything for them, we hope to provide the necessary support and training, so that they can contribute to the growth of the sector."

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CULTURE

THE PRIVATE MUSUEM

THE PRIVATE MUSUEM 51 Waterloo Street, 02-06

What: A 1,300 sq ft curated contemporary art space with changing exhibitions, featuring works from various private collections or obtained directly from the artists. It is founded by art collector, philanthropist and real estate developer Daniel Teo and helmed by his daughter Rachel Teo, 43.

Admission: Free. Open from 10am to 7pm (weekdays), and

11am to 5pm (weekends). For information, log on to www. theprivatemuseum.org Opened in: 2010 History: In 2008, Teo’s firm, Daniel Teo & Associates, won the tender for the site of the former Catholic High School, which faces Queen Street at one end and Waterloo Street on the other.

The Singapore Land

Authority and the National Heritage Board had offered the building at a discounted rental rate for its conversion into an arts complex that would include a private museum.

Teo has a background as a gallerist. He co-ran Wetterling Teo Gallery off River Valley Road with Swedish gallerist Bjorn Wetterling from 1994 until the early 2000s. (Wetterling Teo

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CULTURE does not have a gallery space and Teo is its sole owner.)

His daughter, who oversees the Queen Street property, was not keen to run a commercial gallery on the site. An accountant by training who has been with her father’s company since 1995, she had an interest in art born of frequent visits to museums since she was a child.

“I said, how about we do a private museum and my father got very excited. I came up with the concept of a space that would encourage private collectors to show their collections which would otherwise never be seen by the public,” she says.

The Private Museum has an artistic director with a background in museum programming, Tan Hwee Koon, 41, who plans and curates the exhibitions. It does four major exhibitions a year, each lasting about two months.

Its operating model depends on the nature of the exhibition.

For shows of private collections, funding comes from the collector. In cases where an artist is showing his works, he leases the space. Works may be sold at the discretion of the collector or artist.

For an exhibition last year of Chua Ek Kay paintings in the collection of Catholic High School, four of Chua’s ink works were reproduced as art prints with permission from the late artist’s estate and sold to finance the show.

Highlights: Its eclectic mix of shows has ranged from iconic works of contemporary Chinese photography—on loan from an anonymous collector and exhibited in 2011—to its recently concluded show of Shanghaiborn, Singapore-based Hong Zhu An’s ink works combining Chinese calligraphy with abstract blocks and washes of colour.

Its next exhibition, opening on October 22, delves into multimedia and the Internet.

The touring group exhibition from Japan’s Kitakyushu Biennial, titled i (information), is a parallel event of the Singapore Biennale 2013.

Visitorship: Around 4,000 a year, including professionals and students. One regular visitor is Krystal Lam, 46, a wealth planning adviser and art lover, who says: “The staff are friendly and make the effort to introduce the art to us when we don’t understand it. The shows are also getting more interesting.”

Challenges: As a small outfit with one full-time and three temporary staff, it has been difficult to do bigger shows requiring more in-depth research.

Teo’s hope is for more collaborative programmes with state-funded museums.

“It would also help if private museums here could get together and form a cluster, so that we could collectively get more exposure,” she says.

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CULTURE

KONG CHOW CULTURAL CENTRE

321 New Bridge Road What: An 89-year- old clan association building converted into a living museum, with four storeys of artefacts, story boards and videos in English and Mandarin. They showcase Cantonese clan Kong Chow Wui Koon's heritage in lion dance, Chinese pugilistic arts and Cantonese opera, as well

as the history of Singapore's early immigrants from China's Guangdong province. The clan's history dates back to 1840.

Admission: Free. Open from 9am to 6pm (Mondays to Fridays), and 9am to 1pm (Saturdays). Closed on Sundays.

Opened in: July this year, after a year of renovations costing more than S$350,000

(US$280,516), of which S$100,000 came from the National Heritage Board and the rest from clan members and donors.

History: Kong Chow today has more than 500 members whose ancestral roots can be traced back to Xinhui (formerly known as Kong Chow) in southern China's Pearl River Delta.

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KONG CHOW CULTURAL CENTRE

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KONG CHOW CULTURAL CENTRE

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KONG CHOW CULTURAL CENTRE

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CULTURE The association's secretarygeneral Lawrence Sew, 55, says its building is one of the oldest left in Chinatown. "It is now earmarked by the Urban Redevelopment Authority for conservation, and we wanted to bring it and our history to life for our younger generation."

Highlights: Catch a traditional Chinese clan association in action, with its meeting hall on the ground floor, music hall for Chinese opera on the second, gongfu and lion dance hall on the third, and temple and open area for pugilistic training on the fourth. These facilities are still being used by clan members. The clan has a lion dance and martial arts troupe and Cantonese opera and music section.

The building's architectural essence has been preserved, from the arched gateway at the entrance to its steep, narrow staircase typical of old buildings.

The gongfu hall displays more

than 50 lion dance heads and costumes as well as percussion musical instruments and swords and spears. Most of the artefacts are more than a century old.

More than 100 black-andwhite photographs show how Chinese clan associations functioned as a social glue in a bygone Singapore. They range from children having PE lessons at a school run by Kong Chow in the same building from 1929 to 1968, to one of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew speaking in the meeting hall in 1965 to recruit volunteers for the country's defence, ahead of national service conscription.

Visitorship: More than 1,000 people such as elderly Singaporeans, tourists and school groups have visited since the museum opened two months ago. The clan hopes to draw 3,500 visitors every six months —this target was the heritage board's condition for its funding.

One visitor, National Institute

of Education trainee teacher Ahmad Zakir Mokhtar, 24, thinks the clan has made itself relevant to students, who can make use of its artefacts "as learning materials, for them to deepen their understanding of clan associations and their contribution to Singapore".

Challenges: Running a living museum has increased the clan's operating costs by more than 50 per cent. It had to hire a full-time administrator-cumguide, bringing the number of full-time staff to three.

To prevent exhibits from being damaged or stolen, CCTV cameras have been installed and visitors have to register at the reception.

Sew says the biggest challenge is getting the word out. "We have an outreach programme to schools, other clans and the Singapore Tourism Board. After we built the museum, to keep it going is the hardest part."

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CULTURE

ARTSAFE

ART SAFE U-Freight Logistics Centre, 8 Changi South Street 2 What: A spacious 30,000 sq ft art storage facility-cum-private museum owned by art collector Ong Teng Huat, 65, displaying more than 100 paintings by senior local artists such as Lim Tze Peng and Peh Eng Seng.

Admission: Free, by appointment only.

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CULTURE Opened in: September last year.

Before that, Ong, U-Freight's managing director, spent nine months and about S$2 million converting unused space in the company's warehouse into an exhibition hall, five gallery spaces, 29 art storage rooms and facilities for handling art.

History: This self-made businessman has been collecting modern and contemporary art by Singapore and regional artists for the past 18 years.

The works of Lim, best known for his lyrical Chinese ink paintings capturing vistas of old Singapore, hold a particular appeal for him. "I grew up in a shophouse in Thomson Road, my father was a barber and we lived above his shop. There was a kampung opposite. Now the area has totally changed," he says wistfully.

The father of two and grandfather of three began as a shipping clerk and rose up the ranks in the air freight industry, before starting U-Freight as a joint venture with a Hong Kongbased logistics firm 30 years ago.

With wealth came a burgeoning art

collection and nowhere to store it. He now owns more than 200 paintings, nearly 80 of which are by Lim. This made him think of converting unused space in U-Freight's warehouse for art storage. The result was ArtSafe, which marks his foray into the art handling and storage business, but also has gallery spaces for his private collection. For the latter, he employed a professional art writer to research Lim's works. So far, explanatory wall text has been produced for about half the paintings.

ArtSafe rents out part of its space to other collectors and exhibitors or takes commission if the works are for sale.

As a rule, Ong does not sell the paintings in his collection, though he could not pass up on one or two good offers by other collectors. "I will sell only if the artist agrees to it. Some artists would want me to keep their works because of our friendship."

Lim's works have become highly sought-after and a work by him crossed the S$100,000 mark at a Hong Kong auction last year.

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CULTURE

Ong is friends with Lim, 93, watercolourist Peh and others such as Eng Siak Loy, who paints in oils and acrylics and is also the designer of some of Singapore's currency bills and postage stamps. Both Peh and Eng are in their 70s and 80s. "I always say that art makes me feel young because the artists I collect are older than me," Ong jokes.

Highlights: He delights in showing visitors around the climate-controlled, professionally lit facility and his enthusiasm for the art is infectious.

Moveable panels allow the spaces to be reconfigured according to the arrangement of the artworks.

His extensive collection of Lim's works lets viewers experience different facets of one of Singapore's finest Chinese ink painters, be it local street scenes, Bali paintings, still-life paintings or Chinese calligraphy.

Visitorship: About 500 have visited since ArtSafe opened, including

fellow art lovers and collectors as well as artists. Dr Tan Jee Lim, 48, an orthopaedic surgeon and art lover, recalls spending five hours one night with his wife touring the vast facility and lingering over the artworks. "He is so focused on supporting local artists, and so generous in showing them to you," he says of Ong. Challenges: The facility only just breaks even. Ong also acknowledges that documentation of the works is incomplete. The size of the space makes it costly to hire qualified curators or art managers, with one potential candidate quoting him a five-figure monthly salary.

As a result, he and his U-Freight staff, despite their lack of expertise, do everything including hanging the paintings themselves. "A plus would be if we could get advice from professionals in the museums. We would definitely like to listen to them," he says.

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CULTURE THE INTAN

69 Joo Chiat Terrace What: A cosy heritage home-cum-museum belonging to Peranakan Alvin Yapp, 43, who has spent more than 20 years collecting and researching Straits Chinese artefacts.

He conducts tours which culminate in an authentic Peranakan tea or dinner inspired by his mother's cooking. The Intan also hosts noncommercial events such as plays and art shows.

Admission: Strictly by appointment only. Tea tours start at S$45 for a minimum of six. Dinner tours start at S$99 for a minimum of 20. Log on to www.the-intan.com Opened in: 2003 History: Yapp began collecting at the age

of 18 to find out more about his roots. A few pieces have come from his family—such as a prized, 80-year-old pair of kasut manek (beaded slippers) made by his maternal grandmother and given to his mother.

He now has more than 1,000 artefacts including furniture,

decorative objects and traditional clothing, mostly acquired from private dealers, fellow collectors and other Peranakan families.

The director of corporate affairs for BusAds, a family firm specialising in largeformat printing and outdoor advertising, started The Intan

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CULTURE as a labour of love. "The Intan means 'rose-cut diamond' in Baba Malay. I wanted to create an experience which would show people different facets of Peranakan culture," he says.

The bachelor started the museum in his previous home, an apartment in the East Coast area.

When his collection outgrew its four walls, he moved six years ago into his present singlestorey post-war terrace house, the inside of which he turned into a split-level loft. It is loosely furnished like a traditional Peranakan home. For that reason, he eschews explanatory text on walls or barriers cordoning off visitors from artefacts.

But he has taken liberties with form and function to showcase his collection. For example, more than 50 enamel tiffin carriers and spittoons with floral motifs dot the sides of his staircase.

Since 2011, The Intan has been a member of the Museum Roundtable, a collective of public

and private museums under the National Heritage Board.

Highlights: The display area on the upper level contains many treasured pieces, including a 60year- old planter's chair (kerosi sanda), a recliner traditionally found on the verandah of Peranakan households.

There is also a century-old wedding bed, valued at S$10,000.

"My father and I spent many hours antique-hunting and the bed was a piece we went to great lengths to acquire," he says.

He also has more than 100 pairs of beaded and embroidered slippers and more than 100 pieces of Straits Chinese porcelain or Nonya ware, including kamcheng (covered jars), vases and tea sets. None of the items in his collection are for sale.

Visitorship: About 1,000 a year, including families, tourists and expatriates. Francois Bretault, 45, a French-language lecturer, has been to The

Intan several times with his Singaporean wife. He loves how Peranakan culture combines Chinese, Malay and European traditions. "There are so many hidden sides of this culture in every corner of the house."

Challenges: Yapp runs The Intan together with unpaid volunteers such as his parents, who help with the weekly cleaning of the artefacts, and a friend who handles administration. Juggling a home museum alongside his day job can be tiring, as is sustaining it.

On his wishlist is collaboration with more partners, such as state museums with related artefacts like The Peranakan Museum. "As a private museum in Singapore, we are moving in uncharted grounds.

"I didn't grow up wanting to run a museum. But it's gotten to the stage where I want to promote the culture. I believe that once we stop collecting, the culture dies," he says. ÂŹ

ENTERTAINMENT

| October 18-24, 2013 A SIMULATED IMAGE OF THE SHANGHAI DISNEY RESORT, WHICH WILL BE THE FIRST SUCH ON THE CHINESE MAINLAND WHEN IT OPENS IN 2015.

Disney's new heights This Shanghai resort will be Disney's most technologically advanced

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ENTERTAINMENT

SIMULATED IMAGE OF ENCHANTED STORYBOOK CASTLES.

| October 18-24, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT

THE MAGIC OF DISNEYLAND PARKS AND RESORTS IS NOT ONLY ABOUT CARTOON CHARACTERS OR ADVENTURE FACILITIES.

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ENTERTAINMENT

THE COMPANY HAS MANY NEW ATTRACTIONS IN THE WORKS.

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ENTERTAINMENT WANG ZHUOQIONG China Daily Shanghai

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t first glance, it has the look of a cuttingedge, high-tech exhibition. There's a digital showroom that positions viewers into a 3D experience, an electronic wristband that can be used as your admission pass, and a talking robot that looks like a fortune-teller.

These exhibits were just a part of the Walt Disney Imagineering open house at the Disney D23 Expo held in August.

The weekend-long event took consumers behind the scenes to experience the company's many franchises through a mix of traditional storytelling and new technologies.

The exhibit for D23, the official Disney fan club, was the third bi-annual event held

at the Anaheim Convention Xentre in Southern California.

Fans arrived from 48 states and 21 countries and formed long queues or waited anxiously in their tents to get a ticket.

But the fans who will have to wait even longer to interact with Disney's new technological gadgets and exhibits might be from China. Many of the company's new technologies on display at the D23 Expo might make their way to the Disney resort in Shanghai when it opens in 2015.

During his frequent trips to China, Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Co, reiterated that he will give Chinese customers a resort that is "authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese".

The Shanghai park will be distinctive because "every single thing we put in the Shanghai park will have been rethought, reimagined, or even reengineered, to respond and make

sure that we tailor everything for our Chinese audience," he said. "It is going to be the best of Disney but designed specifically for the people of China."

The Shanghai resort will be Disney's most technologically advanced, said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

"Because we built it from scratch, it will be the most technologically advanced park," said Staggs. "We invented a number of new ride systems for the park. Some of them will be very obvious. Some of them will be part of the magic."

Staggs said the resort will largely be based on the tendencies of its customers. For example, at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, people come and stay for at least a week. In Tokyo, people tend to stay for one or two days, he said.

He said the company will initially consider how visitors will use the resort and its technology

| October 18-24, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT and then implement updates later as the resort responds to that customer usage.

"We want to make sure we leverage technology to the greatest extent possible to make it as easy and fun and convenient and, at the same time, as personalised for each of our guests as possible," Staggs said.

Disney in China

But the process of creating the Shanghai Disney Resort, the first Disney resort in a developing market, created foreseeable challenges for the resort's designers and operators.

One of them is a lack of familiarity in China with Disney franchises. While most Western consumers grew up with Disney's movies, stories, music or television shows, the majority of Chinese people can only name a couple of Disney characters, such as Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse.

That is slowly changing,

said Zenia Mucha, executive vice president and chief communications officer of the Walt Disney Co. An increasing numbers of mainland Chinese have visited the company's theme parks around the world, which is building familiarity with the company's unique theme park experiences and storytelling.

Mike Crawford, general manager of Shanghai Disney Resort, said guests at the resort will be able to experience even more of Disney, whether as hotel guests touring naturebased experiences around the resort's lake, or while visiting the theme park.

"It is how we keep the guests' memories alive," Crawford said.

Disney also recognises the importance of great food to Chinese consumers. Crawford said the resort is conducting food tastings and research to understand the Chinese palette.

Speaking on the types of cuisines to be offered at the resort, he

said: "It is not so much about the choice between Western versus Chinese cuisine. Rather, because of the different cuisines available in China, we are going to have varieties of flavours representing the different cuisines of China."

He also said there will be several international cuisines for Chinese consumers who want to experiment with new flavours.

Yang Yansong, associate professor of the Chinese Tourism Academy, said Disney serves as a great venue for Chinese families who have found it inconvenient to travel to Tokyo or Hong Kong. Yang added that the company's advanced level of service will also raise the bar in tourism in Shanghai.

Staggs has high hopes financially for the resort in Shanghai.

"We invest a tremendous amount to make our parks ready.

It will take some time for it to reach profitability. But we expect the park to be there for decades,

| October 18-24, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT and therefore, a certain amount of patience in terms of early return is both warranted and should be expected," he said.

The chairman added that Disney's park and resort businesses tend to be sensitive to economic fluctuations, as was the case during the global downturn between 2008 and 2010.

"The businesses dropped a bit more," Staggs said. "But we had significant growth since then, and we have since achieved record level profit.

The growth has been good."

Revenue for its parks and resorts last quarter increased year-on-year by 7 per cent to US$3.7 billion and operating income increased 9 per cent to $689 million.

While some have worried that the geographical proximity between Hong Kong Disneyland and the Shanghai Disney Resort may offset the number of potential visitors, Staggs said the size of the potential audience is

large enough that business will be maximised at both sites.

"The best thing to do for Hong Kong is to make Shanghai successful and vice versa," he said. "The more Hong Kong is successful, the better it is for Shanghai."

The two Disney properties in Hong Kong and Shanghai will not affect the volume of visitors to the Tokyo resort, Staggs said, because more than 90 per cent of visitors to the Japanese site are domestic travellers.

Staggs said they will continue to develop Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. The company has many new attractions that were recently launched or are in the works, including New Fantasyland in Florida, which opened last year; a new attraction in Paris that will open next summer and is based on the Disney/Pixar film Ratatouille; three new theme lands to Hong Kong Disneyland; and the anticipated debut of Star Tours: The Adventures

Continue at Tokyo Disneyland, which is a 3-D attraction inspired by the Star Wars movies.

Staggs said the company's biggest news will be the opening of the Shanghai resort. He said Disney will continue to expand their properties in Hong Kong and in Shanghai after its opening at the end of 2015.

Doing business

In recent years, China has seen a cluster of theme parks and resorts, with many brands developed into chains scattered across major cities, such as the Happy Valley amusement parks developed by the Overseas Chinese Town Enterprises Co. Yang Yansong, from the Chinese Tourism Academy, said Disney's resorts will create a bit of competition for domestic brands, but that the impact would mostly be visible in Shanghai.

The magic of Disneyland Parks and Resorts is not only about cartoon characters or

| October 18-24, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT adventure facilities, but they also connect with Disney's various entertainment businesses, Staggs said. Over the years, The Walt Disney Co has grown into a business empire with units ranging from entertainment, parks and resorts to consumer products.

Among them, Disney's films serve as the opportunity to explore new themes in the parks while merging people deeper into the stories they encounter, Staggs said.

During the tenure of Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Co, Disney has reached a total shareholder return of 193 per cent and a market capitalisation that has risen to $113.7 billion from $48.4 billion in 2005, when Iger became CEO, said Orin C. Smith, independent lead director of the Disney board of trustees.

With the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm, major investments in the

company's parks and resorts and an expansion into key international markets, Disney has focused its next chapter of growth in technology.

"Technology informs all of our creative businesses," said Iger. "You don't succeed nor survive unless you are capable of adapting to new technology and adopting technology in every aspect of how the company runs."

Iger said new technology is creating new venues by which Disney can reach consumers and new ways that consumers consume intellectual property.

In terms of future growth, aside from creating more intellectual properties and growing internationally, it is also important to create new content, he said, citing Youtube as an example.

"We have to participate in these kinds of growth. We don't have to acquire any more to achieve that. We have to

make sure we have infused our creative talent with the mandate to tell our stories through these new platforms."

On the international market, borders have been broken down because of new technology, he said.

In talking about the company's television division, Iger said it is important to create locally and to embed talent locally so they understand the people, culture and the government and the market.

"We believe in deepening our roots in places around the world such as China, Russia and India," he said. "In order for us to grow the company internationally, we have to do so by organic investment and also by acquisitions."

Iger, who was excited about the park in Shanghai, said, "We are building a future where children in China can grow up dreaming about a trip to Disneyland in Shanghai." ÂŹ

DATEBOOK

| October 18-24, 2013

LUANG PRABANG, LAOS

LUANG PRABANG FILM FESTIVAL The annual festival aims to provide opportunity for filmmakers and fans in Southeast Asia to promote their films and to network. The festival will also feature panel discussions, Q and A sessions, a concert and dance and puppetry performances.

When: December 7-11

KOH KONG PROVINCE, CAMBODIA

INTERNATIONAL KITE FESTIVAL The International Kite Festival in Cambodia is organised annually.

There are a number of kite-makers from many countries take part in the event. The festival highlights Cambodian traditional kites known as "Kleng Ek", which has a sounding bow at the top, which makes a low humming musical sound when flown. During the festival, kite flying competition and kites will be judged on beauty and flying technique.

When: December 1

DATEBOOK

| October 18-24, 2013 BANGKOK

STANDARD CHARTERED BANGKOK MARATHON The Bangkok Marathon offers participants more than just a normal marathon experience with happiness from the warm welcome and cheerful smiles. The course takes the runners past many fascinating tourist attractions of Bangkok, such as the Grand palace, Wat Phra Keao or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the National Museum, and the Chao Phraya River. The race is divided into four categories with divisions for different age groups. There is the marathon (42.195 km.), half-marathon (21.10 km.), mini-marathon (10.00 km.), and micro-marathon (4.5 km.).

When: November 17

SOC TRANG, VIETNAM

GHE NGO (BOAT RACE) FESTIVAL The festival is a religious service to worship the moon god of the Kho Me minority group. People thank the moon god who brings about good crops, provides abundant fish in the rivers, and maintains the health of human beings. People in the Mekong Delta, mainly in Soc Trang, celebrate this event with ceremonies, feasts and Ngo boat races.

When: November 16-17

DATEBOOK

| October 18-24, 2013 MALAYSIA

DEEPAVALI FESTIVAL Deepavali or the 'Festival of Lights' is celebrated by Hindus with prayers, family gatherings and festivities. Open houses are held where family and friends visit each other and enjoy delicious traditional goodies (except Labuan and Sarawak).

When: November 2

SINGAPORE

ROB SCHNEIDER LIVE IN SINGAPORE LA Comedy Live is pleased to announce that Hollywood comedian Rob Schneider will be bringing his hilarious standup comedy show to Singapore for one special night. As a film star, Rob Schneider cemented his status as a Hollywood A-lister with starring roles in Hot chick, The Animal and the Deuce Bigalowseries.

When: October 26 Where: The Star Theatre, The Star Performing Arts Centre

| October 18-24, 2013