EAST Summer 2014
the leeds business
confucius institute The journey so far
society & culture
Feminism in the Japanese Office Around the World in a Dragon Boat
the dark side of north korea travel
• Vietnam • Chiang Mai • Shanghai • Jeju Island
Student Student Magazine Magazine
Dear EAST Magazine readers, Welcome to a very special edition of EAST Magazine. We are delighted to announce that for this summer 2014 issue we have joined forces with the Business Confucius Institute at the University of Leeds (BCIUL), and the team are indebted to the Institute for their help in making this issue happen. We have received an unprecedented amount of contributions, and we cover more East Asian ground this year than ever. From the high-profile EAS50 celebrations commemorating fifty years of East Asian Studies at Leeds, to volunteering in Vietnam, to the prestigious Thai Forum and the Anglo-Thai Society events, we bring you the best of EAS on-campus happenings, as well as experiences out there on your travels, and on your Year Abroad. EAST Magazine is created by students of East Asian Studies, for all East Asia enthusiasts, and we hope that we have equalled the standards set by last years’ highly successful edition which was enjoyed by renowned authors Amy Tan, Lisa See, Penguin Books, and many prominent Leeds EAS alumni. Thank you, and enjoy the 2014 edition of EAST Magazine! The EAST Magazine Editorial Team
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50 years of east asian studies
politics
4 A True Testament to East Asian Studies at
24 Cambodia and the Post Khmer-Rouge Fight for
Leeds University
Human Rights
10 Chinese Photographer Chen Man
28 Thailand in Crisis Again
74 The EAS50 Writing Project
32 The Dark Side of North Korea
leeds links
getting out there
6 The Business Confucius Institute
30 Crossing the Cultural Bridge
14 Eye on Asia 2014
36 Living with a Chinese family
22 10 Year of Thai Studies at Leeds
40 Shanghai Theatre Academy
72 2014: What a Great Year for EARS
42 A Laowai in Beijing 52 Thailand from the Eyes Outside
society & culture
55 East Asia – This Much I Know
38 Terrorism in the Philippines
56 Shanghai – a Reality Check
43 Japan and the Arrival of Spring Sakura
62 Feminism in the Japanese office
47 Collectivism in China
64 Interning in China
48 Gu Feng 49 The Magnificent 47
travel
54 Taipei Ubike
34 Volunteering in Vietnam
58 Around the World in a Dragon Boat
44 Perspectives on Shanghai
60 Palmar Puppet Culture
66 Chiang Mai - The Ideal Backpacking Hub 68 Uncover the Beauty of South Korea’s Jeju
environment
Island
27 Mongolia’s Green Challenge 50 Not Just Dining - The Paddy Field Programme in Taiwan 70 Book Review: China and the Environment on the cover: ‘Fisherman at Inle Lake’ by
Yanick Targonski, Eye on Asia participant
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50 years of east asian studies
A true testament to East Asian Studies at Leeds University WORDS VICTORIA LEIGH PHOTOS LEEDS UNIVERSITY
F
of Chinese culture, and browse exhibitions. There was even something for the kids, with lantern-making and other child-friendly arts and crafts, so there was no excuse for not getting involved!
Beginning on 24 October, current students and established alumni from various fields gathered on campus to reminisce, network, and share advice and accomplishments in the Centenary Gallery.
More alumni career talks followed along the theme of the diplomatic service, business development and ‘doing it my way,’ along with a guided tour of the stunning ‘Phoenixes and Dragons’ exhibition of late Qing dynasty costumes, embroidery and tapestry at the University’s Archive of International Textiles (ULITA), led by EAS’ Dr Alison Hardie.
Sadly, the Owen Lattimore Memorial Bike Ride planned for Sunday had to be postponed due to poor weather over the EAS50 Celebrations weekend, owing to dangerous gale-force winds. Even in his 60s, Professor Lattimore often cycled from his home in the village of Linton near Wetherby, to the University campus and back, totalling in a round trip of about 25 miles!
Unique lunchtime performances of Beijing Opera, Thai dance and a Japanese pop song by current students were enjoyed by all that attended at Parkinson Court, and certainly brought a flavour of East meets West! Departmental societies East Asian Research Society (EARS) and Japanese Society, as well as members of the Thai Studies programme, were on hand to savour the multi-faceted talents of their fellow students. A team of current EAS students took on an alumni team in a 7-a-side EAS football match held at the Gryphon Sports Centre. After trailing for most of the game, the alumni team came from behind to win by a late goal!
EAS50 is more than just a small faculty within the School of Modern Languages at Leeds University. It stands in testament to its trailblazing founding father Owen Lattimore, the ingenuity and dexterity of EAS for organising such inspiring talks and events, and of course, the outstanding calibre of its students, staff and alumni within the language disciplines of Chinese, Japanese and Thai.
ifty years of significant achievement were recognised at the Leeds University East Asian Studies’ 50th Anniversary from 24-27 October 2013, commemorating a pioneering history and substantial legacy for the field of East Asian Studies across the UK and beyond.
Events kicked off with a talk by established journalist, photographer and Leeds alumnus Peter Griffiths (Chinese, 1971) about life as a foreign correspondent in Mao’s China. Peter entertained the audience with his stories – hilarious and tragic – from his time in 1970s China, and with his evocative photos of China at that time. On 25 October, alumni gave career talks on careers in various sectors, such as journalism, education, PR, marketing and finance, and politics, with all welcome. An invitation-only Anniversary Reception was received in Parkinson Court, where previous members of staff such as Don Rimmington, Delia Davin, and previous EAS student-turned-Director of East Asian Studies Professor Caroline Rose all recalled humourous anecdotes and memories about their time teaching and studying in what was then the Department of Chinese Studies. Attendees included several high-profile Ambassadors from East Asia, and previous and current staff and students, which created a fantastic informal networking environment for all involved. Saturday 26 October was the date for the Departmental Open Day, in which there was another brilliant opportunity to learn about the Department’s history, see and hear about what alumni have achieved, listen to talks about elements
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A screening of the film When China Met Africa, co-directed by Leeds alumnus Marc Francis and his brother Nick, was introduced Centenary Gallery.
An exclusive talk about the work of fashion photographer and artist Chen Man was given by current student of Chinese David Ball (read more about David’s Chen Man experience on page 9).
Here’s to another fifty years!
It would not be fitting to reminisce about the founding of EAS without referring to its McCarthy-era blacklisted founding father, Owen Lattimore, and so the Early Days at Leeds: Lattimore and Students Informal talks about the life and legacy of Professor Lattimore, led by Dr Judith Nordby and Nicholas Loubere, and recollections by some of our 1960s graduates, were held at the Centenary Gallery.
For video-clips of the EAS50 alumni interviews and performances go to: lueastmagazine.com
Victoria is a finalist student of Chinese and EAST Magazine Co-Editor. You can follow her on Twitter @valeigh88.
Above: Founding professor Owen Lattimore after receiving the Polar Star Medal, Ulan-Bator, 1979
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leeds links
Promoting China and Chinese through the
Business Confucius Institute
China is an integral part of the global political economy and global business, and it is often referred to as the ‘workbench’ of the world, dominating the international production of steel, shoes and other commodities. At the same time, it is also the largest purchaser of major commodities, and has a profound influence on international prices. Both developments are testimonies to its outstanding economic growth history over the past three decades. While it cannot be denied that China has increased its economic and political clout, some authors even speak of a ‘China threat’ (cf. Yee and Storey, 2004) , the global understanding of what China represents beyond the economy is limited. Consequently, interpretations of China’s political, economic, and social development can often be one-sided, and this is exacerbated by a lack of knowledge of the Chinese language outside of China. To address these issues, the Chinese Ministry of Education established the first not-for-profit Confucius Institutes in Seoul, South Korea, in November 2004. The Business Confucius Institute at the University of Leeds (BCIUL) follows in this tradition. It is an educational organisation that was jointly established between the University of Leeds and the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing in November 2012, and the objectives of the Institute are to develop educational collaboration between China and the UK, with a particular focus on the support and expansion of Chinese language education, and to also enhance a mutual understanding between the UK and China. Business Confucius Institutes are increasingly established with a specialised mission that goes beyond Chinese language and culture, and BCIUL is one of only five business-focused Confucius Institutes in Europe promoting business relationships between the UK and China. East Asian Studies at Leeds has a history of 50 years of Chinese Studies, and its numerous graduates hold important positions in industry and government in both Europe and China. On the business side, the Centre for International Business at the University of Leeds (CIBUL) has produced cutting-edge research for the last 20 years and developed strong collaborations with companies and governments. Both organisations, along with their parent faculties and the University as a whole, contribute to the growth and success of the Institute.
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Becoming proficient in Mandarin
As an academic establishment, the BCIUL encourages Chinese language education. BCIUL runs language programmes for students, businesses and individuals across a variety of levels and offers teacher training courses. The National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (Hanban) has approved BCIUL to offer internationally recognised qualifications in Mandarin. Both HSK (Hanyu shuiping kaoshi) and BCT (Business Chinese Tests) can be taken at the Institute. Our teaching team of native speakers offers engaging classes in Mandarin within the University of Leeds’ LOGIK centre, the East Asian Studies faculty, and the BCIUL itself. The Institutes’ own evening language courses are open to anyone, and are currently available at beginner and intermediate levels. We incorporate various cultural workshops within our language programmes to enhance students’ appreciation of China’s rich cultural heritage, such as traditional Chinese dance lessons, Taichi, and dumpling- making classes. The BCIUL also actively supports the teaching of Mandarin within the Bradford Chinese School and the Leeds Chinese Community School, which offer weekly Chinese language and cultural classes from beginner level to A-level standard.
Understanding business culture and identifying opportunities
As a business-focused Confucius Institute, we provide business-related activities to promote commercial opportunities for Chinese and British businesses. We also arrange training courses in Chinese culture and etiquette for businesses that have an interest in investing in China. Over the past one and half years, the Institute has acquired close connections with key stakeholders such as: UK Trade and Investment, China-Britain Business Council, DLA Piper and Leeds & Partners. BCIUL’s Business breakfasts provide an informal setting where local businesses can discuss and assess commercial opportunities and challenges in China. In May 2013, for example, the Institute co-hosted a breakfast briefing and networking event with the international law firm Addleshaw Goddard to focus on the opportunities and main challenges of conducting business in China, as well as regional differences and hospitality customs. Tailored Chinese executive courses are also offered, which are delivered by our experienced teaching instructors who provide training on topics such as finance, marketing, and sales negotiation.
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leeds links leeds links
Business-focused events
The Institute supports the inward and outward China Luxury Missions which are organised by UK Trade and Investment and the China-Britain Business Council. In February 2014, the BCIUL was heavily involved with the inward China Luxury Mission 2014, which brought a strong delegation of key Chinese luxury retailers, including retail giants such as: ASOS (China), Net-APorter (China), Moda Mia, and beverage company Wahaha, to meet with leading British brands. The Institute supported the three-city visit, which included one-to-one meetings, receptions, and site visits in Leeds, London and Manchester. The Institute organised a site-visit to the specialist textile manufacturing company Hainsworth in Leeds, and co-hosted along with Leeds & Partners, a dinner reception at Northern Ballet which was attended by the Chinese Consulate General. Consistent with the BCIUL focus on promoting commercial activities between the UK and China, the Institute hosted a corporate event at the Virgin Money Lounge, in Manchester. The event comprised of a talk on Chinese New year, a discussion of the significance of Chinese characters, and a calligraphy demonstration and activity. This event signified the first collaboration between the BCIUL and Virgin Money, a subsidiary company of the globally operated Virgin Group.
Cultural engagement for mutual learning
A deep understanding of another country cannot be achieved just by learning the language, or by overseeing business opportunities alone. ‘Culture’ can be approached from different perspectives: through the arts, dance and music, cuisine, heritage and history to name but a few aspects. BCIUL recognises this and has supported and organised cultural events that cover a wide spectrum of activities in both the UK and China. A feature event of BCIUL is the ‘Meet the Authors’ series in collaboration with Blackwell Bookstores. The series features renowned authors presenting and discussing their works. Previous novelists have included the British Member of Parliament Liam Byrne, and Granta award-winning author Guo Xiaolu. Equally prominent was the week-long exhibition of the artwork by renowned oriental artist Gu Feng at Leeds Univer-
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sity’s Stanley and Audrey Burton Art Gallery, and the event exceeded expectations by attracting over 1,000 guests (read more about Gu Feng on page 48). The Institute also organises Summer and Winter Camps, with the first Summer Camp taking place in Beijing in 2013 in partnership with its Chinese parent organisation, the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE). BCIUL language students had the unique opportunity to experience China’s rich cultural heritage with visits to world-renowned historical sites such as the Great Wall, which was described by students as “truly unforgettable”. In February 2014, as part of the Winter Camp, student delegates from UIBE visited the UK to partake in exciting city tours, stimulating lectures and cultural activities. The tour included a visit to the Lord Mayor of Leeds, and an exclusive tour of the Council chamber. BCIUL collaborates extensively with student-run events. We sponsored ‘Leeds Got Talent,’ arranged by the Hong Kong and British Born Chinese student societies, which showcased the unique and diverse talents of the University’s Asian student population.
University of Leeds China Forum
The University of Leeds China Forum is a platform for the exchange of ideas and latest research on China between established and junior scholars, and PhD students at the University of Leeds invite scholars in their field of study for an interactive exchange of their research findings and interpretations. Developing and testing interpretations for a public forum is a daunting, but invaluable exercise in the academic process. The China Forum is a collaboration between East Asian Stud-
PHOTO ANNA MUWANGA, EYE ON ASIA PARTICIPANT (see page 14)
ies, the BCIUL, and the White Rose East Asia Centre, and is run and organised by PhD students. It is open to anyone interested in China-focused topics, and welcomes PhD students to suggest topics of discussion.
Events:
3 March 2014: Representing China in 1940s America: “Westernised Chinese” (Lin Yutang) vs. “China Experts” by Professor Qian Suoqiao, Chair of Chinese Studies, Newcastle University and Nicolas Loubere, EAST 30th April : ‘China’s Aid and Soft Power in Africa’ by Professor Kenneth King, University of Edinburgh and Siyuan Li, EAST and BCIUL. The Institute co-organises with the Leeds Chinese Students and Scholars Association, the annual Chinese New Year Gala, and this year, it was held at Leeds Town Hall, the city’s landmark building. The dynamic evening featured contemporary cultural performances including acrobatics, magic, and live musical performances, which all contributed to a remarkable evening that showcased the essence of Chinese culture. BCIUL also organises the annual Yorkshire Chinese New Year Dinner which is attended by distinguished guests from the local government, the Chinese embassy, local businesses and the University of Leeds.
Forthcoming Events
30th April 2014 China Forum – Prof. King 7th May 2014 Guest Lecture: China’s reform – Prof. Dai 14th May 2014 Meet the authors - Glen Dudbridge 12th – 13th July 2014 Teacher development Training July 2014 LISS Module July 2014 Summer Camp July 2014 MIB training in the UK September 2014 Mid-moon festival September 2014 Fresher’s Week 26th – 27th September 2014 Confucius Day October 2014 Meet the authors – Jung Chang November 2014 Meet the authors – Chris Berry November 2014 CI Birthday event Leeds International Film Festival
EAST WREAC BCIUL Forum Business seminars Guest lectures
Bi-monthly Throughout the year Throughout the year
Forthcoming HSK Test Dates:
HSK Test Date Registration Deadline Result Publishing Sat, 10th May Sun, 13th April Tue, 10th June Sat, 8th November Sun, 12th October 8th December
The Business Confucius Institute set the bar high in 2013 with a broad spectrum of highly successful academic, business-focussed and cultural activities. We look ahead to 2014, and hope to continue to enhance strong business relationships between the UK and China and to develop n the expansion of Chinese language education.
Contact
The Business Confucius Institute at the University of Leeds Leeds University Business School Maurice Keyworth Building The University of Leeds Leeds, UK LS2 9JT Follow BCIUL on Twitter: @LeedsConfucius Visit us at: http://lubswww.leeds. ac.uk/confucius/home/ Tel: 0113 343 6727
Previous spread, clockwise from top left: BCIUL staff at first year anniversary celebrations; Meet the Authors series Xiaolu Guo; The BCIUL acquiring close connections with key stakeholders; BCIUL grand opening in November 2012; Dumpling workshop event; BCIUL’s first anniversary celebrations; BCIUL Opening Ceremony; BCIUL’s Operations Manager Ellen Wang, Director Prof. Peter Buckley, Guest Speaker Joe Studwell and Deputy Director Dr Hinrich Voss; Chinese New Year Gala 2014, Leeds Town Hall; Staff at BCIUL Lyddon Terrace office Left: Renowned calligrapher Gu Feng
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50 years of east asian studies
chen man:
a driving force in contemporary Chinese photography WORDS DAVID BALL AND VICTORIA LEIGH PHOTOS DAVID BALL
D
avid Ball had the most serendipitous meeting at a bar in Beijing in the summer of 2013, leading to an incredibly generous donation to Leeds University library: “I was not able to meet Chen Man herself as she was too busy,” he says. “But I kept in touch with her assistant, and this then led to her office donating a signed copy of her portfolio to the library’s special collections!” Generous, indeed. Who is Chen Man? According to many, including David, she is undoubtedly a pioneer in Chinese photography. So much so that, for the East Asian Studies 50th Anniversary celebrations in October 2013, he was called upon to give a talk on Chen Man’s work by lecturer Alison Hardie. The images were promptly transferred from the Chinese Centre for Contemporary Art in Manchester for the showcase. “I previously studied a “Visual Culture in Modern Chinese Society” module, looking at how visual images reflect changes in Chinese society over the 20th and 21st centuries. The assessment for the module was by essay, where we were able to choose one visual aspect to focus on in more depth, and as I have long had an interest in photography, I chose to write about how modernity is reflected in Chen Man’s work,” he divulges. An avid photography fan, his is interests have moved towards raw street photography and, more recently, portraiture. Perfect grounds for appreciation of the revolutionary nature of Chen Man. “She proves wrong those who suggest that the Chinese lack creativity and that men make better photographers. I also admire her ability to keep changing and reinventing herself before she gets stale, going through what she identifies as three major periods of her work: firstly, creating images heavily manipulated through Photoshop and other editing tools; then paring back her use of the computer to rely on the strengths of her composition and creativity; and then finally incorporating elements of Chinese philosophy and beliefs into her work. “She has worked with both Chinese brands such as Shanghai Tang, and Western brands such as Adidas and
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Chanel, as well as most of the top magazines such as Vogue and Harpers’ Bazaar. She also travels and works internationally, creating campaigns in other countries shown by her recent collaboration with Guess in New York.” She is a trailblazer in more significant ways, too. “One other important element is that she uses almost exclusively Chinese models in her work, and in this way promotes a Chinese aesthetic of beauty throughout the world. This is a step away from most advertising in China, which still holds the Western ideals of beauty as the ones which should be aspired to by consumers, ” he shares proudly. Chen Man’s photography encompasses themes typical of that of an ever-expanding China, and David explores these in detail. “Her photographs range from youth and fashion, to Beijing street culture and its many landmarks. All have a highly polished surface (which some famous actresses who have been photographed by her have admitted to feeling a little uncomfortable with, as they are unable to live up to that in the real world) and often appear other-worldly. Her work is very much a product of the times: growing up just after China’s period of reforms and ‘opening up’ has meant she was influenced by Western advertising, and by the time she began working as a photographer she was one of the first generations of photographers to be living in an environment where she could produce the works she does.” David’s presentation was received very well, and he notes: “The attendees included alumni, photography students, and some Chinese students. It was interesting hearing different people’s opinions on her work, especially those who had never been to China. My personal highlight was being able to present the signed copy of her portfolio to the library at the end of the talk!” Topics even turned political, when some of the spectators questioned him about Chen Man’s inherent themes. “Some of the attendees seemed particularly interested in whether there were any political statements behind some of the photographs, which I personally don’t see
and tend to put down to the fact that Chen Man is part of the ‘Post-80s” generation, who are less interested in political matters.” The EAS50 Anniversary celebrations were the perfect time to showcase Chen Man’s work and explore how China has evolved in terms of its visual arts over the past ten years. Naturally, David was delighted to take part. “Meeting some of the alumni and discussing their experiences in China reinforced in my mind how much the visual landscape there has changed over the past few decades. It was also extremely interesting to hear about what others who have studied in the East Asian department have gone on to do, and made me feel proud to be a part of it.” Perhaps you should hang around in bars in Beijing more often, David! David is a finalist student of Chinese at Leeds.
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leeds links PHOTO TAKEN BY JACOB JAMES IN BUNDI, INDIA
Eye on Asia photography competition
“
This has been an amazing experience, and the standard of the photos has been... gobsmacking!
“
– Anne Akers, competition judge
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Eye on Asia 2014 WORDS SUSANNAH DERRETT PHOTOS EYE ON ASIA PARTICIPANTS
I
t has been yet another successful year for Eye on Asia, the charity photography competition and exhibition that is organised annually by students from East Asian Studies (SMLC). The exhibition took place over two weeks in Parkinson Court, allowing everyone the chance to view the impressive range of photographs, all of which were submitted by students and staff from universities across Leeds. It was back in 1993 that the ‘Eye on Asia’ concept first came into existence when a group of students, upon returning from their year abroad studying in China, gave a presentation about their experiences. The following year, this lowkey event was christened ‘China in Our Eyes’. Since then it has been transformed by successive students, evolving into ‘Eye on Asia’: the annual event that we see today. Vice-Chancellor Sir Alan Langlands, who was impressed by the high quality of the photographs, made an announcement at the Senate meeting on 12 March drawing members’ attention to the occasion. This year the committee took the decision to extend the competition to Leeds College of Art and Leeds Metropolitan University, meaning that a staggering number of entries were received. The task of choosing just 40 from nearly 400 stunning photographs to put on display was an immense challenge, prompting heated debates amongst the committee members. Nonetheless, the final selection of photographs certainly cap-
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tured a striking variety of perspectives, themes and unique experiences of Asia. As one student commented on passing by during her lunch hour, “I did feel that a bit of Asia had been transported to the middle of the Parkinson Court space.” The exhibition itself commenced with a lunchtime opening ceremony, introduced by Eye on Asia committee member Eamon Barrett. Professor Peter Buckley, Director of the Business Confucius Institute, also gave a speech explaining why the Confucius Institute chose to support Eye on Asia: without their generous donation the event would not have been possible. Professor Buckley was also asked to be one of the judges for the competition, so he proceeded to study the display of photographs along with fellow judge and Co-Director at Exposure Leeds photography group, Anne Akers. After a period of careful deliberation, the judges reached an agreement on the top 3 winning photographs which were to be revealed at the closing ceremony. The closing ceremony was held in the evening of 21 March, opening with a delightful acapella performance from The Cosmopolitones of Leeds, followed by a variety of speeches from Director of East Asian Studies Dr Frances Weightman, Deputy Director of the Confucius Institute Dr Wang Bo and judge Anne Akers, all of whom expressed admiration for this year’s talented photographers. Anne was particularly enthusiastic: “This has been an amazing experience,
and the standard of the photos has been, yes I’ll use this word, gobsmacking!” She emphasised the difficulty in choosing the best three, but was confident in her decision. She also explained more about the criteria that the judges used, namely, the story behind the photograph and the message it had about Asia. The winners were then revealed, with Alice Burns receiving first place for her Hong Kong Taxi (see page 14), winning a prize of £100 in STA Travel vouchers. Ruby Weatherall’s Monks These Days (page 16) was a close second, receiving a year subscription to National Geographic and a spa voucher. Third prize, a YO! Sushi master-class, was awarded to Reuben Balkitis for his photograph Ants (page 18). All three winners also received a professional canvas print of their photo. The funds raised from this year’s competition, totalling at over £800, were donated to the Red Cross Typhoon Haiyan Appeal. This appeal supplies vital emergency aid and is helping to rebuild the lives of the millions of people who were affected by the disaster that swept across the Philippines in November 2013. Mary Norman from the British Red Cross travelled from Sheffield for the closing ceremony to give a presentation about their ongoing relief work. Professor Li Ruru of Chinese Theatre Studies, and instigator of Eye on Asia over 20 years ago, was especially impressed with the committee’s work this year as this was the first time that students from both Chinese and Japanese Studies were involved. She also commended the presentation of the exhibition, along with creative fundraising through bake sales and selling prints of the images. She, along with the rest of the East Asian Studies department, awaits Eye on Asia 2015 with anticipation. Susannah is a penultimate year student of Chinese and Linguistics, and Graphic Designer of EAST. She was also one of the organisers of the Eye on Asia 2014 photography competition. You can view the top 40 shortlisted photos here: flickr.com/photos/eyeonasia2014 To contribute to the Red Cross Typhoon Haiyan appeal go to: redcross.org.uk/typhoonappeal Clockwise from top: ‘Monk Procession’ by Yanick Targonsiki in Mandalay, Myanmar; ‘Escaping the Monsoon Rain’ by Alice Burns in Udaipur, India; ‘A Brief Pause’ by Rachel Jones in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; ‘Jaipur Woman’ by Fleur Starcevic; ‘Untitled 1’ by Jacob James
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PHOTO ‘HONG KONG TAXI’ BY ALICE BURNS First prize winner in the Eye on Asia 2014 Photography Competition
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PHOTO ‘MONKS THESE DAYS’ BY RUBY WEATHERALL Winner of second prize in the Eye on Asia 2014 Photography Competition
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with Thai Forum and the Anglo-Thai Society
Sir Alan Langlands was impressed by the Thai Studies students’ ability to converse fluently and formally in Thai with the Ambassador, and was interested in their year abroad experiences, ongoing extra-curricular activities, and future plans
T
hai Studies at the University of Leeds ushers in a decade of success in 2014, with a key figure in the programme’s 2004 establishment its current director, Dr Martin Seeger, and acknowledgement of the wholehearted support and generosity of the Royal Thai Embassy.
Thai Studies offers students from around the world the chance to study the language, culture, and history of a truly enchanting country. For many undergraduates, the apex of their time at Leeds is the year abroad – spent studying at Chiang Mai University, in northern Thailand. On Friday 14th March 2014, Thai Studies was visited by His Excellency Mr Pasan Teparak, the Thai Ambassador to the UK,
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in a monumental and exciting event not just for Thai Studies, but for the entire Leeds East Asian Studies faculty and the wider School of Modern Languages and Cultures (SMLC). As is annual tradition, final year Thai Studies students take the baton from their elder peers in organising the monthly Thai Forum: a platform for the local Thai community, Thai nationals studying at Leeds, and experts in the field of Thai Studies, to discuss Thailand. This year, Thai Forum embarked on a joint venture with the London-based Anglo-Thai Society, which aims to foster good relations between the UK and Thailand. The University was further privileged to welcome former British Ambassador to Thailand, Mr David Fall, as Thai Forum’s guest speaker.
Mr Fall, as former chairman of the Society, has first-hand experience of Thailand stretching back to the 1970s, when he was first posted in Bangkok, and those in attendance at the on-campus Centenary Gallery event were privy to an enthralling talk on the perceived historical roots of Thailand’s current political situation. Mr Fall enjoys strong historical diplomatic connections to Thailand, and he gave a fascinating, yet unbiased lecture, masterfully captivating the attention of the entire audience. The audience, intrigued and absorbed, were privy to some truly insightful – and of course diplomatic – thoughts from Mr Fall regarding the historical roots of Thailand’s legacy of coups, the state’s current political instability, and what the future might hold for the Thai nation and its citizens. Afterwards, attendees mingled and enthusiastically discussed the talk, and this in turn provided an opportune networking event for Thai Studies students at levels one, two and four of the programme. They were able to engage in rewarding and insightful dialogues with the speakers and diplomats in an informal and relaxed setting, and also enjoyed speaking with represen-
tatives from the event’s sponsor, the Thai Children’s Trust, which undertakes philanthropic work in Thailand promoting nationwide inclusive education programmes. With His Excellency Mr Pasan Teparak in attendance, this latest instalment of Thai Forum was a rare chance for the University’s staff to greet such high-profile company, along with Deputy Head of SMLC Professor Caroline Rose, Director of East Asian Studies Dr Frances Weightman, and of course Martin Seeger, who were all delighted to welcome the Ambassador at a pre-reception in the Centenary Gallery. Recently-appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University Sir Alan Langlands also happily made time in his demanding schedule to meet the Thai Ambassador. Sir Alan was impressed by the Thai Studies students’ ability to converse fluently and formally in Thai with the Ambassador, and was interested in their year abroad experiences, ongoing extra-curricular activities, and future plans. The Ambassador and the Vice-Chancellor enjoyed a welcome reception with students courtesy of the University’s catering services.
Thai Studies would like to acknowledge the efforts of all involved in March 2014’s Thai Forum. The Royal Thai Embassy’s continuous generosity is hugely encouraging for both Thai Studies students and staff, the dedication and fervour with which Mr David Fall delivered his talk was inspirational, whilst the support provided by the Anglo-Thai Society ensured the event had so many fascinating people in attendance. More information about the Thai Children’s Trust can be found at thaichildrenstrust.org.uk Rebecca is a finalist student of English and Thai & Southeast Asian Studies. She is also Co-Editor of EAST.
Clockwise from top: His Excellency the Thai Ambassador to the UK Mr Pasan Teparak and Vice-Chancellor Sir Alan Langlands; A happy audience; His Excellency meets Thai Studies students; Mr David Fall, former British Ambassador to Thailand; His Excellency with Mr David Fall and members of the Anglo-Thai Society
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politics
Cambodia and the post–
Khmer Rouge fight for human rights WORDS JOANNA CLIFFORD PHOTO STEPHEN WELCH
E
ach year, 7 January marks Cambodia’s Victory Over Genocide Day: the anniversary of the fateful date in 1979 when Vietnamese troops marched into Phnom Penh and toppled Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime. Under Pol Pot’s extreme communist vision, 1.7 million were tortured and sent to their deaths, whilst many more died of the exhaustion, starvation and disease that permeated the regime’s labour camps. Yet, whilst the overthrow of Pol Pot is unanimously regarded as a victory, what followed makes 7 January a particularly controversial occasion for Cambodians. Many see Vietnam’s actions as an invasion rather than liberation, a pretext for establishing their 10-year occupation and, subsequently, the installation of Hun Sen. Even today, Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) is still accused of being heavily influenced by Vietnam. Although 20,000 people attended a celebration orchestrated to highlight the CPP’s role in ending Khmer Rouge rule, recent government violence made 2014’s 7 January holiday more contentious than ever. Since the 2013 election, which saw widespread corruption, and the consequent refusal of the opposition party to sit in parliament, there has been an increase in protest actions. Unrest culminated in the run-up to Victory Day, when security forces brutally cracked down on striking garment workers – killing 5 and indefinitely detaining 23 – and a government decree banned public gatherings came into force. For a country in which protest has been a powerful tool for human rights campaigners, particularly land rights activists, the government ban on freedom
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of speech and assembly is a significant barrier. In recent years, Cambodia’s most high-profile and successful protests have focused on large-scale land concessions illegally granted by the government to agro-industrial businesses. These concessions displace and impoverish thousands of rural and indigenous people, who lose their homes, livelihoods and cultures with little or no compensation. Land development has affected communities across Cambodia, from those dwelling by the national airport, to those living in bio-diverse rainforests. Among these communities, two cases of illegal land-grabbing have risen to particular prominence: Boeung Kak Lake and sugar cane plantations. In 2010, approximately 3,500 families were forcibly evicted from their Phnom Penh homes after Boeung Kak Lake was controversially filled in to make way for a building project. Similarly, scores of rural citizens have been displaced by concessions granted to sugar firms drawn to Cambodia by the European Union’s Everything But Arms preferential trade programme. In both cases, protest has been integral to helping affected communities obtain appropriate reparations. After years of advocacy on the streets of Phnom Penh, Boeung Kak community members have been promised 12.44 hectares of suitable resettlement land. At an
international level, protestors put pressure on the World Bank, which announced it would cease loans to the Cambodian government until the situation was resolved. Tep Vanny, an activist whose tireless campaigning has been essential to Boeung Kak’s success, was awarded the prestigious UN Vital Voices prize in Washington DC, where she was personally honoured by Hilary Clinton. Regarding the sugar case, community members have, supported by NGOs, articulated their concerns in advocacy meetings across Europe and contributed to the launch of the ‘Bittersweet Har-
The message of Victory Day must ring hollow; a victory over human rights abuse is something that Cambodia is far from achieving vest’ report. Sugar company Mitr Phol is the subject of a complaint to the Thai Human Rights Commission, whilst Tate & Lyle is being sued in the United Kingdom on behalf of affected families, with an online ActionAid petition gaining almost 60,000 signatures. The government crackdown (still ongoing at the time of writing) has removed the ability of such communities to successfully defend their land rights. Indeed, those arrested over the past few months include Vanny and fellow
PHOTO ‘CLEANING UP TEMPLE GROUNDS’IN KOH SAMUI BY BARA ERHAYIEM, EYE ON ASIA PARTICIPANT (see page 14)
Boeung Kak leaders. Their crime? Trying to deliver petitions to foreign embassies. Now, campaigners will not only be afraid to protest in the streets, but also to speak out at an international level. For these activists, the message of Victory Day must ring hollow; a victory over human rights abuse is something that Cambodia is far from achieving. In the long term, the exploitation of Cambodia’s land resources and its people can be solved only by a government that is held accountable by an opposition party in parliament and by their citizens
through free and fair elections. However, Hun Sen’s government refuses to hold another election, and opinion is divided on whether or not the opposition party provides a realistic solution. For now, it is essential that NGOs continue to educate Cambodian communities and encourage them to speak out. These communities’ voices are crucially supported by the work of several journalists, including Kevin Doyle and the Ruom Collective. Through effective reporting, the concerns of Cambodia’s citizens may be amplified loud enough to influence
the government and the international community, thus ensuring the development of this country follows a sustainable route. Joanna is a volunteer for Equitable Cambodia.
Left: Tep Venny, a Cambodian who became politically active through Equitable Cambodia, standing up for land rights
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PHOTO ‘DISTANCE’IN HONG KONG BY SAM TOMS, EYE ON ASIA PARTICIPANT
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environment
Mongolia’s Green Challenge WORDS JUDITH NORDBY
I
n 2007, a Mongolian herdsman called Munkhbayar won the Goldman environmental prize for a campaign to protect his native river from the impacts of mining. When shots were fired during a demonstration in the capital Ulaanbaatar in 2013, the leaders were tried for terrorism, and Munkhbayar was given a 21-and-a-half-year sentence. At the heart of this affair is a dilemma: how can the government promote economic growth and solve problems such as poverty, unemployment and inequity and, at the same time, protect Mongolia’s fragile environment? Mongolia is a country landlocked between the north-east Asian forest zone and its desert, and has a population density of only 1.7 per square kilometre. There are pristine natural resources, intense blue skies, clear waters, lush grassland, majestic mountains, diverse wildlife, and dramatic desert landscapes. It is also a degraded and polluted land where water resources are diminishing, soil is eroding, and desertification is on the increase: the results of a 20th-century shift from a nomadic herding economy to settlement and industry. Mongol herdsmen have traditional ways of conserving the natural landscape and its bio-diversity. However, ecological awareness was not high. Recycling, control of toxic chemicals, food safety, energy saving and safe waste disposal that were becoming common in other countries were not widely observed. When communism and the command economy collapsed in 1990, economic decline was soon arrested, however a third of the population were thrust into poverty without regular income, and with little access to social security resources. Illegal logging took its toll on the forests, and Chinese demand for cashmere encouraged herdsmen to breed more goats than their pastures could sustain. Later, the practice of informal gold mining using cyanide and mercury contaminated rivers. Change was initiated as Mongolia became involved with the United Nations (UN) and its development agencies, and participated in international conventions. The Rio Earth Summit of 1992 championed sustainable development and measures to combat climate change, and Special Protected Areas were created. Laws were passed to regulate the environment, however, the implementation of these laws was poor, since the environment ministry had no monitoring role. The expansion of mining brought climate change and environmental deterioration into sharper focus, as did a series of harsh winters known as zud. Between 2000 and 2002, the
zuds killed a third of all livestock, leaving many herding families destitute. This triggered a huge migration to major urban areas such as Ulaanbaatar, which now has a population of 1.2 million out of a total national population of 2.9 million. Inefficient stoves in migrant tent settlements, outdated coalfired power stations, and 70,000 cars jamming the streets all contributed to smog which blots out Mongolia’s legendary blue winter sky, and demand for water still exceeds supply. Mining provides the bulk of exports, and is the main source of foreign exchange, with deposits of copper, gold, and coal all exploited by foreign-invested companies. One mine in particular has caught global attention: Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine in the desert province of South Gobi is a joint venture of Rio Tinto (66 per cent) and the Mongolian government (34 per cent). Green development, according to the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), is the key to sustainable development. For Mongolia, green development means a low carbon economy, sustainable mining conducted to international standards, land rehabilitation practices, efficient use of technology; and eco-tourism. Can national plans for sustainable development and a green economy be achieved? The 3R principle is being adopted, and there is now a word in Mongolian for ‘recycling’. Discussions are taking place with other north-east Asian countries about GobiTec, a project to generate wind and solar energy for customers at home and abroad while a large wind farm was recently commissioned in central Mongolia. As a developing country Mongolia attracts external aid, but as a fast growing economy, it will be exports and GDP that provide much of the funding. Therefore, mining will not cease in the near future, as it pays off Mongolia’s international debt, and funds much needed infrastructure, and clean technologies. A balanced and diverse economy, taking into account Mongolia’s traditions and its future role in a globalising world, will do much to create both a safe and resilient natural environment, as well as a an economy that meets the needs of the people that can weather the ups and downs of global economic change. Success will not come overnight, but with good governance and management, it will be possible. Judith is a former lecturer in Mongolian studies at Leeds, and is now Honorary Fellow in Mongolian Studies.
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politics
Thailand in crisis . . . again WORDS AND PHOTOS ANONYMOUS, IN THAILAND
Greed, not ideology, is the underlying problem in Thai politics Red, yellow and orange
I
have lived and worked in Thailand for 13 years now, and most of those years I have been working as a journalist/ writer. While I can’t pretend to have the historical knowledge of many Thai academics, nor the political savvy of the writers analysing events in the capital, I believe I am knowledgeable enough to know that the political schism is driven by fiscal greed, not ideology. I don’t think the Democrats are democratic, and Pheu Thai (the ruling party) are less for
the people than they are for themselves. The Thai people are fully aware of the self-serving nature of their politicians, and while sometimes all they can hope for is a cash payment for casting their vote, the mythology of culture and national identity offers them some protection from the base greed that pervades their lives daily. During this transcendent stage when culture and icons are becoming de-mystified – we are seeing this now all over Thailand, especially on social media sites (i.e. people saying they have been lied to, brainwashed, etc.) – I think there will be plenty of violence, both physical and mental. As old cast-iron beliefs are taken apart, many people will dig in. Though the majority of the country is not well versed in politics, or Platonic logic (noble lies, etc.), there is a growing number of intellectuals in Thailand who are not partisan to any political party. I see more and more ‘orange’ shirts (metaphorically) emerging – people who see through the binary logic of red/yellow. They want peace, better education, and an end to political corruption. There are supposedly two political parties at war with each other, the Democrats and Pheu Thai (‘For the People’). The irony is that the Democrats have shown themselves to be not the least bit democratic – after losing an election, their modus operandi is to try and force out the elected government to allow for a royally-appointed establishment to take its place. Pheu Thai are the elected government. Red in colour, compared to the yellows of the opposing corner. Thaksin Shinawattra is the anti-hero of this party, and the red movement; the movement supposedly of the people, Thailand’s agrarian majority. For many years, these ‘masses’ have allegedly been ill-equipped with the education and political awareness to render them responsible voters. So it is that the mostly Bangkokian middle classes decry their choices, declaring that Thaksin and his sister, the present PM, can easily hoodwink them with their populist policies: wars on drugs, supporting income-starved villages by handing out money, and so on. It is because of the corruption and machina-
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tions of the Shinawattras, and the tragedy of rural education standards, that the yellows (or ultra-royalists), feel it is within their rights, and even in the democratic milieu, to over-throw the elected government.
The amnesty bill However, overthrowing the government seems a bridge too far, even in coup-strewn Thailand – especially in this climate of supposed progress and modernity.
What inspired the recent civil disobedience was the much-maligned Amnesty Bill, which would have allowed Thaksin back into the country, and dismissed the accountability of wrong-doers, most of whom were allegedly involved with the mass killings of protestors in 2010. In essence, the bill would have allowed criminals to walk free. It was another example of how politicians flagrantly take advantage of their positions in Thailand, of a lack of true ideology: a shocking example of the temerity of the elites. The people had to stand against this. Except the people, for the most part, were more anti-government than they were ideological. They wanted to get the Thaksins out at any cost, without a mention of serious reforms such as a much needed education reform, and a scrapping of the draconian ‘lèse-majesté’ law. It seemed that even the allegedly ‘educated’ masses, in railing against the government, could be brainwashed just as easily as they said the rural folk had been. The Amnesty Bill, or Blanket Amnesty, was said to be the idea of Thaksin, not Yingluck – his sister and his puppet. What a disaster it
was; Yingluck seemed to be doing fine, with the people and the military largely on her side, but now her integrity will be forever tainted, and I do not think she can recover from this. Speaking to people on the streets, I can hear the doubt in their thinking too: “They are all corrupt. All of them are in it for themselves only.” This I hear repeated incessantly.
a royally-appointed leadership that includes an elite establishment. This comes at a time when the royal succession is playing heavily on everyone’s minds.. A people’s government seems, in my eyes, to be nothing more than an ancient establishment exerting its power over the country once more. That they, even the corrupt Suthep, call themselves ‘democratic’ is a joke.
The crowds took to the streets to oppose the bill, in bigger numbers than anyone expected. Unsurprisingly, Yingluck dropped the bill not long after. But the wheels of chaos had been charged, and the crowds stayed, many of them, in protest against this corrupt government, or the ‘Thaksin Regime’. Thus, the Democrats saw an opportunity.
Education and the myth of culture
Violent protests erupted after Suthep Thaugsuban (the anti-government leader) spurred on his sympathisers, clashing them against red shirt protesters who had come to Bangkok mostly from the north. Many of the anti-government protestors, it has been said by journalists I am in contact with, are made up of people truly opposed to the government, but also of hired thugs from the south of Thailand who had been paid to fight. The same could be said of the red shirt protestors: It would be hard to say who was genuine, and who wasn’t.
Education is of key importance as it is the lack of an education that is said to be the reason why Pheu Thai keep winning – vote-buying has been blamed, but both sides buy votes, and in any case, the masses would still vote Pheu Thai.
unchanged. What I think you see in Bangkok is the people fighting for an identity, when they should be fighting for autonomy. They are being used as pawns to support the elites, whether old or new. Their loyalty of course cannot be rewarded, other than they get to feel like winners, and can also feel superior to those whom they call inferior. It is the schism that I believe is the problem, the master/slave syndrome, as the people divided cannot see the main problem is the self-serving elite who rule the country and continually prosper from policies, budgets, etc. The divided people have no solidarity, and their enemy is contrived by their leaders. Leaders who are actually their true enemy, and who keep the people in the chains of mal-education in the allegorical Plato’s Cave, only to be called upon when needed. The colour coded schism, much like a football crowd in the UK in the ‘80s, gives one a sense of identity, yet strips people of dignity at the same time by taking away their autonomy. I can’t see this changing as the people are deliberately kept in the dark, and education acts only as a means to convert them into believers, or teach them the rudimentary skills to perform tasks needed in the work place, but not the wisdom provided by critical thinking.
Overthrowing the government seems a bridge too far, even in coup-strewn Thailand, especially in this climate of supposed progress and modernity
Suthep and his crowds of supporters stormed government ministries. People have already been killed in these clashes, and even the media has been threatened if it doesn’t portray the protests the in the ‘right way’: Nick Nostitz, a German journalist, was punched in the face after a protest leader told the crowd to kick him out as he was a red shirt. Suthep is presently demanding a ‘people’s government’. An ironic term, as it will mean
There has been no education reform, besides kids being bought tablets. Thai history books leave out major events and there is hardly any, if any at all, critical analysis of important historical events such as the student massacres in the 1970s. Children are taught to obey, to follow rules, and not to question authority. The education system becomes a kind of Marxian creation of great myths, fabricating completely what is referred to as Thai ‘culture’. Students are initiated into this hierarchical culture from an early age, and they learn to understand their status, often a lowly one, while respecting those above them. The people – the rich and the poor – do not have the ability or the freedom to deconstruct and demystify cultural myths. It’s hard to see any great changes in Thailand when this system of hierarchy, lies, and poor critical faculties remains entrenched. The people, rich and poor, will be continually used to support small elite minorities who are vying for power, and the money it pours on them.
If you look into the backgrounds of the political players, it’s easy to see how nepotism has played a part in building their wealth. Many players have been known to change sides when it transpires that they will be better paid. This is another example of greed – not ideology – as the underlying problem in Thai politics. Political parties are not interested in social progress. Rather, they function as a vile, and venal, system of patronage. Thailand remains somewhat in the dark ages, though the people are, I think, becoming more aware of the ‘skulduggery’ involved in politics.
The reason Thailand still has archaic laws is so this old structure remains
lueastmagazine.com | EAST 29
getting out there
León, Spain
crossing the cultural b
bringing
It was certainly a special memory... an afternoon spent enjoying watching the two cultures I have studied for four years come together
P
eople often ask me why I chose to do a degree in two languages that are so unrelated. It is a valid question: Chinese and Spanish are not the closest in terms of language style. Spanish has a very clear alphabet, and you read it as it is written; Chinese has a frustratingly large number of characters to learn off by heart, and just because you can write them does not necessarily mean you can say them! During my term abroad at the University of León in north-western Spain, I took part in a cross-cultural competition that highlighted exactly why two languages are useful. Moreover, it uncovered why studying an East Asian language can create opportunities for you whether you are in Asia, or thousands of miles away in Europe. As a compulsory element of my degree, 11 Leeds classmates and I were studying Spanish in León in the final term of our third year. On arrival we were told six months prior, the centre had opened a Confucius Institute, and that we could enquire there about enrolling for lessons to keep our Chinese levels up.
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We met with the local Institute Director, who asked us about our Chinese language levels, and he advised us go along to the level three Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (Chinese Language Level - 汉语水平考 试) classes so we could see if they could be useful or not. We went, and it was indeed useful; we covered vocabulary we didn’t know or had forgotten, and practising Chinese never hurts. Soon after, there was an announcement that the Institute would be holding the preliminary round of the Global Chinese Language and Culture competition ‘Puente a China’ (‘Chinese Bridge’), and our teacher encouraged a classmate and myself to sign up. I produced a nervous, stuttering, a-cappella performance of Justin Bieber’s song ‘Baby’ in Chinese on the day. After my classmate’s eloquent reading of a traditional Chinese poem, combined with a speech about ‘Our Chinese Dream’ from each of us, we managed to earn joint second place, plus a position in the team that would represent León in the national final.
Distance: 5683 miles/9145.9 km
Beijing, China
bridge:
g China to Spain WORDS KIERAN PRENDERGAST
It was both of us, and a competitor from Portugal, who would be going on an all-expenses-paid trip to Barcelona to compete in two weeks: it was time to get serious! A Chinese magician called Huang Zheng tutored us, and she taught my classmate a magic routine that I am envious of to this day, using traditional Chinese proverbs known as chengyu – 成语 – combined with magic, to wow the judges. I was given a choreographed routine and a backing track to my Bieber number, and we also received classes in cultural knowledge from the Institute’s Chinese language teachers. Before we knew it, we were on the train to Barcelona! We met with local directors and representatives of the Confucius Institutes in Granada, Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, along with the Minister of Education based in the Chinese Embassy in Spain, and then headed to Barcelona’s equivalent of Leeds University’s Great Hall. The competition began with the beginners’ section, in which our Portu-
guese classmate was competing. We all thought he had the best performance: his speech was well-rehearsed, humorous, and the song that he had written himself had everybody clapping along, so he deservedly received one of the loudest cheers of the day. There were only two entrants in the children’s category, but one young boy blew the audience away with his fluent Chinese. Then, the adult’s category began and we had some tough competition, with martial arts displays, Chinese pop songs, Chinese flute playing, and even Chinese red bean paste-making. Our team didn’t win, although our Portuguese friend did fantastically and came second. However we filled the triumph-shaped hole in our day with plenty of food from our second all-youcan-eat buffet in as many days! At our post-competition social, it was fun to discuss with others the difficulties of learning Chinese, and we debated a lot over whether it was harder to learn Chinese or Spanish. Our Chinese teachers divulged that Spanish was definitely
more difficult, and their reason was because there wasn’t as much good quality TV with subtitles to watch to practise in Spain (in China, most TV programmes have Chinese subtitles). We gave our Chinese teachers a fleeting tour around Barcelona for the remainder of the afternoon before heading back to the airport to fly back to León. It was but a whirlwind visit to the city, and fortunately I had visited before. It was a special memory of Barcelona for sure: an afternoon spent witnessing the two languages and cultures I have studied for four years come together, and celebrating their burgeoning relationship. It is one of the most thrilling, and poignant experiences I have had the opportunity to enjoy during my Leeds degree. Kieran is a finalist student of Chinese and Spanish, and former EAST Magazine Finance Co-Ordinator.
lueastmagazine.com | EAST 31
politics
the dark side of
north korea I WORDS JULIJA VELJKOVIC PHOTO REUTERS
f you look at satellite images of the Far East by night, you’ll see a large spot lacking in light. This geographical expanse of darkness is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Conflicting as this is, a nation of 23 million people occupy this blank vast space, where electricity appears to have ceased to exist. Yet North Korea is not an undeveloped country; rather it is a country that has fallen away from the developed world. How did it all begin?
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was officially established in 1948. Installed by Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, Kim Il-Sung became the first ruler of North Korea until his death in 1994. During his almost 50-year reign, an authoritarian cult of personality emerged. He was branded as a god-like deity, and his son and successor Kim Jong-Il was known as the son of this ‘god’, a Christ-like figure. A new calendar was introduced, which used 1912, the year of Kim Il Sung’s birth, as year one. So fervently was he worshipped, that the regime introduced mandatory portraits of Kim Il-Sung in every household. North Koreans were arrested, and at times, disappeared into the night, if the portrait of their great leader Kim Il-Sung was not shiny and polished.
al statues were dedicated to the Kims in the countryside, and despite widespread famine, a large mausoleum was built on the outskirts of Pyongyang to house the bodies of both Kim Il-Sung and Kim JongIl. Some mourners bizarrely took their own lives so as to join the Kims, and if North Koreans did not express tears and grief, they were immediately detained, and branded as traitors of the regime.
The deaths of Kim Il-Sung and his son were a national tragedy. Receiving massive state funerals, hundreds of memori-
Brainwashing the citizens of North Korea took meticulous planning. Propaganda was introduced in every elementary
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school in the country, with a special training room where young children were indoctrinated in the regime’s teachings. As children, North Koreans learned to worship the regime and its founder, Kim Il-Sung, and they were taught to fanatically thank the leader for everything, which still continues to this day. From pre-school to university, children could fail any subject, as long as they knew about the history of the Kim family. Students today are still fed the same propaganda, where Americans appear in school textbooks as evil demons,
and South Korea is branded as a weak nation that is culturally and economically heavily reliant on the US. Under both rulers, and the current supreme commander Kim Jong-Un, North Korea remains systematically isolated from the international community, with its governmental and economic operations shrouded in secrecy. The government also tightly controls foreign visits, and misrepresents its national reality. North Korean surveillance agents escort diplomats and foreign tourists to the wealthiest and most pristine areas of the capital, Pyongyang. These same practices are employed when international aid workers visit the country.
tion of forced hard labour, inadequate food, beatings, lack of medical care and unhygienic living conditions, many prisoners fall ill and die. Family members of suspected dissidents also regularly disappear or have been punished under the principle of ‘guilt by association’. Millions of people have experienced the worst hunger in decades, with women, children, and the elderly being the most vulnerable. A UN report on malnutrition in North Korea has further revealed how nearly a third of children under five
A key question many ask is, why has the international community not tried to stop these human rights atrocities from occurring? The government’s regime is well-established - no matter how inadequate or inhumane. Thus, foreign countries are hesitant to challenge the acts of North Korea’s established leadership. This is due to international premises of state sovereignty - the right of states to govern themselves. The use of surveillance, coercion, fear, and punishment by death have further instilled terror in the people, and public executions and enforced disappearance to prison camps have made it difficult for open opposition to take place.
Millions have experienced the worst hunger in decades… why has the international community not tried to stop these human rights atrocities from occurring?
Subsequently, little of the human atrocities are witnessed and recorded by international relief agencies, as a deep lack of awareness and misinformation cloud public perceptions. Yet despite the country’s poor economic infrastructure and food shortages, North Korea has the fourth largest military in the world, and its resources are fully devoted to expanding its nuclear programme. This has made policy makers wary of addressing North Korea’s human rights violations. Human rights atrocities in North Korea vary in range. North Koreans sent to prison camps and detention centers are often tortured. Prisoners are punished if they are suspected of lying, not working fast enough, are in business with foreigners, or for simply forgetting the words to patriotic songs. Due to the combina-
show signs of stunted growth, particularly in rural areas where nutrition is scarce, and endure chronic health problems such a s diarrhoea due to a lack of clean water, sanitation, and electricity. Public executions are common, and punishable offences include ‘treason against the fatherland,’ and ‘treason against the people’. One of the few insights into how ordinary people live, beyond the official line of the regime, comes from those who have defected to the South. One North Korean refugee, Yeonmi Park, revealed what it was like to live under the regime: ‘There were constant power outages, so everything was dark. There was no transportation - everyone had to walk everywhere. It was very dirty and no one could eat anything…even though you were suffering, you had to worship the regime every day... Every couple of days someone would disappear. A classmate’s mother was punished in a public execution that I was made to attend. I had no choice - there were spies in the neighborhood.”
The sad reality is that it may take years, or even decades, for North Korea to reappear in satellite images. Julija is East Magazine Online-Co-Ordinator and finalist student of Broadcast Journalism. You can follow her on Twitter at @JulijaVelk. Photo by Damir Sagoli/Reuters: North Korean children wait in a tent before being examined for signs of malnutrition. Their kindergarten in South Hwanghae was destroyed during the summer floods.
lueastmagazine.com | EAST 33
travel
INDEPENDENCE FREEDOM HAPPINESS
Volunteering in Vietnam WORDS AND PHOTOS STEPHANIE UWALAKA
I
took a gap year hoping to experience new things, new cultures and gain a better understanding of myself and the world we live in, so I decided to travel to somewhere I’d never been before, and picked Vietnam! I’d never been anywhere in Asia before, and so did a bit of research. Vietnam appealed to me because I found that not only was it a country of outstanding natural beauty, but it also had a rich and beautiful culture that I couldn’t wait to explore. I saved up some money for travelling, set some time aside to volunteer as well by organising to teach English to local children, and booked the tickets through gap year company Real Vietnam Experience. I travelled with my close friend Yani, so we booked everything at the same time and, set off for Vietnam in June 2013. I spent a month travelling around the north of Vietnam, also known as the ‘real’ Vietnam, as the north has retained a lot of authentic Vietnamese culture. We met our guide, nicknamed Nam, at the airport, and hopped into our taxi into Hanoi. When I first arrived in Hanoi and I stepped out of the taxi straight into a street market, I distinctly remember feeling the heat of the concrete and smell of market livestock. I found Hanoi to be a beautiful, bustling city with narrow streets, many motorcycles and tall, skinny buildings with numerous floors. The traffic in Hanoi was the craziest I’ve seen: with no lights to signal you to cross, you have to throw
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yourself across a road where hundreds of motorcycles, some taxis, come hurtling towards you, so every time you crossed the road successfully almost made you feel glad to be alive! We stayed in the Old Quarter, which was predominantly a tourist area, but was exciting nonetheless. There are bars and restaurants, and every weekend has the famous and well-recommended night market. About a mile or two long, this is where you got great deals on almost anything you were looking for. The two things I consumed the most during my stay in the city was the traditional Vietnamese noodle soup dish pho, and Vietnamese green tea which had a herbal, minty flavour. The plentifully available ‘Beer Hà Nội’ was also the most delicious beer I’ve ever had. Three weeks into my time in Vietnam, and after various excursions to pagodas, temples, caves and even jungle, we were taken to the countryside for our volunteering placement. It took about six hours of a packed and sweaty coach ride outside Hanoi to teach English at a primary school. We stayed with an old couple who lived a two minute walk from the school; they were both incredibly nimble going about daily tasks, and were so welcoming. Their house was in a courtyard which had fruit trees, and where bushes with vibrant pink flowers grew. They were so kind and cooked for us while we stayed there: the old lady made the most delicious food. We helped her cook one day, and she made us do everything with exacting instructions, reminding me of my Nan at home. My favourite
dish was a sweet, watery pumpkin soup, but the great thing was that everyone ate as a group, passing dishes around, and sharing. Teaching the children English was hard work to say the least, possibly due to the combination of the heat and their inexhaustible energy! We arrived at 9am for morning classes, stopped for lunch and to avoid the midday heat, and then came back at 2pm for afternoon classes. I worked with children aged three to four years old, and although I couldn’t say much more than ‘xin chào’ (hello), you could tell there was a range of personalities in the class: the girls tended to be quiet, but the boys tended to be loud, and
‘The Socialist Republic of Vietnam – Independence, Freedom, Happiness.’ These three words really stood out to me as ideals that I wanted to aspire to in my own life
The experience really helped me build on my teamwork skills by working with my group with lesson plans, and to develop my assertiveness by trying to look after a class of 30 children who couldn’t understand a word of what I was saying! My experience in Vietnam marked an important transition for me as a person. I saw on a ticket: ‘The Socialist Republic of Vietnam – Independence, Freedom, Happiness.’ These three words really stood out to me as ideals that I wanted to aspire to in my own life, and in a sense, my travelling to Vietnam helped me to discover and experience these things: I gained independence being away from family for an extended amount of time, freedom as a young adult travelling abroad, and happiness in making new friends and actively giving to the global community by volunteering. Overall, my experience enhanced my personal development in more ways than one, and if I ever have the opportunity to return to Vietnam, I’d take it in a heartbeat. Stephanie is a first year student of Japanese and Southeast Asian Studies.
liked to play fight, even with you! We used toys and games to teach them numbers one to ten, and phrases like ‘hello’, followed by things like colours, and animals. They all wanted to play most of the time, so we tried to channel this into their learning, which made it an enjoyable challenge.
lueastmagazine.com | EAST 35
getting out there
LIVING WITH A CHINESE FAMILY WORDS AND PHOTOS ANDREW KEMP
S
tanding amongst Shanghai’s constant crowds and their towering residences for the very first time, I could not have anticipated that my stay in such a vast metropolis would be defined by a period of relative peace and familiarity. Borne initially from a series of financial complications which rendered my plans to live with course mates unrealistic, my decision to partake in a homestay proved to be the best I could possibly have made. From my first day living with the Wei family, I was immediately made to feel at home, with the children’s initial scepticism quickly giving way to youthful curiosity as they adjusted to the presence of a foreigner in their home.
did not seem a world away from life at home. Although the Wei family lived as a four in the flat, Donnie’s mother, father and two brothers all lived in the same lowrise compound, in a middle-class area which held 30,000 residents and contained all of the establishments which would be expected of a large British town. During a month-long stint when the grandmother stayed with us as Donnie travelled to India, I realised that the environment the children would grow up in was almost unrecognisable from that of their grandparents, who still dressed and acted in a manner more typical of old Chinese films than of Shanghai’s affluent working-age population.
Shanghai’s rapid development has other side-effects, perhaps none greater than the increasing pressure exerted on school As part of the programme, I taught five hours of English per children and workers. As head girl in her class at the on-site week to the children’s mother, a hard-working and loving stayprivate school, CC is a hard-working and intelligent child, but at-home mum. Though both she and her seven year old daughon a few occasions she ter CC had been learning seemed overwhelmed by I realised that the environment the children the expectations laid upon English for a few years, my Chinese level quickly imwould grow up in was almost unrecognisable her. After one particularproved, and it did not take ly unhappy outpouring, from that of their grandparents long before it was easier to Donnie explained that talk to them in their native the pressure exerted on tongue than English. This was, of course, hugely beneficial to Chinese private school children is huge, with the long school my studies, with the initial frustration at my limited powers of day and daily two to four hours of homework leaving little expression pushing me to spend hours bulking up my vocabutime for CC and her classmates to relax, and just be children. lary. Many primary schools in Shanghai have resident counsellors, Though both parents were keen to help me in any way they but the mentality behind their extraordinary workload seems could, it was the playful energy of the children that helped deeply ingrained in the city itself, as demonstrated so overtly distract me from the homesickness of being removed from my by the ruthless nature of commuters. In a city with so many family and friends. I had a room to myself within the fourth citizens, it is difficult to stand out and easy to be replaced, floor apartment, but the children would roam in and out freeand there seems little room for empathy in the struggle to ly, CC often coming in to sit with me at my desk and do homereach the top. work, and their two year old son Didi simply to do whatever My immersion in everyday Chinese life has certainly made took his fancy. In no time at all, my title of ‘Gege’, meaning me more aware of the divide between Chinese society’s tra‘Elder Brother’, felt completely natural. dition and progression on a more personal scale than is often I quickly adapted to the family’s routine, rising early for a noted. It cannot be said that Shanghai has lost touch with breakfast of rice porridge and a boiled egg and usually returnthe Chinese identity, but there is little doubt that such rapid ing from university in time for either lunch or dinner. Chinese development will effect social change, with the ever-closing meals are based around the concept of sharing, and I enjoyed gap between the affluent West, and an increasingly prosperthe food culture immensely, but Donnie would also experiment ous China. with western style meals, with the children particularly fond of pasta and pizza. Andrew is a second year student of Chinese and Politics. In fact, aside from the language barrier and the Chinese laissez-faire approach to table manners, life with the Wei family
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TERRORISM
in the PHILIPPINES
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society & culture
TERRORISM IN THE PHILIPPINES WORDS MARKETA KACHYNOVA
T
he Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) is a notorious terrorist organisation, active in the Southern Philippines. Literally translated as ‘the bearer of the sword,’ Abu Sayyaf is known internationally for its heinous kidnappings.
bleak, so participation in the ASG becomes a viable employment option. There are also reports of parents volunteering their sons to enter the ASG in exchange for a monthly supply of rice, and a financial reward of around $200, and some fathers even allegedly trade their sons for guns.
Since its inception, the group has been striking a balance between terrorist activity and organised crime, giving the impression that ASG defend their violent, profit-driven activities on the grounds of its proclaimed objective: the creation of an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippine islands, but has been described as more reminiscent of Blackbeard than Bin Laden.
Alongside economic deprivation, there are social and personal matters at play. Abu Sayyaf functions also as an ‘identity entrepreneur’, providing its members with refuge. In an Al Jazeera interview, a former ASG member Abu Kharim admitted that his decision to join was an act of rebellion against his parents. He wanted “to prove he was a man.” Some individuals’ decision to support the group actively was the result of ‘pot’ (marijuana) session with members.
In 1991, a group of radicalised members splintered off from the pre-established Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and formed Abu Sayyaf, which today has less than 500 members. What is unclear, however, is the motivation of these terrorists. What motivates young Filipinos to join terrorist groups like ASG? Academics have been trying to understand the relationship between personality and politics, and to find out whether a kind of “terrorist personality” construct exists. Current data does not indicate mental or psychological deviance among members of terrorist organisations, and the demographic characteristics of terrorists show that they are predominantly male, unmarried, and relatively educated. However, they generally appear to lack future prospects. In the case of the southern Philippines, it is the material gains factor driving young potential terrorists. Abu Sayyaf offers them the opportunity to earn large sums of money, typically unattainable in a legal occupation. For many individuals, the economic prospects in the southern Philippines are
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Acts of violence unrelated to terrorism also aid Abu Sayyaf in seeking recruits. The ASG is reportedly protected by local politicians, police, and military that profit from the illegal enterprise of the group. Its members provide politicians with certain underhand services: they are a source of “thugs for hire” during election seasons. Furthermore, even state bodies are resorting to violence in the southern islands. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are known to use torture techniques, and are accused of extrajudicial killings. Therefore, when considering the prospects of joining the group, the inhabitants of the southern islands may not be deterred by the vision of involvement in violence. In terms of the role of religion, some analysts posit that Islam in the region is inherently militant, while others insist that it can be defined by tolerance and pluralism. The employment of Islamic fundamentalism in the style of terrorist organisations in the Middle East may rather be a by-product of the
What is unclear, however, is the motivation of these terrorists. What motivates young Filipinos to join terrorist groups like ASG? environment created by the War on Terror. In the ASG, the majority of members seem to be attracted by the promise of cash rather than by Islamist ideology. Gracia Burnham, an American missionary kidnapped in 2001, provided a first-hand account of the ASG members in which she implied that members had a “sketchy notion of Islam”, and were unfamiliar with the Koran. As such, the environment young men find themselves in is the major factor that shapes their motivation to join the group. In an area where jobs are scarce, violence is an everyday part of life, and private armies are flourishing, it is unsurprising that terrorism becomes a sustainable career path. Perhaps the Filipino government should begin improving the living standards and economic conditions of the southern islands, instead of its endless condemnations of Abu Sayyaf’s actions. Marketa is a finalist student of International Relations and Spanish.
Photos, top: asiasentinel.com; bottom: aljazeera.com; previous page: stevenwarran.blogspot.com
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getting out there
Shanghai Theatre Academy Reflections on Beijing Opera Summer School WORDS LAURA DAVIS PHOTOS SHANGHAI THEATRE ACADEMY
O
n a bright, hot summer’s day in the lively city of Shanghai, 20 students from around the world gathered for a three-week long unique experience: the Beijing Opera Summer School at Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA). The course encompassed classes in theatre theory, Beijing Opera history, Beijing Opera costumes and makeup, and many hours of practical classes, which urged us to change our mind-set and start feeling Beijing Opera through movement. These classes also prepared us for the final performance, and in addition tested our physical endurance. Being one of the two students in the group not pursuing a degree in theatrical arts, I did feel a little lost in terms of understanding Brecht’s works and Stanislavsky’s method-acting, despite having read works by both in their respective original languages. However, I had never analysed their works from the perspective of a theatrical performer. The passionate discussions on interpretations of The Caucasian Chalk Circle were a particular favourite memory of mine. Not only was the play re-interpreted by Brecht to have Marxist-Communist undertones, but it was also transformed into a Beijing Opera piece by our teacher Jiaoli. I will never forget her graceful movements with mesmerising facial expressions, all incorporated into dance using Beijing Opera elements, without any props, words or music!
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For me, this is where Stanislavsky comes to mind, because it reflects that the approach to theatre through Beijing Opera is extremely different to what we know in the West, as he believed actors should be as ‘true’ and ‘real’ as possible. This element is far from Beijing Opera, where the emphasis lies in symbolism, gestures and impressions. Many of the teachers were professional Beijing Opera performers and have studied the art for more than 15 years, whose performance skills were impeccable. Some students became very fond of the teachers, and at the farewell dinner there were lots of tears! Aside from having background knowledge of works by these eminent writers, in return I contributed a by explaining contemporary China, society, politics and economics to the students not familiar with Chinese language and culture. I helped with the language barrier, even down to simple things like telling the taxi driver where to go. Seeing my classmates who had never been exposed to East Asian culture was very interesting. Many experienced culture shock, and appeared vulnerable and lost in one of the safest cities I know, how-
Beijing Opera rarely uses props, the actor presents the setting by using gestures, eye contact, words and music
learned how to walk, use our arms appropriately, and how to move our heads in the correct manner. Since I have been involved in Shaolin Kungfu and Wushu, I noticed that a lot of basic elements derive from these martial arts movements, such as the high kicks and sharp looks at the audience at the end of a sequence. My role was an old man (‘laosheng’) in a traditional play named Fisherman’s Revenge. The scene included some unusual elements: ‘paddling’ on water, balancing on the boat, singing and speaking in both Chinese and English, and sometimes all of that simultaneously! Since Beijing Opera rarely uses props, the actor presents the setting by using gestures, eye contact, words and music. We grasped the basics of these techniques over our three weeks, and once it came to the final performance we were ready. In the end, we exceeded our own expectations. We also had a talent night, where students exhibited skills gained through their university courses, or simply formed part of their national heritage as their respective country’s traditional folk music and dance. Students hailing from New Zealand performed a Maori Dance, Mexican students presented a clowning piece, and a student from India impressed us with a traditional Indian classic dance. There was also breakdancing, and an English student reciting Shakespeare. My own contribution was singing a Chinese song, and reciting a Russian poem.
ever, within three weeks their basic Chinese skills improved, they even learnt a few words in the local dialect, and became more familiar with Chinese cuisine. Some of the students faced problems with food, but Shanghai is a very international city, and there is always something to cater to most dietary requirements.
As long as a student is interested in theatre and arts, they will find a place at the Shanghai Theatre Academy Beijing Opera Summer Camp troupe, which brings people from all over the world to China to study this dying art. In my opinion, this was a very special time for me, spent with exceptional people, and we all learnt so much from our STA experience, and from each other.
The practical classes took up most of the daytime, and could be difficult to keep up with due to the stifling Shanghai summer. We were separated into male and female roles, and
Laura is a finalist student of Chinese, and is EAST Magazine’s Financial and Marketing Co-Ordinator.
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getting out there
A LAOWAI IN BEIJING
GETTING OUT THERE
WORDS AND PHOTOS JOSEPH ODRAN DORAN
C
haos. Absolute chaos. As I exited Beijing airport and was subjected to a startand-stop cab ride into the city centre, ‘absolute’ and ‘chaos’ were the only two words that came to mind. Beijing at rush hour was complete pandemonium, and I was ill-prepared to absorb what I was seeing. When you tell people that you’re going to live in China, one of the first things they warn you about is ‘culture shock.’ You laugh politely, secure in the knowledge that you are a child of the global age, well-equipped by the internet to deal with the cultural quirks and difficulties that you’ll face in. You’ve readup on your destination, you’ve travelled all over the world on holiday, you’ve got foreign friends. How shocking, therefore, can another country possibly be? The city is vast, and absolutely crammed full of people and traffic. Cars clog every major road, and pedestrians stream across both sides of broad pavements. The smell of unfamiliar dishes cooking in open-fronted restaurants mingles and melds with the distinct scent of sewage from blocked drains and the pervading, all-consuming tang of the immortal smog. Eating was difficult, with chopsticks being the only available form of eating utensils. Pieces of vegetables, chunks of meat… lifting them to my mouth wasn’t easy, but it was do-able. And as difficult
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as getting the food into my body was, getting it out again... well, let’s not dwell on that, shall we? Speakers of English are still a relative novelty in Beijing. Amongst the middle and upper classes, the business men and women, I’m sure speaking English is a requirement, but for your average Beijinger who rarely meets foreigners, why bother? And that was me for perhaps the first month of my three in China. It was simply too much to cope with, and I was crumbling under the weight of a culture that was beyond my understanding. But then something odd happened. After that first month, Beijing started to make sense. The perpetual traffic jams weren’t dangerously disordered, they were simply the only way that many cars could be on the road at once. Nor were the drivers insulting each other when they repeatedly honked their horns, they were only signalling that they were changing lane. The food too, shifted from alien to ally. Being forced to use chopsticks every day gave me dextrous skills: dumplings, rice, peppers...no delicacy was safe from my grip! Even Beijing itself, that behemoth of grand architecture and surging crowds, became familiar. The subway system became my best friend, transporting me
from shopping mall to hutong to restaurant district with minimal hassle - but admittedly, maximum on-board squashing. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of my assimilation into the city was my sudden desire to learn the language. My workmates all spoke Chinese, and how I envied them. With their help, I picked up a few choice words and for the first time, I felt I was less a tourist, and more an expatriate. However, it is amongst my greatest regrets that, during my time in Beijing, I did not hire a tutor to teach me Chinese. The three months I spent in Beijing were unlike anything I had ever done, and unlike anything I am ever likely to do again. It continues to amaze me that, having disliked and feared the city so during my first month, I came to be so in love with it towards the end. Beijing is a place that defies definition. It cannot be compared to anywhere else in the world. It is huge, loud, terrifying and confusing. And if I could, I would go right back. Joseph is studying Initial Teacher Training at University Campus Suffolk.
society & culture
Japan and the Arrival of Spring Sakura WORDS AYAKA KURATA
G
ardening culture in Britain has led to not only a rich profusion of beautiful private gardens, but also striking public spaces. When the spring comes, cherry blossom trees near the University of Leeds announce the arrival of spring here in Yorkshire.
dumplings called dango, which is made of rice. Nowadays, people enjoy cherry blossom events with friends, family or work colleagues, and often involves feasts and drinking too. Because of this, people often mention the tongue-in-cheek proverb ‘Dumplings, rather than flowers!’ when they refer to hanami.
Pondering the cultural connection between East and West, cherry blossom trees play a significant role as a cultural bridge. Sakura Park’s cherry blossom saplings in New York’s Manhattan were originally gifts from Japan; they were sent by means of celebrating friendship between the US and Japan.
News items broadcast the cherry blossom forecast, known as sakura zensen. Based on the sakura zensen predictions, Japanese people make plans for the date and place they wish to celebrate the arrival of spring by spending time among the cherry blossoms.
Cherry blossom is famous with foreign tourists too. Huge numbers arrive from all over the world just to get a glimpse of flourishing cherry blossom in its native land. The history of celebrating cherry blossom was initiated by aristocrat events in the Nara period from 710-794. At the time, cherry blossom was not the celebrated flower, but prunus mume blossom, of which trees were imported from China. The custom of viewing cherry blossom started during the Heian period (7941185). Traditionally, the cherry blossom viewing is referred as hanami, which is the term first introduced in traditional Japanese literature such as Tale of Genji. It is believed that the widespread of cherry blossom viewing among ordinary people was in during the Edo period of 1603-1868.
The cherry blossom season coincides with the start of the new school year, as well as commencement of new company employees, and along with this comes immense pressure. The first task for new employees is to arrange hanami events, and they are expected to consider three major things: date, budget and location of where to observe the blooming sakura. As the period of the cherry blossom season is very short, a great number of people compete to occupy the best spot on the same day. Finally, in order to make the event a success, new employees must cross their fingers that it does not rain! Every country possesses its own unique culture, and it may well be thought-provoking to discover different cultural aspects by investigating the meaning behind its native flora. Ayaka is an MA student of TESOL Studies at the University of Leeds.
When the celebrations of blooming cherry blossom is in full swing, it often involves eating of Japanese
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43
travel
PERSPECTIVES ON SHANGHAI WORDS AND PHOTOS JULIJA VELJKOVIC
I
t’s hard to believe that nearly 24 million people live in Shanghai. Yet, somehow, the Chinese make it work.
I found that most areas in the city were spacious and easily navigable. Whilst I encountered some depressing, communist-style housing blocks, Shanghai thrives with quality architecture. Its skyscrapers and shopping mall complexes are a testimony to the country’s economic success. Having braved the 100th floor of Shanghai’s World Financial Center, it became evident that China is a progressive country, with towering buildings that could easily be confused for New York City. The country has rapidly caught up with the West. Shanghai oozes with power and sophistication. The tall buildings reaching for the sky tell a tale of their own: China is the future for business and employment opportunities. Shanghai’s streets remind me of Beijing’s chaotic traffic system. The roads constantly buzz with cars intersecting each other at red lights, with speedy motorcyclists driving on pedestrian pavements. More notably, Shanghai’s metro system is a
Everyone is talking about how rapidly China is developing, yet so little is discussed on how quickly traditional culture is fading warzone. With a 1.3 billion population, the Chinese have no qualms over pushing and shoving in the subway. Whilst this is both comical and confusing to the Western eye, there is an organized logic to this system. In such a vast country, everyone fights for their own space – and survival.
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Everyone is talking about how rapidly China is developing, yet so little is discussed on how quickly traditional culture is fading. Shanghai’s old neighborhoods are disappearing amidst tall skyscrapers. Corner shops are being transformed into 7-11s, and local markets are turning into big supermarket chains. To avoid all of this, I ventured out to Yuyuan Gardens. However, I was dissapointed to see that the ‘old city’ had been converted to a profiteering touristic hub spot, with local Chinese ushering you to view the rooftops for a price. This is the price being paid for Shanghai’s vibrant, forwardthinking and cosmpolitan culture. One local journalist, Richard Baimbridge, has cleverly summarized where Shanghai stands today: “This is a city with its foot on the accelerator 24 hours a day, blasting off into the future at speeds that leave little time for nostalgia”. Despite the misgivings of modernisation, the soul of the people remains unbroken. Walking through Zhongshan Park on my last morning stroll in Shanghai, I glimpsed into the minds of the Chinese people. In spite of China’s one child policy and booming population, the Chinese have a powerful sense of community and spirit. There in the park, I passed a crowd of people taking dance classes in the square. A few individuals ventured out to the grass area, their faces contorted in concentration as they practiced Tai Chi. Further on, I passed by a group of elderly men crouched over a table. Peering over their shoulders, a heated game of chess was underway. Past the gardens, a couple of women were sitting on the bench, laughing and singing along to the banging of gongs. Perhaps more remarkable were a trio I witnessed, singing in high-pitched Opera-like voices whilst plucking away at mandolin strings. This is the real China I have had the privilege to experience, with its richly diverse culture – the arts celebrated on a daily basis. After having myself travelled across Europe, I’ve personally never come across such a communal desire for enjoying simple pleasures. Another aspect of Chinese culture I have come to appreciate is that marriage, family and children are highly valued. Throughout history, family has considered to be the root of Chinese society. The elderly are respected and honored and the young children are the focus of the family. Although Western lifestyles have been adopted, the traditional family structure is still cherished, regardless of whether the Chinese dwell in the rural environment or the modern urban city. And this is what you see in Shanghai: the ‘real’ China lies in the everyday flurry of the people; you pass the country’s life force in the parks, in the shopping mall complexes, and along the traditional alleyways.
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PHOTO ‘LUNCH TIME IN BEYOGLU’ BY LEO GARBUTT, EYE ON ASIA PARTICIPANT
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society & culture
COLLECTIVISM IN CHINA WORDS ARIS TEON
M
ore than a century ago, Reverend John MacGowan noted: “If one desires to understand the Chinese, he must study the family life, for there we find the secret for much that is amusing and perplexing in their character”. In many respects, this statement has remained true until the present day. The failure of many Westerners to understand Chinese society is partly due to their failure to understand Chinese family ideology. Chinese ‘collectivism’ as opposed to Western ‘individualism’ – derives from Confucian family ideology, which has remained strong, despite all the social and political changes that have happened since the overthrow of the Qing Empire in 1911. The Chinese Confucian family can be best understood as a system of hierarchical and social roles based on the ‘inherent’ inequality of its members. The hierarchy in the family was structured according to age and gender: elders were superior to younger family members; men were superior to women. Children had to obey and revere their parents, which went far beyond the Christian precept of “honour thy father and thy mother”. As an old Chinese saying goes: “Of all virtues, filial piety is the most important.” The concept behind filial piety is simple: parents gave life to their children, and this very fact creates a moral obligation of children towards their parents and the family lineage which lasts not only during a person’s lifetime, but also after parents’ deaths, in the form of ancestors worship. Children are born with the burden of a debt towards their parents which is so great that it can never be fully repaid, and the only thing children can do is to serve their parents. In Burying His Son to Save His Mother, a story from the Confucian classic The Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety (
二十四孝 ; pinyin: èrshísì xiào). Written during the Yuan Dynasty (1260–1368), the protagonist, Guo Ju, decides to sacrifice his son in order to feed his mother. Since the family is very poor and food is scarce, Guo Ju feels guilty. “We are unfilial children,” he tells his wife. “We can’t feed our mother properly, and now she is sick! What are we going to do?” He resolves to kill his own son so as to fulfil his first duty, the filial obligation towards his mother. But as he digs the hole where he plans to bury his child, he finds hidden treasure: a gift from heaven to the filial son. The message of the tale is clear: when you have to choose between your parents and the younger members of the family, your parents always come first. The second example comes from the Family Rituals, a 12th-century manual written by the Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi (1130-1200). This book, which can be considered as a summary of already existent Confucian literature, explores social roles, rituals and etiquette. It is a guideline for “proper” behaviour in which individuality is absent. Particularly interesting are the passages that discuss the role of the daughterin-law. Since married women belonged to the husband’s family and their social function was to help their husband fulfill his filial obligations by serving his parents and bearing him a male heir, they were in a very low position. It also shows that family ideology wasn’t based on individual feelings or mutual understanding, but on rigid fulfillment of social expectations and hierarchies. One passage of the text declares:
A Twelfth-Century Chinese Manual for the Performance of Cappings, Weddings, Funerals, and Ancetral Rites. Princeton 1991, p. 29. All the changes that have happened in Chinese society from the end of the Qing Empire to the present may lead one to the conclusion that ancient Confucian culture is but a relic of the past. Some people even believe that Mao Zedong’s attacks on traditional culture successfully uprooted it, and that what we now see in China is the result of entirely new social conditions. However, underestimating the importance of Confucian family ideology in today’s society in China would be a grave error. In fact, the essence of Chinese collectivism does not lie in a supposed moral superiority or in the altruism of the Chinese people, but in the perpetuation of old family ideology in a new form. Although social roles and hierarchies have somewhat changed, what has not changed is the firm belief of many Chinese people that every individual is embedded in a network of relationships in which duties and obligations are standardized – beyond individual self-determination. Hence, the worth of the individual in Chinese society today often still lies in his or her capacity to fulfill a prescribed social role, and conform within a hierarchical social system. Aris is an Italian blogger based in Taiwan who writes about China, Taiwan and Hong Kong at My New Life in Asia. His blog can be found at my-new-life-inasia.blogspot.com.
Even if the son likes his wife very much, if his parents are displeased with her, he should divorce her. On the other hand, if the son dislikes his wife, yet his parents say she is good at serving them, then the son should fulfill his duty as a husband. [1] Quoted in: Patricia Buckley Ebrey: Chu Hsi’s Family Rituals.
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society & culture
Gu Feng
A Chinese Calligraphy Master-Class WORDS LAURA DAVIS PHOTOS THE LEEDS BUSINESS CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE
I
n November 2013, renowned calligrapher Gu Feng visited the Leeds University Business Confucius Institute, and gave us a taster of what it is like to work with his brush.
He was born in Changchun, a provincial capital with dry, desert-like summers and cold, breezy winters, with a population of six million inhabitants in North-East China. Whatever the weather and scenery there, painting and calligraphy have endured as his passions. As he puts it: “my friends from the neighbourhood and myself used to use twigs to draw pictures in the ground surrounding my house.” What consolidated Gu Feng’s artistic ambition was a school trip in 1970s to the secluded Changbai Mountains. Gu Feng ran away from the group with his previously prepared notebook and pencil, and he jotted down all his observations of the vast mountain ranges. The moment he was found, serious detention lay ahead of him; however, when the teacher noticed his drawings the scolding turned into encouragement, as he was told: “for a young boy without having any professional training, your sketches are so vivid, and contain so much natural spirit.” This teacher later supported Gu Feng in pursuit of his dreams.
Gu Feng is also interested in Chinese historical figures, and hence is the perfect match for the Confucius Institute: some of his most famous paintings are his depictions of Confucius, the most well-known Chinese historical philosopher, who created the core ideology of spreading harmony and peace. Confucianism is not his only inspiration: others include Bodhidharma and Laozi. He believes these muses serve to “grasp one’s heart and understanding”, which is what he likes to inspire through his art. Gu Feng believes that if one can understand the virtues of Laozi’s ‘three treasures’ – compassion, frugality and humility – one would understand the essence of the laws of nature, be able to cultivate their mind, and in turn become more benevolent, and inspired. Gu Feng held his first large exhibition in Beijing, despite being an active artist for over 30 years. The motivation behind this exhibition was Xi Jinping’s slogan ‘Chinese Dream’ which inspired Gu Feng to bring the quintessence of traditional Chinese arts into the modern sphere, and thereby promote the revival of Chinese culture.
In his workshop at the Parkinson Court’s Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery, Gu Feng made a short calligraphy presentation with a student recreating the characters ‘Chinese Dream’ or ‘ 中国梦 ’ (Zhōngguó mèng) in calligraphy. For Throughout his life, Gu Feng was inspired by landscape artprofessors from various departments at Leeds, students, and ists of the Ming and early Qing dynasties, such as “The Four the press, this was a cultural symbol of bridging East and Monk Painters of the early Qing Dynasty”, who were famous West. The ‘Unsurpassed Oriental for painting birds and flowGu Feng shared one of his mottos with Art: The Painting and Calligraphy ers. Gu Feng updated these inspirational, classical styles us: “All beautiful things are positive and of Gu Feng’ exhibition included a collection of his ‘Bird and Flower’ by using free-hand brushseries, and his ‘Beyond the Great I accept all beautiful things” work, thus discovering new Wall’ contained the most striking artistic boundaries. depictions of Confucius through a very profound, yet natural Gu Feng has a very distinctive calligraphy technique; his and elegant, hand stroke of Gu Feng. works are said to be very fluid and pleasing to the eye in To finish the session, Gu Feng shared one of his philosophies: their style. While keeping in congruence with traditional Chi“All beautiful things are positive, and I accept all beautiful nese standards, Gu Feng has explored Western forms, and things.” this has brought him to focus on the ink-based figure paintings he creates today. The strokes are very sharp and precise, but at the same time, delicate, and this is what makes his paintings so idiosyncratic.
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society & culture
The Magnificent 47 WORDS DR. STEPHEN TURNBULL
‘47
Ronin’ is a highly entertaining movie, and I am proud to have been associated with it.
Many of my friends have seen it, and even though they range from samurai buffs who would spot the smallest misplaced toggle, to people to whom East Asia is one huge amorphous mass, they have all enjoyed it, and so have I. I have to admit, however, that my own reaction was at first very negative. It opens with a firm statement that this is Japan – where the samurai and their codes of honour rule – and then suddenly we are faced with men on horseback dressed in Chinese hats made from wickerwork laundry baskets. So, for my first viewing, I kept wincing at all the anachronistic lines as one by one all the things I most feared hurled into view. Lord Asano’s ladies in strange make-up, the line of samurai wearing stuffed cats on their heads, and so on. However, I calmed down and started thinking about the concepts I had discussed with the production team during that first exciting week at Universal in September 2010. Yes, we all agreed that the legend of the 47 Ronin had been exaggerated for nearly 300 years, so the ghost of Chikamatsu would be smiling down on Hollywood. I also took on board, and greatly approved of director Carl Rinsch’s vision of how the fantasy element might be introduced, and supported with my own ideas and drawings the notion of how all this would be firmly rooted in what people in Japan at that time really believed existed. Hunting a kirin? Why not? A shape-shifting witch who transforms into a white fox and a dragon – immensely believable! So why were the critics so savage? Well, much of what has been written in the press has been produced in ignorance. One reviewer criticised the film’s historical accuracy, and then revealed his own miserable knowledge of Japanese history by referring to the historical Lord Kira as ‘Mr Yoshinaka’. There was then a feeding frenzy as the Boxing Day copy deadline loomed, and they all drank deeply from the cliché tank. How very misguided. Although I have yet to meet anyone who didn’t enjoy it, and when I went back for a second time I loved it, and I am proud to tell anyone I worked on it. So what was my overall impression? The big question for me is whether or not Carl’s vision was realised. I saw 47 Ronin as having the potential through its combination of the real and the unreal to break totally new ground as an anime film acted by real people – a concept that would cause many a Japanese film director to fall on his sword, furious that Hollywood had beaten them to it. I believe that this goal was largely achieved.
Much, I think, depended on the interplay between fantasy and reality. Essentially, 47 Ronin sought to create a world where the fantastic intrudes into the human world, and this human world is feudal ‘Old Japan’. This is in sharp contrast with the fantasy worlds of Narnia, or Middle Earth, where everything is fantastic, so here in Ako we have very human, and very earthly, samurai interacting with creatures from another dimension who are made believable simply because this was the very real world of the humans’ own imagination. This is achieved best of all in the movie by the superb character of the witch, whose excellent screen presence produced a classic role that would not have been out of place in the greatest of Japanese ghost stories. To a lesser extent the same was achieved by the kirin. However, the tengu I was less happy with. I felt that had been conceptualised too far away from the Japanese original. With regards to the human characters, the cast do their very best to be human, and the acting is excellent throughout. Mika is the perfect heroine and the ronin carry the film along with gusto. However, Keanu Reeves has been most unfairly criticised. None of the reviewers seem to have grasped that he is playing an outcast who is kept firmly in his place, so grand gestures and dialogue would not have been totally appropriate. He plays this downtrodden role perfectly, and as for all the comments about him not looking Japanese, in any case, in the eyes of most of these critics, all ‘orientals’ look alike. This brings me to the related topic of the costumes. The male ‘civilian dress’, from the homespun ronin, to the lords’ robes, are perfect and anchor their wearers firmly in their world. The white apparel for the hara-kiri scenes was superb and in terms of the other world that will intrude the fantasy green robes of the witch again makes a statement about her other-worldliness, as do the robes of the tengu. Sadly, the costume designer seems to have got completely mixed up between the two worlds with much of the other design work. This is puzzling, because I believe they designed the costumes for Pirates of the Caribbean where they produced a marvellous contrast between the very human sailors, marines and officials, and the more fantastic pirates. Yet none of this seems to have detracted from the overall positive impression of the movie-goers who have so enjoyed it. I look at the castles, the village and the shrines, and I feel proud and privileged to have been part of it. As a friend of mine said, “I wasn’t expecting history.” I just feel sorry for the critics. It must be a hard life when you can’t just enjoy yourself! Dr Turnbull is Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies at Akita International University, and his website can be found at stephenturnbull.com.
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Not Just Dining
The Paddy Field Programme in Taiwan WORDS YU-TZU LIN
Love2fruit
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environment
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hen was the last time that you stepped on farmland with your bare feet? Have you ever enjoyed a delicious, freshly-cooked meal with friends and family amidst the bustle of real, raring agriculture before? In Taiwan, three young friends have formed a team called Love2fruit, and they want to let more people become privy to such experiences. Having established ‘The Dining Table in Paddy Field Programme’ in 2012, the team have successfully attracted nearly two thousand participants to date. As local diets have adapted to an increasingly Westernised palate, and Taiwanese industries are transformed with the onward tide of modernity, communities are becoming more dependent on imported foodstuffs. Furthermore, fewer of Taiwan’s younger generations are willing to stay in confined to the rural areas they deem home. This is all having a huge impact on Taiwan’s traditional modes of agriculture, but a small group of brave youngsters have banged their creative heads together in defiance of this. They are Love2fruit. Alex Chien, the team’s co-founder, hails from a quaint little village in Taiwan, and understands very well the sense of freedom and relaxation people are blessed with in the countryside. The three principle ideals from which Alex developed Love2fruit are: to let people sense for themselves the liberating appeal of the Taiwanese countryside; to restore the value of rural living to the Taiwanese populace; to attract youngsters back to their homes – at least every once in a while! As such, he and two friends formed Love2fruit. The programme seeks to combine the nostalgic appeal of natural settings with a fun, traditional Taiwanese activity: Pān-Toh. Pān-Toh is Taiwanese for ‘catering’: chefs and their staff visit various functions and events, and they prepare food, set tables, and serve people once seated. The difference from the Western deliverance of this service is that Pān-Toh offers different dishes for every table (rather than a set buffet – boring!), in accordance with their customers’ fancies. The advent of this tradition came about when the Qing Dynasty ruled Taiwan. At that time, however, only Taiwanese nobility could afford to employ these talented chefs to cook up a storm in their homes. Back in the 1970s, Pān-Toh was becoming more popular, yet still held on to some elitist
undertones: a typical activity, but only in the context of weddings, or to commemorate gods and goddess. Nowadays, Pān-Toh is evidently Taiwan’s most celebrated traditional activity. In 2009, Taipei hosted the Deaflympics, and the Taiwanese government set-up about three hundred tables to hold Pān-Toh for athletes from each of the competing nations. So, what is particularly special about “The Dining Table in Paddy Field Programme”? Before the it starts, the Love2fruit team explore participating villages in order to communicate with local farmers. By co-operating with these communities, the team are able to design special cuisines using responsibly-sourced, fresh, seasonal, and most importantly, local ingredients. The team prepares everything, not just a delicious dinner: tables, pre-meal activities, and table decorations. The main purpose of providing pre-meal activities is to let people experience authentic village life, beyond the cuisine. Fundamentally, such activities change according to each village, and may vary from gathering corn, to making scarecrows, to picking out unsuspecting snails for snail speed racing! All you have to do is turn up, take off your shoes, let loose, and enjoy the lovely atmosphere and fantastic food – hardly a demanding daytrip, that’s for sure. ‘The Dining Table in Paddy Field Programme’ is not just about dining: it is an experience simultaneously created by everyone involved: the local hosts, the Love2fruit team, and you, the guests. How the food is grown, cooked, and presented are not faraway stories, and the programme brings to life these traditional components of rural Taiwanese life. If you visit Taiwan and would like to experience the wonderful energy of its villages as their people, crops, and landscapes struggle against an increasingly globalised setting, then you’ll derive lots of enjoyment, but also appreciation from the innovative Love2fruit team’s impressive venture. Yu-Tzu is an MA student at the Institute of Creative Industries Design, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan.
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getting out there
Thailand from The Eyes Outside WORDS AND PHOTOS REBECCA ISZATT
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uring 22–24 April 2014, the University of Sydney hosted the world’s 12th International Conference of Thai Studies (ICTS12). While ICTS has since its 1981 nascence been held most frequently in Thailand, the conference attracts attendance from Thai and international scholars in equal measures, and has been hosted in cities ranging from New Delhi (1981) to Amsterdam (1999). ICTS has previously been held once in the UK, at London’s SOAS in 1993. The focus of this year’s conference was ‘Thailand in the World’. Chair of the organising committee, Professor Philip Hirsch of the University of Sydney, claimed in an opening statement
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that ICTS12 was ‘occurring at a very significant and challenging moment in Thailand’s social and political history.’ Here, Professor Hirsch was undoubtedly implying the country’s most recent political conflicts which have, since September 2013, seen thousands take to the streets of Bangkok and elsewhere to protest against what they declare is a corrupt government. These anti-government protesters – dubbed by Thai academic Thongchai Winichakul as ‘hyper-Royalists’ – are largely opposed by Thailand’s Red Shirt movement. Such clashes are the latest to punctuate Thailand’s historically unstable political landscape: the country has, since the 1932 coup d’état which saw its system of government transfer from
absolute to constitutional monarchy, seen coup after bloody coup – a habit symbolic of unresolved and at times violent power struggles between the country’s old and new elites. Thongchai’s use of the term ‘hyper-Royalist’ seeks to imply the obsessive nature of the old elite’s emotional attachment to the monarchy, and also to uncover the tendency of this side to incorporate the monarchy into their political rhetoric. Professor Hirsch, those in attendance at ICTS12, and the wider Thai and international scholarly communities are aware of tensions being propagated by a growing concern with the outcome of the looming royal succession. The 86-year-old King Rama IX – Thailand’s leader and the world’s longest-serving,
currently reigning monarch – is to be succeeded by his son, the Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, when he passes away. Due to the King’s age and ill health, in the Thai imagining the succession is less a future necessity than an ever-ominous reality. Ominous because there exists in the Thai psyche a sense that Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn will be unable to seamlessly continue the benevolent reign of his father. Indeed, discourse circulating regarding the succession queries how smoothly it will occur: with the institution of Thailand’s monarchy increasingly being exploited as a political tool (principally by the ‘hyper-Royalist’ anti-government side), fear – largely unspoken – is mounting that the royal succession will do anything but calm political tensions. It may, perhaps, serve instead as a political event which will further polarise Thailand’s political communities. Discussing the sublimities of such a momentous, abstract, and certainly misunderstood an institution as the Thai monarchy is a difficult affair – particularly given Thailand’s lèse-majesté law (article 112). For reasons I cannot detail in this publication, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn is afforded far less reverence than his father.
innovative political documentary film by Cannes-winning director Pen-ek Ratanaruang and producer Passakorn Pramunwong. The film features interviews with an array of important Thai scholars, to whom the essential question is posed: what exactly is Thaistyle democracy? Following my enjoyment of the film’s politically subversive tone, I arranged at interview with Pen-ek and Passakorn on behalf of Citylife. My interest in the film, and subsequent decision to make it the case study of my undergraduate dissertation, inspired Pen-ek and Passakorn to invite me on an adventure,
stood collectively at a standstill. The fact of the matter is that nobody knows what the socio-political future holds for Thailand: not those academics at ICTS12; not those on the streets of Bangkok; not even those on or in line to the throne. As such, no amount of musings, predictions, and accusations will yield a direct answer to the question of what will happen in Thailand, or even as to what is currently happening in Thailand. As Thai studies scholars, our eyes – scrutinising and speculative – look at Thailand from the outside; yet by nature of its socio-political past, Thailand is somewhat impervious to this outsidelooking-in approach. In a keynote speech at ICTS12, established scholar Craig J. Reynolds mused: ‘Is Thai studies provincial?’ Similarly, Thongchai implied the dichotomy of Thai studies and ‘Thai-self studies’. While there is, then, a question of whether Thai studies should exist as the sequestered domain of the Thai – due chiefly to the unique workings of Thai politics, and the Thai-specific functioning of the monarchy – I do believe that it is constructive to comment on Thailand outside of Thailand, and on Thai people not as a Thai person.
The fact is that nobody knows what the socio-political future holds for Thailand...
During the summer of 2013 I worked as an editorial intern at the Englishlanguage, Chiang Mai-based publication Citylife. Whilst there, I was impressed by the release of ‘Paradoxocracy’ – the
and I am to embark on their next project with them: the film’s sequel: ‘Paradoxocracy: Definitive Version’. As such, I attended ICTS12 as part of their crew; I helped conduct interviews in English with international scholars, and attended panels in which Thai studies academics presented their research on fields ranging from Siamese ‘gentlemanliness’ to the workings of Bangkok court-houses. At ICTS12, I was privy to the resounding feeling pulsing through those in attendance: a heady mix of excited, anxious, and fearful anticipation. There, I sensed hundreds of scholars – both Thai and international – whose lives and works had been dedicated to Thailand,
Given the precarious spectre of freedom of expression in Thailand and the archaic intolerance of criticism of the monarchy, without eyes from the outside looking in, I fear that ‘the unsaid’ may be left as just that.
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society & culture
Taipei Ubike
a revolution in Taiwan’s transport WORDS AND PHOTOS CHUN-YEN CHENG
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ublic bike-sharing systems, also known as bike sharing, have received increasing attention in last decade. They are considered an innovative scheme in the realm of urban public transport, and have been drawing attention all around the world. Taipei has a great potential for cycling, with more than 155 miles of cycle paths established around the city. Many of cycling paths follow three rivers, providing the beautiful views along the way.
Taipei undertook its first public bike-sharing system in 2009, which started with 11 stations and 500 bikes initially piloted in Xinyi District. Influenced by the huge success of Vélib public bike-sharing in Paris, Taipei public bikes are regenerated by offering low cost, a simplified rental process, and larger service areas. Ubike launched in August 2012, and aimed to provide Taiwan’s residents with 162 stations and 5350 bikes in following seven years, and is operated by bike-manufacturer Giant. A ridership of one million was achieved in the three months of operation, and by January 2014 it enjoyed a service of 158 stations, and 5200 bikes. How does it work? Ubike only requires the user to pick up the bike at a station, then enjoy the journey with a big smile and a great mood and return it at the end! For first time use, riders can either use their EasyCard (much like London’s Oyster card) to register membership, or pay with credit card for short-term usage. Costing NT. 10 dollars per 30 minutes, registered users can enjoy a 30-minute Ubike experience for free, which is provided by Environmental Protection Administration to encourage green transport usage, and riders can use stylish and sturdy Ubikes outside MRT stations, parks, schools, and local attractions. Ubike absolutely brings about a new lifestyle and explores the city in ways that you have not experienced before. The Ubike scheme has elevated the image of Taipei as a low-carbon, healthy, and eco-friendly city. Bike-sharing in Taipei is here to stay, and there will surely be more Ubikes and Ubike stations across Taipei City in the not-too-distant future. Chun-Yen is an MA student at the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds.
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getting out there
East Asia This much I know WORDS AND PHOTO VICTORIA LEIGH
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ou can just trip over opportunities in East Asia. Film and TV work, along with ample well-paid teaching opportunities. Internships at embassies and global organisations are just around the corner if you look for them. Go and get it: you can be anybody you want to be in East Asia! Be prepared to witness startling contrasts in wealth. The major cities of East Asia are home to some of the wealthiest people in the world, and this is reflected in the sleek Shanghai skyline and the mega-malls of Hong Kong. An hour’s bus ride out of the cities to rural areas can reveal how the nations’ peasants live – sometimes on less than 20p a day – and it can be something of a shock to witness such impoverished economic conditions. Unusual trends and fashions are just part of day-to-day life. When you see grown salary-men on the subway in Tokyo with Hello Kitty charms ostentatiously decorating their phones, you know you’re in East Asia, where the Japanese are known for their offbeat fashion sense. From bagel-shaped forehead injections (what?!) to China’s ‘face-kinis’, East Asian trends are something to both marvel at and, on occasion, be horrified by in equal measure.
times feel like a futile wild goose chase, particularly in China. Keep calm and do your best to get your point across should you ever find yourself in such a situation. As I read somewhere before my YA started: ‘Beer is cheap, liposuction isn’t’. Or rather, the food is cheap. It is far too easy to indulge yourself on a regular basis in a way you wouldn’t back home with calorie-laden fried rice, dumplings and spirits. However, speaking from experience, it will definitely show in the Facebook photos later if you do. It takes a long time to build confidence in an East Asian language. With enough dedication, you can become relatively conversationally fluent in one to two years in a Romance language such as Spanish or French. This is not necessarily the case for East Asian languages such as Chinese and Japanese which have wildly different writing systems and grammar to English, so be prepared for linguistic setbacks no matter what level you’re at. Don’t take them to heart, and keep on persevering. 加油！
Be bold and break out of the ‘foreigner’ bubble. ‘Going native’ might terrify a lot of students who want to stick with their group of friends from back home when they arrive in a country where everybody (yes, everybody) stares at you for being ‘different’ – i.e. a foreigner. And it’s only natural. But if you want real language progress, spend some time with locals and people whose nationality is different to yours – you might pick up something that you otherwise wouldn’t have, would you have stuck with your fellow compatriots. Fortune favours the brave! It always feels like somebody else’s responsibility. Dealing with the police and other governmental ‘organs’ can some-
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getting out there
SHANGHAI – A REALITY CHECK WORDS A-K WRIGHT
C
hina has a reputation of being a kind of modern day utopia, a place where any dream can become a reality and where opportunities fling themselves at you on a daily basis – especially as far as business is concerned. The reality is sadly more than a little different. In fact, all of my preconceived notions about China, and particularly Shanghai, have been wholly overturned since my arrival. That’s not to say that my experience thus far has not been positive, just that it’s been doused with cold and unforgiving reality. I believe it’s time to address some of the more common misconceptions about Shanghai. “China is cheap!” they say. Well, yes and no. China is currently experiencing an ever-inflating property bubble; a bubble that is particularly intensive in Shanghai – a place where “property prices are set to keep rising”, according to propertywire.com.
to budget, and budget hard. The days of cheap China were crushed alongside Tesco’s attempt at cornering the market here. “Shanghai isn’t like the rest of China,” they say. Well, quite frankly, it absolutely is. Anyone whose dreams of Shanghai involve lounging around, sipping cocktails in bars framed by neon skylines will get those dreams crippled by the first ex-Red Guard who smashes into you on his moped, whilst you’re stood on the pavement.
China has a reputation of being a kind of modern day utopia… The reality is sadly more than a little different
To put this into perspective: a modest student flat in the city will cost around £900 (roughly £300 pppm). That’s not including bills, and in Shanghai electricity can have you draining your bank account faster than a fresher! As for daily living, that depends on you. Food and drink prices don’t differ much from those in the UK, and eating in ‘authentic’ Chinese restaurants becomes a part of daily life purely out of necessity – baked beans and other Western student staples carry a hefty fee.
Shanghai is in many ways China’s heart, vaguely concealed behind a set of glitzy glass and concrete super structures. Everything – from being suffocated by the hordes on the subway, to being surrounded by giggling teenagers that attempt to stroke your blonde hair – screams “China” so loud it might as well be singing the anthem and waving the flag. In fact, unless you’re extremely affluent, coming to Shanghai will in no major way demean your China experience.
Of course, this isn’t necessarily a negative thing. Having to budget abroad, thousands of miles away from the bottomless realms of your parents’ wallets, will teach you more about yourself than you might think. But do be prepared
But don’t take it from me. Here’s what American-born Dr Roger Zhao of the American Medical Centre has to say on the subject: “Me? I’m in the top one per cent. I have a job that pays great [sic]; and I work in a place that’s amazing for networking as I’m constantly surrounded by Shanghai’s
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wealthiest. My life here is great, it’s not like I’m coming here to just teach or as a student.”
people get these kinds of – admittedly, random – opportunities in the UK.
His words say a lot about the reality of life in Shanghai. If you are a renowned medical professional, or any kind of professional with in-demand skills, then Shanghai can be a very comfortable ‘un-Chinese’ place to live. But as a student, or someone looking to start out, you need to be realistic.
And to all you would-be entrepreneurs preparing to invade, here are some much needed words from Phillipe Mensnildrey (CEO and founder of Hatch and C. Advertising): “It’s so hard here. Whatever we do we are constantly competing fiercely with the locals who can do it cheaper.”
“Oh, everyone speaks English in Shanghai,” they say. Yet, I’ve lost count of the times I struggled to communicate with a local, only for them to exclusively reply in advanced level Mandarin, and then nod in complete understanding when I finally give up and revert to English.
So, the opportunities are here, but it’s not as easy as just showing up. Of course, don’t put your dreams of conquering the Chinese market entirely to bed: there’s always a chance. But as Mensnildrey and his ilk are saying, “We could already be too late.”
Yes, once again. If you’re living the life of a professional expat, working for a foreign company, then you can sail comfortably through the Mandarin storm in your “Shifu” (chauffeur) driven BMW. If you’re not, then you’d better dust off your Pleco flashcards and get studying.
The bottom line is, time spent in Shanghai could be the most valuable and life-changing moment in your short history. Or it could just be another in a long list of hard-fought but ultimately futile battles. It all depends on your luck, preparation, and hard graft.
“Oh, you can’t possibly fart in Shanghai without offending the nostrils of some life-changing opportunity.” This is actually often true, but it takes a lot more than breaking wind to pin them down. The reality is that sifting through the nonsense to make valuable use of the little time you have here takes guts and determination. One Leeds student, my peer, managed to exclusively self-fund her time in Shanghai by working dozens of hours underpaid in a French restaurant.
A-K Wright is a second year student of Arabic & Chinese.
However, her time paid off as she met dozens of expats who constantly approached her with the opportunities we all dreamed about. Playing underwater hockey in a world tournament in the Philippines? Being an extra in a movie? Few
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getting out there
Around The World In A Dragon Boat WORDS AND PHOTOS LAURA DAVIS
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ith strict precision, my paddle is poised to hit the water. My hand then follows the stroke through the waves, and finally the paddle is out. My body turns to face the front, and I can see the whole row of paddles in sync doing exactly the same thing, over and over. The drummer in front is beating to the rhythm of the paddles in the water, their mind fully focused on the synchronisation of their fellow dragon-boaters. The paddler in the back holds a longer oar, and almost plunges onto other paddlers in front! Galvanising dragon-boating battle cries are constantly hollered, and we zoom out, sizing up our competition and see that we are racing against a number of similarly colourful dragon-boats with just as many competitors, all just as ardently racing to reach the finish line. Finally, the boat reaches the final post, and the race is over.
It might sound strange that a traditional Chinese sport would become so popular in Africa. Well, it did. I started this dynamic sport in South Africa, at Cape Town Waterfront. On the one hand, we were surrounded by the famous Table Mountain, and on the other, the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Deep in the bay, a couple of times a week under the African sun, 20 or so high school kids would climb into the boat with a dragon head and tail, and snake scales running down the side. It sounds like a bad car design, but this kitsch took us to another dimension, manoeuvring between the seals and the expensive yachts around the bay. “Apparently Orlando Bloom was on one of these yachts the other day,” says my bench partner. It might sound strange that a traditional Chinese sport would become so popular in Africa. Well, it did. We paddled to represent our high school, and travelled around the country for major contests. It was my first time participating in a team sport, and learning about team spirit is now something that I bring to any group activity I take part in, because when
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20 people come together as one, the adrenalin rush is even more rewarding. My university in the UK does not have a dragon-boat team, so I had no choice but to hibernate until my year at Shanghai Jiaotong University (Jiaoda). On my first weekend there, I found another international dragon-boating family, the Shanglong Dragons. Just a few of the nationalities I can remember on the team are: Japanese, Singaporean, Chinese, American, Canadian, Venezuelan, German, Ukrainian, British, and South African, and so the lingua franca was English and Chinese. There was also a pleasant coincidence in that my bench partner was a Leeds graduate! In Shanghai, we paddled in a local man-made canal south of the city in a river which I felt had all of the Periodic Table sloshing around in it! I don’t mind getting soaked, as long as my team and I are together racing at full velocity up and down the stream, improving synchronisation, and paying attention to stroke technique. My most memorable competition was in Boracay, in the Philippines. I had never paddled in open water before, and I observed the Filipino paddlers, who are amazingly talented. Dragon-boating is clearly in their blood. My dragon-boating experience in Shanghai didn’t stop there. I was sought to train foreign students for the upcoming Dragonboat festival at Jiaoda, who were not in good shape for the last couple of years, coming 9th and 10th respectively. With team spirit and dedication, we managed to arrive in third place after Fudan University, a great achievement. One of my future ambitions is to finally paddle in the Yangtze River 100 km race, which would be my personal version of being Iron Man! Back in the UK whilst completing my degree, I began hibernating from dragon-boating again, which I feel is a pity. I plan to move to London upon graduation and I hope to join one of the London dragon-boat teams, and paddle up and down the River Thames. For those who travel often, yet still like to feel like they are part of a family, perhaps you should consider taking up dragon-boating. You never know where you might go, or who you might meet!
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society & culture
Palmar Puppet Culture Modernising Tradition: Taiwan's Palmar Puppet Shows WORDS SZU-YIN LI PHOTOS SZU-YIN LI AND SHIN HUI LIN
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he Palmar puppet show is a little-known yet traditional cornerstone of Taiwanese culture: a hidden treasure nowadays operating primarily from Yunlin county, in the heart of Taiwan.
Originally, the shows took place outdoors in villages throughout Taiwan, offering up an excuse for the local community to gather together. Live performances using puppets were complemented by dubbing, background music, and special effects. The spellbound audience would watch in awe as inventive social scenarios and dramatic fighting scenes unraveled before their eyes. These days, many groups still make their livelihoods from performing Palmar puppet shows, but the performances with the most popular appeal and biggest, most consistent following are produced by the Huang family, who own two companies, Pili and Bangbubu. Their success – and consequent monopoly of the puppet show market – derives from their innovative decision to modernise the genre by producing and selling videos of their performances. While other companies rely on faithful audiences limited to Yunlin county (the birthplace of the puppet show), the Huang family’s fans are dispersed nationwide – owing to the introduction of these videos. The family has of late opened three flagship shops in Northern, Central, and
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The emergent and transforming Palmar puppet industry could be considered an encouraging success story of how irreplaceable national tradition can be modernised in an ever-globalising Taiwanese context
Southern Taiwan, respectively; following the success of these, 13 franchise stores have been set-up. These creative havens exhibit and sell an array of delicately-made puppet dolls, with related merchandise also available. It’s often cited that there is no such thing as a free lunch in business, and it certainly took the Huang family a lot of effort to bring the Palmar puppet show into the mainstream. They needed to make a clean break away from the traditional outdoors performances in order to cater to the interests of the younger Taiwanese generations, many of whom are city-dwellers and spend little time in the villages from which Palmar shows hail. A further consideration is that today, the dolls themselves must be produced with even more care and intricacy: thanks to digital media, the audience can now see the puppets in high definition, and thus the Huang family’s creations come under more scrutiny. The dolls are bigger than ever before, and they model a vast array of costumes. Thanks to an innovative advertising campaign, product lines are being expanded. Each puppet represents a unique character in the wider environment of the Palmar performances, and thus they become collectables: fanaticism on the part of the younger Taiwanese generations has ensured the increasing popularity of the dolls. This sets the scene for the introduction of further merchandise, including soundtracks, stationery, and T-shirts. Thus, the emergent and transforming Palmar puppet industry could be considered an encouraging success story of how irreplaceable national tradition can be modernised in an ever-globalising Taiwanese context. Szu Yin is an MA student at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan.
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society & culture
Coming Out and Feminism in the Japanese Office WORDS AND PHOTO ELLIOT HARVEY
A
s I sat one night in a gay bar in downtown Sakae-Machi, Nagoya, Japan, sipping what must have been the world’s weakest screwdriver, I amicably chatted with a local Japanese gay woman. “You would do well,” she warned me, “not to come out as gay in the workplace. Maybe in Tokyo it’s okay but Nagoya is still the inaka (countryside) and it would be a bad idea.” As a fearless feminist and amateur Japanese culture extraordinaire on a two-month internship at Toyota Boshoku, manufacturer of car parts for one of the world’s largest car companies, I set my mind to not only being steadfast in my own beliefs, but also to be a keen observer of how not only gender equality plays out in the workplace, but also seeing how far I could go to be “out” in a Japanese company.
nor its culture. This year I was given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work in the HR department of Toyota Boshoku in Japan over the summer holiday, and I can say that it has truly been one of the most formative and excellent experiences I have ever had. To be able to not only witness, but to grapple with the Japanese workplace, to have hands-on experience of business meetings, conferences, factory tours, translation tasks, all in Japanese, has been a wonderful and rare chance. As
emphasise enough the importance of the development of gender awareness, women’s rights, gay rights, transgender rights, and advancements in antidiscrimination laws that we in the United Kingdom take for granted. I have been brought up in a country where we have had our first female Prime Minister 30 years ago and where we actively fight against sexism in society. While I am highly invested in learning Japanese and living in Japan, I am English at heart, and so I was astutely interested in seeing how a typical Japanese company fares on this front.
Women’s liberation movements in the West have brought a discussion of gay identity to the table and, along with it, the fight for rights and recognition. This is a keystone of today’s feminism
My name is Elliot Harvey, and I am a final year Japanese and Spanish student. I have had a plethora of experiences both good and ugly living in Japan as an exchange student at Waseda University, and while I am far from an expert I am not unfamiliar with the Japanese tongue
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a Japanese major I have indubitably benefitted from everything I was given the opportunity to do. But while this is all good and true, I really want to use this opportunity to touch upon the less explored side of the Japanese workplace and look at two intertwined topics that are of particular interest to me, those of gender and sexual orientation rights. I cannot
First and foremost, when it comes to women in the workplace, Toyota Boshoku is very far behind in female representation, with less than two per cent of all employees being female. Unsurprisingly, there are no women in top management. This strongly contrasts with HR where my entire shitsu (team) were women, and there were women employed in managerial positions in the department. I cannot comment on each person individually but I was very impressed and pleased at the progress that women can make in the workplace. I worked with women who were skilled, experienced, and career-minded. I had no experience of
PHOTO ‘LOST IN SHINJUKU’ BY ELIZABETH ROMER, EYE ON ASIA PARTICIPANT
observing any discrimination, limitation, or harassment, and the modern 21st century Japanese office is one where if you work hard you will succeed. I should like to see more ambitious women reaching top management positions in the years to come. Women’s liberation movements in the West have, as they have moved into third- wave post-modern feminism, queried gender and sexuality, bringing discussions of gay identity onto the table, and along with it the fight for rights and recognition, and this too is a key-stone of today’s feminism. If you are among those who would question why I bothered at all to enquire about gender identity or expression in the Japanese workplace, envisage a workplace in which I was very regularly asked “what do you think of Japanese girls?” and “are you looking for a Japanese wife?” Perhaps this makes me pig-headed, but I refuse to conceal a great portion of my life and personality or to spend the rest of my days dodging simple questions over a sushi lunch bento. That’s just not my personality. The response to “coming out” in the Japanese workplace was one I did not expect. Most everyone chimed in the same way: “Gay? What does that mean? I have never met one before.”I assure you
this is not an issue with language; gay in Japanese is gei. What I do believe is that this is a symptom of a lack of visibility of gay people in Japan, and a complete unawareness of how to deal with anyone who is not Japanese, heterosexual, cisgendered, and otherwise ‘normal’. Further consideration leads me to believe that this response is veiled, polite disagreement. We are, at the end of the day, colleagues, and I don’t blame anyone for avoiding conflict which would impact their working life. After the feeling of being ruffled, irked, and offended had past, I became acutely aware that I was not at home. It is these sorts of experiences in which one is reminded of the importance of staying true to oneself.
myself living and working in Japan and combatting these cultural hurdles and misunderstandings every day. Japan is certainly not a hostile and uninviting country but these small differences become all the more magnified when away from home. Such a life is tiresome but it is not without its riches and rewards. For now, however, I can say that I am overall extremely satisfied with my experience at Toyota Boshoku, and to say that I have learned much is a gross understatement. Regardless of your gender or sexuality, you would be remiss to turn down any chance to work abroad. Elliot is a finalist student of Japanese and Spanish.
I must put to deep consideration the very real possibility that I may find
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society & culture
Interning in China WORDS AND PHOTOS LAURA DAVIS
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The internship culture in first tier cities in China is expanding, and most companies would be happy to sandwich some Western students into their business environment intern in the finance department of my company – a Chinese penultimate year student – explained to me.
H
ave you ever thought of doing an internship in China? There are a some third-party companies out there which organise a range of internships in areas like investment banking, law, design, and engineering, and all at renowned international companies. Due to high fees some companies demanded for organising my accommodation, airport transfers, and arranging my own itinerary, I decided to simply email people I know, attach a CV, and hope for them to forward my message onto their contacts. Some might call this the traditional Chinese networking, or guanxi, way. Luckily, I landed an internship at a British construction consultancy which had an office in Shanghai, who offered me a Sales and Marketing position for the summer of 2013, and so I had to organise my own accommodation, and airport transfers. The internship culture in major cities in China is expanding, and most companies would be happy to sandwich Western interns into their business environment. Internship culture among Chinese students is also growing, as the lovely
Originally, I set out to understand the structure of the company, discover the trends in construction in China, and figure out the ways in which a Western company adapts to Chinese legislation, and rules. I wanted to develop a deeper understanding of the cultural and economic aspects of the growing consumer market in China. Instead, I learnt and discovered much more than I’d intended. I was firstly surprised by how non-hierarchical the office politics were: from hearing stories and reading the news, one might expect employees of a company in Asia to adhere to a strong Confucian ‘filial piety’ notion. Yet, the company held team-building events, dinners, ping-pong afternoons, karaoke, and company weekend trips to local sights such as Yellow Mountain. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of work to be done. My tasks included translations, formatting of project proposals, creating risk assessments, compiling brochures, and updating CVs. Towards the end of my internship, I had learnt lots about corporate business structure, construction terminology, techniques in respect of marketing materials, and intercultural communication, and more!
Disaster ensued when assisting with on-site health and safety: a builder jumped to his death on the building he was working on, as he was frightened of the ensuing lightning. Additionally, most builders come from distant frontierprovinces such as Xinjiang, and for many, their salary is triple the typical amount they would earn back in their hometowns. Back in the office, I feel that the cultural education I received through this environment was paramount to my overall experience. I was surrounded by Chinese colleagues who were very driven, and were genuinely interested in international current affairs. Very few had ventured abroad, yet they were fully aware of ongoing political situations, all had Facebook, and gladly shared their opinions on most aspects of life with me. Throughout my ten-week internship, the company expanded, both in size and space. I experienced this period of renovation, noticing how increasingly sophisticated and strict the roles of individual employees became, which I feel elucidates the differences between smaller companies and larger ones. In small companies, one employee might be assigned a role, yet they have a lot of freedom to engage in other activities; whereas the more employees there are in a firm, the more stringent their roles become. These were my internship days, and I heartily urge those looking for experience in any sector to not shy away from writing an email or doing some of your own research to find it – you may land some very exciting opportunities!
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travel
Chiang Mai
the ideal backpacking hub WORDS AND PHOTOS JULIJA VELKJOVIC
M
any might ask themselves, ‘why visit Thailand? It’s just another tourism hot-spot!’ Whilst admittedly, Bangkok and the famous Koh Phangan and Phuket islands get a lot of attention, the North remains hidden away. Chiang Mai is an authentic city in nature. Surrounded by lush mountains and towering temples, it’s steeped in culture and tradition. It’s a steadier version of Bangkok: calm but lively, fast-paced, yet not at all hectic. The centre is surrounded by an old moat where Buddhism once thrived with orange-robed monks, soldiers and elephants. I see it as the gate into the heart of Thailand.
mental mission, and even volunteer at an elephant conservation camp. The Sunday Walking Street and Night Bazaar are very special gems. Tape Gate closes each Sunday, allowing hundreds of local Thai merchants to open their stalls to the public. You can buy anything here: from wooden crafted elephant boxes to mini fried eggs, the market accommodates all. Hit the stalls as soon as they open at 5 pm, so as to avoid the over-eager shoppers that swarm the place at dinner-time.
Rich in traditional norms and bound in family values, Thai people lead simple lives, and have truly mastered the art of being able to sit and enjoy a beautiful day
While Chiang Mai is a popular destination, it is a less obvious location for many tourists. I would define it as a hub for back-packers, where you can catch plenty of mountain air, and escape the craziness of the South. Swamped with adventurous activities, it is a place where adrenaline junkies come to jungle trek, raft, and mountain bike. Chiang Mai’s forests are the place if you are an animal lover too, where you can sign up on night safaris, embark on an environ-
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The market is not short of entertainment either. Street musicians will pluck away at their strings, and students will organise dance routines in the middle of stalls. Your feet will undoubtedly hurt by the end of the night, but it will be worth it! Sampling food in Chiang Mai is a hobby in itself. Cooked with various spices and fresh vegetables, the meat is tender, and the range of noodles and rice dishes is endless. Western norms are forgotten in Thailand, as eating a bowl of dumpling soup becomes a perfectly acceptable meal for breakfast.
Thai food is also very cheap. For example, you can buy a full plate of chicken rice for 30 baht, or around 55 pence. Also, the cheaper and dingier the restaurants look, the tastier the food is! So don’t be afraid to step into seedy-looking food joints, because chances are that they serve the best, mosgt mouthwatering Pad Thai noodles! Finally what makes Thailand a truly authentic country is its people. Rich in traditional norms, and bound in family values, Thai people lead simple lives. They have truly mastered the art of being able to sit and enjoy a beautiful day, and they are also extremely helpful and welcoming to strangers. What has left the most lasting impression on me about Thailand it its people’s genuine, never-ending smiles. No matter where I found myself, I would undoubtedly be met with a grin that stretched from ear to ear – followed by the melodic and soothing ‘Sawatdee’ (‘hello’). Mahatma Gandhi once said: “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts, and in the soul, of its people.” After having spent a month in Chiang Mai, I could not agree more with those words.
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travel
Uncover the beauty of South Korea’s
Jeju Island WORDS AND PHOTOS JUN-A KIM
F
eel the full vitality of Jeju Island in March! Jeju is a rich mine of plants, and in March, with the out-going winter flowers, the incoming spring flowers blossom splendidly. Over the fields, fragrant narcissus daffodils begin to wither, leaving their delicate scent, and forsythias, the herald of spring, are in full glory. Following the forsythias, yellow yuchae flowers decorate the whole island. With yuchae flowers waving in the wind across the island in April, cherry blossoms bloom and the inside of flowers turn pink. When spring approaches, Jeju citizens become very busy. They believe that the goddess of the wind and sea stays on the island for ten days in February of the Chinese calendar. The goddess of the wind and sea comes to Jeju on the first day of February, and sows seeds of shellfish and seaweed, leaving before the February 15th. Fishermen stop fishing during this time, and shamans all around Jeju ask the sea god to keep women divers haenyeo safe, and to give them bountiful catches. The steely northwestern wind blows and threatens the lives of fishermen and diving women in Jeju Island. This is why Jeju ancestors alerted people to the danger of the wind through the myth of goddess. After the goddess leaves island, the wind direction shifts easterly. The goddess’ farewell party is the shaman ritual Youngdung gut, which announces the start of the fishing season once again. Jeju Island is also famous for its cuisine. The island, surrounded by the sea with
Hanla Mountain in the centre, and vast stretches of fields growing vegetables, boasts a wide variety of natural produce. Seafood dishes are not to be missed
on Jeju Island, and if one faces a difficult decision of what to choose among hundreds of seafood specialties that local restaurants offer, one is recommended to have a spicy assorted seafood stew, called haemultang. This huge, hot stew contains popular local seafood ingredients, including small blue abalone, hard shell shrimp, crabs, octopus, fish and more, and is usually priced around £25 for a three-person serving at most restaurants on the island. If you want to walk whilst observing stunning scenery, there is the perfect island trail. Jeju Olle trail is the first walking course in South Korea, with well-built trails which are clean and easy to walk as they are under constant care by the Jeju government and trail caretakers. Of the many trails, courses seven and eight are the two most frequently visited, and are well known for having diverse island
landscape that range from towering cliffs, rocky shores and sandy beaches to small ports and local residents’ front doors. Walkers face a challenging trail called dombaenang-gil along the rocky shoreline, which features Jeju Island’s unique formations of volcanic basalt rocks. Each course has a caretaker, who maintains the trail by making sure ribbons indicating directions are tied, and assist walkers with directions. Jun-A is an MA student of Culture, Creativity and Entrepreneurship at the University of Leeds
Seafood dishes are not to be missed, and one is recommended to have spicy seafood stew, ‘haemultang’
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environment
Book Review China and the Environment: the Green Revolution
WORDS AGNES KHOO
T
his is an informative and useful book for those interested in Chinese politics, especially the relationships between the Chinese state, citizens, and the environmental movement, and contains a wealth of information about the various campaigns initiated and run by affected citizens NGOs and professionals. The book provides great insights into the delicate balance between the various stake-holders vis‐à‐vis the state in contemporary China after the economic reforms of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The book is concerned with a wide array of issues, ranging from nature conservation and fighting against industrial pollution and mega-hydroelectric power stations, to protecting local residents’ rights against the encroachment of corporate interests. The book’s very detailed documentation of a number of key environmental campaigns that have effectively changed the Chinese political and legal landscape in recent years makes it an invaluable witness to the transformation of Chinese civic consciousness, and the empowerment of the people, from local to national levels. It is divided into six chapters, includ-
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ing an excellent introduction by Isabel Hilton, editor of chinadialogue.net, a bilingual ‘Chinese-English web publication on environment and climate change’ for non-state organisations. However, despite the government’s recognition of the need for civil society organisations, ‘it has been slow to create the legal and regulatory conditions that would allow civil society to fulfil its potential’, according to Hilton. She ends her chapter urging for greater autonomy, ‘more robust protections for civil society organisations’ and ‘rule of law that would help to equip China to cope peacefully with its difficult next phase of development’. This is followed by Sam Geall’s exposé of China’s own brand of environmental journalism. He argues that the marketisation of the Chinese economy has resulted in the liberalisation of its mass media. Chinese mass media no longer functions solely as the government’s mouthpiece, because investigative, watchdog, or ‘citizen’ journalism operating within an increasingly commercialised and privatised milieu has allowed both traditional print media and new social media to play the role of ‘whistle
blower’. The third chapter, by Olivia Boyd, delineates the recent significant environment campaigns that have emerged, ranging from a citizen-led campaign over urban air pollution, and protection of Tibetan antelopes, to ‘crusades against dam-building.’ Environmentalists have been successful in exerting some influence government policy-making through protesting, public education, lobbying of individuals in the government, and by exerting pressure on businesses that have transgressed through media exposure. The final chapters highlight a particular case study, documenting the difficult journey of progress and regression Chinese environmental activism has experienced. The first case study centres on a litigation case between a regional NGO and a state-owned coal power plant as a public interest case by Adam Moser. The second case study, by Jonathan Ansfield, is about a proposed Taiwanese—owned petrochemical plant that sparked off a ‘not in my backyard’ style of citizens’ protests, while the third case study, penned by former reporter from the Southern Weekend newspaper, and the
Beijing editor of chinadialogue, Liu Jianqiang, details how an alliance between the media, civil society, and the public has successfully defeated the pact between government and big business in the proposed construction of mega-dams for hydro-electric power at the Tiger Leaping Gorge. In its analysis of the evolution of China’s environmental movement, this book has adopted a critical, in-depth and comprehensive approach that is also highly nuanced. It provides great insights into the impact of the movement on Chinese power structures, as well as its ambivalence towards the state.
in enforcing environmental standards and safeguards. Whilst many laws exist on paper, it has been difficult to implement or enforce these owing to corruption, corporate unaccountability, and the disjunction between local government interests, and the goals of the central government. To conclude, much more research and debate still needs to take place before the rather chaotic and changing dynamics among the various stakeholders of China’s government vis‐à‐vis the state can be properly understood, and systematically articulated. Agnes is Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Leeds. Agnes’ review was originally published in the Journal of British Association for Chinese Studies, Vol. 3 December 2013. © British Association for Chinese Studies.
The books’ most significant contribution to the current debate is its illumination of the weakness in China’s rule of law
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leeds links
2014: What a great year for EARS WORDS LAURA DAVIS PHOTO LEEDS UNIVERSITY UNION IMAGES JOE FARRAG
L
og onto Facebook, oh... a new invitation to participate in a talk about Cambodia, China, Burma and Korea… wait, someone commented on the new cakes from Patisserie Valerie for weekly afternoon tea! Wait a second… there’s an uploaded photo of the Christmas dinner and Chinese New Year dinner… and finally there is a football, badminton and a basketball game on this coming weekend! This is the East Asian Research Society, East Asian Studies’ own departmental society, powered by students for students to engage in current East Asia-related debates, play sports, and indulge in delicious snacks over conversation in Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and English. One of EARS’ main achievements this year was successfully organising prestigious talks, leading to group discussions and encouraging plenty of critical thinking. One particularly special talk was given by a country in a dynamic and constantly changing part of the world: Cambodia. Guest speaker, UN envoy for human rights in Cambodia, and Professor of International Law at Leeds Professor Surya Subedi shared his views and contributions on Cambodian human rights and constitutional matters. The Koreas and Burma were all touched upon by leading figures in their fields, with enlightening talks and discussions given by Brigadier David J Greenwood, Robert A E Gordon (CMG OBE), and a
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final, exciting China talk will be held over the last semester of 2014. Every Wednesday in the EAS department foyer in the Michael Sadler Building, stu-
dents gather to discuss the events of the first half of the week, and look forward to a productive weekend. Aside from socialising, many students also go through their homework with language partners
who are found through EARS’ famous Speed Dating. Everyone tries to arrive on time, before the Patisserie Valerie tiramisu is gone and the last chocolate biscuit is stolen! What more could an EAS student want between lectures and the library? For Yuletide celebrations, EARS organised a traditional British Christmas dinner which society Co-President Auriole Potter succinctly described as “set in
competition. There were plenty of onlookers and participants at the stall featuring ‘how many Skittles can you pick up with chopsticks in 30 seconds?’; this challenge is even more difficult than one might imagine. Sports fixtures are also an integral part of the EARS schedule, with mixed basketball, badminton, and football at the on-campus facilities The Edge and The Gryphon Sports Centre, courtesy of Sports Secretary Amber Wong.
EARS was sure to make its mark at the Global Village cultural showcase, where stalls depicted aspects of traditional Chinese culture with Chinese tea, paper cutting, calligraphy, and a chopstick competition!
If you’re looking for an internationally-focused society which includes members from a multitude of backgrounds, provides a constant stream of entertainment, and really gives members bang for their buck, then choose the East Asian Research Society - a truly inspiring community, a chance to make lasting friendships, and a place where East really does meet West.
the quintessentially ‘British’ environs of a tee-pee!” With a menu consisting of traditional roast turkey paupiette, cod, or a scrumptious vegetarian option of wild mushrooms and chestnut, followed up by dancing and festive drinks, the international community was in full swing of the Christmas spirit. Following up this event were traditional Chinese New Year celebrations welcoming the year of the horse in February 2014 at Leeds’ Crown Buffet. Members indulged in Chinese dumplings (or baozi) and exchanged red envelopes containing prizes and sweets. These envelopes symbolise wishes for prosperity, good fortune, and health for the upcoming year. The room was decorated with red lanterns (the colour associated with good luck), and diners were also entertained by a Beijing Opera performance. EARS was sure to make its mark at the Global Village cultural showcase, where stalls depicted aspects of traditional Chinese culture with Chinese tea, paper cutting, calligraphy, and a chopstick
EARS has some exciting future events planned to end the 2014 spring term with a bang, so keep up to date on the Facebook page for more details. For more information on how to become a member of EARS, go to leedsuniversityunion.org.uk/groups/ ears/ or Facebook search ‘LUU EARS’. Left: EARS Committee
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50 years of east asian studies
the
EAS50
writing project
East Asian Studies at Leeds would be nothing without its past and present students and staff. Here is a selection of short memoirs spanning the decades, evoking years abroad gone by, the camaraderie in and out of the language lab and lecture theatre, and ultimately, the spirit of EAS50.
alan hunter
david arrandale
Alan Hunter was drawn to Leeds by the department’s dynamic approach to the Chinese language. Whilst other institutions at the time were concentrating on the more classical elements, Hunter found himself attracted to the idea of studying modern Chinese. He has witnessed changes beyond his recognition since he first arrived in Shanghai, recalling a Pudong district with just three high-rise buildings, and remembers how people used to be paid not with money but with food, describing this as an “economy without money.” The road to success has not always been easy for him. He recalls being stranded in China, strapped to a dentist chair whilst having a tooth removed without anesthetic, and with an entire village gathered around him to spectate! Hunter is now a Professor of Asian Studies at Coventry University, and has served as a director at the Centre for Peace and Reconciliation Studies. He is wary of the globalisation occurring across East Asia, and worries that Leeds students may miss out on discovering some of its unique characteristics.
David Arrandale came to Leeds in 1968 from Lancashire, and had originally studied classical Chinese in Oxford before responding to an advert for the position of librarian at the Leeds University Chinese department The role of librarian for Chinese at the time was mainly one of selecting materials relating to modern China and then of indexing them for the library catalogue, which he remembers as being painstaking work. China’s Cultural Revolution of 1966 to 1976 played a significant part in the literature collection that Leeds failed to amass from the mainland during the time of those events, and David reflects: “Because of the Cultural Revolution, little was published in the PRC during those years. In the late 1970s materials were issued in mainland China again and this became the Library’s main source of Chinese acquisitions. By the time I retired, some 50,000 titles had been acquired. Under my successor, Ms Huang Xiyi, the total has now reached about 65,000 titles.” “I loved working in the Leeds University library within a subject I’d studied, I was very lucky indeed. The rhythms of library work, sometimes humdrum, suited me just fine!”
professor gregor benton
nicky bray
In 1968, when student unrest was spreading throughout Europe and the US, Professor Benton was completing his undergraduate degree at Cambridge. He later moved to the continent to join the demonstrations against the Vietnam War, and for democracy in the universities and society. Upon returning to the UK he studied for a year at SOAS, but eventually decided to start his PhD at Leeds. Professor Benton recalls the time when he painted the slogan ‘Free Mandela’ on King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, in 1968, at a time when Mandela was on trial for his life. Luckily he was permitted to complete his degree after a year of expulsion. Professor Benton also fondly recalls having bribed an archivist in Taiwan to supply more documents than the quota by helping him translate “A Streetcar Named Desire” into Chinese – the archivist won a prize for the translation. Later, he got one of Professor Benton’s colleagues to translate “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, which also won a prize. As for advice to students, Professor Benton said that those whose studies concern Asia and particularly China should “ask themselves what relevance China’s recent dramatic history has for you and the world.”
Nicky Bray was studying French and Media at Trinity and All Saints College (now Leeds Trinity University) when she got the job of Undergraduate Secretary at Leeds East Asian Studies in 2000. The student-staff bond was well-maintained in East Asian Studies, and Nicky remembers one particular incident whereby a ‘surprise’ was unleashed on one unsuspecting lecturer. “I remember the year one student of Chinese – who I won’t name and shame! – went to the end of year ball dressed in traditional Scottish attire, drank too much red wine and was involved in a kilt flashing incident, which I am reliably told was in full view of one of his unsuspecting lecturers!” she recalls. Nicky still enjoys working with students, and now works for the UK Maths Trust, and her aspirations for the future include to enhance her personal creativity, and to improve her work-life balance, with activities such as song-writing.
WORDS JOSHUA CHANNON
WORDS LAURA DAVIS
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WORDS VICTORIA LEIGH
WORDS VICTORIA LEIGH
delia davin
sue hamelman
Graduating with a first class degree in Chinese Studies at Leeds, Delia became Lecturer in Chinese and Economic Studies, further progressing to the position of Head of the Department of East Asian Studies. She has served as Emeritus Professor of Chinese since 2004, such is her dedication to the discipline. She remembers tragic events of Tiananmen Square on 4 June 1989 were to have a profound effect on staff and students both in Leeds and China. “The massacre affected us all,” she imparts. “Apart from being very sad for China and the Chinese people, we had also to worry about students who were there at the time. Having been diagnosed with cancer and after four successful operations, Delia never lets it get in the way of her love for research in her chosen field. “Cancer and an uncertain future is something that I, like many cancer patients, have to learn to live with”, she reflects. “As research is something that I like doing and that gives meaning to my life, it feels quite natural to keep doing it whenever I feel well enough.”
Sue came to Leeds after leaving a post at Yorkshire Television; yet, working in production, she reckons, is not so different to working in administration at the University. As she recalls, students are “often reminded that they are developing transferable skills.” For Sue, communication skills top this list. “I had a great time in Leeds and enjoyed coming to work every day. I remember many people with great affection. The facilities at the University were excellent and the campus was terrific.” Finally, a sage piece of advice from Sue to current students is that they should “Work hard, take full advantage of your year abroad, think carefully about your future, but don’t worry too much.”
WORDS VICTORIA LEIGH
carma elliot
WORDS CARMA ELLIOT (CMG OBE)
I joined the then Chinese Studies department in 1983, and studied a BA Joint Hons Chinese and German. My family has also been shaped by China, as I have two adopted daughters, who count China as their first home. I have many happy memories of my time in Leeds, and the year I spent on exchange in Shanghai with fellow Leeds Chinese students. I admit to not being a very dedicated student during my time abroad, preferring instead to travel extensively around China, still in the days of steam trains. I have been privileged to see China’s amazing development at first hand since then, and to have continued to live and learn in China. It was indeed a privilege to study Chinese at Leeds and to have done so with some great teachers and mentors. It opened my eyes to a world of opportunities and to a lifetime of challenging, but rewarding experiences.
dr penny francks WORDS GARETH PRICE
WORDS DANIEL HOLT
professor brian hook WORDS DANIEL HOLT
Professor Hook joined the Department in 1963, with Owen Lattimore arriving shortly after. He recalls having first heard of the decision to launch a Chinese Studies programme at Leeds from friends in the know at SOAS, where he himself studied Chinese. Professor Hook commends the establishment of the programme at Leeds for its progressive nature. However, before arriving at Leeds, Professor Hook took up a post in the Overseas Civil Service – the successor of the British Empire’s so-called Colonial Service. Since his interests lay with China, Professor Hook was pleased to have been posted to Hong Kong, and fondly remembers the preparatory process behind this new and exciting job. Further to his accolades in the British civil service and with the University, Professor Hook has also partaken in some fascinating extracurricular activities, including having been invited to accompany the Chinese National Football Team on their visit to England and Scotland in 1979. Furthermore, between 1980 and 1991, he was editor at The China Quarterly – a duty which allowed him to take annual visits to the principle centres for Chinese Studies in the US.
dr john west
WORDS NIDA ŞERBAN
Dr Penny Francks came to the University of Leeds in 1983, and set about gaining a comprehensive Japan-related social sciences base to develop the Modern Japan course, as well as teaching a Basic Japanese language course. Dr Francks’ career has seen many memorable moments. Unsurprisingly, dramatic incidents such as Tiananmen Square and the Kobe Earthquake rank highly, along with working with scholars such as Greg Benton and Henrietta Harrison as a great source of inspiration for her work. Furthermore, Dr Francks spoke of the gratification in seeing her PhD student Caroline Rose become Head of Department for East Asian Studies, who is now Head of the School of Modern Foreign Languages. Dr Francks retired completely in 2004, and is still active in her writing and research, revisiting her roots as an economic historian and finding new openings in the field of global and comparative history, having just had a piece published in a The Journal of Global History.
Dr John Weste worked at the University of Leeds for two years, during which time he contributed to the Japanese exchange programme by adding new affiliate Japanese universities. He relished the challenge of keeping first years enthused by the Japanese exchange programme, because “trying to get, and keep, them interested and stay that way for the next four years” was an affirming aspect of his role at Leeds. Since leaving the University, John has uncovered a knack for photography that might surprise his former colleagues and students: “I have discovered I rather enjoy taking photographs and ‘published’ an album for my grandfather’s 99th birthday.”
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leeds links
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PHOTO
‘GLOW’ IN LAMAYURU BY JACOB JAMES, EYE ON ASIA PARTICIPANT
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leeds links
PHOTO
‘CITY STREETS’ IN HANOI BY CHERYL ROBINSON, EYE ON ASIA PARTICIPANT
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Supporting Businesses - Teaching Mandarin - Understanding China
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