Indonesia Decides - Asia News Network

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TIBET: 50 YEARS ON
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265009
ISSN 19052650
9 771905
08291
08291
Indonesia
Decides
M A RC H 20 - 26 , 2009
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MARCH 20-26, 2009 • Vo l 4 N o 10
AFP
C H INA DAILY
SPECIAL
REPORT
13
Tibet: 50 Years On
What lies ahead for
Tibet after half a century
VIEWPOINT 7
COVER STORY 8
LIFE 16
Indian Order, Pak Disorder
India’s democratic process is
natural while Pakistan
struggles to gain normalcy in
its government
Singaporean Drug Mules
A tale of seduction, money
and drugs
Spoilt For Choice
Too many candidates, changes in ballot rules leave
Indonesian voters befuddled
PHOTO ESSAY 18
Alluring Bali
The Indonesian island is still
among the best for quality
destination and highly
developed arts
COVER IMAGE | A supporter of Indonesian president Yudhoyono
paints his body in red and white, the colours of the Indonesian flag.
AFP PHOTO
KURNIAWAN HARI/TH E JAKARTA P OST
HERITAGE 22
Mixologists Raise The Bar
The art of mixing drinks
takes a new turn in South
Korea
Saving Old Quarter
Time is running out to
preserve Ha Noi’s oldest
section
THE KOR EA HERAL D
NGUYEN THUY HA /ASI A NEWS NET WOR K
LIFESTYLE 20
ENTERTAINMENT 26
Goku Is A Caucasian?
The hair has survived the
transition from page to
screen, but Dragonball’s
Goku is far from the manga
character
PEOPLE 29
EXPLORE 32
Conquering The Catwalk
Malaysian model Gwen Lu
is the Michelle Yeoh of the
ramp
Travelling Into China’s Past
Kaiping City is a perfect place
to look at the country’s
glorious heritage
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ACROSS ASIA
T he Nation/Tatchadon Panyaphanitkul
K im Myung- sub/T he Korea Herald
Yellow dust blankets South Korea
SEOUL: Yellow sand has once more blanketed the Korean penin-
sula, originating from the Gobi desert in Mongolia. This was the
third yellow dust storm to hit Korea this year.
“This yellow dust storm is exceptional because of the
region it originated from. Our country was impacted mostly by yellow sand coming from this area (the Gobi desert)
prior to 2002,” a Korea Meteorological Administration
forecaster said.
Sokcho in Gangwon Province recorded the highest minute
dust particle level of 539 micrograms per cubic metre, whereas
Cheonan in South Chungcheong Province and Seoul had 298
and 150 micrograms per cubic metre, respectively.
The year-on-year average of yellow dust days has seen a
sharply increased over the past few years, from three days
in 2003 to 11 in 2005 and 13 in 2007, state weather authorities said.
— CHO JI-HYUN/ THE KOREA HERALD
Banaras KHAN/AFP
SWEET TIME: Pakistani opposition party activists and lawyers share
sweets as they celebrate the restoration of Supreme Court chief justice
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
US$156 for 8 tiger prawns
SINGAPORE: Six Americans who sat
down to a seafood dinner at Singapore’s Newton hawker centre just
about fell off their chairs when they
were presented a bill for S$491
(US$320), including S$239 (US$156)
for eight tiger prawns.
“It was more than what it would
have cost us at a restaurant in the hotel,” said Michael Rigby, 30, an exhibition specialist from Oregon who comes
to Singapore regularly for work.
4
MERIT-MAKING: Miss Universe Thailand contestants visit the Emerald
Buddha Temple in Bangkok.
Zardari restores sacked judges
ISLAMABAD: Capitulating under pressure, an increasingly isolat-
ed President Asif Ali Zardari on March 16 agreed to reinstate the
sacked chief justice of Pakistan’s Supreme Court, and meet other
demands of opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, defusing the political crisis that had gripped the country.
This followed hectic negotiations among Zardari, Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Army chief Ashfaq Kayani.
Soon after, the government issued a formal notification reinstating Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and nine other sacked
judges.The reinstatement of Chaudhry was the most prominent
demand of the lawyer community and opposition parties.
Chaudhry would assume the post after the retirement of the
sitting chief justice Abdul Hameed Dogar on March 21.
—THE NATION (PAKISTAN)
He said that when he asked the
stallholder whether the bill had a mistake, he only got a shrug in reply. Seconds later, the man returned with four
others, who he said looked to be in
their 40s and well-built.
Ironically, he and his wife had set
out to show their friends who were
here for the first time how safe, clean
and honest this island city was.
Besides tiger prawns, they had four
crabs, baby squids, half a steamed chicken, four bottles of beer and fruit juices.
Mrs Rigby, referring to the price of
the prawns, said: “They were prawns.
It was not like we dined on lobsters!”
The incident throws a negative spotlight back on Newton, which, despite
undergoing S$48 million (US$31 million) in spruce-up works a couple of
years ago, has yet to clean out the touts
who harangue diners.
Mr Rigby said: “The experience left
me feeling quite embarrassed. I also
feel embarrassed for Singapore. One
bad experience like this simply leaves a
bad after-taste.”
— JUDITH TAN/THE STRAITS TIMES
MARCH 20-26, 2009 • ASIANEWS
ASIA NEWS NETWORK
21 newspapers in 18 countries—covering Asia for 10 years
W e
W e
K n o w
K n o w
A s i a
A s i a
B e t t e r
B e t t e r
Vi e w p o i n t
A Doable Stimulus Plan
In terms of tourism destinations, what do Malaysia and
Thailand have that the Philippines does not have?
MANILA
Philippine Daily Inquirer
A
measure that has been passed by Philippine tier’, which has exotic wildlife, white sand beaches and natuCongress and is now awaiting the president’s ral wonders like an underground river and Tubbataha Reefs,
signature may yet be one of the answers to the an excellent diving spot; Bohol, which has the world-famous
current economic crisis and at the same time Chocolate Hills and superb diving spots like Panglao and
may provide a long-term solution to the prob- Balicasag and the Banaue rice terraces, called the Eighth
lem of poverty. The measure, the Tourism Act of 2009, cre- Wonder of the Modern World. The Philippines has gentle,
ates the Tourism Development Estate Zone Authority and hospitable people, most of whom speak English. A melting
the Tourism Promotion Board.
pot of Malay, Chinese, Arabic, Indian, Spanish and AmeriAlejandra Clemente, president of the Federation of can culture, the Philippines is a culturally active nation inTourism Industries of the Philippines said the tourism habited by musically and artistically gifted people.
economic zones to be develWhat the Philippines
oped by the Authority
lacks is a comprehensive,
would create millions of
systematic tourism plan. A
jobs and generate US$10
lot of infrastructure has to
billion in foreign exchange.
be constructed to bring
She said tourism could be
many destinations up to
an important engine of soworld standards. Many hocioeconomic and cultural
tels still have to be built to
growth and generate inaccommodate the growing
vestments, earn foreign exnumber of tourists. And the
change and create jobs.
government has to improve
Many countries today are
peace and order conditions;
visited by millions of tourit has to crack down on kidists every year and earn
nappers, robbers and con
billions of dollars in foreign
artists.
exchange. According to the OCEAN LIFE: The Philippines has untouched and pristine beaches and
The development of the
World Tourism Organisa- mountains that have not been fully tapped for tourism.
tourist industry would have
tion, in 2007 the top five
a multiplier effect on the
most visited countries were France, 81.9 million tourist economy. The tourism master plan would create 30 million
arrivals, $54.2 billion in tourism receipts; Spain, 59.2 jobs over a 10-year period and earn about $10 billion in formillion, $57.8 billion; United States, 56 million, $96.7 eign exchange. When the number of tourist arrivals increasbillion; China, 54.7 million, $41.9 billion; and Italy, es, there will be greater demand for food and services. A
43.7 million, $42.7 billion.
burgeoning tourist industry would benefit agriculture and
The Philippines was visited by only 3.4 million tourists the information technology industries. More factories would
in 2007, compared with the 17 million of Malaysia, 14 be needed to manufacture supplies for hotels and resorts.
million of Thailand and 14 million of the small country
A growing tourist industry could absorb the tens of thouof Singapore. Clemente said even Viet Nam, which is still sands of overseas Filipino workers who have lost their jobs
recovering from the devastation of a long war, was slow- and are returning to the country. These workers only need to
ly overtaking the Philippines.
be retrained so that they can enter the tourism industry. An
The Philippines could study the experience of Spain which added advantage is that they would not have to leave the
was an underdeveloped country until the 1960s. It developed country again, and the social problems created by absentee
its tourism industry and is now one of the top five most vis- parents would be partially relieved.
ited countries and the second biggest earner from tourism in
Government officials are pushing stimulus plans to revive
the world. Spain is not resting on its laurels and is continuing an economy that is being affected by the global economic
to develop business models that are environmentally, socially meltdown. The tourism program envisioned under the Tourand culturally sustainable.
ism Act of 2009 is one concrete, doable stimulus plan. If
What does Spain have or, for that matter, what do Malay- President Gloria Arroyo wants a ready answer to the current
sia and Thailand have that the Philippines does not have? economic crisis as well as a long-term plan to solve the probThe Philippines has many tourist attractions like Boracay, lem of poverty, she can find it in the measure that is just
one of the best beaches in the world; Palawan, ‘the last fron- waiting for her signature.
6
Vi e w p o i n t
Indian Order, Pak Disorder
There is a striking similarity between Islamabad and New
Delhi. Both have governments on their way out without any
certainty about what is on the way in
MJ Akbar in Dhaka
The Daily Star
T
ASIANEWS • MARCH 20-26, 2009
The array in India is in sharp contrast to the disarray in Pakistan.
Zardari has always used the dangerous lie to great effect.
He used it to reach the president’s office and then upgraded a
non-executive post into an authoritarian outpost. The same
tactic was used with Delhi over Mumbai terrorism; a little
truth was fed into a massive cover-up to protect the Lashkare-Taiba. He bluffed opposition leader Nawaz Sharif by promising an independent judiciary and then turned judges into a
Asif HASSAN/AFP
he most dangerous kind of lie is the one that has
a tiny bit of truth mixed inside. As maxims go,
that is not very well known. Liars do not advertise their wares, and the truthful are easily seduced. The broad space between honesty and
deception is occupied by the gullible. To prey on the gullible
is the politician’s art.
Politicians in power have an advantage. They can segue
the clout of office with the credibility of the medium to make
a sale. The transaction is
propelled by a primary rule
of advertising: hearing is believing. Shoddy goods are
packaged in the glamour of
power. There is a catch,
though. Those in power lose
their capacity to notice when
they have become stale, let
alone putrid. Pakistani President Asif Zardari has long
crossed his sell-by date.
There is a striking, albeit
accidental, similarity between
Islamabad and New Delhi.
Both have governments on
their way out without any
certainty about what is on the
way in. The difference in the
transition is the story of the
subcontinent.
The process in India is
natural, orderly and bubbling with the excitement of
many ambitions. Nationalist
Congress Party supremo
Sharad Pawar is quite correct when he says that every political party can have its own candidate for prime minister.
There is no divine right in democracy. Pawar is too astute a
professional to have made his bid unless he was confident
that the present coalition would need radical restructuring,
starting from the top. The Congress has said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will continue; Pawar does not think
so. Many hearts are beating more quietly, including within
the Congress.
Leaders depart when their moment is over in any nation,
but in a democracy they depart with dignity. Delhi has, in my
estimate, the largest collection of ex-prime ministers in the
world—and given the likely evolution of politics in the next
few years, more are on the way.
CHAOS: Pakistani opposition party activists throw
rocks toward riot police during an anti-government
protest rally in Lahore last week calling for the reinstatement of the former chief justice.
row of poodles on morphine. They obediently dismissed an
elected government in Punjab, triggering off the long march
of lawyers and opposition parties on Islamabad and the crisis
that woke up the only uncle still sending Pakistan Christmas
gifts. A phone call from Richard Holbrooke in Washington
diluted the crisis by reversing Zardari’s orders and castrating
his role in government. It also indicated the degree to which
Pakistan has compromised its independence. America has
become the principal arbiter of its internal affairs.
A compromise that keeps Zardari in office but out of power
is the application of a band-aid when the disease is cancer.
Power abhors a vacuum. If it has left Zardari’s grasp, then it
can only gravitate back to where it has always been more
comfortable: in army headquarters.
7
Spoilt For
Choice
T he Jakarta P ost
COVER STORY
Too many candidates,
changes in ballot rules
leave Indonesian voters
befuddled
ELECTION FEVER:
The poster war
heats up as
campaign for
Indonesia genereal
election kicks off.
JAKARTA
Lynn Lee and Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja
The Straits Times
C
ampaigning for Indonesia’s
general election kicks off this
week, but many voters are still
unsure which candidates they
will cast their ballots for.
Polling to pick national, provincial and
district leaders will be held on April 9.
In a survey last month by four pollsters, including the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a private
think-tank, more than half of the 3,000
or so people surveyed said they either
did not know which party they would
vote for or could change their minds
on the day itself.
Sri Budi Eko Wardani, the director of
one of the pollsters, Puskapol UI, told
8
The Jakarta Globe newspaper last week
that voters just had too many parties and
candidates to choose from.
She added: “It also shows that only a
few legislative candidates actually meet
the people in their regions to introduce
their programmes and goals.”
The public’s insipid reaction to the
polls stems from other factors as well.
Many are more interested in July’s presidential election and whether the relatively popular President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will
keep his post.
Others are confused by the April polls
—Indonesia’s third independent general
election since the fall of former dictator
Suharto in 1998.
The problem is that, along with
democracy, election laws have
evolved and the number of political
parties has burgeoned.
This year, 38 partie — 14 of which did
not exist at the time of the 2004 election
— have thrown their hats into the ring.
They are sending about 12,000 candidates to fight for 560 seats in the national
Parliament. Thousands more are seeking
a spot in the 132-seat regional council,
which can lobby national lawmakers on
selected Bills.
Many voters are overwhelmed by the
sheer numbers.
Seafood restaurant owner Ali Hidayat,
who is in his 60s, told The Straits Times:
“I have heard of only a few of the parties;
the rest are newcomers. There are just too
many to choose from, and how can I decide who I want from over 30 parties?”
Voters are also unclear about changes
to polling procedures. For instance, they
now have to indicate their choice by
putting a tick on the ballot paper, instead
of punching a hole.
Analysts worry that such uncertainties
will depress voter turnout, which came to
67.6 per cent in 2004.
There are also worries that the
number of spoilt votes — 25 per cent
in 2004 — will rise.
Meanwhile, the real action is taking
place within the parties.
Apart from staging rallies and mass
meetings, they are working to minimise
tension within their own ranks as candidates compete with colleagues for the
same seats.
In Yogyakarta province, for instance,
10 Golkar members are among the 300
or so candidates vying for eight seats in
the national Parliament. One of them,
Gandung Pardiman, said the province’s
party office has set up a “board of ethics”
to ensure that candidates do not badmouth one another during the campaigning season.
Parties are also grappling with recent changes to the law, which have
given voters more say over who goes
to Parliament.
Previously, parties would send only
highly-ranked candidates. Now, the
candidates with the most votes automatically get seats, as long as their
parties get a minimum percentage of
eligible votes.
Said legislator Rama Pratama of the
Prosperous Justice Party: “This will impact lawmaking. We usually send a good
mix of legislators with different knowledge and expertise.”
The parties know that next month’s
results are crucial for the real prize — July’s presidential election. Only those with
20 per cent of the 560 parliamentary
seats, or 25 per cent of the popular vote,
can put up candidates.
Three parties — Dr Yudhoyono’s Dem-
ocratic Party, former president Megawati
Sukarnoputri’s Indonesian Democratic
Party-Struggle and Vice-President Jusuf
Kalla’s Golkar — are tipped to sweep the
bulk of votes.
In contrast, the Islamic-based parties
seem to have slid in popularity.
While analysts say they do not see any
major potential for conflict in the weeks
ahead, their warning that violence could
flare up in some areas has put national
police forces on guard.
Security expert Sidney Jones singled
out Aceh, where six local political parties
led by former pro-independence rebels
will compete with national parties for regional government seats.
The biggest local party — Aceh Party
— expects to win big, and “if the count is
way below what they think they’ve received, there could be tension there as
well”, Jones said.
9
AFP P H OTO/Bay IS MOYO
COVER STORY
SHOUT FOR PEACE: Supporters of Patriot party shout slogans
during a peace campaign in Jakarta on March 16 to mark the
first day of Indoneia’s legislative election campaign.
Hoping For A Peaceful Campaign
JAKARTA
The Jakarta Post
A
s the 21-day official campaign period for the April 9
legislative election kicked
off on March 16, the Indonesian government is running on autopilot. As most officials,
from the president to ministers, are on
the campaign trail nationwide, only
several ministers are left to run the
country until the end of the campaign
period on April 5.
Taking leave for campaigning is happening across the region. Ironically one
10
cannot find significant political substance in this period. What is supposed
to be a political event looks more like a
public relations campaign. New
projects are being opened; political
parties are organising public events. It
is a time to remember the grassroots,
before forgetting them as soon as the
election is over. Badly needed political
education, is in short supply as it was in
past campaigns.
What is significant is the trickling
down of money to the poor. If each of
the 11,000-odd legislative candidates
spent the average 500 million rupiah
(about US$41,000) usually spent on
campaigning, a massive 5 trillion rupi-
ah ($417 million) would be amassed.
As the impact of the global economic
crisis deepens, this is a welcome respite.
There is reason to be optimistic that the
election will be carried out smoothly.
As the massive amount of money is
absorbed by the public through the
printing of name cards, the making of
street banners, from distribution of Tshirts and political bribes, the people
will have cash to spend.
Outdoor gatherings will always benefit small traders, such as food vendors.
Learning from past campaigns, this is
harvest time for the musicians and
singers usually hired for the event.
Learning from past mistakes, where
perpetrators of election
violations were treated leniently, election stakeholders should ensure today that justice be
upheld. Briberies and
other election-related
crimes should be eliminated. Otherwise, the
view that it is normal to
accept money during an
election will become
more entrenched.
Indonesia is a strongly
patriarchal society. The
people will follow what
the leaders do. It is
tempting for incumbents
to use government facilities for campaigning purposes. People are asking
whether or not the rampant tour of top officials
across the region is really
for campaigning or for
work as the two are so often blurred—perhaps
purposely so.
Regular people who
are tired of politics can be
forgiven for being apathetic, as they do not
know it makes important
changes to their life. Official figures show that
40,000-odd people have
lost their jobs in recent weeks. Victims
of natural disasters need more help.
Some reminisce about the occasional
violence that has often taken place during campaigning, particularly during
the New Order rule. Others expect disturbances to their daily routine. Motorists expect more disruptions to Jakarta’s gridlock prone traffic.
Business activities will be affected,
even if this is the time to offset losses
incurred by the impact of the global
economic recession.
But most voters will likely encounter
much confusion in the act of voting
given the wide choice of political parties and candidates and the new system
of ticking ballots.
Campaigners would be well advised
to remember the entire burden is borne
by the people. Chaos and riots are the
last thing the people want to have.
The Obama Guide
To Victory
JAKARTA
Dalton Tanonaka
The Jakarta Post
A
t last count, there were
11,301 candidates running
for 688 seats in Indonesia’s
legislature. That’s 16 people
per seat, or more bodies
than a small city in Kalimantan.
Then there’s the office of the president, where several newcomers are jostling to challenge the incumbent along
with a couple of big-name rivals. Ah,
excuse me, but when is this race supposed to start?
The best model for a 21st century
campaign just wrapped up in a global
event comparable to the moon landing
and Princess Diana’s funeral. The inauguration of Barack Obama as US president was a milestone moment in many
ways. Politically, he showed how a minority junior senator with roots in places that didn’t help (Hawaii and Indonesia) beat the establishment through
technique and technology.
Yes, money and manpower are necessary elements. But beyond that, let me
offer to any candidate who wants to
win my take on the “Obama Guide to
Political Victory”.
The name game
In many cases, especially here in Indonesia, a voter is familiar only with a
candidate’s name. They don’t know or
care what his or her stance is on global
warming. The soto ayam (chicken
soup) vendor in Slipi doesn’t have time
to digest position papers on the Middle
East crisis. Obama started early, flooded the media in multiple ways, and
rode home on a tsunami of free news
coverage. Getting your name and face
out there is priority number one. Candidates should have attended as many
Chinese New Year events as possible. I
would have already had my autobiography written and released (like Obama’s
Dreams from My Father) or have one
done in a hurry. Regularly do sit-down
interviews, particularly with international news media, and use enough
English to make an impression. For example, while with CNN I interviewed
Kim Dae-jung, and his staff held up
cue cards behind me so the South Korean president could greet me in English. Shortly thereafter, Kim won the
Nobel Peace Prize, and I wish I could
say it was more than a coincidence.
Issue identity
Obama took his stance early on in
opposing the Iraq war, and it was his
central, successful policy issue. If I were
Megawati Sukarnoputri, I might say
something like this: “The right of every
Indonesian is to be provided a decent
quality of life. If elected, I promise to
work on delivering clean water to every
citizen in this country, so they can rise
up from the foul rivers where they must
now feed and bathe!”
Or Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
could claim victory right now if he said
11
COVER STORY
Kita
Bisa!
(Yes, We Can)
this: “Every child in this nation deserves an education. Therefore, when I
am re-elected, I will reallocate funding
to provide free schooling to every boy
and girl. Our children are Indonesia’s
future!”
A simple, heartfelt, grassroots issue
that affects everyone will tilt the balance in a tight race.
Facebook factor
A lot has already been written about
Obama’s extraordinary use of the Internet in fund-raising, voter mobilisation and information flow. This is how
a lesser-known candidate can come
from behind and grab victory out of the
hands of more prominent opponents—
maybe the only way in Indonesia. “No
one’s really maximising technology
here,” says 25-year-old graphic designer Leo Angelo. He’s a representative of
the millions of young people who’d
rather watch YouTube than U2, and
who’d sacrifice their lunch money for a
BlackBerry. “Whoever does it like
Obama will win the younger crowd,” he
says.
Candidates must not only get a Facebook page, but utilise its various functions such as starting a special interest
link (“Indah joined the group ‘I Support the Sultan’”). And staff should
have their candidate in as many photos
as possible, preferably with cool people
(“Wiranto and Mira Lesmana, Indonesian film director, were tagged in an
album”).
Remember, Hillary Clinton had the
heavyweight political connections. But
Barack owned the Internet connection.
A slogan seals the deal
AFP Photo
Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono
12
What do most people remember
about an Obama stump speech? “Yes,
we can!” he’d shout, and the world responded, from Bandung to Berlin. A
short, emotional slogan provides an
important rallying cry for people hungry for an inspirational leader.
“Kita Bisa!”— “Yes, We Can”—
would still work for its obvious Obama
ties. But what would really ring my bell
is to hear someone say “I Care!” and
mean it.
“Saya Perduli!” is something everyone would love to hear.
S P E C I A L R E P O RT
BATHED IN SUNSHINE:
Four Tibetan girls pose in
front of a lake.
C hina Daily
‘Tibet’s 50 Years
Of Freedom’
For weeks, US news reports speculated on a prospective
Chinese crackdown on Tibet over the 50th anniversary of
the failed Tibetan uprising on March 10. But there was
never any sign of violence. China says Tibet is only the
excuse of the United States against the communist
country, not to help the Tibetan people themselves
13
S P E C I A L R E P O RT
BEIJING
China Daily
C
hina protested the United
States’ latest remarks on Tibet
last week.
“We feel strong dissatisfaction and are resolutely opposed to it,” foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement.
“Tibet is purely (a matter for) China’s
internal affairs, thus we protest if any
country uses it as an excuse to interfere
with our internal affairs.”
Ma’s comments came after both
the US Congress and the State Department on March 10 accused China’s Tibet policy.
Robert Wood, acting spokesman for
the US State Department, said Washington was “deeply concerned by the
human rights situation in Tibetan areas” and urged China to take steps for a
“substantive dialogue with the Dalai
Lama’s representatives”.
A day before Wood’s statement,
Nancy Pelosi, US House speaker,
introduced a resolution to the Congress that would urge China to end
its “repression” in Tibet.
According to Professor Tao Wenzhao of the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences, Pelosi was trying to “attract
more attention” by introducing the
resolution on March 9—the day of foreign minister Yang Jiechi’s arrival in
the US.
“The resolution won’t harm Yang’s
visit or Sino-US ties,” said Tao and
added that senior leaders from both
countries understand that cooperation
is key for countries to deal with the global financial turmoil. “But it has interfered with China’s internal affairs.”
Meanwhile, members at the ongoing
session of the National Committee of
the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference refuted Dalai Lama’s
latest speech on “religious oppression
in Tibet”, saying it was a blatant lie.
In a speech at his ‘government-inexile’ in Dharamshala, India, the Dalai
Lama claimed that more than 1 million
Tibetans were killed in the “Tibetan
genocide” during the past 50 years. He
accused China of having brought “hell
on earth” to Tibet.
“What he said is totally nonsense and
utter fabrication,” Puncog, a National
People’s Congress (NPC) delegate, told
14
China Daily before the third plenary
meeting of the second session of the
11th NPC in Beijing on March 11.
The central government implemented democratic reforms and abolished
serfdom in Tibet after the Dalai Lama
fled to India in 1959. The central leadership removed him from the post as
vice-chairman of the NPC standing
committee only in 1964.
Puncog said Tibet’s population, of
which more than 95 per cent were Tibetans and people from other ethnic
minority groups, increased from 1.2
million in 1959 to 2.87 million in
2008—faster than ever in the past several centuries.
In Lhasa on March 10, all was quiet
and stable as pilgrims continued to
hold their prayer wheels around the
holy city’s streets.
A shop assistant working near the
Jokhang Temple, a major site of the
riot in central Lhasa in March 2008,
told China Daily: “Our shop and business were hurt pretty bad last year, but
things are different now. It’s safe here.”
Five minutes’ walk away is the Lhasa
First Elementary School.
Sixth-grader Tenzin Phuntsog said:
“I’m preparing for my junior high entrance exam in the summer. That’s the
only thing on my mind right now.”
To Tibetan car dealer Purbu, the
Dalai Lama always seems unhappy
when Tibetans are really happy.
“How can Tibetans be unhappy
when the economy develops so fast
with the support from the central government?” said Purbu, a car dealing
company manager in Lhasa.
In early March the state council information office released figures in a
white paper on the situation in Tibet.
Since 1994, the local GDP has grown
at an annual rate of 12.8 per cent on
average, higher than the national average for the same period.
Tibet also saw its GDP soar from 174
million yuan (US$5.4 million) in 1959
to 39.591 billion yuan ($5.78 billion)
last year.
To Purbu, what is more important
behind the figures is the truth he
witnesses every day that every Tibetan shares the fruits of the robust
economic growth, a dream their ancestors could hardly imagine in the
times of the Dalai Lama, when more
than 90 per cent of the Tibetan
population were slaves or serfs.
Unveiling
Tibet
Scholars and
writers around
the world
reveal more
about the life of
Tibetan people
BEIJING
Liu Jun
China Daily
T
ibetan religious leader Phagpa
was a mentor to the mighty
Kublai Khan and shortly after
he left Dadu (today’s Beijing),
Marco Polo arrived in the great city.
The young Italian was blown away
with what he saw in the city. Polo’s
writings of wonders and riches inspired Christopher Columbus to set
sail in search of the new world, but
a new book reveals how Phagpa had
influenced Polo and consequently
trigger a chain of events that helped
shape the world today.
But author Su Shuyang says the history and culture of Tibet is “a Mount
Qomolangma, whose summit is beyond my reach”.
“I often dream of being a Tibetan
myself,” says the Han Chinese recounting the joys of writing A Reader on Tibet (Xizang Duben).
Despite his poor health—the
71-year-old has lost one kidney and
part of the lungs due to cancer—Su
was spellbound learning about one
of the world’s most fascinating regions and in the process writing another landmark book.
For the first 18 years of his working
life, Su was a university history and
philosophy teacher before he wrote one
of the first retrospective works on the
Cultural Rrevolution (1966-76).
His drama Song of the Red Heart
(Dan Xin Pu), published in 1978, was a
The cover of Su Shyang’s book A Reader of Tibet
C hina Daily
huge success and over the past three
decades, he gained many national literary awards with novels, dramas, movie
scripts, poems and commentary.
His 2005 book A Reader on China
(Zhongguo Duben) was an immediate
success and sold more than 12 million
Chinese copies. After this success, Su’s
foreign friends suggested he write
about Tibet in the same reader-friendly
way he did in A Reader on China.
Su grew up in North China’s Hebei
province and admitted: “My knowledge about Tibet and Tibetology is
equal to that of a primary school student, or even less.”
Over the past three years, Su studied
some 200 classics and 50 film files
about Tibet before the book was
launched in December.
In recent years, the tremendous
growth of Tibet has caught the
world’s eye and many books have
been published about this remote
part of the world. But China’s literary critics and Tibetology researchers
say Su’s work is a standout.
“This book strikes me the most because it looks at Tibet from a global
perspective,” says Zhang Xiaoping, editor-in-chief of China Tibet Information
Centre. Zhang was one of the experts
who helped Su plan the book.
These world events go back centuries
and the book’s structure displays Su’s
rich experiences as a playwright.
He opens with a grand scene featuring Princess Wencheng of the Tang
Dynasty (AD 618-907)
During the Middle Ages, Euroleaving Chang’an (today’s pean countries followed CaesaropaXi’an) for Tubo (ancient pism, in which the secular rulers
name of Tibet) to marry needed the Church to recognise their
the king Songtsen Gampo. rule. In Tibet, however, the religious
Su moves on to Xuan leaders, who ruled until 1959, had
Zang, a monk who had left to gain recognition from the Chinese
Chang’an more than 14 central government.
years before Princess
After last year’s March 14 incident in
Wencheng, in his journey Tibet, Wu was involved in press conferto India for the truth of ences in which many foreign journalists
Buddhism.
questioned the happenings in Tibet. At
The discussion of how one press conference Wu quoted Su.
Buddhism’s centre moved
“Would the people who cry for hueastward from India to man rights in Tibet be willing to see
China “highlights the mu- troops of slaves in wooden shackles
tual influence and interac- wandering at the foot of the glorious
tions of Han and Tibetan Potala Palace and on the banks of the
cultures”, says Bao Mingde crystal-clear Yarlung Zanpo?” he read.
with the Institute of Liter“Would they be willing to hear the
ature in the Chinese Acad- serfs’ wails and sighs brought by the
emy of Social Sciences.
wind for days and nights?”
From religion, lanWu asked the international journalguage, family lineage and other as- ists for more questions but for one
pects, Su proves that Tibet has been minute there was absolute silence.
assimilating various cultures and it
Wu says this had never happened
has always been part of the multi- during the some 100 press conferfaceted Chinese civilization.
ences he had held. He said the powThe book is especially meaningful er of Su’s language had literally sibecause it “powerfully criticises the dis- lenced the critics.
torted views on Tibet”, says Bao.
Purike, a Tibetan editor with the
Great Britain’s scheming to control Ethnic Publishing House, says Su
Tibet is revealed and Su details how the made minor mistakes, such as sayBritish troops tricked the Tibetans into ing Princess Wencheng presided over
a 1903 battle.
the translation of Buddhist classics
Su also reveals that religion, ethnicity into Tibetan language.
and geography are
But he welcomes
not the chief reaSu’s effort.
sons why there is a
“The fact that
mist shrouding Tisuch an influential
bet, Bao says.
scholar has comSu states that
mented on our Tiforeign political
betan history and
powers’ ambiculture has greatly
tions, upper-class
boosted our confiTibetan interest
dence,” he says.
groups’ nostalgia
Palbar Dorje,
to their privileges
dean of the Tibetolin the feudal serf
ogy Department
system, and Chiwith the Central
TRUTH TELLER: Su Shuyang reveals
na’s weakness in
University for Naa true picture of the remoted land on
certain historical
tionalities, says the
A Reader of Tibet.
periods are the
book has captured
real culprits behind the distorted latest views in international Tibetolviews on Tibet.
ogy circles.
Wu Heping, spokesman with the
The Tibetan version of Su’s book will
ministry of public security, says Su has soon be published. Publishers in the
“touched an acupuncture point” by dis- United States, Germany and other
closing the difference of Tibet and the countries are discussing promoting
West in their ruling systems that com- Xu’s work abroad, says Yu Xiaoqun,
bined politics with religion.
head of the Liaoning Publishing Group.
15
LIFE
THE COURTSHIP
Members of West African
drug syndicates, some
claiming to be
businessmen, would
court the women.
Singaporea
Drug Mules
A tale of seduction,
money, travel
and drugs
16
SINGAPORE
Teh Joo Lin
The Straits Times
I
n just four months, a dozen
Singapore women have been
caught here and elsewhere for
making drug runs after they
were persuaded to do so by
West African men, who seduced them with love, money
and offers of travel.
In the five years between 2003 and
2007, only eight female drug mules
were caught.
The sudden surge in numbers was
revealed by the Central Narcotics
Bureau (CNB) recently, in a warning
to women not to be fooled. Last December, five were arrested overseas.
It is barely three months into the
year, but seven more have been arrested, including two who are staring
at the death penalty after being stopped
before they left Singapore.
THE BAIT
Promising love,
all-expenses-paid
holidays and cash,
the men persuade
the women to
deliver parcels
for them.
THE PACKAGE
The parcels contain illegal drugs
such as cocaine and heroin.
The drugs are hidden in luggage
with false bottoms.
One woman is told
to swallow
drug pellets.
an
s
In a statement, the CNB said: “Singaporeans should not allow themselves
to be made use of by foreign drug
syndicates and should reject any suspicious offer of free travel or paid
holidays.”
The instigators were described as
members of West African drug syndicates who were mostly Nigerians aged
between 20 and 30. Some claimed to be
businessmen who dealt in used cars or
electronic goods.
Based on investigations, the syndicate members approached women
in public places such as pubs or on
social networking websites, and befriended them.
“Many of these female Singaporean
drug couriers were cajoled into carrying out the drug runs, with promises of love and friendship or inducement of free holidays or cash
payment,” said the CNB.
Typically, the women were told to
fly from Singapore to another country
to pick up the drug stash, and then
on to a third to drop it off. The Straits
Times reported last month that some
women were stopped at airports of
countries including Japan, Britain,
Argentina, China and Australia, with
drugs like heroin and cocaine.
One case involved a woman in her early
20s who was caught in 2007 at the Melbourne airport carrying cocaine.
She had met her ‘boyfriend’ three years
before while shopping at Raffles City. He
claimed to be an exporter of used electronics to Nigeria. The ‘love affair’ continued even after he was repatriated to
Nigeria, where he arranged for them to
meet in Bangkok for a rendezvous. It
was there that he asked her to carry out a
drug run. All she had to do was fly to
Melbourne and pass the drugs to a third
party. She agreed—and swallowed 64
pellets of cocaine.
Some of the women caught are now
serving time, including this one. One
was sentenced in London in 2007 to 10
years, while others are awaiting sentencing. Many of them carried the contraband in suitcases with false bottoms.
While none of the instigators had
previously been caught, the CNB scored
a breakthrough recently with the arrests of four West Africans along with
three Singaporeans for drug offences.
The bureau had launched two operations, with information from the regional authorities. Two kilograms of
Heroin No. 4 were also seized.
To date, two Singaporean men who
accompanied the women on their drug
runs have also been arrested.
Singaporeans are said to be prized as
drug couriers. Their law-abiding image
and the country’s known stance against
drugs mean that there is a higher likelihood of them making it past checkpoints. Also, many countries do not
require Singaporeans to have a visa.
THE ROUTE
The women are told to fly from
Singapore to a transit country
to pick up the drugs and then
fly on to a third country for
delivery.
THE ARREST
Most of the women are
arrested overseas, en
route to delivering the
drugs.
G raphic by T he Straits T imes
17
PHOTO ESSAY
Benoa Harbour
Kuta Beach
Alluring Bali
Text and photos by Thuy Ha
Gasoline in vodka bottles
Asia N ews N e two r k
H
ome to the vast majority of Indonesia’s small
Hindu minority, Bali is the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its
highly developed arts, including dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking and music.
The smiles, friendliness and warm hospitality of Bali
people lure tourists to the Indonesian island despite the
horrific bombings which killed over 200 people over six
years ago.
Kuta downtown
Falun Gong practioners meditate on Kuta Beach
18
Balinese statues in Ubud
Ubud arts
Horse carriage in Kuta
Kuta Art Market
19
LIFESTYLE
Mixologists: (from left) Kim
Min-hyoung, Kwon Hyuck-min of
Seventy Four and Kim Bong-ha
of Lound with a Bokbunja
Margarita, Sweet Revenge and
Rosemary Pear Martini.
Raising The Bar
Mixology has come to represent the intricate
and artisanal labour of bartenders-turnedmixologists who have dedicated themselves
to the creation of new drinks
SEOUL
Jean Oh
The Korea Herald
I
n a classic watering hole called
Coffee Bar K, mixologist Lim Jaejin incorporates the flavours of Korean bokbunja into a signature
drink. He tosses the dark, lush berries—fresh off his family farm in North
Jeolla Province’s Gochang County—into
a tall glass with brown sugar and mint.
Lim crushes the ingredients with a pestle, mingling the sweet juices of bokbunja with the fragrance of the mint. Ele-
20
gant and controlled, he tops his
‘Bokbunja Mojito’ off with mojito syrup,
blackberry syrup, lemon juice and his
own homemade bokbunja rum infusion.
One sip unearths the round ripeness
of the berry, balanced by tart lemon, refreshing mint notes and a wash of rum
laced with the scent of Lim’s bokbunja.
Inventive? Yes. Delicious? Absolutely.
The 27-year bartender and his innovative drink represent a growing set of Korean mixologists who are tinkering with
infusions, syrups and indigenous ingredients in the quest for a better drink.
For some, better means healthier, for
others it means creating a beverage that
transcends all pre-existing beverages,
and for yet another set, it means riffing
off the classics.
Though by no means on par with the
wild and wacky experimentations of
molecular mixologists like Tony Conigliaro or Eben Klemm, the concoctions of Korean bar chefs are taking
Seoul’s sipping culture to new heights.
“These days people’s tastes have
grown fickle,” said mixologist Kim
Bong-ha. “They want it fresher, tastier
and aesthetically pleasing. As a result,
mixology is on the rise.”
Mixology, a term that once referred
to the art of mixing drinks, has come to
represent the intricate and artisanal labour of bartenders-turned-mixologists
who have dedicated themselves to the
creation of new drinks.
This new breed of bartender makes
syrups, liquors and infusions (the process of steeping herbs, fruits, etc in vodka
and other liquors to extract each element’s flavours) from scratch and draws
from a diverse array of ingredients to
concoct their own unique beverages.
“The difference between a bartender
and a mixologist, in my opinion, lies in
the issue of creativity,” said Korea All
Bartenders Association PR Director Jeon
Jae-gu. “If a bartender focuses on making existing cocktails good, then a mixologist takes it a step further and invents
new cocktails, or researches existing
cocktails to find ways to improve them.”
Mixologist Kim Bong-ha, director at
the newly-minted bar Lound, ventured
into the world of mixology five to six
years ago. Finding inspiration from
Frances Case’s “1,001 Foods You Must
Taste Before You Die” and a text on Ferran Adria’s El Bulli, this maverick bartender draws from a limitless stock of ingredients to create his fantastical potions.
He invents a drink on the spot, combining black garlic extract, vodka,
grapefruit juice and serves it in a martini glass with a skewer of garlic cloves.
His elixir hovers somewhere between
prune juice and licorice, not bad for a
spur-of-the-moment cocktail.
Don’t like it? The 29-year-old mixologist whips out another drink, a
blend of mango puree, spicy curry powder, lime juice, mandarin vodka and
syrup. The turmeric interplays with the
mango. An alcoholic lassi with a kick?
“Indians put mango in curry and eat it
like kimchi,” Kim explains.
Fellow mixologist Kwon Hyuck-min
exercises more restraint with his inventions, combining fresh grapefruit juice,
citrus vodka, syrup, Angostura bitters
and rosemary to create a fragrant yet
tempered martini.
Behind the bar at Seventy Four, he
stands ramrod straight, decked out in a
crisp white suit jacket. Off-duty Kwon
presents an entirely different persona.
A cross between a liquid chef and home
brewer, Kwon creates his own syrups,
infusions and makes his own liquor,
Korean liquor.
“I use Korean acacia liquor often,”
said the 29-year-old Seventy Four
chief, who also uses Hallabong (a Jeju
Island citrus fruit) and Cheon Hae
Hyang for his liquors.
Kwon showcases a cinnamon syrup
he made, pouring a little dab into a shot
glass. Sweet, warm and spiced, his syrup could enhance a number of fruitbased drinks: a persimmon martini, an
apple cinnamon martini, or perhaps,
even, a pumpkin martini.
“I started making infusions and syrups because when I saw cocktails from
abroad, I thought they were good, but
we could not make them in Korea. We
did not have the ingredients,” said
Kwon, who concocted a port wine syrup as a substitute to Chambord, which
according to him, only started entering
Korea recently.
“There is a limit to the ingredients
that are imported in Korea,” said Korea
All Bartenders Association PR Director
Jeon. “So there are
no opportunities
for bartenders to
work with them.”
Without a
doubt, the lack of
diversity and variety in liqueurs, liquors and key cocktail making
ingredients will
make it difficult in
the long run for
Korean bartenders
to hone their skills.
Yet, the lack of
cocktail making
materials has also
served as the impetus for the rise of
mixology in Korea, fueling the creativity of a small group of bar chefs, encouraging them to turn to indigenous ingredients.
Both Kwon and fellow Seventy Four
mixologist Kim Min-hyoung have been
toying with Korean materials, while
Lound’s Kim Bong-ha plans on developing health-conscious Korean cocktails, citing Sanghwang and Youngji
mushrooms as potential ingredients for
his drinks.
Coffee Bar K mixologist Lim tried his
hand at an Andong soju cocktail and is
currently working with ginseng liquor.
While both Korean-style drinks received a warm response from foreign
clientele, they did not go over well with
domestic customers.
“It does not suit Korean tastes, because Koreans are into sweet and fruity
drinks,” explained Lim, who wants to
create Korean alcohol-based cocktails
for Korean palates.
KABA’s Jeon, who is starting a new
association tentatively named the Korean Beverage Culture Research Institute,
wants to hold a traditional Korean liquor-based cocktail competition this year.
If grassroots cocktails are stirring
things up on the home-front, the creations of mixologist Kim Hyun-jin, captain at Grand InterContinental Seoul’s
Blush, are garnering international recognition.
The 34-year-old mixologist placed
second at the International Bartenders
Association’s Asia Pacific Bartender of
the Year cocktail competition in 2007.
The winning drink, his Blushed Cafe,
a velvety brown creamsicle of a cocktail
capped with foam
and intricate latte
art executed with
Spanish chocolate
and orange syrup,
layers muddled
anise, vanilla vodka and espresso.
In the pursuit of
a new drink, Kim
Hyun-jin will be
jetting off to
France, Great Britain and the Netherlands to study
molecular cocktails in May. And
he promises to
showcase a new and exciting cocktail a
month from now.
“It will surpass expectations,” he says
with a sly smile, leaving behind a solitary hint: seafood.
Seafood? “Incorporating salmon into a
drink, does not make it unpalatable,”
said Mix Lounge manager Yoo Jun-sung.
The 27-year-old mixologist derives
inspiration from Italian cuisine and
sports a collection of cinnamon, ginger
and chili vodka infusions.
“If you get into cooking, then it opens
a whole new arena of potential cocktail
making ingredients,” says Yoo.
For mixologist Mark Kim, cuisine
plays an important role in the art of
mixology.
“A mixologist works with all beverages,” said the 29-year-old beverage
culture group Mix It Up Director. A
firm believer in melding cuisine with
beverages, Mark eventually wants to
open a dining bar: “I want to pair
drinks with courses.”
Yet, the efforts of mixologists like
Mark will go unnoticed without an audience. KABA’s Jeon believes that Koreans are ready.
“There are a lot of people who want to
go to bars that serve good drinks and
possess a pleasant ambiance,” said Jeon.
“The atmosphere is slowly ripening.”
Seventy Four chief Kwon, also believes that a cocktail renaissance is underway, and attributes it, in part, to the
burgeoning spirit market.
“(Spirit brands) educated people on
what a mojito is and what a martini
series is,” said Kwon. “These brands became aware of the great potential of
this market.”
21
HERITAGE
Saving Old Quarter
Bird’s-eye view: An overview of
the Returned Sword Lake and its
surrounding areas.
VIET NA M N EWS P H OTO S
Preservation work in Ha Noi’s oldest section is
often held up by obstacles like red tape and
lack of funds, leaving residents trapped in
century-old buildings falling into ruin
HA NOI
Ha Nguyen
Viet Nam News
T
he countdown is on, there
are only less than 500 days
to go until Hanoians celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of the founding of their
city. But for preservation of one of the
city’s iconic landmarks—the Old Quarter—time is also running out.
Historian Le Van Lan says copious
documents have been written, programmes devised and projects launched
to save, restore and promote Ha Noi’s
Old Quarter.
“To me, most of it doesn’t go beyond
‘selective’ talk,” he says. “By ‘selective’
talk I mean the incessant discussions
by researchers, managers and city officials ‘on behalf’ of residents living in the
Old Quarter.”
22
Residents themselves don’t seem to
be doing much talking. And if they did,
it might well be different or far removed
from the musings of the echelons
above, Lan says.
“Most of the enthusiastic ‘selective’
talk about the Old Quarter focuses
on the material—the quarter’s architecture—and regrettably there is
little of this left.
Unfortunately, the quarter’s greatest
assets—the people who have lived there
for generations—are left out.”
Alarm bells
A house in Ha Noi’s Old Quarter
may need extensive repair but that does
not mean its inhabitants can make a
decision about its future.
But these inhabitants have become
accustomed to not complaining because their properties are listed as ‘protected sites’, which means that housing
officials can do nothing for them.
Shiny: A design of Trang
Tien Street in the city centre.
Their predicament caught the spotlight early last year when four historic
houses in the World Heritage-listed
Hoi An collapsed.
The ‘situation’ was extensively reported by the mass media and prompted this question among the residents of
the Old Quarter, “How long will our
houses last?”
The Ha Noi Old Quarter Management Board has the house on its list of
protected houses, and is now responsible for its renovation. But years have
passed and no improvements have
been made.
Unfortunately, its owners are not
allowed to make any major renovations themselves because the city has
given orders to keep these houses
intact until the government has sufficient money to do the work itself.
That could take a long time. Meanwhile, major thunderstorms threaten to destroy the property.
Almost every resident we talked to
said they were not happy with their living situation. All of them wanted to
move to safer place. No one would deny
the importance of protecting these
houses, which are part of the country’s
heritage, but the safety of their residents should be even more of an impetus for action.
Historians say the Old Quarter,
first formed as a commercial hub in
the 11th century, is not as old as it
seems because of the destruction
wrought by war, natural disasters and
demographic change.
The oldest part of the quarter is the
network of narrow, winding streets that
were the headquarters for traders and
artisans from 36 guilds. The residential
area was expanded and new houses
built along earthen roads as more artisans arrived from the provinces.
Urbanisation by the French colonials
at the turn of the 20th century had the
paths paved and brick houses replaced
thatched huts.
Now the oldest houses, mostly in
Hang Buom, Hang Dao, Hang Duong
and Hang Bac, are little more than 100
years old with only aged timbers as evidence that they might be older.
around 300 and only 10 per cent of
these are sound.
Most are significantly deteriorated.
Ha Noi administrators listed about
840 out of the 4,341 houses in the
Old Quarter as ‘ancient’. They also
issued rules affirming their determination to preserve the Old Quarter
houses by forbidding repairs without
official consent.
Hoan Kiem District
chairman Hoang
Cong Khoi says initially when an application for any repairs or
rebuilding was received, his people had
to seek the consent of
the management
board and it was very
time consuming.
The Department
of Planning and Architecture has rejected all applications
because it is accepted
that nothing should
Renovation: A project of renovating the ancient house at 38 Hang Dao
be done to compro- was launched to celebrate the 990th anniversary of Thang Long-Ha Noi.
mise the integrity of
the buildings, so the houses continue to table. Owners of less valuable properties should be encouraged to sell, uprot and residents continue to suffer.
Municipal officials have grade or renovate to improve living
discussed ways to remedy conditions, he said.
the situation, but to no avail.
Many conservationists
say the city should buy
some of the ‘ancient’ houses for restoration and relocate many of the Old
Quarter’s residents.
But it seems the city’s
shortage of funds is making this impossible.
Ancient street: In the past, Hang Gai, a favourite shopping
street for foreigners, was part of the Vu Village.
Long wait
Architect Nguyen Thi Hoa says
physical value in the Old Quarter is determined by the design of its houses
and the objects for worship—wooden
statutes, stele, and incense burners—in
the dozen or so pagodas and churches.
Hoa says the latest statistics compiled by the Old Quarter Preservation
Management Board show that the largest estimate of ‘ancient’ houses number
including those owned by the public.
“We need suitable investment policies
and strict management for key historical
and cultural sites and residential housing,
as well as concrete guidelines to help local
people and organisations preserve and repair these properties to blend in with the
surrounding architecture.
Nghi also put several solutions on the
Relocation
Ha Noi Party Secretary
Pham Quang Nghi urged
Ha Noi and Hoan Kiem
District authorities at a working session
to encourage residents in Hoan Kiem
District to move away.
He asked the municipal Department
of Planning and Architecture to finalise
planning in the district and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to
co-ordinate with other relevant agencies
to re-examine, evaluate and classify
which streets, and historical and culture
sites, should receive priority preservation,
Final cut
There is one part of the city centre
that has received a lot of attention –
Returned Sword Lake.
The area is set to see a massive revamp, with design ideas for the preservation, renovation and development of
the lake showcased in competition at
an exhibition titled “Ideas Planning
and Urban Design for the Returned
Sword Lake and its Surrounding Area.”
Winning rchitect Hoang Thuc Hao
says he sees Returned Sword Lake as a
vital city green space, together with Ba
Dinh Square, West Lake, the Hong
(Red) River and the Thong Nhat Park.
The area from the Ba Kieu Temple to
Ngoc Son Temple will be fully pedestrianised, he says.
“It was not by chance that French
architect Ernest Hebrerd designed
the Municipal Administration Building next to Returned Sword Lake. It
was and still is in the heart of every
Vietnamese.”
23
ARTS & CULTURE
Funny... Ha-ha
Or Peculiar?
BEIJING
Gan Tian
China Daily
E
very culture has its own sense
of humour. That’s why Jim
Carrey in The Mask might not
make all Chinese people
laugh, but a piece of crosstalk
can. The Chinese do humour in several
forms: xiangsheng (crosstalk) was the
most popular, then came xiaopin (comic skit), and now errenzhuan (two-person sketch).
Crosstalk, known in China as the ‘art
of laughter’, is a traditional art form between two performers satirising society
and its people through funny stories. Although a good crosstalk performer is
said to be “earning a living by talking”, it
is not the case in the West.
English entertainment journalist
David Drakeford, who has lived in
Beijing for five years and has learnt
a little bit of this art, finds it is interesting because the jokes are all
about ordinary people.
“I heard one skit that went like this: A
says ‘I work at a famous English school’.
B asks him ‘Are you a teacher there?’ A
replies ‘I only open the door for others.’
This common joke between two ordinary people is very funny. Of course they
are professional comedians so the timing
24
is important,” Drakeford says.
He likens Chinese crosstalk to the
Western tradition of a comedy duo
and requires four skills of its performers: speaking, mimicking, teasing and singing. “Chinese humour
uses slaptick and wordplay,” says
Drakeford. “Western humour is
probably more political, more satirical and sometimes kind of nasty.”
Xiao Shenyang made a name for himself after he performed a comic skit
Enough Money for CCTV’s 2009 Spring
Festival Gala. His skit took some jokes
and performing styles from errenzhuan,
a Northeastern art form, which involves
storytelling, singing and dancing between two performers, and is considered
grassroots because it is rich in local style.
Before Xiao Shenyang appeared at the
gala, he had already introduced errenzhuan to parts of China, performing on
provincial TV variety shows. His first
routine had a funny man being teased
mercilessly by a plump woman. In Beijing TV’s gala, he appeared in a black suit
but carrying a women’s bag and speaking with an effeminate voice. During the
show, he demonstrated his skills in singing, dancing, telling jokes and communicating with other actors.
The very popular Xiao Shenyang has
boosted awareness of errenzhuan
thanks to his authentic Northeastern accent and acting skills.
CHI NA DAILY
Who says the Chinese don’t
have a sense of humour? Get
ready to roll with laughter
with China’s funnymen
ART OF LAUGHTER: A cartoon image of
the most popular Chinese comic Xiao
Shenyang who became a huge hit thanks
to his performance at the 2009 Spring
Festival gala show.
Rynn Chaw, a crosstalk fan from
Hong Kong, saw Xiao Shenyang as
great fun. “Maybe other people find
errenzhuan to be a little bit tasteless,
low and dirty but I don’t think humour
is serious. It is not serious in any culture,” says Chaw, who believes that
the Chinese way of presenting humor
is a work in progress.
“The Chinese attitude to humour is
that it does not have to pretend to be
‘fake’ or ‘elegant’. That might be why
Xiao Shenyang and errenzhuan have
become popular,” Chaw says.
Instead of finding humour in ‘tasteless’ jokes, Westerners have their own
way of getting a laugh. “American Jews
are famous for comedy — The Marx
Brothers, Woody Allen, Larry David all
use self-deprecation, so they are joking at
themselves, their families and all Jews,”
Drakeford says. He notices, however,
that “Chinese never joke about China”.
Chaw finds Chinese versions of stage
comedy are similar to each other.
“Compared with Westerners, Chinese
people are likely to be more reserved
and indirect, no matter whether it is
a comic skit, a piece of crosstalk or
errenzhuan,” he says.
The result, says Chaw, is that when
you hear a Western joke, you might
laugh instantly but when you hear one in
a Chinese crosstalk or comic skit it might
take three or four seconds.
C HINA ’ S FUNNY 6
Xiao Shenyang
This year Zhao did not perform with
his long-time partner Song Dandan. Instead, he introduced two of his apprentices, Xiao Shenyang being one of them.
He played a waiter in a restaurant, won
million’s hearts with his simple and unaffected humour, and his command of the
rich and lively colloquialisms of the
Northeastern Chinese dialect.
Ma Ji
As a seventh-generation crosstalker,
Ma was synonymous with it to Chinese
people. Many even worried about the future of crosstalk when he died in 2006.
He is famous for creating his own art
style and making great contributions to
its evolution. Traditional crosstalk saw
big names such as Ma Sanli, Liu Baorui,
and Hou Yaowen in their times.
Dashan
Mark Henry Rowswell, a Canadian
crosstalker also known as Dashan, was
first put on the gala bill in 1989 and one
year later became the first foreigner formally accepted into the strict xiangsheng
hierarchy.
Guo Degang
Guo revived traditional crosstalk as a
popular art form. Although he has not
featured on CCTV’s gala, his live crosstalk shows have become increasingly
trendy since he emerged in 2006.
It was back in 1995 that Guo happened to walk into a teahouse and found
a few young people performing crosstalk.
One year later he and his friends founded
the Deyun Crosstalk Club to reintroduce
it as teahouse and theater entertainment.
Guo’s pieces mainly draw on aspects
of everyday life. Today, even young people who previously have had no interest
in crosstalk are downloading his skits on
to their MP3 players.
Zhao Benshan
Jacky Wu
The Taiwanese sense of humour
reached the mainland market with the
help of the Internet. Jacky Wu’s variety
show Guess became the most downloaded clips among college students and
white collared workers. On the mainland,
crosstalk and comic skits have always
avoided political and sexual issues but
this was not so in Wu’s shows. Especially
popular was his witty, sarcastic skit on
his female partner’s breasts.
This actor became the godfather of
Chinese comic skits by re-creating farmers’ lives on stage. Zhao was recommended to the 1987 CCTV New Year’s
Gala and has been on it every year since.
For nearly 20 years Fan Wei, Gao Xiumin,
Song Dandan and Zhao have dominated
the CCTV Spring Festival Gala stage.
Zhao became a household name after he
and Song played an old couple appearing on a famous talkshow. Zhao’s skits
portrayed the typical behaviour of farmers in Northeastern China, and focused
on ordinary people’s funny stories.
25
ENTERTAINMENT
Goku is a Caucasian?
Some ‘Dragon Ball’ fans are
boycotting the film BECAUSE
the cast do not resemble the
beloved manga characters
BANGKOK
Yong Shu Hoong
The Straits Times
T
he hair has survived the transition from page to screen.
As Goku in the movie Dragonball Evolution, star Justin
Chatwin sports a full-bodied
spiky do that replicates the character’s
look from the classic manga.
As the young warrior who travels the
world in search of seven mysterious
dragon balls, he was a controversial
choice as the lead in this highly
anticipated live-action adaptation of Akira Toriyama’s immensely popular Japanese
manga series, Dragon Ball.
Fans of the manga, originally
serialised from 1984 to 1995,
insisted that an Asian actor
should play Goku, who is loosely
modelled after the Monkey King
from the Chinese literary classic,
Journey To The West.
No wonder Chatwin, a 26-yearold Canadian best remembered for playing Tom
Cruise’s son in
War Of The
W o r l d s
(2005), admitted recently that he
had stagefright:
“I was pretty
nervous, because I really
look up to
Goku. But I
love getting
into the character.”
26
He added: “I have no idea why they
picked me. For me, the character is a
fun, goofy, nerdy kind of guy who can
turn to fighting mode at the flip of a
dime. In his heart, he’s more of a lover
than a fighter. And that’s kind of like
me. I’m not a fighter, I’d rather talk
things out.”
Director James Wong, 49, said:
“I was surprised by the reactions.
Goku is an alien, so to me, he’s not
any race at all.”
Despite negative fan reaction to his
casting choice, he said firmly: “I don’t have any
bad feelings about it.”
The Hong Kongborn American
director, who
also wrote episodes of The XFiles TV series, is
well aware of the
weight of fan expectations riding on
this US$100-million
adaptation.
The manga
h a s
sold more than 300 million volumes
worldwide.
The franchise comprises about 20
animated films and three animé TV series that boast more than 500 episodes.
The original Dragon Ball animé series, which first ran in Japan from 1986
to 1989, aired on Animax Asia last year
with high ratings across the region.
Of course, this fan base could be as
much a liability as it is an asset, if the
fuss the fans have kicked up online over
such issues as casting is any indication.
Some disgruntled fans have already
complained that the cast look nothing
like the manga characters.
Hardcore fans described the decision
to adapt Dragon Ball as “insulting” and
“an abomination” and made emotional
calls for a boycott.
But some other fans prefer to reserve
judgment until they have seen the film.
Director Wong is quick to pay tribute
to the source material.
“I have tried to preserve the essence
of the manga, its sense of fun, as it
evolves into a new medium,” he said.
Wong defended the casting choice,
saying Chatwin was the “perfect choice
for the lead role”.
Wong said he was ‘colour-blind’ during the casting process in Hong Kong,
London, New York, Vancouver and Los
Angeles.
Shot in Mexico City and Durango in
Mexico, the backdrops were enhanced
by computers to recreate the story’s different environments.
The film makers took pains to ensure
the final product lives up to expectations, for example, by using visual effects to give the dragon balls the right
luminescence and by engaging 87Eleven, a renowned stunt team that had
worked on The Matrix (1999) and
Watchmen (2009), to train the cast in
fighting styles and acrobatics.
Sandy Lee, a 21-year-old fan who is a
polytechnic student, said she was initially hyped up after getting wind of the
movie.
“But when I saw the trailer, I was
shocked to find Goku being played by a
Caucasian,” she said. “But I’ll still watch
it because I’m a little curious about how
the movie will turn out.”
MOVIE REVIEW
Evolution... Not
SEOUL
Yang Sung-jin
The Korea Herald
D
ragonball: Evolution is
funny—not because it’s entertaining but because its
quality is laughably below
expectations.
The film, directed by James Wong,
has drawn interest from Korean fans,
particularly because one of the leading
actors is none other than Park Joonhyung, former member of Korean R&B
group G.O.D.
But if you’re a big fan of the Dragonball franchise, or have fond memories
of the 42-volume manga series, you are
strongly advised not to watch the firstever silver screen adaptation.
The risk is that you might set out to
find the seven “dragonballs” and ask
the mysterious dragon to remove what
you have just seen from your memory.
The inevitable disappointment the
film adaptation will bring to viewers
contrasts the unprecedented success of
the original series. When Akira Toriyama serialised the graphic novel in 1984
and 1995, he secured a huge number of
fans around the world thanks to his addictive storytelling and interesting
characters. In Japan alone, it sold about
150 million copies, breaking previous
records in manga sales. More than 300
million copies are estimated to have
been sold across the world.
Surprisingly, Toriyama has joined
the film project as executive producer and yet
failed to rescue the film
from slipping into the
abyss of clichéd plot turns
and cardboard characters.
The main plot, written
by Ben Ramsey, is too
simplified to build up any
dramatic sense. A high
school boy sets out on a
journey to collect the legendary dragon
balls to save the world from a monstrous creature, which has escaped after
being imprisoned for 2,000 years. All
the minor characters are conveniently
eliminated, interesting episodes mercilessly cut out and fighting tournaments
inexplicably shortened. Only a couple
of dragon balls (there are supposed to
be seven) are featured. It’s a sorry attempt to link the film to the manga
series.
In the film, an American
boy named Goku (Justin
Chatwin) gets martial arts
training from his grandfather Gohan (Randall Duk
Kim), but Goku is treated as
an outsider who is timid
and weak in
the face of
h i g h
school
bullies.
Mysteriously enough, Goku decides
to reveal his awesome power when he
gets invited to a party by Chi Chi (Jamie
Chung), an attractive girl he has a crush
on. The film does not explain why Goku
endured the humiliation at school for
so long, even though he can dodge any
attack with his acrobatic skills.
There is no time for throwing in dramatic details. The movie hurriedly
pushes Goku to embark on a quest
to find his master Roshi (Chow
Yun-fat) and other dragon
balls. Along the way, he is
joined by Bulma (Emmy Rossum) and Yamcha (Park Joonhyung). Don’t even think about
the original series—that’s the
whole team in the film.
Chow hits a new low here. He
wears a gaudy Hawaiian T-shirt and
imitates Roshi’s girl-chasing
habit, but his performance is
at best awkward and at worse
unbearable.
The highlight, of course,
is the dragon. Thanks to the
film’s poor computer graphics (inferior to the notorious
Korean monster romp DWar), the dragon looks like a
little chubby snake.
One of the mysteries surrounding the film is its bold
and misleading subtitle, “Evolution.” Considering its
crude computer graphics, a
disoriented plot and ludicrous dialogue, the bigscreen adaptation is
not an evolution but a
painful step backward.
27
PEOPLE
always
reaching out
Designer Andre Kim believes one of the
fastest ways he can spread the beauty
of Korean culture is through the friendship he
shares with diplomats from all over the world
SEOUL
Kim believes one of the fastest ways
he can spread the beauty of Korean culture is through the friendship he shares
with diplomats from all over the world.
“Meeting and speaking with ambassadors and diplomats, I could get a vast
amount of information about their
Ahn Hyo-lim
The Korea Herald
Andre Kim
lowing the fashion trends that come and
go every season.”
orty-seven years after his de“It doesn’t mean you should not design
but as a designer, Andre Kim
trendy clothes or accessories,” Kim said.
says his childhood
“But it means as a fashion
dream has come true:
designer, you should be able
He recreates the beauto incorporate the commerty of the world in his designs
cial aspects of the industry
and people appreciate them.
into your artwork for better
“Designers and artists alike
results.”
should avoid indulging in their
“When you can amalgaown creation. If what they do is
mate all those elements into
considered by other people as a
your design and still gain
simple ego trip, they cannot be
people’s sympathy, then you
called true artists, can they?”
can call yourself a successful
Kim said.
designer,” Kim said.
The fashion icon has shown
The fashion maestro wears
strong commitment to social
a white suit wherever he
causes over the years both as a
goes and accentuates his
celebrity and a Unicef goodwill
eyes with black mascara.
Andre Kim’s Thailand-inspired pieces
ambassador.
As a celebrity, he has an
“There are so many beautiful
aura around him that sets
things in this world, but at the same countries and cultures in a short time. him apart from other people. But he
time, there are a lot more ugly, unhappy It’s the same deal for them. I can help insists he does not love the limelight.
things taking place worldHe is also more down to earth than
them better understand Korea and Kowide, especially in regards
his style suggests: his favourite foods are
rean people through my designs.”
The iconic designer came onto the kimchi and rice cakes, along with Kento children in underdevelfashion scene at a time when there tucky Fried Chicken.
oped countries,” Kim
were few universities, let alone desaid, adding that he
With a career encompassing nearly
sign departments—a far cry half a century, Kim has witnessed the
felt a great sense of
from Korea today, where burgeoning and blooming of the fashion
duty to help.
fashion schools abound and industry in Korea. Yet, as a designer and
Kim has also
there are many role mod- artist, he said there are still many facets
worked to proels in the field.
mote Korean
of the world he has yet to see and feel.
“What I think (young
culture around
Ultimately, he would also like to prodesigners) should al- duce a film himself that embodies everythe world. He
ways keep in mind thing about “Andre Kim.” And if he
has done much
though is to build opens a fashion theater as he wishes,
of this through
their career on their that is where the film will be showcased.
bonding with
unique individuali- It just goes to prove at age 75 Kim has
the expat comLee Jun-ki and Thai
actress May Pitchanart
ty, instead of fol- no intention of slowing down.
munity.
Ahn Hyo -lim/The Korea Herald
Ahn H yo -lim/T he Korea H erald
F
28
Conquering
The Catwalk
The Star
Malaysian model Gwen Lu’s androgynous
features make her stand out
KUALA LUMPUR
William KC Kee
The Star
G
amine best describes Gwen
Lu. The 175cm-tall lass
sashays into the Ode To Art
gallery in Pavilion Kuala
Lumpur for our shoot without a trace of make-up on her face.
Her hair is cropped short while her
frame is lanky and slim.
She is a little on the shy side and softspoken. To the uninitiated, they would
not know at a passing glance that Lu is
an award-winning model making fashionable strides abroad. But once you
put her in front of the camera, Lu’s timid demeanour vanishes, replaced by
what Tyra Banks would describe as
“fierce” posing.
In an overtly competitive cat(walk)eat-cat industry, Lu’s androgynous features make her stand out and serve her
well. The Penang-born clotheshorse,
now based in New York with the prestigious Elite Model Management agency, is on an upward career trajectory.
Lu, who is in her 20s, describes her
growing up years in Penang – aside
from a rebellious phase during her
teens – as ordinary. Her father
worked as a school bus driver
and her mother, a tailor.
In early 2005, she moved
to Kuala Lumpur to work
as a quantity surveyor.
When modelling beckoned,
she resigned from her 9-to-5
job that year. Lu reveals that
her family still disapproves of her
chosen field of work.
“I didn’t tell them when I first joined
modelling until my career became more
stable. Even now, they are hoping that I
will quit this job.”
Lu feels that her parents’ resistance to her profession stems from
a misconception that many Malaysians have about modelling. “There
are girls who aspire to be models
but lack the height or other criteria.
So they end up posing in the tobacco or alcohol business and they
call themselves models,” Lu figures.
“This is why my parents think that
being a model is unsavoury. Even
though I have proven them wrong,
they still feel that this is not something
to be proud of. It doesn’t help that they
are conservative in their thinking.”
Before Lu relocated to New York
in November 2007, she had done
modelling in Malaysia, Singapore
and even a two-month stint in Athens. Her move to the Big Apple, she
reasons, was destiny.
“During my debut at the Singapore
Fashion Fest in March 2006, I was
scouted by Roman Young (the thendirector of Elite Model Management)
who was in Singapore on the lookout
for fresh faces. He approached me after seeing me on a big screen on the
streets, which were highlighting runway scenes from the fashion fest.”
Lu says the most challenging assignment has been a photo shoot in
Milan, where she had to don 13cm
heels to do rock climbing. “It was an
almost impossible task,” recalls Lu. “I
had to hold and balance all of my body
weight on the tip of the platform shoes
until the photographer got the shot.”
What are the qualities that set her
apart from others? “My patience and
easy to work with attitude. Also, my
inner strength that is not easily shattered,” says the Scorpio.
Her advice to aspiring models is
to first consult the professionals.
“They have to be aware of scams
and keep themselves updated on
what’s happening in the international fashion scene.
“I find it’s good to talk to someone
experienced, like (veteran model) Simone Teh who has been through a lot
in life. I get inspired by people like her,
and their wisdom,” says Lu, whose
philosophy in life is to “do things that
make me happy so I won’t regret if I
die tomorrow.”
29
EXPLORE
MOC CHAU, Viet Nam
Ha Nguyen
Viet Nam News
Under my umbrella: Dai Yem (Pink
Blouse) Waterfall is one of Moc Chau’s top
sites for travellers to visit.
The Green
Village
Moc Chau has everything to
offer, from love markets and
waterfalls to sustainable
development
30
Local farmer Hoang A Choong says the
best time to come is September 1, when
VNA /V NS Photo Anh Tuan
VNA /VNS P hoto Dinh Na
D
ubbed a ‘paradise for tourism’, Moc Chau Plateau,
wrapped in swathes of
sunflowers and dairy pastures, has become a cool
destination for intrepid travellers with
a conscience.
Tucked up in the mountains, 1,050m
above sea level, Moc Chau has a temperate climate with average summer
temperatures of 20oC and is a haven
for city slickers seeking refuge from the
summer heat.
The plateau covers 1,600ha of prairie, with vast tracts of dairy farms, tea
plantations, paddies and fields of sunflowers. Many different ethnic groups
still follow traditional ways of life here,
like the Dao, Thai, Mong, Muong and
Kho Mu people.
Korean visitor Kim Min-baek says
ethnic people welcomed him and his
party with traditional dances. “Our favourites were the Thai people’s folk
dance xoe and the Mong’s people’s
khen (pan-pipes) dance. They took us
by the hand and drew us right into the
thick of things,” he says.
For the khen dance, young Thai
women play the pipes and dance in
tune with the music. Mong women,
decked out in their traditional costume,
perform xoe dances during festivals or
for special occasions.
Natural art: Son Moc Huong or
Doi (Bat) Cave’s stalactites and stalagmites form fantastic shapes inside the
mountain.
Yen Village in Phu Mau Commune.
The year-long project, supported by
the Netherlands Development Organisation, was promoted as a model for
eco-tourism. It wrapped up last year.
“The consultancy programme included surveys of potential tourism
sites and the potential market for tourists,” says chief planner of the Son La
Province’s Trade and Tourist Department Nguyen Dinh Phong.
The village, 330m above sea level,
was selected from 16 other sites because
of its natural landscape, traditional oc-
Although the Netherlands Development Organisation consultancy programme has ended, the work has motivated the district’s administrators to
continue with the idea.
A provincial Trade and Tourism DeOther ethnic groups, like the Dao,
partment team is working on establishKho Mu, Muong and Thai also enjoy
ment of the eco-tourism model and the
the festival. Similar to the Khau Vai
Moc Chau District is a part of the effort.
The project focuses on how to develop
Love Market in Meo Vac in the northeco-tourism so that it eradicates poverern province of Ha Giang, many young
ty. It includes a collection of the inforMong people go to the market hoping
mation necessary to establish an ecoto find their soul mate, while others see
tourism model. The information will be
it as a reunion of old friends.
disseminated to villagers so that
they understand the concept of ecoMust-see list
tourism and adapt themselves to
A favourite spot to enjoy a view
tourism services. “Every aspect of
of the plateau is Son Moc Huong
eco-tourism in the region will be
or Doi (Bat) Cave. Inside the cavcovered,” says Phong. This will inern, stalactites and stalagmites
clude development of service skills
form fantastic shapes inside the
and, most importantly, awareness
mountain.
of the need to preserve traditional
Also a feast for the imagination
values and the environment.
is Thac Nang (Girl Waterfall) or
Promising results information
Dai Yem (Pink Blouse Waterfall)
about tourism in Moc Chau Disat Vat Village. Sourced from Bo
trict has been widely disseminated
Co Lam and Bo Ta Chau, Vat New Year’s jig: New Year celebration of Mong ethnic
among tour companies and tourstream merges with Bo Sap minority people in Moc Chau District, Son La Province.
ists. The provincial Trade and
Stream and tumbles over a preciTourism Department has organpice to become Dai Yem Waterfall.
ised many fact-finding tours of the
With its lush vegetation and
village to introduce tourism induspolished coloured pebbles, locals
try representatives to the model
say the waterfall is one of nature’s
that combines eco-tourism with
gifts to the long-standing village,
poverty eradication.
which is home to a number of his“The village has welcomed more
torical buildings like Vat Pagoda
than 300 visitors,” says Phong.
as well as folk songs, dances and
“Although this is not a consideratraditional cuisine.
At the bottom of the falls, visitors
ble number, it signals that investcan have a rest in Vat Village where
ment will attract more visitors.”
Thai ethnic people in their stilt
Dissemination of information
Old McDonald: Dairy cows belonging to a farmer in Lam
houses weave traditional brocade.
about
the model to the villagers
Thach Tran, Moc Chau District.
If you want to get your hearthas motivated people to protect
rate going, the climb to Phieng
the environment and conserve traLuong Peak, about 1,500m above sea cupations and culture. It is home to 90 ditional values, he says. The planner is
level, and Chieng Vien Pagoda, reveals a families—most of them farmers.
confident that the draft project will not
stunning panoramic view of the plateau.
“The commune is one of Moc Chau only ensure the village’s development, it
A good way to quench your thirst is District’s poorest villages,” says Phong. will also help eradicate poverty in the
with a fresh cup of warm milk, sold “But it has the potential for tourism de- remote northern highlands.
Moc Chau Tourism Site has been listfrom small shops on the road through velopment.”
the plateau. Most of the dairy cattle
Apart from the peaceful landscape, ed as one of Viet Nam’s priority projects
produce milk for a State-run dairy tourists visiting the village will have the until 2015, says Dr Nguyen Minh Duc,
farm, one of the biggest suppliers of chance to taste its culture and enjoy the head of Son La Province’s Moc Chau
fresh milk for the country.
peaceful life of the local community. Tourism Site’s Management Board.
“The Son La Province aims to preThese features distinguish the village
Green scene
from other popular tourist destina- serve a number of villages for agriculKeeping tourism in harmony with tions, argues Son La Trade and Tour- ture and avoid disrupting the lives of
the environment has been a priority for ism deputy director Nguyen Van Binh. local people while, at the same time,
a project to develop Moc Chau’s re“Tourism development could help encouraging more farmers to take admote, mostly Thai-speaking Chieng eliminate poverty,” he says.
vantage of tourism,” Duc says.
V NA /VNS P hoto /N go L ich
VNA /VNS P hoto Anh T uan
the Love Market takes place. The market
is part of a traditional festival of the Mong
ethnic people, and brings together different Mong groups like the Mong Do
(Mong wearing white), Mong Du (black),
Mong Si (red) and Mong Lenh (flowers).
31
Kurniawan H ari /The JA KA RTA P OST
EXPLORE
OLD IS BEAUTIFUL: A brick house in Zili Village in Kaiping.
TRAVELLING INTO
CHINA’S PAST
Kaiping City, about 140kms
away from Guangzhou,
Is a perfect place to look at
China’s glorious past and
natural beauty
GUANGZHOU
Kurniawan Hari
The Jakarta Post
C
hina today is a modern
country, after rapid infrastructure development in
almost every city.
In Beijing, the construction of the Bird’s Nest stadium
and the Water Cube aquatic centre
for last year’s Olympic Games is
nothing less than hard evidence of
32
its economic might.
In Guangzhou, a city in southern
China, we can also witness the robust
economy, as seen from the massive
construction of public facilities such as
highways and bridges, not to mention
skyscrapers.
Despite its modernity, China is
admirable for its strong devotion to
the preservation of its culture and
traditions. Several journalists from
Southeast Asia were recently invited to look at China’s glorious past
and natural beauty.
Our tour guide Thomas Shau jumped
out of the bus that took us from
downtown Guangzhou in southern
China to Kaiping City, about 140kms
to the southwest.
After talking with people at the ticket
booth, Thomas shouted to us: “This
way, please! This way, please!” This was
heard repeatedly on our trip as he was
worried we may get separated which
might disrupt the tight schedule.
On that sunny day, Thomas had
brought us to Li Garden to see the attractions and beautiful old buildings in
the estate belonging to the wealthy
family. Covering an area of more than
one hectare, the complex consists of a
man-made lake, narrow canals, hills
and old buildings of outstanding architectural interest.
The area was built between 1926
and 1936 by Xiewei Li, a Chinese man
who migrated to the United States.
After he became wealthy, he returned
to China and built the houses and
spacious garden later known as Li
Garden. The property combines exotic Chinese gardens with the charm
of Western architecture.
In the complex, all the houses, some
multi-storey, are alike architecturally
and share similar amenities. The windows are protected by four different
coverings; the outer part is an iron panel, followed by iron bars, mosquito nets
and then a wood panel.
“They used extra safety measures because they wanted to defend themselves
from Japanese invaders. One window
was damaged when the Japanese tried
LI GARDEN: The gate to
the Li Garden estate.
be a mistake as we have lessons to learn
from this old village, which was inscribed on the list of Unesco’s World
Cultural Heritage sites in 2007.
Located in Tangkou Town, still in
Kaiping City, the village consists of
three sub-villages constructed between
1821 and 1920. There is a cluster of
nine towers known as Diaolou and
a group of six Western-style villas,
along with single-storey houses built
of brick and with tiled roofs among
the rice fields.
The nine Diaolou are Anlou, Juanlou, Longshenglou, Mingshilou, Quianjulou, Yinonglou, Yunhualou, Zhenanlou and Shulinglou. They were built
around the same time in the 1920s by
prosperous Chinese emigrants returning to their roots from the United
States and elsewhere.
Although different in ornamental
detail, the Diaolou are all built of reinforced concrete and are similar in concept: five or six stories high with a bal-
of the guest, they will open the door
and welcome them. But, if they don’t
know, they will shoot them through the
holes,” Thomas said.
The furniture and interior decoration
show visitors that those who lived in
the Diaolou were extremely wealthy
families. The beauty of the old standing
clock, the chandelier, the paintings and
sculptures would impress all visitors.
They present a complete picture of the
success and aspirations of the returning
Chinese immigrants.
Our next stop was the Nanfeng
Ancient Kiln in Shiwan, the hometown
of the ceramic industry. Built during
the Ming Dynasty in the 1500s, its
wood fire has lasted for 500 years,
and it is still producing ceramics in
to pry it open,” Thomas said, pointing
the original way.
to a damaged window.
As we were visiting the kiln, an old
The houses are special because there
man showed us how to make pottery
is a kitchen on each floor. Thomas exwith the help of his young apprentice,
plained that the kitchen allowed the
who turned the pottery wheel by
inhabitants to still cook meals when the
means of his right foot. Within few
lower floors were inunminutes, the man had
dated by floods.
created a vase, which
The entrance to the
was removed from the
rather grand garden has
wheel using a strong
a stone-arched gate
cord before being put
which declares the resiinto the kiln.
dency of the Li family
Walking through
in two large, handwritnarrow corridors, we
ten Chinese characters
arrived at the Shiwan
meaning ‘Li Garden’.
Ceramics Museum,
The garden incorporates
where we saw displays
a walk-in aviary, a small
of ancient ceramic collake and a flower pavillections with various
ion along with numerdesigns and the history
ous trees and plants.
of the kiln.
Standing erect in the
The Borneo Post edigarden are two steel poles
tor Harry Anak Julin
called the ‘tiger whip’
who was on the tour exWHERE WATER FALLS: The beautiful man-made waterfall decorates the Shiwan
which were built to scare Ceramic Museum.
pressed his admiration
away evil spirits.
of the creativity and arAs many of us were still
tistic skill the Chinese
enjoying the breeze in this subtropical ustrade-equipped terrace at the lowest people possess.
region, Thomas ordered us to gather level and arcaded loggias at the top lev“I would like to spend one or two
and get on the bus.
el to catch the breeze.
more days here to learn about the pot“It’s time to go and see Zili Village,”
We had the opportunity of entering tery making process,” he said.
he said.
one Diaolou, Mingshilou, and climbed
At the end of the tour, we came
Zili Village is only minutes away to the rooftop. Similar to the build- across another stunning view: It was of
from Li Garden to the northeast. As our ings at Li Garden, the Diaolou at a man-made waterfall created from
bus stopped in front of the gate, we got Zili Village also applied extra secu- hundreds of pieces of colourful pottery
out and went to the old village on foot. rity measures. There are two holes pots over which a steady stream of
With a dry landscape, dirty ponds and above the main door through which sparkling water flowed.
old brick houses, frankly, the village the inhabitants can peep to identify
Its stunning beauty highlights the
does not provide a feast for the eyes.
anyone knocking on the door.
creativity of Chinese people from the
To ignore this place, however, would
“If the inhabitants know the identity past to the present.
33
DATEBOOK
HONG KONG
33rd Hong Kong International Film Festival
T
he festival showcases the
best in Asian cinema, with
red carpet premieres and a
glamorous awards gala for the
3rd Asian Film Awards. Nominees for the coveted title of
‘Best Film’ include Chinese
films Red Cliff and Forever Enthralled. The festival will screen over 250
titles from more than 50 countries, one of the opening films is Jackie
Chan’s The Shinjuku Incident.
When: March 22-April 13 2009
Info: www.hkiff.org.hk
PAT TAYA
Pattaya International Music Festival 2009
T
he grand Pattaya Music Festival is back in town to entertain music
lovers. This is an unrivalled opportunity to enjoy a weekend of
listening and dancing to beautiful music performed by more than 100
musicians. The event is supported by well-known music companies
such as GMM Grammy and its partners Modernine TV, Channel [V]
Thailand, Channel [V] International and the Korea Foundation for
International Exchange. It features Thai musicians Golf&Mike, Pancake, Clash, ABNormal, Paradox, Bodyslam, Ebola, Zeal, Joey Boy
and THE STAR. International artists such as SHINEE and Girl’s generation from Korea, Kym Jin Sha from China, Cirque due Freak from
Australia, Minh Thu from Vietnam, Rynn Lim from Malaysia, and
Kenny Kwan from Hong Kong will also join the event.
When: March 20-22
Info: +66-3842-1005-6
Email: [email protected]
JAIPUR
Gangaur
G
angaur is one of the most important festivals in Rajasthan, held
each spring in honour of Gauri, the goddess of purity and patron
of unmarried girls. Expect colourful processions and noisy celebrations—especially from the women. Colourful decorated images of
Gauri are taken out in processions with huge fanfare. In Hindu mythology, Gauri is generally the unmarried goddess Parvati, before she
married Lord Shiva. She underwent extreme penances and purifications in order to attain the glory of marrying the ascetic and emotionally invulnerable god.
When: March 29-30
Info: http://www.rajasthantourism.gov.in/
TOKYO
International AnimÉ Fair 2009
T
okyo, the animé capital
of the world, hosts an
international fair dedicated
to those much-loved Japanese cartoons. Trade stalls,
exhibitions, screenings and
the Tokyo Animé Awards
take over the capital’s Big
Sight centre for the fourday event. Note that the
first two days are trade
only, when designers, animators and amateurs hobnob with industry moguls.
The doors open to the public on Friday and Saturday.
When: March 18-21, 10am-6pm
Where: Tokyo Big Sight
Info: http://www.tokyoanime.jp/en/
34
S I N GA P O R E
Pictures of Asia: Modern and Contemporary Art
Larasati’s 13th Sale
L
arasati will preview a collection
of unique and engaging works
to the world of visual arts. The recent attentiveness to Korean Art
has seen the works of Cho Jung
Wha (Korea), Park Ji Hye (Korea)
and sculptor Lee Yong Deok (Korea) gain increased focus and discussion among academics, collectors and appreciators. Both artists
are highlights in the upcoming
auctions among others, which include established names such as
Agus Suwage (Indonesia), Yunizar
(Indonesia) and Alit Sembodo (Indonesia) in the modern contemporary section. Old masters considered as founders of modern Indonesian Art such as Sudjojono, Affandi
and Hendra Gunawan will be included in the collection. Young and
emerging Indonesian talents to look
out for are R.E. Hartanto, Ugy Sugiarto, Edy Gunawan, Gusmen Heriadi
and Sapto Sugiyo Utomo. Also, highlights in the collection are Japanese
sculptor Hiroto Kitagawa, and painter Ayoko Rokkaku.
When: March 19-22
Preview: 8am-11pm
Auction: Starts at 1pm
Where: HT Contemporary Space
Tickets: Free admission
Info: http://www.larasati.com
HGRS_AsiaNewsAdvtv2_080807.qxp:Layout 1
8/31/07
9:29 AM
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Indonesia Decides - Asia News Network

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