Korea Looks for the Perfect Recipe to Globalise Its Cuisine

CHANGING ASIA: TRAVEL BITES: POPDOM: Defying Pick your next Learn the ABCs of ingrained myths destination Asian pop music

JANUARY 29-FEBRUARY 11, 2010

Korea looks for the perfect recipe to globalise its cuisine

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The Next Wave

et ready for another Korean wave, this time for food. The South Korean government is embarking on a campaign to popularise Hansik, or Korean cuisine, to the rest of the world. GOther Asian cuisine like Thai and Japanese are already enjoying wide popularity and the Koreans want their cooking to be recognised in the same way. Korean food has become increasingly popular especially in recent years thanks to its exposure through dramas, specifically Daejanggeum that showcased the cuisine in its most colourful and intricate. The Korean government is launching a Korean cuisine foundation next month. So get ready for the next Korean wave. In China, a gay couple tied the knot early this month even if same-sex marriages are not officially recognised in the country. Don’t expect others to follow suit though since homosexuality remains taboo in China even if there is an estimated 30 million homosexuals living there. In Viet Nam, a different wave is taking place where hit songs are propelling unknowns to stardom. In India, some sons in the entertainment business are riding the crest of success and achieving what their fathers have failed to achieve. All these show that as swift as the tide turns, trends, phenomenon and even social and cultural attitudes can change quickly. So what’s going to be the next wave? Keep an eye on it.

Asia News Network [email protected] JANUARY 29-FEBRUARY 11, 2010 • Vol 5 No 2 CONTENTS

SPECIAL REPORT P13 Dancing In Shackles China’s investigative journalists keep pushing the envelope

ENVIRONMENT P18 Planet In The Deep Sea Discover the unknown world of Celebes Sea

CHANGING ASIA P22 Kicking The Myths Many Asians defy superstitions ingrained in their societies

F EATURES

POPDOM P34 The Alphabet of Pop Learn the ABCs of Asia’s pop music. Are you a C, J, K or M fan?

ENTERTAINMENT P40 The Son Also Rises In Bollywood, every star father expects his son to be more famous

COVER STORY THE VIEW P5 PEOPLE 42 JAL’s Failure Mrs Balbir P28 The flag-carrier’s dependence on government The Lady, The Teacher, Globalising ‘Bibimbap’ invited bankruptcy The Chef Food is now Korea’s QUIRKY ASIA P8 TRAVEL BITES P44 Just Got Lucky Where Do You Wanna Go? ambassador A maid who drives a Jaguar and a socialite in a Definitely Asia. Start with P luxury jail Bangkok then head south of culture until you reach Cambodia and Viet Nam OTO by AF PH COVER IMAGE | korean signature dish bibimbap/the nation (thailand)

WRITE, FAX, EMAIL Please include sender’s name and address to: [email protected] | Asia News Network Nation Multimedia Group Plc 1854 Bangna-Trad Road (Km 4.5), Bangna, Bangkok 10260 Thailand.Tel: (662)338 3333 Fax: (662)338 3964 Subscription inquries: Nation Multimedia Group Plc 1854 Bangna-Trad Road (Km 4.5), Bangna, Bangkok 10260 Thailand.Tel: (662)338 3333 Call Center: (662)338 3000 press 1 Fax: (662)338 3964 The View The Yomiuri Shimbun What Caused JAL’s Failure? The flag-carrier’s dependence on government invited bankruptcy v Tokyo

apan Airlines, which has JAL’s largest shareholder, providing schedules. But many observers argue been suffering serious fi- more than 300 billion yen ($3.2 bil- that the reconstruction scheme is too nancial difficulties, at last lion). Financial institutions will for- optimistic. filed for bankruptcy protec- give debts of more than 350 billion There has been no clear explana- tion under the Corporate yen ($3.8 billion) and provide bridg- tion of why JAL is being bailed out by JRehabilitation Law last week. ing loans of a maximum 600 billion pouring a massive sum of public This is a corporate failure of the yen ($6.6 billion) to assist JAL’s re- funds into it or why the nation’s air- once-proud Japan’s flagship carrier construction. The amount of public line industry’s two-carrier structure that led the country’s air transporta- funds to be injected may reach 1 tril- with All Nippon Airways should be tion industry. Now, under the super- lion yen ($11.08 billion). maintained. vision of the Tokyo District If JAL’s reconstruction ef- Court, JAL sets out to recon- forts do not proceed as initially struct itself with assistance scheduled, the turnaround from the state-backed Enter- body should examine further prise Turnaround Initiative strict measures, such as trans- Corporation of Japan. Howev- ferring JAL’s international er, it has a tough road ahead. routes to other airlines. It is necessary to immediate- It is also indispensable to rely shape the company’s new solve a long-pending labour- senior management to support management issue in order to Kazuo Inamori, founder and gain public backing for the air- honorary chairman of Kyocera line’s reconstruction. Corp who assumes the post of Even after its full privatisa- chief executive officer, and for tion in November 1987, the labour and management to airline was unable to refuse de- work cooperatively to rebuild mands from lawmakers and the company. influential local figures and so To rid itself of the ingrained was forced to launch services management culture that has on unprofitable routes. The re- been far too dependent on the sponsibility for driving JAL government, it was unavoida- into bankruptcy also lies with ble for the company to declare the government. The air trans- bankruptcy. However, the portation administration must company and its core subsidi- start afresh at the same time as aries have liabilities of more JAL’s reconstruction. than 2 trillion yen (US$32.9 bil- Meanwhile, JAL is to proceed with The circumstances in the nation’s lion)—the most ever left by a failed streamlining, cutting 30 per cent of skies have been drastically changing business outside the financial indus- its employees and withdrawing from because of an increase in the depar- try since World War II—and does a significant number of unprofitable ture and arrival slots at Narita and business with 3,000 companies in routes. The turnaround body predicts Haneda airports as well as the full PH

Japan alone. that the airline will return to profita- liberalisation of the civil aviation TOS by OTO Although credit will be guaranteed bility in the 2011 business year markets in Japan and the United for payments of commercial transac- through such assistance and restruc- States.

tions and user mileage points will be turing. The Japanese government should H IF safeguarded, unexpected problems However, it is indispensable to se- reconstruct the administration of U may come up as this is the failure of a cure new sources of revenue for re- air transportation, by reexamining KITAM MI giant corporation. Relevant parties building the company. The turna- the special account for airport im- must do their best to prevent confu- round body says that JAL’s ability to provement and by opening up more U A/AF RA sion and secure passenger safety. earn profits will be recovered through international flight slots at Haneda

The turnaround body will become having efficient international flight Airport. P

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 5 The View The Nation (Thailand) Issues Of Identity The ethnocentric attitude adopted by Thailand and Malaysia is threatening peace and testing religious tolerance

Bangkok

IN SEARCH OF PEACE: Thai Muslim villagers wait for the arrival of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in the Rosok district of Thailand’s restive southern province of Narathiwat on January 7.

hey might not realise it, they will come to the realisation that never other religions. but Thailand and Ma- they are the problem, and the prob- Since January 8, Malaysia has laysia have a lot in com- lem stems from the requirements been rocked by a series of firebomb mon when it comes to they place on citizens in their at- attacks against nearly a dozen nation-state building. tempt to construct a nation. churches and one Sikh temple. The BothT have adopted a deeply ethno- For Malaysia, closely associating attacks come amid a dispute over the centric attitude and don’t seem to the Malay identity with Islam has use of the word ‘Allah’ by Christians. realise how this has become prob- helped certain stakeholders, such as Last week, vandals tried to torch a lematic. the ruling Umno Party, which bills Muslim prayer room, perhaps in re- And at this juncture in their devel- itself as the party of the Malays. But sponse to the earlier attacks. The opment, both countries are choking as the recent spate of religious vio- tension began after a court ruled on on it. Neither has shown a willing- lence has shown, this foundation December 31 that non-Muslims P ness to address the root of the issue rests on shaky ground. were entitled to use the word ‘Allah’ A /AF

L and instead continue to dish out the While the Malaysian government as a translation for ‘God’ in the Ma- A

HL usual wishful-thinking rhetoric has institutionalised the link be- lay language. about how all of us should co-exist tween Malay nationality and Islam, The dispute centres on a court rul- peacefully and that the state is not Thailand makes it harder for non- ing that favoured the Herald, the going to tolerate any sort of violence. Buddhists to identify themselves as newspaper of the Catholic Church in But if the Thai and Malaysian gov- being “fully Thai”. State ceremonies Malaysia, which argued that it had by MADAREE TO ernments and bureaucracies take a and functions are always associated the right to use the word ‘Allah’ in its oto h

P good look at themselves, perhaps with Buddhism or Brahminism, but Malay-language edition because the

6 • January 29-February 11, 2010 KEEPING THE FAITH: Malaysian Christians attend a Sunday service inside a church in Petaling Jaya near Kuala Lumpur on January 10. Chris- tians and Catholics in Malaysia have not been shaken by a series of firebomb attacks on churches that has heightened ethnic tensions, as they turn up in thousands to attend Sunday service. word predates Islam and is com- narrative in which the heroes and General election turnout in the monly used by Christians in other heroines are spelled out to them. deep south remains the highest in predominantly Muslim countries And in a region such as Patani— the country compared to other re- such as Egypt, Indonesia and Syria. the Malay historical homeland that gions. Even in football matches, Ma- Many ethnic Malay Muslims in once was an important commercial, lay Muslims cheer on the Thai na- Malaysia believe the word should be cultural and religious centre until an- tional team with the same exclusive to them because, in their nexation reduced it to a mere prov- enthusiasm as the rest of the coun- country’s context, Islam is insepara- ince of Thailand—kwam pen Thai try’s people, who may call them- ble from Malay ethnicity. If you are has a tendency to rub locals the wrong selves Thai but in actuality may be Malay, you are a Muslim. way. And the armed insurgency has descendants of Chinese, Lao, Mon, Likewise, Thailand’s state appara- its roots in this discontent. Khmer, Indian, Pakistani and Bang- tus permits little room for the Patani But this is not rocket science. ladeshi immigrants. And let’s not Malays in the deep South to feel part Surely Thailand and Malaysia know forget the stateless hilltribes who be-

of the Thai nation. The only common that their ‘racist’ policies have to give come Thai only on the postcards we P h ground is citizenship, which is not way to something that allows ‘others’ sell to foreign visitors. oto enough because the state has made to be part of the nation. Confine them to the hills so we S by

‘Thai’ such a loaded word. Besides In spite of the insurgency—which have something to show the tourists, aeed dressing a certain way or embracing seems to have no end in sight—there seems to be the bureaucracy’s stance. K certain ideas and values, such as is nothing to suggest that the Malays Unfortunately, the state doesn’t un- H AN/AF kwam pen Thai, or ‘Thainess’, the of Patani want to separate from the derstand that zoos are for animals,

Thai identity comes with a historical Thai state. not humans. P

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 7 QuirkyASIA P h oto by AF by P com ot . p ogs .bl entigress h kitc of y

rtes l u Artalyta Suryani in prison cell in Pondok o

C Bambu Women’s Penitentiary in East Jakarta. oto h P Luxury behind bars Blogger tests cake ad JAKARTA We hear all kind of stories about life behind bars, mostly unpleasant or horrific. But some days ago, SINGAPORE A woman with a cheeky sense of Indonesians were told a totally different kind of life in humour and a point to prove walked into an prison—courtesy of an impromptu inspection by a OCBC Bank branch in Marine Parade in Singa- special team commissioned by President Susilo pore and asked for a birthday cake because the Bambang Yudhoyono. bank’s TV commercial shows the staff throwing a The team found that some of the convicts in a Jakarta surprise birthday party for a customer. prison were leading a privileged life behind bars. The staff told her that she had mistaken the Socialite and lobbyist Artalyta Suryani, according to intent of the commercial and that she had the reports, had a spacious 64-square-metre room all taken too literally the advertisement demon- to herself, complete with amenities one might usually strating the personalised service of the bank. find in a five-star hotel—air-conditioning, leather But the woman continued nagging the bank couch, work desk and a desktop computer—in the employees and “after five eternities”, according Pondok Bambu Women’s Penitentiary in East Jakarta. to the blogger, a manager bought her a “miser- When the team visited her, she was being treated by a able” 7.6cm cake from a nearby shop, which beautician. Another inmate had karaoke equipment in was “topped with a heap of artificial cream— her room. Given the facilities these rooms come with, the kind that doesn’t melt in Singapore’s you could hardly call them cells. tropical heat and I never eat”. What was most amazing about Artalyta’s story is the The woman, who goes by the name of fact that despite serving a five-year sentence for bribing Kitchen Tigress on her food blog, later went on a senior prosecutor at the Attorney General’s Office, to become a mini celebrity on the Internet for she apparently had not given up her old habit and was the time being. She received 400 comments—100 paying off the prison guards to ensure she had times more than usual—on her website soon the amenities she was used to outside. after she posted the description of her visit to What more, she was even allowed to run her the bank. business from the inside, with not only her Her supporters hailed her as a consumer employees visiting and reporting to her hero and a critic of warm and fuzzy commer- on a daily basis, but business clients also cials that promise more than they can deliver. meeting her in jail. But others called her arrogant, ill-mannered The justice and human rights ministry and naive to have taken an advertisement at defended its decision saying “she employs face value. 85,000 people”. —John Lui /The Straits Times —THE JAKARTA POST

8 • Divorce closes mango shaved ice store

TAIPEI Looking to visit the famous shaved ice mounted with big chunks of mangoes on Taipei’s Yong Kang Street? You might be disappointed. The dessert shop, Ice Monster, has been shut down—allegedly the result of a divorce settlement between the owners The registered store owner Lo Chun-hua has reportedly closed down the business without any public announcements, to avoid paying a huge divorce settlement to his ex-wife Chang Chieh- My maid drives mei, family members of Chang said. The 15-year old Ice Monster flourished 13 years my Jaguar! ago when it began selling the huge portion of mango shaved ice that now rings up at NT$160 SINGAPORE Strutting down the stairs in designer heels and (US$5) a plate. It has been a major tourism spot handbag, Zion makes her way towards the silver 7-seater that had boosted businesses in the restaurant- MPV donning a pink tube top, a short brown skirt and a filled Yong Kang Street in Taipei’s Daan District. Calvin Klein cap. Store manager Chang Chiu-ping, the ex-wife’s One look at her and you would easily dismiss the older sister, said the couple started the business possibility of her being a domestic helper. But she is! together shortly after their marriage in 1994. Meet 38-year-old Filipino domestic helper Zion Paras. She According to her, Lo’s constant flirtation with cooks, she cleans and she drives her employers’ four-wheelers female customers drove the two into a divorce on grocery-shopping trips. three years ago. She claimed that Lo closed down At times, she even gets behind her employers’ sports car the store to shed the responsibility of paying a and makes her way to the market, turning heads. NT$35 million (US$1 million) in divorce settle- While most domestic helpers would make their way to ment that was agreed on the divorce paper. the market on foot, it’s not the same for Zion. Ice Monster has constantly been featured in both What makes Zion stand out from the 190,000 maids in local and international tourism magazines and was Singapore is that she’s got a driver’s licence. She is allowed listed as a must-visit spot in Taiwan by the New to drive her employers’ cars including a Jaguar so she can go York Times. Famous celebrities who have sampled to the market and go shopping without taking the taxi. its dessert dishes include Hollywood star Cameron “It takes a year to learn driving because it’s very hard to Diaz, local model and actress Lin Chi Ling and get a licence here,” Zion says explaining after she passed the many more. During the summer season, Ice written exam, she failed the practical exam thrice. Monster had sold 10,000-plus of dishes Now that she has a Singapore drivers’ licence, she is free daily and had a monthly to use her employers’ cars even on work-unrelated trips like

turnover of as much as bringing her sisters to nearby malls or touring around her Pict

NT$40 million-50 visiting parents. u re

million (US$1.25 Zion set foot in Singapore 16 years ago and has been gra

million-1.56 working with the Ang family ever since. The family leaves b million). all the household matters to Zion and her two sisters. from —THE CHINA POST Used to driving a car, Zion says she doesn’t even know R a

now how to use the metro. z or

Zion gained the trust of her employers because of the TV/Th attitude she has shown. In return, she says she owes so much e

to her employers because of their kindness and if there’s an S award for best employers, Zion would definitely nominate traits her bosses. Watch Zion’s interview at www.razor.tv/site/ T

servlet/segment/main/news/42336.html. imes —RAZOR TV/THE STRAITS TIMES

• 9 BUSINESS By Marcus Schulz China Daily

Building Green The latest trend in building architecture in China is being driven more by the urgency of sustainability than by the desire for sublimity

v Beijing Nest, Water Cube, Beijing Interna- velopers, who have begun to take ad- hen the Olympics tional Airport’s Terminal Three and vantage of the politically correct, so- began in 2008, the the new CCTV tower. cially responsible image that being curtain opened on “A few years ago, sustainable de- green provides, especially to attract many new architec- sign was not quite focused and was multinational tenants. To prove their tural wonders in not seriously considered in most de- buildings are environmentally friendly, Beijing.W Now, architects continue to velopments,” Wong says. “However, design professionals are beginning to bring innovation to China’s stage by development in China is so quick that adopt standards from the United designing environmentally sustaina- all levels of government, designers, States for green buildings, such as

P ble buildings. and even the general public are be- Leadership in Energy and Environ- h oto Building green is becoming “trendy” coming more aware of environmental mental Design (LEED) certification,

by Ch by in China, according to William Wong, issues and how bad the consequences an internationally recognised rating associate director at the Hong Kong could be due to ignorance of sustain- system designed by the US Green ina office of Arup, a global firm of inde- able design.” Building Council. LEED certification D ai pendent designers, engineers and con- Environmental concerns are no is meant to verify that buildings are ly sultants that helped build the Bird’s longer being overlooked by many de- energy and water efficient, have low

10 • January 29-February 11, 2010 Green Airport: Beijing International Airport’s Terminal Three is one of the architectural wonders of the capital city. Environmental concerns have become one of the priorities for Chinese designers.

CO2 emissions, and utilise local re- The Linked Hybrid has one of the reusing it to flush toilets, irrigate roof sources that use smaller amounts of largest geothermal cooling and heat- gardens and fill the structure’s out- energy to create and transport. ing systems in the world, exemplify- door ponds. This reduces water use Having just completed the Linked ing energy efficiency in new Chinese by more than 40 per cent. Hybrid in Beijing, Steven Holl Archi- developments. With the geothermal However, being energy efficient is tects has established itself among the system, water pipes running through not the only aspect to becoming top of this ground-breaking pack. the apartments’ floors flow 100m be- LEED certified, says Li Hu, the part- Their eight-tower structure, attached low the basement in 660 wells, cool- ner of Steven Holl Architects and di- by floating walkways, received this ing the water in summer and heating rector of projects in China. The pro- year’s award by the International it in the winter. The buildings, thus, duction of building materials, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban maintain a natural temperature be- managing construction sites to avoid Habitat for the best new tall building tween 16 and 21°C without electric pollution and dealing with construc- in Asia and Australasia and was also air conditioners or water boilers. tion waste also count when earning designed to qualify for a LEED Gold The buildings also recycle all of points for certification. certification, the second-highest their “gray” water by filtering used “LEED is a rating system of com- LEED rating obtainable. water from sinks and bathtubs and prehensive factors, not only limited

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 11 BUSINESS

to energy issues,” Li says. “It’s a process, beginning with where the material comes from, how it’s being made, how it’s done and how you monitor the indoor quality.” Steven Holl Architects is currently working on two other buildings in China that aim for LEED certification, the Raffles City in Chengdu, Sichuan province, designed for a Gold rating, and the Shenzhen Vanke Cent- er in Guangdong province, which is pursuing a LEED Plat- inum certification, the highest rating by the US Green Build- ing Council. Standing on eight legs, the Vanke Centre contains a hotel, apartments, office space and the China Vanke Company headquarters. Underneath the floating, horizontal structure and out of reach of the tropical Shenzhen sun lies a free public park and ponds filled with recycled water, much like the Linked Hybrid. Environmental model: Award-winning The design for the Vanke ‘Linked Hybrid’ in Beijing is a good example of Headquarters takes care to use Chinese ‘green’ architecture. renewable and recyclable materials. All the doors, floors and furniture are made from bam- under construction seeking approval, a ventilation system to release hot air boo, which is easily available in the yet none has received the prestigious in the summer and replace it with area and quickly renewable, and Platinum award. However, the Vanke cooler air from the ground, and during the carpets throughout the building Centre, which is scheduled to be fin- the winter it acts as a greenhouse to are made from completely recycled ished by 2010, may not be the first in keep warm air around the buildings. material. China to achieve LEED Platinum Parkview Green is the first building Special windows are designed to certification. in Beijing to make use of this ‘micro- keep the building cool by blocking so- Beijing Parkview Green, designed climate’ with the purpose of minimis- lar heat while still allowing plenty of by Integrated Design Associates ing energy consumption. A landmark sunlight, lowering the cost of air con- (IDA), is also aiming to be certified project in environmentally sustaina- ditioning. In addition, the Vanke LEED Platinum. With plans to finish ble design, Shu says the building was Headquarters’ roof is covered by so- construction this year, it may beat the only possible because of the develop- lar panels, which will provide up to 15 Vanke Centre to the punch. ers’, architects’ and engineers’ ambi- per cent of the office’s electricity. “Competition is good,” says Win- tion to benefit the community. And, in preparation for the future, ston Shu, the founder and director of “Architecturally, its distinctive the building provides electric car IDA. “And it’s good for China to have form is generated by environmental parking and charging stations. two platinum projects, if not more.” concerns, not a form created willfully ly

“I think we design for the future; Beijing Parkview Green, a group of like so many other signature build- ai we cannot design for the past,” Li four towers including a hotel, a shop- ings in Beijing,” Shu says. “The call D says. “A good building always pro- ping centre and a commercial hub, is for an environmentally sustainable ina vides opportunities for the future.” completely encased in a transparent design comes from our collective mo- by Ch China already has many LEED cer- “envelope” that protects the buildings tivation to create a building that is a oto h tified buildings and more than 100 from outside weather. The casing has legacy for future generations.” P

12 • January 29-February 11, 2010 SPECIAL REPORT By Sim Chi Yin The Straits Times

VICTIMS: This handout photo taken on Feb 18, 2002 shows China’s most outspoken AIDS campaigner Gao Yaojie (C) having lunch with AIDS pa- tients in Zhengzhou, Henan province. Gao had exposed the plight of poor farmers who had contracted AIDS from selling blood in unsanitary government-approved collection schemes. Dancing In Shackles China’s investigative journalists keep P h oto

pushing the envelope AF by P

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 13 SPECIAL REPORT

v Beijing oor farmers getting AIDS from selling blood to illegal collectors. Teenage slaves in underground brick factories. Shoddy ‘tofu’P schools collapsing like a pack of cards in an earthquake. These eye-popping stories from China’s underbelly were widely reported in the international press in IN LOVING MEMORY: A mother of Zhong shuyan, a 14-year-old student who died in the May recent years. But behind each of these 2008 earthquake, holds a photograph of her near Juyuan middle school in Juyuan, in China’s world headlines is a small army of southwestern province of Sichuan on June 4, 2008. Chinese investigative journalists who first unearthed the dirt. Often outpacing the censors, many ‘Haven’ for journalism While China is still better known of these dirt-digging stories air on “There are more stories than we for a largely propagandist press and state broadcaster China Central Tel- have time to write about. There are strict censorship, a school of tough evision’s weekly News Probe pro- many contradictions in our rap- homegrown investigative journalists gramme or see print in more com- idly transforming society. What- has emerged in the past 10 years or mercially driven publications like ever kind of story you can think of, so, documenting scandals, corrup- Caijing magazine, the Guangdong- it can happen in China,” says Wang tion and abuse of power—occasion- based Southern Metropolis Daily Keqin, 45, the doyen among China’s ally toppling officials but sometimes and Southern Weekend, or others muckrakers. paying a personal price for their with a tradition of in-depth reporting “Twenty-first century China is a efforts. It may not quite be the Fourth like the China Youth Daily and Ori- haven for investigative journalism,” Estate as in the Western press but ental Outlook magazine. declares the lead investigative report- a form of ‘watchdog journalism’ ex- The Henan AIDS scandal, in which er at the China Economic Times who ists in China. hundreds of thousands of farmers in also teaches investigative journalism David Bandurski, an expert on Chi- the central Chinese province were at three universities in Beijing. nese media at the University of Hong infected with HIV after selling their However, journalism professor Kong, notes: “At its very best, Chi- blood in a government-backed dona- Zhan Jiang of the Beijing Foreign nese investigative journalism is no tion programme in the 1990s, for Studies University says it is not a different from the best watchdog instance, was first reported by local heaven for investigative journalists. journalism in the West... though Chi- journalist Zhang Jicheng in a Sichuan He points out that although no jour- na is one of the toughest social and metropolitan newspaper in January nalist in China has been killed for his political environments for investiga- 2000. Eight months and several work, stories often get canned and tive reporting one could imagine.” other Chinese reports later, Hong editors and journalists get punished Kong and international for pieces that irk their political mas- media picked up the story. ters. The penalties range from getting Similarly, in mid-2007, sacked or suspended, or in milder the tale of trafficked teenag- cases getting “sentenced” to months ers working as slaves in of study of “Marxist news ideology”. Shanxi’s ‘black’ brick kilns Still, among the thousands of jour- was sparked by a report on nalists working for large and small out- Henan TV’s Metro Channel. fits around the country, there are now Last August, Southern 200 to 300 who specialise in investiga- Weekend ran a graphic ac- tive reporting, Zhan estimates. count of a young peti- All publications and broadcasters tioner being raped by a in China have, on paper, an official guard in a ‘black jail’ in governing organisation. But with

Beijing, leading the govern- growing competition for advertising P h ment to finally acknowl- and eyeballs, the media landscape is otos

EXPOSED: A group of rescued workers stand outside a edge the existence of such nothing like its staid past. Still, the AF by police station after being saved from a brick kiln in Linfen, illegal detention facilities watchdog remains on a leash—which Shanxi province on May 27, 2007. in the capital. seems to be getting shorter. P

14 • January 29-February 11, 2010 9076_Ad HF_197x267:1 12/11/2009 16:27 Seite 1

Speakers include Marc Angélil, ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Alejandro Aravena, Elemental, Chile; Ray Cole, University of rd British3 Columbia, Canada;International Keller Easterling, Yale University, USA; Arab Hoballah, UNEP, France; Yolanda Kakabadse,

HolcimWWF International, Ecuador; Kazuhiro Kojima ,Forum Coelacanth and Associates, Japan; Sheila Kennedy, Massachusetts

forInstitute of Technology, Sustainable USA; Ashok Lall, GGSIU, India; Amory Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute, USA; Thom Mayne,

ConstructionMorphosis, USA; Enrique Norten, TEN Arquitectos, Mexico/USA; Menghao Qin, Nanjing University, China; Jeremy Rifkin,

UniversidadFoundation on Economic Trends, USA; Michel Rojkind, Rojkind Arquitectos, Mexico; Mike Schlaich, TU Berlin, Germany;

IberoamericanaMasanori Shukuya, Musashi Institute of Technology, Japan; Werner Sobek, University of Stuttgart, Germany; Michael Sorkin,

MexicoCity College of New York, USA; Klaus Töpfer, UNEP, Germany;City Simon Upton, OECD Round Table on Sustainable Development,

AprilNew Zealand; Jean-Philippe Vassal ,14 Lacaton & Vassal Architectes,– France;17 Muhammad, Yunus2010, Grameen Bank, Bangladesh. How can approaches to the design, Re-inventing construction The Holcim Forum is a three-day fabrication and use of built struc- Reduce CO2 conference including workshops tures be aligned with the princi- With technology to zero emissions and site visits. It is open to ples of sustainable development? Play with complexity academics and professionals from With integral solutions to an architecture, civil engineering, economy of means urban planning, natural and social Mine the city sciences, as well as representa- With logistics to circular tives from business, politics, metabolism administration and civil society. Stimulate stakeholders Program details and registration: With incentives to implementation www.holcimforum.org SPECIAL REPORT

In its original incarnation, Chi- ers earn only 3,000 yuan (US$440) nese muckraking was officially en- a month, Wang is da ge, or elder dorsed as a form of what the ruling brother, to a core group that lives Chinese Communist Party termed out the Chinese tradition of intellec- yulun jiandu (literally translated as tuals being a voice for society’s con- supervision by public opinion)—or science. having the press act as a check on He says: “Right now, ordinary the rampant corruption that came Chinese see the media as the strong- with China’s economic take-off. est force in monitoring the power- University of Hong Kong academ- ful... Those of us with ideals ulti- ic Cho Li-Fung, who researches Chi- mately want to push for progress na’s watchdog journalism, explains: within the system.” “With the blessing of the CCP, a channel was created for the press to Recent roadblocks expose wrongs in society and to re- But over the past three to four flect the views of the public.” years, the screws have been tight- But with a growing sense of voca- ened on “negative news”, spanning tion from the 1990s onwards, some critical commentaries and investi- Chinese journalists have pursued gative pieces, say journalists and cases of official corruption and pow- academics. er abuse beyond what the CCP had While some 30 per cent of inves- cautiously intended. What have tigative stories were spiked in the worked in their favour are the sheer past, the figure these days is closer size of China’s bureaucracy and Bei- to 50 per cent, estimates Wang. Pang Jiaoming, 26, jing’s campaign against corruption The clearest sign of a clampdown: Southern Metropolis Daily at the lower levels of government. In 2005, Beijing issued a ban on the But investigative journalism re- practice of journalists reporting mains a hit-and-miss affair. stories in a province other than An unspoken understanding their own. The ban has given the The Muckraker within the watchdog journalists’ authorities yet more ammunition ranks: No scandal involving an of- against journalists but many media he guards surrounding ficial above provincial level is groups have ploughed on. them started to pull on likely to see print. Jiang Xue, 35, an investigative T white gloves and placed journalist for the Hua Shang Daily their hands on batons. Voice for social conscience in the city of Xi’an: says: “The au- Journalist Pang Jiaoming knew Some observers have disparaged thorities cannot possibly monitor then he and his colleagues had Chinese journalists’ work as “swatting every event, so it really boils down to make a run for it. at flies and letting the tigers run free”, to the news organisation’s persist- He quickly pushed away the since they “generally went after small ence. Our worst fear is ‘self-castra- envelope containing ‘hush mon- potatoes like corrupt business people tion’— the media giving up its own ey’ that the staff of the illegal or grassroots officials”, says University rightful responsibility.” coal mine they were at had been of Hong Kong’s Bandurski, who has But in this Internet age, spiked thrusting at them. edited a book on China’s investigative stories are finding rebirth online. With four colleagues in tow, journalism due out in April. When Wang collected stories and he dashed up a hill and jumped But those who want change must pictures of victims of the massive into a waiting car. After a high- work for it, say Wang and other prac- Sichuan earthquake who had been speed chase along treacherous titioners interviewed. “We dance with chased out of hospitals with injuries mountain roads and into the shackles around our ankles. But work- unhealed, some material did not see next town, they finally lost their ing hard is better than not working at print. So he simply posted them on pursuers—and lived to write all. Even if nothing changes, at least his blog. about the underground ‘black’ we work hard trying,” says Wang. “Even if they clamp down on us, mines they had spent 50 days re- While corrupt journalists who ac- we must continue to do what we porting on in China’s coal min- cept hush money are not uncommon need to do. Fear comes from within ing heartland of Shanxi. in the poorly paid profession, where your own heart,” he says.—Addi- That was the closest shave even top-notch investigative report- tional research by Lina Miao

16 • January 29-February 11, 2010 Pang, 26, one of China’s top young investigative journalists, has had in his four-year career. Hero To The But, for the most part, the constant race he runs is against government gag orders—which Downtrodden often come flying right after a scandal or disaster is reported t the height of the SARS pan- in the local press. ic in spring 2003, when out- Known among his peers as a A of-towners avoided hard-hit Speedy Gonzalez for often be- Beijing like the plague, journalist ing the first with the news, Wang Keqin had a surprise visitor. Pang thrives on the thrill of be- The man, a taxi driver from the far ing a pen-wielding modern-day western region of Xinjiang, had tak- Zorro. en a 40-hour train ride to Beijing, He has faced censure and even just to give Wang a bag of herbs be- death threats because of his sto- lieved to offer immunity against the ries, but he sees himself as just virus. “a playful big kid” who likes to He was a total stranger who had expose what powers-that-be read Wang’s stinging exposé of how want to keep covered up. Beijing’s taxi drivers were being ex- Pang, who writes for the ploited by their companies. Moved Guangdong-based Southern Me- that the journalist had spoken up for tropolis Daily, one of China’s all cabbies near and far, he risked the Wang Keqin, 45, most daring newspapers known journey to deliver the ‘thank you’ gift. China Economic Times for its investigative stories, was “Why did he do that? What did I famously suspended from his do to deserve that?” says Wang, 45, lent companies cheated investors of previous newspaper, the state- recalling how touched he was. hundreds of millions of yuan, driv- backed China Economic Times, An inspiration and an elder broth- ing some of them to suicide. in late 2007 after penning two er to China’s band of mostly younger Angry phone calls or death threats front-page stories on substand- investigative journalists, the veteran from those he offends are “common” ard coal ash being used for the muckraker is used to having people but just part and parcel of the job, he high-speed Wuhan-Guangzhou fall to their knees, begging him to tell says. railway, which eventually their stories. “The people I write about often opened in December 2009. A Communist Party member, he say they will protect me because as His stories, based on exten- sees no conflict in loyalties. A deep long as I live, I can write more sto- sive interviews with whistle- humanitarianism and a sense of pur- ries about the ordinary people,” he blowers and in-field investiga- pose in speaking up for the man in says with a chuckle. tion, sounded the alarm on the the street have driven him to take Getting rapped on the knuckles by dangers of using ‘fake’ ash—a risks that many others would not, the authorities is also “normal”, he staple component of the con- digging up stories over the past 10 says, but unlike some Chinese jour- crete used to build tunnels, years to expose corruption and nalists, he has never been hauled to roads and bridges. abuse of power. court. It also led Beijing’s publicity Wang, who lives with his wife and “That’s because I’m a stupid re- authorities to issue an order to teenage son in an apartment provid- porter—I check and I check and I his newspaper to remove him ed by his newspaper, spends weeks check. Like a surgeon, the more op-

from the front lines of report- and months doing shoe-leather re- erations you have performed, the P h ing. He was eventually rehabil- porting for his stories. more problems you have faced, the otos

itated and continues his race His mighty pen has sent some 160 more careful you are,” he says. T by against the authorities at his people to jail—most of them through He takes pains to have his inform- H current job. a piece he wrote in 2003 on a stock ants sign statements they make and TIMES STRAITS E “I’m not a ‘dangerous man’. scam in the north-western city of thumbprint them using a red inkpad I’m just a good man,” he de- Lanzhou. he carries around in his satchel all clares with a laugh. The article was about how fraudu- the time.

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 17 ENVIRONMENT By Kristine L. Alave Philippine Daily Inquirer Planet In The Deep Sea

Philippines • A 0.5 cm-long juvenile squid collected with a Celebes Bongo net off Celebes Sea Sea in southern Philippines. Malaysia Indonesia

18 • January 29-February 11, 2010 For many scientists, explorers and divers, the Celebes Sea, off southern Philippines, is an unknown world. Until more than a couple of years ago

v Manila from the Inner Space Speciation nder the waters off south- Project, which premiered at the 8th ern Philippines, there’s a Celebrate the Sea Festival at the Ma- planet waiting to be dis- nila Ocean Park last year, captured covered. diverse coral species, colourful For many scientists, schools of fish, luminous inverte- Uexplorers and divers, the Celebes Sea brates and deep-sea creatures previ- is an unknown world. Until more ously unknown to scientists. than a couple of years ago, its basins Michael Aw, the photographer of were unexplored and its inhabitants the expedition, said he was awed by in the deeper parts unseen. what he witnessed underwater. The Celebes Sea, located between He said the waters off southern Phil- the Philippines and Indonesia, is ippines and much of the country, for considered the heart of the Coral Tri- that matter, had been “underrated”. angle, that watery region that spans In the 1990s, Aw, an experienced the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, diver and director of the Ocean Geo- Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and graphic, said his first dive in the Phil- the Solomon Islands. ippines in the early 1990s left him Covering 5.7 million square kilo- unimpressed. metres—more than half the size of But two years ago, a series of diving P h

the United States, the Celebes Sea expeditions in the country’s famous otos has the world’s highest concentration sites, including the Tubbataha Reef by MIC by of corals, marine plants, fish and oth- in the Sulu Sea, encouraged him to er sea creatures. write a book. H Its Tubbataha Reef, which is with- “In the 1990s, I went to Tubbataha AE L in Philippine jurisdiction, is also and I saw dynamite fishing activities AW/O

home to massive coral reef forma- there. I went back two years ago and cean tions that sustain the surface marine so much has changed and many coral G

life that is the source of livelihood of places have recovered. I was very, eogra millions of fishermen and canning very impressed,” he said. companies. The 2007 exploration, Aw said, re- ph ic

In 2007, Emory Kristof, who found vealed the uniqueness of the Coral M the ‘Titanic’ wreck, along with a band Triangle and cemented its reputation aga z of like-minded explorers, scientists as the last oceanic frontier. ine

and divers plunged into the depths of “We found many new species, /W H

the sea to conduct the first-ever sur- worms, jellyfish. We did a lot of re- OI/ISS vey of its ecosystem from surface to search in the open sea and the deep P bottom. They were aided by custom- waters. There were many animals that /AF

• A jellyfish, a lanternfish, a snipe P eel, two orange shrimps and a made cameras and video recorders. were never seen before,” he said. pyrosome (bioluminescent). The documentary and the photos The exploration of the basins of the

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 19 ENVIRONMENT

Celebes Sea yielded new and rich discoveries. In a span of 10 days, the expedition discovered 1,600 specimens, most of it new species, Aw said. Many of the invertebrates found in its deeper, darker waters were virtually unchanged from their ancestors millions of years ago, scientists believed. An example of a newly found creature is Enypniastes eximia, a relative of sorts of the sea cu- cumber, Aw said. The creature’s head is covered with a transparent, luminous bubble, which sits on top of an orange disk. F

Against the dark background, rom

Enypniastes eximia does not to

look like a marine creature. In- p to

stead, it evokes the image of an l Deep sea jelly Bottom unidentified flying object in fish found and Under threat deep space. photographed by : :

a US-Philippines P

Indeed, for many participants h underwater xplorers hope that Aw said. otos of the exploration, the voyage expedition in the

their findings about The diversity and the R by down the waters off Sulu Sea was Celebes Sea the Coral Triangle importance of the Celebes

not just a visit to another world. Southern U

E SS Philippines. would encourage preser- Sea were underlined last

It was also a trip back in time. H vation efforts. Because of year when Philippine A P

The sheer depth of the canyons CROFT/ of the Celebes Sea—the deepest its richness and diversity, President Gloria Arroyo the regional waters serve and other heads of state of

of which can be found in the Sulu U Sea—arguably makes its waters as a major fishing ground neighbouring countries NIVERSIT most isolated and ancient in the in Southeast Asia and are signed an agreement last

constantly under threat of month to protect the Y

world, according to Aw. A OF “Because of their locations overfishing and pollution. Coral Triangle, an impor- L near the equator, and lack of “This area also supports tant food source for /AF ASKA Antarctic water, they have the the largest tuna fisheries Southeast Asia. in the world, which Aw said the agreement warmest water left on the plan- MIC P , et. A Miocene-like relic, they generate billions of was a step in the right dollars in the direction. In the future, H could be thought of as incuba- AE L tors or perhaps the ancient heart global economy he said he hoped that AW/O of the ocean,” he said in the pro- each year. Sadly, more research would be cean logue of his book of photographs these precious done on the Coral

from the expedition. marine resources Triangle. He noted that G eogra Descriptions of life in the mid- are now threat- the 2007 expedition was ened by climate unprecedented. waters of the sea were also re- ph

change, “Before, we were just ic

corded and sent to experts M

around the world. overfishing, scratching the surface,” he aga

illegal fishing, said. “We need to spend z

The explorers hope that their ine unsustainable more time and resources. findings would enrich the un- l A juvenile /W

coastal development We know more about the H

derstanding of evolution, the be- boxfish 1cm OI/ISS havior of certain marine species, long. and pollution,” underwa- surface of the moon than

ter photographer Michael the ocean.” P and the ecosystem of the region. /AF P

20 • January 29-February 11, 2010 By Tsuyoshi Ito Yomiuri Shimbun

Textbooks and Cookbooks Tank-bred tuna sets tongues wagging

v TOKYO Kinki University is just one of a One of their more unusual culi- he fish section on the base- growing number of high schools and nary creations is gotochi aisu (ice ment level of the main universities that have been producing cream unique to our locality). The store of Mitsukoshi depart- their own brand-name foods as part ice cream contains sake dregs left ment store chain in Nihon- of their regular education activities. when making narazuke pickles, and bashi, Tokyo, heaves with Although they are is surprisingly tasty. customersT every Friday. The section usually only produced Other schools try- sells many treats from the ocean, but in small quantities, ing their hands at the one in particular has been setting they are winning over brand-food market tongues recently—fillets of tuna customers’ taste buds. include Utsunomiya farmed by Kinki University. Kakiyasu Honten, a University’s pickles Known as kindai tuna (kindai is a meat shop of long mixed with mozzarel- portmanteau of Kinki Daigaku, the standing in Mie Pre- l a a n d c a n n e d university’s Japanese name), the fecture, has been sell- steamed sea urchin at meat comes from bluefin tuna raised ing pork from Berk- Hachinohe Fisheries from birth by the university. In 2002, shire pigs, known as High School in Ao- Kinki University succeeded for the kurobuta (black pigs), mori Prefecture. first time in the world in farming raised by students at Production is often tuna over their entire life span, in- the Kagoshima pre- restricted to small cluding the hatching of eggs. fectural government- batches since they are Medium fatty flesh, or chutoro, of run Kanoya High made as part of educa- kindai tuna is priced at about 2,000 School. tional activities. Many yen (US$22) per 100 grams—half the The meat is only are sold at university SCHOOL-BRED: Cuts of kindai price of tuna caught in the wild, but available on week- tuna from Kinki University fly off and high school festi- more expensive than chutoro of other ends, but its quality is the shelves after the fish was sliced vals, although people

cultured tuna. on par with other in front of customers at the Mitsu- craving the delicacies P h Masaaki Kagoshima, a buyer of brand-name products koshi department store chain’s have been known to otos main store in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.

Mitsukoshi’s purchasing department, due to the meticulous contact the schools di- T by said the tuna appeal to customers be- care the students de- rectly. H cause “it’s fatty and juicy, and also vote to their small herd of pigs, a Some foods have even been used as E Y very traceable since the fish have Kakiyasu Honten representative said. centrepieces of sales promotions at OMI U been raised since hatching”. Nara Women’s University has department stores and shops set up S RI

“The high traceability has struck a teamed up with companies in the re- by prefectural governments in big cit- H IM chord with consumers, who are strong- gion to develop new food items to re- ies to promote their marine and farm BU ly interested in food safety,” he said. invigorate the local economy. produce. N

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 21 CHANGING ASIA By Rupak D Sharma Asia News Network

has its own list of ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ based on the beliefs that have been passed on by ancestors. Superstition And Asia You may have noticed that in many countries in the region, most Many Asians are defying the myths of the elevators simply do not have numbers “4” or “13”. There are also ingrained in their societies countries where people just stop driving or walking when a black cat crosses their path; they only continue after others have over- taken them first. And there are societies in the region that believe sweeping floors or cutting nails at night bring bad luck. Lately, a new trend is catching up among young girls in China: matching horoscopes before jumping into a relationship. All they’d do is flip through the pages of books on zodiac signs or do some research in the internet to find out their perfect match. Well, looks like, fewer and fewer people are willing to go through all the Mr Wrongs to finally find a Mr Right, Wang Chao recently wrote in herChina Daily column. Or probably, they’ve learnt how to use their time efficiently and do ROAR: Tourists walk past a statue of a tiger displayed in front of a shopping mall in Bangkok on not want to waste considerable January 4. As the year of the tiger approaches, the myths surrounding it are being heard louder number of days on a wrong guy, than before. while the spark of their beauty fades, she reckoned. But Wang herself believes happy relationships always take time to v Bangkok “death”. And South Korea simply build and maintain, and asks ast December, the South didn’t want that number labelled everyone to “have some faith and Korean government found on its troops, fearing recurrence of trust your heart”. itself walking a tightrope the 2007 incident, when Taliban Will her message be heard in a while planning to join the militants brutally murdered two fairly superstitious country like international troops in Korean missionaries. China is not known, but few other Afghanistan.L “We’re tiptoeing around the developments indicate that many It was a complexity created by a issue, and we don’t need complica- Chinese have started defying the number—number “4” to be precise. tions, especially those that could myths impregnated in their As it happened, South Korea was possibly aggravate public senti- societies. the 44th member to join the ment,” The Korea Herald quoted One example is preparations NATO-led International Security one foreign ministry official. “We’re Chinese couples are making to tie Assistance Force fighting the keeping our fingers crossed so that the knots in the Year of the Tiger, insurgents in Afghanistan. The the other two countries (that have despite knowing it is a “widow’s number “44” bothered the govern- applied along with us), or even just year”. P ment. one of them, gets the nod first.” According to the Chinese belief, Like the Chinese, Koreans dread Like in South Korea, superstition a widow’s year is a year that does by AF the digit “4” as its phonetic sound has been deeply ingrained in most not have a first day of spring—like oto h

P is similar to that of the word of Asian societies. Every culture the upcoming Tiger Year, which

22 • January 29-February 11, 2010 begins on February 14 (The lunar National University of Singapore behaviour. If you want to train your spring begins on February 4.) Chinese studies professor Lee child to be demure and ladylike, “(So 2010) is believed to lack Cheuk Yin recently told The Straits you have to train her from young,” yang or masculine energy to Times: “We cannot conclusively says Amanda Khan, a catering balance the feminine yin. And to trace the origins of the beliefs that manager, who is five months Chinese women, no yang means no people take after the characteristics pregnant. husband, which makes a woman a of their zodiac signs.” Khan and her husband Kevin widow,” China Daily reported. Nevertheless, the belief is so Wong, assistant director at Mari- But surprisingly, many Chinese are not willing to buy the age-old dictum—at least not this time. And one of them is 24-year-old Tan Jinjin, who has been in a relationship for five years and doesn’t mind getting married this year. Tan recently told China Daily: “If no one wants to get married in widow’s year, I may get cheaper cars, cheaper hotels and a cheaper ceremony, so why not?” Now, take a look at these statistics. Wang Haoyuan, manager of Qianyijia, a wedding service company in China, said his company, so far, has only seen less than 10 per cent of wedding bookings being cancelled this year because of the myth associated with the widow. The case is the same with another Chinese wedding organising company, Red AGE-OLD BELIEF: A Pakistani woman buries her paralysed child up to his neck on the bank of Lily. It saw around 20 per cent of the river Indus during a solar eclipse in Hyderabad on July 22, 2009, believing that a total eclipse wedding ceremonies planned for of the sun would cure his disease. this year being postponed. “I don’t think the widow’s year will ruin my business. I’ve already deeply entrenched in many parents’ time and Port Authority of Singa- got some wedding ceremony mind they either postpone their pore Vessel Traffic Management, bookings for next April and May,” plans of having a child or induce are not worried that their first says Wang Jiahua, boss of Red Lily. births one to two weeks earlier, child, a girl due in May, might grow But this story doesn’t end here as especially if their child is a girl. up to be a fierce, rebellious and the Year of the Tiger is opening its In the last Tiger Year in 1998, for ill-tempered woman. door with another caveat. This instance, Dr Beh Suan Tiong, The voices of Khan, Wong, one’s related with the birth of a consultant obstetrician and gynae- Wang and Tan, may not be female child. cologist at Beh’s Clinic for Women powerful enough to create a Girls born in the Tiger Year are at Thomson Medical Centre in ripple effect in Asia but they believed to be fierce, rebellious, Singapore, had received about five certainly bear some substance. ill-tempered and unpredictable, birth induction requests. And people like them are gradu- The Straits Times recently quoted But so far this year he has only ally changing our societies. geomancers as saying. received one such request – an By the way, as for the South This belief is expected to affect indication that many are skeptic Korean government, it decided to the birthrate even in a modern and about the relationship between deploy the troops in Afghanistan P h cosmopolitan city state like children’s personality vis-a-vis the disregarding the belief associated oto

Singapore, where almost 80 per year they are born. with “deadly” number. With reports AF by cent of the population comprise “It is the children’s upbringing from China Daily, The Korea Herald people of Chinese origin. and education that determine their and The Straits Times P

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 23 GENDER CHINA By Huang Zhiling and Zhang Ao China Daily

A High-stakes Union China’s ‘first’ publicly married gay couple begins a long and arduous journey

HITCHED: Zeng Anquan (left) holds his partner Pan Wenjie during their wedding v Chengdu But even before Zeng and Pan could at a bar in China’s Sichuan fter mustering up some start a new life, they have come under province on January 3. courage, Zeng Anquan and verbal attacks and criticisms from family Pan Wenjie finally an- and friends. nounced the date of their “All the capital in my company has wedding: January 3. been frozen by my younger brother,” ABoth of them knew that the stakes Zeng said in a dimly lit teahouse in were high in this marriage, as their Chengdu, capital of China’s Sichuan family members and many people they province. knew were totally against the union. “My sister warned me she would But the ceremony went ahead as sched- never call me her brother unless I uled and the couple took the ‘I-do’ oath break up with Pan; and I have an- in front of more than 200 friends who swered hundreds of phone calls from supported them. friends and relatives, who say they The union of Zeng and Pan marked feel ashamed of me.” the ‘first gay marriage’ in China—al- The topic of homosexuality is still a though same-sex marriages are not offi- taboo in China, although the country has cially recognised in the country. roughly 30 million homosexuals—20 ly

ai “The wedding is our happiest and million gay men and the remaining, les- D most precious moment,” Zeng, 45, told bians, according to estimates by Zhang ina China Daily in an interview. “We don’t Beichuan, a professor at Qingdao Uni- care how others consider us, as long as versity and an expert on homosexuality by Ch we are together…. We are deeply in love and HIV/AIDS prevention. oto h

P and will never desert each other.” Most of these sexual minorities re-

24 • January 29-February 11, 2010 main in their closets without disclos- Zeng met Pan, 27, a demobilised ing their sexual orientation—not soldier last November at a bar. They even to family members or friends— fell in love with each other at first for fears of being discriminated. sight, he said. The professor found in a survey of “His bright and enchanting smile 1,259 homosexuals that 8.7 per cent almost blinded me. And I am so ad- were fired or forced to resign after re- dicted to his gentle and soft voice.” vealing their sexual orientation, and The 1.8-m-tall Pan is robust and 4.7 per cent felt their salary and ca- masculine, he added. reer advancement were affected. The two met frequently and quick- Some 62 per cent keep their sexual ly forged a relationship. One month orientation a secret in the workplace. after their first date, Pan broke up Zeng, an architect in Chengdu, said with his girlfriend and moved to he discovered that he was not inter- Zeng’s apartment. ested in people of the opposite sex However, they faced pressure and when he was about 20. “What could I prejudice. “Sometimes, I even had to do at that time? I felt embarrassed to tell others that Pan was my adopted think of that tendency,” he said. son. We finally moved back to my He married a dance instructor in hometown of Luodai, a remote town 1983 and they had a daughter three in eastern Chengdu, where nobody knew us.” The couple finally made their choice—to get married in a bar fre- quented by male homosexuals, which was unprecedented in the city. The only thing they regret is that they could not get a marriage certificate in line with Chinese law. Zhang from Qingdao University and some other scholars, including well-known sociologist Li Yinhe, have called on the government to rec- ognise and legalise same-sex marriage in China. There has been no response from the government and critics argue the idea is too radical for present-day China. Worldwide, same-sex marriages are legal in a handful of countries in- MR GAYS: This handout photo provided by years later. cluding Sweden, the Netherlands, Gayographic in Beijing shows a promotional But despite trying he could never Canada and South Africa. flyer with the contestants taking part in the get attracted by his wife. “I felt I was The couple said they hoped gays Mr Gay China competition, which was later blocked by Chinese police. embracing a lifeless tree while hold- could become legitimate couples, ing a woman,” Zeng said. which would be a “dream come true”. So he deliberately found a job far Although no family member at- from home the day after marriage tended their wedding, the attitude of and came back just once or twice a their parents and some friends has month. He said he felt sorry for his switched from “opposition” to “it’s CO

wife whom he described as “dedicat- OK”. Pan’s former girlfriend, sur- U ed” and “loyal”. named Li, even volunteered to be RTES Y

When their daughter grew up and Pan’s bridesmaid at the wedding. GA OF found a decent job, Zeng confessed to “The journey is long and ardu- Y

his wife. “She was shocked and kept ous. But we’ll never give up trying NOGRA crying for several days. Finally, she to be recognised as husband and

agreed to set me free.” wife,” Zeng said.—With reports PH The couple divorced last February. from Shan Juan IC

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 25 LIFESTYLE MALAYSIA

By Wong Li Za The Star

All that glitters: Gold- and rhodium-plated jewellery by premium lifestyle gift company Risis.

v Kuala Lumpur Today, Risis is a premium lifestyle wife’s whimsical wish for gift company, plating a wide range of orchids to last forever jewellery and ornaments in 24-carat Golden gave birth to a unique gift gold, rhodium and precious metals. idea, and subsequently a It has won several awards that in- premium gift company, clude the Certificate of Award for Aover 30 years ago. Good Manufacturing Practice by Sis- Blooms It all started when the late Dr Lee ir, the Singapore Design Award and Kum Tatt, then chairman of Sisir (Sin- Best Tourism Souvenir award pre- gapore Institute of Standards and In- sented by the Singapore Tourist Pro- The beauty dustrial Research now known as motion Board. Spring, or Standards, Productivity and Besides Singapore, Risis has a of the orchid Innovation for Growth) was having a presence in the United States, France, stroll at the Singapore Botanic Gar- Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Malay- is forever dens with his wife Engeline one day. sia and China. When she mentioned immortalis- There are generally five product ing the flower, Lee thought up a novel categories—natural plated products, preserved idea to preserve the orchid. business gifts, figurines and collecti- Together with a team of people at bles, home and living, and personal in a special Sisir, a patented process that plates accessories. fresh orchids in 24-carat gold was de- Designs are inspired by Asian herit- plating veloped. Lee then presented his wife age and also reflect a contemporary feel. tar

S a gold-plated bloom he named after “We create products with an e process her—Oncidium Engeline Lee. Asian story, some of which may not by Th In 1976, the first four Risis (Sisir have anything to do with orchids. spelt backwards) outlets opened in However, our best-selling products otos h

P Singapore. are still orchid-based,” said Wee

26 • January 29-February 11, 2010 Swee Poh, chief executive officer Arachnopsis Hun Sen ‘Bun Rany’, flowers’ surface and retain their tex- of Risis, during an interview with named after the wife of Cambodian ture. Malaysian media who were invited Prime Minister Hun Sen, was also Next, the flower is dipped into a to Singapore recently. plated in 24-carat gold and rhodium copper ‘bath’ or copper solution for The most popular jewellery product and presented to Hun Sen by then three hours to give it a strong coating. is the orchid slider, a chain with a sin- Singapore President S.R. Nathan dur- “The texture and veins of the flower gle bloom that can be worn as a choking the premier’s visit to Singapore in can still be seen after this stage,” said er, short or long chain, or waist belt. 2003. Kam. “Our products are also unique A special orchid hybrid created by The coated flower is then shaped because they have a rich texture,” Mardi (Malaysian Agricultural Re- manually before going through a sec- said Wee, adding that some Risis search and Development Institute) ond copper bath for another five products are embellished with named the Mokara Datin Seri Endon hours. Next, it is polished, and finish- semi-precious stones, crystals and was plated by Risis and presented to ing touches are applied before it goes fine enamel. Nori Abullah in 2006 in memory of through a nickel bath for five to 10 The company obtains fresh blooms her mother, the late Tun Endon Mah- minutes to prevent corrosion and to for plating from a commercial nursery in Singa- pore that grows special hy- ‘Authority’, brids specifically for Risis. from the These hybrids blooms are zodiac tiger smaller in size than com- collection. mercial varieties. “We want to create delicate jewellery with thinner petals which can still with- stand the plating process,” said Wee. Currently, 15 of these special hybrids are being ‘Courage’ (stylised), one of eight figurines in the plated. Besides that, Risis Zodiac Tiger Collection 2010. also plates full species like the Vanda Miss Joaquim, which is Singapore’s national flower. mood, for her contribution to local protect its colour. “We have to anticipate what custom- arts. The final dipping is into the gold ers want. If a certain hybrid and design Risis’ production plant is located in bath, a clear, chemical solution which is not popular, we have to create an- Batam, Indonesia. The entire plating contains pure, melted 24-carat gold. other hybrid,” said Wee, adding that process takes three days to complete. The flower is then left to dry for the company also plates other natural Before plating, each bloom is hand- three to five days before being lac- products like eggs, leaves and roses. picked and checked for symmetric fea- quered. Risis also produces customised tures and similar-shaped petals. The entire plating process is done jewellery, such as for weddings, upon “We are very particular about choos- by hand, including the dipping stages. request. In addition, its products are ing each bloom. From a single stalk, About 60 per cent of Risis’ custom- commissioned as gifts for dignitaries we may use only one or two blooms ers are Singaporeans, with the rest be- and state gifts to world leaders. because we need a nice, balanced ing tourists. Wearables like jewellery For example, an orchid hybrid shape,” said Kam Chong Phoh, senior are the most popular items, while called Dendrobium Elizabeth was manager of development and produc- framed orchids are sought after as named after Queen Elizabeth II on tion, as he showed the media a simpli- business gifts. the occasion of Her Majesty’s visit to fied version of the plating process at Risis also features special collec- Singapore in 1972. Risis’ headquarters. tions for Christmas (Keepsakes Col- A spray of the hybrid was then plat- Before the start of the process, each lection 2009) and Chinese New Year ed in 24-carat gold by Risis and pre- flower is gently shaped by hand for (the 2010 Zodiac Tiger Collection sented to her as a state gift in honour evenness before being attached to a comprises eight different tiger figu- of the golden jubilee of her ascension thin wire. It is then dipped into gold rines). to the throne. paint, which is a copper alloy specially Prices of products start from S$22 Another orchid spray called the formulated for orchids to protect the (US$16) for a pair of earrings.

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 27 COVER STORY SOUTH KOREA

Globalising ‘Bibimbap’ Korea looks for the right recipe to introduce its rich cuisine to the world

v Seoul mid the government and business campaign to promote the “globalisation of Korean food”, some interesting chats are being exchanged on- and off-line over the qualification of bibimbap as a repre- sentativeA Korean dish. A Japanese newspaper correspondent in Seoul argued in a column that bibimbap—steamed rice mixed with a dozen kinds of raw and cooked vegetables, minced beef and fried egg, flavoured with chili paste and sesame oil—could be disappointing to foreign diners. The beautifully ar- ranged ingredients have to be mixed beyond

28 • January 29-February 11, 2010 recognition to eat, he pointed out. eth Paltrow and the late Michael classifying menus for the luxury royal Quoted by Korean papers, this sup- Jackson, bibimbap was included in tables, general restaurants and fast posedly derogatory comment on Ko- the in-flight menus of Korean air- food eateries. Bibimbap is basically a rean food incurred angry reactions lines. It is on the culture-tourism- fast food item, and is not included in P from netizens. A popular novelist sports ministry’s list of Korean food the traditional royal course. h otos blogger retorted that bibimpap is bet- for international promotion, along Korean food has an inherent disad- ter qualified for global enjoyment than with kimchi, bulgogi and others. Yet, vantage; it uses many side dishes, T by

Japanese sushi which he determined we doubt that it can really be a “rep- some of which require instant cook- H as a savage food. In his sequel column, resentative” item for globalisation, ing on the table, the reason why many (T NATION E the Japanese journalist said he even although it may be recommended as top-class have closed their Korean received a “death threat” for what was a fine diet menu for its low calories. restaurants. Patient development ef- H originally intended as a little sarcastic Food experts assert that global forts are needed to make it univer- AI L vindication of his favourite “bibinpa”. propagation of Korean food needs a sally appealing, as there are many AND) Rumoured to be enjoyed by Gwyn- more systematic approach, such as more resources aside from bibimbap.

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 29 COVER STORY SOUTH KOREA

By Samia Mounts The Korea Herald ‘Hansik’ Revolution v Seoul very country has its own line-up of great dishes; some have been modified over the years because of the popularity of the dish and the desire to make it more inter- Eesting and exciting. Countries like Italy and France, are rich in foods that have been developed and improved for centu- ries, and are now internationally popular as a result. Written history is what gives certain cultures an edge. France and Italy both have extensive written histories, with enough cookbooks to fill Seoul’s Olympic Stadium. Partly due to this, their cuisines are well known around the world. The same can be said for the cuisines of Russia, China and Britain. Korea has a long history as well, but the devastation of wars, occupation by other nations, and lack of industrialisation kept it in a depressed state for a long time. Korea remained unknown to many other countries until only a few decades ago. The 1988 Olympic Games put Korea firmly in the limelight and it has been growing as an international power ever since. Today, Korea is a strong presence in the global community, thanks to its focus on education and rapid technological development. Korea also deserves to be recognised for its food—more than the easily accessible Korean barbecue—which has made such an impact on American pop culture. Korean food is complex and textured, with a variety of exciting flavour combinations—but how do we get it out into the international community? Korean food could spread to other countries just as its cars, electronics and films haveWill Koreean cuisine, or hansik, spur the next Korean wave? After living in Seoul for many years, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the many fine dishes Korea has to offer. But of course, this doesn’t stop me from experimenting with Korean ingredients and traditional dishes to create new taste sensations. Fusion cuisine, in addition to being fun to develop, carries the added benefit of creating new ways to introduce foreigners to Korean food. With the advent of modern fusion cuisine, many traditional ingredients are now used to prepare an array of richly varied dishes, com- bining the best of international cuisine to create dazzling new culinary experiences.

30 • January 29-February 11, 2010 T O K Y O > > By Lee Yong-sung The Korea Herald

Fusion has greatly enriched international cuisines. Being able to add ex- otic ingredients that were not available in the past has moved Korean society into a new exciting era. Korean food also has an edge because of its nutritional makeup. Kore- ans believe that eating many vegetables makes for a healthy nutritional balance and good health. They’re abso- lutely right! Koreans also believe that food in the right combination brings harmony to the soul and body. The concept of yin and yang is a Taoist principle that is based on the idea of opposites set in balance. For example, in a dish made up of bok choy and ginger, bok choy is the yin and ginger is the yang, offering harmony both in the body and on the table. Cooking methods are also classified into yin and yang. Steaming, poach- ing and boiling are yin; frying, stir- frying, pan-frying, and roasting are yang. To that end, when Koreans t was a rainy Saturday evening tomers,” Shim Jae-dong, the 34-year- prepare a traditional meal, the rule of in early December when I made old owner of the restaurant, said. the five flavours is followed. The five an unscheduled visit to Dae- It is hard to deny that the popular- flavours are sweet (like sweet pota- janggeum, a Korean restaurant ity of Korean entertainers in Japan toes), salty (like soy sauce), sour (like located near Shin-Okubo Sta- has played a part in the restaurant’s vinegar), hot (like chili peppers) and tionI in downtown Tokyo. Consider- success and Shim found no reason bitter (like ginger). Food is also ar- ing the location of the restaurant— not to use it to attract customers. In ranged into the five traditional col- situated just one station away from one corner of the restaurant is a big- ours: black, red, green, yellow and Shinjuku, Shin-Okubo houses one of screen TV playing episodes of the hit white. (Black is not easy to find in na- the biggest ‘Korea towns’ in Japan— culinary drama set in Joseon Dy- ture, so you’ll find a lot of black sesa- it was surprising to see the restaurant nasty (1392-1910). Also hung on me seeds and foods such as dried full of happy Japanese diners at each of the walls are the pictures of cloud-ear mushrooms in Korean around half past eight. actress Lee Young-ae in her Dae- food.) Following these flavour and Upon seeing the restaurant’s sign, I janggeum costume. colour guidelines leads to dishes that presumed it must be one of many Ko- Certainly, not all Korean restau- are never boring. rean restaurants in Japan, that have rants in Tokyo’s ‘little Korea’ that Obviously, Korean food has a lot opened in recent years jumping on opened since the Korean pop culture going for it. the bandwagon of the popularity of boom of the early 2000s have been In summary, there are three strate- Korean pop culture in Japan. A hit successful in winning the hearts of gies that can be used to bring Korean 2003 MBC television series, Dae- locals. In fact, a good portion of Ko- cuisine into the international spot- janggeum (Jewel In the Palace) is one rean restaurants in Shin-Okubo de- light. First, we can take traditional of the flagship Korean dramas that pend largely on Korean customers for Korean ingredients and feature them swept Asia over the past several years. revenue. in Western recipes. Second, we can “Not-very-spicy Korean dishes Shim says that one key ingredient take traditional Korean recipes and such as dolsot bibimbap (bibimbap to Daejanggeum’s success is localisa- modify them slightly to appease the served in a very hot stone bowl, 850 tion in service style. foreign palate. And third, we can be yen or US$9), haemul jijimi (seafood “Food items are served as original sensitive to the preferences and de- and vegetable pancake, 1,500 yen or as possible to traditional Korean reci- sires of foreigners when designing $16) and samgyetang (chicken and pes, but in terms of service style, we and writing menus for Korean res- ginseng soup, 2,500 yen or $27) are are closer to Japanese style, tailored taurants in other countries. highly looked upon by Japanese cus- more to the requirements of an indi-

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 31 COVER STORY SOUTH KOREA

PA R I S > > By Lee Yong-sung The Korea Herald

vidual customer,” he added. When serving dolsot bibimbap, for example, servers at the restaurant mix the ingredients in the pot for Japanese customers who are not ac- customed to the Korean-style “bibim” (mixing) culture of food. “Some Japanese customers, mostly strangers to Korean culinary culture, prefer to eat vegetables and steamed rice separately. We kindly explain how Koreans eat bibimbap but we never force our customers to do anything against their will,” he said. “We never say ‘no’ to any trivial request of our customers.” It was initially the popularity of Korean pop culture that upgraded the status of Korean cuisine in the Japanese culinary world, but with or without such cultural trends, Korean food is now making big strides rap- idly in the mainstream Japanese din- ing experience. “Korean food has such huge growth potential in overseas markets, as huge as the variety of cooking methods used for it,” said Kim Mi-hoe, manager of he early-morning air of the French Gosire Korean restaurant. capital was cold, but the last thing Owned and run by Bae Yong-joon, you want to do is waste time seeking who is affectionately called ‘Yonsa- shelter during a visit to this romantic ma’ by Japanese fans, the restaurant city. located in Tokyo’s Shirogane area is TFor efficiency’s sake, I decided to get on the said to be a “must see” among Japa- first ‘hop-on hop-off’ tour bus I saw—the easi- nese celebrities. est way to get around in most major tourist Its VIP room, Sarangchae, is fully cities of the world. booked for many months to come Sightseeing for a good half-day on an open- and the price of its luxury Korean air double-decker bus was rewarding, but the courses are from 20,000 yen-30,000 chill seeped into my bones, kicking in an urge to yen or $200-300 (up to 50,000 yen have hot, steamy kimchi jjigae. or $500 for special orders). Quickly I changed buses to reach the Opera “It is pretty expensive, but consid- Garnier, the neo-baroque-style opera house ering the quality of food and service, at the heart of the city. A five-minute walk I think the price is reasonable,” Ka- from the landmark is a collection of Asian zuko Yamamoto, a 56-year-old regu- restaurants. Without hesitation, I walked into lar customer of the restaurant, said. the first Korean restaurant I found and ordered “I first came here as a fan of Yonsa- kimchi jjigae. ma, but these days I come here to en- The smell of properly fermented kimchi soon joy authentic Korean-style dishes pervaded the small yet cozy restaurant, which more than anything else. My only was named Sa Lang, or love. The spiciness from complaint about Korean food is that the stew melted the coldness from my body. it is much harder to see smiles on the I wondered if French people have ever faces of employees at Korean restau- known this feeling. Probably not. (Spicy Kore- rants than other ethnic restaurants an stews are popular among Chinese and Japa- in Tokyo.” nese diners, not so much among Westerners.)

32 • January 29-February 11, 2010 N E W Y O R K > > By An Ji-yoon The Korea Herald

But as I found out, Korean cuisine, or hansik, is gaining in popularity— even in the world’s culinary capital. Gilles Eeckhoudt, a designer who came to enjoy dinner with his friend at the restaurant, said that he loves Korean cuisine because of the wide range of tastes it contains. “Korean dishes have so many different tastes: sweetness, saltiness and spiciness. Compared to Korean embers of Ko- “During the shooting of the food, Japanese food is too simple in rea’s MBC TV episode in New York, we real- taste and flavour,” he said. reality show In- ised how little New Yorkers According to Jeon Pyeong-hwa, a finite Challenge knew about Korea and Korean waitress at Sa Lang, over 80 per cent have placed a food,” Kim Tae-ho, producer of of the restaurant’s customers are full-pageM advertisement for Infinite Challenge said. non-Koreans. bibimbap in the New York “Rather than simply adver- “Many of the restaurant’s French Times. tising Korean restaurants, we customers are office workers from Their action follows an epi- felt a more strategic ap- nearby banks, travel agencies and de- sode promoting Korean food proach—creating enticement partment stores, but recently we have in New York and was done through a particular dish— had an increasing number of college jointly with national publicity would be more appropriate. students studying the Korean lan- specialist Seo Kyoung-duk— Seo said “the best way to cre- guage as well,” said Jeon, a student of an honourary professor at ate awareness of Korea with- Ecole Ferrandi, one of France’s most Sungshin Women’s University. out actually visiting is through prestigious cooking schools. Under the heading “How experiencing Korean food”, She said two of the most popular about bibimbap for lunch to- thus explaining the logic be- items on the menu at Sa Lang are bul- day?” the advertisement hind the advertisement. With gogi ($25) and bibimbap ($20). “We shows a picture and summa- a webpage dedicated to Kore- serve soy sauce mixed with sesame oil rised description of the repre- an cuisine currently underway for bibimbap. A bowl of gochujang or sentative dish, with informa- and another advertisement hot pepper paste is served alongside tion on Korean restaurants in for the New York Times in the dish for those who don’t mind au- Manhattan at the bottom. It line, Seo alluded to future thentic Korean spiciness.” was published in section A of plans of furthering this path I t s b u l g o g i w a s c l o s e r t o the Dec 21, 2009 edition. for national publicity. Gwangyang-style Korean barbecue, for which beef slices are dipped into sauce before being grilled, than Seoul-style bulgogi, which is on the border between barbecue and stew. Because average French diners often spend two hours eating, one can hardly expect to be successful in Paris with a high-volume, low margin approach, said Lim Nam-hi, the owner TELL THE WORLD: of the restaurant. The ad that ran in the “There are over 100 Korean res- New York Times. taurants in Paris, but only about 10 hire Korean food experts as chefs,”said Bae Sang-heum, the owner and chef of Guibine, another popular Ko- rean restaurant in the area. “The rest are mostly run by students who have chosen the restaurant business to make some money,” he said.

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 33 P OPDOM

By Yasmin Lee Arpon Asia News Network

TYPHOON GENERATION: Japan’s Arashi, which means ‘storm’, dominated the 2009 Oricon charts and continue to climb the popularity ladder. Alphabet of Pop It no longer matters if you don’t speak the language, you can sing the song

v Bangkok friend listens to K-pop while another prefers J-pop. Many others, like me, started out with Mandopop while there are some that grew up with Cantopop. No, this is not all about the latest Acola brand in the market but the ABCs of Asia’s pop music. Are you a C, J, K or M fan? We can also add an F, T or V, even a B for Bollywood. In the 1980s, Cantonese pop, also known as HK pop, led the music revolution with singers like the late Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung. In the 1990s, the so-called Heavenly Kings—Andy Lau, Jacky FUSION: Taiwan’s Wang Cheung, Leon Lai and Aaron Kwok—lorded it over. Lee Hom plays traditional It was also in the ‘90s that Japanese pop, or Chinese instruments like J-pop, was coined and some of those artists who the pipa. became popular during that period continue to make hits today. They include Namie Amuro, Glay and L’Arc-en-Ciel, names that still figure in Japan’s Oricon charts.

34 • January 29-February 11, 2010 But in the early 2000s, a Taiwanese the most famous are Wonder Girls, edly the effect of modern technol- drama called Meteor Garden broke 2ne1, Big Bang, 2pm and Super ogy. In the ‘90s, the choices were into the scene together with a Junior. limited so perhaps musical tastes catchy theme song, Qing Fei De Yi J-pop, which used to be the were more distinct. (roughly translated as Can’t Help trendsetter in the ‘90s, has made a It has also been common for Falling In Love). comeback too. Singers like Hikaru artists to collaborate, like in the For the non-Chinese audience, Utada and Ayumi Hamasaki set case of Taiwan’s Vanness Wu and the fact that Qing Fei De Yi was a new records. Utada’s Flavour of Life Korea’s Kangta; or Super Junior-M Mandarin song did not stop them released in 2007 had over 10 million whose members are from Korean from learning the lyrics and singing digital downloads, the first artist in and Chinese descent. Harlem Yu’s hit. Yu may not have the world to have done so. At the same time, while language become as big a star in the region Japan also produced its own barriers have been taken down, but his song was the first step to version of ‘idols’, with talent artists also realise that it would many in discovering Mandopop. company Johnny & Associates boost their music more if they are Meteor Garden was not a creating boy bands like SMAP, able to incorporate other languages trailblazer in the drama department Tokio, V6, KinKi Kids and Arashi. into their songs. Thus, Jay Chou alone; it also turned its lead If you ask young fans today what throws in a Thai word in his rap, stars—Jerry Yan, Vanness Wu, Ken J-pop is to them, they won’t say X Rainie Yang records a Japanese Zhu and Vic Zhou, known as Japan. Most likely, they’ll say version of the Mando hit Ai Mei, F4— into singers with two hit Arashi, perhaps the biggest act last Arashi performs in Mandarin and albums under their belt. year, topping four categories in the Korean during concerts in Shanghai It would also be the beginning of 2009 Oricon charts for top sales in and Seoul, and Wonder Girls sings a new trend in Asia’s pop culture singles, album, concert DVD and Nobody in English. where pretty boys, not necessarily total sales. In a world of iPods, cable TV gifted in singing, making young As to which pop genre dominates— and YouTube, a more diverse fans’ hearts swoon with their whether it’s C, J, K or M—it is choice is allowed. One can even be bubblegum music. very hard to tell. Fans no longer a fan of all letters in the world of It was during the last decade that consciously distinguish their pop music. Mandopop edged out Cantopop musical preference according to from the charts. Taiwan, where F4 whether it’s Cantonese, Mandarin, [email protected] originated, became the ‘Cradle of Korean, Japanese, Western or other Mandopop’ and talents like Jay forms. They make their choices Chou, Wang Lee Hom, Fahrenheit, based on what’s the current hit or SOMEBODY: S.H.E. etc continue to make the most popular act. This is undoubt- Korea’s Wonder genre reach a wider audience Girls was last beyond the Chinese world. year’s biggest Artists like Chou and Wang have breakthrough also turned Mandopop into a act, performing before US platform to showcase traditional audiences. Chinese instruments, which they play in some of their arrangements. Also in the early 2000s, Korean pop music—with R&B and hip-hop influences—started winning fans with groups like H.O.T., Shinhwa and g.o.d. Although there were solo acts like Rain, Se7en and BoA, K-pop seems to be dominated by boy and girl groups. Currently,

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 35 E NTERTAINMENT By Foong Woei Wan The Straits Times Drama Grows Taiwanese idol dramas, which grew out of girls’ comics and once had its head v Singapore buried in first hey don’t do it in Meteor Garden. Nor do they in It Started With A Kiss, at least not till the sequel They Kiss Again. crushes and first In Devil Beside You, they don’t wait, however, and in You’re My Destiny and boyfriends, has mostT recently, Autumn’s Concerto, they jump right into it. become more adult I’m talking about sex in Taiwanese idol dramas. The genre, which grew out of girls’ comics and once had its head buried in first crushes and first boy- in the past decade friends, has become more adult in the past decade. The heroine Shancai of the first idol drama, Meteor Garden, would sooner slap the hero Si, the love of her life, than sleep with him. But by Queen Of No Marriage last year, good girls can and do have sex lives and great boyfriends go out and get contra- ceptives in the middle of the night in the middle of FATE PLAYS: nowhere. You’re My Destiny In the buttoned-down universe of the idol drama, tackles the consequences of a however, lust can still have serious, and acutely one-night stand. dramatic, consequences. A one-night stand in You’re My Destiny results in a shotgun marriage of conven- ience, among other complications. Then there is Autumn’s Concerto, the current ratings champion in Taiwan, which looks with tears

36 • January 29-February 11, 2010 in its eyes at the consequences of having sex with a hottie diagnosed with brain tumour. It begins innocently enough when two headstrong people (Van Ness Wu and Ady An) meet in the usual idol-drama manner of a road accident and tumble head- long into a romance. But before long, he starts fainting, his high-handed mother manoeuvres the lovers into breaking up, and the melodrama rears its head. Six years later in the story, An is the single mum of a diabetic moppet (Little Bin, the son of MELODRAMA: Van Ness Wu of Meteor Garden fame shows he has grown 1980s child star Bin Bin), who up wonderfully in the current hit Autumn’s Concert. believes that his daddy is in outer space and forlornly radios him over his cassette bimbo logic. player: Mi xiu, mi xiup (Mandarin child-speak The former are more intense and the latter, for “Miss you, miss you”). still more interested in swooning: See how hot When a stranger driving a car as sparkly as a Wu is (he is, indeed—nine years since Meteor spaceship crashes into the child’s life, who should Garden, he appears to have aged better than the it be but Wu, suffering from amnesia after brain other F4 dudes). See how sweet Little Bin is (he surgery? is acting, but less affectedly than most child Single mum, sick child, extremely forgetful stars). Aw, aren’t they cute together? ex-boyfriend. Yes, it brings a strong sense of Also adorable, if much older, is Lin Mei-hsiu, Korean-drama deja vu and Winter Sonata and the Hokkien earth mother of You’re My Destiny Partner, in particular, spring to mind. and Queen Of No Marriage, who is back as a There is a difference, however, between country mama with a bizarre Vietnamese- Korean melodramas and Taiwanese idol melo- Taiwanese accent and more homespun wisdom. dramas, which have acquired voluptuous Autumn’s Concerto has hit a milestone, and it narrative twists and turns but lost none of their is as much about the show’s sex appeal as the trio’s cross-generational cuteness. In Hi My Sweetheart, pop star Show Luo has to be cute on his own, more or less. The idol drama has a go at being grown-up, putting Luo and Rainie Yang on a collision course at a radio station years after their break-up at university. Yang was a goth girl and now a broadcast sweetheart. Luo, the bitter ex-boyfriend who buys her station in revenge, was a dork a la Crowd Lu and now a hunk a la, well, Luo, but with a coldness in his eyes. The ghost of his old self still lingers on, however, and the star gives a pitch-perfect performance, toggling between the two personae without a glitch. The show doesn’t seem to know what to do with him, though. It gives him flatulence gags, inserts cartoony effects all around him, and gets him to race in cars and boats against a romantic rival. TABOO: Devil Beside You made stepsiblings It is all a little adolescent, I’m afraid, and not only fall in love but jump into bed too. doesn’t do much for me.

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 37 E NTERTAINMENT By Thu Anh Viet Nam News

Viet Pop Pop singers in Viet Nam are now smarter and business savvy

v Ha Noi shop, and I fell for him immediately,” But everyone in the country soon oung Vietnamese pop says Nguyen Thi Thao, a high school knew her as the beautiful girl who al- stars are proving you student who lives in Dong Nai Prov- legedly was having a special relation- don’t have to be the Jonas ince’s Dinh Quan District. “We became ship with her much older teacher, Brothers to take a genera- his fans and now buy all his albums.” well-known musician Quoc Bao. tion by storm. Phuc is not alone. Thuy Tien, now The gossip and rumours gained her YIn fact, one hit song can propel 24, is finally tasting the delights of renown, but not the kind she wanted. many virtual unknowns to stardom. stardom after years of hard work. It was a difficult time for her. Teenage heart throb Ung Hoang Three years ago, while Tien’s col- But soon she defied the naysayers Phuc, for example, became an over- leagues like Quang Vinh were achiev- when Quoc Bao helped ensure Tien’s night sensation with the hit Nguoi Ta ing pop fame, she was an unknown rise to fame by penning the hit single Noi (Don’t Believe in Gossip), a love singer with little appeal. Giac Mo Tuyet Trang (Dreaming of song composed by writer-musician Many of her friends warned she White Snow). Ngo Quang Huy. would never make it since critics said The song turned the rural youth Now the young girls go crazy at his her voice was weak. into the pop star she had always shows. Though she worked hard every day, dreamed of being at a time when she “One day my friends and I heard a she received little attention from au- was on the verge of giving up the mu- Ung Hoang Phuc song in a CD music diences. sic business altogether.

38 • January 29-February 11, 2010 Tien’s voice, with its raw, powerful Dan Truong, who changed the style, it quality, helped the song become popular. became a hit. Thousands of new fans, mostly Truong’s fame helped, but the new teenagers, loved Giac Mo Tuyet Trang, style also appealed to listeners. and made it one of the biggest hit With singers rocketing to fame from songs of 2007. HCM City fans wrote one hit song, some young singers are to music magazines, radio and TV sta- learning that it can be profitable to tions about Tien and her hit single. pay a composer copyright fees to per- The song was also selected as part of form their songs exclusively. the soundtrack of Tuyet Nhiet Doi Singer Khanh Ngoc’s manager, (Tropical Snow), the 30 part-series, Nhac Xanh Studio, signed a copyright aired on HTV9 and produced by M&T deal with partner, well-known com- Picture, one of the city’s leading film poser Nguyen Van Chung, to have the producers. exclusive use of Ngoc’s latest song “We’re tired of hearing young sing- Vang Trang Khoc (Crying Moon). ers who’re paid to cry for love,” one fan Thanks to the deal, Ngoc faced little wrote in a music forum. “With Giac competition when her song was voted Mo Tuyet Trang, Thuy Tien tells a by listeners of HCM City’s radio FM love story with pure images and a hap- station Wave as the top single of 2008. py end. The singer and her song have That success brought her big con- become a phenomenon in the local tracts in advertising spots and per- music scene.” formances with leading entertain- Other singers have followed in her ment organisers. footsteps. Younger than Tien, singer Many of these artists are undenia- Khanh Phuong recently became a new bly talented singers, and it must be idol after performing Nguyen Van acknowledged that the creative efforts Chung’s Chiec Khan Gio Am (Warm of composers and singers have done Scarf). much to help transform the local mu- But with such a fickle market, it is sic scene. difficult to discern whether people like Their hits, along with quality re- a song because of its singer’s fame, lyr- cordings, have fostered the develop- ics or melody. ment of Viet Nam’s music and CD in- Many people disliked the song Noi Toi dustry. However, music critics warn (My Paternal Grandmother), written by against producing the same old in- veteran songwriter-singer Dinh Van. stant hits. Thuy Tien But when it was sung by pop star “Young singers must be encouraged to perform songs with high artistic value. It’s wrong to think you can be the best singer with only a ballad,” said composer-music critic Pham Dang Khuong. Nguyen Van Chung, who composed the top hit Crying Moon, said he would not sell exclusive rights to his songs to only one singer. “Music is a creative art. By singing, per- formers can help fans feel the song in differ- Ung Hoang Phuc (L) ent ways. I think that’s great,” he said.

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 39 E NTERTAINMENT By Devraj Singh Kalsi The Statesman The Son Also Rises Every father expects his son to be more successful, more famous, more powerful. Celebrities are no exception

v Kolkata n the Hindi film world, there have been several instances of star sons disappointing their dads. There have also been sons who somehow managed to reachI the level of success attained by their parents. Real showstoppers have been some Hrithik Roshan sons who achieved what their dads couldn’t garner in a lifetime—be it notch film directors like Subhash moolah, fan-following or simply Ghai and Ram Gopal Verma roped awards—as they had grown up in an him in for projects like Kisna, Com- environment where success was elu- pany, Dum. It couldn’t have possibly sive and therefore the passionate, al- gotten better than this for a rank most obsessive, drive to outshine and newcomer who did not have a power- outsmart kept them focused on clay- ful lineage or cognomen to boast of or ing up a bright future. bank on. Shaad Ali’s Saathiya oppo- With a rich, baritone voice, one ex- site Rani Mukherjee became a runa- pected swashbuckling Indian actor way hit and the parvenu was pro- Suresh Oberoi to carve a niche for pelled into the big league of star sons. himself. Unable to sustain himself as Dizzy with success, he considered a lead actor, he managed to survive in himself the most eligible bachelor in the industry by accepting small sup- town who had beauty queens turned porting, stereotypical roles that did heroines drooling over him. He was not quite give him the latitude to engaged in wooing one such leading showcase his potential. starlet and his focus shifted from the The rise of the next generation professional field to winning the lady was all set to turn the tide and trans- love first. late his unfulfilled dreams of being a It grew into a sort of obsession and matinee idol into eagerly anticipated he started taking his fledgling career P reality. a little too easily with the inevitable

by AF Suresh’s son Vivek Oberoi, an ar- result that producers started looking Shahid Kapoor

otos riviste with a no-nonsense attitude, for substitutes when his films did not h P made a splash in the industry as top- set the box office on fire.

40 • January 29-February 11, 2010 served more what actually came his rather than his acting abilities. His way. An actor par excellence, he films did not get massive openings proved himself aeons ago with Tapan yet he continued to get work. His Sinha’s Ek Doctor ki Maut. brother was a more successful per- His recent films like Bhavna Tal- sonality as a music director and he, war’s Dharm, Raj Kumar Santoshi’s too, tasted success as a film director Halla Bol, Vishal Bharadwaj’s Maq- with Khudgarz. Yes, we are talking of bool and The Blue Umbrella reaffirm the Roshan clan. that he is an under-rated, under-uti- Hrithik Roshan—with a sculpted lised actor who should not be belit- torso and Adonis looks—created box tled on the basis of sitcoms like Office office history not seen since the heady Office or Zabaan Sambhalke. He has days of Amitabh Bachchan. Rakesh great comic timing as seen in Kundan Roshan launched him in Kaho na... Shah’s Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. Pyaar Hai. The film ran very success- His son Shahid Kapoor has given fully and went on to win almost every him reasons to cheer and thump his award. Hrithik Roshan was not ready back by achieving a lot so early in his to be dismissed as a star son who per- career. Trendy, teenybopper flicks like formed only when his father wielded Dil Maange More, Ishq Vishq made the microphone. There was no dearth him a cool favourite with the school of offers after the initial brush with and college-going crowds. Rajshri success. He went on to work with re- banner family drama, Vivah was a puted directors like Vidhu Chopra in moderate success, which made him a Mission Kashmir and Subhash Ghai household name. in Yaadein. Like Vivek, he began an affair to He became meticulous and choosy remember with another Kapoor girl. with the scripts and cut down on the When they broke off, Shahid’s legions projects he embarked on in order to of fans and admirers, especially give his hundred per cent instead of Vivek Oberoi young girls, were relieved that he had cashing on the hysterical craze and left his past behind. fizzling out in a few years. It’s been a Mismanaging his career and taking This personal setback, for a change, decade since he hit the marquee, and himself very seriously as a star cost was not allowed to bear any negative he has already stabilised his career him dearly. Bad press and PR machin- impact on the professional front and with clearly set goals. ery made matters worse as he could he did not go overboard with allega- Jodhaa Akbar and Krish have been not prioritise issues and wanted every- tions like how he was jilted or exploit- other landmark films and his forth- thing a tad too fast. His success was ed. He maintained a stoic silence by coming venture, Kites, currently do- short-lived though he can claim that not trading attacks or launching a ing the festival rounds, is tipped to he dazzled like a meteor and made his slanderous blame-game to tarnish make him the Brad Pitt of India. As a father proud of achieving so much in the image of his ex-beau. He was able top bracket star, having several na- such a short span of time. to channel all that was probably neg- tional and international brands to Shootout at Lokhandwala, a multi- ative into positivity by concentrating endorse, with a tremendous fan-fol- starrer, did help Vivek in breaking the more on his work. lowing among the youth, he has de- jinx, in regaining some of the lost This helped him to emerge as a ma- livered octane performances as well ground but he is still widely known as ture actor in Jab We Met and Ka- as maintained a lean, muscular look one actor who messed up his personal miney though his career graph also that suggests he is going to stay at the life and ruined his career, unable to has dampeners like Kismat Connec- top for decades to come. keep these two poles apart. He erred tion to be ashamed of. In this very first decade of the ca- by thinking that he had already built a Surpassing all expectations arrived reer they have washed away the stig- huge cult following that would not a Greek God who was glorified by ma attached to their fathers, and giv- desert him irrespective of whatever he various sections of the media. His fa- en them reason to celebrate this did—good, bad—in reel or real life. ther had acted in many light-hearted hard-earned success. Certainly it’s no Pankaj Kapoor cannot be dubbed comedies like Khatta Meetha, Kaam- longer about being successful. It’s an unsuccessful actor but if one ap- chor, Hamari Bahu Alka, Jhoothi. more about staying successful and plies the parameters of commercial But he did not click as a hero though managing to wear the crown of suc- success then it can be said that he de- many blame it on his moustache cess lightly.

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 41 PEOPLE By Rupak D Sharma Asia News Network

The Ambassador Of Indian Food Vinder Balbir Thakral, aka Mrs Balbir, has overcome all the traumas in her life to become one of the

best Indian cuisine THE LADY: Vinder Balbir Thakral, the owner of Mrs Balbir restaurant in chefs in Thailand Thailand.

v Bangkok tainly, the quality of food matters the ing of more than 5,000 loyal custom- n a recent Saturday most but you also need to learn how ers, and north Indian cuisines, such morning, Vinder Balbir to frame your life around entertain- as butter chicken masala, tandoori Thakral got off the mo- ing guests till the end of the day. Fail- (clay oven) items, thalis and even t o r c y c l e t a x i a n d ing to do so may translate into losing masala milk tea, made in her kitchen rushed into her restau- customers’ support. are considered as among the best in rantO in Bangkok’s tourist hub of Nana “It’s a tough work, you know, and Thailand. apologising. you need lots of patience,” said But like in the case of many suc- “I’m so sorry, I completely forgot Vinder, a Malaysian who has been cessful entrepreneurs, her journey to about the appointment,” the moder- living in Thailand for more than 30 the top has not been an easy one. ately built 53-year-old said smiling in years now. “When we first opened up, Indian the most engaging fashion. Born Harvinder Kaur, Vinder’s life food was not popular in Thailand,” She was supposed to appear for has revolved around her restaurant – Vinder said. “Thais hated the smell of this interview at 11am but by the time Mrs Balbir—for almost three decades the spices that we used.” she had reached the restaurant it was now. To her this is home and school. It The only people who used to visit almost 11:30. is a place where she learnt how to cook her restaurant were expatriates and

l “You know, we had a party last Indian food. This is a place where her “very few Thais mostly educated in night. Then some of my friends toddler turned into a man and her love England”. “Although there were akra suggested we go and watch this and respect for her husband grew even many Indians living around in Bang- Th ir movie Avatar. So I went to bed stronger. And it is also the place where kok at that time they lived a very fru- lb quite late,” the owner of one of the she transformed herself from an ‘igno- gal life and the culture of eating out Ba most famous and oldest Indian rant girl’ in the restaurant sector to a was not there,” she said. inder restaurants in the Thai capital said, ‘star-like figure’, who now goes There were times when she thought V

of explaining the delay. around advising people how to create she had made a wrong decision by y Running a restaurant can take a menus and run businesses. opening up an Indian cuisine restau- rtes toll on personal life, especially if it is Looking back Vinder feels content- rant in a country where Indian dishes u o

C in cases like that of Vinder’s where ed, as the time and efforts she has put were abhorred. “In such times, I just people she knows on a personal basis into her venture has paid off. Today, wanted to close down for good and otos h

P form the core of her clientele. Cer- she proudly claims she has a follow- look for alternatives,” she said.

42 • January 29-February 11, 2010 Mrs Balbir, an Indian cuisine restaurant located in Sukumvit Soi 11/1 in Bangkok, Thailand.

But Vinder had an ob- (US$1.5 according to sessive zeal, like that of a current exchange rate) crusader, which provided an hour to making piz- her the fodder to fight. zas at home, which her Nonetheless, her reso- husband used to deliver luteness was always chal- to homes on his motor- lenged and life didn’t cycle—until they opened stop testing her. She felt their own restaurant this when her 11-year-old which bears her hus- daughter who was suffer- band’s name, Balbir. ing from kidney disease “One thing that I’ve died after three months learnt from life is that in coma. it does not matter what “That was the lowest has happened to you. moment in my life,” she What matters is how said. “Having spent al- you come out of it. That most all of our money on makes you a champi- her treatment, I had on,” said Vinder, who nothing left to give to my is a vegetarian and staff, and payments of likes to meditate and utility bills and rents p e r f o r m y o g a . A n d were pending.” considering how she Vinder was now left THE TEACHER: Vinder conducts cooking class. has emerged unscathed with no other choice than from life’s bullying, she closing down the restaurant. And she Malacca—by her grandfather and is a champion. did. uncles, who were her only guardians. Today she not only handles her res- “I felt as if life had closed all its “I lived an awful life there,” Vinder taurant but creates her own food rec- doors on me,” she said. But instead of said. “The nuns were very cold and ipe, designs menu for restaurants and asking why the doors were closed she strict and we were allowed to go hotels and travels around the world asked what she could do to reopen home only once a year.” But she ac- as a visiting Indian chef. She also has them. And within a month she sprung knowledged it was at this school in a cooking studio where she or chefs back into action and managed to ar- Malacca where she was first intro- invited from hotels around the world range some loans to reopen the res- duced to the art of cooking – begin- conduct cooking classes not only on taurant. Her staff members were sup- ning with pastries and pizza. Indian dishes but Moroccan, Brazil- portive as well, which made things a After she graduated from high ian and Italian dishes. On top of that lot easier for her. This was a new be- school, her grandfather sent her off to she also provides consultancy service ginning for her and since then she Bangkok to get married. She was only to Thai Airways on in-flight catering, has never had those impulse of 17 then but there was no way she particularly on Indian dishes. switching profession. could disobey her grandfather since Vinder also wears the hat of televi- “By then I had learnt how to over- shooing off the girls from the homes sion hostess and she successfully ran come all my fear. I knew I had to face at an early age was a very common her own cooking show Bangkok Spice the devil to solve problems rather practice among Indian families in with Mrs Balbir for 16 years on Chan- than run away from it,” she said in a those days. nel 21. She also had a stint on Star resolute voice. Her husband, Balbir Thakral, who Plus’ Travel Asia show. It so happens that for most of her life, was around 26 then, was “doing odd “Now, I’m planning to write a cook what Vinder knew best were fear and a jobs to make ends meet”. Though she book with my life story in it,” Vinder, feeling of devils pounding on her. fell in love with him in their first who likes to travel and read lots of Born in Kuala Lumpur to parents meeting, he didn’t have a career then. self-improvement books, said. of Indian origin, Vinder had lost both “In fact, he had nothing—not even a What about retirement plans? her parents during the 1969 racial ri- bank account,” said Vinder chuckling “I don’t believe in the word called ots in Malaysia, which took lives of like a teenager. retirement,” she said. “I believe in 196 people. As an orphan, she was But together they did everything to growing and moving on even if you then sent to Catholic boarding keep the household running—from are 60, 70 or 80. Because the day you schools—first in Pahang and later in teaching English to Thais for 50 baht stop, you die.”

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 43 TRAVEL BITES By Jofelle P Tesorio Asia News Network

1 2 Where Do You Wanna Go? Definitely Asia. As more airlines offer diverse destinations at competitive prices, heading to Asian cities is becoming the norm among travellers

v Bangkok ardo di Caprio’s character in the your 30 minutes is up or the boat will he allure of the region is movie The Beach, but Krabi has its leave you floating on the Andaman sea. undeniably apparent when own charm. Although a bit pricey Krabi has direct flights to Bangkok travel sites and magazines compared to Pattaya or Phuket, Kra- and other Thai provinces. It also has recommend best cities. bi has not yet reached a point where regular bus trips to many destinations. Early this year, Conde Nast you hate being in the beach because If you don’t mind an overnight bus ride magazineT listed Ubud, an art and cul- everyone is there just like in Pattaya then taking the land route can be pret- ture enclave in Indonesia’s Bali is- or Phuket’s Patong Beach. Here, se- ty exciting and it costs just a third of a land, as its top Asian city ahead of clusion and relaxation are almost plane ticket. There are first-class tour- Bangkok and Hong Kong. synonymous. ist buses with reclining seats and toi- But if you check most of the travel The better part of Krabi town is Ao lets on board. They also stop at restau- lists, Bangkok always figures for first- Nang because it is closer to every- rants where dinner is usually part of timers in the region because of its ce- thing—24/7 shops, massage centres, the package. mented reputation—shopping, food, bars, restaurants, travel agencies and When it comes to availability and night life, temples, souvenirs—every- of course, hotels. Here, you can easily ease of transportation, be it land, air thing is value for money. get a day tour to the islands with differ- or sea, Thailand is way ahead of its After a much needed, over-extend- ent itineraries to choose from. Get an neighbours. That is why Cambodia ed stopover in Bangkok, it’s time to island package tour with less people on and Viet Nam have imitated the way head south where the sun and white the boat. Make sure the itinerary this Mekong country manages tour- sand beaches collide. South means doesn’t cramp all islands in one day. ism. Although taking tourist buses Phuket or Krabi. If time permits, see- It’s a waste of time taking just snaps of are a bit cheaper in Cambodia or Viet E TESORIO/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

LL ing both places is worth it but if you photos of these beautiful islands with- Nam, the ease of travel is different.

JOFE get to choose only one, Krabi is a out actually enjoying them. It means For example, if you come from Siha-

BY notch higher. enough time to bathe in the sun or ap- noukville, a long stretch of beaches in It is not only famous for Maya, a preciate colourful fishes and corals the Gulf of Thailand by the Cambo- OTOS

PH secluded island discovered by Leon- without having to rush back because dian side, to the Thai border of Hat

44 • January 29-February 11, 2010 3 4

1 & 2 Krabi, Thailand 3 Angkor Wat, Cambodia 4 Phuket, Thailand

Lek, you can take a tourist bus for just You always have to exercise caution. The cheaper way is by land from US$25 compared to $30 in Thailand By the way, Sihanoukville is not a Bangkok. There are travel agencies for the same distance. It includes pick- bad place to stay. It has white sand offering package tours or bus trips to up from hotel and a fast-lane treat- beaches, crystal clear waters and Siam Reap. But another word of cau- ment at the border control. cheap hotels and cottages. Fresh sea- tion: beware of scams. Make sure At the border, passengers have to foods also abound here. A seafood that the bus arrives at the border dur- transfer to a small van depending on platter only costs $3 while a bottle of ing office hours and there won’t be the number of passengers going back beer is $1. No wonder many back- unnecessary stopovers in the middle to Bangkok, Pattaya or Phuket. This packers find this a paradise, extend of nowhere. is where scams happen. The guide their stay and attempt to set-up their Other neighbouring countries such from the Cambodian side would al- own restaurant business. Some suc- as Laos, Viet Nam, Malaysia and even ways check passengers’ tickets before ceed but majority fail, packing their China (Yunnan) are reachable and af- the Thai-registered van leaves. If bags after reality sinks in. Setting up fordable if you start with Thailand. you’re the unlucky one who happens a business in a foreign country doesn’t Those who have at least a month to to misplace or lose the bus ticket is- happen with just a whim. spend in the region take the slow sued at Sihanoukville, you have to Many don’t know that the beach route by taking trains, buses and pay the entire $25 even if your travel town Sihanoukville exists because boats. Others with limited time take buddy or the rest of the passengers Cambodia is better known for Angkor Thai Airways or other budget air- vouched that you were with them at Wat. Two-thirds of the country’s tour- lines. Thailand’s flag-carrier has im- the start of the trip. It is plain scam ists come to Siam Reap to see one of peccable in-flight service and its do- because the Cambodian guide doesn’t Asia’s oldest civilisation. mestic tickets are reasonable. issue a new ticket or even listen to The easiest way to go to Siam Reap The next time you fly to Asia, it’s reasons or common logic. is via an hour flight on Bangkok Air- also worthwhile to visit not-so-popu- Different scams to trick tourists also ways. It seems like a domestic flight lar or even unheard of destinations happen in Thailand but these are more but its costs a fortune because of the and you will be surprised that there is prevalent in Cambodia and Viet Nam. airline’s monopoly in the destination. more to sun and beaches.

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 45 TRAVEL By Rose Yasmin Karim The Star

proper training or equipment and diving in spite of medical illnesses. “Good scuba divers don’t dive beyond the limits of what their training has taught them. They regularly prac- tise and improve upon scuba diving skills. They also stay in shape to avoid accidents caused by being unable to swim for an extended period. Finally, they always plan their trips in safe locations and keep an eye on weather reports in order to avoid storms or choppy water,” says Lee Boon Leong, 34 of Dolphin Sport Adventure (www. dolphinsportadventure.com).” Pre-dive precautions One of the best things you can do is to get in shape. “Scuba diving equipment is heavy, especially if you have it on out of water. Although water takes the weight, scuba diving still requires a strong body to cope with the waves and current,” says Jessica Tan, 30 of Ocean Scuba Do’s And Don’ts Runner (www.oceanrunner.my), a one-stop scuba centre. Some countries require a doctor’s It is the smart diver who knows himself best. medical before you’re allowed to start Precautions are always adviced to ensure the diving course but most rely on a self-certification principle whereby maximum safely under the sea you can simply sign it yourself if you don’t have any of the conditions listed on the form. v Kuala Lumpur adjust it to settle nicely on your face. “Some medical conditions are seri- ou’ve survived the con- Rolling back off the edge of the boat, ous enough to disqualify a person fined water shame, per- you plunge into the belly of the sea, from scuba diving, like respiratory fected the art of clearing raring to go. problems, coronary disease, epilepsy water from your mask by But remember this: there is no and asthma. Don’t dive if you have a snorting through your guarantee that you will return safely cold, allergy or any other kind of Ynostrils, mastered the underwater to the water’s surface. medical condition that affects your signs and packed your head with life- Divers Alert Network (www.diver- breathing, says Dr Muhd Yusof Abu saving acronyms such as BCD (buoy- salertnetwork.org), a US non-profit Bakar, a dive physician from Malay- ancy control device), scuba diving and dive sia’s Institute of Underwater and Hy- AAS (alternative air safety association, re- perbaric Medicine. source) and BWRAF ported 138 diving deaths (buoyancy, weights, re- worldwide in 2006, with In the deep end leases, air, final check— the recorded incidents It’s important to remember that the Padi buddy gear mostly self-inflicted due scuba diving isn’t a solo sport. checks), and now you’re to recklessness or igno- “The most enjoyable dives are some- ready for the real thing. rance—diving deeper or times when you have a good buddy The sun is shining on longer than called for, who shares with you the sights he your spanking new fins entering overhead envi- comes across and paces well with you as you rinse the tooth- ronments (like wrecks throughout the dive,” says Ujang, 43, paste off your mask and and caves) without an Ocean Runner Padi instructor.

46 • January 29-February 11, 2010 This relaxing activity, however, can A number of scuba diving mishaps go up a few feet to reduce the pres- turn stressful if you have to chase a are also a result of nitrogen narcosis, sure, then try clearing them again un- pair of fins disappearing into the blue. a condition that produces a state sim- til you have cleared your ears success- “Your dive buddy should always be ilar to alcohol intoxication when div- fully, rinse and repeat. If it’s not within arm’s length on the same ing at depths beyond 30m. working, abort the dive. Or you risk a depth to allow the two of you to share Alcohol and diving is a complete permanent ear injury,” says Lee. air while you surface. Don’t be tempt- cocktail for disaster. Then there are threats from some ed to swim off on your own when you “Don’t drink and dive,” Yusof cau- species of fish and coral that while spot something interesting. Point it tions. “Drinking can also cause you to extremely attractive can also be ex- out to your guide and dive buddy and dehydrate quickly and make nitrogen tremely dangerous. head towards it together. narcosis more likely.” Many coral and marine animals “If you do lose each other underwa- Dehydration, he states, can also be pack a nasty sting to the unwary diver ter, look around for no more than one a serious problem. “Breathing the dry who accidentally bump into them or to two minutes. If you still cannot air of scuba tanks, combined with ex- try to handle them. find your buddy, slowly ascend to the ertion and warm-climate exposure, “Fold your arms loosely up by the surface where they should have done chest to stop them from flapping the same.” around. Perfect your buoyancy so you can hover over delicate reefs. Try not The bad boys of diving to move at a pace, which makes you As you ascend you are ridding your out of breath. When your heart is body of nitrogen in the tissues and drumming, you’ll start to suck air bloodstream. If you rise too quickly, the greedily. After all, the slower you go, nitrogen doesn’t get enough time to the more you’ll see,” says Ujang. work its way out and you risk decom- Having some knowledge of the ma- pression sickness (DCS) or the bends. rine life, he adds, can also make the “DCS gets a lot of bad rep, but the diver aware of animals which may be- good news is that it is well under- come aggressive when approached. stood, and can be easily prevented by following dive tables and computers, Diving for women properly ascending at a slow rate, and One area of concern for women is performing the standard safety stop,” diving during their menstrual cycle. says Yusof. “Obviously, any woman who suf- “There are many factors that con- fers severe menstrual cramps, head- tribute to DCS, including dehydra- aches or other symptoms related to tion, fitness level, amount of sleep, her period should refrain from diving alcohol, drugs and stress. The bends until fully recovered.” can result in symptoms ranging from Also keep in mind—while you can a mild skin rash and, in severe cases, scuba dive right after flying, you can’t neurological and cardiovascular tends to dry out the body, which fly too soon after scuba diving. damage. If you begin to exhibit symp- makes you tire easy, so drink plenty of “Due to the excess nitrogen in your toms of DCS, you should take it seri- water,” he says. system, it’s important not to fly until ously and seek treatment right away,” But the most common injury from at least 24 hours after your last dive,” he explains. scuba diving, he says, is ear barotrau- says Yusof, who doesn’t see the ap- Along with the bends, arterial gas ma when a diver has problems equal- peal of scuba diving. embolism (AGE) is another danger- ising. “The pain in your ears when “If I wanted to see fishes, I’d visit ous condition to affect a diver. you descend is an indication that this aquarium displays,” he laughs. “AGE is a blockage of an artery. could be happening.” Before going airborne, you’ll want Usually, this occurs when a diver Equalising problems, Lee points to schedule a day off at the end of the holds his breath while ascending out, are not all that uncommon and dive for lounging on the beach and (the number one rule in scuba div- there are some things you can do to trading stories about who saw the ing is to breathe normally at all help you descend safely. biggest what. times). This causes air inside the “Begin equalising as soon as your Better still, discuss how the dive lungs to expand when the pressure head is submerged underwater and went and ask yourself what can be drops and can lead to serious dam- continue equalising every few feet. If done better next time to ensure maxi- age to the lungs,” he says. your ears are not clearing properly, mum fun and safety.

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 47 EXPLORE TAIWAN Tricia Chen The China Post

In Penghu Waters

v Baisha tween April and August), Penghu Taiwan is surrounded eing an island enveloped possesses much more to entice visi- by large bodies of in large bodies of water, tors any time of the year. Taiwan naturally comes The first must-visit site in town, water and offers a with a culture that fea- the Penghu Aquarium, proves the tures aspects related to point. culture that features Bthe sea, such as ocean life, beach cul- Set up by the Fisheries Research In- ocean life, beaches ture or even bridge building. stitute, Penghu Aquarium was opened A 50-minute flight from Taipei to the public in 1997, occupying an and bridges brings you to the Baisha Township, area of 2.5 hectares. The area of the situated on the northern part of the neat two-storey building adds up to main, most populated Penghu Island approximately 4,600 square metres, called Makong. The town is home to and can admit up to 500 people. the aquatic-heavy side of The aquarium is divided up into Taiwanese culture. three exhibition zones, each with a The name of the town- theme in the order of seashore, coral ship, Baisha, means “white reefs, and the ocean—leading visitors sand” in Chinese and de- from the shallow to the deep. rives from the white beaches All aquatic creatures in the aquari- running several kilometres um originated from the waters in an along that part of the is- 800-kilometre radius from Baisha

Post land’s north and east coast. town, which includes the Taiwan Offshore from Baisha Strait and South China Sea, reflecting ina

Ch Township is Little Baisha Is- the varied marine world of the Peng- e land, where extensive coral hu region. y/Th e reefs can be found. It’s fa- Not far past the entrance of the pl o mous as a paradise for sun- aquarium brings visitors to the T bathing, swimming and snorkeling. Reef Tank, where three green sea ames Even though many people mainly turtles swim and swirl in circles,

by J visit the area for its beautiful, soft not far removed from the old sea white sand and bright sunny weather turtles that appeared onscreen in otos h

P (the tourist season tends to be be- Pixar’s Finding Nemo. I never got

48 • January 29-February 11, 2010 tired of watching them. lights on the bridge twinkle, you see Note: Feeding is strictly prohibited from a distance a sea of shining stars. (even if you sincerely believe they’re Note: It gets very windy here at asking for food). night (even in summer), so make sure Several cases display different live you bring a light jacket! corals up close, fascinating visitors The next stop is back on Penghu with the wide range of life in the wa- land in an old village of Baisha ters surrounding Penghu Islands. Township. My favourite part of the delightful aquarium is the transparent semicir- Not a forest, but a tree cular underwater tunnel that has a Tongliang Village, situated south 2.8-metre diameter and is 14 metres of town, is a 5-minute drive from the long. Built under the big Ocean Tank, Great Bridge. The village is a popular the tunnel provides visitors with a destination because of Bao An Tem- 180-degree view. It puts forward a ple, but even more so because of the convincing impression of floating 300-plus-year-old Great Banyan lo- through water alongside the under- (US$6) for adults, NT$150 cated in front of the temple. water creatures—I jumped when a (US$4.70) for students, and free for The Great Banyan’s 90- something guitarfish swam by. children under 110cm tall. aerial roots have, over time, penetrat- Other local animals living in the After seeing what’s underwater, ed the ground and grown into many Ocean Tank include salt-water fish let’s go take a look at what’s on top. trunks, covering approximately 660 and some shark species. Feeding square metres of the area—visitors shows take place in the big fish tank A never-ending bridge? often mistaken the place as a minia- and are available for public viewing Over the water, connecting the is- ture forest with dozens of trees. twice a day, at 11am and 3pm. lands of Baisha and Siyu is Penghu’s Standing in the garden, I felt like I Note: Feeding session times are Cross-Sea Bridge, also known as the was under a massive green umbrella, subject to change, depending on the Trans-Oceanic Bridge. Locals have keeping me in the shade and away season and water temperature. often referred to it as ‘the Great from the strong wind. Once through the glass tunnel, visi- Bridge’ as well, for its magnificent This giant tree is the largest and tors arrive at a corner of the aquari- combination of form and func- oldest in Penghu County. Lo- um with long benches facing the oth- tion. cals apparently began to er side of the Ocean Tank. It is Not only does the respect the temple a lot perhaps the most calming spot of the bridge make one of the more because they be- building where you can sit back and prettiest Penghu Is- lieved the gods made embrace the underwater beauty. lands accessible, the the Banyan strong, Rare ocean creatures and a discus- 2.5-km long span is healthy and long sion of marine issues, such as fre- also, impressively, lasting. The mag- quent sea fishing and ocean ecology, one of the longest nificent tree adds are displayed on the second floor. A trans-ocean bridges value to Penghu touch pool, designed for children, al- in East Asia. County, making it lows visitors to feel some sea crea- The bridge crosses another good reason tures, such as the cute starfish. H o u m e n C h a n n e l , to visit Baisha. The open space outside the build- which the locals consider ing is creatively designed with beauti- dangerous due to its depth and ful gardens and gigantic eye-catching rapid tides; many ships were wrecked statues of various sea animals, in- here before the bridge was built. Getting there cluding a huge shark’s jaw and amia- At the entrance of the bridge sits a ble-looking dolphins. A kid’s play- graceful arch that has long held sym- By air: Flights are available from Taipei, ground lightens up the atmosphere bolic meaning. Whilst travelling on Taichung, Tainan, Chiayi and Kaohsiung. A while a few big sculptures of lobsters the bridge, I was overwhelmed by the return ticket for the 50-minute journey is and crabs animate the parking lot. amazing ocean view on both sides. approximately NT$3,200 (US$100) per person from Taipei. Even though the aquarium is not Locals said the most romantic sun- the biggest in the country, the assort- set views are often being captured By sea: Four-hour ship rides are ment of marine life there makes up here; the view of a golden yellow sky available from Chiayi and Kaohsiung. A for its small size. merging with a dark blue sea is aston- return journey costs about NT$1,500 The aquarium is open from 9am to ishing. (US$47) from Kaohsiung. 5pm daily. Admission is NT$200 In the evenings, when the caution

January 29-February 11, 2010 • 49 DATEBOOK

SINGAPORE CHINESE Into its 24th year since 1987, River Hongbao has been NEW Singapore’s annual signature event to usher in the CNY. Visitors can look forward to YEAR majestic, large-scale displays therwise known of popular Chinese mythical as the Spring characters such as the Festival or Lunar God-of-Fortune, 12 Chinese O zodiac animals and many New Year, this is the most important of the other lighting installations traditional Chinese which would provide numerous holidays. photo opportunities. All these The festival tradition- against the specular Marina ally begins on the first Bayfront view with firing of day of the first month in firecrackers and fireworks, a the Chinese calendar and visit to the River Hongbao will ends on the 15th. be a trip to be remembered. Outside China, Hong Kong, Macau and When: February 12-20 Taiwan, CNY is also Where: Marina Bay Floating celebrated in countries Stage with significant Han Info: www.riverhongbao.sg Chinese populations, such as Singapore, Indonesia, Laos, Malay- sia, the Philippines, and Thailand. PENANG The main celebrations centre on the first two days of the festival. In Malaysia, Penang is the BEIJING/ SHANGHAI place to celebrate CNY. With There’s a plethora of the oldest Chinese commu- lantern shows, dragon nity in the country, the dances, outdoor bazaars and celebrations here are spectacular incessant everything you’d expect, with firework displays. The best Hong Kong Kung Hei Fat Choy and other Chinese dragon displays and way to enjoy the festivities is The New Year Night Parade warm wishes reverberate plenty of firecrackers. to head to a miaohui (temple hits Tsim Sha Tsui East on the through the streets. Spectacles such as the fair) for all manner of Kowloon peninsula with a The next day, glittering lion dance, are also featured. entertainment, from folk cavalcade of colourful floats, fireworks over Victoria Two light-footed dancers, dances and martial arts dragon dancers and perform- Harbour welcome the new wearing lion outfits and performances to historical ers from all over the world. year. There are also amazing painted red masks with re-enactments. There’s great On Chinese New Year’s Day flower displays all over the clackety-clack jaws, take to food on offer with the typical the decorated floats, perform- city at this time. Don’t miss the streets mesmerising jiaozi (dumplings that ers, street entertainers, music the vivid Flower Markets in passers-by with their nimble represent good fortune in the and dance make their way Victoria and Fa Hui parks, steps and spectacular coming year) being devoured through the Tsim Sha Tsui where kumquat trees, peach costumes. Huge sticks of at the beginning of the district, festooned in its finest blossoms and tangerine incense are burnt and two-week festivities. Crimson garb, against the striking plants fill the air with sweet firecrackers here are lanterns fill the streets for the backdrop of Victoria Harbour. scents. definitely legal! Celebrations magnificent Lantern Festival. Skyscrapers are bedecked in centre on the first two days thousands of glittering lights When: February 8-21; of the new year but parties When: February 14-28 and you’ll see a spectacular 8pm-9:30pm take place for around 15 Info: http://www1. variety of seasonal symbols Where: Tsim Sha Tsui days in total. chinaculture.org which confer good fortune and Info: www.discoverhong- happiness, while the sounds of kong.com/cny When: February 14-15

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