Sunday, December 11, 2005

Chinese Dress...旗袍 チャイナードレス


As mentioned in my very first post, i am really passionate about the Chinese dress called the QiPao or Cheongsam...It is an exquisite dress born out of a fusion of the East and the West, being at once sexy and modest. It exudes elegance and composture and eccentuates the feminity of a woman. Its defining features are a high collar covering the neck which was traditionally regarded as a sensual area of a woman which had to be covered but which also emphasizes its sexiness,fastening at the sides, as well as high slits on both sides of the legs.

The modern Chinese dress had its origins in the costume of the Qing dynasty in China and was originally a Manchurian costume, with China being ruled by the Manchus during the Qing Dynasty. With the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1911, the Chinese dress also underwent changes. Initially women did not wear the QiPao/Cheongsam and wore a 2 piece set whilst men wore a loose fitting garment similar to the Chinese dress. However, by the late 1920s women also started to wear garments similar to the QiPao/Cheongsam and by the early 1930s, especially in Shanghai, the Chinese Dress became a popular daily wear for women. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, the QiPao/Cheongsam grew in popularity as women in all walks of life adopted it as their preferred garment of choice, from teachers to politicians' wives, from film actresses to prostitutes. In the 1930s-40s the QiPao/Cheongsam was loose-fitting, had a low collar, and the hem went from mid-calf to the ankles. Frog buttons and piping at the edges were used and women alternated between collar sleeves that hung just over the shoulders to 3/4sleeves to long sleeves.

However, with the establishment of the PRC in 1949, the Chinese Dress fell out of popularity with Chinese women as it did not fall in line with the new Communist ideology which promoted utilitarianism and plainess which the Qipao/Cheongsam was in conflict with given its feminine image and excessive beauty. The Qipao/Cheongsam was worn less and less by women in Mainland China that by the 1960s, few women in China wore it at all.If there were still any Chinese dress wearers in China by the 1960s, they went virtually extinct during the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution in China which virtually banned the Chinese Dress along with scores of other traditional culture which were all deemed as 'bourgeious decadence and feudalistic'.

The Chinese Dress is making a comeback nowadays in China with it being the official costume worn by women in many official ceremonies as well as worn by many Chinese women during weddings or parties.

As for the Chinese communities outside China, such as in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, the QiPao/cheongsam had a longer lifespan. It grew much tighter and body hugging in the 1950s in line with western influences and trends of the time, and the collar gradually rose such that by the end of the 1950s, a high stiff collar became the indisputable fashion of the day. Chinese style buttons also dissapeared with fasteners replacing them and piping also gradually went out of fashion. Like in the earlier decades, a Qipao/Cheongsam was often worn with a matching jacket and high heel shoes as well as a necklace made of pearls and handbag. Movie stars of that era frequently wore it further glamourising its image and variations were made according to the status of the women such as looser plainer Chinese dresses for teachers and elite social circle wives whilst prostitutes wore tighter, high slit ones. By the end of the 1960s however, the QiPao/Cheongsam lost popularity as well in the overseas Chinese communities, as cheap western style mass produced clothing became widely available and women found the Qipao/Cheongsam unduly restrictive on their movements due to its body hugging nature.

Now, the QiPao/Cheongsam can mainly be seen in TV dramas,films as well as is worn by some politician's wives, occassionally by film actresses when attending award ceremonies, beauty pageants, as well as in a handful of schools in HK as girl's uniforms. It is also the uniform of Taiwan's China Airlines Air Hostesses.
In 2000, the film, 'In the Mood For Love' by the acclaimed director Wong Kar Wai and starring extremely well known Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung brought a new explosion of interest in the QiPao/Cheongsam given the countless number of beautifully made cheongsams adorning Maggie Cheung's body in the 1960s set film. It is hoped that one day, women, and not only Chinese women, will come to appreciate the elegance of the QiPao/Cheongsam and that there will be another boom in the QiPao/Cheongsam again.....

Friday, December 09, 2005

Singaporean Series...Portrait of a Family 同心圓

I have been watching this Singaporean serial called 'Portrait of a Family' on cable TV Astro in Malaysia recently, and really enjoy it...i find the Singaporean serials are so much better than the Chinese or Taiwanese ones (mainland Chinese serials are either boring and serious or just commercial wannabes with tons of violence and twists and Taiwanese ones have bad actors who cannot act, look ugly and storylines which are so lame) and they really seek to retain chinese culture through the emphasis in many series on food and big families....i like this drama as it is nice and revolve around food and big families just like Holland V which i enjoyed....further, this drama has tried to include several characters which are relevant to Singaporean society currently such as prostitutes from China and Vietnamese Brides which i really like.....however there seems to be some complaints by SGs that there is too much repetition of themes such as the focus on big families and food in many serials, however i really enjoy this format and also feel it represents chinese culture...which brings me to another topic on the status of culture in Singapore....although many Singaporeans criticize the SG govt for emphasizing too much on the 'mother tongue' policy, i feel it is one of the few non-democratic good policies of their govt. Basically this policy promotes and encourages the three main ethnic groups in Singapore to learn their own language which means Chinese students must compulsorily take Chinese language, Malay students Malay and Indian students Tamil in schools. Further, Mandarin for chinese is widely promoted....this is reflected in the TV dramas where though there are English language TV serials in Singapore, it is the Mandarin language TV serials which produce the big stars and which catch the attention of audiences. It is obvious that the govt has placed more money and effort into the Mandarin serials in part of its efforts to retain 'Chinese language n culture' amongst the increasingly westernised chinese population of Singapore. Thus, all actors and actresses who want to make it big like Fann Wong (the girl in Jackie Chan's Shanghai Knights) have to be able to speak Mandarin which is good in my opinion...i feel many Singaporeans, especially the younger generation, have become sooo westernised that many nowadays despite the compulsory chinese language lessons and exams they must take, still have a poor grasp of Mandarin and prefer to speak english amongst their peers. I mean if it were not for govt policy and compulsory mandarin study , can one imagine the state of Mandarin?? if younger sg;s are already not able to speak and write good Mandarin now, what would happen if the 'mother tongue' policy of compulsory mandarin were to be abolished?? There also seems to be a certain strain of racism running through a large segment of singaporean society(this is true of other Asian societies as well though like Hong Kong)that knowing English somehow elevates one into a 'higher', 'more prestigious' strata of Society whilst Mandarin-speakers are 2nd class and dialect speakers like Hokkien are 'bottom or working class' people. I strongly dislike this kind of mentality though it still seems to be true even now...Therefore i always show great respect for ppl who have a good command of Chinese as i feel sometimes too much emphasis is placed on learning English all across Asia when we should, especially in highly westernised Asian countries such as Singapore, stop to ponder what is being lost in the non-stop race towards modernity...

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Korean Wave 韓流

In recent years, Asia has seen a huge boom in Korean things from Korean TV dramas, films, music to Korean instant noodles and fashion accessories. Although i have already posted once on this 'Korean Wave' but the boom in Korean things does not show any sign of ending any time soon and indeed has notably increased in recent months. The popularity of the Korean TV Drama 'Dae Jeum Geum' 大長今 sparked a boom in Korean things in Hong Kong and China this year with the Chinese Premier even commenting on the series and another Chinese high official saying they both watch the show when they have the time which then led to a flurry of chinese media reports on this 'Korean boom' in China, given the importance attached to all comments made by senior officials in China. This led to a cover story by the widely circulated 'Ya Zhou ZhouKan/Asia Times' magazine discussing the Korean boom in Chinese speaking areas.
Further, the singer Rain has become intensely popular in HK and China, and was recently interviewed on CNN. I was at Singapore Changi airport recently when i saw that China's CCTV International which was being broadcast at the lounge area had a special report coinciding with China's Premier's visit to South Korea on the Korean Wave in China as well as the popularity of Mandarin in South Korea now. This shows the extent of the boom in China with even the State TV station acknowledging this 'Korean Wave' in China. Further, in Melbourne which is where i am now, many Korean hair salons and restaurants have opened with their clientele obviously being mainly of Chinese bckground as many Chinese, whether malaysian, mainland chinese, hkers, taiwanese or singaporean have a liking for all things korean as a result of this korean boom. Further in Penang, Malaysia, like the rest of much of Malaysia, Korean TV Dramas and movies are so popular that it is now very popular to find whole sections of VCD/DVD shops with displays stating 'Korean Movies' and both free to air and cable channels in Malaysia broadcast Korean TV dramas regularly now, currently with no less than 3 Korean dramas on air in malaysia.
The extent of the Korean boom,especially in Chinese speaking areas can also be seen from the inclusion of many korean stars in Chinese films. Three prominent examples are Jackie Chan's latest HK flick 'The Myth' whose lead actress is Korean beauty Kim Hee Sun, Tsui Hark's Seven Swords which has a Korean actress in one of the roles and Chen Kaige's coming 'Wu Ji' starring Jang Dong Gun. What is more important is not the fact that korean actors and actresses have been included in these films but the fact that they were playing Korean characters and there is even some korean dialogue in the films, moving away from previous films where korean actors played chinese characters with chinese dubbing showing that audiences now like 'koreanness' so much that korean characters have been incl. such as Kim Hee Sun playing a korean princess in Jackie Chan's film and a korean slave character in seven swords.....I hope this Korean Wave lasts unlike the Japanese wave which has lost much popularity in recent yrs......
This is an article from the Oct 2005 issue YaZhouZhouKan/Asia Times magazine regarding the Korean Wave in China:

新韓流VS反韓流文化立國風雲起 .江迅
新一波「韓流」席捲中國,中國人再次沉浸在「韓國狀態」中,《大長今》成了中南海高層話題。中國影視人士「談韓色變」,集體向韓劇「開砲」,向中央主管部門遞交內參,要求政府干預。金融風暴後韓國發現「文化立國」新動力,由文化產業刺激高科技等產業的成長,形成良性循環,彰顯韓國強大的凝聚力和對本國命運的承擔感。中國學界超越「反韓流」,重視韓國文化產業戰略的啟發。

以韓劇為主的韓國文化熱潮,隨著電視劇《大長今》的九月熱播、《我叫金三順》一書的熱賣和韓國當紅組合「東方神起」的搶灘,新一波「韓流」席捲中國,中國人又一次沉浸在韓國製造的「韓國狀態」中,連《大長今》都成了中南海高層的話題。這是一股襲向神州大地和全球的「新韓流」。和過去的「韓流」不同,今日的「新韓流」展現韓國「文化立國」的新理念,將流行文化的強勢轉化成一種軟權力,在全球發揮巨大的影響力,也在國內形成一種良性循環,由文化產業刺激高科技等其他領域的成長,改變了韓國的命運。新韓流也代表韓國走出威權社會後,歷經政爭的內耗,終於發揮自由開放的競爭力。文化創意沒有禁區,更能追溯自己的歷史。比起其他享有「民主自由」的社會,像菲律賓、台灣或南美諸國,韓國社會更有一種強大的凝聚力,對本國命運有一種承擔感,因而影視作品都對本國文化作細緻的挖掘,才創作出像《大長今》這樣的作品。這其實只是過去八年間所崛起的力量。一九九八年,韓國和一些亞洲國家一樣,痛遭金融風暴蹂躪,一片愁雲慘霧。但在苦難中韓國改變了思維方式,反而發現「文化立國」的新動力。但「新韓流」正面對「反韓流」的挑戰。中國大陸一些影視工作者掀起了一股反韓流的洶湧力量,要求政府當局干預、抵抗韓流佔領中國。九月二十八日,著名演員張國立在海南博鰲的一個會議上,對韓劇猛烈抨擊,矛頭直指風頭正勁的《大長今》。播韓劇被斥漢奸行為張國立說﹕「這是我第一次接受媒體採訪談韓劇話題。我看了一集《大長今》,看了根本沒有感動,反而十分憤怒。中國人發明的針灸,戲中竟然說是韓國人發明的。劇情有這麼大的漏洞,媒體還一片讚揚聲。我覺得,大家對國內的電視劇太苛刻,對韓劇太縱容。國內的電視劇,如果劇情節奏這麼慢,一定被罵得狗血淋頭。」張國立認為,「中國在歷史上曾被入侵過,但文化上卻從未被奴役過,如果我們的電視台、我們的媒體,整天只知道播放韓劇,這跟漢奸有什麼區別」﹖

北京當局如何對待韓流這一外來文化,面臨著兩難選擇。同時,韓國以文化立國的戰略初見成效,也引發中國大陸學界的深思。韓劇正大舉進軍中國熒屏,九月開播的《大長今》每天播出兩集,已接近尾聲。該劇是二零零五年五月由湖南衛視以千萬元人民幣的高價,買斷其在中國大陸的播映權的。根據國家廣播電影電視總局相關規定,海外劇必須在夜間十時之後播出,以免其衝擊國產連續劇。因此,《大長今》不能在黃金時段播出。據中央電視台影視部主任汪國輝說,另一部「強勢韓劇」將在歲末年初由中央電視台播出。明年央視電視劇頻道將以「海外劇場」替代現在的「佳藝劇場」,並重金獨家買斷一批韓劇的中國大陸播映權,不讓韓劇在地方頻道主導市場,對中國電視劇市場產生不小震動。全國熒屏一片韓風新韓流以咄咄逼人的氣勢蜂擁而至。北京中央電視台正在播出《加油,金順》,與湖南衛視開播的《大長今》打擂台,堅毅寡婦挑戰美麗宮女。

中央電視台電視劇頻道還在播出《青青草》。星空衛視播出大型韓國歷史劇《海神》,這是韓國國營電視台KBS今年的年度大戲,耗資高達一百五十億韓元(約合一千五百萬美元)。上海教育電視台開播《巴黎戀人》。當《大長今》啟播之際,在浙江,杭州影視頻道正購進韓劇《浪漫滿屋》,錢江都市頻道則播出韓劇《巴黎戀人》,全國多家電視台都正播出不同的韓國電視劇,全國熒屏一片韓風。不過,中國不少影視業者如今「談韓色變」。面對韓流滾滾,他們為之憂慮,甚至為之憤怒。他們認為湖南衛視和中央電視台接連買斷韓劇播映權,這不僅對全國熒屏連續劇的播出產生衝擊,而且也會對中國電視劇生產市場帶來強烈震盪。在今夏的上海電視節上,二十名著名電視製片人在「電視劇題材與市場研討會」上,集體向韓劇「開砲」,聲討韓劇席捲熒屏的現象。他們將大陸電視劇遭遇的種種問題歸咎於韓流猖獗,要求有關方面減少韓劇的播放量,要求給中國國產電視劇「留點空間」。他們認為,不加限制引進韓劇,會對中國電視劇產生嚴重負面影響,壓縮國產劇的生存空間。據悉,研討會內容已作為重要內參,送到中央主管部門。會上,北京紫禁城影業總經理張強說﹕「我看了《大長今》,不過如此。從製作水平、服裝、道具,它根本無法與我國的電視劇相提並論。很多同行都不認為它好。」 中戲影視製作中心主任閻建鋼說﹕「韓流保不了幾年,韓國沒有獨立、完整的製作公司,他們都是電視台內部製作。一部韓劇一集一般的成本要一百二十萬至二百萬元人民幣(約二十四點七萬美元),而我們只有三四十萬。我們能在製作成本相差那麼多的基礎上,拍出質量比成本高得多的片子,是韓劇能比得了的嗎﹖」著名電視劇製片人丁芯也說﹕「我們中國那麼大的電視劇市場,卻把一大塊蛋糕都給了韓劇,給我們國內電視劇就巴掌大的地方,韓劇能不火嗎﹖」使這些製片人極為不滿的是,引進韓劇的步子還在加快,他們的呼籲沒有任何效果。

日前,影視明星唐國強、劉威在成都也對韓流作出反擊。唐國強說﹕「現在國產劇的精品力作這麼多,我不明白為什麼眼下一提電視劇就只想到那幾部韓劇﹖我們國產電視劇不要老是防守,而要主動出擊,根本沒必要害怕。」劉威更口出「豪言」﹕「我們電視劇的製作水平是亞洲最高的,其他國家根本沒法跟我們比。」九洲音像傳播公司副總裁王鵬舉說,中國大陸電視劇的製作水平,在華人世界中是最高的,是華語電視市場的主流。然而,這種主導地位如今已經動搖。中國電視劇海外營銷量目前已經整體下滑百分之五十以上。導致海外市場下滑的原因有很多,來自韓劇的強有力競爭是一個方面,近年來,中國的海外市場已被韓劇擠佔了八成,東南亞市場基本上已被韓劇佔領。自一九九七年電視劇《愛情是什麼》在中央電視台播放以來,韓國影視劇在中國各地熱播,中國人第一次被韓國影視文化的力量所擊中。今年《大長今》開播後,隨著劇情的高潮疊起,收視率也逐步上升。長沙、成都、貴陽、海口、蘭州、拉薩、南昌、烏魯木齊、西寧九城市的收視率,超過百分之五,二十四個城市的收視份額突破了百分之十。

《大長今》掀起整形熱《大長今》熱播後,「女人要學大長今,男人就愛大長今」,成了中國社會的一句流行語。上海和湖南等地很多女性到醫院整形外科,要求按飾演「大長今」的李英愛的臉型做手術,各醫院整形外科和整形醫院門庭若市。此外,《大長今》的邊際效應開始擴展到人們的生活中,圖書、影碟、旅遊、飲食諸方面均出現了「長今熱」。北京韓國製造成為搶手貨。現在不少北京的家庭主婦都在跟著劇情學做韓國菜,相關的韓國用品也隨著熱賣。長春市「長今」婚紗照風靡一時。上海的韓國遊以「長今」景點為主打。出人意料的是,《大長今》也成為中南海高層的話題。據韓國《朝鮮日報》報道,九月二十三日,中國國家主席、中共總書記胡錦濤,在人民大會堂會見韓國開放國民黨黨魁文喜相時,談到《大長今》,胡錦濤說,他因為太忙,不能每集都看,真是可惜。另據悉,全國人大委員長吳邦國也在一次公開場合說,他太太喜歡看韓劇,他有時就陪著看,現在正在看的《大長今》很有意思。九月十七日,中共中央政治局常委、國家副主席曾慶紅,在國務委員陳至立和科學技術協會主席周光召陪同下,來到全國科學普及日活動北京主場地、國華北京熱電分公司廣場。在活動中,他與身邊的人也說到《大長今》。他說他太忙,只看了《大長今》的幾個片段﹔那麼多人愛看,總是有道理的,韓劇創作值得我們的文藝工作者研究。韓流帶來了經濟、文化和社會的變化。上海零點調查公司受上海文廣新聞傳媒集團東方衛視委託,於二零零五年七月對北京、上海、廣州三地九百三十八名十六至七十歲常住居民作訪問。結果顯示,隨著中韓兩國經貿合作的增加和文化交流的深化,兩國關係不斷升溫,取得了前所未有的進展,兩國人民的溝通與了解也得到了加強。調查中,百分之八十點九的受訪者表示對韓國「非常喜歡」或「比較喜歡」,百分之七十四受訪者看過韓國電影電視,百分之五十七點六受訪者聽過韓國音樂歌曲,使用韓國家用電器者比例也達到百分之四十三點四。

如何對待韓流,北京當局文化政策制定者尚沒有下重手阻擋。不過有消息說,最近正在抓緊制定《關於加強文化產品進口管理的辦法》和《文化領域引進外資意見》,將對文化產品的進口實行進一步管制。《大長今》將韓國文化在中國的影響力推上了又一個巔峰。在中國,對韓流品牌價值的評估,遠遠高於日本和美國,而在中國形成韓流的首要功臣是電視連續劇。

據韓方透露,二零零三和二零零四年,中國大陸幾十家電視台共播出韓國電影和電視劇三百五十九部。韓國遊戲已佔據中國網路遊戲市場的百分之七十五的份額。隨著「韓流」強勁的勢頭,中國觀眾和讀者對韓國文化越來越癡迷。以創作《蝴蝶飛飛》、《愛上單眼皮男生》聞名的女作家胭脂宣稱,「我是個瘋狂的韓迷,幾乎所有韓國流行影視劇我都看過」。胭脂這樣推崇韓國文化,事實上也正是「韓流」成就了今天的胭脂。胭脂說,寫作不是她的目的,她要把她所認知的韓流融入文字,打造中國韓式言情小說及偶像劇。圖書《大長今》的策劃藺瑤說﹕「中國出版界對韓國文化的關注已經到了瘋狂的地步,只要一部電視劇在韓國比較火,放映不超過十天,電視劇的圖書版權就會賣掉,買走的多數是中國人。」《大長今》借助電視劇的熱播不斷加印,首印的三萬冊早就賣光了,第二次又加印了三萬冊依舊滿足不了市場需要。胭脂憑藉幾部作品在引來不少「胭民」的同時,也遭遇了不少「板磚」。一位讀者在網絡上說﹕「觀眾喜歡韓劇和韓國小說有一定的道理,但最重要的是韓國作品中體現出來的韓國文化,別人單純的模仿很無聊。」中國社科院外國文學研究所研究人員焦艷說﹕「在商業媒體的操作下,中國讀者接觸到的只是韓國的流行文化。試問有多少人知道韓國的純文學﹖韓國的知識界如果知道中國讀者只關心這些,甚至模仿,會怎樣看待我們﹖」這再一次引發人們對韓國文化的關注——究竟要以什麼樣的態度對待「韓流」﹖金三順在中國人氣急升如今,令中國人牽腸掛肚的,不只是《大長今》中的長今,翹首以待的還有電視劇《我叫金三順》中的金三順。這部電視劇今年在韓國的收視率達百分之五十二,在中國大陸雖尚未放映,但它的同名小說中文版,八月由上海人民出版社推出,不到兩個月已狂銷五萬冊,躍居上海書城暢銷排行榜。金三順是韓國人新寵,在中國人心中也人氣急劇上升。《菊花香》、《那小子真帥》、《狼的誘惑》等韓國小說在中國暢銷,讓很多出版人艷羨不已,於是紛紛跟進。一時間,圖書市場上充斥著韓國小說,良莠不齊,真假難辨,令讀者無所適從的同時,也並未給出版社帶來期待中的經濟效益。不過,《我叫金三順》的暢銷,卻格外引人關注。據該書策劃人邵敏介紹,二零零四年五月,他們引進這本書的版權時,同名電視劇還沒投拍,這本書也只是供他們選擇的眾多韓國小說中的一本,但最後他們恰恰只選中了這一本,以較低的版稅和起印數引進了它的版權。隨著電視劇的熱播,「金三順」的知名度也越來越高,成為很多人追捧的偶像,這本小說也迅速走紅。

二十一世紀是文化的世紀,誰是文化強國,誰就是世界強國。從世界範圍看,文化產業的年增長率為百分之六,其他產業的增長為百分之三。其中韓國迅速成長成為世界公認的文化出口大國。據統計,二零零四年韓國文化產品已經在世界市場上佔百分之三點五的份額,成為世界第五大文化產業強國。一九九八年韓國提出「文化立國」的戰略口號,並將文化產業作為二十一世紀發展國家經濟的戰略性支柱產業,在短短幾年時間內,韓國文化產業實現了跨越式發展,由文化牽頭,帶動整個社會經濟全民快速發展。有學者認為,目前韓國已初步形成政府支援、企業投資、民間運作的框架。九七年起,韓國制定《創新企業培育特別法》,針對數位(數碼、數字)內容等新產業進行激勵。九九年至零一年韓國先後制定《文化產業發展五年計劃》、《文化產業前景二十一》和《文化產業發展推進計劃》,明確文化產業發展戰略和中長期發展計劃,推出一系列重大舉措,有力地推動了文化產業的發展。零一年,韓國設立文化產業振興院,致力於文化產業的發展。政府為了推動文化創意產業而設立了文化產業局,以政府的力量投入每項文化基礎設施建設,如動畫、影視產品、出版品等。九九年通過《文化產業促進法》,明確「協助文化、娛樂、內容產業」﹔另成立「文化產業基金」,提供新創文化企業貸款。文化產業局附設有十二個附屬機構,其中文化產業振興院是協助將創意文化內容衍生成文化產品的一個輔助機制。韓國政府於一九九八年在文化觀光部下面建立了文化產業局,文化觀光部制定了「培育韓流文化方案」,包括﹕在首爾建立「韓流發祥園地」﹔在北京、上海等地建設「韓流體驗館」﹔由民間專家學者組建「亞洲文化交流協會」,對出口的文化產品質量把關,防止因出口劣質產品而降低外界對韓流文化產品的信任度﹔對韓流文化盛行國家和地區的使、領館加派文化官員﹔成立「韓國文化振興院」,在韓流影響大的國家和城市設駐外辦事處﹔在韓國多個城市舉辦過多屆「韓流商品博覽會」。作為對一種風險產業的支援,韓國加大了文化產業預算﹔在投融資方面,韓國還設立了多種專項基金,扶持相關產業的發展。如文藝振興基金、文化產業振興基金、資訊化促進基金、廣播發展基金、電影振興基金、出版基金等,並運作「文化產業專門投資組合」。這是以動員社會資金為主、官民共同合作的投融資運作方式。韓國發展文化創意產業生產經營的總體戰略是,自二零零一年至二零一零年十年間,在全國建設十多個文化創意產業園區、十個傳統文化產業園區、兩個綜合文化創意產業園區,形成全國文化創意產業鏈,優化資源組合,發展集約經營,形成規模優勢,提升研發能力和文化創意產業的整體實力。文化創意產業園區建設方針一般是地方政府為主,中央支持,動員民間參與。

前不久,韓國產業政策研究院對韓流的經濟波及效果的分析報告表明,零四年由文化產品出口對韓國其他製造業、服務業的產額、附加值、創造就業崗位的間接效果達四點五萬億韓元。韓流帶動旅遊熱、帶動韓國化妝品銷售和整容業。韓流也帶動了韓國服裝和飲食業的出口。《大長今》在兩岸三地播放後,韓國膳食和醫藥產品也熱銷。在香港,人參和冬蟲夏草比以前銷量上升了一至二成。韓流影視劇還帶動了韓國家電、汽車、手機、電腦等IT產品的熱銷。中國作家協會會員、遼寧文學院合約作家張宏傑說﹕「韓流最主要的載體韓劇吸引觀眾的主要原因,是它直指人心人性,用愛情、親情、友情三大主題,演繹人生悲歡離合,故事裡透著一股向上的執著,那裡的主人公總是滿懷信心地期待明天,讓許多年輕人看了韓劇後,覺得只要透過努力,困難可以戰勝。」他認為,韓流從表面上看新潮,骨子裡卻是保守樸實的,它有著東方文化的根,浸潤著東方文化文以載道、有功於社會的人文傳統,同時又健康自然,不誇張,不矯情,不聲嘶力竭。文化自信結合西方思維張宏傑認為,韓流的成功,很大程度上是以韓民族的文化底蘊自信地與西方現代思維相撞擊的結果。正如有韓國學者認為,IT產業的成就代表韓國的實力,韓流文化則代表韓國的魅力。柔性的魅力對提升一個國家、一個民族的形象而言更為重要。浙江電台《精神家園》節目監製方雨說,目前中國業界砲轟韓劇的理由,其中一點是「市場不該把大塊蛋糕給了韓劇」。其實,韓劇播出的時段,對於很多電視台來說已是垃圾時段,或者說是雞肋。畢竟現在是市場經濟,市場是最公平不過的。浙江青研會秘書長汪慧說﹕「某些電視製片人砲轟韓流顯然缺乏底氣,文化沒有國界,市場經濟時代,不應該怪誰搶佔了自己的市場。相反,我們應該將韓劇帶來的壓力轉變為動力,克服目光短視症,把自己高質量的片子拿到國際上去展示。砲轟韓劇暴露了中國某些電視人的急躁心態,安於現狀、不思進取,同時又習慣性希望有關部門能『保護』市場,好讓他們平庸『壟斷』,這才是最可怕的。 」■

Friday, November 25, 2005

Today is my Birthday! 今天是我生日!

Today is my Birthday....22 years old....今天是我生日。。。。。22歲了。。今日はぼくの22歳の誕生日。

Friday, September 30, 2005

Lin Dai Popular HK Actress 1950-60s era 林 黛 50/60年 代 之 玉 女 明 星

Posted by: hcpen1111
Lin Dai Popular HK Actress 1950-60s era
If Ran Ling Yu is said to be the most famous and well-liked Chinese actress of the 1930s, then Lin Dai is undisputedly the most famous and well liked Chinese actress of the 1950-60s.She acted in many hit films that i still regarded as Chinese cinema's precious gems even today. She is wearing a Chinese Dress (旗袍) in the photo, still popular back then. (PLEASE SEE MY POSTS IN APRIL ON THE CHINESE DRESS) However, like many Chinese actresses of that era, she committed suicide when she was merely 30 years old ending her then booming career. Some rumours say she merely wanted to scare her womanizing husband but had taken too much pills than intended. More pics and info of Lin Dai, Le Di and You Min can be found at: http://come.to/youmin(Youmin's site which has links to the other 2 sites and all English/Chinese)for those interested in learning more about them.

Le Di Popular HK Actress 1950-60s era 樂 蒂 ‘古 典 美 人 ’

Posted by: hcpen1111
Le Di Popular HK Actress 1950-60s era
Le Di, known then as a "Classical Beauty" and became wildly popular after appearing in the mega hit film 'Liang Shan Bo Yu Zhu Ying Tai' in 1963. The film is a classical opera film based on the popular Chinese folktale of a woman who disguised herself as a man to enter into a school to study as women were not allowed to study 1000 yrs ago and how this other guy falls for her and the pair fall in love as she reveals herself to be a woman in reality but their parents forbid their love and arrange a marriage for her...the guy dies from love sickness and the weather becomes bad on her wedding day forcing her bridal carriage to pass through his grave whereby the grave opens up and she dives in dying as well...thus the lovers are reincarnated as a pair of butterflies...so nowadays, some ppl will say when they see a pair of butterflies that they maybe the lovers...Le Di like many other top Chinese actresses of that era committed suicide at a young age rumoured to be cos of relationship problems..

Yu MinPopular HK Actress 1950-60s era尤 敏

Posted by: hcpen1111
Yu Min Popular HK Actress 1950-60s era 尤 敏 香 港 50/60年 代 的 知 名 女 星
She is a popular HK actress back in the 50s and 60s and was also the first HK actress to successfully enter the Japanese market appearing in films co-produced by Japanese film company Toie.
As i am a big fan of classic chinese films as well as Cheongsams/Qi Paos (Chinese Dress), i really like her and many other Chinese actresses of that era as the Chinese dress was still popular back then and actresses often wore it in daily life or in movies..please read my post under April Archives on the Chinese Dress..

Everlasting Regret (2005)

Posted by: hcpen1111
Everlasting Regret 長 恨 歌 (2005)
Film by Renowned Director Stanley Kwan based on the well-known novel of WangAnYi tracing the life of a Shanghai girl from her glamourious days as 2nd runner-up in the Miss Shanghai Pageant and mistress of a nationalist army general in 1947 to a plain life under Communist China through the Cultural Revolution to 1981. It also deals with her relationships with the 4 men in her life. Her life is supposed to mirror the life of the city of Shanghai itself. The lead is by Cantopop singer Sammi Cheng who changes her image drastically for this film....have not watched it yet but would recommend it given its by one of my favourite directors, Stanley Kwan, who is renowned for capturing nostalgia and women's viewpoints....also THE MOST ACCURATE portrayal of the Chinese dress i've seen on film with regards to Shanghai ladies..most films make the Chinese dresses way too sexy for that era but this film has done research and being a Chinese Dress expert myself, the dress and hairstyle of Sammi in the film is accurate for 40s era..

Taiwan Pride Festival 2005 台 灣 同 志 遊 行 2005

Posted by: hcpen1111

Taiwan Pride Festival 2005
Tomorrow will be the third Taiwan Pride Parade to be held in Taiwan. As a Taiwanese, i'm extremely proud that Taiwan has finally been able to hold its own parade in recent yrs indicating Taiwanese gays/lesbians increased political awareness and strength and also increased societal tolerance. Apparently, even legislators will attend the parade and the Taipei Mayor has attended in past yrs as well showing their support for the parade thus indicating that they are confident that Taipei residents are open enough such that politicians attending such parades do not feel that by attending, they are risking in any way their political viability...

Interesting note to those not familiar with Chinese or those from Mainland China and some other places, the word 同志 TongZhi is used to refer to Gays in Taiwan and Hong Kong although its original meaning meant comrade. In Mainland China, TongZhi continues to refer to comrade and most Mainland Chinese will only think of it that way. However, TongZhi as Gay has spread amongst the gay population in China as well so now the meaning Tongzhi as Gay is used in Taiwan, HK and amongst the gay population in China...further the word 同 is used often now in gay advertisements as it means sameness and again the meaning has been changed to refer to homosexuals as gays/lesbians like the same sex....learners of Chinese are still taught that Tongzhi means comrade and so may be confused when they see it used when referring to gays so this is just a little note for them...

Also another interesting note is that on the Taiwan Pride 2005 website, they are very thoughtful and have provided some sample excuses for people to use just in case they need to provide explanations because they were exposed by the media covering the parade and came on TV news...I will provide them with translations:

若是真的有人看到了你在媒體上出現,然後怎麼賴都賴不掉,其實還有許許多多的說詞:
全世界好多地方都有,那真的很好玩耶!平常要看還要去國外,這次在台灣,你沒去看真是太可惜了! (There are so many Pride Parades all over the world, it was really fun! Normally you would have to go overseas to get this experience but this time it was in Taiwan, what a pity you didn't go!)
喔,我只是路過而已 (Oh,...I was just passing by.)
沒啦,我的高中同學是同性戀,他說他自己一個人去會害怕,叫我陪他去 (Oh, its nothing, my highschool friend is gay and he/she said that he/she was afraid to go alone and asked me to accompany so i did)

都已經什麼年代了還這麼保守,同性戀也沒什麼不好阿,去看看又不會被吃掉。 (Its already the 21st century, don't be so conservative,there is nothing wrong with being gay anyway, you won;t get eaten up just taking a look right?)
如此一來,就可以利用這些對答上的技巧,並顯現出自然的表情,別人自然就不會再懷疑了。
(Using these techniques and putting on a natural expression, people will naturally no longer suspect that you are gay)

I was laughing when i saw these excuses cos they are so hilarious and really useful too..i guess many gays and lesbians are afraid of participating precisely cos they are afraid their faces will be on TV and in Taiwan, almost everyone watches TV News (cos the News in Taiwan is extremely interesting)and so exposure to parents and relatives could be high....

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Fashion70s Korean Drama Pics

Posted by: hcpen1111
Fashion70s Korean Drama Pics
Lead Actor in K Drama Fashion 70s...please click pic for more photos.

Maggie Cheung HK Film Star Cannes Best Actress

Posted by: hcpen1111
Maggie Cheung HK Film Star Cannes Best Actress
She is my FAVOURITE HK actress, being an elegant, refined, sexy and fantastic actress with superb acting skills....films she's appeared in incl. In the Mood for Love(00), Clean(04),etc

China Actor HuBIn Homoero 2005

Posted by: hcpen1111
China Actor HuBIn Homoero 2005
This is a Photo of HuBIn, one of China's biggest actors and rumoured to be gay...one wonders why when he is willing to appear in photos like this!

Sunday, September 18, 2005

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 2005!!

Posted by: hcpen1111
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 2005!!

Bishonen (1998) Cast:Daniel Wu,Stephen Fung,Shu Qi

Posted by: hcpen1111
Bishonen (1998) Cast:Daniel Wu,Stephen Fung,Shu Qi
This is part of the continuing series on homosexuality in Asia...another introduction of an Asian movie on the topic of homosexuality....this film by Yon Fan tells the story of a closeted policeman(Daniel Wu) who seems to lead the ideal life and seems to be the perfect guy, he is handsome, filial towards his parents, believes in justice, kind hearted and a policeman with an extremely attractive best friend (Shu Qi)...however, he hides a secret...he is gay......on the other hand, a gay gigolo (Stephen Fung) leads a subhuman life earning a living through sleeping with clients, often men much older than he is and even being unable to refuse clients such as gay triad leaders who treat him like dirt....the two men meet coincidentally and become friends.....slowly, a love subtly blossoms between them although each is not brave enough to confess their feelings for the other...one day, they finally embrace each other and reveal their true feelings for each other but tragedy befalls......this is a good movie i feel and has cameos by 2 really famous old Chinese actors Jiang Zhen and Jiao Jiao, both of 1960s and 1970s era....

Saturday, September 03, 2005

HK Gay man wins HC case on HK ban on under21gaysex

Posted by: hcpen1111

HK Gay man wins High Court case repealing HK ban on under21 gay sex
This high profile case concerned a Hong Kong gay man who applied to the High Court requesting that the Hong Kong law banning sex between gay men under 21 be repealed on the grounds that it constituted discrimination against gay men and also infringed upon Human rights law and Basic law of HK that all citizens, incl gay men, were equal before the law. In HK, consenting sex between gay men is legal since 1991 but only for 21yrs and above whereas heterosexual sex (man and woman) and sex between lesbians is legal for under 21yrs old. Thus it meant that previously, only gay men were banned from having sex if they were under 21 whilst heterosexuals and lesbians could have sex even under 21. The HK High Court ruled in favour of the gay man who applied and repealed the old HK law on the grounds of discrimination especially given lesbians were not subjected to the same ban. Now, therefore, gay men in HK under 21 can also legally engage in consensual sexual intercourse. What surprised me and i'm sure many HK ppl must have been how 'normal' the gay man who sued looked. Asian society still has a stereotype that gay men look either (a)effeminate/sissy (b) thin and pale or some ppl would think if gay men did not come under the first 2 categories then they must come under either (c)fashionable looks conscious (d) wears tight clothing and works out often....but the gay man who won, as can be seen from the photo above, was in none of the categories most ppl would have of gay men and no one would probably even suspect he was gay if they knew him and he did not tell them. Further, he had a respectable occupation as a volunteer with the famous NGO Doctors without Borders Medical San Frontiers which operates in poor countries giving medical treatment to ppl.The gay community really needs public figures like him to provide a positive role model for gays and lesbians and more importantly to dispel myths about how gay men are like amongst society at large as putting a sissy like gay man as a public figure for gay rights will not attract much support from society given it reinforces negative perceptions about gay men but putting a very 'normal looking' good looking guy with a respectable occupation is bound to jolt people and gain more sympathy and understanding for gay men...

Foreign Diplomats visit Nanking Massacre Exhibit

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Foreign Diplomats visit Nanking Massacre Exhibit

S Diary One of the best Korean film in 2004

Posted by: hcpen1111
S Diary One of the best Korean film in 2004
A Fantastic film about a girl who breaks up with a boyfriend and her boyfriend says that all men including her former bfs all are after one thing only in relationships.-SEX. Thus the girl begins to look through her diary to remember her past three relationships to see if this is true. She realises she was treated badly by her former boyfriends and thus starts her revenge plot to get bck at her past boyfriends. Extremely funny film esp the bits when she is taking her revenge on her exs and the plots she comes up with...also has emotional parts and the ending is superb as it does not end without a twist with her realising that often no one is fully responsible when relationships turn bad...so its not a man hating movie! Also the actress in this film is of course the now wildly popular actress of the huge Korean TV Drama hit 'My name is Samsoon' which attracted very high ratings this yr.

Someone Special

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Someone Special
One of my favourite films in 2004 which also won Lee Na Young a Korean award for Best Actress. Great cinematography and acting by both the lead actor and actress and defies conventional story-telling. A MUST-WATCH for Korean cinema in 2004. Also i did not really realise it then but recently i'm watching a Korean drama called 'Ireland' starring Lee Na Young and was overwhelmed by how pretty and refined she looked, she's easily one of the most beautiful actresses i've seen in my entire life, maybe even one of the most beautiful women i 've seen...she is really pretty with nice features and i know i would definitely turn my head if i passed her on the street...overall, this film is highly recommended!!

SomeoneSpecial One of the best Korean film in 2004

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SomeoneSpecial One of the best Korean film in 2004

SomeoneSpecial-2004

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SomeoneSpecial-2004

Monday, August 15, 2005

Table of Germany and Japan Post-War Actions

I have included a table clearly showing some of the reasons many Asians have for feeling that Japan has not done enough in atoning for wartime crimes as opposed to Germany which will hopely allow those who think Japan has done enough to ponder on whether they have been too quick to judge:

Germany:
1958 set up committee which hunts down and prosecutes Nazi criminals who escaped justice in Nuremberg. Operates and continues to hunt for Nazi criminals to this very day with assistance from American govt.
Japan:
Releases ALL warcriminals from Sugamo Prison in Tokyo by 1958 and has NEVER prosecuted any more Japanese warcriminals after Tokyo WarCrimes Trials.

Germany:
NO Nazi has ever held office in govt after WW2
Japan:
Many Japanese warcriminals involving those on the wartime cabinet continued to lead public office after WW2 with many continuing onto the postwar Japanese govt with even one Prime Minister in the 50s having been a high position govt official in the wartime govt.

Germany:
Has paid billlions in reparations to Holocaust and another Nazi victims and will continue to pay for the next few yrs as there are reparation laws passed by the German Parliament.
Japan:
Has paid ZERO dollars in official reparations since many Asian govt who bear fault as well had waived all legal rights to war reparations in exchange for Japanese economic aid.
Refuses to pay ALL individual victim claims with many suits by former slave labours and comfort women being turned down in Japanese courts.

Germany:
Officially apologised many times incl those passed by parliament and even has habit of always visiting Holocaust memorials in Israel whenever Germany ministers visit Israel.
Japan:
Has NEVER OFFICIALLY apologised for crimes during WW2 with exception of 1995 apology which was THE ONLY apology passed by the Japanese Diet and all other individual apologies by PM always insincere as inevitably followed by contradictory actions such as visits to shrine worshipping warcriminals or inflammatory statements denying any Japanese wrongdoing by cabinet ministers INCLUDING former Justice Minister who denied the Nanking Massacre and the current Education Minister who recently in June said there was no such term as comfort women (one can only guess what Japanese children are learning with Japan's highest official in charge of education saying irresponsible and callous things like that).

Germany:
Built many memorials to Nazi victims and Holocaust survivors incl the high profile new Jewish Holocaust Memorial in Berlin which was given high press coverage this year.
Japan:
In stark contrast, not a SINGLE memorial to Asian victims in whole of Japan built by Japanese govt and many devoted exclusively to Japanese victims such as Hiroshima or Okinawa civilian deaths. Has Yasukuni shrine in central Tokyo devoted to 14 Class-A convicted warcriminals including the notorious Tojo and thousands other Japanese soldiers which would inevitably include the countless rapists and murderers that were some of the Japanese soldiers in WW2.

60th Anniversary of WW2

Today is the 60th Anni of WW2 and the issue of Japan and WW2 being one of my utmost interests, i would like to take this historic and significant day to talk more on this issue.
As already known from my earlier posts on this issue, i feel a great injustice continues to this day 60 yrs after that war as Japan continues to evade its moral responsibility in atoning for the damage it wrought on Asian countries 60yrs ago. It is disheartening to see that the West is not concerned at all on this issue and even think that Japan has atoned enough. An example can be seen from the April anti-Japanese demonstrations in China whereby Western media incl The Times and Newsweek completely passed over what is the crucial issue of Japanese schooltextbook whitewash, lack of official apology (this means passed by parliament in clear EXPLICIT terms) or compensation and visits to shrines worshipping warcriminals, etc The media just went on and on about how the demonstrations were purely political or purely due to 'anti-Japanese' education,etc which is complete nonsense. It is not relevant whether it were political or not cos the demonstrators had a valid point to make. Further it seems the world's media are right at home with Japan's right wing nationalist when they say the Chinese education is 'anti-Japanese'...i mean i would like to ask just which part is anti-Japanese? The fact that they incl content on the 200 000 Asian women forced in sexual slavery ? or that they incl content on Japanese human experiments on POWS? or the fact that they incl the Nanking Massacre where 300 000 Chinese were slaughtered in Nanking, the former Chinese capital city, when Japanese forces invaded and occupied it? I mean to call these 'anti-Japanese' is tantamount to calling teaching the Holocaust in American and Jewish schools to being 'anti-German' and calling shows portraying evil Nazis to 'promoting hatred for Germans' It seems that the West feels that talking about the Nazi Holocaust is worthwhile and correct whilst the same in Japan's case miraculously becomes 'anti-Japanese'.....
Further, i am strongly opposed to the West refusal to equate the Japanese atrocities/crimes to the Jewish Holocaust. This in my opinion boils down to racism. The fact is that the West does not really care if ppl of non-white race suffer as the Holocause involved Jews, who are still part of the white race even if there is a history of anti-Semitism the Jews are still more valued than the other non-white races. Thus suffering under the Japanese which involved primarily Asian races is not given much attention. This can be seen in school textbooks in Western Countries where WW2 basically means the Holocaust, Polish concentration camps, Russian Front, etc whilstthe Asian Theater is briefly touched on more often than not emphasing Japan's 'victim' status with the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bombings. Bookshelves on WW2 also line with tons on Nazi Germany and than if lucky 20% or less on the Asian theatre and then again on Japanese suffering in Hiroshima or just about battles where Westerners died like the fall of Singapore or Saipan or Phillipines (rarely goes into the Asian civilian suffering in these areas). History,i feel, is extremely eurocentric right down.
Another point which i feel reveals the racist aspect of historical studies and perception is how the West refuses to admit that the Japanese warcrimes, like many other atrocities/warcrimes around the war, are equal if not as worst as the Holocaust in terms of scale and brutality. Often westerners love to point out that the Holocaust was planned and involved 6 million victims whilst the Japanese crimes were 'not planned' and numbers of victims undetermined. I mean this is pure racism though i'm sure many do not realise they are being racist cos it is totoally irrelevant that the Japanese warcrimes were not planned since the Japanese killed more Asians (35 million or so Chinese plus prob 1 million Koreans and Taiwanese conscripts combined plus millions more South East Asians) without planning than the Nazis did with planning. Further many were planned and notorious such as the '3 all policy' in Manchuria which meant loot all burn all and kill all to create 'no-man zones' such that Chinese guerilla forces would not be able to hide behind civilian populations. Then there is the comfort women system whereby it was a planned policy to force Asian women into serving as sex slaves for the 2 million or more Japanese troops stationed in occupied territories. Aren't these planned? Then comes the eurocentric attitude of how accurate the figures on Chinese wardead are or how accurate are facts on warcrimes? I mean no one is allowed to dispute the Holocaust or 6mill Jews number but all of a sudden it is ok to question figures come up by Asians? Some even say they admit the Japanese warcrime facts but feel its exagerated, i mean if i were to say that the Holocaust figures of 6 million were exaggerated, i would be immediately labelled a 'neo-Nazi' whilst when Japanese textbooks, popular TV shows, magazines question the Asian 'Holocaust' it is said by the West to be an example of democracy and freedom of speech, if thats the cas i guess Germany should dismantle current 'undemocratic' laws prohibiting denial of the Holocaust.
I think its time the West start to emphatise with ppl of other races and not constantly think that only when an atrocity involves western victims is it worthy of attention. The fact is the Holocaust is NOT the ONLY and WORST tragedy in recent history (as German chancellors have said time and time again)it is but ONE of many human tragedies incl Rwanda Genocide, Congo Conflict, Bosnia Genocide, and not least the Japanese WW2 warcrimes which all deserve as much attention as the Holocaust is getting now.

Comfort Women across Asia rally for Japan apology Aug 2005

Posted by: hcpen1111
Comfort Women across Asia rally for Japan apology Aug 2005

Nanking Massacre Museum Commemoration Aug 2005

Posted by: hcpen1111
Nanking Massacre Museum Commemoration Aug 2005

Japanese women rally for Comfort women Aug 10 2005

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Japanese women rally for Comfort women Aug 10 2005

Comfort Women Stories 慰安婦的故事 慰安婦の物語

Posted by: hcpen1111

Former Korean comfort women tell of wartime ordeal

Click Pic for more photos.

One of the most heart rendering and atrocious crimes committed by the Imperial Japanese Forces during WW2 is the comfort women system. The comfort women refer to the 200 000 or so Asian women, mostly of Korean origin, forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese Imperial army during WW2. Many of them were merely girls at the time which suited the purpose of the system which was set up to prevent rapes of civilian populations by allowing the rape of some girls to 'save' the wider female population as well as prevent sexual diseases from spreading through control of the women. However, as is now known, the system did not prevent rapes by the japanese troops who raped millions of Asian women from 1937-1945 despite the comfort women provided by the Army.

Japan till this day has NEVER officially apologised to the women and all comfort women lawsuits have been rejected by japan's courts. The Japanese govt even denied their existence as well as govt involvement until 1993 when a Japanese journalist found crucial documents damning the Japanese wartime military's full involvement in the system and published it in a major national newspaper forcing govt admittance.

On Aug 10 2005 rallies were held across Asia demanding an official apology and reparations for comfort women as their numbers are dwindling year by year. However, Japan's govt continues to refuse any laws officially compensating them nor issue any formal apology issued by the parliament. Korean former comfort women have also rallied with supporters in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul every Wednesday since 1993 and continue to protest for an official apology and compensation till this very day, 60 years after that devastating war which left them with irreparable scars, both on their bodies and on minds.

From now on, i shall include testimonies of former comfort women regularly under a new column called: Comfort Women to allow ppl who view my blog who are not familiar with this issue to gain an insight into it and refute claims by Japanese lunatics (namely the nationalist right-wing) who continue to claim that these women were prostitutes who went for the money.

All testimonies have been compiled by organisations, reporters, academics,researchers and institutes involved in the comfort women issue.

Yuan Zhulin's Story:



Haunted by violent memories as a wartime sex slave for Japanese troops, Yuan Zhulin, 84, says it is impossible to sleep at night.
As she sits awake holed up in the dank and spartan room she calls home in central China's Wuhan city, the memories of atrocities committed against her ravage her mind.
She is not alone, as up to 200,000 other women across the region were forced into wartime sex slavery during Japan's conquest of Asia, although the number still alive to tell their story is rapidly dwindling.
"I can't forget the past, it's always on my mind," Yuan told AFP in an interview as China staged widespread anti-Japanese protests over the past two weekends.
She often weeps uncontrollably, burying her head in her arms as she recounts a personal history so full of pain and suffering it is hard to believe her story is not some fictional horror.
But her tears and the physical scars bear testament to the awful truth, one that after decades of silence she says must be told before she goes, willingly, to her Catholic God -- where she hopes to "suffer no more."
And so each time, after drying her eyes and regaining her composure, Yuan continues her harrowing tale.
"More than 10 Japanese soldiers waited outside my room everyday," said the frail woman, who was 17 when troops arrived in Wuhan and promptly renamed her Masako and forced her into prostitution.
"They had no patience when waiting outside. They would kick the door with their boots and they would scare me to death and I cried and cried. After the 10 soldiers had left I couldn't even sit, it was so painful," Yuan said.
"I'm a little embarrassed talking about this but many of us couldn't even walk," she weeps, adding that her years as a comfort woman, the euphemistic term for forced prostitution, had done her body irreparable damage.
After an abortion endangered her life, she had to continue serving soldiers despite pain so excruciating that she was eventually given medicine.
"But after taking the pills I could never get pregnant again," Yuan said.
Less than a year after she arrived at the brothel -- around the time that Wuhan, under months of gas bombardments, finally fell to Imperial troops in October 1938 -- Yuan and some other young women hatched an escape plan.
But unable to surmount the electric wire surrounding their prison home, they were caught and beaten to within an inch of their lives.
"They kicked us and bashed us, and there is still a scar on my back and it's still very painful," Yuan said, showing the large crater-like scars on her lower waist. "My bones were broken by the kicks."
Things took a mild turn for the better when one sympathetic Japanese soldier promised to come to her aid.
"He left my room without sleeping with me, he knew that I was suffering. He was a good man. He told me to wait for him to one day come and take me away," said Yuan, who sometimes has trouble remembering names and precise dates.
In the meantime, another Japanese officer took a liking to her round-faced good looks and pulled her out of the den to make her his sole concubine.
Six months later, the kind Japanese soldier kept his word, helping to end her one-and-half life-altering years in the brothel.
"We had nothing, life was hard, but better than living in there," she said of the ensuing relationship with the man that lasted until the end of the war.
It was a Chinese woman named Zhang Xiuying, however, who tricked Yuan and a handful of other women into prostitution, by promising employment in a hotel as a maid along with a small advance.
At the time, Yuan was desperate to feed her newborn child and accepted the proposal in hopes of helping her family, only to find herself a sex slave.
Her destitute parents had already given away her two younger sisters because there was not enough to eat, and her father later died of malnutrition.
After the Japanese arrived and Yuan was forced into the brothel she never saw her child again.
"My poor little baby. She was so pretty and our neighbors would drop in my place to see her, and she just died like that (at 9 months)," she said as her asthmatic breathing became hard.
"You can tell how much I hate the Japanese."
Speaking of crimes in Wuhan internment camps where the Japanese forced a huge number of Chinese to live, Yuan tells of one man who was beaten for forgetting his identification before being thrown into the Yangtze river and left for dead.
"If someone got sick or had a fever, they would just burn them to death because they were afraid of the plague," she said.
According to official Chinese estimates, 35 million Chinese were killed or injured in the Sino-Japanese war between 1937-45.
Asked how she saw modern Japan, Yuan said:" There are good people in Japan," before adding that "it's fine that we do business with the Japanese, but we shouldn't be bullied by Japan anymore."
Like many women in China, South Korea, North Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and even Japan who were forced into slavery by Imperial troops, Yuan's anger is directed at Tokyo's refusal to financially compensate for damages.
She was in Tokyo in 2000 for a lawsuit brought by Chinese comfort women, but the court ruled against them.
Japan has repeatedly refused to compensate sex slaves and forced laborers from World War II, saying a 20-year period for suits had expired and treaties provided for reparations to states, not individuals.
According to Su Zhiliang, an expert on comfort women at Shanghai Normal University, not one former sex slave has managed to get an apology or money from the Japanese government.
The issue, along with Tokyo's approval of a nationalist school textbook which glosses over wartime atrocities, and its bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, has sparked two weekends of violent protests in China.
"My wish is that Japan apologizes to me and admits their mistake and gives me proper compensation," said Yuan, who only draws a monthly state pension of 230 yuan (27.70 dollars).

Credits to AP.

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Nanking Massacre Exhibition opens in China Aug 10

Posted by: hcpen1111
Nanking Massacre Exhibition opens in China Aug 10

Opens in the National Museum of China to run for 20 days showing hundreds of documents and photos, some never released before. The Nanking Massacre refers to the 1937 Dec 13 -1938 Feb massacre which occured in the former Chinese capital of Nanking where Japanese forces murdered 300 000 or so Chinese civilians and surrendered soldiers turning the Yangtse River waters which runs through Nanking red for several days. 20 000-80 000 women and girls were also raped by the Japanese soldiers. This was not an isolated incident with Japanese Imperial soldiers killing up to 35 million Chinese between 1937-1945 and raping millions more chinese women and girls (exact numbers will never be known since not a single woman has ever come forward to admit she was raped by the japanese during WW2) . Please note women raped are separate from the Comfort women system as the comfort women were forced sex slaves kept in army brothels whilst rapes are classified by me as those not taken into army brothels but nevertheless raped in their homes by invading Japanese armies.

Former WW2 Sino-American joint Airforce Comm Event

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Former WW2 Sino-American joint Airforce Comm Event

A commemoration event where medals were handed out to former pilots of the Joint Sino-American Airforce composed of Chinese and American pilots who worked together to defend China against the invading Japanese forces.

HK Official Commemoration Event of 60th Anni WW2

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HK Official Commemoration Event of 60th Anni WW2

Friday, August 12, 2005

Korean Films with Gay Content (Gay Korea Column)

As a continuation of my posts and discussions on gay issues in Asia, I will discuss the presence of homosexuality in Korean film and TV dramas. As everyone knows (i assume) Korea is not a place famous for its gay and lesbian presence or for gay and lesbian rights. In fact, i think it is fair to say Korea is the most backward in terms of gay and lesbian rights and acceptance of homosexuality when compared to China, Taiwan, HK and Japan. In these other countries, after my own knowledge and observation, at the very least gays and lesbians presence is felt in the media and in societal thinking to some extent whereas in Korea there is little talk on the mere existence of Korean homosexuality unlike in China/Taiwan/HK and Japan where at least the existence of Chinese homosexuals and Japanese homosexuals is recognised by the general public.
However, although the Korean media seldom portray homosexuality as compared to the common occurence of lesbian and gay themes in Chinese media and Japanese media(this may surprise some westerners and also asians to know that homosexuality is not THAT taboo in the chinese and japanese media) there have been slight and noticeable progress in terms of portrayals of gays and lesbians in the Korean media in recent years which i have picked up on and which have surprised me. Not only have the portrayals given positive images of gays and lesbian, they have showed KOREANS as gay and lesbians dismissing the myth that only 'degenerate decadent westerners' can be gays and lesbians. I will review recent films which have included some gay content and note these are all mainstream and popular films indicating Korean society may be slowly opening up to accepting at least some gay and lesbian presence in the media given the film production companies readiness in allowing the gay content.
(1) Oh! Brothers (2003) Lee Jung Jae In this box office hit, there was one scene where they showed two korean guys walking into a love motel and asking for a room with a bed. The receptionist thought they just wanted a rest and could not find another hotel but when they requested a room with a bed, the receptionist was shocked and also it showed one guy touching the other guy's bum and other guy all shy then Lee Jung Jae finds his brother who is mentally challenged and the adult brother cries and hugs LJJ leading to misunderstanding by the gay couple and receptionist that they were gay too...another scene also indicated homosexuality where LJJ remembers he and his brother have similar belly button and whilst his brother is in a coma jumps on his bro and tries to compare their belly buttons when the doctor walks in and again misunderstands.....

(2) S diary (2004) Kim Sun Ah. One of my favourite Korean films of 2004 which i shall review in depth in another post but in this film they also explicitly included a gay couple as her best friends and showed them in a loving caring relationship in stark contrast to the straight men who treated her badly and her admiring their loving relationship....they also helped her in her revenge plot and the gay couple were good looking too with overall positive images of gays again..

(3) My Boyfriend is Type B Lee Dong Gun The famous scene where LDG takes revenge on behalf of his gf by pretending to be the gay lover of the teacher and storming in and slapping the teacher in the middle of class and whilst sobbing says 'True love never dies you player!' and then to show that gays too exist in Korea as the audience knows nothing is going on between the teacher and LDG as it was a prank, another male student immediately gets up and says 'you promiscuous player' and bolts indicating the teacher did in fact have a gay relationship.

(4) The Horror Highschool Girls series with Momento Mori being the most famous where lesbianism is heavily hinted at between the two girl's relationships.

All for now but there will be more Korean Films + TV dramas with gay content reviews to come.....

Sayonara Japan さようなら 日本

It has been awhile since i last posted as i have been busy settling down back in Melbourne, Australia after i came back from exchange in Tokyo, Japan. I recently came back from Japan and i would like to share a few thoughts on my exchange experience in Japan. Firstly, i found it to be an extremely worthwhile and eye opening experience and of course my Japanese language skills improved vastly in Japan. I also found the Japanese people to be kind and helpful and really got to know some Japanese on a personal level. I grew to like the Japanese as previously i always viewed them as a monolithic group without individuality (as i am sure most foreigners do) but came to realise that Japanese people had individual personalities and characteristics . One example was of this bakery lady who must have been in her 50s or more who engaged in friendly conversation with me despite my poor Japanese skills and she was really dramatic with hand gestures and all and was really bubbly completely unlike the conventional image of the quiet demure Japanese lady.
I also found the Japanese to be really kind and helpful due to a few experiences i had in Japan. For example, they would always say sorry すみません ごめんなさい whenever they passed by from behind on their bikes or when i made way for them which really impressed me as there wasn't a need in my opinion to say sorry....Further on many occasions when i was lost and asked for directions in English, they would always help me despite language barriers and my poor Japanese. Even when some were hesitant at first when i approached them as they may have thought i was some bad guy or something, they eventually lightened up when they knew i was lost. There was even this guy who first attempted to evade me and moved away but felt guilty or something and came back asking what i needed and this other time at Keio when this really cold guy gave a scowl and said he was busy when he heard me speak english and then later another japanese guy helped me find the place i wanted to go and the scowl guy who had rejected me earlier must have seen the kindness of the other guy when i bumped into him later the same day, apologised to me and admitted he was being too cool and unfriendly and asked if i needed help!! This all greatly improved my image of Japan though i would say not all my friends and classmates thought the same way...many complained about the Japanese fakeness and unfriendliness which i cannot relate to given my nice experiences with the Japanese.
All in all ,my image of Japan and the Japanese has improved though the rubbish Japanese media with its biased reporting regarding Japanese WW2 issues did affect my nice image of Japan.

I am definitely planning to return to Tokyo to stay for longer like 1,2 yrs after my brief exchange experience although that would have to be after i graduate from melbourne university. I'll miss so many things of tokyo till then like the izakayas 居酒屋 and its unique food, the japanese desserts like rice balls in red bean soup 白玉洗剤, iced mango drink at Excelsior Cafe, ramen, the convenience of tokyo and the bright lights of shinjuku, shibuya, etc....Till I return , さようなら......日本

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Tsutaya in Tokyo

Tsutaya is a major chain VCD,DVD, CD, VCR shop in Tokyo with rentals and purchases . They have tons of American, European, Asian and of course Japanese films and CDS for rental and purchase.....my particular interest is Asian films and they have many Asian films either dubbed in Japanese or with Japanese subtitles.......they have many old and new HK films and also many Korean films....please click pic for more....

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo, Japan

Posted by: hcpen1111
Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo, Japan
A picture of the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. I visited it once and it really is a horrible place.....the sad thing is that many people were praying there as if it were some sacred place when it houses 14 class A war criminals and is a monument to the unknown rapist, murderers and torturers that were some of the Japanese soldiers during WW2. The museum attached to Yasukuni Shrine is a right-wing bastion with books denying Japanese war time crimes and the museum glorifies Japan's war of invasion during WW2. Examples are how the museum frames phrases glorifying sacrifice for the emperor and emphasises modernisation of Manchuria under the Japanese. Japanese warcrimes are completely absent in the museum and there is even a section on how Japanese 'liberated' South East Asia and Japan's invasion 'helped' SEA gain independence. Similarly, the colonisation of Korea is justified through showing documents of Korea's gov agreeing to the colonisation conveniently leaving out how the Korean govt was forced into the agreements due to the Korean peninsula's relative backwardness compared to Japan then. Further, a list war dead with photographs fill an entire section of the museum which is insensitive to Asian victim countries' feelings as these were the very soldiers that committed horrendous atrocities/crimes during WW2 towards the occupied Asian countries. Anyways, the whole museum was recently renovated and looked very grand indicating how much support and donations it gets from Japan's big companies.......in my opinion, the musuem should be closed down and the Japanese PM Koizumi and everyone else should stop visiting Yasukuni out of respect for other Asian countries as well as to show sincere remorse for past wrongs.

HK, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese films at Tsutaya Tokyo

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HK, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese films at Tsutaya Tokyo

68th Anniversary of Start of Sino-Japanese War, Tokyo July 7, 2005

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68th Anniversary of Start of Sino-Japanese War, Tokyo July 7, 2005
July 7 is the anniversary of the start of the Sino-Japanese War and this was commemorated thru a host of activities and symposiums. I attended some of them and the pictures of these activities can be viewed by clicking on the pic to the left.

Sunday, July 03, 2005

Homosexuality in Asia

This is another of my interests. As can be seen from my blog, i have various inerests such as Korean pop culture and TV dramas (which must be blatantly obvious by now!), WW2 and Japan, the Cheongsam (Chinese Dress) and Gay/Lesbian issues. I will start occasionally writing on gay/lesbian issues now though not alot and those who take offence to such topics can ignore these posts and read my other ones on Korean dramas, movies or WW2 and Japan posts....I have started with TV dramas which have a gay/lesbian theme and my focus will be only on gay/lesbian in Asia and mainly only the Chinese, Korean and Japanese sphere...Especially the Chinese entertaiment industry is not conservative at all and is on par or even more liberal than the West in terms of number of mainstream (note not independent art films!)films and TV dramas produced in recent yrs dealing with homosexuality....for some reason, despite Chinese(when i refer to Chinese in this blog i mean China Chinese, Taiwanese, HK persons, Malaysian Chinese and Singaporean Chinese)society's still prevailing prejudice and discrimination against gays/lesbians.
In the posts below i have mentioned in detail Blue Gate Crossing (2002), Crystal Boys (2003), Hainan Chicken Rice (2004), Formula 17 (2004) and Love's Lone Flower(2005).
I will post a full list of all or most of the Chinese(incl Taiwan,HK, Singapore) films, TV dramas dealing either directly or indirectly with gay/lesbian themes when i am more free...

Blue Gate Crossing (2002) One of my favourite films

Posted by: hcpen1111

Blue Gate Crossing (2002) One of my favourite films
This is one of my favourite films of all time.....it simply has a fantastic script and engaging story and yet is so simple in essence. I really liked it alot and i won't give away the crucial element of the story but it really is a fantastic film with a fantastic cast as both the actor and actresses really fit the role as they are both really down to earth looking and not glamorous or good looking people but they just have this feel to them which makes the audience emphatise with what they are going through.....the soundtrack is one of the best i have heard so far and even now, a few yrs since watching it, i still sometimes hum the melody to myself.....A MUST WATCH and recommended for anyone...i actually saw it at the Melbourne International Film Festival...

Link to Blue Gate Crossing Trailer: http://mediaserver.kingnet.com.tw/movie/bluegate_hi.wmv

English: Storyline: Ah Meng is a 17 yr old highschool girl who often sighs that she is no longer a care-free and problemless person as she hides a secret in her heart....She has a best friend whom she hangs around everyday and her bestfriend tells her one day she is in love with this guy from another class. She asks Ah Meng to help her get the guy and writes a love letter to the guy Xiao Shi in Ah Meng's name. Thus starts the misunderstanding whereby Xiao Shi mistakes the girl who loves him as Ah Meng and thinks Ah Meng is creating an imaginary friend as an excuse as she is too embarassed to admit her love. Xiao Shi falls for Ah Meng and tries his hardest to win her love but Ah Meng cannot love him as she has a secret......eventually Ah meng tells Xiao Shi her long buried secret and the two 17 year olds grow up overnight through sharing the secret realising that life has many challenges and the world is not just the world inside school...they make a promise to meet each other sometime in the future, maybe after graduation, maybe 3 yrs later,....underneath a blue gate.......


Chinese:阿孟是十七歲的高中女生,她常常感嘆自己已不再是「天空任鳥飛,海闊縱魚躍」的青少年了。無法再天空海闊,該當是心中藏了許多的秘密吧!一天,她把這些秘密全數老實地告訴了也十七歲的小士。小士與阿孟不同,無牽無掛無心機,鎮日泡在游泳池中,享受水波柔軟地捧托。他最大的心願是游泳比賽冠軍和做阿孟的男朋友。直到那天,他無預警地聽著阿孟向他揭露這份她始終深埋在心底的秘密……。究竟是什麼樣的秘密,讓阿孟和小士這兩個十七歲的大孩子,一夜之間變成了大人?是什麼樣的秘密,使得尚不懂哲學是何物的小朋友,卻不得不面對生命存在的課題。於是,他們不再是男女朋友了,也不是普通朋友。他們成為一種若即若離的糾纏。糾纏久了,疲倦了……。他們預約將來,也許三年後,於一扇藍色大門前再見。

Formula 17 (2004)...Taiwan's First Gay Romantic Comedy (not first gay film though, first film was made in the 1980s)

Posted by: hcpen1111

Formula 17 (2004)...Taiwan's First Gay Romantic Comedy

I liked this film as it is one of the few films dealing with a gay theme that is a romantic comedy and does not end in tragedy as so many of the other Chinese gay themed films do.....in fact it is so upbeat and positive about being gay and almost all the characters in the film is gay that the Singaporean censorship board refused to approve it for screening in Singapore though it had no problems screening in more open societies such as HK.

Formula 17 official website: www.17-movie.com which is in Chinese and has a trailer with english subtitles.....for non-chinese speakers...just have to navigate your way to find it, basically its the page with three links to click and one will allow you to save and you download it and then play using mediaplayer.....

English: This Romantic Comedy revolves around the story of virgin 17 yr old Xiao Tian who happens to be gay and happy and from southern Taiwan. He is always wishing he can get a boyfriend as he has never fallen in love or for that matter had sex yet...he meets this guy off the net and they arrange to meet in Taipei. Xiao Tian travels to meet the guy who happens to be this guy who only wants sex and not love...however, for sweet innocent Xiao Tian, he as he puts it in the movie.....'only wants to do the thing he likes (ummmm, maybe sex?!) with the person he likes..'He then meets his highschool friend who is also gay and thoroughly in the Taipei gay scene and his friend's gay friends...enters the boy heart-breaker Bai Tie Nan who is renowned for one night stands and breaking men's hearts and Xiao Tian falls for him and the feeling is mutual but Bai hides a secret......
Chinese: 影片由晶瑩透徹的水底開始。美少年小天(楊祐寧 飾)一躍入鏡,自在悠游。然後,另一健壯男子躍入,背向鏡頭,泳姿熟練曼妙。小天尾隨,尋找另一半身影,但男子的臉卻始終失焦看不清楚。男子游出鏡,小天環顧,遍尋不著,驀地從身後攬過一雙健美的手。兩人溫柔接觸,極盡夢幻與浪漫的感覺。小天欲轉身看清男子樣貌,男子陶醉於小天的頸項間… 兩人就這樣纏綿於水波蕩漾之間… 正當小天再次試圖一窺男子的臉時,鬧鐘響起… 小天驚醒! 原來又是一場春夢。  
為了尋找那位「夢中情人」,周小天,一個純淨優質的處男,決定從南部千里迢迢來到台北展開一場瘋狂的性冒險。當晚,在一家知名的同志酒吧裡,小天與久未見面的國中好友- 小宇 (金勤 飾) 重逢,並看到了同志圈最有價值的單身漢- 白鐵男(Duncan 飾)。小天對鐵男大為心儀,而鐵男也對憨直的處男小天留下深刻印象。 但是小宇再三告誡小天:白鐵男是有名的花心大蘿菠,要小天千萬不要招惹他。
在朋友的介紹下,小天開始在台北一家健身房打工,同時體驗都會同志生活。除了接受外型上的改造,小天也開始盲目約會,更差點被一個猛男水電工色誘… 直到有一天,小天在健身房又巧遇了鐵男,兩人在淋浴間水氣瀰漫的情況下有了更進一步的接觸。小天雖喜歡鐵男,但鐵男身旁總是跟著一個男人- 俊(張大鏞 飾),讓小天懷疑有關鐵男花心不負責的流言,是否真實。
一次偶然的機會讓小天與鐵男獨處,雙方並嘗試開始交往,但俊仍不時出沒,令小天十分困擾。尤其一次嚴重的誤會讓小天以為鐵男與俊仍藕斷絲連,頓時傷心欲絕。小宇等一干好友決定找鐵男說清楚、講明白,卻意外發現原來鐵男有一個無法告人的秘密!

Hainan Chicken Rice (2004)

Posted by: hcpen1111

Hainan Chicken Rice (2004)

First film financed by the Singapore Government dealing directly with gay theme which is a progressive step and also an indication of Singapore's govt change of policy in being more tolerant towards gay and lesbian citizens. I like the film because of Sylvia Chang who is one of my favourite actresses and also cute handsome actors and a unique setting being Singapore instead of the usual HK setting and i am half-Malaysian and given the similar culture b/w Sin and Mal, i found it easier to connect with this film also...HOWEVER, the storyline wasn;t great and the ending was poor in my opinion....wouldn't really recommend though wouldn't discourage anyone from watching too...again mainstream film even shown in theatres in strictly censored Singapore which obviously means no explicit scenes. In fact there are not even kissing scenes , let alone sex scenes in the entire film....

Hainan Chicken Rice English Website: http://rice.jce.com.hk/en_main.html

English: SYNOPSIS
Hainan (HI-Nahn) Chicken Rice: one of the staples of Singaporean cuisine, a Chinese risotto sizzled in a pan and simmered in chicken stock, glistening with chicken essence and fragrant with ginger, every grain plump and separate yet chewy and bursting with juice. .
After being abandoned by her husband twelve years earlier, Jen (Sylvia Chang; "Eat Drink Man Woman", "The Red Violin." Best Actress of Hong Kong Film Awards 2002 - "Forever and Ever"), raised her three sons alone. She uses her mother's secret Hainan Chicken Rice recipe and opened a restaurant to support the family.
Her two older sons, Daniel and Harry are gay, as a woman with traditional values, Jen is fretful that she would have no grandchildren, if Leo, too, turns out to be gay.
Together she and best friend, Kim Chui (Martin Yan; famous Chinese cuisine TV Chef "Yan Can Cook") device a plan to keep Leo straight by bringing in a French exchange student to live with them. She is Leo's age and her name is Sabine. Leo develops a strange but intriguing relationship with her, which greatly pleases Jen.
However, things begin to crumble for her again when Kim Chui becomes "the toast of the town" with his invention of a new dish deeply challenging her Chicken Rice. Kim Chui becomes a national celebrity overnight, and Jen's self-esteem is threatened.
Finally, their conflicts come to a head when Jen participates in a cooking contest with Kim Chui and other chefs from Singapore. Food unexpectedly becomes a medium that not only nourishes their bodies but also opens their hearts…
Chinese: 故事大綱
海南雞飯屬新加坡名菜,一道正宗上等海南雞飯不僅屬頂級美食藝術,更能吃出大廚心思,感受不一樣的故事﹗
珍(張艾嘉飾, 2002年憑《地久天長》獲香港電影金像獎最佳女主角)自十二年前遭丈夫遺棄後,以祖傳秘方調製的海南雞飯打響名堂,於新加坡開設餐館,獨力養活三個兒子。傳統的珍一直渴望兒子繼後香燈,當發現長子及次子皆是同性戀者後,將希望孤注一擲放在小兒子LEO身上。
JEN為一盡家庭責任,延續傳宗接代的理想,與好友金水(世界名廚甄文達飾)合力介紹女孩子給LEO,其中法國交換生SABINE與LEO甚為投契,珍大感安慰。
其時金水憑一道新發明的菜式一炮而紅,響徹廚壇,他的新菜間接拆毀了珍以海南雞飯起家的生意﹔珍無形中自尊盡創。珍與金水在一次高手雲集的廚藝比賽中相遇,珍發現,觸動她生命每個點滴的,並不單是一碗海南雞飯……

Crystal Boys...(2003)

Posted by: hcpen1111

Crystal Boys...(2003) 孽子 電視劇

This drama was aired in Taiwan in Feb 2003 and was widely acclaimed as a well directed piece of work. It ended up winning almost all the awards at the 2003 Golden Horse Awards (金馬獎) in Taiwan which is the most prestigious TV Award in Taiwan and also garnered a huge following by straight and gay viewers alike with several reruns...I really liked it as the story had good looking actors, a superb script, effectively showed what Taiwan was like in the 1970s and how society was like then including the status of women(how the male main character Ah Qin's mother had to lead a life of misery and abuse at the hands of men and also Sister Yue Li's suffering) and also the repressed atmosphere under which gay men had to lead during those times unlike the comparatively more open and diverse lifestyle Chinese/Asian gay men lead today.....I also absolutely fell in love with the soundtrack especially the ending title which is really heart tendering and emotive...i would recommend this drama definitely even to those who are not particularly keen on gay themed tv dramas or films since this is an excellent drama with a fantastic director, cast, soundtrack and script...there are also very little gay sex scenes (only one very tame scene in whole drama i remember) or even kissing scenes which means it is suitable for even teens i would think....the problem is definitely how to obtain it as it is available ONLY in Mandarin with Chinese sub and there is no english version/subtitles to my knowledge, even in manyAsian countries it is not sold due to the sensitive topic of homosexuality it deals with...so basically only obtainable in Taiwan, pirated copies in China, off the internet through BT or Edonkey sites or in countries like Malaysia or Singapore where even though it is not sold may still be obtainable through some CD,VCD shops which may order individually for customers if they so happen to have the connections.....

I am lucky that i went back to Taipei last year and as i have connections with PTS which produced the drama, was able to obtain the whole VCD boxset of "Crystal Boys" for free...really clear too...as of December 2004, the DVD and VCD boxset was still selling at many shops around Taipei and was also available for rent at a rental shop in Taipei...

Storyline:

English: Basically the story of a gay teenager called Ah Qin and how he was discovered half-naked with his bestfriend in the school lab by the cleaner one night and got expelled from school as well as kicked out of home by his conservative military father after his father found out about it. It then follows his life at the New Park in Taipei where gay men congregate and form their little kingdom there when night falls. Ah Qin has 3 gay friends and a leader 'father' and the TV drama revolves around their lives incl family problems and love life....based on renowned Chinese novelist Bai Xian Yong's Novel Crystal Boys with the storyline roughly the same as the novel with some minor, though significant, changes.

Note: Bai's novel also entitled Crystal Boys incorporatd many real life places into the story including New Park which really exists in Taipei and was really well-known for gay men cruising from the 1960s to early 1990s. (I even remember vaguely once my parents mentioning the park as a gay area when we passed by once years back...) It is now not a popular gay spot anymore with Taiwan's new democratic liberal atmosphere with the flourishing of gay bars and discos as well as the internet...it has been renamed 228 Memorial Park and houses a memorial to the 228 Massacre.

Chinese: 誠如白先勇先生所言:「在《孽子》中,我主要寫父子關係,而父子又擴大為:父代表中國社會的一種態度,一種價值,對待下一輩、對待同性戀子女的態度——父子間的衝突,實際是個人與社會的衝突。
本劇情節描述從民國六十三年夏天的一個午后,主角李青因與同學發生曖昧行為被學校記大過開除,遭一直期盼他報考軍校的老兵父親趕出家門開始,這名邊緣少年如何在歷經母親、弟弟亡故、被家庭與學校放逐,乃至於無意中進入「新公園」蓮花池周圍的黑暗王國,認識許多相互扶持好友並與周遭人物開展一連串追尋情感寄託之處的心路歷程。故事主軸除了透過年輕卻早熟的主角李青,以第一人稱的口白方式描述在七零年代那個充滿壓抑的年代,自我如何掙扎於個人、家庭及社會群體價值的矛盾與衝突外; 也刻畫幾位主角在充滿喧囂、同情、憐憫、無助的環境裡,如何在生存、慾望和悔恨中掙扎擺盪,獲得最後救贖的人生旅途。

記: 白的孽子實際上加入了很多真的台北地點比如小說裡的新公園。非台灣人可能不知道台北真有此地。1960年代到1990年代初﹐新公園聞名同性戀者的聚地。但從90年代始隨台灣的民主化和社會的開明化和網絡的原因﹐新公園(現改名為228公園為紀念228事件)以不以前活躍。

Love's Lone Flower

Posted by: hcpen1111

Love's Lone Flower 孤戀花 電視劇 (2005) Please click photo for more pictures...

This TV Drama is produced by the Director of "Crystal Boys" which was a critically acclaimed tv serial in 2003 based on the renowned Chinese novelist Bai Xian Yong's only novel. This drama is also based on a short story by Bai entitled Love's Lone Flower.

The story, like Crystal Boys, deals with homosexuality but this time on the theme of lesbianism.

I am looking forward to seeing it as i haven't got a chance to yet though it has already finished broadcasting in Taiwan and is currently on a rerun on Public Television Service Channel in Taiwan and pirated copies are probably already widely sold in China by now....I want to watch this TV drama as I really like the director 導演 曹瑞原 as i loved Crystal Boys which he also directed and also it showcases 1940s to 1960s Cheongsams (Chinese dress) which is a passion of mine! (please read my very first post(April) on the Chinese dress!!!)

Storyline:

English: The story spans the 1940s-1960s period from Shanghai to Taiwan.....it revolves around Taiwanese musician Lin and his love story with a dance hostess Wu Bao as well as the indirect, suppressed love between Wu Bao and another dance hostess female protagonist Yun Fang. This all occurs in decadent, swinging Shanghai during the civil war period in China from 1945-1949. Then with the loss of the Nationalist Party, Yun Fang and Lin escape with the Nationalist Party to Taiwan in 1949 whilst during the wartime chaos, Wu Bao which both Lin and Yun Fang love befalls to tragedy. The story continues with the twos life in Taiwan and the entrance of another dance hostess, this time Taiwanese, into their lives........

Chinese: 藉由台灣作曲家林三郎一生的追尋與漂泊,講述一個因戰亂而交織成的亂世兒女情愛故事與難斷情緣。故事始於民國三十六年,一位台灣望族音樂家身處於動亂的內地-上海,因身份的特殊迫使其從繁盛而至頹敗;戰爭讓每一個如蜉蝣般的生命隨時代狂風擺佈,在共同的命運與旋律中,總帶著點昨是今非的悲涼。十里洋場的風月夜上海,歌舞昇平中瀰漫著一股末世的頹廢與華麗。三郎的情愛交織在舞女雲芳與五寶之間,因戰亂迫使三人分離失所。雲芳至台灣後與三郎再遇,卻只留滿面滄桑與寂寥。這是一個大時代裡台灣音樂家的流亡人生,身體的流離與靈魂的飄泊,回憶純真的花樣年華,遂成永遠的鄉愁…

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Korean Entertainment Fair, Kinokuniya Bookstore, Kawasaki

Posted by: hcpen1111

Korean Entertainment Fair, Kinokuniya Bookstore, Kawasaki

Please click pic for more photos.

Korean Entertainment Book Fair at Kinokuniya

Posted by: hcpen1111
Korean Entertainment Book Fair at Kinokuniya

Chinese Almond Drink Ad at McDonalds

Posted by: hcpen1111
Chinese Almond Drink Ad at McDonalds
It seems that Chinese food is really popular in Japan, besides Chinese restaurants being found everywhere, and i mean literally everywhere, from your neighbourhood Chuka Ryori Ten to the upper class restaurants at sought after locations such as Ginza, Aoyama, and Odaiba.....Not only is Chinese food popular in Japan and located EVERYWHERE, Chinese desserts are very popular too...there is now a book on Chinese desserts shops and also as evidence of the popularity of Chinese food, Annin Tofu (a type of Chinese dessert) is popular in some Izakayas and McDonald's now sells Annin Drink also for a special period....I also saw a fast food chain selling Chinese GuaPao which shows how popular Chinese food is with the Japanese.....which is good since Japanese food is popular in Chinese-speaking areas such as Taiwan, HK and Singapore also.

KoreaTown, Kawasaki

Posted by: hcpen1111

KoreaTown, Kawasaki

I went to Koreatown in Kawasaki today and it was really, really quiet and deserted, a far cry from bustling Yokohama Chinatown....had lunch at Yakiniku place owned by a Zainichi Korean (Japanese-Korean).....Kawasaki has Japan's largest concentration of Japanese of Korean ethnicity after Osaka, which has the biggest Korean population in Japan..

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Dance of Love (Korean)

Posted by: hcpen1111
Dance of Love (Korean)
A hit this year in Korea about a Chinese-Korean girl from YanBian (Yongbon) in China travelling to Seoul for a dance competition to replace her sister and finding love along the way....for those who don't know, there is a large Korean minority in Northeastern China numbering about 1 million and the Chinese-Korean minority in China is in fact the second largest overseas Korean population after America. It could even be the largest if the illegal North Korean refugee population in China is included...

Hong Kong on Fire 1941 (1994)

Posted by: hcpen1111

Hong Kong on Fire 1941 (1994)

1945 August....Japan lost the war and Hong Kong is liberated...

Hong Kong on Fire 1941 (1994)

Posted by: hcpen1111

Hong Kong on Fire 1941 (1994)

Another memorable scene in the film:

Japanese soldiers are chasing after the two sisters....they run to their childhood hiding place, an underground small basement below the wooden planks of the bedroom.

'Come down, quick'

'We have grown up, there is only room for one person now..'

As Mong Dai tries to drag her sister down, her sister knowing that the japanese will not be satisfied not finding both girls removes her hand and shuts the basement door shut.....

Hong Kong on Fire 1941 (1994)

Posted by: hcpen1111
Hong Kong on Fire 1941 (1994)
Shun Dai and Shum Fong separated by the glass door....

Hong Kong on Fire 1941 (1994)

Posted by: hcpen1111

Hong Kong on Fire 1941 (1994)

Memorable scene in the film:

'Why did you want to sacrifice yourself' 'don't u know how to resist???' 'why?' 'why?' 'why?'

'I am hurtin...'

‘我聽人家說你 。 。 。 。’‘你為什么要犧牲自己﹖ 你不會反抗的嗎 ﹖ 為 什 么 ﹖ 為 什 么 ﹖ 為 什 么 ﹖ ’

‘我其實很痛的。 。 。 。 。 ’