Chuo Law Students in Melbourne 中央大學法學生交流 中央大学生との交流

Just to update whats been going on with my life recently since i haven't updated in a while...i did two summer subjects, Civil Litigation and Issues in Japanese Law. I really enjoyed Issues in Japanese Law alot as my interest in Japan got boosted further after my exchange last yr in Tokyo and this is such an interesting subject. We had many guest lecturers coming in to speak to us and this subject also has an annual program of inviting Chuo University 中央大学law students from Tokyo come over to study at melbourne university for 1-2weeks. Thus this year 18 law students came over to study at melbourne law school and we had 2 classes together. This subject basically deals with issues in Japanese law and NOT the substantive law itself given the intensive nature of this course of 2 weeks. (this is usually offered as a summer subject) Topics dealt with this yr included the new jury system to be introduced by 2009, children and juvenile law, the Japanese Constitution and Article 9, the legal profession in Japan including regulations concerning foreign practices and lawyers in Japan,etc. The lecturer is a lawyer at Bakers and McKenzies and has perfect Japanese having studied for many years Japanese including 18 months at Tokyo University. She is extremely intelligent and well learnt knowing many issues concerning Japan such as Zainichi Koreans and their legal problems, Japan's post war war compensation issues, environmental law, Japanese insolvency law,etc.
The highlight of this subject was of cos the interaction we had with the Chuo law students. I got to practice and brush up on my Japanese conversational skills which was fantastic and realised i could sort of hold normal conversations with Japanese people without much problem. I also found out about just how tough it is to become a lawyer in Japan....in fact it is RIDICULOUSLY TOUGH!!!! Lawyers have to pass the National Bar Exam 司法試験 in Japan which has a passing rate prescribed by the exam council of 3.24% or so which means that if 4000 candidates took the exam in 2005 only 130 would pass it!!! So it is NORMAL for people to fail the first time they take it even though they have studied for years to prepare for the exam. In Japan, to be a lawyer u need to be both rich and smart. Rich so that u can afford to go to the good schools as well as pay for tuition lessons 塾費 for the bar exam meaning u pay for university fees and tuition fees until u pass the exam. Smart cos u need to pass the junior high entrance exams to get into a good jh and then pass the extremely difficult university entrance exam to get into a good university and then pass the MOST difficult bar exam.
On average, the chuo law students have all sat at least 4 times for the bar exam before they passed which means they have tried at least 4 years since the exam is held only once a year...if it were me, i would have gone crazy and given up on the thought of becoming a lawyer after 2 tries but i dun know whats in their heads....i know one guy who sat 7 times and still HAS NOT passed meaning he first attempted when he was 21 and now he is already 27 and he has still not worked yet with his parents supporting him...another tried 7 times and failed also and another was 'lucky' he passed on his 4th attempt, he said he may have gone crazy if he failed again, and i don't blame him! I mean to study for a whole year and know u failed the exam and then having to study again til the next yr and fail again and study again and fail again is simply crazy...i mean u would think after having failed 4-7 years, u would stop trying but these law students....anyways, they are really the cream of the crop being extremely talented and intelligent to even get into Chuo Law School which is in the top 5 of the Japanese law schools the others being (1) Tokyo University 東京大学 (2) Keio University (my Japanese exchange uni!!) 慶應大学 (3) Waseda university 早稲田大学 (4)Kyoto University 京都大学. I realised i am knowing all the elite of Japanese society, myself having studied at Keio last yr and gettin to know ppl there and now getting to know Chuo students who will one day, hopefully, become lawyers and judges, so i try to keep in touch with them...and then i know this guy who is at Melbourne University expenses paid for by his company Tokyo Electric Company 東京電力会社 and he was a Tokyo law graduate which is like THE BEST university in Japan and so prestigious that everyone would practically be in admiration if u said u came from there. And i know this japanese judge here paid by government as well...so good for me to keep in contact with them。。。。。。took some of the japanese students to brunswick street and we had assam fish, belachan spinach, lamb curry and gula melaka at Blue Chillies Malaysian restaurant on Brunswick Street....they were really nice and gave us melbourne students chocolates as presents and their teacher even gave us japanese pouches from japan for taking them around...how nice...the pouch in the picture is the present from their teacher....
PS prinzj mayb u can take this subject if u get the chance, its highly recommended.

Wanting to 'Talk About Love' 開始想談戀愛 恋に落ちたい

I have kinda realised although i call my blog a 'personal blog', i have tried to keep it as non-personal as possible cos i am not someone to write about my stuff on the internet and share with millions of strangers in the blogsphere but i thought i would make an exception with this post, just to spice things up abit, make it abit more interesting and also to allow my readers to know just abit more about myself....well, talking about love is the literal translation of the Chinese word 談戀愛 which means to fall in love. Yes, i wanna fall in love.....ever since knowing some stuff and knowing how other people's romances are just like in the Korean dramas and that pure love and what i had previously thought existed only in the movies actually happens in real life, a part of my heart has opened up and there is a yearning, however much i want to deny it, for love.
It would be nice to kiss someone in the alleyway whilst no one is watching, hold hands, hug, have someone to cuddle in bed with, especially during winter, have someone hug you acting as a heater during the cold days in Melbourne, knowing someone cares about your every move and feeling, knowing someone will call u at night to wish u goodnight, have someone hug u from behind, have someone cook a meal for u knowing that the meal is filled with love and tenderness, have a shoulder to cry on when times are bad,
someone for you to care about and cherish, someone u would go out of your way to make that person happy, someone u would be happy if that person was happy and you would be sad if that person was sad, someone to do an eskimo kiss with (in case u r wondering what this is, it is the rubbing of noses, an act which though simple, i have always liked), someone to hold and to hope with, ok i better stop now cos i am REALLY going into fantasy land, alot of the above are already happening with lovers around the world......sigh, i guess a Chinese saying would be appropriate in these circumstances..愛情真的是可遇不可求 ( Love is something you can only hope for, but not something you can ask for).

Korean Film Pick: You are My Sunshine 你是我的命運 君は私の運命だ

This was a box office and critically applauded film in 2005 in Korea dealing with a prostitute and a farmer in a village in rural Korea. The film dealt with many issues SPOILER ALERT (please do not read on from this point if u do not want to know some of the issues that come up, i will however not divulge the ending nor the major plot, just touch on the issues that comes up)
namely, AIDS, prostitution and the oppression of women in Korea. It starred the capable Jeon Do-yeon and the first half was extremely melodramatic and romantic and you would think that this film would be one of those boy meets girl and both happen to be at the bottom of society and will live happily ever after, well you would be wrong. The second half of the film had a complete change in tone and many things occur as you discover that the prostitute has a past which comes back to haunt her and she had escaped to the village to get away from her past. Further, the topic of AIDS was seriously dealt with especially the discrimination against people with HIV in Korea. The status of women and how prostitutes and women were treated in Korea was also broached upon in the film, showing the unacceptable treatment meted out to them. I also found interesting the prostitution business which was shown in the film whereby the brothel is actually a coffee shop which dones the usual coffee and cakes business but had a 'special coffee delivery' service whereby customers would 'order coffee' by ringing in and the girls would deliver the coffee on their bikes to the motel and of cos the men were not really after the coffee and so they would have a transaction and thus the coffee delivery was a cover for them. I wonder whether this kind of prostitution service really occurs in Korea, cos its the first time i've heard of this kinda 'take-away service'. The film is one of the best Korean films i've seen from 2005, indeed, one of the best films of 2005, dealing with a whole range of issues such as AIDS, women, domestic violence(this is the scene where one prostitute remarks about the 'art' done on another woman's face),prostitution,etc....it was really very melodramatic and kinda cliche but it worked so well that it was emotionally draining on me and i ended up crying not once but TWO times and my faith in the male gender once again took a nose dive....there was one particular scene which traumatised me deeply, it was a short 30 sec scene but it truly made me disgusted. However, for some men, i am pretty sure they would consider that scene rather tame given the kinda things they watch in their spare time (yuck!!). However, besides that particular scene, the entire movie is not too violent nor sex-riddled and is incredibly realistic and frank in its portrayal of the characters at the same time as being incredibly melodramatic. I know its difficult to understand how it can be frank and yet melodramatic at the same time but it is a carefully crafted film which manages to effect the perfect balance between the two. Recommended!!! Five stars out of Five (basically any film that can make me cry, esp cry twice, will get five stars from me).

Male Discrimination in Korea 韓國男性歧視 韓国における男性に対する差別

This is an interesting article on discrimination against men in Korea, a society well known for its confucianistic oppression of women. It appeared in the Chosun Times Newspaper recently.

Could the clown in the current hit movie 'The King and the Clown' sue the King for raping him? Not under Korean law he can't. The penal code limits victims of rape to women.
The Korean Women's Development Institute last week published a report showing that many laws closely related with everyday life are sexually discriminatory. At the request of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the institute carried out a three-month investigation into 17 areas of Korean statutes including the Constitution and concluded that 159 regulations favor, exclude, discriminate against or cause damage to a particular gender for no good reason.
The majority discriminate against women, but a good few disadvantage men. Half of the 159 articles were related to the Hojuje or patriarchal family registry system and are thus automatically amended once that is abolished in 2007 But the articles discriminating against men still remain. KWDI researcher Park Seon-yeong says, In the past, concern about sexual discrimination was focused on protecting women. But as women gain economic power and the viewpoint on equality has changed, we now focus more on the equality of the sexes.
﹣Men as Rape Victims
One of the most obvious laws to point to is Article 297 of the Criminal Code: Those who rape a female by violence or threat shall be sentenced to jail for no less than three years. For men who have been raped, the prosecution can bring charges of assault, and culprits face prison terms of up to 10 years or a fine of up to W15 million (US$15,000), potentially a much lighter penalty.
Prof. Kim Elim of Korea National Open University points out that it is meaningless to stick to the term ※female§ from the article, which was written in 1953, and that violation of an individual's sexual rights can also occur by way of oral or anal sex, while sexual abuse must be viewed as a violation of human rights instead of an issue between man and woman. The suicide of a soldier who suffered sexual abuse in the Army in 2003 shows that such abuse of men in the military or in prisons is on the increase. Last year, the National Human Rights Commission estimated that 15.4 percent of soldiers experienced sexual abuse in the Army.
﹣Beauty vs. Virility
Current law is less concerned with the appearance of men than of women. A regulation related to election laws shows this aspect very well. Women with visible scars are given disability grade 4 while men are given grade 6. Men would have to lose both testicles to be graded 4. Prof. Kim says, This is a trace of the old social values of the 60s that highlight facial appearance for women and reproductive ability for men.§
﹣Why Can't Men Marry at 16?
According to the Article 807 of the Civil Code, men can get engaged or married when they reach the age of 18 while women can marry at 16. The article was added in a 1960 revision based on the presumption that girls mature mentally and physically earlier than boys and that men should at least have a high-school diploma to be able to earn money and take care of a family. But Park So-hyeon, a researcher at the Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations, says, Maturity differs between individuals not genders, and since men and women are both responsible for the family, such regulations do not reflect reality.§Park points out that Germany, Russia and the U.S. once set the legal marital age at 18 for men and 16 for women, but as inequality issues were raised, now the legal age is 16 or 18 for both men and women in most states in the U.S.
I thought this article reflected many of my own thoughts on this issue, things like male rape which is not recognised in many countries. In Malaysia, for example, if a male is raped, it comes under the unnatural sex offences and not rape. Similarly if a woman is raped anally or orally in Malaysia, it comes under the unnatural sex offences as well. I think rape laws must be reformed to include anal and oral rape and not be restricted to just vaginal rape given the fact that both occur frequently as well. Further, it is time to recognise that men can be raped and to give men equal protection too. Further, i was really shocked by the statistics provided in the article that about 15.4% of Korean conscripts and personnels experience sexual abuse in the military. That is a surprisingly large number, and if the definition of sexual abuse meant only rape then it is a truly worrying figure. I think rape of men in the military and in prisons by gay men (and maybe even straight men??) must be dealt with properly and the taboo must be broken as i currently think many men who are sexually abused do not speak out out of shame of having being raped by another man or being accused of actually being gay himself. I also have always been dumbfounded by why men and women had different marriage legality ages, i mean why is a girl allowed to marry earlier than a guy?? I think it is pure partriarchal thinking allowing men to marry 'pure virgin' girls and should be abolished. I will also introduce the box office and critically acclaimed Korean gay-themed film 'The King and his Clown' mentioned at the beginning of the article when i get the chance to watch it.

Gay Japan 同志日本 ゲイ日本

Below is an article from the Japan Times including useful resources on gay Japan.

Finding space in gay Japan 'Rainbow Imperialism' conflicts with concept of 'don't ask, don't tell' By THOMASINA LARKIN
At first glance, homosexual life in Japan can seem quite repressed. Public displays of affection are next to nil, gay Japanese men often live secret lives and it's hard to notice a gay presence at all unless by venturing into Tokyo's "gayborhood," Shinjuku Ni-Chome.
But by taking a deeper look past the surface of society and crossing the linguistic barriers that surround the word "gay," the system in Japan often provides a more relaxed environment for men who sleep with men.
To many, "gay" evokes images of homosexual men out twirling their rainbow flags and proudly expressing themselves with an "I'm here and I'm queer" attitude.
Brought up with this stereotypical understanding of gay life, some foreigners think Japanese men who live in a hushed gay culture should liberate themselves through similar actions.
"My term for that is 'Rainbow Flag Imperialism,' " says Greg Dvorak, an American PhD candidate at the Gender Relations Centre of the Australian National University (ANU) and a visiting research fellow at Tokyo University.
"It's like its own form of colonization. The word 'gay' in English carries a lot more baggage than we think it does. It includes some people but it excludes others.
"There are many men who if you ask if they're gay, they may say no. But if you ask if they've had sex with men or desire men, they may say yes."
Being "gay" in Japan has totally different parameters than what has become accepted in mainstream Western cultures.
The word itself was imported after World War II ended, when American soldiers scoured the streets in search for sexual relations with either Japanese women or men.
Shortly after, one of the first gay bars opened in Shinjuku.
Today, over 200 gay bars are crammed into a maze of streets in Shinjuku Ni-Chome, each catering to a very specific clientele such as "debu-sen" (those who seek fat men), "fuke-sen" (men who love older men) and "gai-sen" ('gaijin' chasers).
Japan has enjoyed a history of open sexuality dating back to the Heian period when samurai and Buddhist monks practiced sex with young male pages. In more recent days, saunas provide meeting places for gay men.
Straight men, as in most of Asia, touch each other affectionately as friends. And Japanese men don't have any qualms about calling another guy cute.
But as would probably be done in the West, none of this is has been stigmatized or labeled as "gay" or "queer" or "homo."
"People don't come out in Japan, they come in," says Dvorak. "The tendency is to find your own space. You don't need to come out to your parents or boss, it's not about how exposed you can be. It's about coming in, like joining a club. You find your own niche. That's what mainstream Japan is like with sexuality."
Unlike Western societies, where people are urged to talk about everything, Japan has an unwritten law of "don't ask, don't tell," where much is left unsaid as a form of respect and politeness to eliminate many embarrassing or potentially dangerous predicaments.
"At home, I've felt very threatened in some situations where if I said I was gay I might lose my life," says Jonah from America.
"Gay bashing doesn't happen here. Gay life here is much more comfortable because being in a non-gay environment is much less threatening."
Another notable disadvantage of the vibrant and open gay scene in other countries is that it can foster pretentious attitudes within queer communities.
"At bars in the States, guys sit around with these looks on their faces like they're too pretty to be approached," says Jonah. This rarely, if ever, happens in Japan, he says.
Gays abroad may feel they have to fit into a perfect pretty mold that has been created by society. As long as they are interior designers, good cooks, witty and stylish, they are accepted into the mainstream. Those are the types represented on TV and in the media. A fat gay South American making breakfast in bed for his lover isn't likely to get much airtime.
"It's a pre-packaged vision of marriage that looks like heterosexuality. That's repression. People who don't fit that model can't find themselves in that. The people who made this rainbow flag kind of world didn't make space for Asians," says Dvorak.
"This liberation idea is very important, the need to be visible and appreciated. But globalization is only taking one particular brand of gayness and selling it to the whole world."
Because many foreigners in Japan don't feel the same pressure to conform to the ideals of "perfect gayness" that they experience back home, they often feel less inhibited when approaching Japanese men.
"If I see somebody I think is cute, I'll just walk right up and tell him or say 'Hi. What's your name?' In America, everyone has so much attitude, I would never do that.
"The guys I meet here are way younger, better looking and in better shape, but I don't feel like they're out of my league. Dating has become a much easier endeavor," says Jonah. Those who want to build same-sex relationships with Japanese into something long-term usually feel it's an impossible feat.
"I can never tell my parents about my sexuality. They could never accept homosexuality," says Ko-Ko from Tokyo, who is currently involved in a long-term relationship with a foreigner.
"They see gay people on TV but they never believe it could happen to them. So I'd never tell them, to keep them happy."
And the gay people they see on TV are never regular gay Japanese men, such as a businessmen or politicians, who have come out to provide a public role model.
Since Japan has yet to pass legislation for job protection against gay discrimination, it's little wonder why Japanese "don't come out, they come in."
While it's easy to be invisible in Tokyo, where many gay men marry and have children, but lead a secret life to satisfy their sexual appetite, it can be especially lonely in the countryside where everybody is connected.
"Outside of Tokyo, foreigners or Japanese can feel very isolated," says a volunteer at a gay hotline in Japan. "I've taken many calls from foreigners entering young adulthood at the same time as they're sent to nowhere-ken, Japan to teach English and they feel very alone. That could be a disadvantage of a 'don't ask don't tell' society where when they never tell, they'll never know."
In addition to the lack of public role models who could help others feel like they're not alone, most media depicts stereotypical gay characters with the aim to entertain the straight public.
For example, TBS's personality Razor Ramon HG (Hard Gay), is a straight man pretending to be gay by wearing leather bondage and cruising around thrusting hips all over the place. And last month, toy company Tomy released "Kurohi-gei Kiki Ippatsu," a game where Razor Ramon hides in a barrel in which the player stabs plastic swords until he pops out of the top. Some believe if there is ever a hope of gaining same-sex legal rights in Japan, Razor Ramon isn't the best image to portray the gay community.
"We're correcting the false stereotypes like Razor Ramon that show a lack of respect and understanding and we are trying to educate Japanese people about the advances in gay rights around the world," says Hiroshi Mochizuki, editor in chief of Gay Japan News, an online media service established about a year ago that currently gets about 50,000 hits per day.
"The lack of knowledge is the biggest problem. At this point we're bringing people together."
Mochizuki also founded a body called Equality, which he expects will be registered by the government as a nonprofit organization within the next two months.
While Equality's first aim is to disseminate information to both the gay and straight community, its long-term goal is to achieve antidiscrimination legislation and rights for same-sex marriages.
He says to do so, he hopes to strengthen the economic muscle of the gay community by bringing together the support of local business.
So for those gays in Japan who don't feel so happy, Equality may be their pot of gold waiting at the end of a rainbow.
(Names in the article have been changed to protect privacy)
On the Web and in print
Gay Japan News: www.gayjapannews.com
Gay Japan and Japanese Gay Resources and Travel Tips by Utopia: www.utopia-asia.com/tipsjapn.htm*
Japan AIDS Prevention Awareness Network: www.japanetwork.org*
McLelland, Mark; Queer Japan from the Pacific War to the Internet Age McLelland, Mark; Male Homosexuality in Contemporary Japan: Cultural Myths and Social Realities*
Saikaku, Ihara (Schalow, Paul, trans.); The Great Mirror of Male Love*
Leupp, Gary; Male Colors* Pflugfelder, Gregory; Cartographies of Desire: Male-Male Sexuality in Japanese Discourse, 1600-1950* Summerhawk, Barbara; Queer Japan: Personal Stories of Japanese Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transsexuals
I emailed the journalist telling her what a great piece she wrote and got a reply bck from her telling me that she appreciated my encouragement. The commentary by the American was kinda interesting when he talked about Japanese gay men not having 'the attitude' and that he could get guys 'way beyond his league' in terms of looks and age but i think he missed out the important consideration of whether it was due to internalised racialism on the part of the Japanese gay men and that maybe japanese gay men had as much 'attitude' towards other japanese gay men as in happens in America but that they were making an exception for the white gaijin (foreigner) and maybe if the white man was NOT white but japanese, the same young hot japanese guys after him would not be interested at all...food for thought...

Korean Drama Pick韓劇推薦 コリアドラマおすすめ: My Name is Kim Sam Soon 我的名字叫金三順わたしの名前はキムサムスンです

Just finished watching this fantastic drama which had the highest ratings in Korea last year. It is absolutely hilarious and made me laugh uncontrollably. Really love Sam Soon, she is just such a refreshing change from your usual petite, soft spoken female characters in korean dramas who all look so perfect and beautiful...in fact, sam soon is just the opposite, down to earth, has a temper (unlike the average korean drama female protagonist who never seems to fight bck against her evil mother- in -law -to- be), overweight,average looking, no make-up, swears, farts, eats as much as she wants, is selfish when it comes to love and down right lovable. This is another example of Korean dramas being extremely progressive when it comes to portrayals of women. It is ironic that korean society being THE most confucianist in East Asia, has a media that is surprisingly progressive towards women, even more so i would say than western countries like America where women are still sexualised and objectified, eg Desperate Housewives and Sex and the City both of which feature gorgeous looking women leading upper middle class lives and looking nothing like the average american woman. My Name is Kim Sam Soon however managed to gain immense popularity in Korea due to the female audience being able to identify with her, as her character was realistic and had flaws and viewers could feel a connection with Sam Soon, being able to think 'yeah, i can relate to that'...Even her love rival Yu Hee Jin is not your usual kind hearted lass who sacrifices her love, instead although she was just the kind of girl men would want to protect, given her innocent sweet looks in the drama, she was also selfish in wanting to pursue her love and even expressing her flawed side as well which i found extremely refreshing given that the producers could have easily made her role into one of pure innocent love rival suffering from sickness. Instead, she had a credible and believable character which i could definitely relate to. Daniel Henney, the Korean-American model-actor, who plays Yu Jin's American doctor who steadfastly follows her bck to Korea and is satisfied just being besides her even though he loves her, is also very good in his role. Very believable, they made him the perfect guy, tall, great body, dashing looks, a doctor, has a heart of gold wanting Yu Jin to be happy even if it means he can't have her and wanting to work for Medicines Sans Frontiers an NGO medical group operating in third world countries.
Also liked Sam Soon's english name, Sophie, which she made up for Henry (Daniel Henney) as he couldn't speak Korean, i somehow found the name 'Sophie' really amusing....also liked alot of the things Sam Soon said in the drama which resonated well with me such as 'Don't worry about things before they happen, enjoy the moment' in relation to how when you think you are the luckiest person in this world when you find someone you love and that person loves you, some would start to panic and worry that this is all a dream and that someday you may end up losing and breaking up with that person....her realisation was that ppl should simply enjoy the moment and not worry about the future so much thst it spoils the present....highly recommended Korean Drama so go watch it!!

Koreans in Melbourne 韓國人在墨爾本 メルボルンの韓国人

Given my love for Korean dramas, films, popular culture and just Korean stuff in general, i am going to introduce some Korean places in Melbourne. There has been an influx of Koreans into Melbourne in the past 2 years for some reason and there are now more Koreans here than was visible a mere 2 years ago....for some reason, there are so many korean backpackers,tourists,students and also many Korean groceries, restaurants and businesses have opened as well. I will introduce these places and update them when new ones appear. I have actually seen Korean students/visitors on many occasions, once even meeting like 5 to 10 koreans a day on the street which surprised even me. Obviously there are still much more Chinese around but it seems that the no of koreans have surpassed the japanese just from general observations of the city area.
I am really happy given that i am one of the Korean Wave fans (i was a fan even before this korean wave started way bck in 2000) and so more koreans and businesses is good news for me!

List of Korean Establishments in Melbourne:

(1) City Mart Korean Grocery/DVD rental
This is a well known Korean grocery store amongst both koreans and non-koreans selling your average Korean fare of ramyun, kimchi,etc AND it also rents out the latest Korean films, variety shows and dramas having one of the most up-to-date collection of Korean films in Melbourne. Moreover, most of the Korean DVD films have english subtitles and the k-dramas tend to have Chinese subs too, many being pirated versions from China. I frequent this place to borrow Korean films very often cos they have eng subs so i understand....many korean students come here too..LOCATION: Right Across the well known Queen Victoria Market,City. The storefront has large korean characters displayed.

(2)Family Mart Korean Grocery/DVD
This is another Korean grocery again selling all the kimchi,imported korean foodstuff, etc and also allows rentals of Korean films, however, the collection is quite small compared to City Mart's DVD collection. LOCATION: Lonsdale Street, City

(3)Kashin Internet/Games/DVD/Comics
This is situated on Hardware Street and is an internet cafe which provides online games as well as has a rental section for comics and Korean films. Owned by Koreans and frequented by Koreans and some non-Koreans. LOCATION: Hardware Street ,City

(4) Vora Cafe
Situated also on Hardware St just a few shops away from Kazen store is Vora cafe which opened like many of the Korean restaurants and businesses only last year. It sells Korean food and is owned by Koreans with your staple kimchi, bulgogi, bibimbab, and it also sells Ja Jaeng Myun (Chinese Black Sauce Noodles). Tried it but i still prefer the Ja Jaeng Myun i had in Tokyo's KoreaTown Shin Okubo where in one of the restaurants owned by Koreans, the chinese noodles were DELICIOUS! In comparison, the one here is not that good ( in my opinion anyway). Frequented by korean students and australian office workers nearby. LOCATION:Hardware Street, City

(5) Grandma Kimchi
This has three branches and is one of the most well known Korean restaurants in Melbourne. It sells all your average Korean dishes like bulgogi, bibimbab, cold noodles, kimchi hotpot,etc. It has branches in Boxhill, Carnegie and in the city near russell street. I would recommend this place as the food is good and the interior design of the branch in the city is really nice and classy.
LOCATION: city, boxhill,carnegie

(6)Seoul Garden
One of the most established Korean restaurants in Melbourne located on Russell St serving all your normal Korean dishes including, kalbi tang, ginseng chicken tang (yummy!), kimchi soup, noodles,etc. Apparently i heard that when the film crew of the TV drama 'Sorry I Love You' came to Melbourne to shoot some scenes, the cast and crew had meals at this place. LOCATION: Russell Street, City

(7) Seoul Palace
Located in Chinatown and serving again everything you'd expect to find in a Korean restaurant and they have Korean KTV too. LOCATION: Market Lane, Chinatown

(8) There are two korean restaurants on exhibition st which i can't remember the name of and both sell korean food.

(9) The street beside Queen Victoria Market on the side of the Australian Sheep/Wool Tourist Centre has alot of Korean internet cafes and most importantly Korean-style BBQ restaurants where you cook your own meat and have soju. I can't remember the name of this street but it is right beside QV Market, if u walk down you will see the Korean restaurants all clustered up.

(10) Green Mart
Another new Korean grocery which just opened a month or two ago selling Korean imported frozen foods, kimchi, korean snacks as well as Japanese food. LOCATION: LaTrobe St, City Opposite Melbourne Central

(11) Korean Bridal and Make-Up Shop
There is now even a Korean Bridal shop where they provide make-up and services for brides!! It is a really classy place and prominently located at Melbourne Central shopping Mall. LOCATION: Melbourne Central, City

(12) Korean Hand Therapy Institute
In case u're wondering what the heck 'hand therapy' means, don't worry i was completely mystified myself when i came across this on the 2nd flr of Paramount Centre, Chinatown. Basically, after asking the Korean lady inside, i found out it means hand acupuncture. My my my, the range of korean services has really expanded in Melbourne, from the usual grocery stores to hand acupuncture shops now? LOCATION: Paramount Centre, Chinatown

(13) QUA Korean Apparel
Also located inside Paramount Centre selling Korean imported fashion. Has a branch in Boxhill. LOCATION: Paramount Centre, Chinatown

(14) Korean Lunchbox
This is a counter at the Paramount Centre foodcourt selling one of the best Korean Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup i have ever had and i go there often till the point where the owner knows me and knows i always order her spicy noodle seafood soup such that once she sees me, she will know what i want. Offers the best bargain in Melbourne for Korean food i reckon given that its in a foodcourt, the food sold there would cost double in a restaurant i think. Very popular with office workers, non-Korean students as well.LOCATION: Paramount Centre FoodCourt, Chinatown

(15) Oriental Spoon Korean Restaurant
Located on LaTrobe Street right across the Korean bridal shop i mentioned, this place offers all the usual korean fare with nice kimchi hotpots,bibimbab,etc. Right next door is this Korean karaoke place called 'M' and this just goes to show the significant korean population now with many korean karaoke joints popping up around Melbourne. LOCATION: LaTrobe Street, City

(16) BakPak Hotel
This place has many backpackers from all over the world but it also has, i realised, a significant number of korean backpackers all yr round. LOCATION: Franklin Street, City

(17) Melbourne BackPackers Hostel
This place and the many hostels around this area has many korean tourists. LOCATION: Franklin Street,City

(18) State Library of Victoria
A popular studying place for many Korean students of English. You can find at least one or two koreans on any given day. LOCATION: City

(19) Korean Beauty and Hair Salons
One of the most popular businesses that koreans in melbourne engage in is the hair and beauty industry with many korean beauty centres and hair shops opening in boxhill and the city area.

(20) Koreana
This is a Korean hair shop with branches in Little Lonsdale Street and Bourke Street. LOCATION: Little Lonsdale Street, Bourke Street


There are also several more restaurants and korean education consultant centres all over Melbourne, too many in fact, for me to list here. A tip is that most of the Korean eateries advertise as Korean/Japanese places and this is common all over Australia. I just ate at this place called Sushi Max which i had initially thought was Japanese owned but turned out to be korean-owned and they sold one korean dish, pork bulgogi, amongst their sushi and tempura sets. So if you ever see a Korean/Japanese restaurant in Australia, you can be sure it is almost guaranteed to be Korean-owned. I think they are afraid that Korean food is not as popular as Japanese and thus advertise themselves as both. There are also two (or maybe more) free Korean magazines (one is called Korea 21) available at Korean groceries and establishments advertising the numerous Korean services available in Melbourne such as Korean owned education and immigration centres,beauty parlours, restaurants etc. MANY korean students now come to Melbourne to learn English and many language schools are filled with Koreans now. Their numbers i would say have surpassed the number of Japanese students in Melbourne but no doubt still way behind the huge chinese student population here.

I also had a pleasant surprise last week when as i was walking home, this Korean guy (a tourist i think, there being many Korean tourists nowadays in Melbourne) suddenly stopped me and asked me in Korean if i was Korean. I couldn't believe it, it was the first time i had been mistaken for being a Korean and there were so many people walking on the street but he stopped me out of all those people. I was really happy (not that i wanna be korean cos i love being of chinese heritage but I was thrilled anyway) and said in english what, and he repeated in english asking whether i was korean. I said no and asked if he was lost hoping to get to know him better cos i REALLY WANT a korean friend but he said he just mistook me as a fellow korean and so sadly i had to let him go.....but it would have been weird anyways even if i was korean, i mean you don;t just stop ppl in the streets cos u think they are from the same country as you, i mean if he wasn't lost what would he have said to the korean person he stopped? Like 'can you take me around cos i am touring melbourne alone?' That would seriously be kinda weird but in my case, I wouldn't mind one bit given my desperate attempt to find korean friends.

SO IF ANY KOREANS ARE READING THIS OR ANYONE WHO HAS KOREAN FRIENDS IS READING THIS AND PREFERABLY STAYING IN MELBOURNE, PLEASE (I AM BEGGING) CONTACT ME BY LEAVING A COMMENT AND UR CONTACT DETAILS AS I REALLY WANT KOREAN FRIENDS BUT DON'T KNOW HOW TO MEET THEM GIVEN THAT MOST ARE IN ENGLISH SCHOOLS>THANKS, KAMSAMNIDA!

Happy Chinese New Year! 農曆新年快樂﹗春節 中国のお正月おめでとうございます

Been a long time since i last celebrated CNY in Melbourne.....went to Chinatown to see the lion dances and fire crackers celebrations,was really crowded, i think CNY is the only time when Chinatown gets this crowded! Well, just wanna wish all my readers Happy Chinese New Year, Wishing you all Good Health and Prosperity in the coming year!
祝 大 家 新 年 快 樂 ﹐
身 體 健 康 ﹐
萬 事 如 意 ﹐
心 想 事 成 ﹗

The Status of Women... 婦女的地位 婦女の地位

The status of women and women's rights have always been a huge concern of mine and today i shall write down some of my thoughts and opinions on this issue. It is my first post regarding this issue since i started this blog and hope for comments and feedbck on what fellow readers and bloggers think... a healthy debate is always good...
I have always felt lucky to have been born and grew up in times when women's status and women's rights were and are improving dramatically and am glad that after thousands of years of unjustified and ridiculous oppression of women, in the past decades, the world has finally come to its senses and women have been gradually liberated from the 'second-class status' imposed on them since time immemorial. Indeed, women were denied education and employment opportunities for thousands of years throughout ALL civilisations around the world encompassing the West and the East. When enlightenment came and Western ideas of female emancipation and liberation developed and spread around the world in the early 20th century, hope finally dawned. However, in Asia, old habits died hard. Boys were still prioritised by families in terms of education and employment and girls could only go to schools after the education of their brothers were paid first. Even when girls were educated, in Chinese speaking areas at least, it was thought undesirable for girls to be educated beyond primary school or at most secondary school until the late 1960s as it was thought that too much education would make a girl too argumentative and too independent and thus render her undesirable for marriage and being an obedient wife....sons were also treasured in Chinese families (and i am sure many other Asian families too) and it was widely known that newly married women had incredible pressure to bear at least one son to satisfy the in-laws and be deemed a woman with 'luck'. This pressure and preference for sons lasted amongst Chinese families well into the 1980s and early 1990s.
Thankfully, times have changed since then.However, if Asian women are now sitting back and comfortably thinking that all is relatively equal now, they are DEAD WRONG....cos things are still nowhere near being relatively equal between the sexes....
I have realised alot of women nowadays don't care about the feminist movement nor women's rights and think that the feminist movement is a thing of the past, taking for granted the rights they enjoy today, indeed many girls of my generation (20s) simply do not care much about women's rights when they should since it affects them directly...
i say that things are still a long way off from even 'relative equality' cos of what i have observed...i shall list just some of the more significant inequalities that still exist between the sexes in Asia-Pacific Nations in the 21st Century:
(1) Men still get the top jobs and higher level positions in companies and CEOs of companies are still OVERWHELMINGLY men....this is simply disproportionate to the gender ratios....either this proves men are biologically smarter and more capable than women or that there exists gender discrimination when promotions are given...(let's not forget, since most high level posts and decision-makers men, they could well be unconsciously selecting their fellow male workers for promotions)
(2) The top government posts are still OVERWHELMINGLY occupied by men with cabinet positions being occupied 70% or more in most Asian countries and men occupying more than half of the legislature in ALL Asian countries.
(3) Women are still overwhelmingly the victims of rape, molest,domestic violence and sexual harassment and men overwhelmingly the perpetrators..Laws have been put in place in recent yrs in many asian countries criminalising domestic violence and sexual harassment but the long twisted road it took them with opposition from many male legislators just goes to show the chauvinistic and selfish attitude of many Asian men.
An example of how many Asian men have still not progressed in step with the times and still hold latent chauvinistic views can be seen from the examples of Malaysia and Japan. These are just 2 example countries and it is not accurate to say that these two countries' men are the worst....its just that i am more familiar with them...
in Malaysia, a new Islamic law has been passed making it even easier for men to get a second wife whilst retaining the limited no of reasons a wife can divorce her husband. Further, there is still no sexual harassment law, only a sexual h. code of prac which is non-compulsory and merely advisory in nature. I can't even remember the ludicrous reasons that were given by employer associations on why they opposed any sexual harassment laws, i think it was something to the effect that it would 'encourage' female workers dissatisfied with their employers to falsely accuse them of sexual harassment...yeah yeah, heard all that BS before, women lie and like to falsely accuse men of rape and sexual harassment, whatever...
Then in Japan, after years and yes i mean YEARS of female commuters in the densha (trains)having to bear with the HUGE problem of chikans (molesters) who take advantage of the rush hours where commuters are literally packed like cans of sardines (believe me, i have personally experienced Tokyo rush hour and it is UNBELIEVABLY crammed), the train companies finally started to tackle the problem from 2004 where women's carriages were introduced such that during morning rush hour ONE or TWO carriages on SPECIFIC lines would be off-limits to men. This is hardly an adequate response to the problem as one or two carriages in a train is simply not enough given the number of female commuters which means that not all women would be able to get into them making those in the mixed carriages even more vulnerable. Given that these women-only carriages only occupy one to two of every line AND only for a specific time period such as 7am to 10am after which they revert back to mixed carriages AND given that the chikan problem has been a HUGE problem for women passengers for many years now, you would think that Japanese men would be more supportive of these new measures.....BUT there has been complaints from some selfish Japanese men that it is 'discriminating' towards them as they can't get into the carriages during rush hour, for example the women only carriages may not be that cramped as many women still choose to ride in the mixed one, and that it is a great inconveniece for men to have to walk to the mixed carriages esp if they are in a rush....i mean how selfish can they get!!!! of course these japanese male complainers don't feel the need for women's only carriages , i mean why would they? They are not the ones having to put up with the weird ojisan or middle aged balding businessman fondling up your skirt or his paws brushing against your bum which japanese women commuters have been putting up with years....they can enjoy their unharassed journey to work everyday whilst their female co-workers have to worry about the possibility of being molested everyday to work, i think what these men need is, and believe me, it would work, put all the straight selfish men who are complaining into a carriage FULL of gay men, make them commute with these gay men and be harassed by the gay men like touching their behinds and bumping into them and rocking up to them and i am sure they would be asking for all-straight male carriages in no time!
Then there is also the age-old habit of men which is having an extra-marital affair, seriously, many men still engage in affairs, and i mean MANY, i have heard of it from my mother's social circle which is wide and many of her friends have had husbands who were less than faithful(women also do commit adultery around the world but the rates are still no where near the prevalence amongst men)....and the thing that makes me angry is the way these women tolerate their husbands' unacceptable behaviour, i mean many women of my mother's generation simply do not want divorces and will try everything to 'win' their husbands back and try to be even nicer and obedient towards their husbands after finding out. I mean there is still a certain acceptability for men to go out and 'fool around' as long as they provide financially for the family and do not divorce the wife...people will actually encourage the wife to 'treat the husband nicer' and that the husband 'doesn't love the other woman, he is just fooling around, you know men, its just a sexual relationship'...i mean what kinda of rubbish is that, if an Asian woman were to go out to just have a 'sexual relationship' with another man but not love him, i doubt many people would advise the husband to 'treat her nicer' , in fact people would be thinking she is 'a whore, a loose woman' and if her husband forgave her, ppl would be 'he is not a man, how can he accept his wife having had another man?' I always encourage women to divorce their husbands immediately if they ever found out that their husbands were cheating, i mean the same standards should apply to both sexes, why should one apply for women another for men? I think women are incredibly stupid to try to 'win' bck their husbands, i mean they are already 'broken goods' why would u want him bck? I mean if it were me, i would be thinking of the best way to hit him where it hurts, how to sap the most money for alimony outta him when we get the divorce....it is also ridiculous how in asian societies all the hatred and condemnation is focused on the 'other woman'...how wicked she is, how she is breaking up a family, how she seduced the family man who would never do such a thing on his own accord...i mean shouldn't all the anger and blame be directed towards the guy?? HE is the one with a family and who swore the vows of marriage, HE is the one most morally guilty as he has emotional feelings and gone thru so much with the wife, HE is more than capable of refusing any seduction from the other woman even if she did seduce him. On the other hand, the other woman often only finds out the man is married AFTER he has deceived her into thinking he is single when he was trying to get her into bed, she is usually single and has no emotional feelings for the wife and so is less guilty as she can sleep with whoever she likes....i mean there are so many cases like this taiwanese legislator who hired a prostitute and it got onto the media and his wife forgave him, the thing was he was interviewed recently and you could see the way he said it was like he has already been 'punished' by his wife and didn't want to talk about it, i mean hello? his attitude was one of 'yeah i made a mistake and my wife has already punished me so lets get on with the marriage' other legislators also kept joking with him on the affair and i got really pissed off, i mean if it was his wife who had hired a male prostitute, i sure know that no one would be joking bout it and it would be treated seriously....then there was jackie chan who made the infamous speech regarding his affair ' i made a mistake that all men on earth have made' and he even went on to criticise the woman (a HK actress btw) for coming out and disclosing their relationship after she got pregnant with his baby and even going so far as to say he felt 'tricked' by the actress and felt she had deliberately got herself pregnant with his baby...i mean hello?? I would like to know just how she had tricked Jackie Chan into sticking his thing into her vagina...
In these affairs it is women who suffer the most,
the wife obviously suffers as she had contributed her youth and energy for the family only to be betrayed in such a painful way by the man she loved the most and who she thought had loved her the most.....she would have to accept the cold cruel fact that all the sweet memories they had in the yrs of their marriage could mean nothing now as her husband no longer loved her (contrary to popular Asian belief, most men who have affairs DO love or have feelings towards the other woman, they may be bastards, but they are still human)
the other woman suffers as she usually has to be kept in the dark and hide the relationship from her family and friends as well as lose her real chance for a relationship with a single male as she is with the married man, many men do NOT leave their wives as in Asian society, it is considered irresponsible for men to divorce their wives, affairs are tolerated only if they do not threaten the family unit, and also men generally do not want to risk their reputation and so the woman suffers as she will be left with nothing in the end and have to find someone else whilst the guy has just enjoyed free sex with a fresh woman 'holiday period' and retains his family and career....
the man suffers only in terms of punishment from his wife and having to arrange his time bw the two women and having to come up with clever lies to keep his wife in the dark, wow, he is so pitiful...as if!! sometimes he doesn't even suffer punishment from his wife as his wife treats him even nicer than before as many women pretend not to know even when they find out in the hope that if they do not make a big argument with their husbands the affair will end (in fact my own mother has said that a smart woman will 'open one eye and close the other' and 'should pretend not to know or argue with the husband if she finds out' and a friend of my mother has also said that 'a woman who divorces without a fight with the mistress is dumb as she is handing over all the money and assets to the other woman if she divorces which she helped her husband make by looking after him all these yrs'.....i really worry when many women (my mother's generation)think this way...this will only encourage men to go out and 'have fun' knowing very well that they have their wives under their control...
some common excuses used by Asian husbands to the other woman:
'I really can't stand my wife, we do not have love anymore, we sleep in separate bedrooms' {In a few yrs time, he will think the same way about u}
'i love you, i hate my wife, she is not as gentle as you' {of course she is not as gentle, i mean how can one expect someone to treat you as if it were still the honeymoon period}
'my wife is so demanding and so not understanding of me, she doesn't know my needs' {he means his sexual means}
'i will get a divorce if i could but my children are still small and i don't want them to have a broken family' {he should have been thinking about his children before he got himself into this situation and sticking his thing into places he shouldn't be}
'I love you and you mean more than anything in this world, please understand the pressure on me and how it will affect my career if i divorce my wife' {he doesn't love you as much as you love him, thats one thing for sure, he loves his career and reputation more which is why he is not divorcing his wife}
Thus i always advise women not to give up their careers once they get married as it is simply not a smart choice. A woman should have her own career and have her own independent income as it puts one in a weaker position even in arguements as one knows who ultimately is paying for everything. And given the track record of the male gender, women simply can't depend on their husbands to be faithful to them (this actually applies to men as well, no one can trust anyone else fully cos the only person who is not gonna betray u is yourself)and it makes it extremely difficult for women to get a divorce if she has no income of her own, as i put it, a man has his own career and the woman looks after his family and his children for him, but who looks after the woman's career for her then? If the man gets a divorce, he still has a career, if a housewife gets a divorce, she has nothing. However, it really is a personal choice and i respect women who stay at home as someone has to do it but i hope more men become house husbands supporting the wife and her career as now its like 95% of homemakers are women and less than 5%are men...which is SO OBVIOUSLY disproportionate to the gender ratios, i would hope that it becomes something like 70% women 30% men in the future....which would be tough nonetheless. There are those who think a woman who does not need to work is a 'lucky woman' (my mother's generation) and that a man who does not work is a 'useless man'...i mean why the double standards?? can't a housewife be seen as 'useless' as well and a 'househusband' be seen as 'lucky'??There is simply no reason for this.
There is also the issue of porn, admittedly men need porn (and maybe prostitutes??)and it would be futile to try to ban them, there is just a biological difference between men and women and i am different from some feminist who refuse to see this biological difference and argue for the prohibition of porn. I however do admit that porn often depicts women as sexual beings without subjectivity and that (in Japanese especially) porn, storylines of rape, gang rape, anal rape, etc, sexual torture of women and girls are abundant. I would argue for porn but to set limits such that certain things can no longer be shown in porn which are still being allowed now. For example, gang rape scenes should be banned, sexual torture as well, there should be a limit as to how many guys can have sex with the porn actress, i mean popular gang sex scenes where one woman has to deal with 20 or even 30 men is simply inhumane and absurd, there should also be more of a focus on the male actors as opposed to this sole focus on the womans' body, there should be more attempts to get better looking actors in Japanese porn which i heard love to put ugly men with pretty girls to satisfy (what i see as perverse) the spectators imagination as well as other limits. I guess it would be a give and take, such that men can still have outlets for their lust but there will have to be more acceptable limits on what can be shown in the porn out of respect for women.
For those who have read this far, thanks, i do know this is a loooong post, I just want to clarify that I am not a man-hater, these are just some of the realities which occur even now which i have observed and which i feel are so unjustified. I am not asking for equal rights for men and women, something i used to beleive in but which i no longer think is possible, i am just aiming for a 'fairer, relatively' equal society where the gendered power imbalance is not as great. For example, women do not have to make up EXACTLY half of the government or exactly half of all top positions, what should be achieved is somewhere 'near' half like 40% or 45% as opposed to the current 10% to 25%. I believe it is achievable.
I also hope more men become concerned, involved and angry at the gender injustice and not feel that women's rights ( i would prefer to call it human rights) are 'women's issues' or feel embarassed about being involved in 'women's rights'. I do understand there is an underlying feeling in society that it is abit weird for a man to be concerned about women's oppression and discrimination but i think the only men who should be ashamed are those who do not care about women's issues and the unequal status of women still prevalent today.

Comfort Women Stories (2) 慰安婦的故事(二) 慰安婦の物語(二)

A continuation of the series whereby i put up stories of the ordeals of comfort women (Asian sex slaves of the Imperial Japanese Forces during WW2). Part One is in the archives so please have a look thru earlier posts...
Hah Sang Suk's Story:
I was born in Sosan, South Chungchung Province in 1928.I had one younger brother and one younger sister.My parents made and sold yot(Korean sweet).I was sent to primary school but hated studying.In my third year of primary school, my father contracted pneumonia and died.My family was left with no money and my mother sold the inn she had managed to her sister, remarried, and moved to Yesan.At the age of twelve, I began work taking care of children in Jinnampo.After doing childcare for a year, I went to work in a factory.One day in 1944, when I was sixteen, I went to play at a neighbouring friend’s house and found the older girl wearing nice clothes and makeup.I asked how shed had earned the money, and she answered that she had gone to work in a Japanese factory.I suggested that this time, when she went to Shanghai, we go together.She agreed, and two days later a Korean man came looking for us at home.The man asked whether we wanted to go to China or Japan, and we answered China.my mother said Manchuria was too far and told me not to go, but I insisted on going.It was sometime in June when I left.The Korean man took us as far as Kyongsong, and we went to an inn near Jangchungdan.The inn was run by a couple, and there were already five other young women there who were older than me.Later, there was a total of about forty women, most of whom came from Kyongsang Province.The older ones said that women who went away did welcoming calls of “heitai (soldier)”, sang, and made condolence visits.The couple who ran the inn gave me the name “Kimiko”.I got on a train carrying soldiers and left Kyongsong.I went through Pyongyang and Tenjin and arrived at Nanjing.Because I had had to transfer trains in Tenjin, I slept all night. I spent about two weeks in Nanjing, rode on a boat, and spent another two weeks in Wuhu, before finally going to Wuhan.There were also soldiers on the boat, but all of the civilians were Korean.It was around December 1944 when I got out at Hankou.After a thirty minute walk, I and the other forty women arrived at Jokgyong village.Twenty of us went into some kind of house, named "Sanserio".The proprietors were from Pyongyang.When we first entered, we were examined by a doctor.We were given medicine, and injections to prevent pregnancy.We were presented to the the military department reponsible for ‘comfort stations’, and with the permission slip stating that women had to be older than eighteen was presented, my age was raised to eighteen.The ‘comfort station’ had two storeys, and was the third house in Jokgyong village.There were about twenty rooms, all with tatami floors.First, three Japanese soldiers came in, and after that, it was only soldiers.Usually, ten to fifteen soldiers came each day.If the soldiers gave money to me, I gave it to the owners in exchange for condoms and tissue.The amount was about one or two Chinese yuan, and the managers kept record of it in an account book.On Sundays the soldiers waited in lines outside.Each soldier was alloted about one hour.When I refused to allow a soldier to go twice, I was sometimes beaten.¡¡Some soldiers showed up drunk and threatened to kill me.¡¡I fought with those who refused to wear a condom.If a soldier was dissatisfied with any of the women, he complained directly to the proprietor who then beat and kicked that woman.Of the military units of the time, I remembers "Sakura unit".There was a bathhouse. After servicing a soldier, I went to the bathhouse and washed with medicated water.Every Monday I went to a hospital in Jokgyong village and was checked for sexually transmitted diseases.On the day before the examination, the groups of women examined each other with a device that resembled a duck’s bill (a speculum).The owner hated it if anyone had contracted a disease so they covered cotton wool with dust and swabbed themselves.This way, even if there was an infection, it was possible to pass the examination.Women who contracted syphilis were hospitalized and treated with the 606 injection.They usually recovered within fifteen days.There were no rest days, and the women couldn’t leave the brothel.Once a month, we went to a bathhouse outside the Jokgyong village’s iron gate.We were fed by Chinese people twice a day.The proprietors of the ‘comfort station’ bought us clothes and makeup but gave us no money.At first, I borrowed money for trainfare and clothing from the Korean man who brought me.He said that it would take three years of work to repay the loan.¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡Then, one morning, I heard that Japan had lost the war.The Japanese women in the next house were crying.The moneyIhadreceived from the soldiers became useless and I threw it away.koreans gathered in Jokgyong village. I could now return to Korea, but wondering what I could do after going back with this body, I decided not to go.I remained in China, married a Chinese man who already had three children, and became their stepmother.I kept my Korean citizenship and still lives in Muhan, China.I wishes to visit my hometown, but because of citizenship problems it is a difficu¡¡lt process.
A link to a 20 min docu in Korean on the Korean Comfort Women: www.womenandwar.net/video/001/wmv

Countdown 2006! 倒數 2006！カウントダウン 2006！

Thanks to my friend Jeff, who invited me to countdown for the new year at Gurney Plaza (Penang's Premier shopping mall) i got to experience countdown party in Penang.....i had never seen Penang so crowded in my life.....the Gurney Drive area was packed with ppl and it was said that 50,000 people attended the countdown at Gurney Drive@@







More photos at:
http://hcpen1111-decemberphotospenangmalaysia.buzznet.com/user/?id=2075285

Penang, My Hometown 檳城﹐我的故鄉 ペナン、私のふるさと

(pic on the left was taken by me as i flew off on my Malaysian Airlines plane, the city, Georgetown, is the area on the far north- right corner, whilst the bridge across the water is Penang Bridge, connecting Penang Island to the Malaysian mainland)
I went bck to Penang (a beautiful island situated north of the Malaysian peninsular and just south of Thailand) during my summer break and would just like to introduce to readers this island which probably doesn't come into the radarspan of most ppl who live outside of South East Asia. Penang got its name from the Pinang tree.
Penang was one of the Straits Settlements along with Malacca or Melaka and Singapore that was directly governed by the British colonials starting from the 1700s. The other states of Malaysia(then known as British Malaya)had there own Malay sultans (Kings) and only cooperated with the British but were not wholly controlled by the British. Only the Straits Settlements were directly controlled by the British and flourished throughout the 19 and early 20 century. As the British needed labour, and having a policy of 'divide and rule', the British imported large numbers of ethnic indians and ethnic chinese from india and china respectively thus paving the way for the multiculturalism of malaysian society. By the early 20th century, Malaysia's ethnic composition had become roughly 40% Chinese, 15% Indians and the rest local Malays, meaning that the local Malay population made up less than half the population by the 1940s.

Penang, like the rest of SEA and indeed Asia, was occupied by the Japanese Imperial Forces during WW2,and suffered 3 years and 8 months of Japanese Occupation. Many people were killed,especially the chinese (who had supported China against Japanese invasion) and quite a number of Chinese boys from the well known Chung Ling Chinese HighSchool were murdered for supporting the Chinese Resistance Effort. Comfort women were also taken to Penang and women, like women in other Japanese occupied areas, suffered as well. It is also said that there are a few schools in Penang which are supposed to be haunted as they were POW camps during the war.

After WW2, the British returned but by 1957, Penang was incorporated into the newly independent and formed Malaysia. Singapore joined Malaysia as one nation briefly between 1963 to 1965 and Penang lost its Free Port status in the 1970s. Currently Penang is the only state in Malaysia with a Chinese population that is more than 50% with all other states having a Malay majority. The ethnic population of Malaysia is now roughly Malay 60%,Chinese 24%,Indian 7%,aborigines 9%, thus showing the non-Malay population has declined considerably from its peak in the 1940s when non-Malays made up the majority in the country.

Penang is apparently the most popular domestic travel destination for Malaysians, given that it has arguably the second biggest economy in Malaysia, after KL, and its local food is undisputedly the most famous in Malaysia with people from even the capital city and Singapore going north to sample its delicacies like char koey teow, Siam Laksa, Penang Prawn Noodles, Lor Mee, etc...Being an island, it also has a tourist beach belt called Batu Ferringhi where foreigners enjoy the beach, sun, seafood feasts, watersports, and the natural environment. Penang is also famous for its Nyonya Food, being the cuisine of people of mixed malay-chinese parentage. The Nyonyas have a distinct culture marrying malay with chinese culture. They are also found in Melaka and Singapore. So for my readers, do visit this lovely island sometime....if i am bck, i may even take u around for a tour....
Enjoyed my stay back home in Penang with the yummy local food, nice ppl, and cheap DVDS!!

Now time to study again as i just got bck yesterday....and pleasantly surprised at how cold it was (normally its supposed to be very hot at this time of the year) ...still cold today, though i heard it was extremely hot just last week,hope this kind of weather continues. What can i say, this is TRULY Melbourne weather, always unpredictable, always exciting...

KL Trip Dec 05 基隆玻之旅 クアラルンプールの旅

Went bck to Malaysia for holidays and i went to the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, (commonly called KL by malaysians) during my trip bck home this time.....i really liked it, went shopping and bought alot of clothes, Malaysian designers are THE BEST as far as i know cos Malaysian labels are just as chic, trendy and stylish as any other international labels PLUS they are SOOOO CHEAP! I like asian fashion so basically all European and American brands don;t suit my taste but even for those who like Western fashion trends, malaysian labels are the best cos they are just so cheap....i live in australia most of the time and so am familiar with the western style of fashion and prices here and having been to Tokyo to live for a few months last year, i am also well aware of Tokyo fashion and prices, i must say, based on designs and pricing, Malaysian brand labels are every bit as stylish as Aussie or Japanese labels BUT with a HUGE PRICE difference....ppl may think malaysian clothes could not possibly compare with japanese or aussie ones but they are every bit as good (though maybe the number of labels to choose from maybe abit less compared to aussie and definitely japanese labels) and for the same or similar kind of clothes, the price is HUGELY different. For example, the price of a top could be around A$120-200 or Y10 000 but in malaysia, a similar top of similar quality would cost only RM50-100 which would be equivalent to A$40 or Y3000 only. Thus, i never buy clothes in australia and only bought a few items in Tokyo during the summer sale....
Obviously went to the Twin Towers KLCC, MidValley MegaMall, Berjaya Times Square, Lot 10, Sungei Wang, etc for shopping and ate at Madam Kwan's for the 1st time as well as the Mandarin Oriental Chinese Restaurant. Both were good, liked Madam Kwan's Nasi Lemak (malaysia's most representative dish) as well as Mandarin Oriental's interior decorations....
Visitors to KL must visit the KL Twin Towers, formerly the world's tallest building but now second tallest after Taipei 101. Its architechural design is simply amazing and a photo opportunity....In fact i personally think it is SO much BETTER than the Taipei 101, which i have also been too, as in terms of design, it is extremely eye catching and unique whereas the Taipei 101 was kind of a dissapointment when i first saw it as it just didn't look that grand, it actually kinda looked quite dull, maybe cos KL TT is made of shiny steel which is shiny be it day or night. More importantly, the shopping mall inside the KL Twin Towers, KLCC, is packed with ppl and energy every day with officeworkers, tourists, families, teens,housewives,etc whereas the Taipei 101 mall leaves much to be desired being mostly empty during the weekdays and even having much less shops compared to KLCC. That doesn't mean that my readers who haven't been to Taipei 101 should stay away from it, its just my opinion, who knows, some ppl may disagree with me...
something about Malaysian democracy too.....i was surprised as i casually switched on the TV one morning in the hotel and tuned into local tv (which i seldom do since i watch cable almost all the time) and found a local program discussing malaysian civil rights and human rights and even having a malay human rights lawyer criticizing shortcomings and infringment of human rights in malaysia and callers calling in complaining about police brutality,etc...i mean this surprised me as only a few yrs ago, there would not have been this type of programs on air, furthermore, in Malaysia's top English newspaper, The Star, there is also a column by Marina Mahathir, Malaysia's ex-Prime Minister Mahathir's daughter,who is also active in the AIDS campaign, where she writes critical comments on some govt laws, one time being on a new Islamic law which would diminish the rights of muslim women in malaysia....this is all a positive step towards greater freedoms and rights for all Malaysians and something which makes me more proud of being Malaysian....

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.....

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...

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。 」■

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。