Month: February 2012

The inevitable Lin post

February 28, 2012

Last week Thursday, basketball sensation Jeremy Lin suffered his worst game as a starter as the Miami Heat limited him to just 8 points and 3 assists and forced him into 8 turnovers. While this doesn’t mean he’s not as good as previously thought, it makes him a little more human and forces the hype to die down a little. I don’t have anything against him because he’s been so humble and decent and he’s been consistent enough to be more than just a flash in a pan. His rise in the past 2 weeks has been unbelievable, from putting up last-second game-winning threes,scoring 38 on the Lakers, regularly posting up 20 and 8, and playing well even when they lose, leading the Knicks to go 9-3 since his first breakout game Feb. 4 against the Nets. The few games when he didn’t score that much were ones when he got taken out in the 3rd quarter because the Knicks were up by 20-something. Granted some of those teams the Knicks played were weak, but are they really so weak a guy can come out of nowhere and make it look so easy, even amid a media spotlight so unrelenting and persistent and not even limited to his continent? And this isn’t even including the stupid media puns about his name, including the obvious and popular one which is kind of a ripoff of the nickname of a former Toronto Raptors star.

Here’s a few observations about Jeremy Lin:

-China has got to be wondering why for all the big men, the Yaos, the Wang Zhizhis, they’ve had play in the NBA, they have never had a guard anywhere as good as Lin. Can you imagine if China had a Jeremy Lin playing point guard alongside Yao in his prime? Now, not only is Lin blowing up the NBA, but his parents are Taiwanese, for goodness sake.

-There’s no doubt that Lin has become incredibly popular with Asian-Americans and Asians. It’s not surprising. There are hardly any popular full Asian-American athletes (so sorry, Hines Ward, Tiger Woods, Johnny Damon et al don’t count though Dat Nyugen would), especially in team sports. The NBA is one of the most popular leagues in North America, and the world. Then Lin’s success itself is a good story, whether he was white, black or Latino. But what strikes me is that the enormous pride in Lin by his fellow ethnic Asian-Americans also demonstrates that there’s a kind of insecurity among this community. I’m not American but I can understand why they would feel pride in Lin. But I find it hard to believe that Asian-Americans still haven’t been able to overcome barriers in sports or other forms of pop culture like movies and music in America. I’m sure that Asian/Chinese people elsewhere such as in Trinidad probably harbor this insecurity but in North America, Asians have definitely got the numbers to break out and be successful in many areas.

-Despite both of his parents being from Taiwan and his Taiwan relatives boldly proclaiming his “Taiwaness” as opposed to being “Chinese”, Lin has wisely sidestepped this political and sociocultural minefield. I believe he’s even said that he’s from Taiwan but he’s proud of being Chinese. I know he’s not claiming to be from China, but at the same time, it means he’s not willing to disclaim any association with China. It’s kind of hilarious how obsessive Taiwan, and China to a lesser degree, has been over claiming Lin. Which brings me to my next point.

-One of the really great things about Jeremy Lin is how humble and decent seems. Even from his high school photos, he doesn’t seem like the ultracool jock athlete who feels he’s better than everybody around him. He’s this gawky, slightly nerdy-looking guy who just happens to be a great ball player. It’s ironic because his humble and down-to-earth nature very likely would not help him fit in in a Taiwan where style is much valued over substance.

Switching to a Chinese ahtlete, UFC 144 wasn’t very good for Zhang Tiequan as he was knocked out by a great right overhand punch from his Japanese opponent Issei Tamura in the second round. It wasn’t going well for him before that. This is Zhang’s first loss by knockout but he is now 2-3 since fighting in the US. It also wasn’t a good event for Japanese fighters as big names like Yushin Okami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto all suffered losses.

February 24, 2012

This Sunday, Zhang Tiequan will take on Issei Tamura at UFC 144 in Japan. Coincidentally, while Zhang is Chinese, Tamura is Japanese. It would seem like a very fortuitous matchup given the location and the fact Zhang is the only Chinese fighter in the UFC or any other major MMA (mixed martial arts) promotions. However, his original opponent was an American, Leonard Garcia, who then pulled out due to injury.  Zhang hasn’t fared too well since fighting in the US, but his losses have come via decisions, meaning he fought to the end.  This is a decent breakdown of Zhang’s recent fortunes and the matchup with Tamura. Hope this Saturday Zhang will come out with a win. The main event of UFC 144 will be lightweight champion Frankie Edgar taking on Benson Henderson while Quinton “Rampage” Jackson fights Ryan Bader.

Nanjing- death, destruction and resilience

February 22, 2012

The Sun Yat-sen mausoleum is an imposing building that looms at the top of several flights of elegant, wide, stone stairs. From the entrance to the top is a straight path that goes up the stairs. At the foot of the staircase is the mausoleum gate, and then a stele pavilion, featuring a stone stele. The blue color of the roofs are the most distinctive feature, being the color of the KMT. The mausoleum displays a giant statue of Dr. Sun, which visitors line up to get into and then approach from the right side to the back and exit at the left. No pictures are allowed inside, same as the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei. No, the photo above is far from the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. It’s a view of Nanjing’s main skyscrapers from the shore of Xuanwu Lake and it’s a good example of why Nanjing is a charming city.

If you’re wondering how Sun Yat-sen could be so honored in the PRC, it’s because he is actually respected and revered in both the mainland (PRC) and in Taiwan (ROC). Sun is called the “Father of modern China” as he was instrumental in forming the Kuomintang (KMT) and creating the Three Principles (三民主義). He had a highly inspirational role in the formation of the ROC in 1911 that followed the toppling of the Qing Dynasty, though he was unable to prevent the warlord Yuan Shikai from taking control of the nascent republic. It’s important to not make him into a deity, but he is one of the few in modern times who Chinese people can consider a hero. To visit his mausoleum  was one of the main reasons I came to Nanjing. And of course, when Chiang Kai-shek gained control of China, basically reunifying it, in 1927, he moved the capital from Beijing to Nanjing which remained the capital until the end of the ROC.


There are even more attractions on the mountain. There’s more tombs of lesser historical figures, the 1500-year-old Linggu Temple to the east of Sun Yat-sen’s mausoleum, an   and then Nanjing Museum, which we also visited. It lies at the foot of the mountain and is not clearly marked and it didn’t seem very impressive, judging from the exterior. There was construction going on around it, suggesting renovation or additions to the museum. The museum was free, just like the Shanghai Museum. It requires you to put your bag through an X-ray scanner, as with several public sites in China. Once inside, the museum was quite decent, though it was largely empty in terms of visitors. The interior features two floors with several large rooms, though a few were closed due to renovation/general maintenance.

Finally, Nanjing is filled with historical structures. But unfortunately, its long history and importance means that it has been the scene of battles, sieges, and destruction, especially during the Taiping Rebellion in the 19th century and in World War II, in which the city and its people suffered terribly. There are a number of historical structures and buildings that were renovated or rebuilt. One of these is the Mingguggong, the former Ming Imperial Palace (Beijing’s Forbidden City is called Guggong, so is Taipei’s National Palace Museum). However, this Mingguggong possesses none of the splendour and majesty of Beijing’s Forbidden City, because it is now just a large park with a few small pavilions and statues, the sad remnants of the imperial palace complex that was the precursor to the Forbidden City. The palace complex was mostly destroyed by Manchu Qing soldiers when they defeated the Ming Dynasty.
The Nanjing Massacre is one of the worst atrocities in recent history. Over 200,000 died in this atrocity which was committed by Japanese forces on Chinese civilians and captured soldiers over the span of a few months.  Tens of thousands of woman and girls were also raped and/or killed. This sad event is commemorated in the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, which was our final stop but an essential one. By coincidence, China’s official submission to the Oscars is a movie about the Nanjing Massacre starring Christian Bale.
The memorial hall is a modern grey building situated in a large compound. The hall seems to rise out of the ground as a large triangular grey building flanked by ghoulish statues of victims along a fountain at the side. It also has a giant courtyard with a large cross and bell and has a lot of open space that makes it seem as if it is set off from its surroundings. It is several minutes’ walking distance from a subway station.

 

The hall (full name: Memorial Hall of the victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese invaders) is not an easy place to take in. The horrifying and sadistic acts of the massacre fill all corners of the place.  There are exhibits, displays and photos about the atrocity, including what happened during the massacre and the events before it. I learned how relentless the Japanese military offensive was in that year, as Shanghai, Hangzhou and other nearby smaller towns fell before Nanjing. Actually the battle for Shanghai resulted in a serious defeat for Chinese forces, which somewhat explains why Naniing, the capital of China, was captured rather easily.
The exhibits included photos, weapons, military equipment, and belongings of victims. The displays, which were in Chinese, English and some in Japanese, explained how the Japanese literally went on killing sprees, competing to see who could execute the most Chinese, as well as rape sprees. I knew all this from reading about it elsewhere but it was still uncomfortable to read this again. Meanwhile, a constant soundtrack of sound effects of bombs falling and screams were played, accentuating the feeling of unease. Interestingly enough, I saw some people who had brought kids there, which seemed unusual.

The most haunting exhibit was a large pit with human skeletons of the victims visible. This pit was inside the building and you looked down upon it. The museum is built on the site of a mass grave of massacre victims. Photos were banned but I wish I had taken a few, as some visitors did. But then again, I wasn’t exactly in the mood for photography as I took in the exhibits. There were displays about a few Westerners who helped save thousands of Chinese, including Minnie Vautrin and John Rabe. Iris Chang was also paid tribute, she being the Chinese-American author of probably the most famous English-language book on the Nanjing Massacre who sadly took her own life in 2004. The museum ends with a section about the hope for peace and features a lot of surprisingly positive language, even about the Japanese.

  

One of two giant tripod vases at the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, a bullet hole from World War II fighting can be seen on he right side of the tripod. A jade mummy lies at Nanjing Museum.

Nanjing Museum had some decent exhibits like these glazed pottery. I’ve never seen the green-yellow color on pottery before.

A ceremony was concluding with flagraising when we entered the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall site.

Troubled Hong Kong

February 22, 2012

Hong Kong is known for being home to some of Asia’s most wealthiest tycoons and families. But do most of us know how these tycoons got so rich? TimeOut has a great article that talks about HK’s richest of the rich and the exorbitant level of control they have over Hong Kong. Land, store chains, public utilities, and even public transport are all owned by tycoons, which include the famous Li Ka-shing. A large part of the article discusses the nefarious means that property developers undertake to trick and exploit the public, such as the “square foot scam” – calculating public space in building complexes as part of apartments. In other words, the listed area of apartments often includes the hallway outside, the lobby, the pool and other such space that is clearly not part of the apartment. Near the end, there’s the usual blame China bit, which every discussion of Hong Kong’s problems always involves. Why I take exception is that these tycoons, though courted or supported by Beijing, started getting wealthy from the colonial period, as far back as the 60s. I feel that Hong Kongers need to take more responsibility for their problems, whether it’s their money-first mentality or snobbery of others. This bit “Many of the middle-aged middle classes also store their life savings in their flats and fear the prospect of cheaper housing, even if their own kids are priced out of the market” illustrates the problem why blaming rich Chinese for skyrocketing home prices is foolish. Regardless, the whole article is an interesting read for knowing what’s wrong with Hong Kong.

Here’s a much more drastic illustration of people living in hard times in Hong Kong. The above article is about the richest of the rich, well, these people are among the poorest of the poor, living in caged beds in rooms shared with strangers. I read a story about these cage residents in CNN last year, but this one is worth seeing for the photos.

Nanjing- the seat of emperors and kings

February 9, 2012

Nanjing, as many people know, used to be the capital of China before Beijing. What most don’t know, including myself, is that it was the capital of 10 different dynasties or regimes. It was the capital of Chiang Kai-shek’s ROC as well as the Ming Dynasty and the Taiping and it was also the capital of several smaller kingdoms during China’s long history. I didn’t know this until I visited the Ming Xiaoling Tomb, the burial place of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, who founded the Ming Dynasty. The tomb is one part of a large open air compound situated on the side of Zijin Mountain.

Unfortunately, Nanjing has twice had its lofty status stolen by Beijing, the most recent being with the creation of the PRC in 1949.  The first was during the Ming Dynasty. The first Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang reigned in Nanjing for 30 years until his death in 1398, after which his grandson succeeded him as his designated heir. The Hongwu Emperor’s youngest son launched a successful coup against his nephew and moved the capital to Beijing in 1402. So while Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor, is the emperor who’s buried in Nanjing in the Ming Xiaoling Tomb; all the other Ming emperors are buried in or near Beijing.

The Ming Xiaoling Tomb, as I mentioned, is an impressive attraction. As an emperor, his burial site obviously wasn’t simple but instead was a grand site adorned with long pathways, giant animal and human guardian statues, and a giant stone tortoise located near the entrance. This tortoise (bixi) features a 8.78m stele on its shell and is surrounded by its own open-air stone chamber. Then there is the Sacred Way, a long pathway flanked by 12 pairs of 6 stone animals, including regular animals like camels, lions, and horses, and mythical creatures like the unicorn-like qilin and xiezhi. After these animals is the Wengzhong Path featuring giant (it seems here every statue is giant) human statues of 4 generals and 4 officials. After you’ve passed these statues, you must pass through a giant stone gate, cross either of two small stone arched bridges and then a large red entrance gate with an elaborate Ming-style roof and three arched doors studded with large iron “knobs”, the first gate to the Ming Tomb. Inside are more buildings including the Imperial Tablet Hall featuring a stele with an inscription by a Qing emperor, praising Zhu Yuanzhang. An imposing fortress looms right at the end, where you enter a staircase at the base and walk to the back where the emperor is buried. Unfortunately, you can’t see the grave because the actual grave is unmarked in a small forest on a slope behind the fortress. On the top of the fortress, the inside had a few counters selling trinkets which seemed tacky, though the roof had a nice colorful design.

Near the Ming Xiaoling entrance are several museums, with the 10 Dynasty Museum being one of them. There is a subway station near the entrance and a pleasant walk of several minutes along a tree-lined road will take you to the Ming Xiaoling Tomb area.
I unfortunately missed visiting another major grave in the area. Sun Quan, the Emperor of Wu during the time of the Three Kingdoms, is buried nearby in Plum Blossom Hill. Chan Cheng, Zhang Ziyi’s lover in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, played him in the movie Red Cliff that was released as two movies in 2008. I saw the signs leading to his grave, but I didn’t know who he was until later. This being China and especially Nanjing, it wasn’t surprising that this city was dripping with history.
Speaking of history, this mountain didn’t just have the tombs of an emperor and a king, but the “Father of modern China.” The mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, revolutionary, KMT founder, and one-time president of the ROC, is just about 20 minutes walk away from the Ming Xiaoling tomb. The fact that his mausoleum is built at the same place where the Ming Hongwu Emperor was buried is more than a coincidence, though it was the decision not of Sun personally, but the ROC government I was told.

 

Crossing the bridge to enter the Ming Xialong compound. You can see how green this hill is, a rarity for a lot of Chinese cities. On the right is a lion statue, one of many animal statues on the Stone Elephant Road/Sacred Way.

Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang is buried in the hill behind this wall.