London: British Museum Treasures

After a security check, visitors can enter The British Museum

 

In recent years there has been a lot of debate about whether the British should have been allowed to take so many treasures from places like Greece, Egypt, Syria, and China, and some countries even demanding their priceless artifacts back.

The Rosetta Stone is a must-see

While it is understandable as a point of national pride for countries to want these precious items returned, but in some cases, they would not be kept in as good conditions as they would in The British Museum.

It was started in 1753 by an Irish scientist and physician Sir Hans Sloane who had his own collection, and the museum was opened in 1759 in Montagu House, on the site of the current building. In the following 250 years, it has collected some 8 million objects during the era of the British Empire and is the first public museum in the world. And free!

We were here for a short period of time, so we tried to be as efficient as possible.

The first stop was the Rosetta Stone which is near the entrance. It's very hard to photograph because it's behind glass, but a very important piece that helped archeologists figure out ancient hieroglyphics. On the black stone are carved Demotic, the everyday script of literate Egyptians, and the bottom is Greek, the language used by the government.

One of the many friezes taken from The Parthenon

At the time Egypt was ruled by a Greek dynasty and the Rosetta Stone records an event regarding Ptolemy V Epiphanes, the boy king.

And since we had been to the Parthenon in Athens, where about half of the real marble friezes were in The British Museum thanks to Lord Elgin, we had to see them in person. The marble pieces are housed in a long corridor and to be honest the details of the marble figures and animals are clearer here than in the Acropolis Museum, where they were already weathered down before being housed inside.

The musculature of the soldiers and the horses is evident, showing strength and grace. The robes people wore are detailed to show drapery. However seeing them one after the other numbs the brain's ability to appreciate every single piece. It's also worth remembering that these friezes were placed on the outside perimeter of the Parthenon and not facing each other in this room. Nevertheless to be able to look at them so close up is amazing.

Men holding onto an ox; the drapery is very detailed

One more Greek piece we had to see was the sixth figure that formed the Erechtheum Caryatid. At the Parthenon we saw the replicas, then five of the real figures in the Acropolis Museum, and now the sixth one in The British Museum.

All the figurines are columns holding up the building next to the Parthenon. They each have long thick hair that is plaited and falls behind their backs, and they wear short tunics. They also had baskets on their heads as part of the column.

And like the other marble pieces that Lord Elgin stole/took, this figure in the museum is very detailed from the plaiting of the hair, to the drapery of her tunic, though it's a pity her arms are missing and her face a bit weathered. There seems to be more detail of her hair at the back, but nothing of her feet.

The sixth figure from the Caryatids in Athens

Regardless, it was a thrill to finally see all six figures -- in one trip!

We also saw two Haida totem poles housed in the foyer from British Columbia that date back to about 1850, while we visited the China section, focusing more on the Tang Dynasty known for its porcelain.

One impressive piece is that of a statue of Buddha's disciple called a luohan. This one is in excellent condition, one of 10 found in a cave in the Yixian region of northern Hebei province in 1912. The statue is glazed in the sancai or three-coloured palette.

Another was of a figure who was the assistant to the judge of hell. A clerk carries a slim scroll, recording the names of those who have done good deeds in their lifetimes. The robes of the assistant are detailed particularly in the various layers of "fabric" denoted by the various colours and the draping is magnificent.

What a treat.

The assistant to the judge of hell

The British Museum
Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DG
britishmuseum.org

Christmas Banned in a Chinese Town

The grinch has arrived in Langfang, Hebei province in northern China

The local government in Langfang, a Chinese town in Hebei province, is the Christmas grinch this year.

Officials have ordered the removal of all festive decorations and banned shops from holding sales to "maintain stability".

The statement from the city management office of Langfang also appealed to the public to report anyone "spreading religion" in parks and squares, though it didn't specify which religion.

All Christmas decorations are banned from the city

Christmas isn't a recognized holiday in China, though for many particularly young people it's an excuse to hang out with friends at restaurants and bars, or buying gifts.

Langfang isn't the first place to ban Christmas -- in December last year, members of the Communist Party's Youth League at the University of South China in Hunan province were asked to sign a code of conduct that they would not participate in Christmas-related celebrations.

In the case of Langfang, local officials said anyone caught selling Christmas trees, wreaths, stockings or Santa Claus figurines in the city would be published, while shops are prohibited from holding Christmas performances or promotional sales.

This ban comes after the government has been cracking down on people practicing Christianity. On Saturday morning, more than 60 police officers and officials stormed a children's Bible class in Guangzhou.

Langfang may be trying to please Beijing through the ban

The authorities also shut down the 1,500-member Zion Church in Beijing in September, and Chengdu's 500-member Early Rain Covenant Church last week. In the latter case, about 100 worshippers were snatched from their homes or from the streets in coordinated raids.

Amnesty International China researcher Patrick Poon the recent raids on churches reflected the government's attitude towards Christianity, and the move by Langfang officials in Hebei may have been intended to impress Beijing.

"The authorities in Langfang might want to show how much they are ready to please the central government by banning Christmas decorations and sales.

"However, it also shows their ignorance about what Christmas really means for Christians, which is not about shopping or party celebrations, but it's the time to manifest their faith."

It's also interesting to keep in mind China manufactured and exported 60 percent of the world's artificial Christmas trees in 2017, according to Xinhua.

Why isn't that banned?

PLA Veterans' Grumbles get Louder

The PLA celebrates its 91st anniversary tomorrow, but not everyone is happy

The People's Liberation Army or PLA has a lot of veterans, about 57 million people.

They are the latest group of people to grumble about their (lack of) benefits and aren't very happy.

The government is so worried they will divert attention from the 91st anniversary of the founding of China's military tomorrow that vice-minister Fang Yongxiang gave a press conference saying now was not the time to voice grievances about welfare rights.

Fang Yongxiang warns veterans not to protest tomorrow

"We oppose the use of extreme moves to petition, and the staging of mass gatherings," he said. "We hope every veteran can respect the law and not threaten the stability of our society because of an impulse.

"We hope that everyone can report their problems in a rational and peaceful way... and prevent radical words... and avoid being used by people with ulterior motives."

In recent months, former servicemen and women have staged numerous rallies calling for better welfare rights. Some protestors have claimed they were assaulted by groups of thugs hired by officials.

There was also a five-day rally in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province in June, where some protestors said the event ended when armed police were sent to disperse the crowd. A military source close to the provincial government said "more than 10 officials" involved in the rally were punished for their handling of the event.

He also said authorities in other parts of the country had increased their monitoring of veterans on the approach to the military's anniversary on Wednesday, August 1.

"Governments in other provinces and cities have been on high alert to prevent any similar protests from being organized," the person, who requested anonymity, said.

"To prevent any possible petitioning, household registration authorities have started calling [at people's homes] and updating the information they have about veterans, to make sure they know their whereabouts."

Veterans have held several protests in recent months

Sounds very familiar to how political dissidents are tracked...

Last week hundreds of people staged protests outside veterans' affairs offices in Shandong, Hebei and Jiangsu provinces. In Jinan, Shandong, police officers were dispatched to block exits at the city's railway station to prevent more people from joining the protest.

Gou Zhengguo is a former soldier who fought in the Vietnam war and now lives in Hunan province. He said many veterans were told they could gather to air their grievances, but not in public places or in large numbers -- probably meaning no larger than three people.

"Some local authorities think that the civil rights movement by veterans, who only want better retirement benefits, is becoming more complicated and being used [as a front] by hostile forces from overseas," he said.

Groan. That argument again?

Who are these "hostile forces" that always conveniently pop up to supposedly disrupt things?

Perhaps the government should buckle down and sort out the veterans' grievances?

Veterans protesting in Beijing last year

Zeng Zhiping, a military law professor at Nanchang Institute of Technology in Jiangxi province criticized the authorities for being more concerned with breaking up protests than finding solutions to the veterans' problems.

"It's such a stupid and short-sighted move to highlight how much social unrest the authorities have successfully tackled," he said.

"This kind of approach may be a credit on local officials' lists of political achievements, but it will stir up more conflict between veterans and local authorities, and sow the seed for more trouble."

Soldiers do not earn much money in the military, and when they leave, they haven't amassed much in terms of savings which leaves these veterans very unhappy after what they thought was an honourable job.

The Ministry of Veterans' Affairs opened in April, meant to tackle their grievances; at Tuesday's press conference, they announced measures to help 120,000 ex-servicemen and women find new jobs and improve the welfare packages of 10,000 retirees and disabled former soldiers.

These initiatives seem like a drop in the bucket to help the 57 million veterans who have served the country. Surely money used to quell protests would be better used to give veterans what they want?

In Too Deep

China's biggest movie flop to date, and 750 million yuan down the drain

Wow what a waste of money.

The most expensive film made in China at 750 million yuan (US112 million) was yanked from screens after it flopped spectacularly on opening weekend, making only 49.05 million yuan.

Called Asura, the fantasy film was backed by big names like Alibaba Group Holding, Zhenjian Film Studio, and Ningxia Film Group, and starred Hong Kong actors Carina Lau Kar-ling and Tony Leung Ka-fai, as well as 19-year-old teenage heartthrob Wu Lei.

Tony Leung Ka-fai (second left) and Carina Lau (third to left)

But the producers made the shock announcement on the film's Weibo account, saying they gave their "deepest apologies to viewers who did not get a chance to watch the film, as well as to all the Chinese and international participants who were involved in its production over the past six years".

Oh boy.

There were some 2,500 people involved in the making of the film, that was shot in Qinghai, Ningxia and Hebei provinces, while 15 months of post production was done in the United States.

Thank goodness the trade war wasn't happening then...

Asura was based on Buddhist mythology, but it seems the story line wasn't compelling enough to viewers, as it only got 3.1 out of 10 from 10,950 viewers on the Chinese film review website Douban, and 6.4 on ticketing provider Maoyan's website.

The film was in post production in the US for 15 months

Meanwhile, Asura's competition, Hidden Man, directed by actor and director Jiang Wen, that also opened on July 13, raked in 341 million yuan.

Another case of China's bid to throw gobs of money at something with the expectations it will succeed, but in fact the opposite is what happens. Apparently Asura was the first of a trilogy... guess the other two are canned now?

The Straddling Bus is Dead

This hybrid bus was supposed to alleviate traffic and air pollution -- not!

Guess it was too bizarre to be true.

The Chinese-designed "straddling bus" that was supposed to allow cars to run underneath it has reached the end of the road.

It was originally hailed as "the future of public transport" because it was supposed to be a bus-train hybrid that would create less air pollution and transport commuters faster by avoiding traffic jams.

Less than a year after its unveiling, the bus has gathered dust

However, the widely hyped vehicle in the city of Qinhuangdao was dogged by difficulties and controversies. Local residents complained that the straddling bus was a traffic obstacle, making it hard for cars underneath to see, while the straddling bus would have difficulties making turns and there were questions if it could sustain its own weight and that of its passengers.

"It can only run on wide and straight roads," said Sun Zhang, a transport professor at Tongji University in Shanghai. "In big cities where roads are winding and jammed [with traffic], such roads are in short supply."

State media outlet The Global Times criticized the project for being "stuck in a concept with no real breakthrough", and for not realistically taking traffic problems into account.

The paper was also critical of the Transit Elevated Bus (TEB)'s funding source using peer-to-peer investment platforms. Huaying Kailai, the parent company of TEB Tech, which was to produce the bus, had reportedly raised billions of yuan online by convincing investors they were getting in on the ground floor of the next big thing.

Workers are dismantling the test site in Qinghuangdao

But it seems the company spent less than 200 million yuan (US$29.2 million) on research and development. And it doesn't seem like the project was ever approved by local authorities, as many government departments denied any connection with the project or gave it their blessing.

So now workers have begun dismantling the test site and will demolish it by the end of the month. Meanwhile the giant vehicle that is covered in dust -- less than a year after its debut -- will be moved to a nearby parking lot to wait for further action.

The "straddling bus" is now officially a dud.

Wonder what the next big thing will be...

Quote of the Day: Smog is a Meteorological Disaster

Intense smog days in Beijing may now be called "meteorological disasters"

This news item should be filed under "absurdity of the day": Beijing authorities are considering classifying severe smog days as "meteorological disasters", along with torrential rain, blizzards and drought, according to draft regulations on natural disaster mitigation submitted yesterday.

Director of the municipal government's legal affairs office, Liu Zhengang, said smog was "a combined result of man-made pollution and natural weather conditions", so it was appropriate to call the phenomenon a meteorological disaster," reported the Beijing News.

Tianjin and Hebei, Beijing's neighbours, have already classified smog as weather disasters, so the authorities in the Chinese capital felt it was "necessary" to do the same for "regional cooperation on tackling smog", the report said.

Apparently meteorological disasters caused 111 deaths in Beijing from 2001 to 2014, and caused direct financial losses of 22.5 billion yuan.

Heavy smog deters many from venturing outside

The regulations call for the capital city to set up "wind corridors", where the heights of buildings will be regulated to harness natural breezes to channel smog from urban areas.

How can the government regulate this when there are so many tall buildings up already?

And really? Smog is a meteorological disaster?

Sounds like the government wants to avoid having to take responsibility for the air pollution in the city, and blame it on Mother Nature.

Before the Beijing Olympics -- almost eight years ago -- the city prided itself on being able to control the weather by shooting silver iodide cloud seeding into the air to make it rain.

However it seems unable to control the amount of air pollution spewing into the atmosphere

Beijing's annual PM2.5 levels still stood at 80.6 micrograms per cubic metre last year, eight times the safety limit recommended by the World Health Organization.

Perhaps the government is shirking from its responsibility because the task of tackling air pollution is so overwhelming that it doesn't know where to begin?

The so-called "wind corridors" are a cop out. Reminds me of when the Hong Kong government wanted to reclaim land from Victoria Harbour, saying it would be a good thing to make the speed of the water flowing through the area move faster, so it could flush out contaminants.

However, the water is rushing so fast now that hardly any sea life can be detected below.

If Hong Kong was a true democracy -- and China too -- would these inept officials still be in power?

Tianjin Blast Sparks Many Questions

What was left on one area of the warehouse after battling the blaze in Tianjin

One wonders whose heads will roll following the massive explosions in a Tianjin warehouse that has killed at least 50 people and injured more than 500.

There are media reports an official environmental evaluation report on dangerous goods warehouses operated by Tianjin Ruihai Logistics, concluded that a fire or blast would not have a considerable impact on the neighbouring area.

The 42,000 square metre warehouse was a temporary holding area for dangerous goods before being imported or exported.

One of the explosions that rocked Tianjin Wednesday night

The report named some chemicals, like sodium cyanide acetylene, potassium nitrate, Toulene 2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) and condensed natural gas were transported stored at the warehouse, while it said many precautions were taken.

"Multiple surveillance cameras, a control centre for fire alarm and video surveillance are installed in the warehouse. A firefighting squad and traffic police square are stationed at the south of the warehouses," the report said.

It concluded "firefighters can arrive at the scene in time in case of fire or explosion and take fire extinguishing measures to contain release of toxic materials".

However, it seems the firefighters had no idea what they were battling in the blaze -- about 1,000 were deployed, but at least 12 died, 36 missing, and the rest had to pull out because they were unsure of what dangerous goods were inside and how much was stored.

Apparently 8,000 troops trained in anti-chemical warfare and 1,500 police also joined in the effort, but there were no other details on how they helped contain the fire and deal with the after effects.

Firefighters pulled out, unsure of what they were dealing with

The report seems to have been written in an ideal situation without having conducted any kind of practice emergency drills, or any kind of briefing or inspection by police and fire inspectors of the warehouse; it seems like a document that was published to tick off the right boxes to have it cleared at the government level.

There was also apparently a public consultation held in May 2013, allaying concerns, if residents had any, that all precautions were taken.

Workers at the warehouse who survived or escaped the blast told the media that they did not have proper training to handle dangerous goods.

Meanwhile there are at least three residential areas comprising 5,000 households that are located within 5km from the warehouse. A luxury development only 2km away was being built and so there were no casualties there, but construction workers now have to rebuild the project again, as all the windows were blown out and some surfaces scorched.

Some residents interviewed didn't know about the public consultation, or weren't aware of what dangerous goods were being stored there.

Rows of vehicles in the warehouse burned out from the blast

While Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on firefighters to contain the blaze and for rescuers and hospital staff to save as many people as possible, how seriously will the government take this incident and really investigate what happened? Will they really find out how residential areas could be built so close to a dangerous spot or vice versa, that a warehouse storing dangerous goods would be allowed to be built so close to a residential area?

Was this warehouse licensed to store and transport dangerous goods? And who endorsed the so-called environmental evaluation report?

There are too many questions that need to be answered. While this tragedy will bring the country together in grief, anger will be simmering below the surface, demanding answers and compensation.

Surely this tragedy will lead to a setback to Xi's legacy plan of amalgamating Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei together into a supercity called "Jing-Jin-Ji"...

Being Socially Responsible

Chen Qiaoling (above) and Chen Hongrong recorded China's food scandals

Three years ago, Chen Qiaoling and Chen Hongrong, both graduate students at Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management, founded Yueyaduo Food Safety Research Centre.

They published a book called China's Food Safety Record in January, documenting all the food-safety scandals reported in the media in recent years.

It took them two years to compile the book, and the pair paid for all the expenses to produce it. This book is the first to record food-safety incidents in China, and has been compared to former CCTV news presenter Chai Jing's self-financed documentary, Under the Dome, about China's air pollution.

Originally Chen Qiaoling thought after graduation she would have a stable job in Beijing, then buy an apartment and a car, and get a hukou or residency permit. But Chen Hongrong challenged her. "Shouldn't you do something beneficial to society and shoulder your social responsibility?" he asked.

Chai Jing made a documentary about China's air pollution

"I was touched by what he said. Hearing the phrase 'social responsibility' reminded me of a course I had taken about business ethics and social responsibility," Chen recalled. "I told him how the course included a case about food safety, and we started talking about the widely reported food-safety problems in China. We decided to do something about the issue, because it was an essential part of everyone's life. Nobody can escape from it."

As neither of them had taken courses related to food safety, the pair had to do extensive research. To gather more information on the ground, they went to nine provinces and municipalities, including Zhejiang, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hunan, Fujian, Shandong, and Hebei provinces, as well as Beijing and Tianjin.

They went to local farmers' markets, farms and supermarkets and surveyed people's opinions about food safety.

"We found that many people only had a very limited understanding. For example, some thought that if an agricultural product has been sprayed with pesticide, it is unsafe; others thought all food additives were not safe," says Chen.

"From these surveys, we realized that we needed to come up with something to let the public know what food safety is."

They were inspired by Harvey Wiley, the first commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration in the early 1900s. He and his colleagues published a series of reports on many food-safety issues that made the government, food producers and the public realize the need to improve the situation.

After compiling the book, Chen says there are two important issues regarding food safety in China, one of which is that many Chinese lack integrity.

"Many producers know they are using meat from dead pigs and cows, and that they are producing counterfeit food, but they don't care," she says.

"The second problem is the government cannot implement its regulations effectively. For example, China has set standards for edible oil, but a food-stand owner who sells deep-fried dough sticks isn't aware of them. He also won't know how to check whether the oil he uses complies with the standards. This is why more government guidance is needed."

At first only 200 copies of China's Food Safety Record were published for friends and family, as the authors didn't think anyone would read the book, let alone be willing to pay for it.

But after the book was in bookstores, they were surprised to find many people wanted to buy them, including civil servants, teachers and students majoring in agriculture, and people in the food industry, as well as readers who were concerned about the issue.

"Many people seem to think that it is very difficult to shoulder social responsibility," says Chen. "But actually once you start, it is not that hard at all. It is something many people can do. Many just don't have the courage to take the first step."

We thank Chen Qiaoling and Chen Hongrong for taking the initiative to do the research to put this book together as the definitive record on China's food-safety. Hopefully the government, particularly the central government will take notice and see the shortcomings in implementing its food safety measures and devise more effective ones.

The main issue of integrity is a troublesome one, whose root lies in morality. When people have no morals, then ensuring food safety is very difficult. How does one change the attitudes of unscrupulous people? It's going to take a long time to root out...