Two Sides to the Story

The children's books allegedly have "seditious" messages

 

For anyone wondering what it is like to be behind bars day after day, Lorie Lai Man-ling gives a bit of insight. She is the leader of the speech therapists union, and she along with the entire executive council were arrested in July for allegedly publishing "seditious" children's books.

She wrote an open letter and thanked people for visiting her everyday. "Thank you all for not forgetting me," Lai wrote.  

Lai and another woman were arrested in July

"With smartphones, conversations and idea exchanges in modern life become easier and more immediate -- there is no barrier in communication. Yet not until being held in remand did I realize the importance of communication. Every letter to me is a bridge to the world, and every word in it carries significance."

While Lai admitted she was mentally prepared for arrest, she asked if that in turn means she is guilty. "If not, what are the grounds to arrest and remand me?"

Lai said life behind bars is simple -- everyday eat, sleep, read, write and answer nature's call. But she insisted not to stop thinking, otherwise she will give up the struggle to defend her rights.

"Although the odds are more and more unfavourable today in Hong Kong, our states of mind have an effect on how we perceive the society and reality," she wrote. "Our bodies can be held captive, but our minds will always be free."

Lai is being held in this prison in Tuen Mun

While Lai sent out a public appreciation to people making the effort to visit her at Tai Lam Centre for Women in Tuen Mun, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung claimed inmates are using treats like chocolates to "build up forces" to endanger national security.

Tang alleged the prisoners are using visitors with religious or district council backgrounds to "spread their messages" to the outside world.

He also said the authorities have noticed organizations like the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund are sending letters, asking prisoners to "continue with their struggle".

"These [actions] seriously affect the rehabilitation program and have sown seeds of endangering national security," Tang told reporters at the Legislative Council today.

Tang claims prisoners are spreading messages

Everything, even treats in prison can be construed as endangering national security. But the authorities can control what goes in and out of the jails. 

Tang makes a great argument for people to leave Hong Kong.

Cardinal Zen's Request for Hong Kong

Cardinal Zen on his recent unfruitful trip to the Vatican

Last week the 88-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun made the long flight from Hong Kong to Rome hoping to have a meeting with Pope Francis.

That never happened.

Instead Cardinal Zen could only hand a letter to Pope Francis' secretary to pass to the pope. In it Cardinal Zen advocated for the installation of a new bishop in Hong Kong that has seen political upheaval particularly in the past year.

Since Bishop Yeung Ming-cheung passed away in early 2019, Cardinal John Tong Hong has overseen the diocese -- replacing his successor. Cardinal Tong himself is 81 years old. While he is a conservative when it comes to LGBTQ rights, he seemed unfazed by the new national security law.

Cardinal John Tong is overseeing the dicocese

In late June before the new law was enacted, he said Article 32 in the Basic Law guarantees freedom of religion, freedom to preach and to conduct and participate in religious activities in public.

He also added that Article 141 of the Basic Law specifies the government does not interfere in the internal affairs of religious organizations and providing of services to the public.

Therefore, Cardinal Tong surmised "collusion with foreign forces" in the new national security law does not apply to the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong because its direct relationship with the Vatican should be regarded as an internal affair.

In any event, Cardinal Zen is a pro-democracy activist and is anxious for the Vatican to appoint someone "who is trusted by the people".

"As I did last year, I handed a letter to a secretary at Casa Santa Marta, hoping to see the Holy Father. I let him know how urgent it was, and how I was here only for a short time," Cardinal Zen said.

Father Choy has "the blessing of Beijing"

He was concerned that a bishop "who is trusted by the people" be installed as soon as possible,  as the faithful in both Hong Kong and China grow increasingly wary of what is being seen as political posturing by the Vatican.

"The Vatican seems to be guessing the mind of Beijing -- always seeking to anticipate what Beijing will do, always appeasing. It seems they are afraid to nominate Bishop Ha [Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing] as doing so may offend Beijing," said Cardinal Zen.

Bishop Ha is currently auxiliary bishop of the diocese and has publicly supported the protesters in Hong Kong, thus possibly perceived as antagonistic to Beijing.

"Bishop Ha has never done anything -- not like me -- to cause trouble," said Cardinal Zen.

However, Cardinal Zen says Father Peter Choy Wai-man has "the blessing of Beijing", and was reportedly identified by Cardinal Tong as the best successor; but Cardinal Zen says Father Choy is "unacceptable to many Catholic faithful", because he would support silencing voices for freedom and democracy.

The Vatican seems to be aware of Bishop Ha's political stance which would offend Beijing, while Father Choy would not be accepted by the faithful, so it is apparently now looking for a third option.

"It seems to be after one and a half years, the Holy Father must hear from his people in Hong Kong. I am afraid, after so long, that Cardinal Parolin and Cardinal Tong have procrastinated in order to try and go back to Beijing's favourite," Cardinal Zen said. "So I have come to Rome once more for my people, and for the Pope."

Bishop Ha's appointment could offend Beijing

But it seems the Vatican is keen on getting relations with Beijing back on track, which may explain why Pope Francis rebuffed Cardinal Zen, who is critical of how the Vatican is being so secretive about the negotiations with Beijing.

"If tomorrow, the Vatican chooses this bishop, blessed by Beijing -- if they appoint this bad bishop for Hong Kong, my job is finished. I will choose to disappear," Cardinal Zen said.

But he will not go down without a last act of defiance.

"My last act of protest will be to do just that, to now disappear with everyone knowing why. I put this in my last will and testament -- that my bones shall not be placed in the cathedral, I do not want to be buried with such men. I will be buried in a simple cemetery with what remains of the faithful people of God."

While Cardinal Zen says this was his last trip to Rome, as he said his legs can't handle the long flights anymore, he is still fiery in spirit. May God bless him for his love of Hong Kong.

Munich's Museums

Beyond the Deutches Museum's planetarium is the Frauenkirche in Munich

Our last full day in Munich was a cold and rainy one... we took our hop on, hop off bus again just before 10am and got off at Deutches Museum, which focuses on science and technology with over 28,000 items.

A self-playing keyboard and drum!

the museum was founded in 1909 and is geared towards families and many had young kids. A random trivial fact is that for a time the museum was used to host rock and pop concerts for acts like The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Elton John.

When we arrived there was a lineup, but went quickly and we decided to tackle the museum from the top down. The top floor is a planetarium, but it wasn't open yet, and it talked about all kinds of things related to space, from the sun to the constellations, how telescopes can see so far into space and how the black hole works, using a silver ball rolling around slowly into a spiral that spins very quickly at the end before disappearing into the hole.

On the same floor, the sixth floor, there is an outdoor area where you can see the museum has a tower that shows the barometer and hygrometer, which measure the humidity and water vapor in the atmosphere; the recording was a bit on the high side because it was rainy that day, which sadly made it difficult for us to take some nice scenic pictures of Munich.

The Wright brothers' plane

We also saw exhibitions on things like engines, a man demonstrating how to blow glass, the history of ceramics and how bricks are made in a factory. Another one that I found interesting was musical instruments, though it focused on keyboards.

There was a very small keyboard with black keys called a spinett and a clavichord, both about two-thirds the size of a piano. There was even those self-playing pianos -- one that included the drums too -- and they were pretty massive machines.

One Yamaha looked like today's upright pianos, but this one was different -- it can help musicians record music, as the movement of the hammers is scanned by an LED light barrier. The information is then stored in a MIDI file in the computer. When the music is played back, the signals are electronically converted, and the piano keys move hydraulically in the same way the pianist struck them. Wow.

A plane that was similar to what The Red Baron flew

I had heard of the hurdy-gurdy, but this was my first time actually seeing it. It was a giant box on wheels, but it's supposed to be a stringed instrument that makes sound when it is cranked by hand. The roller rotates and the bellows are then operated, this makes the pins of the roller open valves so that air flows to the corresponding pipes.

There was even a very old jukebox and not the ones we think of from the 1950s -- this one was from 1900 that was shown at the World Exhibition in Paris. Very neat.

Down on the first floor were flying machines including the one made by the Wright brothers in 1909, the first engine-driven plane. We also saw the Fokker Dr. I, the World War I fighter plane made famous by Manfred von Richthofen, or The Red Baron.

The Alte Pinakothek is only 1 euro on Sundays!

The airplane's wings only had a span of 7 metres, making it easier for the plane to fly tight turns. To be honest I don't know much about The Red Baron -- only from what I read from Snoopy comic strips! Nevertheless it was fun to see the plane in person.

We had a quick lunch in the cafeteria which offered decent food and after we finished we noticed there was a big line out the door for people to get food. When we left the museum, we saw a very long line that was almost a block long. Perhaps this was a way to spend a rainy Sunday.

Gorgeous flowers by Rachel Ruysch

After our dose of science and technology, we headed to Alte Pinakothek, an art museum that houses over 700 artworks from the 14th to 18th centuries. The museum was commissioned by King Ludwig I and built from 1826 to 1836 in a Neoclassical style. Originally the building was meant to hold the entire art collection of the House of Wittelsbach, and the king allowed the public to view the works, and it continues this tradition today.

It was still raining when we got there, and there was a giant lineup to buy admission tickets. We soon found out why -- on Sundays admission is only 1 euro!

The building is long and narrow and basically two floors. There are a lot of religious paintings with all kinds of themes from the nativity scene to the crucifixion, angels and depictions of heaven and hell.

I preferred the non-religious pieces, portraits of ordinary people, country scenes, and there's one of a bouquet of flowers by Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750). She was the daughter of Dutch botany professor Frederik Ruysch and she used his vast collection of animal skeletons and botany samples to practice her drawings.

Albrecht Durer's self portrait that is Christ-like

She was so good that at one point she taught her father and sister how to paint. At the age of 15, Ruysch apprenticed with a well known flower painter, Willem van Aeist, and he taught her among other things how to arrange flowers so that they looked more spontaneous. While she continued to work with him, Ruysch was already selling her own work at 18.

Ruysch would later go on to marry Amsterdam portrait painter Juriaen Pool and have 10 children! She continued to paint while married.

Another famous work we had to see was Albrecht Durer's Self-Portrait with Fur-Trimmed Robe, 1500.

He painted this when he was 28 years old and it is considered unusual because of its frontal angle and meticulous details. Durer based the style of this portrait on icons of Christ the Saviour, his hand raised in the sign of the blessing.

Madame de Pompadour by Francois Boucher

One fabulous piece of Rococo art has to be Francois Boucher's Madame de Pompadour, 1756. She was the official mistress of King Louis XV of France and here she is wearing an elaborate afternoon dress surrounded by books, sheets of music and drawings. We were mesmerized by the detail in the folds of the dress as well as the reflection in the back. Her proportions seem a bit off though -- she must have been extremely tall according to this painting and had very tiny feet! In any event a beautiful portrait that shows off the lifestyle of the aristocracy in that period.

Guo Pei's Fantastical Fashion

Nothing short of wow... Guo Pei's weight-bearing long coat with embroidery

After two days of sun it was back to rainy weather in Vancouver. But that's OK because we had planned to go downtown to the Vancouver Art Gallery to check out the current exhibition, Guo Pei: Couture Beyond that is on until January 20.

Layers of organza give volume to this whimsical dress

When it opened in mid-October, it coincided with the Vancouver premiere of the documentary Yellow is Forbidden, which follows Guo preparing for her haute couture show in Paris, and how she became a fashion designer.

She was born at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution and learned how to sew at a very young age from her mother, but Guo didn't know there was such a thing as fashion, with everyone wearing the same dull Mao suits.

"When I was little, I didn't know what fashion was. The word didn't exist," says Guo in Yellow is Forbidden. "My Granny told me many stories about embroidery, what people wore in the palace, and I would fantasize about that. When I was eight years old, I asked Granny for a yellow dress, and she got very angry at me. She said, 'Yellow is forbidden'."

Guo later studied at Beijing's Second Light Industry School, graduating in 1986 and worked for a Chinese clothing manufacturer before launching her brand Rose Studio with her husband in 1997.

The "omelette" dress made famous by Rihanna in 2015

The exhibition features pieces from 2006 to 2017 and yes it includes that 25kg yellow dress with fox fur trim Rihanna wore to the 2015 China-themed Met Gala that put Guo in the global spotlight.

Looking at the pieces you can see Guo's fantastical imagination and you can't help but be in awe of both the design and the execution particularly in terms of the embroidery and beading. It is absolutely amazing how much work was poured into each outfit.

She has teams of some 500 artisans working with her in Beijing, training and learning from her. Apparently in the documentary, couture organizers weren't sure who Guo was because many fashion designers are usually the ones barking directions.

A dress as ornate as a Faberge egg

It's interesting to see her interpretation of religious iconography like the cross and royal symbols, as she has no strong connection or association with them. She freely uses bejewelled crosses to embellish crowns or even a headdress that looks like a human-sized Faberge egg with the model's head peeping through. Inside it's far from plain -- there are layers and layers of beading that are incredible.

One section was on Guo's reinterpretation of wedding dresses. Traditionally in China they are red, while in the West they are white, and so why not a completely white beaded Chinese wedding dress complete with buttons with 喜喜 or double happiness characters.

Another had a western scalloped neck with traditional Chinese floral embroidery that was gorgeous, complemented with sleeves decorated with long strings of gold beads, like a flapper dress.

That yellow dress was magnificent and yes it did look like a fancy omelette, but we preferred the turquoise embroidered coat and dress, the coat with massive long sleeves and a fur trim that needed assistants to help carry it. Now that's an entrance.

Why not a white beaded wedding gown?

The embroidery for each piece was different, colourful and dynamic -- the designs were hardly staid or routine. Many were long dresses, but there were some with pants, others using a kind of ribbon-like fabric to sculpt the skirt, or creating new shapes altogether.

It wasn't just the outfits themselves that were jaw-dropping. Guo also accessorized each piece with dazzling headdresses such as crowns or chunky jewellery around the neck or fingers, and even platform shoes that echoed those worn by women in the Imperial Palace.

The exhibition also has a video of Guo's fashion shows and you wonder how these models managed to walk the catwalk without falling over! In the documentary trailer, at one point someone says the models have to be athletes to be able to wear her clothes because they are so weighed down by the embroidery and beading.

Some of the pieces at first glance look very western, but look closer and there are some fine Chinese flourishes. Many of them look very regal, elegant and sophisticated, others are interesting experiments in shapes, textures and colours.

Curvaceous shapes created from this sculptural fabric

Being able to examine these pieces up close is very rare for haute couture, so it's a fun opportunity to see these ones in particular. They immediately make you appreciate the tens of thousands of hours put into each piece with so many people working on each one in tandem, with Guo as the visionary and conductor.

We left the show feeling in awe and proud of what Guo has accomplished -- the first Chinese to be invited to become a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, and creating pieces she has always wanted to do.

Guo Pei: Beyond Couture
Until January 20, 2019
Vancouver Art Gallery

Rome: Santa Maria Maggiore

The intricate ceiling of Santa Maria Maggiore

Our hotel is located near the train station and we are also very close to the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore, that is a Papal major basilica and largest Catholic Marian church in Italy.

This basilica was built in honour of the virgin Mary

We went in the late morning and it wasn't too busy -- we waited briefly in line to go through security before going inside.

It is a massive building, and the long narrow ceiling covered in flowers that are decorated with gold leaf is beautiful. 

The church is named in honour of the virgin Mary, one of the first few churches to do so. There are many statues and paintings of Mary. Inside there are many small chapels off to the sides for a small group of people to attend services.

The beautiful mosaic floors date back from the 5th century

It must be strange for regular church goers here to have tourists constantly snapping photographs or shooting video of their church, but as it's a major landmark that people want to visit. For the most part people are respectful, many of them Catholics themselves.

There were also many confessionals, and they advertised the languages spoken, such as Italian, French, Polish... nope no English! If the priest was "in", there would be a red light turn on above the confessional.

Another impressive aspect of the basilica is the mosaic floor that date back to the 5th century. It looks like it has a Moorish influence with symmetrical stars and circles, beautifully kept all these centuries.

Confession anyone? The priest is in

Next stop? The Vatican.

Eradicating a "Mental Illness"

Uighurs coming out of Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar, Xinjiang

 The Chinese government is spinning the incarceration of Uighurs in detention centres in Xinjiang,  saying their belief in Islam needs to be treated as a mental illness. As a result they need to be treated multiple times, not just once, and for months at a time.

That's the latest report from The Atlantic, that also says some one million people are being sent to these "reeducation camps" where they are forced to sing propaganda songs and learn Mandarin, and some media reports have even talked about forcing these ethnic minority Muslims to eat pork and drink alcohol.

While the authorities describe the camps are "schools", they are also being described as "hospitals".

Women waking down the street in Kashgar

In a WeChat message to Uighurs, an excerpt of an official Communist Party audio recording says:

Members of the public who have been chosen for reeducation have been infected by an ideological illness. They have been infected with religious extremism and violent terrorist ideology, and therefore they must seek treatment from a hospital as an inpatient... The religious extremist ideology is a type of poisonous medicine, which confuses the mind of the people... If we do not eradicate religious extremism at its roots, the violent terrorist incidents will grow and spread all over like an incurable malignant tumour.

Sounds serious doesn't it? Except the message is making assumptions about people's devotion to their religion.

By calling religious extremism an "ideological illness", it gives the government (in its mind) the moral authority to lock people up for months at a time, and as many as it warrants is necessary.

Police officers have confirmed to Radio Free Asia that they have been ordered to meet specific population quotas in rounding up people for these camps. In one township, 40 percent of the local population was locked up.

"It's being treated as a mental illness that's never guaranteed to be completely cured, like addiction or depression," says Timothy Grose, a China expert at the Rose Hulman Institute of Technology. "There's something mentally wrong that needs to be diagnosed, treated -- and followed up with."

The above mentioned recording from the Communist Party justifies the need for continual treatment:

There is always a risk that the illness will manifest itself at any moment, which would cause serious harm to the public. that is why they must be admitted to a reeducation hospital in time to treat and cleanse the virus from their brain and restore their normal mind... Being infected by religious extremism and violent terrorist ideology and not seeking treatment is like being infected by a disease that has not been treated in time, or like taking toxic drugs... There is no guarantee that it will not trigger and affect you in the future.

There are intimidating police patrols around Xinjiang

Having gone through reeducation and recovered form the ideological disease doesn't mean that one is permanently cured... So, after completing the reeducation process in the hospital and returning home... they must remain vigilant, empower themselves with the correct knowledge, strengthen their ideological studies, and actively attend various public activities to bolster their immune system.

Adrian Zenz, a researcher at the European School of Culture and Theology in Germany equates what is going on in Xinjiang with how the government dealt with Falun Gong practitioners in the early 2000s by reeducating them in labour camps.

"Falun Gong was also treated like a dangerous addiction... But in Xinjiang this [rhetoric] is certainly being pushed to the next level," he says. "The explicit link with the addictive effect of religion is being emphasized possibly in an unprecedented way."

US-based Uighur academic from Xinjiang Tahir Imin isn't surprised by the government equating Islam with mental illness. He believes this is the authorities' way of eradicating ethnic Muslim minorities and forcing them to assimilate with the Han Chinese.

In the end this is the government's way of dealing with extremists -- by eradicating what it thinks is religious extremism through extreme power.

China on the Defensive on Xinjiang

China claims people's rights and freedoms in Xinjiang are respected...

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva put some tough questions to the Chinese delegation led by Hu Lianhe of China's United Front Work Department.

As expected, his written statement were answers with Chinese characteristics.

He started off by saying: "The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region always respects and guarantees the human rights of people of all ethnic groups, and protects the freedoms and rights of citizens of all ethnic groups in accordance with the law and on an equal footing."

An excerpt from Hu Lianhe's statement to the UN

Has Hu ever been to Xinjiang, more specifically Kashgar, the westernmost city in China?

OK never mind.

He goes on to say: "People of all ethnic groups live and work in peace and contentment, and their freedom of religious belief are fully guaranteed. There is no arbitrary detention or lack of freedom of religious belief. The view that Xinjiang is a 'no rights zone' is completely against the fact."

Again, he is counting on the fact that the vast majority of people on the planet have never been to Xinjiang.

"There are no such things as 're-education centers' or 'counter-terrorism training centers' in Xinjiang," Hu continues in his lengthy statement. He points out it is China who is the victim of terrorism and so to safeguard residents, Xinjiang has executed a number of "special campaigns to crack down on violent terrorist activities according to the law" and imprisoned a number of criminals accused of terrorism.

He says those who have committed minor offenses are sent to "vocational education and employment training centers to acquire employment skills and legal knowledge, with a view to assisting in their rehabilitation and reintegration".

Security is tight all over Xinjiang, with numerous checkpoints

Singing patriotic songs and denouncing Islam are considered vocational training?

Hu also denied the UN estimate that 1 million Muslims of various ethnicities, including Uighurs and Kazakhs were being held in these centres.

Meanwhile the tabloid Global Times published editorials in English and Chinese, saying increased security was necessary to avoid the region from becoming another Syria, adding criticism of the rights record in Xinjiang was aimed at stirring trouble there and destroying hard-earned stability.

"The turnaround in Xinjiang's security situation has avoided a great tragedy and saved countless lives, thanks to powerful Chinese law and the strong ruling power of the Communist Party of China," the paper wrote.

China says it is a victim of terrorism, hence the security

"There is no doubt that the current peace and stability in Xinjiang is partly due to the high intensity of regulations. Police and security posts can be seen everywhere in Xinjiang."

Xinjiang has, "no room for destructive Western public opinions" that have destroyed numerous countries and regions," the Global Times said. "When the same evil influence was spreading in Xinjiang, it was decisively curbed."

Hu's response is classic CPC. Perhaps he will be promoted for standing up to those "western devils".

But the most important thing is the spotlight is shining on this area in China that has up until recently gone without much attention for years. 

However, will this make things worse for Uighurs in China? We can only hope not...

Book of Mormon

Mormon Elder Cunningham tries to convert Ugandans to Jesus Christ

We saw another show that I have been wanting to see for several years -- Book of Mormon.

Again it was a packed show at the Eugene O'Neill Theater, but we didn't have to line up around the block just to get in.

The premise of the story is funny -- a do-gooder Mormon missionary called Elder Kevin Price is considered the most qualified to go on his mission and hopes he'll be posted to Orlando, but he is sent to of all places -- Uganda -- with Elder Arnold Cunningham -- who likes to embellish things... a lot.

Everyone looks up to Elder Price as the model Mormon

It starts off hilarious, with side jokes here and there, but then things start getting really crass -- lots of f-words and outrageous lines that are definitely sung and spoken to get attention and cheap laughs.

But after a while when you swear too many times, the audience gets numbed by it and loses its effectiveness, let alone shock value.

We still enjoyed the storyline, but was the excessive amount of profanities that necessary? We were pretty much cringing towards the end and wondered how it would all end...

Both the leads were fantastic strong singers and the leader of the Mormon group in Uganda was really funny as he had gay tendancies he tried to hide. The most hilarious song had to be Turn It Off, when Elder Price is told to "turn off" his concerns about confronting a Ugandan warlord, much like the Mormon leader being attracted to men.

The lyrics are written by Robert Lopez, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the latter two famous for South Park, and so you know you're probably in for some crass humour, and took seven years to finally get performed on stage.

Funny satire on Mormons but a lot of swearing in it!

Stone and Parker grew up in Colorado and so they were very familiar with the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints. When they were researching for the musical they went to Salt Lake City and interviewed missionaries and former ones, so in a way the audience can tell the musical may poke fun at Mormons, it doesn't slam them completely, that faith, hope and optimism are really important to everyone.

When the musical came out in 2011, the church issued a "measured", saying: "The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ".

There isn't much the church can do since it was a Tony-award winning show and has traveled around to several countries. Doubt it would make it to Hong Kong though!

Book of Mormon

Eugene O'Neill Theatre

230 West 49th Street

New York