Review: Gorbachev. Heaven

Gorbachev's sad, quiet life is captured in Manksy's documentary

 

Back in the 2019 Hong Kong International Film Festival I watched the documentary Putin's Witnesses by Vitaly Mansky, giving viewers insight into the Russian President and how he functions. Mansky also made it to the city to talk about his film afterwards, feeling free to talk about authoritarianism, though who knew Hong Kong would be quickly sliding into this situation two years later?

Mansky has produced another documentary called Gorbachev. Heaven, about the former leader who ended the Soviet Union, but what has happened to him and Russia since then?

Just before the film started, the director sent a personal video message to viewers in Hong Kong, saying at first he was sad he was unable to come to the city to attend the festival because of the pandemic. 

The dining room only has one person eating

Then Mansky said that he keenly watched the 2019 protests and how the people were trying to protect their freedoms, and so he believed they would be interested in watching Gorbachev. Heaven, seeing how freedom that Gorbachev gave when he declared the end of the Soviet Union, soon dissipated.

Not having seen recent pictures or videos of Gorbachev, it was quite shocking to see the 90-year-old overweight and bloated, and in frail health. He uses a walker to get around, very slowly. Luckily his former aides are there to help him, otherwise he is very much alone. They even helped install an elevator in his home outside Moscow, that the state lent for him to use "temporarily", in other words, until death.

Mansky is off camera the whole time, asking Gorbachev lots of questions, recounting his personal life as well as his political career without using any archival news footage, though there are a few footnotes of people mentioned to help people understand the context of the conversations.

In the mid-1980s Gorbachev introduced perestroika, or democratic reforms, which led to three eastern European countries free from Communist rule (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), and eventually the collapse of the Soviet Union caused by the August 1991 coup that forced Gorbachev to resign, and Boris Yeltsin took power.

Lots of food (and booze) is featured in the film

While Mansky admires Gorbachev, he also doesn't let him get away easily, asking him tough questions about the messy end of the USSR, and the former leader doesn't give straight answers, to which Mansky prods him more, and Gorbachev refuses to reply, saying he's answered them already.

But perhaps it's the long shots of Gorbachev that give viewers a better idea of him these days. Mansky focuses his camera a lot on Gorbachev's face and his hands look so big on the big screen. He likes to eat too -- he's seen snacking, discussing the dinner menu with his chef, dining with friends to mark the New Year. And yes there's vodka and beer too.

Always in the background, though, is Vladimir Putin, usually on television. Just before midnight January 1, 2020, Putin gives a sombre address on TV and he finishes just as the clock strikes 12. "Very precise," remarks Gorbachev, and resumes eating his late night dinner.

Also having a presence in the film is Gorbachev's wife Raisa, who died in 1999 of leukemia. There are portraits of her in his home and office, and he speaks fondly of her, saying, "the meaning of life is gone", though it has been 20 years without her.

Mansky with Gorbachev during filming

He sings a song a few times that he would sing to his wife, which talks of a forest being heaven, and hence the title of the documentary. One scene shows Gorbachev visiting her grave and notes he will be buried with her.

Watching Gorbachev. Heaven is his last will and testament, and it is sad to see the leader who so profoundly changed Russia to be mostly alone, frustrated by his physical limitations and politically shut out, as he is the polar opposite to Putin.

He does speak out, but the media are scared of publishing his opinions. There isn't much he can do about that.

Nevertheless, Manksy's portrait of Gorbachev is an intimate one and good record of his life -- in his words.

Gorbachev. Heaven

Directed by Vitaly Mansky

100 minutes

China Already Knows How the Story Ends

The book about the coronavirus in China is out

Yesterday I wrote a blog post about China's propaganda machine going into overdrive with its tales of heroism and self-sacrifice of healthcare workers and ordinary people in their efforts to fight the coronavirus.

Today China reported 327 new cases compared to 433 the day before, and 44 deaths, which is less than the number of cases around the world, but this epidemic, which infectious disease experts fear could develop into a pandemic, is far from over.

The book talks about China's valiant efforts to battle the virus

However the Chinese have already published a book about the country's valiant efforts in overcoming the coronavirus called A Battle Against Epidemic: China Combating Covid-19 in 2020. It seems China already knows the ending to the story when the coronavirus hasn't even peaked yet.

A news release issued by the Xinhua News Agency says the book "collectively reflects General Secretary Xi Jinping's commitment to the people, his sense of mission, his far-reaching strategic vision and outstanding leadership as the leader of a major power."

Talk about a breathless sentence, perhaps because it was such a rushed project to finish.

There are articles extolling Xi Jinping's leadership in the crisis

The book features articles from Chinese state media that reiterate over and over how the Communist Party of China in its great wisdom knows how to battle the coronavirus, and has done so effectively.

The press release also claims the book will focus on "key moments, individuals and events during China's ongoing fight against the epidemic". 

Will it pay tribute to ophthalmologist Dr Li Wenliang and how he sounded the alarm about the coronavirus in late December but was accused by the police of spreading rumours? Li was infected with the coronavirus and died on February 7 and considered a hero by many Chinese who were angered by how the police, and by extension the local government treated him, and demanded free speech.

Will Dr Li Wenliang be memorialized in the book?

In any event, the book -- should you wish to read it -- will be available in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Arabic.

Isn't it a bit too premature to come out with a book like this? But perhaps the Chinese are trying to be optimistic?

Hongkongers' Coronavirus Concerns Grow

Even the MTR is very quiet, with not many people using public transport

Hong Kong is very quiet.

There aren't many people out on the streets, on the MTR, in shopping malls.

It's really eerie.

Yesterday I overheard some women in the gym discussing if Hongkongers' reaction to the coronavirus was an overreaction or not. One thought it was, the other not. Interestingly they were diplomatic about it and didn't get heated like the protests that had consumed the city months earlier.

Shopping malls like Times Square have few customers

Maybe it's because the epicentre is in Wuhan and not Hong Kong.

In the evening my relatives who were here during SARS are taking every precaution to protect themselves as much as possible.

When they heard the news that a Chinese doctor claimed to have contracted the coronavirus through his eyes, my relatives stopped wearing contacts and only wears glasses now. If there is a period where the coronavirus is so virulent that they can't go out for a few days, they have bought enough cup noodles and noodles to keep them alive.

However their biggest worry is sourcing masks. Not just any mask, but masks not made in China. "Do you dare to wear one made from China?" my uncle asked.

They are heading to Japan for a trip they had planned months ago and will scour every stop they go to for masks. This is their main mission now.

Almost everyone wears a mask out in public

Then today a friend and I met up for brunch and he is mentally overwhelmed by it, probably exhausted after dealing with eight months of protests and seeing the economic impact it has had on Hong Kong and now the coronavirus.

He wants to take a break and leave Hong Kong before more countries make it harder for us living here to get out. The United States, European Union, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore have all banned or restricted the entry of Chinese citizens and foreigners who have visited China recently. The list could keep growing thanks to the World Health Organization declaring a global public health emergency.

As we were discussing this, we heard gales of laughter and shrieks coming from the tables behind us, diners who seemed completely unaware or oblivious to the health crisis in the city.

Meanwhile I had dinner with another friend who is hoping that not all the shows for the upcoming Hong Kong Arts Festival will be cancelled. But the Boston Symphony Orchestra which was supposed to open the festival on February 12 and 13 has bowed out due to concerns of the coronavirus, and with a number of Leisure and Cultural Services Department venues closed indefinitely, it's hard to tell if the festival will continue at this rate.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has cancelled its Asia trip

After dinner we walked through IFC mall and at 8.15pm it was a ghost town. Most of the shops were already closed. I wandered through the supermarket CitySuper and usually it's busy with people getting their food shopping done for the week, but there was less than half the crowd.

For Hong Kong this is only the first week of the coronavirus. The statistics are staggering, with so far over 14,500 confirmed cases globally, 305 deaths, including one in the Philippines.

A Whatsapp message is going around today, a voice message apparently from Dr Ho Pak-leung recorded yesterday, who says the coronavirus could be transmitted through faeces and that people should close the lid of the toilet before flushing.

He also suggests pouring some water in the drain in the bathroom floor everyday, though I couldn't understand the reasoning except perhaps to ensure the pipes are functioning?

This just adds to more anxiety for everyone with more things to do and worry about.

Meanwhile Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor refused to meet with members of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance today, and so the strike will go ahead tomorrow. This is contrary to what Lam has said before, that she would be willing to listen to what others had to say.

The health care union said Carrie Lam didn't come to meet them

The fact that she didn't even want to meet the union suggests she is not interested in trying to understand the healthcare sectors' concerns, even if they are complaints about how the government has handled this crisis so far. It is the least she can do.

But perhaps she has other things to do, like get her hair done.

Everyone is frustrated by the government's inaction. My friend at brunch kept saying how the Macanese government was decisive in making sure it sourced 20 million masks for its residents and they could get 10 masks at a low prices every 10 days, while the Hong Kong government has done nothing of the sort.

At the same time he upset by the price gouging by opportunistic businesses, or having to wait in line for hours.

And this is only the start of the coronavirus crisis... it maybe a few months yet before Hong Kong and the rest of the world are in the clear...

Hong Kong Government Further Infuriates Citizens

Carrie Lam and her administration file in for this afternoon's press conference

Hongkongers are fed up with their government. Today's press conference infuriated the people even more.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor had a late afternoon press conference flanked by several ministers, including Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah.

WHO chief declares coronavirus a global health emergency

But Lam had nothing to say about closing all border points between Hong Kong and the mainland, and instead replied the government was following World Health Organization recommendations. Meanwhile we all know the WHO was under a lot of pressure from China not to declare the Wuhan coronavirus a global health emergency, but since the mystery virus has spread to 18 countries, it technically fits the bill.

However what was even more infuriating was the government's lack of compassion for Hongkongers desperately trying to buy masks, and the Lam administration had absolutely no plans in place to resolve the situation quickly and in an orderly manner.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Yau just replied that the government was talking to various stakeholders and some companies wanted to donate supplies to hospitals and charities... that's all good and well, but what about the rest of us? When can the government secure an ongoing supply of masks at decent prices for us to afford?

Lam seemed to hint that since school and universities would be shut now until March 2 that fewer people would be needing masks. This is absolutely ludicrous. So everyone's going to stay at home... and do what? If she thinks kids are going to stay home and study all day she's got to be from Mars.

Hongkongers continue their desperate search for masks

Meanwhile today was one of my colleague's last day at work and she had planned to travel to Rome with her mother before starting her new job. But this evening, the Italian authorities announced they were canceling all flights from China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taipei to Italy (basically Rome and Milan), effective immediately.

People who were supposed to get on a Cathay Pacific flight after midnight tonight, I'm sorry to say their flight is cancelled. Talk about last-minute cancellation.

Despite Italy desperate for business from mostly mainland Chinese tourists, the government has decided to be safe than sorry in protecting its citizens potentially exposed to the Wuhan coronavirus. That said, there may be some mainlanders already there, but now stranded in Italy... how are they getting home now that the Chinese New Year holiday is over?

It's upsetting that Hong Kong is being lumped in with China, but not surprising at the same time. Are other countries going to follow suit? So far Russia has closed its border with China, and Singapore will refuse to admit any Chinese nationals into the Lion City.

Meanwhile our spineless leader is adamant about keeping most of the border points open between Hong Kong and China. Was she instructed to do this, or she assumes this is what Beijing wants her to do?

Some 15,000 healthcare workers are threatening to strike

So many professional groups are clamouring for Lam to shut the border, and tens of thousands of medical staff are threatening to strike if this demand is not met. These doctors and nurses feel the healthcare system in Hong Kong is stretched as it is, and keeping the border open is inviting an outbreak too happen here.

Lam's response? She said she was dismayed to hear these frontline medical workers want to strike, but that it was the patients who suffered the most, as well as the city of Hong Kong, and that they should think clearly about what they are doing.

Again no empathy nor interest in trying to help the medical sector tackle the Wuhan coronavirus as effectively as possible.

We may have a strike any day now and everyone will know why patients are suffering -- because our government has lost its integrity

So basically don't get sick in the next few days and stay at home. There aren't any places to go to anyway since the public swimming pools, libraries, concert halls are shut. That'll save you from having to wear a few masks...                                                                                                                            

Review: Putin's Witnesses

Vladimir Putin receives a warm welcome from his school teacher to her home

On New Year's Eve, 1999, then Russian President Boris Yeltsin made a surprise announcement on a television address. He said was resigning and that then Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would become acting president, and in three months there would be an election.

For filmmaker Vitaly Mansky, he was only too eager to document this moment, asking his wife and daughters what they thought of this change in power.

 

His wife dreaded the news, and his oldest daughter equated Putin with Mao Zedong. Then he accosted his youngest daughter in the bath, who held her breath under water, refusing to comment. Did he know a year later their opinions were spot on?

Filmmaker Vitaly Mansky who now lives in Latvia

Instead of running a typical campaign with television ads and rallies, Putin hired Mansky to make a television documentary, following him as he went about his business in office. He was shown on International Women's Day visiting a textile factory mostly manned by women but he didn't speak to a single female worker. He also visits his school teacher in her home and gives her a big bouquet of roses, and kissing her like he would his own mother.


Mansky narrates the 107-minute film, explaining he did make the documentary that was shown on state television. But now looking at the footage again almost 20 years later, it seems to reveal more things that Mansky didn't see at first, which is why the film is called Putin's Witnesses.

Meanwhile the soundtrack is a haunting piano tune we hear over and over, a sense of foreboding that is very eerie.

Probably the most telling moment in Putin's Witnesses is on election day in 2000, when Mansky is at Putin's election headquarters. With narration, he introduces each person in the room and what role they played in Putin's campaign.

Many people in Putin's election team didn't stay long after

But then he adds this person or that person months later joined the opposition, or this person was later shot dead, or that person died at a young age... he includes Putin's wife and adds that years later he divorced her... it's all very shocking. No one stuck to him except for Dmitri Medvedev, who would later switch places with Putin so that he could become president again.

One of the first things Putin does in power as president is reinstate the melody of the Soviet national anthem that Yeltsin had scrapped, but now it had new lyrics, and a performance of the anthem is televised in an Easter television broadcast.

He also vetoed a motion in the lower house of parliament of removing the hammer and sickle on the "Victory Banner", the flag that Soviet troops raised over Berlin's Reichstag building on May 1, 1945 that came to symbolize the victory over Nazi Germany.

These small details show Putin's admiration or enthusiasm to return to Russia's Soviet past.

Another scene is a long conversation Mansky has with Putin in the back of a car. Putin tries to convince the filmmaker that after he finishes his term in office he will go back to living a normal life, away from the public eye and have the freedom to do whatever he wants.

The only time Putin wants Mansky to stop shooting video is after he does a length of the pool in the butterfly stroke, he gets out of the swimming pool and puts his hand over the camera lens.

Vitaly films Yeltsin at home watching election results

Mansky also follows Yeltsin at home on election night. His daughter is thrilled by the results because she has had a hand in getting Putin elected and calls for champagne to be opened. Yeltsin is pleased, but the smile turns into a frown when they wait for hours for Putin to call to thank him for giving him the opportunity to become the leader of Russia. Yeltsin would realize he was left in the dust.

After the screening of Putin's Witnesses, Mansky himself was at the screening at City Hall to big applause from the audience. He fielded questions from the audience, explaining that he and his family now lived in Latvia and that he was still able to go to Russia.

He says in 1999 no one really knew who Putin was (within a year his popularity rating went from zero to almost 50 percent), and Mansky used the opportunity to make the documentary about him to learn more about the incoming president. But in the film he admits he was not just a witness, but complicit in helping Putin become who he is.

Putin's Witnesses
Directed by Vitaly Mansky
107 minutes

Jazz from a Classical Pianist

Lively performance tonight by pianist Denis Matsuev and other musicians

Denis Matsuev, 43, is a prodigy pianist, starting his lessons at the keyboard from the age of three. It also probably helped that his mother was a piano teacher and his father a pianist and composer.

When he was 23 years old, he won the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1998, establishing himself as a classical pianist.

However, ever since he was young, he listened to jazz records his father played at home, and Matsuev's first TV appearance in 1990 on a show called Morning Star, he played his own jazz composition called Paris Memories.

He can easily play both classical and jazz on the piano

"My father used to collect recordings of outstanding jazz musicians. I listened to them all my life as far as I can remember myself, and I always tried to improvise," he recalled in an interview with TASS in 2017.

"I like it, and I do not see any reason why I should renounce this pleasure. And sometimes, I feel like taking it easy and making fun on stage to put smiles on people's faces."

That's what he did tonight, which contrasted with Thursday night when he gave a Tchaikovsky piano recital, and then last night performed with young musicians, both at Hong Kong City Hall.

This evening he still wore his white bow tie and evening coat but let it rip with an energetic jazz show that seamlessly integrated Russian music and instruments.

At the start of the show at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre that was almost full, Matsuev explained that while classical music is his "wife", jazz is his "lover".

He and several musicians played 10 pieces, some as solos, some as a group. It started with an enthusiastic rendition of improvisations on a Theme from Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, followed by an accordion player, Aydar Gaynullin who performed Libertango by Astor Piazzola that had a tango flair.



Then a 12-year-old saxophonist, Sofia Turina came on stage and played Csardas by Vittorio Monti with the group, and a quick 43-second Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. When that piece is played on a sax, it really does sound like a buzzing bee.

Another drummer came out -- a young kid, Daniil Gulevich, who accompanied the group in Fly Away: Variations on Themes from Alexander Borodin and Paul Desmond arranged by Matsuev's double bassist Andrey Ivanov. During his solo, Gulevich couldn't resist and for about 10 minutes was banging away at the drums... cool, but past the five-minute mark we were wondering, when is this going to end? That was the only part that lagged in the concert.

Matsuev also showed off his composition skills with two lovely pieces, Baikal Samba in a tribute to Lake Baikal with a watery theme, and Ballad.

Andrey Gorbachev came out -- no relation to the former Soviet leader -- but this man is a virtuoso on the balalaika, a triangle-shaped guitar that only has three strings. He quickly showed us why he's so good, plucking and strumming the instrument so fast we were completely mesmerized. Then he joined in on variations of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the group that was lots fun, followed by improvisations on a Theme from Peer Gynt Suite. Here's an idea of what they played:



The final piece, Fiesta by Matsuev and Ivanov was definitely festive, and after playing their solo, each musician would leave the stage. In the end it was Ivanov on the double bass with Alexander Zinger on the drums, and then just the drum solo before they all came back on stage to finish the song.

We all clapped loudly, hoping for an encore, but sadly that was the end of the show, that ended as expected at one hour and 50 minutes.

 

Matsuev and Friends Play Jazz
Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Improvisations on a Theme from Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, arranged by Denis Matsuev and Andrey Ivanov

Libertango by Astor Piazzolla

Csardas by Vittorio Monti

Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolia Rimsky-Korsakov

Fly Away: Variations on Themes from Alexander Borodin and Paul Desmond by Andre Ivanov

Baikal Samba and Ballad by Denis Matsuev

Variations on Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninov arranged by Denis Matsuev

Improvisations on a Theme from Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grieg, arranged by Denis Matsuev and Andrey Ivanov

Fiesta by Denis Matsuev and Andrey Ivanov

Man's Disturbing Effect on the Planet

Striking images of elephant tusks being burned show destruction by man

Another documentary I saw on the plane was Anthropocene by Nicholas De Pencier, Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky. Baichwal and Burtynsky have also worked on Manufactured Landscapes and Watermark, and Anthropocene is the third of the trilogy about how man is changing the natural landscape.

Manufactured Landscapes was about China being the world's factory, watching hundreds of thousands of workers doing the most mundane tasks to make products for us in the West to use.



Their next project Watermark was about how water levels are dropping around the world due to overuse or pollution, and how dire it is for farmers not having enough water to produce crops and how they have to dig deeper to get water.

And finally Anthropocene refers to our current geological age where human activity is affecting the climate and environment.

Carrara marble being extracted from a quarry in Italy

The documentary takes viewers around to 20 countries on six continents to see the devastating effects humans are having on the planet. For example tone scene shows Carrara marble being cut out of the quarry and one of the workers jokes the success of Carrara is thanks to Michelangelo, who demanded to only use this kind of marble for his masterpieces.

Then there's a shot in a workshop where several artisans make copies of Michelangelo's sculptures -- using the same marble he used hundreds of years ago. I also think of the luxury apartments in Manhattan that feature Carrara marble in their bathrooms.

The film goes to a bleak town in Russia called Norilsk that is considered the most polluted in the country. The main industry is smelting to extract minerals in high heat. Three Russian women are interviewed and one says how the town is dreary, but you get used to it and see the beauty in the stone. They laugh.

Another scene shows an unscripted moment of two workers having lunch and talking about how the filmmakers are recording everything they are saying.

Scavengers, animals and humans, hunt around a landfill

In Germany there is a giant machine that weighs 12,000 tons and scrapes out an entire hillside of dirt. The man running the machine is proud of this piece of technology and not really thinking about the effect it has on the environment.

Then in Nigeria there's a massive landfill with men, women and children literally ripping up garbage bags and scrounging for anything that can be recycled. They dig through the dirty trash with their bare hands and carry what they've found in baskets on their heads. Meanwhile birds hang around them, looking for bits of food to feed on.

Meanwhile in Kenya, a black woman activist talks about trying to stop the ivory trade. She feels guilty for not being able to save elephants' lives, but at least she has stopped people from making a living from killing the animals to get their tusks.

There are scenes of men carrying the tusks one by one and creating giant pyres that are later set alight to show the world that the ivory trade will be stamped out.

However go to Hong Kong, and a master carver prides himself on making intricate masterpieces on these tusks. he has a team of people using various tools to create a sea of people, flowers, trees, dragons and landscapes all on one tusk.

Baichwal, De Pencier and Burtynsky are the film's directors

He boasts the prices can range from several hundred to millions of dollars. But because the authorities are cracking down on the ivory trade, the man speaking Cantonese says he has found another better source -- that is not yet illegal -- mammoth ivory tusks. He won't be idle any time soon.

There's also shots of old growth forests in British Columbia being cut down and the narrator says there are less than 20 percent of the forests left in the world. It's shocking statistics like these that are disturbing and hopefully jolt people into realizing how much we have lost.

Nevertheless, some people in the documentary are indifferent because what they are doing is their livelihood, while others are very worried about the impact these actions have on the environment but are too small to stop them.

The images shot particularly from drones are beautiful and shocking at the same time -- this tension that Burtynsky is very well known for. A bulldozer pushes salt along a path and the camera pulls back to see how big the salt field is, that seems to go on forever.

Anthropocene first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year and hopefully more people will see this documentary, and see what we collectively as humans are doing to the planet we live on.

Chagall's Love of Life

The Red Flowers painted by Chagall in 1950

The Macao Museum of Art might not be very big, but it holds marvelous shows -- that are free!

Last year it was on Chinese artist Zhang Daqian's visits to the Dunhuang caves in Gansu province, and this time to coincide with Le French May, a show on Marc Chagall on his years in Southern France.

Three years ago we went to Nice and visited the Musee National Marc Chagall. The pieces on display were massive, requiring viewers to stand or sit back to soak in everything that was going on in each canvas.

One of Chagall's works converted into a tapestry

Here it was the opposite -- the vast majority were small pieces that required intimate viewing to fully appreciate the colours, emotions and imaginative compositions the artist made.

It also revealed how multi-faceted an artist Chagall was -- not only did he paint on canvas, but was also made lithographs, designed ballet costumes and sets, as well as painted murals, ceilings and created stained glass pieces in cathedrals. Oh and collaborated with weavers to make tapestries too.

He was born a Hassidic Jew in Vitebsk in 1887 and the theme of the Bible would resonate throughout his work. He described the Bible "like an echo of nature and this secret I have tried to transmit".

One of his impressive projects were the stained glass windows for Hadassah University Medical Centre in Jerusalem, where the 12 panels are about the 12 tribes of Israel, the descendants of the 12 sons of Jacob.

A relatively empty museum showing fantastic works of art

His life had its ups and downs. His first wife Bella Rosenfeld died in 1944, but then two years later he would have a son with an English woman, Virginia Haggard McNeil, who would later leave him. Chagall would marry again, a woman 25 years younger, Valentina Brodsky, who would manage his affairs so that he could focus on his art.

In the 1950s he moved to the south of France and was taken by the warm light, and the deep blue Mediterranean sea. Intense colours took centre stage and many of his works feature deep blues along with other symbols like sirens, fish, and mythical beings.

The paintings look so soaked through with colour that they seem so optimistic, playful, romantic and lush.

Deep colours in Siren and Fish, 1956-60

In 1952 and 1954 he went to Greece as he was commissioned by publisher Teriade to do illustrations of the pastoral romance of Daphinus and Chloe. He seemed immensely inspired by this couple and created numerous sketches of them.

He also worked on Stravinsky's The Firebird in 1945-46 and the exhibition displays several of the costumes on mannequins. The clothing is described as very light and during fittings, he would personally paint them. Over the years the costumes were worn and mended, but now they are museum pieces. Next to the display was a video showing the performers dancing in the costumes. Chagall was ahead of his time.

Despite being from Russia, Chagall applied for and was approved for citizenship in France. Many of his commissions were there, including painting the ceiling of the Opera de Paris. He was 77 years old at the time, but personally painted the 220 square metre area. The design pays tribute to 14 composers and their works.

One of many paintings on Daphinus and Chloe

He also made "Biblical Message" in 1955, featuring 12 large oil paintings that illustrate Genesis and Exodus that he donated to the French state in 1966 and wanted them exhibited together. Chagall spent time working on the sketches and small-scale oil paintings that can also be seen in the show.

In 1985 he died at the age of 98 and was buried in Saint-Paul de Vence.

I learned a lot more about Chagall and his life thanks to this show, that was only visited by a handful of other people in the late afternoon.

Even better is that I finally figured out that it is located behind Sands casino; just take the shuttle to Sands and it's a five-minute walk to the museum.

Marc Chagall, Light and Colour in Southern France

Until August 26

Macao Museum of Art

Av. Xian Xing Hai

Macau

(853) 8791 9814
http://www.mam.gov.mo/e/index

The Art of the Deal

Art Basel draws the uber rich who don't have much time but the money to buy

Today I met a Russian artist, Konstantin Bessmertny, who is known for pointing out contradictions in his work, nor is he afraid to talk about it either. While he used to live in Macau for 25 years, he now splits his time between there and Hong Kong.

Like many other artists, here or overseas, they are gearing up for the art event of the year, Art Basel, which will be held at the end of the month at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Russian artist Konstantin Bessmertny tells it like it is...

It's an opportunity for them, from big names like Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama, to Jeff Koons and even those who have passed, like Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Jean Michel Basquiat to have their works in front of wealthy buyers (mainland Chinese), while the rest of us try in vain to understand what these artists are saying in their work for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But for Bessmertny, the premier art event isn't about the art at all, it's about real estate.

That's because, he says, Art Basel makes money even before the show starts because it rents out all the spaces to galleries, which work feverishly hard to sell sell sell at this seemingly prestigious event.

He also observes it's the people who have gobs of money and so little time that they hire these "bimbos" who know nothing about art to source pieces for them to see. And what do they choose? Works that take only three seconds to understand. Which is why, Bessmertny says, artists like Murakami do well because not much thinking is involved.

Check out the tiny art work in this "adult" doll house

Ouch.

Which is probably what inspired him to make a doll house -- "an adult one" he points out -- with miniature copies of his works on the walls. He told us he is thinking of making other doll houses and inviting other artists to make mini versions of their works and he will rent out those spaces to them.

Hopefully the art and the wall space will be something I can afford, though you'd need a magnifying glass to see the price list...

Taste of Ukraine in Central

Cabbage rolls filled with rice and minced meat

About a month ago a colleague told me that Ivan the Kozak was shut down on Cochrane Street. Apparently it had been around for many years so it was a surprise to hear it had been closed down, but then again it was probably a victim of jacked up rents.

Our braised ox tongue with pastry on top!

However, about a week ago when my relatives wanted to have a birthday dinner there, I was surprised to find Ivan the Kozak had re-opened on Wyndham Street and I was keen to try out the food.

I didn't visit the place before so it's hard for me to compare, but the restaurant has a cozy atmosphere, with needlepoint cushions, wooden tables and chairs, cabinets filled with glasses and crockery, and an idyllic panoramic picture to transport diners to the Eastern European country.

For starters we had two salads, one with beetroot, herring, potato and carrot topped with salmon roe that was refreshing and light, followed by the Russian salad, finely diced vegetables mixed in mayonnaise.

Next came "darlings" or cabbage rolls filled with rice and minced meat with tomato sauce and sour cream on top. We really enjoyed this dish that was quite filling, though more tomato sauce would have made it better. We're wondering if we can replicate this at home...

Here's another hearty bowl with beef, carrots and potatoes

Another was a small bowl that was covered with pastry that was baked. When the cover was removed, inside was braised ox tongue with melted cheese. This dish was a highlight, as the ox tongue was flavourful, cooked in a clear broth, and the layer of cheese wasn't too heavy. We ate the pastry on its own, though one could have ripped a piece off and put a piece of ox tongue on top before eating it.

We also have a slightly bigger bowl with the pastry on top again, and inside revealed a hearty combination of chunks of braised beef with carrots and potatoes. We also ordered lamb shank that came in a black stone bowl that was bubbling madly when it arrived at the table.

Steam bubbling from the lamb shank dish obscured my camera!

In it was a leg of lamb with most of the meat on the bone, though it came off easily, cooked in a soupy concoction that included big chunks of potatoes and carrots. Eventually the soup evaporated into a delicious sauce.

One more must-have is the dumplings, and the ones we ordered had potatoes and mushrooms in them, accompanied with some sour cream. This also had nice flavours, though the dumplings weren't stuffed to the gills as one would do for Chinese ones.

While we arrived at 7pm, the restaurant was pretty quiet until about an hour later when people streamed in, either with reservations or walked in. It's pretty impressive the restaurant did quite well tonight, considering its new location.

Dumplings with potatoes and mushrooms, and sour cream

Service is nice if you can get their attention.

I hope to try the borscht next time and perhaps the pancakes too!

Ivan the Kozak

1/F, Parehk House

63 Wyndham Street

Central
2851 1193

Dragging HK to "Belt and Road"

One Belt, One Road is Xi Jinping's plan to create trade links with 65 countries

Yesterday Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying delivered his last policy address and a good chunk of the two-hour speech was devoted to the "One Belt, One Road" trade strategy that was initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Leung, who has abbreviated it to "Belt and Road", mentioned these two words an unprecedented 48 times. It was much more than "education" (31), "innovation" (30), "sustainable" (12) and "recycling" (0).

What is this "Belt and Road" you ask?

Xi presented this initiative in 2013 and was highlighted in the 13th five-year plan last year. The proposal is to develop two trade routes -- the New Silk Road linking China with Europe, and the Maritime Silk Road linking China with Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe.

Leung wants Hong Kong to take join One Belt, One Road

As a result it will span 65 countries, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

With links so expansive, Leung thinks Hong Kong should get in on the game. Or rather because he hopes to be re-elected next year, he wants to be in Xi's good books.

As a result, Leung is establishing a "Belt and Road" office with a committee of which he will be chairman in order to determine strategies on how Hong Kong can take advantage of these new trade links.

He has allocated HK$200 million for the professional service sector to build ties and cooperation with One Belt, One Road countries, and there will be tax incentives for those companies that set up treasury units in Hong Kong.

Not only are Leung's plans business-oriented, but education-related too. He wants students from these countries to come to Hong Kong to study, while educating local students about One Belt, One Road through study and cultural exchanges.

Is this the best Leung and his team can think of in terms of taking advantage of the One Belt, One Road strategy?

There are already stories from entrepreneurs trying to break into central Asia and having a lot of trouble doing business there.

Tom Lee, a product engineer for an electronics company, travelled to Kazakhstan in 2014 in a trip organized by the Trade Development Council. He was hoping to explore opportunities there and reached a US$30,000 deal with a local company, only to find it failed to pay up.

"Its business model is hard for Hong Kong companies to understand, and the customs system is extremely complicated," he said. Language is also a barrier. As a result Lee said his company was more focused on traditional markets like Europe and North America.

So how will Leung be able to help companies overcome these hurdles? And the committee is going to spend how many months and how much money to figure this out?

And educationally, what can students get out of this strategy? What is there for them in central Asia and Southeast Asia? Does Leung mean universities here will start providing courses on learning these languages or will there be lessons on Islam?

One parent commented, "I don't understand why the government is so generous to others but not willing to change the quality of our own education."

Point taken.

In the end it all sounds really vague, and one wonders how much he can really achieve on this initiative in one year.

Even more ironic is that people in Hong Kong aren't enthusiastic about this project, and yet Leung insists on dragging us into this plan.

While it makes sense for Hong Kong to try to find some way to benefit from these potentially big trade links, who's got an appetite for some adventure?

As Hong Kong goes through rocky economic times, most people are too scared of risking too much and would rather be close to home and bet on a sure thing.

Leung just might be biting off much more than he can chew.

Innocent Observation?

The picture of a student's letter to Xi Jinping

Seems like the the topic of the Chinese president's weight is off limits when it comes to the censors.

A nine-year-old schoolboy from Henan wrote an essay suggesting Xi Jinping should shed some pounds and it went viral after his father thought it was amusing and posted a picture of it on his WeChat.

It was soon picked up by the media, but then word came down from the propaganda department to take down any reference to it.

The innocent letter by Niu Ziru was addressed to "Xi Dada", a close term for an older man, and started off talking about the space industry.

"The United States and Russia -- even the European Union and India -- are all planning to land on Mars. Let's hurry up," Niu wrote.

Then he changed the topic to something he thought was a "lighter subject" by saying, "Xi Dada, you could lose some weight. [You] don't have to look as slim as [US President Barack] Obama. It's all right to look like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin."

The Zhengzhou Evening News ran a story on the letter, but then it and other news outlets scrubbed the story from their online editions.

What's wrong with an innocent suggestion as that? He's only concerned for Xi's health...

Beijing Deja Vu

Here we go again... China bidding for another Olympic Games...

Have you heard that Beijing wants to do what no other city has ever done before and become the first metropolis to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games?

The Chinese capital has already put in its bid for 2022 and the only other city competing for the honour is Almaty, Kazakhstan because Oslo, Norway gave up, along with Lviv, Ukraine, and Krakow, Poland.

These other cities withdrew their applications either because their citizens were not interested in hosting the event, or the cost was too much -- particularly after it was revealed Russia spent $51 billion on the Sochi Games, more than the $40 billion China spent in 2008.

Here's the video to evoke the warm fuzzy feelings of the Olympic Games all over again:

It's pretty bizarre watching some of the Summer Olympics venues be turned into winter sport locations. The Water Cube transformed into the curling venue? Are they going to freeze the Olympic-sized swimming pool?

And Wukesong where basketball matches were held would be transformed into an ice hockey rink?

The city doesn't get much snow these days, which is why the downhill skiing portion would be held in Zhangjiakou, 200 kilometres northwest of Beijing.

So it pretty much looks like Beijing is the hands down winner -- but wait -- what about the air?

A few weeks ago the Beijing Marathon took place and city officials were embarrassed as runner had to breathe in the toxic air and several quit part way through the race, unable to breathe.

And now with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit happening in a few days, the Chinese capital is still covered with haze and dangerously high air pollution levels.

Media director of Beijing's bid committee Wang Hui -- who by the way was also the media spokesperson during the Summer Games -- said the city would implement a two-step plan to clean the air with targets for 2017 and 2022.

"Beijing has called upon cooperation in major provinces and districts in northern China and will mobilize all its resources to clean up the air and bring down the air quality index value," Wang said. "We'll make sure by 2022 the air quality in Beijing is the best for athletes to compete."

Why should they only be concerned about athletes? Why not clean up the air for the residents of the city?

The China Face machine is back up and running again, fulfilling this need to present an image to the world and not being concerned about its own citizens.

If China wins again, what will Ai Weiwei do in response?

Mid-Autumn Open Air Concert

The Mid-Autumn moon at midnight over Terme di Montecatini

This year's Mid-Autumn Festival will be a memorable one for me.

First of all I brought to Italy some mooncakes from Hong Kong to celebrate this special event with my parents and their friends.

I brought both the highly prized egg custard mooncakes from The Peninsula, andd also traditional ones from a place in Fanling where the baker may retire any time now.

After a dinner of rustic barley soup, swordfish and tiramisu, we tucked into some mooncakes and then headed to Terme di Montecatini to listen to a gala evening of music.

The beautiful setting for tonight's concert

The spa itself is gorgeous -- built in the 17th century, it has painted tiles on the walls, frescoes on the domed ceilings and marble columns and floors. The property is large and spacious, and off to one side are the actual waters -- Regina, Rinfresco and Tettviccio to name three of the six that come out of taps.

With the full moon slowly rising above, we sat outside in the open air to watch a concert featuring four opera singers in an exercise in musical diplomacy between Italy and Russia, or more specifically Montecatini and St Petersburg.

It seems ironic the concert is happening now with the current conflict in Ukraine, but perhaps that's what music does -- trying to bridge political gaps through mutual interest.

The fantastic tenor and soprano with the conductor in between

Nevertheless, it started off late, well after 9.30pm and then there were the translations of welcome messages from the Montecatini mayor and a Russian representative in Italian, English and Russian, so the concert didn't actually start until after 10pm.

Half an hour later there was a 15-minute intermission which made us wonder what was going on. But it seemed like many of the locals were there to socialize and didn't mind the early break.

Following the intermission was when the concert really came together and the audience was rapt by the performances of the tenor and soprano in particular. The other soprano had fallen ill and the conductor called another to replace her yesterday. She did a fine job.

The conductor even sang a few lines in a duet with the substitute singer which was amusing. It was also impressive that he could speak in the three languages relatively effortlessly.

So who can forget a Mid-Autumn Festival with a full moon overhead and listening to the operatic works of Tchaikovsky and Puccini like La Boheme and Turandot in a gorgeous Italian spa?

Passionate Olympian

As the sole Hong Kong athlete at Sochi, Barton Lui Pan-to waves the flag

The Sochi Winter Olympics are well underway and Hong Kong's only athlete competing in the international event has made his appearance and exit in a flash.

Barton Lui Pan-to was the first male athlete to represent Hong Kong in the men's 1500m short track and didn't make it past the second heat, coming in fifth out of six with a time of 2 minutes 22.139 seconds.

However for the 20 year old it was not his time that was important, but the whole Olympic experience.

"This is the first time I came here, to the Winter Olympics, representing my hometown Hong Kong," he said. "I am so touched and so excited to be competing in front of thousands of people in the crowd, and my friends sitting in front of the TV. It is the first time for me to feel so many people on my back.

Lui (221) races against his idol Victor An in the second heat

"They did not really care what my results is or whether I am going to get a gold medal because I am here already. I thank my family and friends and everyone who cares about me and who loves me."

Spoken like an Olympian.

When asked to go over the race, Lui was thrilled to be racing in the same heat as his idol Victor An [originally South Korean but competed for Russia], but found the whole thing overwhelming.

"At the moment the referee started the race I am blank, so happy -- I have never experienced that before," said Lui. "It is a unique feeling. I will treasure this moment and remember it for the rest of my life, and share it with my friends and hopefully my kids."

Lui started skating when he was 10 years old at Cityplaza in Taikoo Shing and watched the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver when he was studying and training in the host city.

That inspired his Olympic ambition and since then his parents have mostly financed his training in China with a provincial team in Harbin and in South Korea. His proud parents were in the stands cheering him on last night.

"I have been travelling everywhere non-stop because I love short track, nothing else," he said.

"The Winter Olympics is not something that everyone can go to. For four years, every athlete in every country and every skater is fighting for this and surviving all those races and training just to be here," explained Lui.

He has perfectly captured the essence of what it is like to be an athlete chasing the Olympic dream, living the moment and then remembering it forever.

Hopefully he will inspire other Hong Kong kids to follow their dreams -- athletic or not -- but also realize that it takes hard work, determination, discipline and most importantly passion to succeed in anything.

In any event he's already decided he's going to train hard for the 2018 Winter Games. Watch out for Lui!