China Festival of Lights

I'd like to apologise for the lack of updates this week. It has been insanely busy at work due to half the staff being off sick and I've been busy working on some translations for the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Archaeology.

But enough of excuses...

My partner and I will be visiting the China Festival of Lights this Saturday. The Festival of Lights is a lantern festival which is currently being held at Emmen Zoo. The festival was originally supposed to close on January 10th but due to popular demand, the organisers have decided to push the closing date back to February 7th.

Any readers who are living in the Netherlands and are eager to see some beautiful Chinese lanterns should check out the China Festival of Lights website for more information on how to get there and how to order tickets for this spectacular display. I will post photos and a brief summary of events on the blog on Sunday.

China Festival of Lights

Blog Roundup - January 10, 2010

• China Hope Live - Migrant workers and their gruelling morning commutes.
• China Translated - Tom talks about some of the top new Chinese words of 2009.
• Danwei - Translation of an article on the ageism faced by China's middle-aged job seekers.
  
• Fili's World - Fili shares some photos of the delicious food he ate during his time in Japan.
• Fukuoka Dreaming - Kaeru shares some photos of a recent visit to a sumo wrestling (相撲) competition.
• Goddess Carlie - Carlie lists her goals for 2010.
• Haikugirl - Haikugirl pays a visit to Toganji Temple in Motoyama (本山).
• Hungry for Words - Maki talks about omiyage (お土産) and the business of gift-giving in Japan.
  
• Japan Navigator - Ad lists some of the auspicious foods eaten in Japan at New Year.
  
• Jottings from the Granite Studio - Jeremiah reviews Eddie Cheng's book, Standoff at Tiananmen.
• Just Hungry - Maki shares a recipe for "seven herb porridge" (七草粥).
• Kyoto Foodie - The Foodie takes a look at French osechi, an interesting blend of French and Japanese cuisine.
• Maangchi - Maangchi's latest video recipe explains how to make cheongpomuk muchim (청포묵무침), a side-dish made from mung bean jelly.
  
• Muza-Chan's Gate to Japan - A short explanation and some photos of the kofun tombs in Sakai (堺市), Japan.
  
• Shanghaiist - Cary's first day in icy Harbin (哈尔滨).
• Shizuoka Gourmet - A recipe for meat and potato croquettes (コロッケ).
  
• Sleepy Tako - David visits Ako City (赤穂市) in Japan's Hyogo Prefecture (兵庫県).
  
• Speaking of China - Jocelyn answers a reader's question on discussing sensitive political issues with one's Chinese partner.
• The Hopeless Romantic - Claytonian recommends some anime series that anyone can enjoy.
  
• The View from Taiwan - Michael takes a bike ride along the east coast of Taiwan.
• Tsukublog - Avi talks about the "seven herbs of spring" (七草), which are traditionally eaten with rice porridge (粥) on January 7th.
  
• Wandering Taiwan - Micki and Kristen visit "Herb Alley" (青草巷) in Wanhua (萬華), Taipei.
  
• Webs of Significance - YTSL attends the annual Tam Kung (譚公) birthday parade held in Shau Kei Wan (筲箕灣).
• ZenKimchi Korean Food Journal - A simple recipe for making dogani tang (도가니탕), a soup made from ox bones.

That's all for this week. The next blog roundup will be on January 17, 2010.

Blog Roundup - January 10, 2010

Yamaguchi Tsutomu Passes Away at 93

Yamaguchi Tsutomu (山口彊) , one of the few people to have survived both atomic bombs in Japan, passed away on January 4, 2010, at the age of 93. A firm believer in love and in the dignity of human beings, Mr Yamaguchi spent his later years campaigning against nuclear proliferation and even called upon the United Nations General Assembly to ban all nuclear weapons.

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Tsutomu Yamaguchi was a respected teacher and a beloved father and grandfather. So far, so unusual. But Mr Yamaguchi, who has died in Nagasaki at the age of 93, was special. He was one of the small number of people to fall victim to both the atomic bombs that fell on Japan 64 years ago.

On August 6, 1945, he was about to leave the city of Hiroshima, where he had been working for a few weeks, when the first bomb exploded, killing 140,000 people. Stunned and injured, he fled to his home town, Nagasaki, 180 miles to the west. There, on August 9, the second atomic bomb exploded over his head.

A few dozen other people were in the same position, but none expressed the experience, or the indignation which it inspired, with as much emotion and fervour.

Towards the end of his life, Mr Yamaguchi became the only man to be officially registered as a hibakusha, or atomic bomb victim, in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

“I think that it is a miracle,” he told The Times, on the 60th anniversary of the bombings in 2005. “But, having been granted this miracle, it is my responsibility to pass on the truth to the people of the world. For the past 60 years, atomic bomb survivors have declared the horror of the atomic bomb, but I can see hardly any improvement in the situation.”

In the summer of 1945, he was 29, and working as a technical draughtsman designing oil tankers for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. His three-month secondment to a shipyard in Hiroshima was due to end on the morning of August 6, the day that the American B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped a 13 kiloton uranium atomic bomb which exploded above Hiroshima at 8.15am.

“I didn’t know what had happened,” Mr Yamaguchi went on. “I think I fainted for a while. When I opened my eyes, everything was dark, and I couldn’t see much. It was like the start of a film at the cinema, before the picture has begun when the blank frames are just flashing up without any sound. I thought I might have died, but eventually the darkness cleared and I realised I was alive.”

With burns on his face and arms, he and two colleagues staggered through the ruins of the city, where the dead and dying lay all around. At one point, the three men had to wade through a river, parting before them a floating carpet of corpses. They reached the station, and forced their way on to the train for Nagasaki. Reporting to work at the shipyard the next day, August 9, his story of a single bomb destroying an entire city was met with incredulity.

“The director was angry. He said: ‘You’ve obviously been badly injured, and I think you’ve gone a little mad.’ At that moment, outside the window, I saw another flash and the whole office, everything in it, was blown over.”

The next thing he remembered was waking from a delirium to hear crying and cheering at the broadcast by Emperor Hirohito announcing Japan’s surrender.

A post-war career as a teacher and a long retirement followed, and Mr Yamaguchi rarely spoke publicly of his experiences. He began to do so only in 2005 after the death from cancer of his middle-aged son, Katsutoshi, a death which his father attributed to his exposure to radiation as an infant.

“The son of 59 died, leaving the father of 89 behind,” he said. “He was still a baby to me. The death of my son takes away my will to live.”

Like most hibakusha, Mr Yamaguchi’s hatred of the bomb never expressed itself in anti-Americanism. One of his last visitors, as he lay dying of stomach cancer late last month, was the US film director, James Cameron, who is considering making a film about the atomic bombs.

“I believe in love, in human beings,” he said. “The reason that I hate the atomic bomb is because of what it does to the dignity of human beings.

"Look at the photographs of the aftermath of the atomic bombing, those dead bodies in the photographs. When you forget the dignity of individual human beings, that it is when you are heading towards the destruction of the Earth.”

Source : The Times Online.

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Rest in peace, Yamaguchi-san. May we all live to see the day when nuclear weapons are a thing of the past.

Yamaguchi Tsutomu Passes Away at 93

Chinese New Year Festivities in Rotterdam and The Hague

If you’re living in the Netherlands and are fond of Chinese culture, you might be interested to know that Rotterdam and The Hague will be hosting their annual Chinese New Year celebrations in mid-February. Chinese New Year, otherwise referred to as the Spring Festival (春节), will be celebrated on February 14, 2010. For those of you who are interested in celebrating the Year of the Tiger in style, here are some details regarding the festivities in Rotterdam and The Hague.

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Rotterdam :

The Chinese New Year festivities will be held on Wednesday 17 February, 2010, from 12:00 to 18:45 in and around Wijkpark (not so handy for those of us who need to work!)

12:00-12:45 - Opening ceremony at Wijkpark, including a speech from the Chinese ambassador and performances of traditional dragon and lion dances.

13:00-14:00 - Childrens’ karaoke.

14:00-18:00 – Variety show, including performances of Chinese opera, traditional Chinese music and dance, and demonstrations of Tai Chi and other sports.

18:00-18:30 - Chinese lantern competition for primary school children.

18:30 – 18:45 – Closing ceremony and fireworks display.

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The Hague :

The Chinese New Year festivities in The Hague will be held at the Stadhuis and The Hague’s Chinatown starting from 11:30 on Saturday 13 February, 2010.

11:30-12:00 - Opening ceremony with dragon and lion dances (Stadhuis).

12:00-12:45 – Performances by the Jiangsu Song and Dance Ensemble (Stadhuis).

12:45-13:15 - Dragon and lion dances make their way to The Hague’s Chinatown (Stadhuis and Chinatown).

14:00-17:00 - Performances by the Jiangsu Song and Dance Ensemble (Stadhuis)

17:00-18:00 - Fireworks and performances by residents and business owners of Chinatown (Chinatown)

Other events to watch out for are the Chinese Arts and Culture Market, which will be held next to the Bijenkorf from 12:00 to 18:00, as well as a variety of workshops and demonstrations in and around the Stadhuis and Chinatown.

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NOTE : The information above has been taken from the Chineseradio.NL and Chinesecultuur.NL websites and is subject to change. Details of the festivities in Amsterdam will be posted once they have become available.

This was originally posted on my personal blog, Analects of Confusion.

Chinese New Year Festivities in Rotterdam and The Hague

Blog Roundup - January 3, 2010

Before I post the first blog roundup of 2010, I would like to wish my readers a happy new year! 2010 is off to a good, but icy, start in this part of the world. The Year of the Tiger is only a few weeks away so I'll be posting some information about the upcoming Spring Festival events in the Netherlands within the next few days.

Without further ado, here is this week's blog roundup :

• Bruce Humes - Bruce posts some information on the upcoming Taipei International Book Exhibition.
  
• Daily Dose of Hangul - A short lesson on colours (색) in Korean.
  
• Daily Onigiri - ROK talks about New Year celebrations in Japan.
  
• Danwei - Danwei interviews The Guardian's Asia environment correspondent, Jonathan Watts.
• Fukuoka Dreaming - Things to see and do on a day trip to Dazaifu (太宰府).
• Haikugirl - Haikugirl treats herself to a birthday weekend in Yokohama (横浜).
• Japan : Life & Religion - Doug reflects on 2009 and lists his resolutions for 2010.
• Just Bento - Some practical advice for those who are considering making bento box lunches.
  
• Konnichiwa - Bartman 905 shares some photos of Christmas lights around Tokyo.
  
• Korean Cuisine - A delicious recipe for cucumber kimchi.
• Kyoto Foodie - The Kyoto Foodie shares a recipe for Kyoto-style o-zoni soup (お雑煮).
  
• Mutantfrog Travelogue - Curzon's thoughts on the Japanese community in Dubai.
• Osaka Insider - Tips on how to get the most out of your trip to Japan (or any other country for that matter).
• Red Cook - Ring in the Chinese New Year with some dill and crabmeat dumplings (茴香蟹肉蒸餃).
• Shizuoka Gourmet - Tips for using myōga ginger (茗荷) in your Japanese cooking.
• Soy Sauce Queen - The Queen shares a number of recipes for traditional Japanese New Year dishes.
  
• Speaking of China - Jocelyn talks about the importance of children and childbearing in Chinese culture.
• The Japanese Food Report - Harris lists 66 ways to prepare miso soup (味噌汁).
  
• The Peking Duck - Richard lists his top 5 China events of the decade.
• Tsukublog - Avi talks about how the Japanese prepare the house for the New Year (正月).
• Wandering Taiwan - Micki and Kristen visit the Confucius Temple (孔廟) in Tainan (台南).
  

Blog Roundup - January 3, 2010

Archaeology in the News - December 29, 2009

I'd like to apologise to my regular readers for the lack of updates in the past week. My mother is staying with us over the Christmas period so I won't be posting much on the blog till after she's gone back home.

I thought I'd just share some links to some news articles which concern recent archaeological discoveries in China and South Korea, including an article on the discovery of what archaeologists believe may be Cao Cao's tomb.

• Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao Arrives (Discovery News)
• Tomb of Legendary General Cao Cao Unearthed in Central China (Xinhua)
• Ancient Ship Back in Business (China Daily)
• Sunken Ship Unveiled in Underwater Exhibit (CRIEnglish)
• Building the Team That Resurrected an Ancient Life (JoongAng Daily)

Since this will probably be the last entry I'll be posting on this blog this year, I'd like to wish all of my readers a happy new year and all the best for 2010!

Archaeology in the News - December 29, 2009

Farewell, Ramen Girl

I was sad to hear that Brittany Murphy passed away earlier this week. While I haven't seen many of her films, I remember her best in her role as Abby in The Ramen Girl, perhaps one of the most underrated and overlooked films of recent years. I posted a review of the film on my old blog, Dreaming in Kanji, some time ago and thought Brittany gave a very heart-warming and heartfelt performance.

I'm not one to worship celebrities and certainly didn't know her personally, but it's always a shame to see someone pass away at such a young age (32). One can only imagine how difficult it will be for her family and friends during this festive season and I hope they can find the strength to come to terms with their loss.

Rest in peace, Ramen Girl.

Farewell, Ramen Girl

Blog Roundup - December 20, 2009

• An American in the Far East - Graham writes about his stay in a yurt at Karakul Lake in Xinjiang Province (新疆).
• Bruce Humes - Bruce posts a calendar of Chinese literary and translation events which will be held in 2010.
  
• Hungry for Words - Maki talks about some Japanese New Year (お正月) traditions and customs.
  
• Jottings from the Granite Studio - Jeremiah talks about the tenth anniversary of Macao's handover.
• Konnichiwa - Bartma905 visits Nezu Museum (根津美術館).
  
• Mandarin Segments - Greg searches for dragons in Chinese vocabulary.
• Shiawase - Robert celebrates his Kanken (漢検) exam result.
• Send Me to Korea - Hyunwoo announces the launch of a new Korean language learning site, TalkToMeInKorean.Com.
  
• Shibuya246 - Shibuya246 posts some photos of Japan festival food.
  
• Shizuoka Gourmet - Dragonlife shares a recipe for kakiage (かき揚げ), a popular of tempura.
  
• Shu Flies - Catherine ponders the life lessons she learnt from Taipei 101's tuned mass damper.
• The Japanese Food Report - Harris attends a cooking workshop with chef Chikara Sono.
  
• The Peking Order - Jez shares his thoughts on the Chinese language and microblogging.
• Transparent : Japanese Blog - Ginny takes a closer look at some traditional Japanese sweets (和菓子).
  
• Tsukublog - Avi pays a visit to the Tsukuba Space Centre (筑波宇宙センター).
  
• Waiguoren Critic of South China - Matthew's thoughts on the thesis market in China.
• Wandering Taiwan - Micki and Kirsten seek out Tainan's (台南) tastiest street food.

That's all for this week. There won't be a blog roundup next week due to the Christmas holidays so the next blog roundup will be on January 3, 2010.

Blog Roundup - December 20, 2009

New Additions to the Blogroll : December 2009

Here is a list of the most recent additions to the Eye on East Asia blogroll :

• An Expatriate in Taiwan (Taiwan Blogs)
  
• Cooking in Japan (Food & Drink)
• Eyes East (China Blogs)
• Fear of a Red Planet (China Blogs)
  
• Global Maverick (The Chinese Language)
  
• Going Places (Korea Blogs)
  
• Jeonnam Life (Korea Blogs)
• Jerome F. Keating's Writings (Taiwan Blogs)
  
• Korean-Style Food (Food & Drink)
• Lost in Transition (Japan Blogs)
• Mad About Shanghai (China Blogs)
  
• Morning Calm, Night Terrors (East Asian Literature)
• Notes from Xi'an (China Blogs)
  
• Seoulful Adventures (Food & Drink)
• Shanghaiist (China Blogs)
  
• Turning Iwatean (Japan Blogs)
  

If you have an East Asia-related blog or know of one that you feel should be added to the blogroll, feel free to leave a message with a link to the blog(s). Please note that a blog will only be added to the blogroll if it meets the following requirements :

• The blog's main theme must fit into one of the categories listed in the blogroll.
  
• At least half of the blog's content should be on a subject related to East Asia.
• The blog must be at least 3 months old and must be updated on a regular basis. Blogs which are not updated at least once every 2 months will be removed from the blogroll.
• Blogs containing racist, sexist or other offensive material will be rejected.

A return link to this blog is not a requirement for inclusion in the blogroll, but it would certainly be appreciated.

New Additions to the Blogroll : December 2009

A Date with Destiny

The China Daily has recently posted an interesting article about the Taosi (陶寺) archaeological site in Shanxi Province (山西), China, a site which dates back more than 4,100 years and which archaeologists believe may contain the ruins of the world's oldest observatory.

Photo taken from the China Daily.

The article, Date with Destiny, is a short account of archaeologist Professor He Nu's research at the Taosi site. Professor He is a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Science's Institute of Archaeology and he believes that the excavations being carried out at the Taosi site may yield clues about China's Neolithic past and help archaeologists determine whether the legendary emperors Yao (堯) and Shun (舜) really existed.*

* Readers may be interested to know that I have translated numerous articles and documents for the CASS Institute of Archaeology. The Institute of Archaeology are always on the lookout for volunteer translators, so if you are looking for a fun opportunity to boost your Chinese language and translation skills, feel free to contact the site's webmaster Qiao Yu for more information.

A Date with Destiny

Restaurant Review - Sake Almere (NL)

Name : Restaurant Sake Almere

Location : Brouwerstraat 15, Almere (The Netherlands)
Type : All-You-Can-Eat Sushi and Teppanyaki Buffet
Prices : 19.80 euro per person (Mon-Wed), 22.80 euro per person (Thurs-Sun)
Opening Hours : 16:30 - 22:00
Contact : +31 681592252 (mobile)
Website : http://www.sake-almere.nl/ (in Dutch, under construction)

Rules : You have up to 2 hours to eat as much as you want. The staff will give you a form which lists all of the dishes available and shows 6 columns labelled as "Round 1", "Round 2", etc. You may select up to 5 dishes per person per round for a maximum of 6 rounds. Once you have finished making your selection for that round, a waiter will come to collect your form and the food will start arriving at your table within 15 minutes (it may take a little longer if the restaurant is particularly busy)

Dishes : The standard menu lists 52 different dishes, including a wide variety of nigiri sushi, maki sushi, grilled meats and vegetables, deep-fried foods, salads, noodles, rice and miso soup. You can also order salmon and tuna sashimi but you will need to pay a little extra for these (4.90 euro for tuna, 3.90 euro for salmon). The restaurant also serves a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Highly recommended : Salmon nigiri, octopus nigiri, hokkigai nigiri, teriyaki chicken, grilled salmon, mushroom kebab, gyoza.

Review : My partner and I visited the restaurant in its opening week and while I cannot vouch for the quality of the food and service a month later, we were both pleasantly surprised at the variety of food on offer and the excellent service from the extremely busy staff. The restaurant is owned by the same team who run the Kimono Almere restaurant (you can see my review of that restaurant here) but the food served at Sake Almere was far tastier and there was a larger selection of dishes to choose from.

My only warning would be to limit the number of deep-fried foods and meat dishes you order. Try to leave these for the later rounds as these can be very filling. It's also a good idea to only order as much as you can eat as you will be charged for any food that is left uneaten : 1 euro per piece for sushi and 2 euro per piece for all other items.

We will be paying Sake Almere another visit next week to see if the food and service are still as good as they were the first time around. Watch this space..

Restaurant Review - Sake Almere (NL)

Blog Roundup - December 13, 2009

• An American in the Far East - Graham shares his thoughts of his recent visit to Kashgar (喀什) in China's Xinjiang Province (新疆).
• Konnichiwa - Bartman905 posts some beautiful photos of the autumn foliage at the Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens (小石川後楽園).
• Shiawase - Robert shares some useful information regarding the new format JLPT exams.
• Shizuoka Gourmet - Dragonlife explains the best way to eat edamame (枝豆).
• The Japanese Food Report - Harris shares a recipe for kurama mixed rice ().
  
• Wandering Taiwan - Micki and Kirsten go oyster farming in Tainan County.

That's all for this week. The next blog roundup will be on December 20, 2009.

Blog Roundup - December 13, 2009

Blog Roundup - December 6, 2009

• An American in the Far East - Graham spends a day on China's Huangshan (黄山) mountain.
• Ben Ross' Blog - Ben learns some Chinese colloquialisms from the show 奋斗, "Struggle".
• Daily Onigiri - Rok explains the significance of the Japanese tradition of senbazuru (千羽鶴), or "a thousand paper cranes".
• Goddess Carlie - Carlie talks about some of the Japanese children's books she has read recently.
• Just Bento - Maki shares a recipe for stewed winter vegetables with kouya dofu.
• Shizuoka Gourmet - Dragonlife shares tips for making tempura (天ぷら).
• The Japanese Food Report - Harris shares a recipe for chestnut rice, or kuri gohan (栗ご飯).
  
• The View from Taiwan - Michael explores the issue of ethnic identity in Taiwan.
  
• Tsukublog - Avi talks about the mube (むべ) fruit and the origin of its name.
• Wandering Taiwan - Micki and Kirsten learn about Hakka oil-paper umbrellas (紙傘).

That's all for this week. The next blog roundup will be on December 13, 2009.

Blog Roundup - December 6, 2009

Regular Posting Will Resume Soon

Attentive readers may have noticed that there have been few updates over the past couple of weeks. I've been working on an essay which needs to be handed in by next Friday (December 11th) so I haven't really had much time to post any new content, save for the weekly blog roundup.

Regular posting will resume once I have finished and mailed off my essay. This week's blog roundup will be posted tomorrow morning.

Regular Posting Will Resume Soon

Blog Roundup - November 29, 2009

• Ben Ross' Blog - Ben talks about the benefits of learning Chinese from TV shows.
• Bruce Humes - Bruce lists some of the best-selling books in China in October 2009.
  
• Kyoto Foodie - The Foodie samples some delicious imo mochi (芋餅), a traditional Japanese candy made from sweet potatoes and pounded sticky rice.
  
• On the Fringe - Globalgal talks about her recent visit to Kashgar (喀什) in China's Xinjiang Province (新疆).
• Send Me to Korea - Hyunwoo shares a recipe for bibim mandu (비빔만두).
• Shizuoka Gourmet -Dragonlife shares a recipe for vegan agedashi tofu (揚げ出し豆腐).
  
• Speaking of China - Jocelyn shares some tips for ideal gifts for Chinese relatives or friends.
• Wandering Taiwan - Micki and Kristen explore the magical world of Taiwanese hand puppetry (布袋戲).

That's all for this week. The next blog roundup will be on December 6, 2009.

Blog Roundup - November 29, 2009