Qingming festival

Today is a traditional Chinese festival called Qingming (清明节) on which families go and visit their ancestor’s graves. On the Chinese mainland this and other traditional festivals have not been promoted to be celebrated, as they were seen as some kind of superstition since the Liberation in 1949. But also there it is still alive and even having a renaissance as it became again a public holiday in China again in 2008. In Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Qingming is an important family feast and Lamma Island today was full of visitors bringing flowers and little sacrifices and burning “paper money” at the graves. Latter habit kept the Island’s fire brigade at hight alert the whole day, because we had dry weather and the tombs often are a source of large hill fires. 

The Wikipedia entry in Qingming says that the celebration goes back to Emporer Xuanzong who introduced it in 732 to curb the number of expensive celebrations and limit them to one day only.

I went went to the cemetery on Lamma Island up the hill from Hung Shing Ye Beach and wondered about the grave carrying a German name of Gerd Heinz Balke who died here in 2000 at the young age of 51. I found that he was a German engineer and the author of the books Paradise fermenting and Skull dance. He lived in Po Wah Yun which is a village here on the island and the title picture of his book Paradise fermenting, a tattooed dragon, was taken by Bob Davis. Michael LaRocca in an interview speaks about his books and that he suddenly died of a heart attack. I will see whether I find a copy in the Bookworm Cafe in Yung Shue Wan. 

There were some fresh flowers at his grave today.

P.s. In August 2018, nearly a decade after this was posted, I was contacted though this website by a former classmate of Gerd Balke. They both studied civil engineering at the Applied University of Wuppertal. Kindly, I was also told far more about the life of Gerd and the (for me) mysterious grave on Lamma Island. The classmate also sent me an article with public information on Gerd, which I attach here for download (click here). He was returning from a Silk Road trip, before he passed away in 2000 suddenly. I am very thankful that I was contacted and my little website proofs continously to be a repository for special interests - This Post Scriptum was added on September 19th, 2018 in Tilburg (Netherlands).

Gewuerztraminer Made in Hong Kong

Going to a winery in Hong Kong should be impossible. But nothing like that is impossible in Hong Kong. In one of the old high rise factory buildings, which are so typical for the manufacturing past of this city, there a real winery. The grapes are harvested and frozen in Washington state and then shipped as a solid ice block. All wines are produced and bottled in Hong Kong. I specially liked the Gewuerztraminer.

In Unit 302, in the 3rd floor Harbor Industrial Center, 10 Hing Street, Ap Lei Chau, you would have never expected to find something like this: the www.the8estatewinery.com.

“Am deutschen Wesen mag die Welt genesen” ... (Tsingdao)

Emanuel Geibel was not a brilliant poet and this line is taken out of one of his works glorifying the “German soul” as a quint essence to heal the world. It is a very arrogant claim and it made its way into the verbal repertoire of the so-called German Emperor William II. During a time in which the big colonial forces were cutting the global cake, he wanted to be a player. Since the 1850s Germany wanted to strengthen its trading activities in the Far East by a military backbone. The murder of two German missionaries was used to invade Qingdao under the command of Otto von Diederichs and China had to give in the force by signing a 99 year lease agreement in 1898. These actions later were seen as the time of “Kanonenbootpolitik” (Battleship politics) bringing wide parts in the Pacific under German “protection”. In 1900 the Boxer Rebellion have William II to jointly with the other colonial forces, in the “Eight Army Alliance” invade China. His speech with which he saluted the depart of the German navy from Bremerhafen made it into the historical records as “Hunnenrede” in which he demands the troops to ensure that never again in history “a Chinese will even dare to look at a German”. Luckily, when German troops arrived in China, most of the fighting was already over. Unfortunately, it is not unimaginable anymore, what happens when the “German spirit” hits on demonized victims, whether they are enemies or not.

Germany tried to develop Qingdao into a role model of a colony. It was planned and designed following the most advanced urban development models of that time. It had communication cable connection to Shanghai and the port was more important at times than Hong Kong and Shanghai. Japan saw an obstacle in Qingdao being under German control and in 1914 still 5000 Germans were defending the city three months against 30 000 Japanese and were defeated in November.

Today, Qingdao is one of the most charming urban areas in China. The German settlement is in an amazing good condition and imbedded into a city full of green parks and close to the marinas of the 2008 Olympic marine disciplines. People are nice, strait forward, polite and surprisingly tall. I was told that the Chinese “dream husbands” come from Shandong Province and it is easy to see why. Like all Chinese cities, Qingdao is developing very fast. But in this special case, the city planners managed to preserve the historical heritage exceptionally well and integrate it into a modern city.

Dafen Oil Painting Village in Depression

Dafen Oil Painting village is the place in Shenzhen, where 60 % of the world’s cheap oil paintings are produced. The term “village” is a bit misleading. However, Dafen has some nice views and last year made first attempts to move “upstream” in terms of what is called arts. According to today’s issue of the South China Morning Post, in 2006 about 500 million RMB worth of paintings were exported from Dafen. The main clients were American property owners and Hotels. But since September, sales literally collapsed by 70 %. And even prices eroded 30 % still the volume keeps low. Also domestic sales is weak. Last year, even in the boom times, I felt that Dafen is a village of broken dreams for artists. So much skill and so poor living and working conditions, painting all the time the same motives. But now even this went down. The artists get laid off. And the income which was around 200 RMB per painting is now down to 20-30 RMB. It really did not take long until the financial crisis moved from Wall Street to Main Street. But here it is hitting the rice bowl now.

If you want to go there from Shenzhen by taxi and do not speak Chinese, print this for the taxi driver: Long Gang District, Da Fen Oil Painting Village, 龙岗区大芬油画村

Thomas Suarez’s “Early Mappings of South East Asia”

There are different ways to make a region a geographical unit. It can be seen geological, morphological, climatological, cultural, ethical or political for example. In the case of South-East Asia the routes and description of travelers that passed though the area between China and India seem to have a large role in defining it as a region.

Thomas Suarez book on the “Early Mapping of South East Asia” describes South East Asia through the eyes of old maps and sailing instructions. It is a fascinating and deep introduction into routes, regions and views put together from partly conflicting sources. This book is on history, geography and an adventure to read at the same time. It is obvious that Suarez is a real conaisseur and authority on early maps. His interest in South East Asia was awakened when he travelled here on concert tours as a classical violinist.

“Early Mapping of South East Asia” you find in Singapore book shops for 103 S$ or at http://www.amazon.com/Early-Mapping-Southeast-Thomas-Suarez/dp/9625934707/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218857154&sr=8-1

A fine country (Singapore)

Right beside the impressing Campus of the Singapore Management University, close to the Central Business District of the City, is the Singapore Art Museum. I had only an hour to have a quick look what is inside the white walls and found a charming small museum showing a very good exposition of Xu Beihong. Another section on Vietnamese art after 1990 looked a bit naive to me, but I have neither insight into Vietnam’s society nor arts, so I just keep the impression as it is for now.

Singapore kept and developed much more charm than Hong Kong overall. Even it is also only a small island, it appears to be spacious and also the urban areas are green and well composed in terms of city planning. Where Hong Kong is only a business location with a completely practical approach to the use of space and hectic and noisy lifestyle, Singapore appears much more balanced in many aspects. There are parks and green spots everywhere, heritage is well preserved and new developments are matching older spots. Yes, Singapore is “a fine country”. Some people joke about this term, because they say you easily get a “fine” for also small convictions. I was told that chewing gum, for example, is not appropriate, by law. Well, thinking back to my time at a German high school, where you could not touch under a desk or chair without getting stuck in something sticky, I appreciate and understand that rule to the fullest.