Imagining the unimaginable, Juche United Korea

Reminds me of George W. Bush for some reason.

The gap between North and South seems so deep and wide from outside that a union  would come as an almost unthinkable event. First we have living standards far from being similar, then we have culture, equally incompatible. For the two countries to unite, sadly, some kind of event of cataclysmic proportions needs to happen, I don't see any other way for the two very different peoples of the Korean Peninsula to sit at the same table without ultimately feeling the magnitude of their differences.

How would a Juche South Korea look like? This question shows I have a lot of spare time today but for entertainment purposes let's proceed.
- Your Samsung Galasy S III will get a forced update with all the works of Eternal President Kim Il-sung, 100 volumes of wise thoughts from the founder of the largest maximum security prison on Earth.
- There will be a five year plan to make the South as prosperous as the glorious North. Food rations will be implemented in order to stop waste while all excess food will be divided brotherly among the top members of the Workers' Party of Korea.
- The body of "eternal leader" Kim Jong-il would be enshrined in the building of the National Assembly in Seoul.
- The Ryugyong Hotel will finally be finished.
- A Museum of Love and Cooperation marking the moment of unification would be made with the voluntary help of thousands of South Korean businessmen.
- Your Kia will come, as a standard feature, with a plastic statue of Kim Jong-un next to the driver's seat, in this way his great mind and spirit will guide you to your destination better than a GPS.
- Due to the enormous insanity that would follow in the Korean Peninsula, the Chinese People's Party will dissolve and America will turn fascist.
- Pizza will be outlawed.
- All citizens would be cut off from the Internet and instead, added to the Kwangmyong where they will be able to deepen their research of the exterior, barbaric world with no fear of being deceived by deviant thoughts. (1)
- South Korean cinema will learn how to make scenes of thousands of people crying simultaneous like their life depended on it.
- The border will not be opened immediately, oh no... a decade or so would have to pass before the South catches up with the North, otherwise North Koreans will realize they live in hell and South Koreans will know where they are headed. 

To be honest this is nothing to joke about and I sincerely hope that North Koreans will be freed from their prison as soon as possible. For a hands on approach to the Juche republic you can read this article by Marc Bennetts on his Deeper than oil column on RIA Novosti. 

Hassan Rana (visual) and Junoon (audio)

Junoon is a Pakistani Sufi-rock band, actually the only such musical project I know about from Pakistan, that achieved world fame. Their success was far from being the criteria on which I selected them, this is just a recognition of their work and creativity, instead it was something like love at first hearing. I don't understand the lyrics but I can see the beauty. The song Dosti (frindship) was written by Kannan Rashid and is from the album Inquilaab (revolution) released in 1996. The band is no longer active.

Hassan Rana studied fine arts at the National Collage of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan where he specialized in printmaking, however, now I will show you a small selection of his photographs. The first thing I sensed in his works was a type of creativity struggling to get out, the works shown here may seem simple, especially the first four which are part of the 'still life' series, but in fact they obscure a series of meanings and emotions. It may very well be the case of the art critic seeing more (or something else) than the artist intended, but after all, this is what art is. The last three are much more creative and could be an interesting road to take, 'Hope' is my favorite.

Landscape from Neelam Valley, Pakistan

Hope

Untitled

Junoon links: official web
Hassan Rana: flicker, facebook, myshutterspace

The Iranian Miracle

For the past few months I watched the news amazed at the speed at which Iran is catching up with the 'western world', the country is now the largest industrial and knowledge producer in the Middle East and all thanks to sanctions. This reminds me of China when one hundred years ago it also realized the importance of modernization, I am confident that as in the case of China, Iran will undergo a similar social transformation adopting a more egalitarian point of view, eventually becoming a 'secular theocracy'.

Many people believed that when Ayatollah Khomeini came to power he would of become more like a guide, not imposing sharia. The threat of American intervention in Iran transformed his role in a more authoritarian one. I would like to remind all of you that the history of this nation, like the history of many other countries rich in natural resources, is filled with interventions from foreign powers seeking privileges. Think how far Iranian society would of advanced if the Persian Constitutional Revolution was not repressed by Russia and if the 1953 coup supported by Britain and America never happened. History is a box filled with infinite amounts of treasure and we must open it before looking out the window.

Iran is expanding its non-oil industrial sector at an ever increasing speed with a dozen new factories and power plants opening this year and an estimated total of 2 million workplaces to be created in 2011 alone. The country started an enthusiastic space program and the defense industry, while not too technologically advanced, is becoming self-sufficient and adapted to the needs of the region. The IMF congratulated the Iranian government for its economic reforms, almost every month festivals of all kinds are held to promote culture and science while abroad Iran is making a strong presence in these fields. As far as foreign relations are concerned, Iran is making many friends, among them are Iraq and Egypt.

With all the sanctions, this country seems to enjoy an economic boom and that is why I want to say again that the West needs to take Iran serious and start a real dialogue that can lead to progress and peace on both sides.

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Related: 

Rise of China

American Dream II

Righteous and Harmonious Fists

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China has a rich history when it comes to secret societies, much like Europe, but the difference is that for the Chinese, these societies were organized by people opposing the government while in Europe, the governments were usually formed by people coming from secret societies.

The Boxers, or "The Righteous and Harmonious Fists" (I Ho Ch'uan) could be seen as a religious society, or an intellectual one, but it certainly was not a peaceful one. They originally rebelled against the imperial government in Shantung in 1898. They are considered a religious society because they practiced different rituals and used spells that should of made them impervious to bullets and pain. Surely when they started to fall one by one because of bullets their conceptions about western firepower and eastern spirituality must of demanded some reviewing.

This organization dates back well before 1700 with no clear origins, only myths and legends. They had some degree of influence because in 1747, the Jesuits were expelled from China because they demanded it. Coming back to the late 19th century, bad harvests, plagues, sanctions imposed by the Western powers and Japan after the war of 1894-1895 created discontent among the population, and because humans are humans everywhere, the Chinese turned to extreme measures for securing their future. They turned to tradition and rejected all the things foreign to them. In this extreme form of nationalism they even created three degrees of devils, the first was made up of foreigners, the second was composed of Chinese turned to Christianity and third, anyone who interacted with foreigners in any way.

Their slogan was "oppose the Qing and destroy the foreign", this soon changed to "support the Qing and destroy the foreign" after Empress Dowager Cixi and a number of Chinese officials began to think that they could support this organization to drive off the foreign powers. The end was not that pretty.

Barbarian Empire

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Recently a couple of images presenting to the world what could possibly be only a glimpse into what is really happening in Afghanistan and Iraq were released. Keep in mind, these are images of US soldiers photographed with ”their prize”. With things like this, terrorism is not eliminated, it is promoted and if soldiers from the US army have this type of mentality, posing next to a corpse and smiling, it makes me ashamed of being part of a society that promotes freedom and respect for others.

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A smile of death.

The murdered man was the son of a farmer.

Marine Research Center, Bali, Indonesia

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A very interesting project is underway in Indonesia, more exactly 100 meters from the shore of Kuta Beach, in Bali. This construction is destined to become a home for marine researchers and a relaxing place for tourists. Far from being a boring box on stilts, the designers from Solus4 found a way to integrate a man made structure in what could be described as a paradise.

The idea for this project came from the 2004 disaster when an earthquake in the Indian Ocean brought a devastating tsunami to Indonesia, this is also one of the main research areas, everything related to tsunamis. Arquitectum and Pelita Harapan University are the ones who decided on the construction.

When finished it will be a 2500 square meter building that will look more like a resort, but let's not be fooled, research is the main activity, in fact, why shouldn't it look good. It will have a swimming pool, a bar, but also underwater labs, an auditorium and bedrooms for the scientists.

When it comes to energy be sure that the team from Solus4 gave their best. The building will be implementing cutting edge technology, from PV cells in the exterior "skin", tidal/current generators, rainwater collection and seawater conversion systems, to circulating deeper seawater through the "skin" for radiant cooling and temperature control. This is actually a very nice idea because in most modern buildings air does this job (see Burj Khalifa for a reference).

Overall the exterior looks great, it could be considered an intelligent building as well as a green (or rather blue) one. Now we just have to wait for it to actually be built.

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The wave is actually at the base of the design

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For info about the competition (that was won by Solus4) go here.

Images from designboom.com

Rungnado May Day Stadium

When talking about North Korea, architecture never comes to mind, there is no surprise, in fact it is something normal if you talk about such an isolated country. Let's forget about politics for now and stay on the realm of art, we will talk about the Rungnado May Day Stadium. It has a capacity of around 150 000, the largest in the world it seems, and it was completed in May 1st (obviously) 1989. It's main characteristic is the roof, consisting of 16 arches arranged in a ring in which 11,000 tons of structural steel were used. An impressive structure, let's admit it, God knows how many people died during the construction.

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Liu Xiaobo and the Peace Prize

Nobel was of the opinion that the peace prize should go to a person who "shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses". With all respect for dissidents, Liu's place is not in this category.

There is no reason aside of the political implications why a dissident won this award. This is just like last year when Obana was awarded the prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee is composed of five members appointed by the Norwegian Parliament, this says much. Five politically elected people decided to honor an individual from another country that is acting against his country. Liu did not work for "fraternity between nations", not for "abolition or reduction of standing armies" and not for "the holding and promotion of peace congresses". He fights for human rights, but this "fighting for human rights" is something like "fighting against climate change" or "against terror", all of these are arbitrary.

There is a reason why Nobel gave that definition, not because he was stupid, but because he knew exactly who should be given the awards. If this would have been an award for "human rights fighters" then, yes, Liu Xiaobo is on the list, along with other thousands of free thinkers from the planet.

Forest Chamber Grotto by Wang Meng

Wang Meng (1308 - 1385 ; style name: Shu-ming) is one of the great four painters of the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368) along with Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen and Ni Zan. Because this dynasty was of Mongolian origin, court painters were dedicated to Mongolian traditions and arts. That is why a number of scholars like Wang Meng started painting on their own. These literati were concerned more with landscape than with the human figure, developing styles that permitted them to transmit emotions and feelings as well as ideas through the use of images from nature, real or imaginary. In the north, tall mountains and deep valleys were most often painted.

Forest Chamber Grotto at Chu-chu (scroll, ink and colors on paper measuring 68.7 x 42.5 cm)

The painting represents scenery around the Forest Chamber Grotto at Lake T'ai. Among others he pioneered the use of "ox-hair" or "ox-tail" texture when representing landscape. If you look closer you are able to see people reading in the cabins and a man in a boat. These two elements represent the need to escape difficult social and political moments. Many scholars in that period decided to take up the life of a hermit, Wang Meng being no exception.

Click image for full size

China, in the 20th century

China, in the 20th century is a series that will explore an important period in modern history, Chinese as well as global. You will be able to read about events that transformed an entire society and understand why and how this changes occurred. We will start with the 100 days of reform.

The New (Beiyang) Army

NEED FOR CHANGE

The one hundred days of reform are actually one hundred and three and mark an important change of direction in the destiny of the Chinese. The reforms that took place did not manage to last, instead they fed the need of change that was in the minds of almost every Chinese scholar of the time.

Emperor Guangxu

On June 11th 1898, the Qing emperor, Guangxu, decreed that Kang Youwei will be responsible for carrying out the reforms. This great step was possible after Kang tried for eight times to persuade the emperor to accept the reforms. In that period numerous intellectuals demanded the changing of the system, seeing how China was on the verge of being torn apart by the world powers and by internal factions. Feng Guifeng, a student of Lin Zexu (the one who opposed the opium trade on moral and social grounds) proposed the revocation of the "ba gu wen", a type of essay consisting of eight parts, part of the imperial examination. Many others insisted on adopting western science and education, for example Zhang Zhidong, governor-general, advocated for studies of Western subjects. In 1897, the Current Affairs Academy was extablished in Hunan, Liang Quchao, student of Kang Youwei, being invited as lecturer.

The press also tried to push for reforms, Tan Sitong, the head of "Nan xue hui" (Hunan studies society) started the publishing of the newspaper "Hunan studies newspaper", in this way playing an important role in the reform movement. Many others wrote articles and books promoting change, like Chen Qiu who wrote numerous books advocating the parliamentary system. Also, in Hong Kong, Xua Huan Ri Bao newspaper openly eulogized the Japanese parliamentary system.

The Manchus, the ruling elite simply put, were in strong opposition to the reforms. The main ideas at that time were the self-strengthening movement, parliamentary system, constitutional monarchy, republic, educational reform through the adopting of western sciences, overall the development of the country and society by mixing the west with the east and the new with the old. Let's take the example of railways, for a good period of time, Chinese officials and even the average people, initially rejected the construction of this type of infrastructure because it challenged the way people saw their lives. Because of the speed and efficiency it was the best choice compared to roads and canals and many believed that it will destroy jobs. Ultimately the Qing discovered that railways really are useful because these could be used to transport troops.

The last years of the empire could be seen just like this, a contradiction between tradition and modernization and even with the best reforms, for things to change there was a need to destroy the old order. It is worth to mention that Yuan Shikai, who will later become China's first president, started a process of modernizing in the army.


NEW ARMY

Yuan Shikai

After the Treaty of Shimonoseki, China saw the need to have a real army, that is why King Chunqin-wang (Yi-xuan), King Qingqin-wang (Yi-kuang), Weng Tonghe, Li Hongzhang and Rong-lu recommended Yuan Shikai for training the "Xin-Jun", the New Army, at Xiaozhan. The army would grow from 4000 to 7000 and then to 12 000 (eight camps of field army, two camps of cannons, and one cam each of cavalry and engineering).

In February 1899, a Manchu army was created mapping the scheme used by Yuan Shikai, responsible for this was Ronglu. It was structured in five divisions, Ronglu being marshal and general of the middle division and Yuan being in command of the army on the right side. This new army will play a major role in future events and many of its generals became warlords after the death of Yuan Shikai.

END OF REFORM

On September 21st, 1898, Empress Dowager Cixi stage a coup d'etat, many intellectuals supporting the reforms being killed while others managed to fled to Japan, among them were Kang Youwei and Liang Quichao. There, the Baohuand Hui (Protect the Emperor Society) was organized and work on a constitutional monarchy system for China was started.

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In the next part you will be able to read about the Boxer Rebellion and the Revolution of 1911.


Sources:

http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/modern3.html
http://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/bio/xyz/yuansh.html
http://www.imperialchina.org/Qing_Dynasty.html#yuanshikai
WILKINSON, Endymion - Chinese History, a manual, Harvard University Press, London, 200

St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo by Kenzo Tange

St. Mary's Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tokyo. The original structure of 1899 was a wooden building in the Gothic style that was destroyed during the second world war. Kenzo Tange won the competition for the reconstruction of this church in 1961 and with the assistance of Wilhelm Schlombs, architect to the Archdiocese of Cologne, the building was constructed between April 1936 and December 1964.

The plan is in the form of a cross, nothing extraordinary here, instead, what makes this cathedral a monument of modern architecture are the eight curved walls (or hyperbolic faces) which make the structure truly impressing. The exterior is covered with stainless steal and aluminum frames while the interior is bare concrete. The 60 meter high bell tower is like a sharp needle that seems to disappear into the sky.

The spine of the building consists of a series of skylights.

The cubist baptismal

A Fruit Museum, go figure...

Seriously now, Itsuko Hasegawa is one of the best Japanese modern architects and the one responsible for the great design of the Museum of Fruit from Yamanashi, Japan. The complex was finished in 1995, with the work on the design beginning in 1992. There are three buildings, the Plaza, the Workshop and the Tropical Greenhouse. 

The subject is not the relation human-nature, at least not directly. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of a museum dedicated to fruits is the respect and the special relationship between us and nature. As we see, the complex is open, it's lightweight, the environment is in a permanent dialogue with the buildings and the visitors, the best example is the Plaza.

Modern Chinese History (second part)

The revolutionaries although were following Liang's philosophy, saw things differently. For them, nationalism meant to exclude all manchurian leaders and replace them by Han Chinese. Eventually students and intellectuals adopted the language of race and self-determination, the nation-state. Clearly, if all people were to share this philosophy, China would of been torn apart in pieces, all the ethnicities having their own state.

After the Revolution of 1911 the idea of a multiethnic China started to get shape. It is important to mention that from the beginning of the 20th century the new generation of intellectuals started to borrow even more of the Western way of life and culture. By now the old class of 'shi' was virtually gone and Confucianism was left behind. Works of fiction began to be written, vernacular chinese was adopted and local capitalists started to appear.

The May Fourth Movement revived political activism and in the course the 1920's the Nationalist Party and the Chinese Communist Party appear. The nationalists (Guamindang) were lead by Sun Yat-sen who considered that the large scale poverty had roots in the lack of productivity not from inequality. The country still had an economy based on agriculture, not even a mechanized agriculture. Only about 1.5 milion Chinese worked in large factories, at the rail roads and as sea merchants. We should not forget that this period was not a fortunate one for the country.

In March 1925, Sun Yat-sen dies and leader of the nationalists becomes Chiang Kai-shek (foto right), a charismatic figure that succeeded in imposig law in China and kept the local warlords under some kind of control. In 1928 Chiang led the Northern Expedition to unify the country under a single government. The Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931 marked the start of even harder times.

The Communists were close to extinction with the exception of a few local leaders from the very poor regions. The help reveived from the USSR in their fight against the Japanese, and the Nationalists, was fundamental.

(The first photo is from 16 June 1924 with Sun Yat-sen in the middle and Chiang Kai-shek in uniform on stage at the founding of Whampoa Military Academy)

Modern Chinese History (first part)

When we say China we should know that the name of the country comes from the Qing dynasty which united vast portions of land under a single flag (the Chinese call their country `Zhangguo` and it means `the middle kingdom` in the sense of center of the world). The peoples living on those lands were not, and still are not as united as we think.

China`s road to modernity is sinuous and why not say it, transited by misfortune in both directions. In the imperial period, there were four different classes, `shi` (gentry), `Nong` (farmers), `Gong` (artists) and `Shang` (merchants). We will focus on the gentry. This nobility was made out of people who primarily studied Confucius and through exams took different administrative positions. Most of them were not wealthy but they were respected for their knowledge.

In the 19th century, China knew in some extent economic growth, but in spite of this the general situation quickly started to decline. The political situation dragged down the society, the country being a semi-colony, at the hands of the great powers. This means that many key areas were indirectly or even directly controlled from abroad.

Although the beginning of the 20th century knew widespread instability we can recognize three important moments of change, the revolutions of 1911, 1928 and 1949. Kang Youwei (1858 - 1927), a `radical Confucian` wanted China to become a constitutional monarchy that eventually would lead to democracy. With the support of emperor Guangxu`s court, Kang and his disciples started what would be called `the 100 days of reform` in the summer of 1898. By the end of the year the reforms were halted. Soon after the Boxer Uprising started as a response to ever increasing foreign intervention in internal affairs. In the north, the empire lost its authority.

The shi, which now were in the process of becoming the modern intellectual class, began to search for solutions to the crises. Liang Quichao (1873 - 1929) was an important figure of this new generation. Because of the turmoil he fled to Japan where he gave up on the Confucian philosophy saying that `truth is more important`. Between 1989 and the Revolution of 1911 talks began on the topic of European political thought. Liang plead for nationalism and the rejection of traditional cosmology which linked the emperor, the heavens and humanity. He also saw that their present could be best described through Darwinism, only the strong will survive. For Liang, every member of the stat needed to be active, courageous and loyal.