Sunday, November 14, 2010

Xiao yan(肖 燕)

The female singer of Guangxi, Xiao-yan is from Yizhou(宜州), Guangxi, China. Yizhou is the hometown of Liu Sanjie((刘三姐),the famous legendary Song Dynasty folk singer of China. Liu Sanjie((刘三姐)is literally means Third Sister Liu, renowned for her beautiful singing voice. Xiao yan is born in the city of Yizhou, today she is a famous singer in China.



女儿香

呵 最是动人女儿香

夜风吹得风铃叮当叮叮当
谁的歌声唱得让人心头慌
夜色入茫漫过寂寞的纱窗
月色入水谁的眼睛泪汪汪

咦耶 亲亲可爱的人儿哟
站在我思念的水上
年轻 像闪闪的波光 荡漾
咦耶 远远吹来的风儿哟
吹来那迷人的芬芳 嗨哟
那美丽的衣裳 咦耶
心驰神往 那美丽姑娘 秀发飘飘
女儿香 女儿香

夜风吹得风铃叮当叮叮当
谁的歌声唱得让人心头慌
夜色入茫漫过寂寞的纱窗
月色入水谁的眼睛泪汪汪


咦耶 远远吹来的风儿哟
吹来那迷人的芬芳 嗨哟
那美丽的衣裳 咦耶
心驰神往 那美丽姑娘 秀发飘飘
女儿香 女儿香

夜风吹得风铃叮当叮叮当
谁的歌声唱得让人心头慌
夜色入茫漫过寂寞的纱窗
月色入水谁的眼睛泪汪汪

咦耶 咦耶 呵 咦耶

Yanshoa Light Show 印象刘三姐

Impression, Liu Sanjie, which opened in August 2003 at the Li River, Guangxi province; was directed by Zhang Yimou(张艺谋), born November 14, 1950 or 1951, who is a Chinese film director, producer, writer and actor, and former cinematographer. Zhang Yimou was chosen to direct the Beijing portion of the closing ceremonies of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, alongside co-director and choreographer Zhang Jigang.

Zhang has won numerous awards and recognitions, with Best Foreign Film nominations for Ju Dou in 1990 and Raise the Red Lantern in 1991, Silver Lion and Golden Lion prizes at the Venice Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival

In 1998, he directed an acclaimed version of Puccini's opera Turandot, firstly in Florence and then later at the Forbidden City, Beijing, with Zubin Mehta conducting.[32] He reprised his version of Turandot in October 2009, at the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing, and plans to tour with the production in Europe, Asia and Australia in 2010.

In May 24, 2010, Zhang was awarded a Doctor of Fine Arts degree by Yale University, and was described as "a genius with camera and choreography."

Impression, Liu Sanjie,is one of the outdoor folk musicals Impression series directed by Zhang Yimou. Impression Lijiang, in June 2006 at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang, Yunnan province; Impression West Lake, in late 2007 at the West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province; Impression Hainan in late 2009, set in Hainan province; and Impression Dahongpao set on Mount Wuyi, in Fujian province. All five performances were co-directed by Wang Chaoge and Fan Yue.

Impression Liu Sanjie(印象刘三姐)is a popular extravaganza performed outdoors in a river and mountain setting with a cast of 600 singers and dancers, performed at Li River, Yangshuo, Guangxi near Guilin. Liu Sanjie, literally means the 3rd sister of Liu family, was a famous legendary Song Dynasty folk singer of China, famous for her beautiful voice in singing San Ge(山歌).

In the 1960s, a musical movie was made of her story in music. Liu San Jie (刘三姐) was a hit, and the legendary singer became popular and famous in Asia, among the Chinese community.

Liu San Jie (刘三姐) is famous for the San Ge or Mountain songs(山歌), a type of folk song sing in the mountain.

Liu San Jie was reported born in Yizhou(宜州). Yizhou is a county level city located in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in the southern part of the People's Republic of China. It formerly was known as "Yishan" (宜山).Yizhou is located in the northwest of Guangxi province on the Long Jiang in an area noted for its magificant karst formations. The limestone karst formations dot the city and surrounding country and beautiful rivers cut through the landscape. The city of Yizhou has several hundred thousand inhabitants. The surrounding country side is home to a number of ethnic Zhuang villages. The economy is centered on sugar production. Located near Yizhou is a British-Chinese jointly run sugar processing plant. The country side surrounding Yizhou is similar in appearance to the tourist Mecca Yangshuo, located in the east of Guangxi province.

The people of Yizhou believe that Liu San Jie was born there and a statue of her is in the city center. The home of Liu Sanjie(刘三姐故居) is located at Chengzhong East Road(城中东路), Yizhou(宜州), Hechi(河池市),Guangxi(广西壮族自治区).

Liu San Jie is not of Hakka people, as some believed; the Hakka are famous for mountain folk song(客家山歌). But she is of Zhuang people(壮族).

Yizhou even have Song festival for Liu San Jie, the first festival(2010广西宜州首届刘三姐文化旅游节)was held from 10th September to 13th September 2010.



Related article/website

1.http://www.lsjlyj.com/

Freedom to Aung San Suu Kyi

Freedom to Aung San Suu Ky

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate makes a brief appearance before a cheering crowd and promises to speak at greater length on Sunday(today). Her future is uncertain in the repressive nation. Aung San Suu Kyi had served her term as political prisoner until 13-11-2010.

Congratulation to Aung San Suu Kyi, we are happy for her.

Will Burma be free?.....

How about the Panglong Agreement?....

How about the Shan, Chin, Mon, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin....and others; will they be free?

We are happy for the release of Aung San Suu Ky; but remember Burma is not only Aung San Suu Ky, there are much more people in Burma who faced tougher future than Aung San Suu Ky, as they have no global political support, no mass media attention...

There are more than one Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma, they are still political prisoners, we request that all of them to be released....the world is not only with the satisfaction of one release, we request that all political prisoners to be released.....

There are more than one Aung San Suu Ky in Burma, we pray for them..... Aung San Suu Ky is only one person, a representative of the people for freedom from military rule, she is only one of the Burma, a symbol for hope for Burma, while we remember Aung San Suu Kyi, we must remember who she represented, the people behind her. The ordinary Burmese people who silently support her behind all mass media attention, behind all global political attention. We remember these people who are behind the mass media attention.

We remember many who died not even their names being mentioned and known by the world....

They include Shan, Chin, Mon, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin....and others....

We remember you, the Burmese....



Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Friendly Visit or A lecture?

THE OBAMA administration has focused much of its foreign policy on what Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton likes to call the "three D's:" diplomacy, development and defense. A fourth D, democracy, is missing from that formula - and too often it has been absent from President Obama's strategy.

So it has been encouraging to see the emphasis the president has placed on democratic countries and democratic values during his ongoing tour of Asia. In a region where the shadow and the example of autocratic China are formidable, Mr. Obama is visiting four free countries, and in his speeches he is making a strong case for why they are more likely to succeed in the long run.

On Wednesday in Indonesia, the president offered an important addendum to Ms. Clinton's slogan. "Development," he said, "is inseparable from the role of democracy. . . . Prosperity without freedom is just another form of poverty." He went on to explain why: "It takes a free press and an independent justice system to root out abuses and excess. and to insist on accountability. It takes open society and active citizens to reject inequality and injustice."

(source: The Washington Post; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/10/AR2010111006206.html)

It seems like the visit is to lecture the host countries on diplomacy(power control), democracy( democracy defined by the powerful), human right(human right in other countries), development(prosperity by borrowing and printing US currency), defence(by selling arms and hate your neighbor). Suddenly I see Obama in different image, unlike when he was elected as President, when we anticipated that there will be changed, in Asian relationship,and bring a new trend in global politic. But it did not happen. Obama is like all President in USA, he is not of level of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, or Mandela, who dare to change, and because of their change, Obama was able to become President of USA. He still move with the tempo of USA politic .... the old perception of Asia, supremacy of USA, democracy, human right and environment protection, defense strategy of cold world. He still remained in the mentality of the cold world, I wonder how he was awarded Nobel Peace Prize?... the issues have been repeated all over again......but never a time when the country who once said IN God We Trust was the foundation of the nation, Obama is not able to humbly said a word that, love thy neighbors is the foundation of the national foreign policy. USA has lost the spirit of her founding father, in religion, in democracy, in human right.....the wild wild west has long lost...the great country is no more....

Every steps he take, every steps Hillary Clinton took, is the reflection of the country; of power,of strong military power....I will protect you if you....for what? to buy the arms from USA, otherwise the perceived enemy is at your doors. It is not friendly visit, it is a visit of desperation, declining economic power.... a sour grape diplomacy to tell that if you did not complied with my terms, that is what you see.

Sour grape diplomacy...at the time when we need cooperation for global issues; and yet the mentality is still in the cold world. With the attitude, the terrorist problem will persist...

Democracy is ability to say No, to say no to USA, to say no to China, to say no to Japan, and and to say No to external undue political pressure from outside. The ability or liberty to say No to controlling power. Democracy is to listen to the minority views, to listen to the differences.... and human right is to listen to the sound from the people of the world, not the global politician of the world, when the world suffered under them.....The world not only need democracy and human right within national boundary; as we are now in the borderless world of IT, but also need democracy and human right in global prospective, where even a small nation has its democracy(the right to take its own political system), human right(the right of the people in the country), and not to be controlled by the superpowers. Today we talk so much of democracy within the nation, but there is no democracy in global politic, where superpower control the world. "The right of choice" in global politic should be respect, and each nation should allow the space and liberty to do their own way under peaceful environment, for their national interest, and not under undue influence from the stronger power to comply with their hidden agenda. The world need Global human right, a National Human Right represented the human right of respective countries in global perspective(national right of people in the respective country), where even the small nation's right to rule and independence is respected by the stronger countries. Diplomacy is the respect of the right of other nation, a respect of their people, their democracy of choice in political system, their human right, their independence.......it is not looking inward with the mentality"You Shall Follow my Style". The Global Democracy, is the right of choice not to follow any superpower and comply with their definition of democracy and human right, or they way they do things......the right to say " NO" to the superpower that I want my own way for the interest of my people, we do not accept any undue influence from other nations. That is democracy in global perspective, and global cooperation will be facilitated if the individual right of a nation is respected, we are equal in the world..... that is global democracy.

The world is not the platform for politician to play their games....not the platform for only the superpowers....it is the platform for all human being, the world citizen....




Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Cormorant fishing in Guilin, Guangxi, China

Cormorant fishing is done on the Li River around Guilin and Yangshuo, Guangxi Province, China. A harmony of the owner or "fisherman" and the cormorant, the bird. This is an ancient way of fishing for thousand years. But sad to say, the way of fishing is a dying trade, a living heritage going to lost in time. They are now doing this for tourists....





Tuesday, November 9, 2010

A Friendly Asian Visit by Hillary Clinton?

Is the Hillary Clinton's visit to the Asian countries a friendly visit or a provocation to the neighbor of her host countries? or is it a pre- President election tour to boost her image?

The provocation to the host country's neighbor is not part of the Asian culture, any Asian visited their host will not like to talk about an issue which will offense their neighbor openly. By providing sweets to the host to create confrontation or conflicts with the neighbor, is never the culture of a visitor in Asia. This is an insult to the host especially when the host is having good relationship with the neighbor. It is never a Asian culture, the said act is a non respect to Asian culture.

The following is extract from The Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704141104575587910123633380.html

PHNOM PENH—U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed Cambodia to remain independent of China on economic and environmental issues, as she continued a pan-Asian tour aimed at expanding Washington's diplomatic influence in the region.

Mrs. Clinton told Cambodian officials Monday that the Obama administration is willing to explore new mechanisms through which to retire nearly $450 million in debt accrued by Phnom Penh's Vietnam War-era government.

Mrs. Clinton also told Prime Minister Hun Sen's government that she will seek to raise more funding for a United Nations-backed tribunal set to try leaders of the Khmer Rouge government that committed genocide in Cambodia during its 1975-1979 reign.

Cambodia marks the third country stop on the Mrs. Clinton's seven-nation Asia-Pacific tour, which is aimed at enhancing the nation's presence in a region increasingly under the influence of China's economy and military.

On Saturday, Mrs. Clinton attended a regional conference in Vietnam that was dominated by China's festering maritime disputes with Japan and a number of Southeast Asian countries. The U.S.'s top diplomat urged the attendees of the East Asia Summit to establish an international legal process through which to mediate these disputes, drawing the ire of Beijing, which views all of the South China Sea as sovereign Chinese territory.

U.S. officials privately worry that Cambodia is one of the Southeast Asian nations most under Beijing's sway. China is among Phnom Penh's largest single aid donors, and Chinese firms dominate Cambodia's infrastructure sector. Prime Minister Hun Sen has often sided with Beijing on key regional security issues.
On Monday, Mrs. Clinton attended a town-hall meeting with Cambodian students in Phnom Penh and was asked her view on the Hun Sen government's relationship with China. She said the U.S. encouraged strong relations between Phnom Penh and Beijing but believed Cambodia should hew to an independent foreign policy.

"It's up to your government and your people to determine your own relationships with other countries," Mrs. Clinton told the gathering of 700 students and representatives of nongovernmental organizations. "But I think it's smart for Cambodia to be friends with many countries. Look for balance. You don't want to become too dependent on any one country."
Mrs. Clinton also said Phnom Penh should hold discussions with Beijing to address concerns that Chinese policies are disrupting Cambodia's economic development and harming its environment. She specifically cited China's damming of the upper Mekong River and its impact on Cambodian agriculture.

Mr. Hor Namhong, the Cambodian foreign minister, declined to comment on China-Cambodia relations during the news conference.

(source: The wall street journal)

The discussion should be issue centered and not pointing finger to a specific country when USA is equally to be blamed for the global environmental problems, also as one of the greatest polluter in the world. The United States. Though Americans make up just 4 percent of the world's population, we produce 25 percent of the carbon dioxide pollution from fossil-fuel burning -- by far the largest share of any country. In fact, the United States emits more carbon dioxide than China, India and Japan, combined. Clearly America ought to take a leadership role in solving the problem(source: http://www.nrdc.org). Air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification(source:http://www.nationmaster.com/country/us-united-states/env-environment). Environment problem is a global problem, USA is the largest polluter, China is the late comer, and imported pollution due to the industrialization of its low cost production for the developed countries included USA. China suffered due to low public awareness of environment issues, and their priority of economic development over environment protection. A real advocate of environment protection will share their experience in environment protection,to help the other less experienced countries to manage the problem. Not upright attack on the country, without considering the implication. Global pollution problem is a shared responsibility.

The blame of the global financial problem is on the financial products from the Wall Street, New York; and the crisis from USA's home financing. It is not the culture of Asian to blame own problem to the neighbors without concrete basis. The spilling effect of US financial crisis has adversely affected other countries, the worst hit is Iceland, but did Iceland and other countries blame the problem to USA, the world considered it a global crisis.....

Hillary Clinton need to be thankful that the financial crisis did not worsen, and thanks the world for it.....be thankful, the world is not an island.....not owned by any superpower...

The Asian visit may be the strategy to improve the image for the future President election, but please do not use other country for that purpose. Let your own problem remained as domestic affair. Your domestic problem is not a global affairs, you need to solve your own problems within the country. There are appropriate platform for international issues. But if you need the help of the external party you need to ask for their help, and do not force other party to accept whatever terms you want. You are asking others to help to solve your own domestic problem.....

A friendly visit is bilateral, not international, to discuss issues, and not to involve the third party, unless the visitor's purpose is malicious and hostile visit.....to provote the third party....

I just do not expect a global leader to be ill manner, without respect of the host, and their culture.....

Human right, also include the right to respect another human being , and not to be arrogant to disrespect the culture of the other people....... to respect the independence of the nation, the dignity of the people....

What is the purpose of provocation in Asia, where it is far away from USA? to create another cold world era, to create another perceived enemy? or to create conflict so that to sell arms ?..... I just do not understand.....you have created so many platforms for discussion, and yet failed to communicate and negotiate.....

Even you failed, you have to take it gracefully.....the wild wild west has long being lost.....it is time for global cooperation to tackle the world problem, the time for cold world is over, the time for global political game will be limited, please do not revise it....

Related articles

1. Gibbs threatens to pull Obama from India talks after press dispute, http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20101108/pl_yblog_upshot/gibbs-threatens-to-pull-obama-after-press-dispute
2. The USA Versus the Environment - Oil, Pollution and Kyoto, http://www.vexen.co.uk/USA/pollution.html

U Win Tin

Win Tin or U Win Tin , born March 12, 1929) is a politician and former political prisoner in Insein Prison, Rangoon,Burma. Arrested in July 1989 because of his senior position in the National League for Democracy (NLD) and for his writings, he spent 19 years in prison.

Win Tin was serving a 20 year sentence on charges including "anti-government propaganda." One of the reasons for his detention is his attempt to inform the United Nations of ongoing human rights violations in Burmese prisons. At 81 years of age, he is in a poor state of health, exacerbated by his treatment in prison, which has included torture, inadequate access to medical treatment, being held in a cell designed for military dogs, without bedding, and being deprived of food and water for long periods of time. He has suffered from multiple ailments including asthma, a hernia and a heart attack.

Since the start of 2006 he had not been able to receive visits from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

In 2001, Win Tin was awarded the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize for his efforts to defend and promote and right to freedom of expression. That year, he was also awarded the World Association of Newspapers' Golden Pen of Freedom Award.

He was freed on 23 September 2008, after serving 19 years imprisonment; somewhat of a positive coincidence for human rights activists, as they were also seeking a stay of execution in the Troy Davis case, which was granted on the same day as Win Tin's release (this stay, however, was subsequently revoked on 14 October, after a denial of a writ of certiorari by the U.S. Supreme Court, and the acquisition of a execution warrant for the 27 October).

After his release from prison Win Tin made efforts to reorganize the NLD. He relaunched the weekly meetings of the party's Central Executive Committee which had been irregularly held since 2003. He also resumed a regular round table called "Youth and Future" which Aung San Suu Kyi has participated in the past. Win Tin visited family members of political prisoners to offer moral support.

(source: wikipedia)

Aung San Suu Kyi is the hero of Burma; U Win Tin is the heart of Burma.....



Related article

1. A conversation with U Win Tin , http://www.mizzima.com/edop/interview/3405-a-conversation-with-u-win-tin.html

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Burma's election

Today will be Burma's first election in 20 years. The multi-party general elections are scheduled to be held in Burma (officially Myanmar) on 7 November 2010, in accordance with the new constitution which was approved in a referendum held in May 2008. The general election forms the fifth step of the seven-step "road map to democracy" proposed by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) in 2003, the sixth and seventh steps being the convening of elected representatives and the building of a modern, democratic nation, respectively. The date of the election, 7 November, was announced by the SPDC on 13 August, 2010.

The voting begins despite the criticism of unfair election,the ruling military is expected to emerge as the winner. The junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is contesting in 1,112 out of 1,159 seats. They are able to contest all seats, why not all? The seats uncontested by them, is their strategy to allow for some pro-government opposition seats, to form an image that there is still democracy in Burma, and there is opposition voice. The Junta will still rule Burma after election. But many Burmese still hope that some change toward democratic reform might nonetheless follow. That is their hope....

Some 40,000 polling stations across the Southeast Asian country opened on Sunday shortly after 6am local time (23.30 GMT) and were to close 10 hours later. The time of announcement of election results not make known to the public, the regime has not said when results would be announced, this will provide comfort zone for them to make political move on the election results. But it was almost certain that the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) would emerge as the victor despite widespread popular opposition to 48 years of military rule.

The USDP is fielding 1,112 candidates for the 1,159 seats in the two-house national parliament and 14 regional parliaments. Its closest rival, the National Unity Party with 995 candidates, is backed by supporters of Burma's previous military ruler. The largest opposition party, the National Democratic Force, is contesting just 164 spots. On the number seats contested, the opposition is not able to form any government even they have won all the seats. The opposition candidates have had to abandon campaigns because they could not afford the $500 registration fee, several months' wages for most Burmese. Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of Aung San, the general who won Burma its independence and the country's greatest hero, is prohibited from contesting this election under new electoral laws, because she is serving a custodial sentence. She is due to be released six days after the poll. A tactical move by the Junta.

The last election held in 1990, was comprehensively won by the National League for Democracy, led by the country's most famous democracy champion, Aung San Suu Kyi. But the NLD was never allowed to take power. Today Suu Kyi is under house arrest, the NLD is a banned organization, and millions of Burmese will boycott the poll at her suggestion.

Veteran dissident, U Win Tin however pleads with young people in Burma not to vote in poll. U Win Tin is the prominent former political prisoner, insists jail is no deterrent in battle to oust the military regime. U Win Tin is the most prominent campaigner for democracy in Burma, which is controlled by a military regime, and spent 19 years behind bars. In an impassioned call to his people ahead of an election on Sunday that has already been decried as a sham by international observers, U Win Tin called for a boycott of the vote.

"It is the only thing left to us: there is no hope to come from voting for this party or that party. This government aims to win, and it is so detested that it is impossible for us to do anything but boycott," he said. "Of course it is not safe to stay at home and not go to the polling stations and people will be worried that they will be punished, but the military junta wants to claim this election as free and fair and so we have to reduce the legitimacy of that claim by not taking part at all."

The authorities were closing down phone lines in some townships across Burma on Saturday while cyber net attacks, closing down internet access, have been reported. Other ballot rigging has been already seen, with reports of villages and barracks being called out to "pre-vote" for the government-backed Union and Solidarity Development Party.

But some are still taking the chance to participate in the election, as they said it may be the first move to democracy, and even the space is small it is a good start for the country.

Another question is, is the Junta the legitimate government to allow the election? National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi won the election in 1990. National League for Democracy is the legitimate government under democracy, their government in exile should be the legitimate government, if there is any. The party that won the election(elected by the people) was not given the power to rule the country by the Junta. They are still the legitimate government, not the Junta, so Junta has no power to call for a election, as they are not the legitimate government, and the election is illegal. Legally the election results will not be legitimate. If there is no government in exile, I wonder why the international community did not support one, which should be waiting to take over the power when the Junta collapse. Is the international community really care? The so called global superpowers are more concern in East Asia, Middle East; than the small country like Burma..... where there is petrol or strategic interests now....

Will the Junta really return the power to the people?, the answer is slim, but it is hope that it is an initial step to democracy for Burma..... or is it another "legitimate mandate" for the Junta to rule after the election, and the international community will have the "legitimate reason" to accept them?...... just hope that it is not another part of global political games of superpowers....



Personally I am more concern for the minority; and the Panglong Agreement; will the democracy return to the spirit of Panglong or a new agreement be negotiated for the new Burma? Democracy without peace is demon go crazy ......without peace after democracy, there is always platform for military power...

We remember you, Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi, especially Shan, Chin, Mon, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin....We pray for Aung San Suu Kyi to be released on 13-11-2010, the world is waiting for the release, and to see the real changes in Burma......

Related articles

1. Burmese general election, 2010; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese_general_election,_2010
2. Burma election 2010; http://www.burmaelection2010.com/