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Auguste François, Yin Xiaojun and Kunming at the end of the Qing DynastyThursday, 29th May 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Like most other Chinese cities, Kunming has been racing toward abstract ideas such as 'modernity' and 'development' via extensive demolition of the remaining older parts of the city to make way for gleaming high-rises filled with offices, apartments and retail space. First-time visitors to Kunming, be they Chinese or foreign, have to put a real effort into finding the few older parts of the city that are still around. Until 1952, Kunming was a walled city – the wall and its gates are long gone, but their existence still echoes today in place names like Xiao Ximen (小西门, 'Lesser west gate') and Beimen Jie (北门街, 'North gate Street'). There are also less obvious connections to the wall, such as Qingnian Lu (青年路, 'Youth Road'), which was once Kunming's east wall. The city government in 1952 ordered hundreds of young people to tear down the wall and use its bricks to make a new road running north-south. To show its appreciation for the young people that demolished the east wall, the city government named the new street after them. With the wall out of the way, Kunming began marching toward a future in which for several decades development trumped culture heritage. History is one of the primary contributors to any city's character, with older physical structures offering the most palpable connection to the past. In 2008, almost all of pre-1949 Kunming has been razed to clear a path for modernity. On some levels this could be considered true progress as many of Kunming's older buildings were built of earth and lacked simple amenities such as plumbing. That said, some may argue that wholesale demolition of a city comes at a psychological cost. "I feel that many Chinese people have no faith," Kunming native and private photo collector Yin Xiaojun (殷晓俊) told GoKunming. Yin has spent the last 10 years researching a collection of photos by Auguste François (1857-1935), who served as French consul in south China between 1896 and 1904, during which he spent several years in Kunming and elsewhere in Yunnan working on obtaining a concession from the local government to build the rail line from Vietnam to Kunming, which was then known as Yunnan-fu (云南府). "Many of us are looking for where we've come from and where we're going," Yin said. "Through the extensive photography of Auguste François, we can discover where we've come from. His photography is the earliest, largest and most complete collection of photographs documenting Chinese society at the end of the Qing Dynasty"
Over the last ten years, Yin has researched his entire collection of François' photographs, comparing them to documents from the Yunnan provincial government's archives as well as translations of François' memoirs. In order to make the photos more useful in a historical context, he has spent the last decade ascertaining the subject, location, social background and photographer. After acquiring 1,241 François photographs and motion pictures via purchase and exchanges with French cultural organizations, Yin held his first exhibition of 360 photos from the collection in Kunming in 1997 at the Yunnan Provincial Museum. More than 250,000 people bought tickets to take a look at Kunming at the start of the 20th Century, setting an attendance record for a single exhibition at the museum that still stands today. Subsequently Yin was invited by 44 mainland cities to bring his collection to their top museums – he chose four: Beijing, Xi'an, Zhengzhou and Chengdu. In 1999 he ceased exhibiting the photographs because he felt a need to find out as much as he could about each shot's story. Fast-forwarding to today, Yin says he has completed his research and is preparing several projects related to the François photo archives. In October of last year, he traveled to the locations of all the François photos to document the current conditions of the places François shot more than a century ago. His travels took him to Singapore, Hong Kong, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan and Shanghai. He is planning on using the then-and-now photos in a new book he began writing this year. Yin said he would also like to organize a new exhibition of François' photos highlighting the massive change in China over the last century. His end game, however, is to build a museum that displays the collection permanently. GoKunming thanks Yin Xiaojun for providing a sample of photos from the François archives to share with our readers. Over the coming months we will publish 25 photos and their stories every Wednesday. We hope that the photos will help bridge the gap between Kunming's distant past and its dynamic present. Contact Yin Xiaojun: His ten years of researching the François photos behind him, Yin Xiaojun is open to discussing possible cooperation with individuals and organizations interested in the collection. Yin can be contacted at yinxiaoj(at)public.km.yn.cn. Auguste François image: Association Auguste François Tags: Auguste François, Beimen Jie, Guangdong, Guangxi, history, Hong Kong, photography, Shanghai, Sichuan, Singapore, Xiao Ximen, Yin Xiaojun, Yunnan-fu Trade in 2007 between Yunnan province and the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reached US$3.03 billion, up nearly 40 percent over 2006, with Vietnam replacing Myanmar as the province's top trading partner, according to a Xinhua report. Recent rapid growth of trade with ASEAN has made the region Yunnan's largest trading partner. According to Kunming customs statistics cited in the report. Yunnan's exports to the region were up 32.9 percent, reaching US$2.17 billion. Yunnan – bordered by Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam – is being groomed by the Chinese government to serve as China's gateway to ASEAN as the two emerging economic regions prepare for the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA), the first phase of which will launch in 2010. CAFTA will reduce and eliminate tariffs on goods moving between the two regions, with analysts expecting raw materials and natural resources to flow into China and finished products to flow out. Major road, rail and air transport infrastructure projects in Yunnan and its Southeast Asia are currently underway to further facilitate trade with ASEAN. Some of the more notable projects include a highway linking Kunming with Singapore, a rail network linking Kunming and Singapore via three trunk lines passing through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia, a new international airport in Kunming and a road/rail transport corridor linking Kunming with Haiphong, Vietnam – the closest seaport to Kunming. Last month the Asian Development Bank announced its largest-ever financing project, a US$1.1 billion highway project that will connect Vietnamese capital Hanoi with Yunnan. Related articles: ADB's largest-ever financing project to bring Yunnan, Vietnam closer China and ASEAN pushing toward integration Kunming to become regional rail hub China-ASEAN TV summit aims to counterbalance Western media China: More than just Shanghai and Beijing Tags: ASEAN, Asian Development Bank, business, CAFTA, foreign trade, Haiphong, Hanoi, Laos, logistics, Myanmar, Singapore, Vietnam Kunming 'tree doctors' to maintain Olympic venueThursday, 10th January 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
The 2008 Olympics have already focused global attention on Beijing, but other cities will also host selected competitions. Regatta events will take place in Qingdao and soccer/football matches will be held in Shenyang, Qinhuangdao, Tianjin and Shanghai. Even Hong Kong – technically an 'international' flight from mainland China – will host the Olympic equestrian competition this year. The decision to hold equestrian events in Hong Kong is tacit acknowledgment that the equestrian facilities and traditions in the former British colony are superior to anywhere on the mainland. Despite the existing world-class facilities, organizers of the equestrian events in Hong Kong are addressing even seemingly minute details. A prime example of this attention to detail is the hiring of Kunming-based arboricultural consultancy Asia Tree Preservation (ATP) to ensure that tree shade at the Hong Kong Golf Club complements equestrian events rather than interferes with the events and their broadcast. ATP was established in Kunming last year by the father-son team of Don and Jon Picker plus longtime friend Jeff Legue, all certified arborists and Kunming residents. Don Picker has 25 years of experience as an arborist, a profession he says the average person has some difficulty understanding. "Usually I'll tell people we're 'tree doctors'," said Picker, adding that despite the lack of general knowledge of arboriculture in Asia, the profession is quickly taking a foothold in this part of the world due to the training work done in Singapore by Dr Bill Fountain of the University of Kentucky. "In Singapore, there's been about two or three hundred arborists certified in the last six years," Picker said. "Malaysia and Hong Kong have become increasingly interested in arboriculture in recent years too." What is arboriculture? In a nutshell, it is the selection, management and removal of shrubs and trees with the aim of reducing hazards and promoting harmony with an area's needs. Arboriculture has been recognized as a profession for about 40 years. Beginning this week, ATP will be helping the 122 year-old Hong Kong Golf Club with the management of its banyan trees and eucalypts, some of which are as high as 30 meters and require climbing and pruning by trained professionals. ATP was initially hired to help the golf club prepare for the upcoming Hong Kong Open golf tournament, after which they were asked to assist with the maintenance of the grounds for the Olympic events this summer. Despite acceptance in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, arboriculture has yet to catch on in mainland China, said Don Picker, who is Chairman of the International Safety Committee of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). Picker is also an ISA-certified arborist. Last year he helped with the translation of the organization's Tree Climber's Guide into traditional Chinese – he said he hopes to help with a simplified Chinese version for the mainland soon. According to both father and son, Kunming could use the advice of a professional arborist, particularly with regard to the practices of 'topping' trees (cutting off the tree tops to encourage horizontal growth) and painting the lower portions of trees white.
"We'd like to see the elimination of 'topping' in Kunming," Jon Picker said. "Topping exposes the trunk of the tree to rain, which leads to core rot, and the branches that grow after topping are susceptible to breaking in the future, which creates a hazard." Strolling virtually anywhere in Kunming one is able to see trees that have been topped. Most trees have also had their lower portions painted white, a practice that the Pickers cite as a major peeve in tree maintenance in Kunming. "Historically, a lime base paint was used to repel insects and there has also been an illumination element to the white paint on trees," Don Picker explained, "But now it seems that the practice exists primarily because people think it looks beautiful." After finishing their work in Hong Kong, ATP hopes to focus on cooperation with local universities in Kunming. However, as Don Picker acknowledges, few people appreciate the work of arborists as the aim of their work is generally subtle and unobtrusive. "The challenge in our industry is that the average person doesn't really look at trees until something grabs their attention, which usually happens after some kind of environmental damage occurs or a tree has been pruned," the elder Picker said. "Arboriculture is both a science and an art - we prune in a way that doesn't alter the tree's appearance." Related Links: International Society of Arboriculture Treesaregood.org Tags: arboriculture, arborists, Beijing, Don Picker, environment, equestrian events, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Golf Club, Jeff Legue, Jon Picker, Malaysia, Olympics, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shenyang, Singapore, Tianjin China-ASEAN TV summit aims to counterbalance Western mediaFriday, 21st December 2007 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)The two-day summit began on Wednesday with speeches by government officials and television industry leaders, including Zhang Changming, Vice President of China Central Television (CCTV). Zhang's speech, "Sending the voices of the East to the world", focused on the need for Eastern media to catch up with Western media in terms of impact and influence. "One thing that cannot be denied is the imbalance between the East and West in global information flow," Zhang said before approximately 200 television professionals and government officials from China and the member states from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Zhang proposed more sharing between China and Southeast Asian countries in the fields of news reporting, documentary filmmaking and television programming and production. "We can work together to grow and become stronger," he said, "and by way of the shared platform created by Asian media, we can let the voices from the East be heard on a global stage." Other speakers included Mr Pratap Parameswaran of the ASEAN Secretariat, as well as television officials from Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. Several representatives of mainland television stations and production companies also delivered keynote addresses. Shialey Tan of Singapore-based MediaCorp's high-definition documentary production company Caldecott Productions reiterated Zhang's message of Asians producing programs about Asia for non-Asian audiences. Tan was at the summit to promote "The Asian Pitch", a contest for independent Asian filmmakers organized by Caldecott, Japanese broadcaster NHK and South Korean broadcaster KBS. "The face that Asia presents to the world should be one made by Asian media, not Western media," Tan said. This year's China-ASEAN Television Cooperation Summit is the first meeting of its kind between China and ASEAN. The summit is scheduled to be held again in 2009. Tags: ASEAN, business, Caldecott Productions, CCTV, China-ASEAN Television Cooperation Summit, KBS, Laos, Malaysia, MediaCorp, Myanmar, NHK, Pratap Parameswaran, Shialey Tan, Singapore, Vietnam, Zhang Changming Financial backers are being sought for the estimated US$15 billion regional rail network connecting Kunming with Singapore, according to Malaysian media reports. China and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are both being eyed as potential financiers for the project, according to statements made by Malaysian International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz today during a visit to China. Mrs Rafidah said the ASEAN-Mekong Basin Development Cooperation Council was currently working out the financial side of the 5,000-kilometer regional rail network which will link Kunming and other cities in Yunnan with Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Malaysia is acting as project coordinator for a feasibility study of the rail network, which has a target completion date of 2015, although it is still unclear whether this is an attainable goal. Tags: business, Cambodia, Laos, logistics, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, trains, transportation, Vietnam The Associated Press reports that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is expecting a US$15 billion railway connecting Singapore with Kunming to be completed by 2015, which is several years later than had been previously hoped. The 5,000 kilometer (3,000 mile) rail line's development has been hampered by a lack of funds, technical issues and varying levels of enthusiasm among countries involved. There is already an existing rail link from Singapore to Bangkok, passing through Malaysia; it is the two branches extending north from Bangkok that have proven more difficult. The western branch will travel through Myanmar and the line's eastern branch will cut through Cambodia and Vietnam, with an additional section of track connecting it to Laos. ASEAN secretary-general Ong Keng Yong told the AP that the Asian Development Bank has recently given Cambodia US$40 million in soft loans, with an additional US$5.4 million in grants also being secured for the rail line, which is expected to dramatically increase the flow of people and cargo throughout the region. Read more here. Tags: ASEAN, Asian Development Bank, Bangkok, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Ong Keng Yong, railways, Singapore |
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