Doing a literary journal in a divided country: Changbi,its history and projects

Abstract

This paper tells a story about miscegenation between US military personnel and Okinawan women from 1945–1952, which includes sexual violence, the establishment of ‘entertainment districts,’ and the emergence of international marriage. Whereas this history has been mobilized by leftists as a truth‐weapon in the struggle for political sovereignty from the US military, this paper takes an explicitly genealogical approach. Drawing on Foucault's work on biopower, this paper shows how Okinawans were transformed into ‘petitioning subject’ – subjects that negotiated the sexual exploitation of their bodies in tandem with the radically changing relationship between their bodies and the territory.     

Yunnan Jianshui Purple Pottery Text and photo by Li Cuiyu

Chinese＂Four Most Famous Potteries＂ include Jiangsu Yixing purple clay pottery, Guangxi Qinzhou Gouxing pottery, SichuanRongchang pottery and Yunnan Jianshui purple pottery. Compared with the popularity of Yixing purple clay pottery, Yunnan Jianshui purple pottery seems to be ＂raised in secret and not known by the outside world＂, and until now it still contains the essence of various traditional artistries.     

Late antiquity and early Islam: A review essay

Cameron, Averil and King, G.R.D., eds. The Byzantine and Early Islamic Near East II: Land Use and Settlement Patterns (Papers of the Second Workshop on Late Antiquity and Early Islam. Studies in Late Antiquity and Early Islam 1), volume 2. Princeton: The Darwin Press, 1994. xiv+270pp., 57 figures/plates; US$ 35 (cloth).

Cameron, Averil, ed. The Byzantine and Early Islamic Near East III: States, Resources and Armies (Papers of the Third Workshop on Late Antiquity and Early Islam. Studies in Late Antiquity and Early Islam 1), volume 3. Princeton: The Darwin Press, 1995. xvi+491pp., 3 maps, US$ 35 (cloth).

Noth, Albrecht. The Early Arabic Historical Tradition. A Source‐Critical Study, translated by Michael Bonner, in collaboration with Lawrence I. Conrad (Studies in Late Antiquity and Early Islam 3). Princeton: The Darwin Press, 1994; second edition. xi+249pp., US$27.50 (cloth).     

Live entertainment at the seaside: a benchmarking exercise for local authority theatres

Live entertainment has been a ‘given’ part of the total cultural offer since seaside resorts began. As resorts have changed, particularly in the 1990s, the type of live entertainment on offer has also been changing and it has become more important to consider whether such live entertainment continues to meet the needs of seaside theatre-goers, be they tourists, day-visitors, residents or people living within an appropriate drive time. The need for such analysis is also partly a response by seaside theatre operators to the government's requirement for the accountability of local authority cultural provision, but it primarily comes from recognition that greater knowledge, perhaps in relation to other resorts, might lead to a better appreciation of the difficulties facing theatre managers and policy makers at seaside resorts at the beginning of the 21st century. This article discusses the setting up, and first three years' operation, of a benchmarking exercise for live entertainment at seaside resorts. The initiative is a joint collaboration between the British Resorts Association and the Centre for Resort Theatre. The former is well known for its positive campaigning on behalf of seaside resorts and has joined with the latter to help present an accurate picture of an important part of the cultural offer at the seaside, the live entertainment. The Centre for Resort Theatre is an independent consultancy run by the author to ‘shine a light’ on seaside entertainment and develop research in this area. An analysis of the data collected through the benchmarking exercise reveals that seaside theatre operators are achieving good results, but that the potential of the material in the Centre for Resort Theatre database has only been partially exploited. The possibilities for greater use are implied. These could include tactical aspects of theatre operations (for example, which acts to book), or strategic aspects (such as issues concerning the long-term future ownership/control of seaside theatres).     

Text and photo by Xin Yuan Longquan Celadon Displayed in Capital Museum

The Exhibition on Longquan Celadon was held in the Capital Museum in Beijing during the Chinese New Year. The 85 celadon masterpieces produced in Longquan offered viewers an opportunity to learn more about the history of this famous celadon kiln center of ancient China.     

Enjoy the Olympics,practice Body Building

＂Have you been to Beijing？＂and ＂Have you seen Olympic competitions？＂became the most popular greetings of Chinese people during the Beijing Olympic Games this August.After Beijing succeeded in its bid for an Olympic host city,     

“Lies,damn lies and statistics”: a history of museum visits in Australasia

ABSTRACT

While a great deal of attention has been paid to museum visit data in the last few decades, very little is known about long-term trends. This article examines the distinctive history of museum visits in Australasia through a comparative study of eight key institutions from across the region. Archival research was undertaken at each institution to compile as complete as possible a data set of annual visitation from opening until present day. Any stated changes in funding, admission charges, buildings etc. were also recorded, along with comments indicating contemporary explanations for fluctuations in visitation. Sources included official documents such as annual reports and trustee minutes, as well as visitor books and attendance records. We provide an initial overview of the quantitative and contextual data we collected from the case study museums focusing on a number of key questions: How have museums in Australasia been counting and reporting visit data over the past 150 years? What does this reveal about changes over time in the perceived value of visit data and museum attitudes towards their visitors? What are the key trends in museum attendance at the local, national and regional level in Australia and New Zealand? What contemporary explanations were given for fluctuations in museum attendance and are they supported by a long-term, cross-institutional comparison of the data? The study provides insights into historical shifts in thinking about the importance of visitors, appropriate methods for recording visitation, and the value of this data. The findings are also relevant to how museums today interpret attendance figures. The ways in which visit data were included or excluded from historical narratives about the value of museums highlights the constructed nature of visitor data and raises questions about the role of visitor research in contemporary museums.     

Swan Lake Performed in Chatelet Theater Text by liang Shah and photo by tiu Yang

On September 25, 2013, the National Ballet of China （NBC） presented SwanLake at the century-old Chatelet Theater in Paris. The performance also marked the beginning of the 2013- 2014 Season for Chatelet Theater.The impressive dance and the ＂swans＂ presented by NBC were warmly received by Parisian audience. The curtain call lasted for more than twenty minutes.The audience of more than 1500 Parisian people gave applause, sent flowers and paid tribute to Chinese ballet dancers. After the performance, Tan Duisheng, Charge D＇Affairs of the Chinese Embassy     

Facing history,resolving disputes,working towards peace in East Asia: a statement by the Minjian East Asia Forum

Preface ?Concerned with the escalation of territorial disputes in East Asia since July, we proposed setting up the Minjian East Asia Forum (the Forum hereafter) on October 6, 2012, serving as a platform for East Asian people to face regional disputes and exchange opinions together. Minjian is a Chinese term that has counterparts in Japanese, as minkan, and in Korean as mingan, based on the same Chinese characters. Although used differently with different meanings in each context, minjian, as used here, refers to the non-governmental, popular voices and organizations, initiated by the people. Although the Forum was started to respond to and engage in the recent territorial disputes, it was not created out of thin air, but on the foundation of East Asian solidarities built by many predecessors over the last 30 years.1 “In the last two decades, we have participated in the minjian, read here as people-based and hence non-governmental, solidarity movement of various kinds—including Asia Regional Network for Alternatives (ARENA, 1980s), the Inter-Asia Cultural Studies: Movements (2000–), the East Asia Critical Journals Conference (2006–), and West Heavens: India China Summit on Social Thought (2010–). We also established the Inter-Asia School (2011–) and organized the first Asian Circle of Thought in Shanghai (2012) as well as the Modern Asian Thought project (2012–). In doing this work, we follow the footsteps of Ashis Nandy, Muto Ichiyo, Chen Yingzhen, Paik Nak-Chung, and the late Mizoguchi Yuzo. In moving around Asia, we created a linkage between circles of critical intellectuals and movement, and by talking to friends in the circle of thought, we came to realize that within the entire expanse of Asia, East Asia is the region that experiences the greatest difficulty in stepping outside of the Cold War division and in reimagining the region as a collectivity. Especially when China and India are fast developing their economies, we must be more aware of the social contradictions and inequalities that are deepening in the region, as well as the role each state plays in the global inter-state system. In this complex and volatile context, we must try to find a better road to development—for public good, justice, equality, and world peace. Unfortunately, the party politics in each state has blocked the proactive interaction within the region for its own interest. Even when East Asian states are imagining an East Asian community, a common platform for civil societies to communicate and address issues that are of regional significance is achingly absent. In this sense, our imagination of ‘minjian East Asia’ is a people-based, non-governmental platform for regional dialogue that attempts to check and balance the exchange of interest based on party politics, and monitor the governments, preventing them from making arbitrary decisions that will escalate tension and threaten peace in the region” (Chen et al. 2013 Chen, Kuan-Hsing, Chih-Ming Wang and Qingya Hu. 2013. Minjian East Asia Forum: feelings and imaginations. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 14(2) ,, this issue[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]). We expect the Forum (with the secretariat to be based in Seoul) to become a people-to-people network that will continue to extend beyond borders and express people's voices, fostering the steady development of peace in Asia and the world through communication, conversation, and collaboration.     

Cinema and history: critical reflections

Abstract

Hou Hsiao‐Hsien was invited to Singapore to talk about himself. In the speech, he focused on talking about his family background, his childhood memories, life experiences and how these experiences affected his life, and also how he made his films. Furthermore, as Taiwan had gone through many drastic political and economic changes, especially after the lifting of Martial Law, these conditions influenced Hou’s life and his films, too. That is, Hou’s films presented not only the changes in a rapidly urbanizing rural society, but also the important events of Taiwan’s history. At the end of the speech, Hou also mentioned that realizing the importance of social responsibilities, he would like to get more involved in the public sphere in order to make a difference in society.