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The Golden Decadethe Year s WeSpent in Britain

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Ye a r 2 0 1 3 , t h e B e s t O p p o r t u n i t y f o rChinese People to Visit UK?

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Mo Yan, the First Local Chinese Winner ofthe Nobel Prize in Literature

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7DLZDQ/HDGHU(OHFWLRQ9RWLQJ(QGVO n J a n u a r y 1 4 t h , T h e Ta i w a n

presidential election which had lasted

four months came to the end. The

Kuomintang (KMT) pres ident i a l

candidate Ma Ying-jeou, Wu Den-

yih victory over Tsai Ling-wen of

Democratic Progressive Party, James

Soong of the People First Party and

independent candidate Ellen Huang.

On the same day, the result of the

eighth Taiwan legislator election was

also announced.

,QLWLDWHG'LVSXWHVZLWK -DSDQRYHUWKH'LDR\X,VODQGV9HVWLQJOn March 3rd, following the event of

Japan announced the purchase of the

Diaoyu Islands, China released the

standard name of the Diaoyu Island

and its affiliated islands, established

prefecture-level ci ty of Sansha to

administer the Paracel(Xisha) Islands,

Macc les f i e ld(Zhongsha) I s l ands ,

Spratly(Nansha) Islands and their

surrounding waters.

%R;LODLDQGRWKHUVHQLRURIILFLDOVZDV,QYHVWLJDWHGDQGSXQLVKHGOn Apr i l 10th , the CPC Centra l

Committee dec ided to launch an

investigation of Bo Xilai 's serious

discipline violations, deprive Bo of

CPC membership and expe l h im

from public service. The CPC Central

Commit tee a l so t rans ferred Bo ' s

suspected law violations and related

evidence to judicial departments.

6KHQ]KRX /DXQFKHG DQG6XFFHHGHG LQ WKH)LUVW0DQQHG6SDFH'RFNLQJ0LVVLRQOn June 24 th , a manua l cont ro l

r e n d e z v o u s a n d d o c k i n g w a s

s u c c e s s f u l l y c o m p l e t e d b e t w e e n

Shenzhou-9 spacecraft and Tiangong-1

target spacecraft, the first such attempt

in China's history of manned space

exploration. The spacecraft successfully

returned and smoothly landed on June

29th. Liu Yang became the first Chinese

female astronaut participating in the

spaceship experimental operation.

7KH+DQGRYHURI&KLQDV)LUVW$LUFUDIW&DUULHUOn September 25th, China 's f irst

aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was

officially delivered and commissioned

to the Navy in Dalian Shipyard of

the China Shipbui ld ing Industry

Corporation. Then, the J-15 jets were

trained to take off from and land on the

aircraft carrier.

(YHQWVRI&KLQDDQG8.LQTranslator: Jason Ron

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6 F R W W L V K , Q G H S H Q G H Q F H5HIHUHQGXP3XWRQWKH$JHQGDOn January 25th, Scotland's chief

Minister Alex Salmond, in Edinburgh,

suggested the Scottish Parliament to

hold a meeting in the fall of 2014,

there will be a detailed plan to vote

the independent of Scotland by the

citizens, to to decide whether Scotland

will separate from the United Kingdom

of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

WK$QQLYHUVDU\RI WKH%LUWKRI'LFNHQVFeb. 7th is the 200th anniversary of the

birth of British writer Charles Dickens.

British crown prince Charles hosted a

global commemoration and celebration

meeting in Dickens Museum, and

en joyed a r ec i t a t ion o f Dickens '

masterpieces. Then he laid a wreath at

Dickens' burial ground in Westminster

Abbey.

7LWDQLFWK$QQLYHUVDU\On Mar. 31 Belfast as the birthplace of

Titanic, launched to a spectacular series

of events including an architectural

projection mapping and fireworks

extravaganza by arts and technology

company. On Apr. 15 it held a large

event to celebrate the 100th anniversary

of Titanic sink.

4XHHQV'LDPRQG-XELOHHOn Jun. 6, Queen Elizabeth celebrated

the 60th anniversary since her ascension

to the throne. She and Prince Philip

mark the Diamond Jubilee by releasing

claims at the Thames Diamond Jubilee

Pageant.

/RQGRQ IR U WKH 2 O\PS LF 3DUDO\PSLF*DPHVFrom july 27th to August 12th, athletes

from more than 200 countries descend

on London for the Olympic and

Paralympic Games. With this event, the

British capital became the first city to

have hosted the Olympics three times

in the modern era (the others were

1908 and 1948).

5 L FKD U G , , , ' L V FRYH U HG L Q/HLFHVWHUOn September 4th, archaeologists

claimed that the medieval king of

British, Richard III , whose remains

was found in Leicester. Richard III

ruled England for a very short time,

acctualy the shortest in the England

history, he took the throne for only 2

years, from 1483 to 1485. He died in

the Battle of Bosworth.

WK$QQLYHUVDU\RI%HDWOHVO n O c t . 5 , L i v e r p o o l h e l d a n

exhibition of Beatles to celebrate the

50th anniversary of this world famous

British band. Also the survivors released

a replica of their first single Love Me

Do. Oct. 5 1962 was a moment that

changed music history and popular

culture foreve.

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Translator: Jennifer Zhan

6LQFHZKHQ WKH%ULWLVK JRYHUQPHQW ORRVHQHG WKH SROLF\ IRURYHUVHDVVWXGHQWV IURPRXWVLGH WKH(XURSHDQ8QLRQ LW KDVEHFRPHHDVLHU WR DSSO\ IRU D YLVD WR %ULWDLQ WKH DFFHOHUDWLQJ &KLQHVHHFRQRP\DQG WKH LQFUHDVLQJ UHTXLUHPHQWRI WKH&KLQHVHSHRSOH IRUWKHHGXFDWLRQRIWKHLUFKLOGUHQKDYHDOVRSURPRWHGWKHGHYHORSPHQWRIRYHUVHDVVWXG\PDUNHW7KH m\RXQJRYHUVHDVVWXGHQWVn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Chinas one-child policy gives rise

to a new word -China One: the

only child in China. As all parents

hope for the best for their children,

they choose to send their children

t o o v e r s e a s f o r s t udy, t hou gh

most of them have never left their

home before. How could their

children, having to live away from

home without the protection of

their parents, learn to take care of

themselves and survive in a totally

unfamiliar environment?

Some parents once admitted that

they are very unwilling to leave

their only child at a foreign country.

Worrying that their child will not eat

well, sleep well, or dress warm, they

even think about hiring a babysitter

to take care of their apple-of-the-

eye. However if they really do this,

probably these only children from

China will be treated as strange

individuals, regarded rather oddly by

their classmates or local people. As a

result, no matter how reluctant they

are, they have to let go so that their

child can learn about independence.

In recent years, the number of

Chinese overseas s tudents has

been increasing. Especially after

the British government relaxed the

restrictions for overseas students,

more and more students flocked

to the Britain. These students,

whose family mostly have fairly

good economic conditions, used

to be spoiled kids of their parents.

H o w e v e r, t h e y a r e f a c e d t h e

fundamental survival problem after

they come to the Britain. If they eat

outside for each meal, the expenses

are rather high 7-10 pounds on

average, nearly 100 RMB.

The average expense will be almost

9000 RMB each month if they eat

outside every day, which is a great

burden for overseas students. So

how to cook by themselves is the

first problem they encounter. The

first step of saving money is to select

food for the week at a supermarket

in London, where everything is

expensive. The supermarket most

visited by Chinese overseas students

and housewives are Tesco and

ASDA, where they can often find

food for sale for under one pound.

They can get food for a whole week

for only 15 pounds, or 150 RMB,

which is a lot cheaper comparing

to the dozens of thousands to eat

in restaurants. So even the most

spoiled children who have never

cooked before have to l earn a

necessary skill- to cook Chinese

food.

7R(DW2XWVLGHRUWR&RRNE\0\VHOI"$6XUYLYDO,VVXHIRUDQ2QO\&KLOG


For Wen Juan, the year 2012 is the

toughest year. Upon graduating

from graduate school, she had to

make a difficult decision between

going back China to work and

staying in the Britain to look for a

job.

In 2012 when Wen Juan graduated

from Liverpool University, she

was faced with the problem of

whether to stay in Britain or not,

which put her in a totally different

mood from when she finished her

undergraduate study. Over 90% of

my classmates choose to go back to

their hometown, and I am the few

odd ones who choose to stay. I was

really lonely and helpless, all alone

by myself in the Britain, drifting

along all the time. Whats more, my

parents were not there with me.

Words are not enough to express

the hollowness I felt, Wen Juan

told us about her feelings genuinely.

Lonely and helpless as she felt, she

clear knew that she did not want to

go back home immediately and did

what her parents want her to do. So

she made up her mind to stay in the

Britain, and find her own path with

her own hands and ability.

The other reason why she was

determined to stay is that she had

carefully considered the economic

condition of China and Britain. In

2012 the average salary for a new

Chinese graduate student in the

Britain is about 1200 pounds, or

over 12,000 RMB per month, more

than 3 times the average salary of

graduate students in China. The

common be l ie f tha t the much

higher living expenses will be a

heavy burden for l iv ing in the

Britain is not entirely true.

Though the salary in Britain is

3 times the salary in China, the

difference of prices is only less

than 1 hundred RMB. For living

expenses in general, apart from rents

in Britain, which are much higher

than in China, the costs of food,

clothing and travelling are almost

the same. Given these factors ,

students are more willing to stay

and work in the Britain. Plus it costs

much less to live alone. By contrast,

those who choose to go back to

China, though with no burden

of the rent, are either living from

paycheck to paycheck, or off their

parents. Due to several reasons, the

few people who are willing to stay

have set up clear goals for their life.

Under the influence of the global

e c o n o m i c c r i s i s , t h e B r i t i s h

economy i s a l so undergoing a

recession. In 2012, the number of

the unemployed is estimated to

reach as high as 2.85 million, and

the unemployment rate has reached

8.8%, which is a record high for the

past 17 years. It is very difficult to

get a job for a local British, let alone

for those from abroad. Even so,

Wen Juan persists with her choice,

Money is not everything. What I

need is experience, and to gain some

experience is far better than having

no experience at all. I understand

that I have no experience if I look

for a job in China, and that overseas

students are much less popular by

the Chinese job-hunting market.

Different from the other Chinese

overseas students, Wen Juan always

sticks to her distinct belief: Im

looking for the job that pays for

my basic survival. I do not need a

high income. I just hope that my

work experience in the Britain will

enrich my resume, which will be a

springboard for me when I go back

to China and look for a job that pays

much more. Wen Juan knows that

currently an overseas student who

7R/HDYHRU7R6WD\"7KH'LOHPPDRI&KLQHVH2YHUVHDV6WXGHQWVLQ%ULWDLQ

has worked in foreign countries for

one to two years will be paid almost

50% more on average in China than

new graduates. This is a common

objective for her and the other

students who decide to work in the

Britain.

Due to the continuing economic

downturn in Europe and in the

US, more than 70% of Chinese

overseas students choose to return

to China. But their income of the

first year is generally not very high,

nearly 40% of whom are paid with

less than 40,000 RMB/year, and

nearly 70% less than 60,000 RMB/

year. Returnees of a higher level

have an annual income of 230,000.

It is estimated that overseas student

from mainland China have reached

339,700 in 2011, making China the

largest home country of overseas

students, and the overseas study

market continues to be very popular.

In 2012, 230,300 overseas students

returned to main land China, and

the to ta l number of re turnees

reached 1,048,700, marking the

beginning of a boom of returnees.

Of cour se , be ing a r e tu rnee

does not necessari ly mean that

he can get a good job in China.

Beginning salary for returnee

with no experience is about 60,000

RMB/year ; for those wi th 1-2

years experience working abroad

is 149,000, and 220,000 for those

with more than 3 years experience,

several t imes that of returnees

with no experience at all. Besides,

the difference among returnees is

becoming greater, almost 300,000

RMB between decision-makers and

ordinary staff. Investigation shows

that most returnees are ordinary

white collars with annual income

of 83,000 RMB, and only a few of

them can make it to the decision-

maker level-CEOs, partners, and

company owners who can make as

high as over 450,000 RMB per year.

As a result, like Wen Juan, less than

30% Chinese overseas graduates

who choose to stay in Britain are

waiting patiently and struggling by

themselves, hoping to create a new

life through their own efforts in

this cold country with a slumping

economy.


7R%H%ODFN5HVLGHQFHRU1RWWR%H"&KLQHVH/DERUHUV:KR+DV3DLG7KHLU3ULFH

In Britain, there are all kinds of Chinese people: some stay there

for overseas study or for work; some by marrying someone in

Britain; some are BBCsBorn in Britain Chinese, but there are

also some black residence.

The so called black residence refers to those who are living in

Britain with no legal status. They are often the underdogs of this

country, who are struggling for bare survival with the constant

fear of being deported. They have no stable jobs, no social

security, no bank card, no cell phones, no fixed living place or

contact information; it is difficult even to travel to a further place.

Not only do they suffer from material destitution, spiritually they

have no sense of security.

Lao Liu, a middle-aged Chinese from Fujian province, with a

strong smell of paints and his clothes stained with paints, came to

Britain through illegal ways. He says that hes been in London for

12 years, and this year he is finally able to secure a legal identity.

In 1999, he came to the European continent as a stowaway on a

ship, travelling all the way by sea from Southeast Asia, to Eastern

Europe, Germany, and France, and finally arrived in Britain after


over a year s trying and arduous

journey. Before his journey started,

he had to give over 200,000 RMB

to the organizer o f the i l l ega l

immigration, which took all savings

of his family.

Fear lingers in his heart when he

looks back upon the journey where

he su f f e red f rom humi l i a t ing

t r e a t m e n t . H e s a i d t h a t a

compartment which is only several

s q u a r e m e t e r s a c c o m m o d a t e d

several dozens of people. There

was no food, no water, or not even

a bathroom. Once they arrived

at any continent, the smuggler

would shut forty or fifty of them

all together in a room less than 10

square meters, with all the windows

covered with thick curtains, and the

doors locked from outside. There

was no telephone for them to call

their family, no TV, and they were

not allowed to turn on any lights, or

even flush the toilet. No matter how

hot it was, each of them could take

only one shower every week. They

were afraid that if the electricity or

water usage in this room exceeded

the normal amount, the local police

might become susp ic ious tha t

there were illegal immigrants here.

Recalling those days when there was

no daily supplies, not enough water,

people were sleeping on the bare

ground, and were restricted from

going to the toilet, Lao Liu said that

he would not relive the experience

again even if he was to be killed.

Once they arrived at the European

continent, they could not sneak away

by boat and their only choice was

the low-cost airlines. The organizers

a l l s l ipped away a t the a i rport

custom, and whether the stowaways

could pass the custom depended

on sheer luck. All passports were

forged, a nd were passed on to

them from the organizers based on

gender only. Some of them were

lucky enough to get a passport with

the picture looking like him, and

was able to pass the custom check.

Though for Europeans, the Asians

looked all very similar, chances were

that the picture on the passport

showed a totally different person, so

most of the stowaways were stopped

by the custom. Since there was

no repatriation policy back then,

and the local government was not

responsible for sending them back

to China, the penniless stowaways,

who couldnt leave, go back home

or speak any English, had no choice

but starve to death on the streets.

How did he survive then when he

couldnt speak any English? Lao

Liu said that even now he still knew

nothing about English, let alone

in the past. But since he was doing

some physical work like decoration

or construction, language did not

seem to be a big problem. Now

Lao Liu has got a legal residence

s t a t u s , a n d i s l i v i n g w i t h h i s

fellow townsmen in a 3-storied

o ld apar tment , wi th one su i te

accommodating over 20 Chinese

people. The weekly rent is about 35

pounds (over 350 RMB), which, in

effect, only pays for a bed, since he

has to use all the facilities together

with the other 20 people. Though

he is finally a legal residence in

Britain after going through many

hardships, he doesnt not have

enough money to pay for the ticket

to travel back home, neither could

he afford the gifts for his family

nor lose this job. All the savings

for the past over 10 years that he

earned so hard have been spent on

the application for a legal identity to

the British government. Because of

the language problem, many people

were denied for the first time, so

they had to apply for a second or

third time, with high charges from

the lawyers each time.

When asked with this question: if

life were to start all over again, and

you could remake your decision,

would you come to the Britain

aga in? Lao Liu s answer was a

definite no, or at least not by means

of sneaking here or being a black

residence. In a welfare country

l ike Bri ta in, there are actual ly

no poor people--you may be

underprivileged, but you will not

be poor . The government will

support you if you are unemployed;

supply you with a residence with

15 square meter salable area if you

are homeless, free medical care,

monthly subsidy to help you raise

your kids if you cannot afford it, and

even travelling funds if you have no

moneybut you cannot be a black

residence here, since once you are,

you will become truly poor.

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Liu Kang came to Britain in 2003,

and majored in computer science.

After graduating with a degree, he

did not hesitate on his decision

to go back to China. He worked

in China from 2004 to 2009, with

annual income of about 100,000

RMB. But in recent years, since

there are so many people in China

and the competition is really fierce,

people are faced with so much

stress. They work for long hours

every day and have no personal time

at all, Liu Kang recalls, I work

from 8AM oclock in the morning

until 7PM in the evening every day,

sometimes I even work until ten at

night. I have no weekends, working

all day long, but with no overtime

compensation. Given the general

work conditions in China, Liu Kang

is determined to make a change. So

he came back to Britain in 2009.

Back to Britain, they were stressed

out by rea l i s t ic problems. His

girlfriend, having quite her job and

come to Britain with him, said: We

were not really lucky. The economy

in Britain began to slump from the

latter half of 2008, and exchange rate

to US dollars dropped from 1:1.8

to 1:1.4 within just two months.

It couldnt have been worse. It

was hard to find a job even for the

British, let alone for foreigners like

us. The general environment is

depressing enough, but Liu Kang

was faced with a bigger challenge:

We are not new graduates, and in

Britain, our work experiences in

China were not recognized. So it

became more difficult for us to

find a job. Liu Kang sent over 100

copies of the resume, and only less

than one tenth helped him get an

interview. At last, Liu Kang found

his first job in Britain after seven

months. All living expenses during

that period came from the meager

salary of his girlfriend who worked

at restaurants.

As everything settled down, Liu

Kang and Wang Minzhi got married

in Britain. Instead of continuing to

rent an apartment, they bought a

house: In London rents are really

expensive-900 pounds a month for a

double room. So after consideration

we decide to buy a house. Even with

mortgage, we pay only 1000 pounds

a month. They bought this house

not only because of the prices,

but also to welcome a new family

member.

After the baby was born, we were

hesitating about whether to send

him back to China or let him stay

in Britain. The education in China

is good, but we are also afraid that

our child may not be adjusted to the

life in Britain in the future. What

worries Wang Min the most is the

education of their Child. Since his

father is working in Britain and the

child needs to be with his family,

he has to accustom himself to the

British education system. Weve

decided that we are not sending our

child back to China for education.

Though we are not sure whether

British education is suitable for

our child, we basically approve the

open education style in western

countries. So we will be very strict

In every corner of Britain, we can see more and more Chinese people. The Cantonese comes from the waiter and boss from Hong Kong who are working in the Chinese restaurants; the eastern faces belong to overseas students from Taiwan waiting in line in the supermarkets; the glass tent outside the shop in China Town is set up by a young man from mainland Chinathey have lived in Britain for many years, having contributed the prime of their youth to this country. Apart from China, Britain is their second hometown.

with selection of the school. We will

send to our child to a school that

requires an entry examination, so

that students are better qualified,

gaps among students will not be so

great, and learning environment

will also be simpler. Speaking of

education for the children, the

father Liu Kang, who has been very

quiet, also starts talking about his

opinions: As long as the kids have

good exam results, and they dont

lose the game at the starting point,

I dont really care about the other

stuff. However the mother Wang

Minzhi has a different opinion: but

I dont think exam results mean

everything. The most important is

that the child has integrity. Plus its

better that if he has an extroverted

character, so that he can grow up

happily.

Though Liu Kang and his wife

have different opinions about the

education for their child, their basic

principle for education is the same.

They are not afraid that their child

will know nothing about Chinese

since they grow up in an English-

speaking environment. They believe

that even if the child is living in

Britain, he needs to learn the basic

listening, speaking, reading and

writing skills of Chinese.

For parents who live in a foreign

country and are both working, how

to take care of their kids is also a

problem. Currently Liu Kang and

his wife are asking their parents

in China to come to Britain in

turn to take care of their baby, and

each time they will stay for about

six months. But once the parents

who are alone in Britain fall ill, the

medical expenses are rather high.

Moreover if they are in China, they

can always have other families to

look after them, whereas in Britain,

theres no one else to take care.

So Liu Kang and his wife plan to

send their child to primary school

when he is three years old. As long

as they go through the transition

period, they hope that all the other

problems will be solved.

As for daily use articles for the child,

they need to purchase them before

the baby is born, since they will

spend much more after his birth.

Maybe prices are generally high

in Britain, but according to Wang

Minzhis analysis, the expenses

in China for baby stuff are not

necessarily higher than in Britain.

Take similar powdered milk as an

example. Since imported products

in China are very expensive, the

expenses are about 100 RMB a

month, which is a small difference

from 10 pounds in Britain. Besides

since I breastfeed my child, we

dont spend a lot on powdered milk.

In addition, we can get very good

diapers for 30 pounds in Britain, but

we cant get equally good diapers in

China with the same price.

To sum up, the current generation

of Chinese is working very hard in

Britain, so that their children will

achieve a lot more. Maybe to be

educated in a foreign country has

both advantages and disadvantages,

but the parents would sacrifice

anything willingly as long as their

children can grow up happily and

healthily.

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Interviewee: Travis Qian (VisitBritain Manager of China & Hongkong)

Written by: Bonnie Hua

P riority visa eligibility has been

expanded to include T ier 4 students

and across all eligible categories

those w ith previous Schengen travel

m ay also now use the service.

A passport pass-back service for

C ontinuing strong dem and for visas

underscores the U Ks popularity

am ongst the C hinese as a place to

visit and do business. D em and for

visitor visas has increased alm ost

80% since 2009 and there is no

sign of this grow th slow ing as the

post-O lym pic effect begins to take

hold. T hese im provem ents reflect

the special im portance placed on

visitors and investors from C hina

and w ill be rolled out over the next

6 m onths.

In response to this grow th and

feedback from C hinese custom ers

a further, specially tailored, package

of visa service enhancem ents w ill be

introduced over the next 6 m onths

including:

:FBS U IF #FT U 0QQPS UVO J U Z G P S $I JOFTF 1FPQ MF U P 7 J T J U 6, 'FB UV SFT

business travellers and ADS tourists

which allows customers to keep

their passport while their visa is

being processed. This means they

can travel or apply for another visa

if they need to, reducing the time it

takes to get two visas.

A s i m p l i f i e d A D S ( A p p r o v e d

Destination Status) VISA process,

i n c l u d i n g s h o r t e n e d o n - l i n e

application form and streamlined

requirements.

Launch of two new step-by-step

Chinese language visa guides for

Business Visitors and ADS agents

and their customers.

The establishment of a Business

Network in China with dedicated

Embassy staff to assist businesses

with their UK visa requirements

and to work more closely with the

business community to ensure our

service offer meets their needs.

A new online visa training module

for the Brit Agent network in China

so they can better assist Chinese

customers wanting to travel to the

UK.

A mobile biometric service which

will be available to applicants who

wish to have their biometrics taken

at a location more convenient to

them, rather than visiting a visa

application centre.

I m p r o v e m e n t s t o t h e o n l i n e

application process including the

introduction of optional online

payments and translated application

forms.

Therere also a few exciting events

to offer in Britain in year 2013 after

the unforgettable 2012. Britain

sincerely welcomes visitors across

t h e w o r l d i n c l u d i n g C h i n e s e

visitors.

WK$QQLYHUVDU\ RI -DQH$XVWLQV3ULGHDQG3UHMXGLFHPride and Prejudice is one of the

wor ld s bes t- loved books , and

its hard to believe the romance

between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr.

Darcy is 200 years old. Britain is

a must-visit for Austen fans, who

can explore her house in Chawton,

Hampshire now a museum as

well as the Regency city of Bath

where she also lived and wrote. The

Peak District and Chatsworth (a

stunning National Trust property),

featured in the f i lm version of

Pride and Prejudice starring Keira

Knightley, and are great to visit at

any time of year. The romance will

also be played out live on stage in

the open air at Londons Regents

Park in June and July 2013.

7KH9LHZ IURP WKH6KDUG IHHWPHWUHVThe tallest building in Western

Europe, and the only place to see

al l of London, al l at once. The

View from the Shard opens to the

public on 1 February, just ahead

of Valentines Day, and is expected

to see many a marriage proposal

happening up there on Cloud 9.

It will be possible to stay in the

1,016ft high building from March

when luxury hotel the Shangri-la

opens, occupying floors 34 to 53 of

Renzo Pianos distinctively iconic

tower. The 185 deluxe guestrooms,

spanning 42 sq metres each, will be

among the largest in London.

WK$QQLYHUVDU\ RI WKH/RQGRQ8QGHUJURXQGThe oldest subway in the world

celebrates 150 years of operation

on 9 January, with special events

planned all year to mark the historic

occasion and look to the future of

The Tube. The first passenger trip

will be recreated with steam trains,

an exhibition of iconic posters will

be shown at the London Transport

Museum, and disused s ta t ions

will be used for theatre and film

screenings. There are lots of quirky

stories about the Tube (many of

which centre on its Lost Property

office, which has housed dead bats,

false teeth and a forgotten wedding

dress among others), and plenty of

unsung destinations to explore at

the end of the line

WK$QQLYHUVDU\&KHOVHD)ORZHU6KRZ2013 marks the centenary of the

Roya l Hor t i cu l tura l Soc ie ty s

Chelsea Flower Show, which has

become one of the most celebrated

a n n u a l e v e n t s i n t h e w o r l d ,

the showcase for hort icul tura l

excellence and a fabulous society

occasion. The show has grown

from 244 exhibitors in 1913 to

over 500 today, attracting 157,000

visitors every year. Its not just

about Chelsea though Britain is

teeming with flower and garden

shows, including Chelseas sister

at Hampton Court in July and a

newcomer for this year at Blenheim

Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage

Site and the only palace in the UK

not occupied by royalty.

4XHHQ (O L]DEHWK 2O\PSLF3DUN5HRSHQVNow named the Queen Elizabeth

Olympic Park, the fantastic site that

held the majority of London 2012

Olympic and Paralympic events will

be opening in phases over the next

few years, with the first part the

North Park and Multi Use Arena

open to visitors from 27 July

2013, one year since the Opening

Ceremony. By spring 2014 the

whole Park will be open to visitors,

hosting a huge range of events and

attractions.

WK$QQLYHUVDU\RI/DXQFKRI5R\DO

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B a t t e r s e a P o w e r S t a t i o n

Development Company (BPSDC)

announced the launch of the UK

sales programme in January 2013

which designed by the famous

architectural master Rafael Violy.

The UK sales programme will be

followed by sales exhibitions around

the world in the coming weeks.

BPS Sales Exhibitions Around the World to Follow in Coming Weeks

Circus West at Battersea Power

Station is a mix of 800 1, 2 and 3

bedroom apartments, townhouses

and penthouses as well as a blend of

offices, shops, leisure and hospitality

designed by Ian Simpson Architects

a n d d e R y k e M a r s h M o r g a n

(dRMM). Prices start from 338,000

for a studio, from 423,000 for a

one-bedroom, from 613,000 for

a two-bedroom and 894,000 for a

three-bedroom apartment with first

occupancy expected to be in 2016.

Situated on the western side of

the Power Station, Circus West at

Battersea Power Station will be a

thriving new community where

people come to live, work, socialise

and spend their leisure time. As

well as over 800 apartments, suites,

townhouses and penthouses across

8 buildings, Circus West will have

a range of amenities and services

including art galleries, a Power

Station Design shop, independent

coffee shops, a boutique theatre,

35,000sq ft of creative business

studios, a 15,000sq ft . gym, an

indoor swimming pool and a health

spa.

All residents will have access to

an elevated residents garden, with

apartments having an enclosed

Winter Garden that will provide

useab le out s ide space a l l year

around, whilst the penthouses will

have private rooftop terraces. Circus

West residents will also have access

to a 5,000sq ft private Residents

Club designed by David Linley

this club will have a bar, private

dining space, library, business centre

and a cinema.

Prepara tory work on the f i r s t

phase, which consists of eight core

buildings to the West of the 39

acre site, has already begun with

construction expected to commence

in the second half of 2013. This

wi l l coincide with the s tar t of

the renovation of the Grade II*

listed Power Station, the largest

brick building in Europe and one

of the most significant surviving

examples of Art Deco architecture.

Completion of the first phase of the

development is expected in 2016.

The site will also provide large areas

of public open space including a

new six acre riverside park that will

provide direct access to Battersea

Park and Chelsea via a new riverside

pathway adjoining the existing River

Thames Walk.

T h e L o n d o n B o r o u g h o f

Wa n d s w o r t h g r a n t e d d e t a i l e d

planning permiss ion for Phase

One of the Battersea Power Station

deve lopment on 13 December

2012. This followed the Autumn

Statement on 5 December 2012,

in which the Chancellor of the

Exchequer conf i rmed the UK

government s support for a 1

b i l l i o n l o a n a n d a g u a r a n t e e

t o e x t e n d t h e N o r t h e r n L i n e

underground to Nine Elms and

Battersea Power Station.

Rob Tincknell, Chief Executive

O f f i c e r o f B a t t e r s e a Po w e r

Station Development Company,

commented: We are incredibly

excited to be welcoming the UK

public to the site of one of Britains

most iconic landmarks. Over the

past few months, we have seen

enormous interest in this unique

d e v e l o p m e n t f r o m p o t e n t i a l

purchasers, and we are delighted

to be presenting them with an

opportunity to be a part of what is

sure to become a vibrant new town

centre in the heart of London.

uv h

e e e e e e ee

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The wri ter Mo Yan, or ig ina l ly

named Guan Moye, was born on

a big soil-made kang, a kind of

heatable bed in North China ,in

the west room of an old house.

There had been two side-rooms in

the house, one hogpen and a toilet.

Guan Moye was the fourth child of

the family, and his oldest brother,

older sister and older brother, all

were born here. His oldest brother

is 12 years older than him, and

they were both born in the Year of

the Sheep according to Chinese

traditional calendar. Guan Moyes

&KLQHVHZULWHUVQRPLQDWHGIRUWKH1REHO3UL]HLQ/LWHUDWXUH

Lu Xun, 1927, the final winner is the Jewish writer Henry Bergson [France]; Lao She, 1968, the final winner is the Japanese writer Kawabata Yasunari;

Lin Yutang, 1975, the final winner is the Italian poet Eugenio Montale;

Ai Qing, 1984, the final winner is Czech poet JaroslavSeifert;

Shen Congwen, 1988, the final winner is the Arabic writer Najib Mahfuz [Egypt];

Bei Dao, 1996, the final winner is the Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska;

Li Ao, 1999, the final winner is the Polish writer Gnter Wilhelm Grass [Germany];

Wang Meng, 2000, the final winner is the Chinese writer Gao Xingjian [France];

Ba Jin, 2001, the final winner is the Trinidad writer V. S. Naipaul [Britain]

5HDVRQVIRUQRWZLQQLQJWKHSUL]H Translation The writer has passed away Power of the nation

7KHZULWHUZKRZRQWKH1REHO3UL]HRI/LWHUDWXUH

Gao Xingjian [Chinese French]

Gao Xingjian was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 2000 by the Swedish

Nobel committee for his novel Soul Mountain, One Mans Bible, etc, for an

oeuvre of universal validity, bitter insights and linguistic ingenuity.

Mo Yan [China]

The Nobel Prize in Literature 2012 was awarded to Mo Yan by the Swedish

Nobel committee "who with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history and

the contemporary".

7KH+RPHWRZQDQG&ODQRI0R

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daughter was born in the same old

house, as well.

Uncle Xue, who had been growing

corn on the ground behind the old

house, and other villagers all have

learned that the boy they always

had called Dou er, has now won

an international writing award.

Guan Zhunyi , his grandfather,

gave him the nickname, Dou Er.

Guan Zhunyi had been considered

as a lettered man, who had gone

to a private school specializing in

classical Chinese learning, who

kept abundant books of traditional

Chinese medical science at home,

and had been good at handwriting.

What Grandfather meant by the

nickname was that his grandson was

like the north star, and would have

a brilliant future even though with

a ugly face. Now, the red banners

ardently celebrating to Mo Yan,

the Nobel winner, our hometown

writer, are hanging high on the

nearby bridges and the neighbours

walls.

M o Ya n h a d t a k e n 1 0 m i l l i o n

Chinese characters to describe the

place named the Northeast Gaomi

County, now is located in the area

of old Heya and Dalan communes

of Northeast Gaomi. Northeast

Gaomi County was its name during

the Ming and Qing dynasty, while

Heya Commune, Dalan County,

Heya Town, Xiazhuang Town,

a n d J i a o h e D r e d g i n g H a r b o r

Distribition Area al l were later

names . Time passes and the name

has changed. The village Mo Yan

was born is called Pingan Village,

formerly called Sanfenzi. When I

was a child, the government had not

built the embankment, I could see

the Jiao River from my room. I was

unable to go to elementary school

later, then went to work there, and

dug everyday in the riverway. Mo

Yan later recalled.

Red Sorghum was published in

Renmin Literature in March of

1986 and Director Zhang Yimou

read it and made it a film. Zhang

Yimou had chose four scenes, which

were the stone bridge of Sunjiakou

Village close to Mo Yans home,

Bozi village in Jumahe town of

south Gaomi, the peasants home in

Wangwu Reservoir of Southwestern

Gaomi and Xianshan Reservoir of

Western Gaomi. At that time, the

peasants of Gaomi had not planted

sorghum for many years, because

of low production and bad-tasting

crops. Mo Yan, with Zhang Yimou,

bargained with local villagers and

finally planted more than 130 mu in

three locations outside Jiufang at the

price of 300 Yuan per Mu.

After the film Red Sorghum won

the Gold Bear, the Gaomi local

government changed the name

of the road from Heya to Pingan

Village, to Red Sorghum Street,

even though there was no sorghum

any more. At present days, rarely do

some old villagers plant a little, just

for weaving several brooms.

Guans family had built an eight-

room house on the new vil lage

layout and moved there . They

left the old house as utility room.

After some time, they took down

the worn-out side-rooms, toilet

and hogpen, and only kept the

central room. Two years ago, the

loca l government proposed to

provide a sum to renovate the old

house for tourism, but Mo Yan

refused. Mo Yan had lived in the

new village for two years with his

wife and daughter, after moving

from his old house. And from 1988

to 1995, Mo Yan had finished his

works, Republic of Wine, and Big

Breasts and Wide Hips there in the

house built by the Guan family

themselves. After the settlement of

Mo Yan Literature Memorial, the

curator Mr. Mo Weijie had taken

the desk, lamp, chair and outdated

computer Mo Yan had always used

from this residency, to the present

Mo Yan literature Memorial.

When Mo Yan was in fifth grade at

elementary school, he was forced

to leave school because of he cried

slogans out such as beat down,

and rebellion in school. Since

then, he had became the youngest

peasant in the village and lived the

way of a Chinese traditional peasant

of going out early, and coming back

late at night, which Chinese call the

life of facing the earth and keeping

ones back to the sky. Because of his

short stature, he could not manage

an adults heavy work, what he

only could do are those light duties,

such as planting sorghum, cutting

grass, planting cotton, shepherding,

which earned him only half of the


average work points.

Mo Yan has said, Our place was a

boundary which connected three

counties, with extensive land, and

there were not any villages about for

miles. I spoke with a cow and a goat

every day. Usually I laid on the grass

and spoke with the birds flying by,

surely the birds ignored what I said,

then I fell asleep. Soon later the cow

would knock me awake, and remind

me that he had he eaten his fill, so

we and went back home together.

This unvarying country life, hunger

and loneliness, made reading a

great pleasure to the young Mo Yan.

After reading books at home, he

borrowed around the village. He

helped his classmate to grind flour

so that he could borrow one book

for a whole afternoon work. At that

time, the young Mo Yan had literary

dream. His neighbour then was

Dan Yiming, who graduated from

Shandong Normal University. Dan

Yiming had been labeled a rightist

because of his family s political

background and was sent down to

the village for reformation. Mo

Yan who suffered hunger had heard

from the neighbor that there was

some nearby Shandong writer who

ate dumplings every meal. Such a

news shocked Mo Yan so much in

that during the whole year he had

only once tasted a dumpling. That is

why Mo Yan desired to be a writer.

M o Ya n d i d n o t w a n t t o b e a

peasant; his grandfather had taken

two years to teach him Chinese

traditional medicine beginning four

years later after he had quit school.

At that t ime Mo Yan had been

depressed by the heavy working

days facing the yellow earth, and felt

confused and without any future

at all. After two years of learning

medicine , Mo Yan read a lot of

books at his aunts home and heard

a lot of history or legendary stories

from his grandfather. Many years

later, those elders appearing in Mo

Yans fictions, all are shadows of his

grandfather. And good handwriting

is another benefit from this period,

also learned from his grandfather, in

order to write prescriptions..

Af te rwards , Mo Yan had been

introduced by his unc le to the

Gaomi Cotton processing plant, and

became a scale operator there.. Just

at this period, in addition to writing

the news for the factory notice


board, Mo Yan had submitted some

pieces of writing to the Commune

Broadcas t s t a t ion and County

Broadcast station, sometimes his

articles appeared in Weifang Daily

and Peoples Daily as well.

The real chance for Mo Yan to

be a writer, and to settle his food

problem, was after he served in the

army. From age 18, Mo Yan had

enrolled every year for successive

3 years, but he was replaced by

someone with related background,

even though he passed physical

examination every time.

Those years were times that no

un iver s i t y en t r ance exam was

offered, so enrollment for being a

worker or soldier were only chances

for countryside youngsters to seek

their destiny. At age 21 ,Mo Yan

would have been overage in 1976 if

he failed again. Instead of enrolling

in his village, he had enrolled in

the cotton processing plant, under

the status of excellent part-time

worker. That is why Mo Yan had

raised his rank and stayed in the

military force, and even passed

the entrance exam of the PLA Arts

College.

In the end, Mo Yan put on a military

uniform, his long cherished goal,

and went to Huangxian, Shangdong

where is not far from his home.

The day he left, his mother cried

and cried, and his father told him

seriously to remember that all

disasters come from the mouth and

one must be encounter misfortune.

Later, the reason that Guan Moye

changed his name to Mo Yan (dont

speak) was because of this advice

from his father.

As a new solider, Mo Yan just like

all those coming from countryside,

performed well while doing a lot

of dirty and heavy work, such as

digging toilets, and hoped for a

chance to stay in the regiment.

Soon later had he became the vice

director of the team and librarian

of his company. For his excellent

performance, the self-styled high

school graduate Mo Yan had been

transferred to Baoding, Hebei, as

the instructor and custodian of a

company of raw recruits.

The elementary-school graduate

Mo Ya n d a r e d t o t a k e c o l l e g e

textbooks to teach soldiers after

stuffing himself with huge volumes

o f Marx s and Len in s works .

Under the literary guidance of his

older brother, Mo Yan read a large

number of famous classic works

and improved his writing. So on

later, the first fiction of Mo Yan,

Continuous Rain On a Spring

Night was published in Lianchi, a

magazine of Baoding city.

Li tera ture f ina l ly changed Mo

Yans fate. And in 1982, depending

on eight published stories and his

superior s recommendation, Mo

Yan had been raised to the rank of

lieutenant and was transferred to

Beijing as a propagandist responsible

for theoretical training.

Northeastern Gaomi County first

appeared in White Dog Swing.

Since then, all of Mo Yans fictions

centered around the place. For

several decades now Northeastern

G a o m i C o u n t y h a s b e c o m e a

mark o f wor ld l i t e ra ture , l ike

Yoknapatawpha County to William

Faulkner.

I n J u l y, 1 9 8 4 t h e l i t e r a t u r e

Department was established at the

PLA Arts college and the exam

included three subjects, Politics,

Chinese, and Historical Geography.

Mo Yans total score was 216, in

which 90 come from the Chinese

exam. Two years later, Graduate

M o Ya n h a d b e e n a s s i g n e d t o

the Headquarters of the General

Staff and had a home in Beijing.

Then Mo Yan passed the entrance

exam of the graduate school of Lu

Xun Literature College and got a

Masters degree in Literature.

After two in PLA Arts College,

Mo Yan found his own direction

of writing. His famous story of the

period, Transparent Red Radish

was based on his own true story.

The year he was 12 years old, he had

blew the bellows for a blacksmith

where not far from his home. And

someday he skipped to steal a red

radish from a field nearby and had

been caught. They put off his shoes

and forced him to admit his guilt

before Chairman Maos portrait,

then later he was whipped by his

father at home.

Mo Yan had finished Red Sorghum

i n 1 9 8 5 , w h i c h w a s t h e 4 0 t h

anniversary of war victory between

China and Japan; the story was

one that a coworker had told him


about the war in Sunjiakou. This

fiction was published in Peoples

Literature and Mo Yan became

a p o p u l a r w r i t e r o v e r n i g h t .

Someone suggested that Mo Yan

write another novel based on the

fiction, then Mo Yan collected all

those fictions into one book named

Red Sorghum Family.

In his Red Sorghum Family, Mo

Yan wrote my grandpa and my

grandma. And in Big Breasts and

Wide Hips and another two stories,

Five Buns and Stone Mill, Mo Yan

wrote about his mother. Mo Yan

had lived in his old home for a few

weeks or a month in 1994 because

of his mothers passing away and

wrote Big Breasts and Wide Hips

there. This work allowed Mo Yan

to win the 100,000 Yuan award of

Dajia Literature and then Mo Yan

was transferred to a civilian job as a

writer for the Screen Department

of Procuratorials Daily.

The archetypes of most characters

in Mo Yans work can be found at

his home country. Blue Face in

his Weariness of Life and Death,

was an old peasants mother-in-law

who had stuck on doing personal

work when collective group system

was pushed on in 20th century;

she refused to give back her fields

to the united group and carried a

copy of Peoples Daily to Jinan, the

capital city of Shandong, and came

back with province governor s

approval. And the fourth uncle of

Mo Yan was knocked to death by a

drunken driver who worked for the

commune secretary. The secretary

had used all related people to deal

with the accident and paid the

family members only 500 Yuan.

Mo Yan wrote The Song of Young

Garlic Shoot in Paradise based on

this event, and kept his dying uncle

in his story. Novelists always want

to be independent from politics,

but f ict ion itself wil l approach

politics. Mo Yan said.

The new winner of Nobel Prize

in Literature is now dean of the

L i t e r a t u r e d e p a r t m e n t o f t h e

Chinese Art Research Institute, and

he has considered that for his life

after retirement, You know there

are too many people in Beijing

and it is really a noisy city. I am

looking forward to the days after

retirement. Falling leaves return

to their roots, as the saying goes.

My home there in Gaomi is a good

place and I have a quieter study

there.

7KH)LUVW0DR'XQ/LWHUDWXUH$ZDUGIRU0R

and had only one child for such a

reason.

When the time comes that we are

old, we might wonder why we

were so obedient , what would

b e i f I h a d q u i t t h e o f f i c e r s

p o s i t i o n ? A n d w h y n o t h a v e

company for a lonely child? Such

a subject must deeply touch many

people. Actually we are cowards

frequently, just like Ke Dou in the

novel. His wife had been pregnant

for six months and the child would

come soon. Ke Dou pushed his

wife to do the operation for for his

own future, but unfortunately his

wife died with the unborn child

together. Yes, we all know that he

had a very good reason doing that,

for the nation, for the communes

honor. But under such a beautiful

name, personal desires do exist.

This suffering is not only mine,

but my whole generations, deep

in our souls.

I do hope that readers realize the

value of life after reading Frog,

and realize that giving birth, which

is such a bas ic r ight , has gone

through such a way full of trials

and tribulations. I have provided

s o m e m a t e r i a l t o r e a d e r s f o r

further thinking, but each reader

should follow the traces, to think

over such core questions about

life, about the world.

0RYLHV$GDSWHGIURP0R


the urban area sent to the village for

purposes of reeducation through

labor work, who also is admired by

Ma Chenggong. During the cotton-

harvest, the cotton piles became a

secret place where Li Zhigao and

Fang Biyu meet each other. After

the love affair is revealed, Fang

Biyus fiance is very upset, and

Li Zhigao, not daring to make any

moves, surrenders to the local

forces. Witnessing her misfortunes,

Ma Chenggong feels very sorry for

Fang Biyu, with whom he is secretly

in love with. Fang Biyu, before she

decides to leave her home, tells Ma

Chenggong that she already knows

how he feels, and is willing to pay

him back.

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House that publishes the French

edition is one of the most famous in

France, making it possible for Mo

Yans work to be published through

the mainstream channel.

Of course, the inherent down-

to-earth and folklore quality are

also important elements for ready

translation and quick promotion.

One of the reasons for Mo Yans

winning is that his work tears down

stereotypical propaganda posters,

elevating the individual from an

anonymous human massand reveals

the murkies t a spect o f human

existence . In an interview, Per

Wastberg, chairman of the Nobel

Prize committee said during an

interview that Mo Yans work gives a

sober elucidation of all perspectives

of China in the 20th century beyond

al l tabooed l imitat ions. Gaomi

Township is like his Kingdom, like

Faulkner s Yoknapatawpha and

Marquezs Macondo.

In his award ceremony speech, Mo

Yan repeatedly declares to the world

that he is a story teller and son of a

peasant. He is from the hometown

of Pu Songling, who has nourished

him with spiritual richness. Because

of such down-to-earth and plain

attitude, critics tag his work with

awareness as common people and

rural flavor, and this style provides

the best example of what is unique

of a nationality is also precious for

the world. Just as Mo Yan himself

concludes: Rural f lavor is the

reason why I am known worldwide

On the other hand, since the latter

half of 2012, Mo Yans work has

caused a whir l o f controversy

among men of let ters , and has

triggered polarized discussion. His

tactful and sophisticated manner

of speech and his supposed good

relationship with the communist

party become the target of criticism.

Questions such as whether he won

the Nobel Prize not because of his

work themselves, but rather the

resurgence of Chinas economic

p o w e r a n d i t s s t r e n g t h e n i n g

influence around the world, and

whether there are better writers

than him in China are raised. These

questions provoke lots of thoughts.

A literary critic, Zhu Dake said that

the root of Mo Yans controversy

is the contradiction between his

image as the Nobel saint and his

positioning as a rural writer. People

think that he should fulfill his role

as a public intellectual, and shoulder

up the cross of moral and historical

obl igat ion, rather than making

compromises and acting obligingly.

Mo Yans explanation is that while

one should be humble and obedient

in daily life, in literature creation he

must be obstinately and arbitrarily

arrogant. Literature, on the other

hand, originates from daily events

yet exceeds the boundary of daily

events, is concerned with politics

yet conveys far more than politics.

In conclusion, with his winning

the Nobel Prize in Literature, Mo

Yan, and even the whole Chinese

contemporary l i t e ra ture , have

emerged to the view of the world.

An overseas student from Egypt

said that in Egypt, there used to the

Arabic edition of only Red Sorham

Family, among Mo Yans other

works, but recently the Cultural

Department of Egypt is starting

to introduce more of his work.

In the hometown of Nobel Prize,

Sweden, over 7000 copies of Mo

Yans novels were sold during the

last two month of 2012, which is a

tremendous number for a nation

with a population of only 9 million.

Chinese, a language spoken by every

six people in the world, has become

one of the most extensive languages

of communication, second only to

English. As a local Chinese writer,

Mo Yans Nobel Prize in Literature

means tha t Chinese l i t e ra ture

and language have attracted more

recognition and attention, making it

more possible for Chinese literature

and Chinese culture to become

mainstream culture in the world.

Understanding is the beginning

of all promising possibilities, and

Mo Yan opens a door for such

possibilities.

*O U FH SB U F UIF &BT U BOE UIF 8FT U &YQSFTT 'FF M JOHT UI SPVHI )PSTFT$P M M FD U J POT

As the father of Chinese modern painting, Xu

Beihong is the first generation of Chinese overseas

student of painting in Europe, and is also the first

Chinese painter who successfully combines western

sketch, oil painting and Chinese traditional painting.

His painting and his substantial teaching activities

create a new direction for Chinese painting and art

education. His work is not only highly appraised by

intellectuals, but also well-accepted among the public,

and his Chinese ink-paintings, which are very popular

among Chinese people, have become a symbol of

Chinese art.

His approach of horse drawing originates from

his 8 years experience of art learning in France:

a refreshing way of presenting vivid images with

unrestrained vigor and simple strokes by using

techniques of Chinese ink-paintings. The images

of his horses and his techniques are very unique,

which exhibits Chinese ink-painting techniques

as well as the influence from western drawings. To

put it more clearly, the images of the horses, which

best exemplify Xu Beihongs typical style, is greatly

influenced by the French painter, Eugne Delacroix.

In Delacroixs paintings, the horses look like they are

galloping as if drawn by brooms, creating a remarkable

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Translator: Jennifer Zhan

and original art effect; the strokes,

drawn with oil-painting brushes,

are easily accepted and recreated by

Chinese painting techniques. As a

result, we could conclude that either

consciously or unconsciously, Xu

Beihong has absorbed this technique

and stroke in the formation of his

unique style. Only in this way can

we understand the background of

his style, and draw a reasonable

and practical conclusion from Xu

Beihongs personal experience and

awareness. Xu Beihong is an expert

of personification and using horses as

an expression of personal feelings-his

love for his country. His horses, with

bold spirits and exuberant energy,

dwarf all others in their mediocrity,

since time immemorial and forever

more

Running Horses portraits horses

with clear composition; the major

body parts such as the head, neck,

ches t and legs a re t in ted wi th

saturated and zealous color; the

bristle and tail are applied with dark

tint and forceful stroke, whereas the

body and legs are lighter in color and

stroke. The legs are drawn with fine

but powerful touches, like a steel

knife with its power transmitting

from the paper, whereas the stomach,

the rear end, and tail bristles are

drawn with elastic and vivid lines. As

a whole, the drawing appears larger

in the front and smaller in the back

by making good use of perspective

drawing technique. The stretching

front legs and head look as if they

are dashing out of the paper. This

painting fully conveys the emotion

of traditional ink strokes through

change of rhythms such as light and

heavy, composed and sketchy, wet

and dry, dark and light, dense and

sparse, while fully grasps the strictly

realistic characteristics of the ink-

stroke as a modeling language, and

skillfully combines the two features

together.

Xu Beihong once stated in Responses

f r o m X u B e i h o n g f o r M e n o f

Letters: I love drawing animals,

and will spend a long time studying

a real animal. To take horses as an

example, I have made no less than

1000 sketches, and have learned

about the anatomy of horse, thus

am very familiar with their bone

structure and muscular tissues. Then

I would very carefully observe their

movement and expression, until I

become very familiar with them.

Based on the realistic approach he

learned during his study in Europe,

he also acquires detailed knowledge

o f t h e p o s t u r e , s t r u c t u r e a n d

habit of horses. After meticulous

and re lent le s s exp er iment , he

succes s fu l l y f inds out how to

present a proportionate relationship

between ink strokes and the block

and surface structure of horses. Thus

he is able to create images of horses

proficiently to express his esthetic

ideals and his passion for the country.

His paintings, embodying his artistic

talent and intellectual cultivation,

are models of making the past serve

the present and foreign things serve

China through the integration

of classical, modern, Chinese and

wes te rn t echn iques . Thus h i s

paintings have significant indications

for Chinese modern art history in

that they serve as the bridge between

the past and the future by carrying

on the tradition and creating a new

path for the future.

3HUVRQDO,QWURGXFWLRQXu Beihong (1895-1953) is a master of arts and an outstanding educator of fine arts in China. At the first half

of the 20th century when Chinas arts entered into its modern stage, Xu Beihong was undoubtedly a great

figure in the arts field, especially famous for his painting of horses. To change the situation of plagiarization

and imitation, and listless style for lack of life experience in Chinese painting then, he was the first to integrate

the exquisite realistic practice of western paintings to Chinese paintings, following good command of both of

them, exploring a new and wide horizon for the revolution and development of traditional arts. Thanks to his

outstanding achievements in the theory and practice of paintings, and huge contribution in the education of

fine arts, he was once honored Father of Paintings in Contemporary China by the international community.

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art festivals by myself until I finally

understand what is real elegance and

real art.

Edinburgh has two famous beaches:

Portobello and Cramond, which

become the heaven on earth for

art lovers around the world during

the Edinburgh art festivals in each

August . The Internat ional Art

Festival, Jazz Festival, Film Festival

and Book Fair accumulate into a

global art carnival appealing to both

When I first came to Scotland, I

was told that Edinburgh is the most

beautiful, elegant and artistic city of

the Great Britain. But it is only after

I see the buildings of the old town

of Edinburgh, and experience the

noTranslator: Jennifer Zhan

refined and popular taste. Even

during the non-art festival period,

to take a stroll along the beach

corridor, or to enjoy a cup of latte by

the window of a Baroque-style caf,

are delightful experiences not to be

missed in Edinburgh.

Apar t f rom Lat te which i s the

favorite of British people, Whisky is

also a must-have delicacy for your

trip to Scotland. If you didnt take

a few bottles with you before you

leave, you must feel regretful at

London Heathrow Airport, since in

Scotland, wool is cheaper than food,

whereas whisky is even cheaper than

wool.

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Those who have seen Brave Heart

are all captivated by the beautiful

scenery of Scotland in this film. The

location where the film was shot

and where true history took place, is

what we refer to as the hinterland

of Scotland , which is a lso the

capital city of Scotland before the

17th Century-Stirling.

Wallace Monument is located at the

outskirt of Stirling, and is the symbol

of the entire Stirling, and even of

the whole Scotland. The monument

was erected in honor of the national

hero of Scotland- William Wallace,

who defeated the English and Wales

allied forces in 1927, which brought

in true independence for Scotland.

The monument is on the top of the

tallest mountain of Stirling, and it

takes about half an hour by walk

from the foot of the mountain to

the top, with enchanting sceneries

along the road.

After getting off the mountain of

Wallace Monument and traveling

across St ir l ing Bridge, you are

at the downtown Stir l ing. The

Stirling Castle is one of the several

must-visits of Edinburgh. Castle

enthusiasts can get preferential

package tickets at the ticket office,

which will enable them to visit

the 3 major castles including the

Edinburgh Castle.

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S t . A n d r e w s i s a s e a s i d e t o w n

along the coastal area in the east of

Scotland. The continuous stream

of visitors is mostly here because

of the love story of Prince William

and Princess Kate Middleton. Like

most ancient towns in Scotland,

St . Andrews is quiet and clean

with a small population, half of

which are students of St. Andrews

University. St.Andrews University

is the most outstanding university

with the longest history of Scotland,

and ranks the third in Britain after

Oxford and Cambridge. No wonder

Prince William chose here for his

higher education in 2001. Currently

the dormitories of Princess William

and Princess Kate Middleton and the

buildings where they used to take

classes, have become popular scenic

spots. Of course it doesnt matter

if you are not interested in the

royal family, since the remarkable

Baroque and Gothic architecture are

also worthy of indulging yourselves

in.

You must regret it for your whole

l i f e i f y o u d o n t p l a y g o l f i n

Scotland. Moreover, in St.Andrews

where golf was originated, playing

gol f de l ivers a much di f ferent

meaning. In Scotland, golf is not

considered as a sport for the rich, as

any open grassland can used as a golf

range. Many Europeans who come

to St. Andrews on vocation spent

only 1 pound on the fight ticket to

Scotland from low cost airlines, but

have spent another over 30 pounds

on the shipment of their golf shaft.

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If the British people are to select

the best three places for vocation in

Britain, the Scotland Highland must

be one of them. It is also regarded

by the Europeans as their favorite

place to spend the summer vocation

in 2009. The Scotland Highland

is located at the northernmost

part of Scotland, and the highest

mountain range of the Great Britain

is also located here. Due to its high

altitude, the Highland is sparsely

populated, but the natural landscape

is well preserved. Though its area is

really large with a small population,

its traffic is rather convenient. You

can travel about the whole highland

s imply by tak ing the Scot land

railway from any city in Scotland

to the capital city of Highland-

Inverness.

The natural landscape of Scotland

Highland has an epic grandness.

The Great Vall ey of Scotland is

bes towed with a romant ic and

rugged natural beauty, whereas

the castles and residence of the

noble family display a classical,

sturdy and monarchy elegance of

traditional British architecture.

With the perfect combination of

nature and architecture, Scotland

Highland, as the last remains of

the Ice Age, is definitely a rival

of Tibetan Highland of China.

You de f in i t e ly shouldn t mis s

L o c h N e s s w h e r e m o n s t e r s

a r e s a i d t o e x i s t . T h o u g h

monsters have been proved to be

nonexistent, but the spectacular

scenery of the mountain and the

lake is unparallel elsewhere in the

world. The Rottnest Island by the

side of the lake is an independent

park, composed of by two forest

islands which are connected by

two pedestrian bridges, and is an

ideal place to take a walk. Craig

Pa t r i ck , which used to be the

forge of the ancient Gaels and

Pics, is a popular place for hiking

and biking, with its path leading

the visitors into the depth of the

forest.

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5HIHUHQWLDO,WLQHUDU\

Western food/Supper: Western food.Accommodat ion : Hol iday Inn Express Edinburgh or of the same level.

'6W$QGUHZVAf t e r b r e a k f a s t , a r r i v e a t S t . Andrews after an hour by train. V i s i t S t . A n d r e w s U n i v e r s i t y and play golf in the afternoon. Return to downtown Glasgow for accommodation. Enjoy a concert at Glasgow Music Hall or real Scottish Whisky at a bar.Food: Breakfast: at the hotel/Lunch: Western food/Supper: Western food.Accommodat ion : Hol iday Inn Express Glasgow Theatreland at downtown Glasgow 60 pounds/night/2 persons.

'6FRWODQG+LJKODQGAfter breakfast, take the train and arrive at Inverness after an hour. Visit Scotland Great Valley in the morning,Loch Ness and Rottnest Island in the afternoon. Return to Glasgow for accommodation at night.Food: Breakfast: at the hotel/Lunch: Restaurant at the snow mountain ( f e e s n o t i n c l u d e d ) / S u p p e r : Chinese food.Accommodat ion ; Hol iday Inn Express Glasgow Theatreland or of the same level.

'*ODVJRZGlasgow is the biggest and the most

prosperous city in Scotland. During the last day at Scotland, you can enjoy its museums and galleries t o y o u r h e a r t s c o n t e n t . T h e architecture of Glasgow University i s a l s o s y m b o l i c o f h i s t o r i c a l civilization. It is also a definite choice for you to shop for local Scottish gifts at HIGH STREET SHOPPING. In the a f ternoon you can shop at Livonstone which is located 30 minutes away by bus from Glasgow. It is the biggest Outlet of Scotland, with almost all brands around the world.Food: Breakfast: At the hotel /Lunch: fees not included /Supper: Western food.Accommodat ion : Hol iday Inn Express Glasgow Theatreland or of the same level.

'*ODVJRZ/RQGRQ6KDQJKDLE I 3 1 0 9 3 0 / 1 0 5 5 B A 0 1 6 9

1415/0925(+1)

After breakfast, take a shuttle bus to Glasgow International Airport, and return to Shanghai by plane (transfer at London).Food: breakfast: hotel/Lunch: At the Airport /Supper: On the plane.Accommodation: On the plane.

'$UULYHDW6KDQJKDL LQ WKHPRUQLQJAbout 15 hours including the flight time and transfer time.Arrive at Shanghai, the end of an unforgettable travel to Scotland.

'6KDQJKDL/RQGRQ(GLQEXUJKB A 0 1 6 8 1 0 5 5 / 1 5 4 0 B A 1 4 5 6

1920/2040

About 16 hours including the flight and transfer time; reserve at least 3 hours for transfer.Food: Supper and breakfast on the plan.Accommodation: Three-star hotel at Edinburgh, Holiday Inn Express City Centre near the Edinburgh railway station, 55 pounds/night/ 2 persons.

'(GLQEXUJKAfter breakfast, take a 5-minute walk to the sight-seeing bus station at the railway station and get a one-day visit ticket package. Visit the Edinburgh Museum, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyrood, the Whisky Museum, etc, following the bus route.Food: Breakfas t : At the hote l /Lunch: wes tern food/ Supper : western food.Accommodat ion : Hol iday Inn Express Edinburgh or of the same level.

'6WLUOLQJAfter breakfast at the hotel, take a 40-minute-train trip to Stirling; visit Stirling Castle near the railway s ta t ion in the morning , t rave l across Stirling Bridge and Wallace Monument and Stirling University in the afternoon.Food: Breakfast: at the hotel/Lunch:

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Translator:Jason Ron

.POTUFS PG )TJUPV JTOUT U SBOHF .POTUFS W J M MBHFCFDPNFTBWJFXTQPUTaiwan's Hsitou Forest Recreation

Area(Hsitou Nature Education

Park) is located in the Southwest

of Mountain Phenix, where is well

known as "Hsitou".People can enjoy

many natural landscapes in the park,

like the Hsitou Redcedar, University

Pond, Red House, Ginkgo Forest,

comfortable enjoy a forest bath close

to nature. Furthermore, recently

there ' s a new at tract ion in the

vicinity, as is the "monster village".

The monster is mysterious and

fascinating topic in the fairy tale,

especially prevalent in Japan, like

Tottori Prefecture in Japan there

is a very famous monster village,

the well-known comic "Kitaro" is

also from there. Tottori Prefecture

Sakaiminato also rely on monsters'

topic of tourism to attract more

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t o u r i s t s . B u t Ta i w a n a l s o h a s

a monster vi l lage l ike Japan in

Hsitou. So there is no need to go

there, instead, now you can get the

monster village in Hsitou, which is

also a famous tourist attraction.

The Hsitou monsters village's Pine

Town business district in Japanese

s tyle was off ic ia l ly founded in

2011. Many visitors may ask how

much are the tickets for Hsitou

monster village? In fact, the Pine

Town monster village of Hsitou

is free of charge! Nantou monster

village is next to the entrance of the

Hsitou Forest Recreation Area.It's

the classic shopping district of the

Mingshan Forest Hall. It's said that

stories about the Songlin Shengyi

have been handed down for long

time, their tracks are very common

on the goods in the shops.

In 2011, Mingshan Forest Hall

completed Japanese style shopping

street at the former entrance of

Hsitou Forest Recreation Area.

There a re hu t s tha t ched wi th

hanging lanterns, merchants dress in

kimono and exotic clothing serves

a variety of unique Hsitou monster

village specialties, cates and specialty

souvenirs. The overall architectural

style is full of Japanese style. The

Mingshan Hotel 's intentions of

planning, designs and investment

in the development, completely

open to tourists, make the Hsitou

Recreation Area be crowded.

5IFPSJHJOPGNPOTUFSWJMMBHFTo memorialize a grandfather whose

japanese name is Songlin Shengyi

and the experience he encountered

in the forest by the local gentry,

the place got the name Pine Town.

With animal statues like monsters

and are spreaded on the Internet,

simply "over shoes over boots", it's

cal

u&i issue 1

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