The news of Victor Chang's killer being denied parole confused me for a moment. I had confused Victor Chang with Michael Chang. Michael Chang is Chang Te Pei while Victor Chang is Chang Yam Him. Michael Chang used to be very popular in Asia. When he dropped in Malaysia in the nineties, an ardent tennis fan I know went all the way to Kuala Lumpur to catch a glimpse of him. I remember him commenting that Michael was very American and of course, he was! He is an American of Chinese descent, having been born in Hoboken, New Jersey to Taiwanese parents. Michael is best remembered for being the youngest-ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17. For years, he was in the top 10 of the ATP world rankings. I have actually forgotten him after he retired in 2003. As for Victor Chang, I have never heard of him until his death hit the headlines. Victor is a Chinese Autralian cardiac surgeon best known as a pioneer for the development of an artificial heart valve. On 4 July 1991, the Shanghai-born surgeon was shot twice in the head in a failed extortion bid and his body was found slumped in the gutter next to his car. Indeed, it is a sad end to a great man.
Now, which one is Michael Chang and which one is Victor Chang?
Friday, 20 November 2009
Two Changs
Friday, 6 November 2009
Talking about Tai Chi
Early one morning, I was having a breakfast of curry mee at a stall in Kampong Boyan, Taiping. Just across the stall is a temple. As I sat there waiting for my food, I noticed a group of ladies practising Tai Chi to the accompaniment of music from a cassette player. It seems that in parks around the world, people could now be found going through the slow motion routines of Tai Chi. In Taiping, this scene could be seen in the early morning in the picturesque Taiping Lake Gardens for as long as I could remember and now, there is this new group in the Chinese temple in Kampong Boyan. I remember seeing the same scene outside a shopping complex in Tientsin, China in the 80s. People everywhere are rather health consciuous, I suppose. As it is, Tai chi, said to be an internal Chinese martial art is often practiced for health reasons. There are actually many forms of Tai Chi; never mind the glamorous form portrayed in movies like Yuen Wo Ping's Tai Chi Master, starring kung fu star, Jet Li...just enjoy this...
Tai Chi Master, the movie starring Jet Li...
Monday, 2 November 2009
Past and Present Empress
Just the other day, in the library at the Chinese Recreation Club in Taiping, I saw a novel about Wu Ze Tian, the famed empress from the Tang Dynasty who happened to be the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant when she broke all precedents by founding her own Zhou dynasty in 690. The novel surprisingly was written by Lillian Too, and I suppose this is the same Lillian Too from Malaysia who is the international best-selling author of Feng Shui books. Her books have been translated into 30 languages and are in the bestseller lists around the globe including America and Germany. It was in this same library many years ago when I heard the name of Lillian Too being mentioned by a talkative Mr. Know-All retired lawyer when the subject of Feng Shui was raised. The latter had said that he did not believe in Feng Shui and went on to say that Lillian Too was bullshiting her way to the bank. A little remark like that from a little man would not ruffle any feather, least of all, Lilian Too's I suppose, who happened to be an MBA graduate from the Harvard Business school and the first woman in Malaysia to be appointed CEO of a public listed company. Lillian is also the chairman founder of World of of Feng Shui, a feng shui merchandising and franchising company which has stores in many countries including London and Las Vegas and has created her own precedent by publishing the world’s first online feng shui magazine. When she wrote the novel on Wu Ze Tian, she probably was admiring a great powerful lady from the past just like she was probably admired by many, envied too; since she was an empress in her own right.
Saturday, 31 October 2009
For War and Peace
Thousands of lit Khom Fai or sky lanterns were set off into the air during the Chiang Mai Yi Peng Festival in Northern Thailand. The airborne paper lanterns constructed from oiled rice paper on a bamboo frame contain candles or fuel cell whose flame heats the air inside the lanterns,lowering its density and causing the lanterns to rise into the air. The Chinese called these sky lanterns Kong Ming Deng after the sage and military strategist Zhuge Liang who was credited with its invention. In the past, the lanterns have been used as a signaling balloon or a spy blimp in warfare. Things could certainly be used for war or peace, depending on your motives!
Watch these fascinating lanterns that have been set off in Chiang Mai, Thailand and for more quips, visit Beautiful World!
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
An Easy Easy Chinese Chair
An easy chair is defined as a large, comfortable, well-upholstered chair but it may not be so easy trying to buy one. There is the armchair with suport on each side for arms and the wing chair which have wings on each side of a high back for you to consider; not to mention you would have to grapple with the type of colour you want or the size and design too, so that it fits nicely in your living room. Perhaps, you would just want to settle then for a Chinese chair instead. Dubbed Flexible Love, the really easy easy chair is said to be invented by a college student from Taiwan! Just watch!
Thursday, 22 October 2009
A Chinese Dance
Not too long ago, I saw some youngsters dancing a Chinese dance. Chinese dances have begun as early as the 4th millennium BC. Ceramic artifacts with dancing figures reveals that people of the Neolithic Yangshao culture had long choreographed group dances and as early as 206 BC, the Han Dynasty had already established a music bureau to develop Chinese folk songs and dances. Since then, I suppose, traditional Chinese dances has evolved much especially when there are young dancers today who study ballet and modern dance who are very bold in experimenting with Chinese traditional dances. All said, the traditional Chinese dances such as the Ribbon Dance and Fan Dance still mesmerizes.... Just watch...
A ribbon dance...
A Fan Dance...
Saturday, 17 October 2009
Crackers Everywhere
The little Indian boys across the road created quite a din yesterday. It shouldn't be surprising since they were celebrating the Indian festival, Deepavali or Diwali, otherwise known as the Festival of Lights; but then, they were playing with firecrackers! It was not just that firecrackers are banned in Malaysia but I have often associated these little Chinese invention more with Chinese New Year; never mind the fact that I am aware of the fact that some Malay children play with them too and lose a limb or an eye even when they remove the explosive compounds from the little bangers and put them in a bamboo stem to achieve a louder bang. Firecrackers have actually been commonly used in celebration of holidays or festivals around the world, like in Kutte-Ki-Jhaant in Pakistan, Fallas in Spain and even in Halloween and Independence Day in America but I wonder if they play it the way the Chinese do during the celebration of Chinese New Year .....
... Bangkok, Thailand...
