Arts in Asia
TEDxShanghai and What TEDx Organizers Can Do in 10,000 Hours
September 9, 2010 by Jason Hsu
Du Fu – China’s Shakespeare
August 27, 2010 by Duncan Mills
Two orioles chirp on green willow trees, a row of egrets fly into the sky.
Through the window I can see the ancient snow of the Xiling snow-capped mountain.
Near my door anchor boats from distant East China.
Above is one of the best-known verses by Du Fu, a celebrated Tang Dynasty poet who lived for a number of years in Chengdu during the eighth century.
During his time in Chengdu he was at his most creative, writing a number of poems depicting the peaceful life he had there in his famous ‘thatched hut’, among them My Thatched Hut was torn apart by Autumn Wind.
Du Fu’s Thatched Cottage (albeit a reconstruction) remains just as peaceful today – set within a tranquil park of quiet courtyards and gardens, with carp-filled ponds, tall pines and bamboo thickets, open-sided shrines and bronze and stone statues of the great man.
It’s a getaway from the modern buildings and congested roads of Chengdu, where locals come to practice Tai Chi in the mornings and listen to the song of laughing thrushes.
A Piece of Bali in Your Back Pocket
August 17, 2010 by Melinda Skea
It’s requisite for all visitors to wear a sarong when entering one of Bali’s over 3,000 Hindu temples.
When people return from far away, exotic islands, they’re often at a loss of what they’re allowed—by customs and their pocket book—to bring back as tokens of the adventure. After all, there’s only so much sand and macadamia nuts a person can handle. Finding the right trinket, let alone demonstrating just how exotic a vacation really was, can mean a headache where nothing but blue skies should be. In fact, the smaller the island, the more perplexed one can become. So, on a recent trip to Bali, Indonesia I decided to lay traditional gift-giving aside, and found a world of unique charm within Bali’s own traditions.
Bright Patterns
It’s requisite for all visitors to wear a sarong when entering one of Bali’s over 3,000 Hindu temples. Save yourself the rental headache by going to a nearby stall and picking purchasing your own. It’s the best way to guarantee a good fit, complementary color and a unique souvenir for under $10.
Decorations
The city of Ubud is an artists Mecca and a decorators dream. You’ll find renowned…
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Sita Sings the Blues: The Greatest Break-up Story Ever Told
August 15, 2010 by Mariellen Ward
Oooops, missed Video Friday on BreatheDreamGo because of the Eat, Pray, Love juggernaut. (btw, did you know that juggernaut is a Hindi word? It refers to Lord Jagganath and the massive chariots pulled through the streets of Puri during the annual Rath Yatra festival. Apparently, the frenzied faithful used to throw themselves under the chariot’s wheels to be crushed to death — much to the dismay of the British Raj.)
This video is a trailer for the delightful full-length feature film, made by cartoonist Nina Paley, about both her break-up and the Indian epic The Ramayan. You can watch the full-length version and read the true-life story behind this inspired creation and how Paley decided to release copyright on it on her website, Sita Sings the Blues.
Dancing Girls of Lahore (Taxali Gate)
August 9, 2010 by Zohaib Butt
Taxali Gate is also known as the red light area (Heera Mandi). It is the only opening of the Walled City to the West. Once it was also called Lakhi Gate. Behind this gate is the single arterial route of the Walled City which runs from East to West and connects Taxali Gate with Delhi Gate. Starting from the West this very route is called the main bazaar Taxali Gate and as we head east it connects with Kashmiri Bazaar and this bazaar ends up at the start of Akbari Mandi. Now, the ancient gate has vanished but the route still persists. It is believed that behind this gate and close to the Lahore fort once lay the royal mint (Taxal) —- hence the name Taxali Gate. It was pulled down during the early British regime-The name, however, continues.
There is a bazaar in Taxali Gate called Heera Mandi. Most of the people have the misconception and call it the Diamond (heera) Market because of the beautiful girls there, inimitably like diamonds. However, that is not the real meaning or origin of the name. Actually this mandi is named after Heera Singh, who was the son of a minister…
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Bhutan, TV, and the Internet
August 8, 2010 by David Sasaki
People have suddenly realized that there are so many things that they desire that they were not even aware of before. And the truth is that most of these television channels are commercially driven, and so the Bhutanese people are driven to consumerism. That’s inevitable. And that is, to some extent, unfortunate. But inevitable.
Lyonpo Jigmi Thinley, Bhutan’s Foreign Minister
Booger is here in Mexico City visiting me this week, but unfortunately neither of us are feeling 100%, which has meant lots of movies in the evening. Actually, it’s exactly what I’ve needed after weeks of stressful work and traveling. We started out on a Clint Eastwood kick, first with Invictus and then Gran Torino. Boogs very well might be the worst person in the world when it comes to making decisions so as she flipped through Netflix’s steadily growing selection of streaming movies last night I knew I would need to take over or else we’d spend the evening reading reviews.
We settled on the 2003 Travelers and Magicians, which, says Wikipedia, “is the first feature film shot entirely in Bhutan.” The protagonist of the film is Dondup, a young, chain-smoking government official…
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Delhi Gate: Walled City Lahore Level 9
July 18, 2010 by Zohaib Butt
Video Report – Delhi Gate by Zohaib Butt
Delhi gate is one of the th
irteen gates of old Lahore, built by Akbar the great- third Mughal Emperor- who enclosed the city of Lahore within red brick walls during the sixteenth century.
This gate is an opening towards Delhi, which was the capital of the mughal dynasty. Right before the entrance of the gate there is the Shahi Hammam, built by Hakim Ilmud-din, who had the title of Wazir Khan, Subidar, Punjab during the regime of Emperor Shah Jahan in 1634 AD. Covering an area of 1110sq.m, the single story building was built in Mughal style and it is a unique specimen of that era, as a public ‘hammam’ in Pakistan.
Since 1991, the tourist information centre of the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab Ltd, is rendering information services for the convenience of tourists. Renovation work is being carried out by the ministry of tourism, but one thing which is noticed commonly is that this monument is also being used as a banquet hall by some influential people, which is an adversity to this beautiful heritage.
After the Shahi Hammam, as you walk through the bazaar you can…
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Artist Interview: Linda Ruggiero’s Practiced Crafts
July 8, 2010 by Deborah Crooks
I first met Linda Ruggiero on my last trip Mysore, where we’d both traveled to study at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute and do some volunteer work for Operation Shanti. I soon found that Linda had a lot going on beyond her yoga practice. A PhD in biology, and an accomplished ceramicist with a love of knitting, she was a clear creative force! I’ve kept up with her on trips to New York, where she now lives, creates and practices. Shortly after she exhibited some of her work at Mugi Pottery, I asked her about life as a scientist and artisan.
Q: I love that you are both a scientist and an artist. Which came first? How do you find the disciplines complement one another?
LR: To be honest, I’m not sure which came first! I have always loved both — but I guess I started to see the connection while I was working in a cell biology lab at the University of Pennsylvania. I enrolled in post-baccalaureate classes in Fine 
Arts, with an emphasis on ceramics. Through my scientific research and the art…
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Akbari Gate — A gate that was..
June 27, 2010 by Zohaib Butt
Video Report – Akbari Gate by Zohaib Butt
Akbari gate is named after the Mughal emperor Jala-Ud-Din Muhammad Akbar‘, who rebuilt the town and the citadel. Close to this gate the emperor also founded a market, which was named Akbari Mandi. It is the biggest retail market of Lahore, in which food grains of all kinds are available. The unfortunate story of this gate is that it is one of those that were demolished by the British during the Raj. I am not feeling very proud while telling you about this very gate. Now it is just a trash yard and not a cultural heritage. Sadly there is no trace of monuments and our old heritage; all that is left for us is only the mess scattered there by the materialistic greed of humanity. When you walk through this gate it seems like it’s some kind of hell, filled with dust and animal waste in the air that even covers all the edibles sold there. Surprisingly people are living there, doing their businesses and very proudly contributing in increasing to the vast waste of garbage lying there.
The walled city covers an area of around 256 hectares and has…
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Mochi Gate (Walled City of Lahore) Pt-5
June 13, 2010 by Zohaib Butt
Video Report on mochi Gate by Zohaib Butt
Mochi Gate is another one of the thirteenth gates of Old Lahore, built by Akbar the Great, and the name Mochi is in fact a corruption of the word moti or pearl. It was so called after the name of a Hindu employee, Moti Ram, who was an officer for Emperor Akbar and resided at the gate as in charge for security. The corruption in the name occurred during the Sikh period when it came to be called Mochi as the gate was in bad shape during that era. It was demolished early during the British period and its bricks were sold.
The entrance to Mochi Gate has now become heavily congested and impinged by all sorts of permanent and temporary shops, shacks and shanties, doing boisterous business, of course. The encroachments have eradicated the entrance so that coming by the ‘Circular Road’, in a car or rickshaw; one is likely to be stuck in traffic for two to three hours, easily.
The entry point is swamped by shops selling nuts, grams, sweets and dry fruit. Immediately adjoining is the police station building, with its office on the right side and…
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