Tommy says…

A favourite book genre of mine is museum books. When I say “museum books”, I mean those publications which sit curiously between a catalogue and a scholarly publication. These are not meant to be academic treatises. Instead, they showcase the highlights of the museum or gallery’s collection. At the same time, they are more than a mere catalogue. The works are presented in their chronoloigcal and stylistic contexts. For a well-resourced museum or gallery, this means an entry-level introduction to the body of artworks and artefacts represented by the collection, which is accessible but at the same time, of sufficient depth to be interesting for the keen amateur.
This loose categorisation covers a whole range of publications. On the one hand, there are brief highlight catalogues with small blurbs introducing the period or style - in the nature of a (rather heavy) souvenir brochure. On the other, there are comprehensive introductions to an entire movement, illustrated with the museum’s own collection.

One of my favourites from the latter category is The Asian Collection from the Art Gallery of New South Wales. I happened upon this book while roaming the stacks one day at Fisher Library (as one does). Published on the occassion of the opening of the new Asian galleries at the AGNSW, the book traces the development of several strands of Asian art, with comprehensive illustrations from the Gallery’s extensive collection. One part I found most fascinating was the coverage of Chinese and East Asian porcelain - from which I understood exactly what “celadon” is - what it corresponds to in Chinese, and how it fits in with the styles that came before and after it. The illustrations are superb, of course, but the writing was a delight as well. Authoritatively authored and edited, it was also great prose, with great clarity and narrative quality. Read more…

Random facts, Reviews, The Sydney Grind, Travels

On the off chance that I still have readers, after months of inactivity, I thought I might just note that I’m still alive. In fact, I’m alive back in the Southern Hemisphere, and working from sunrise to sunset, to increase your GDP. And my account balance. But that’s purely incidental, you understand. You’d better be grateful!

Thought I’d just record a couple of snippets from the Northern Hemisphere…

Avoid Heathrow Airport like the plague

Here was the plan: catch the 300 km/h Eurostar train from Paris Gare du Nord to London St Pancras, seamless connection to a Piccadilly Line train from King’s Cross-St Pancras to Heathrow Airport (right, pictured on a quiet day), hop off the train, hop on a plane, back in Sydney in 23 hours.

All of that in 5 hours. Sounds easy, right? First the 300 km/h turned into a 15 km/h service once it reached England, and was half an hour late getting into St Pancras. Then I walked to the National Rail end of the station thinking, for some reason, that there was an express service to the airport from St Pancras. Finally it was a huge, huge hike from the station to the airport terminal, nothing like the advertised five minute stroll.

All of that would have been okay, because I got to Heathrow airport an hour before the flight.  But what I didn’t count on was that Virgin Atlantic used stupid check-in machines. After I took a few minutes to rearrange my luggage due to the stupid “one-bag rule” (curses unto a thousand generations to whoever came up with that daft idea), the machine wouldn’t let me check in. Not realising that I was running out of time, I tried wrestling with it. By the time I was directed to the manual check-in, it was too late. Yes, it was five minutes past last check-in, and I had to sleep in the airport, £42 lighter in the wallet department, on a bench in an airport terminal that looks like it was last renovated back when the sun never set on the British Empire. And I still had to face the Greyshirts enforcing the stupid “one bag rule” (one piece of carry-on baggage per person), the ludicrous “size rule” (that single piece of carry-on baggage has to fit within a thoughtfully provided wire basket the size of a small walnut), and the evil “no liquid rule”.

Avoid Heathrow like the plague.

Macarons

 Paris is possibly my favourite city anywhere, simply because of the sheer genius of the French when it comes to delicious food. There is a bakery on every second street corner selling the most delicious pastries or baguettes for about half the price you would pay in London. Every street is filled with restaurants serving deliciously mysterious-sounding fares. And then - and then there are the crêperies. Who else but the French could create such a simple yet glorious delight as the Nutella crêpe?

The only food item I brought back from Paris, though, was a box of mini-macarons from PAUL, a bakery chain that started in Lille in France but now has branches in several countries, including the UK. These come in an assorted tray with six flavours each in its own vivid colour - “magenta” for raspberry, green for pistachio, brown for coffee. Each is delicately crisp, shattering at the first impact with one’s teeths - or sometimes hands - while deliciously moist at the centre as one gets to the filling.

 And what made it even better was that it was about half the price compared to the same product from the same store in London!

Travels

From Tommy’s notebook. Photo link: London - Westminster

Where: Palace of Westminster, London SW1A

When: Saturday 29 September 2007, 11am-12:30pm

Blurb: The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, is the site of the two houses of the United Kingdom parliament.

My thoughts: The Houses of Parliament are open for guided tours during the summer recess, and for public observation during sittings. The former gives you wider access and more information, but the latter is free, and lets you see politicians in action.

While the intricate (fiddly) carvings and Gothic towers give the building the image of a relic of a bygone era, it is very much a living organism still full of vitality. At the entrance to the House of Commons, for example, the hall is ringed with busts and statues of great prime ministers, and not just Winston Churchill or Benjamin Disraeli - Margaret Thatcher launches forth, fingers pointing, from her pedestal. Several pedestals and alcoves remain bare, a reminder of the future.

Ceremony and symbolism is everywhere, and much more palpable than at, say, Buckingham Palace. At the same time, there is a marked contrast between the Lords’ section, and that of the Commons. The tour enters from the sovereign’s entrance. At the end of a long corridor is an ante room filled with busts of Prime Ministers who have come from the House of Lords - unlike the equivalent colleciton at Commons, there doesn’t seem to be provision for any future additions. This part of the Palace is decorated in red from head to toe. The architectural design aims to facilitate the monarch’s procession. The art focuses on the glories of the British nation - Waterloo and Trafalgar, King Arthur, other great kings of the past.

As one moves towards Commons, the theme changes. A series of paintings around Saint Stephen’s Tower, the central tower that separates Lords from the Commons, reminds the visitor of the violence and turmoil that lead to the uneasy truce between Parliament and Sovereign. The House of Commons chamber is significantly smaller than the Lords - apparently as a result of Churchill’s

The division between the Commons on the one hand and the Lords and Sovereign on the other extends outside. The courtyard outside the Lords’ section features an equestrian statue of King Richard I, while the much smaller space outside the Commons’ section features a standing statue of Oliver Cromwell. On the other side, Westminster Bridge, which crosses the Thames at the Commons’ end of the building, is painted in a green theme, while Lambeth Bridge, at the Lords’ end, has a red theme.

Tips:

Travels, Uncategorized

From Tommy’s notebook. Photo link

Where: Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG

When: Saturday 29 September 2007, 3-5 pm

Blurb: Established in 1753, the British Museum is one of the world’s greatest museums of human history and culture, with a collection of more than 13 million objects.

My thoughts: Depending on your view, the British Museum is either a spectacular gathering of human achievement, or a painful record of imperial aggression. I certainly felt a bit of both. It is enlightening and exciting to see the evolution of civilisation brought together under the one roof; but looking at the lone Egyptian pillar, the transplanted whole Lycian temple, and the more famous Elgin marbles, I wandered what they would be like in situ, and what had happened to the places from which the artefacts were taken. I think I would be more relieved if the temple was ruined without a trace. The more uncomfortable thought is if the temple is ruined but standing, missing its pillar like an amputee.

There was a little pamphlet in the Elgin Marbles gallery, putting forward the British Museum’s case for retaining the scuptures, and a summary of the Greeks’ argument for seeking their return. I was surprised to learn that while Athens and London each hold about an equal share of the Parthenon’s scultpures, there were significant bits in lots of European cities. Now while I’m not entirely sure whether the London marbles should stay or return to Athens, I’m pretty sure there is no excuse for Parthenon scultpures to be in Copenhagen, where hardly anyone can access them.

Like all national museums in Britain, entry is free. This means that the forecourt and lobby are as crowded, messy, and dirty as any street market.

Once you head past the entrance section, however, the majestic collection of antiquities make the crowds barely noticeable. The “wow” factor begins with the Great Court, a recently refurbished courtyard surrounding the round Reading Room (which every victim of Communist indoctrination will know as the place where Marx researched and wrote Das Kapital), and topped by a giant glass canopy. The courtyard houses information, ticket offices, and other amenities.

The Great Court was designed to bring order to the maze of galleries of the British Museum. To that, I would say that it brings a sense of order, but a sense is all it is. It acts as a central focal point, from which you can easily navigate to the entrance, and by which you can reference your location from signs. However, it is no easier to get to a specific gallery. To do that, I frequently had to walk the length of exhibition rooms, up and down stairs, and backtrack from dead-endds.

The British Museum is big, and I had left myself just 2 hours on my first visit. I decided that I would aim for the Elgin Marbles, passing through Egypt, Assyria, and Lycia on the way. One highlight along the way was the Rosetta Stone. Remember how I said you barely notice the crowds? Well the crowds are emphatically brought to your attention at the Rosetta Stone, contained in a glass case at the junction of two galleries. It was surrounded by a 5-deep crowd, all craning to see (and photograph) the famous stone. Not only was I stuck behind a tall, burly fellow, but he stood there staring at the stone for about ten minutes. I can only guess that he could read hieroglyphics and was appreciating the style of the prose.

I went back a few days later - this time at night, to take advantage of the Museum’s late openings (Thursdays and Fridays). There was a Mid-Autumn Festival-themed event, complete with Chinese music performances and moon cake eating. On my way to the Asian galleries, I noticed that the Rosetta Stone was relatively free by 8pm - the crowd was only 3-deep.

Still have to go back to see the other galleries.

Tips: Don’t try to see it in one day, much less a couple of hours. Ideally, spread your visits over several days, every time concentrating a discrete portion. If you don’t have the luxury of time, aim for the highlights.

Entry is free, so it can be quite crowded on weekends and in peak season.

Website: http://www.britishmuseum.org/

Travels

My thoughts: From the outside, Westminster Abbey is as magnificnet as you might expect, especially the Gothic exoskeleton formed by flying buttresses on a grand scale. The walls of the church has an interesting patchwork appearance, though - some of it unintentional, due to new, lighter stones replacing old, darkened ones; other bits are deliberate. The Northern Entrance, for example, features alternatively yellow and grey coloured statuery and other adornments - either coloured terra cotta or painted stone.

The church advertises with a byline “From 1065 to Today”, no doubt designed to remind the visitor of that moment of beginning in English history of 1066, for Westminster Abbey was an integral backdrop to that turbulent episode. It was built by Edward the Confessor, whose death triggered the race for power of 1066, and who is buried at the heart of the church behind the high altar. It was consecrated shortly before his death. Within the next year, it saw the coronation of both of the major contestants of the throne of England - Harold Godwinson and William the Conqueror.

Ever since then, the Abbey has been intertwined with English history. Its role as a funerary Hall of Fame of the nation has meant that for the most part it is an exhibition space for tombs and monuments. One particular striking monument is located in Islip Chapel (”A” on this plan of the abbey) - two marble figures start back atop a pedestal, while a grim reaper emerges through a metal door in the pedestal, reaching to strike the main figures with a sword.

The sense of history is palpable, not just by the names on the graves and monuments, but even more so by the chiselled out coats of arms and missing effigies that hint at turbluence over the centuries.

Henry VII’s Lady Chapel presents a bright and airy contrast to the Gothic gloom of the rest of the church. An interesting monument to look out for is dedicated to a master mason. It consists of a mirror set at waist level, that allows the visitor to see, without straining the neck, the elaborate fan vaulting on the ceiling of this chapel.

Tips: Photography is not allowed in the abbey itself.

Check last admission times. On Saturdays, last admission is 1:45. If you gamble and get in around last admission, you should finish the tour just in time for evensong (3pm on Saturday, 5pm other days).

Admission is £7 for students, but worship on Sunday is free.

Follow the specified route in the introductory pamphlet. Certain parts of the church are not accessible from other parts unless you follow the prescribed route, so if you miss one part (as I did) you would have to trace your stelps all the way back.

Website: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/

Travels

There has been a series of indignant articles (couldn’t find the most indignant ones, but here’s one of them) in the SMH over the decision of the NSW government to award the contract for the next generation of CityRail trains to a consortium that will outsource the construction to Changchun Railway Vehicle Company in China. Every time the company is mentioned in the SMH, it is followed by the tagline “a company with little experience of supplying rolling stock to developed countries” (or words to the effect).

So yesterday, riding home on a rickety 1970s CityRail train with dirty seats, dirty floors, mismatched window panes and the suspension of a blender, I realised just how misguided the Herald’s “consternation” is. If you want third world trains, then CityRail has got to be the perfect specimen.

Badly maintained? check. Unreliable timetable? check. Crappy ticketing system? check. Hired goons who terrorise passengers? check. Lack of basic station infrastructure (rubbish bins)? check. Breaks down every two hours? check.

By contrast, rail systems in China are by and large reliable, on time, clean (if crowded), and well maintained. Rides are more comfortable because they’ve bothered to build suspension into the trains and properly maintain the tracks. The newer double decker trains have all the comforts and conveniences of the Millenium trains, but with smoother rides and without the regular breakdowns. (I couldn’t find any photos of Chinese trains - but here are some of the new Shanghai South station.)

What’s more, Changchun Car Company is in fact a joint venture with Bombadier of Germany, which builds carriages for Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Chicago, among others.

So instead of the xenophobic drivel from the SMH, it is more likely that we will finally get some trains that meet first world standards! Then if only CityRail would improve its running to 1930s standards, we’ll be about as well off as Mussolini’s Italy.

* * * * *

Speaking of xenophobic drivel from the SMH, this article is so ridiculously biased and misinformed it is not funny. Writing about Taiwan, and the 2008 Olympic torch relay controversy, reporter Mary-Anne Toy regurgitates undigested Chen Shui-bien’s propaganda by the chunk. She assumes that Taiwan is an independent country, which has nothing to do with China, and that Taiwan by rights should be in the UN and should be treated as an independent country by China and the rest of the world. For example, she talks about “24 countries that recognise Taiwan…” Anyone with any semblance of knowledge of modern Chinese history will know that those 24 countries recognise the Republic of China government (or Taiwanese government) as the government of China. No country recognises “Taiwan”, per se - but President Chen Shui-bien would clearly like you to think otherwise, and Mary-Anne Toy duely regurgitated his version.

I don’t know if she is seriously out of touch with reality, or whether she was just bought by the Taiwanese government’s hospitality (the telling line, in bold in the online version: “Mary-Anne Toy visited Taiwan this month as a guest of its government.”) The truth is, polling consistently show that the vast majority of Taiwanese want to preserve the ambiguous status quo, and only a small minority want to push for independence, or believe that Taiwan is a country independent from China. And, of course, Mary-Anne Toy cares nothing about what the rest of China thinks. They’re all commie-nazis anyway, so who would care what they think?

I think I will stick with Fin Rev. They might care only about money, but at least they don’t pretend bias is neutrality.

Events, Random facts, Technology, Travels

 Went to see UNSW law revue yesterday. Not having gone to the USyd one, I can’t really compare … and Ewok’s claims about a skit dissing USyd’s quad did not prove true.

My favourite bits were:

• “Hi, I’m PC”, “Hi, I am PC from the PRC”
• “Ma ma mia” and Italian diving - especially the Catholic priest one and the Caesar one*
• Asian licence (”I need my licence to transfer to Newsouth!”)
• Net speak (”ROFL” *rolls on the floor laughing*

[*for those who weren't there.... bunch of togaed senators stab Caesar. Caesar: "Et tu Brute?". Enter Mark Antony. "Oh no, it's Mark Antony". Everyone cries "Ma ma mia!" and rolls on the floor clutching one leg. Referee runs up, blows whistle, and says "Penalty!"]

My not so favourite bits are:

• the long long band number.
• the big lights flashing directly into my eyes during the musical numbers - now I can totally empathise with people who get seizures from flashing cartoons.

Overall, I think there were quite a lot of good skits, and a couple of mediocre ones (badly controlled pace, stretched out too long, crap punch line, bad acting etc). Enjoyable, but not consistently brilliant. I give it 3 starst out of 5.

Drove home via South Dowling - M1 - M5. Never driven on that bit of M1 that connects to M5. Had no street lamps, was dark, raining, and trying to figure out how to demist the window. Navigator (Ewok) living off Google Maps on his mobile instead of a street directory… It was good fun.

In other news, my dad has repaird my (19 years old) Darkwing Transformer! His knee joint got broken at some point in those 19 years. but that’s okay. He can still stand, at least.

Events, Reviews, Travels

A story that’s been doing the rounds of the international Chinese press (example (in Traditional Chinese)) concerns Taiwan’s Kuomintang presidential hopeful Ma Ying-jeou: while touring the electorate, he was asked to autograph a fan’s shirt. He wrote “盡忠報國” (jin zhong bao guo), “serve the country with utmost loyalty“, a phrase reputedly tattooed on the back of Song Dynasty national hero, Yue Fei. Beside it he wrote “– Yue’s Mother, Northern Song Dynasty”.

Immediately, reporters pointed out his “mistakes”: that the tattoo had been “精忠報國” (the first character being jing instead of jin), and that Yue Fei was of the Southern Song Dynasty. The story then spread across the world, carried by all major international Chinese media, all pointing out Ma’s mistakes.

What nobody bothered to check, though, is that Ma was correct - or at least, arguably correct. While there has long been a popular view that the first character of the tattoo is “jing“, there is no historical evidence for that view. The History of Song, the official dynastic hsitory, records it as “盡“, “jin“. The inscription on the wall of Yue’s tomb in Hangzhou (see my photo at right, larger photo here) also reads “盡忠報國”(jin zhong bao guo). Even if we can’t be sure of what was written 1000 years ago, all the historical evidence point to Ma being correct.

The second matter is whether it should be “Northern Song” or “Southern Song” dynasty. Yue Fei was born in 1103, and enlisted in the Song Army in 1122, and again in 1124. The Northern Song dynasty ended in 1127, replaced by the Southern Song dynasty. By that time, Yue Fei was 24 years old, and an Officer in the Song army of the 7th rank. If the story of the tattoo is to be believed, his mother gave it to him to motivate him to fight for his country. This would hardly be necessary after he had already achieved distinction - and pretty hard to achieve, considering that she was at home and he was fighting on the front! In all likelihood, Yue Fei received the tattoo when he was young - during the northern Song dynasty. Again, Ma is most likely right.

I have another point, though, in addition to vindicating the honourable Ma Ying-jeou, JSD (which is like PhDs for lawyers in the US). This whole story of “Ma Ying-jeou makes a mistake” is based on an erroneous understanding of history. A brief flick through any serious historical source will tell you this. However, it has travelled the world, and no media source has corrected the�error of the initial report. This shows up the poor quality of the international Chinese press. “What about the Chinese Chinese press?”, I hear you say. Well, such an error would not escape the rigorous checks of the PRC state media - or at least I would like to think so. But Chairman Ma being a Chinese nationalist, is viewed as “friendly” by the PRC government, and thus no negative news about him ever gets mentioned, let alone discussed.

As a result, the international Chinese media really has no authoritative, responsible source to look to for guidance, whereas here in the Anglophone world we know we can rely on, say, the BBC even if the SMH sometimes gets it wrong. In the Sinophone world, no media organisation has the resources or the expertise to be that ultimate authority except the Chinese state media; yet censorship and propaganda in the Chinese state media means that it often cannot provide this guidance. Even where it does, its message is often warped by political agendas, so that other media sources are reluctant to trust it.

Events, Random facts, Travels