Friday, August 25, 2017

History Alive: RAS Walking Tours

Hanyang aka Seoul, the pulsing vibrant capitol of the Joseon Dynasty and of modern Korea, mixes traditional architecture of the past with soaring tower constructions of the present. Vestige artifacts of the 500-year long dynasty are virtually hidden amidst the scrapers of capitalism. And yet, the old structures whisper history for those willing to listen.

In my 20+ years living in Korea, I’ve read books on the history of Korea and talked with many Korean friends, but it’s been the Royal Asiatic Society walking tours led by historians who have opened my eyes to the many historical treasures nestled in the Seoul downtown landscape.

While I read that Bosingak Belfry was the time keeper of the Joseon Dynasty and the bell was rung 33 times at 4 a.m. and 28 times at 10 p.m. to signal the opening and closing of the great gates and the market places, I learned in walking tours that the belfry was totally destroyed in the Korean War and the bell virtually buried in debris and earth.

The plaque at Tapgol Park reads that the March 1, 1919 independence protest began at Tapgol, but a RAS historian further explained the top of the 10-storey pagoda had been missing in the early 1900s and Koreans had no intention of reconstructing it. Korean belief was if the pagoda were completed, their nation would fall, which indeed happened. The Japanese learned of the superstition, completed the pagoda, and then ruled the peninsula for 35 years.



Tapgol/Pagoda Park in Seoul, ca. 1904 - Wikimedia Commons
I also learned Chong-ro—the road connecting the belfry, Tapgol Park and running close to the palaces—was formerly a place where people were executed by hacking or hanging, and the street was haunted by ghosts. It was also the road populated by the noble class with their horses, and peasants were obliged to bow in subservience while yangban processions passed. Pimatgol, literally meaning avoid + horse + alley, was the parallel alley for the peasants to go about their business and literally avoid the horses and forced bowing. Chong-ro is now a major downtown street and Pimatgol has been reconstructed into a place for business and social dining, but marked rocks in Pimatgol shout that history bled onto those stones. 

Why does a nation need five great palaces? Gyeongbokgung, the greatest of palaces, was built on principles of geomancy and astronomy. Building it symbolized the establishment of a dynasty, destroying it in colonial times symbolized the fall. Changdeokgung had been an alternative palace for a time and then used as a state palace, similar to Changgyeonggung, which in colonial times was desecrated by the Japanese invaders and turned into a zoo, an overt act of defilement. Deoksugung became the royal palace when Emperor Kojong was forced from Gyeongbokgung by the Japanese; after his death in 1919 the palace became a park and an art gallery, like many of the palaces. Gyeonghuigung was never a state palace, and during colonialism it was converted to a boys’ high school so the tramping of boys’ feet could smash its energy.
some dan-cheong imagery
I learned the exterior of the palaces is based on dan-cheong, literally “red” and “blue”. Dan-cheong is traditional painting of the palaces, so the palace supports are red like tree trunks, and the roof or upper part is green like leaves. And I learned that green and blue were not traditionally viewed as distinctly different in Korea as in the West. The small figures on the roof tiles invoke the power of the Monkey King, and the latticework on doors and windows are wishes for happiness, wealth or blessings for health. Architecturally, palaces, temples and houses were built without nails. Their joinery was the careful hewing and placement of beams at 90-degree angles. There are no flying buttresses and rose windows in Korea, but the graceful sway of the roofs are said to be like the up-turned feathers of a crane in flight. Traditional buildings are in harmony with nature.

Now when I walk the streets of Seoul, I nod my head as I listen to the buildings and stones telling me their little-heard histories. And while I still sign up for the RAS historical walking tours, I’m now a member of the society’s excursion committee planning other tours of discovery. For me, learning of the past is understanding the national foundation on which the present is built.

Published in The Korea Times under Culture and 4th in a series of viewpoints on Seoul as written by expats. [My Seoul Story[ History alive: Royal Asiatic Society walking tours, August 10, 2017.

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Falun Gong

In the summer of 1999, after thousands of practitioners had staged a silent protest in Beijing against unfair treatment, the Chinese Party leadership saw the group as a threat to communist rule, declared it as an evil cult, and launched a massive campaign to eliminate Falun Gong in China. Since then thousands of practitioners have been locked up and tortured to death, and people are scared to associate with Falun Gong due to government campaigns and threat tactics.

Falun Gong combines Buddhist with Taoist meditation and exercises; the religio-philosophy follows the principles of truth, benevolence and tolerance as preached by the founder Li Hongzhi, who practitioners refer to as Teacher Li. At the turn of the century there were hundreds and thousands of followers within China. Typically twice a day Falun Gong groups gather to meditate and practice Falun Gong exercises, which are much like the movements of tai chi. After meditations and exercises, they read Teacher Li's book, which is a guide on how to cultivate one's mind and be a good person.

After late July 1999, Falun Gong was declared a cult and an illegal organization and practitioners were summarily ordered not to practice it anymore. At first those caught had to read government propaganda materials and denounce Falun Gong publicly. Then some provincial governments assigned a quota to each local public security bureau or government agency, ordering them to reform Falun Gong members, and if a certain official exceeded the quota, he or she would be awarded a cash prize. More and more practitioners were refusing to denounce their beliefs, and so before the year was out, local police began searching homes for Falun Gong materials and treating each practitioner like a criminal. If a person was caught with "incriminating evidence", then his or her whole family was blamed and punished.
The above information is taken from Liao Yiwu's "The Falun Gong Practitioner", The Corpse Walker: Real-Life Stories, China from the Bottom Up (2008) p. 230-241, a book that had to be smuggled outside of China in order for it to be published.
Eyewitness Recounts Forced Organ Removals From the Falun Gong in China,
from the blog 
The International Coalition Against Human Trafficking

PAMPHLET ON FALUN GONG

In Korea there are a few Falun Gong practitioners, some undoubtedly refugees from China. Near the gates of Jongmyo Falun Gong practitioners gather to meditate and frequently in Insadong pamphlets are handed out to passersby. I accepted a pamphlet in English after pausing on the sidewalk to look at the signboards of torture that has been inflicted on Falun Gong in China.

The front of the pamphlet reads, "Help end the 11-year-long persecution of Falun Gong".

Q: Why should I care?

A: Chinese communists export state terror. Chinese regime uses political and economic pressure to silence the media and politicians. Chinese regime uses the state-run media to cover up their human atrocities, and spread its propaganda and hate campaign worldwide. We must take action. Each voice counts!

Q: How can I help?

A: Please inform the media and your elected officials. Please help spread the facts of the persecution. www.faluninfo.net

Q: What is the Falun Gong?

A: Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a mind-body practice based on Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. It was first introduced to the public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. By 1999, there were 100,000,000 people practicing Falun Gong inside China alone. Today, it's practiced in over 110 countries around the world.

Falun Gong Exercises and Meditation

  • Good for all ages
  • Relieve stress and anxiety
  • Gain energy and inner strength
  • Improve physical and mental health
  • Attain greater wisdom and spiritual growth

The Teachings of Falun Gong

  • Falun Gong, an introductory book with illustrations of the exercises and explanations of the priniciples.
  • Zhuan Falun, the systematic and comprehensive guide for the Falun Gong practice.
  • Free downloads at www.falundafa.org

Q: Why the persecution?

A: "Communist Party sources said that the standing committee of the Politburo did not unanimously endorse the crackdown and that President Jiang Zemin alone decided that Falun Gong must be eliminated." John Pomfret, Washington Post, Nov 12, 1999.

The former Chinese Communist dictator Jiang Zemin launched this persecution in July 1999. Why?

  • Jiang was jealous of Falun Gong's popularity -- by 1999, 70-100,000,000 people were practicing in China. This outnumbered the Communist Party membership.
  • Jiang was insecure about his power, and feared losing control over people's minds.
  • The Communist dictatorship could not tolerate any other beliefs. Falun Gong helps people gain higher morality and spiritual growth. Jiang viewed this as the biggest threat to his corrupt regime.

In order to coerce practitioners to give up their belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance, Jiang founded the 610 Office (a gestapo-like organization), and deployed the most extreme tortures in human history: live organ harvesting, brainwashing, physical and mental torture, psychiatric abuse, etc.

At least 3,304 practitioners are confirmed to have died from torture in police custody as of October 1, 2009. The actual death toll well exceeds this.

Live Organ Harvesting Exposed


Vital organs including hearts, kidneys, livers and corneas are systematically harvested from live Falun Gong practitioners and sold and transplanted at enormous profit. Their bodies are cremated on site to destroy the evidence.


"... further investigation has only reinforced our original conclusions that the allegations are true." David Kilgour, former Canadian Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific region) and David Matas, human rights lawyer and author of Bloody Harvest: Revised Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China. www.organharvestinvestigation.net

"I think it is time to put the Chinese Communist regime on trial for genocide. I firmly believe that what we are doing today [unclear what that is] should be carried out in every city of the world and every day until justice is served." Edward McMillian-Scott, Vice-President of the European Parliament, press conference in London.

"Organ harvesting has been inflicted on a large number of unwilling Falun Gong practitioners at a wide variety of locations for the purpose of making available organs for transplant operations." Manfred Nowak, the United Nationals Special Rapporteur on Torture.

"... at least 87,000 Falun Gong practitioners have had their organs harvested by the Chinese Communist regime in these years." Ethan Gutmann, China expert and the author of the book Losing the New China.

_______________________________________________________________________

And a one-hour documentary on illegal organ harvesting of Falun Gong in China:
Harvested alive -10 years investigation of Force Organ Harvesting.

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Plastic Surgery: A JW정원성형외관 Advertisement

Riffling through some old picture files I came across these bizarre plastic surgery pictures. They were taken October 30, 2010 and the advertisements were plastered everywhere in one of the subway lines in Seoul. Now in 2017, plastic surgery has reached epidemic proportions and Korea is one of the plastic surgery capitals of the world. Back in 2010 we could certainly see more advertising for the "crafty" surgical art, but even though a massive amount of people have had plastic surgery, not many want to really admit to it. Interesting that now that plastic surgery is such a part of the Korean society, the advertisements aren't quite so blatant. 

[I have to admit, this is really very clever visualization! Koreans are very inventive with computers, word play, and now plastic surgery ... why not combine all three concepts to make a very clever advertising?!]

Change your life with JW정원성형외관

The before and after pictures -- Before on the left and after to the right. 

Change your eyes:


Change your nose:


Change your body:


Change your facial bone:


Change your breasts:


Change your body:


Change your wrinkles: