Trash Island

 

This phenomenal presentation presented by three of my freshmen Academic English students -- Park Soo A, Kim Hyuk, and Han Ji Hyeon -- has been published here by their permission. They did an absolutely wonderful job on their final presentation, so I asked to share it with others :) Well researched!

Easter Island Orongo Birdman Culture

Rapa Nui National Park was created by means of the Supreme Decrees Number 103 on January 16th of 1935, of the Ministry of Lands and Colonization and it is under CONAF administration. All the island territory was declared Historic Monument which means that it is protected by the Law 17.288 of National Monuments. The park was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995. There is always a park guard in the following places : Orongo, Tahi, Rano Raruku volcano and Anakena beach.

What is Orongo?

It is a ceremonial center built for religious practices related to the cult of the Manutara and bird-man (tangata manu) competition. This village was seasonably used, that is, people stayed here for some weeks at the beginning of the spring every year. The one room dwellings built here were not present in other parts of the island. Although the architecture clearly reflects that of boat-houses (hare-paenga), the building system is similar to control towers (tupa). It is believed that this site began to be used by the end of the 16th century; however, the bird-man cult seems to have become more relevant later.

What is the importance of the site?

The cult of the ancestors, represented in the great quantity of carvings of megalithic statues or moai, was one of the most important characteristics of the prehistoric Rapa Nui culture and its manifestations are spread all over the island. However, from the 16th century Rapa Nui began to create megaliths as a religious and political expression and that is how a new religious cult emerged - with the god Make-Make and beliefs closely related to fertilization, spring and the arrival of migratory sea birds. Thus, Orongo became an essential part in the life of Rapa Nui people, representing a new era in the history and culture of this society and where a different religion and political system gradually prevailed over the former one, and marked what happened until the end of the 19th century.

What was the Tangata-Manu ritual about?

It was an annual ceremony in which the chiefs from different tribes or lineages, or their representatives (hopu) came to obtain the first egg of the sooty term or Manutara. This migratory bird nests on the islet Motu Nui, the biggest of the three islands, in front of the Orongo site. Actually, the bird has become protected as is Rapa Nui itself, for its number have been decimated by human exploitation, the elements and its fragile breeding ground and breeding habits.

In spring, different groups from all over the island travelled to Orongo and prepared for the bird-man activities. When competition started, competitors climbed down the cliff of Rano Kau and swam up to Motu Nui. There they stayed days or weeks waiting for the arrival of manutara, until one of them managed to find one egg, which he wrapped in a hand-woven basket attached to his head and then swam against the mighty current back to the foot of the Orongo cliff, which he climbed. The first man back (not the first to find the Manutara egg, but the first one to bring a Manutara egg back safely, was proclaimed the next bird-man was for the next year he became like a diety. When the competitor arrived back with a perfect egg and presented it (to whom?), the Tangata Manu title was conferred on him, or the chief to whom the competitor represented. The new bird-man or Tangata Manu was considered sacred or tapu and he remained in seclusion for one year. During that year, he would remain in one of the elliptical cliff dwellings, be fed by his family and villages, could not cut his hair or nails, and must be regarded and act like a holy man. The last ceremony was celebrated in 1867.

In this ceremonial village, not only archaeological vestiges related to the bird-man (Tangata Manu) cult are preserved, even more, a great number of Rapa Nui art and culture is presented here. Orongo is one of the main Polynesian rock art places. It is also one of the most stunning views in the Rapa Nui National Park.

[1] From here a general view of the village can be obtained, as well as the offshore rocky islets (motu) which are closely related to the Orongo ritual activities. The orientation of the houses face the motu. Motu Nui is the largest and it is where Manutara or the sooty tern nests.

[2] Two unrestored houses give an idea of how these dwellings used to be before they were rebuilt between 1974 and 1976.

[3] In this partially restored house of stone masonry, the way of building can be observed - a unique long and narrow room of elliptical shape, with thick double walls made of stone laja [sic] filled with earth. The roof was made of larger angular slabs which overlapped, and which finally consisted of a turf cover.

[4] Most social activities done in Orongo were done in front of these dwellings, in terraces clearly defined by a low stony wall. Groups from different tribes met here during many weeks dancing and singing songs related to the Tangata-Manu ritual. In spite of all the artifacts, little is known about the true origin and significance of this ancient ceremony.

[5] In one of these houses, there was a famous Moai Hoa Haka Nana La, statue of 2.5 meters high, made of basalt and adorned with petroglyphs related to the Tangata-Manu ritual. This moai was taken to England in 1968 and today is exhibited in the British Museum.

[6] The central area of the ceremonial culture has houses constructed that take advantage of the natural unevenness of the peak. Some dwellings had ornamental walls with paintings of the Orongo ritual such as sea birds, ceremonial oars called ao. Some painting have been removed and are on exhibit in various museums.

[7] This area, the Mata Ngarahu, is where the ceremonial activities were the focus of attention during the bird-man competition. Hundreds of petroglyphs of Tangata-Manu, Make-Make god and Komari were carved on the stones here in testimony of intense ritual activities related to the bird-man cult. According to the island tradition, priests in charge of the ceremony stayed in these houses waiting for the results of the competition. At present, for security reasons a maximum of five people at one time can stand on this cliff lip which has no guard rails or other barriers from the sea below. The rather preposterous film Rapa Nui, which tries to explain some of the unknown myths of the island as well as weave in a sappy romance, shows Kevin Costner as the bird-man jumping off of this cliff to the ocean fa-ar below. If someone jumped from such a height, they would almost certainly be injured or killed, but from this site, the jump would absolutely be suicidal as the cliff is not as sheer as it looks but flairs out slightly, making it possible for the returning competitors to scale the near-sheer but very craggy cliff. People on Rapa Nui enjoy showing the movie to visitors, who flock in to see it, but they deride most of the movie ... and use it as a come-on to the sites, explaining what was wrong in the movie.

[8] Keho, or basalt stone for building a house, is located on the eastern side of the Orongo area, and it is here that basalt slabs were quarried to build the village huts (hare) which also employed straw (totora) in the construction. The basalt created strong structures and were resistant to the strong winds always blowing here.

[9] Although this site is in ruins, a central platform with a ramp to a small ceremonial altar (ahu) are still distinguishable. Pieces of rock from the Rano Raraku volcano belonging to a moai once erected here still remain in pieces around it.

source

Throughout the Orongo site are Make-Make or rock carvings of the cult's god.

The Thrilling Seabiscuit

Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit, thunders out a well-researched story that builds in page-turning momentum, much like the Thoroughbreds that hurl their bodies around the track at killer speeds to lunge for the finish line. A most compelling read! After reading her literary piece of excellence, her other book, Unbroken, a story of a ship-wrecked WWII and POW survivor, is hot on my list!

Laura did a phenomenal job of digging through archives, placing extensive phone calls, and interacting with people in the horse track world to write her compelling book. It took her four long years and the outcome is the testament of a well-crafted published work that will grace any bookshelf. Not because of my love of horses, but because of my love of literary art do I give this book the full 5.0 score! In fact, I think it's one of the most well-written books I've had the joy to read.

In the 1930s the gangly knock-kneed Seabiscuit became the sweetheart horse of America. If going by appearance, Seabiscuit wasn't much too look at, but the horse had heart, he had endurance, and he had the zany personality of a champion with a definite character. After winning the hearts of the west, he was shipped east to take the hearts of the more conservative half of the US where there were the venerable old stables and races, the home of racing elites, and the place where prestige was accumulated by one's style and classiness. Because Seabiscuit wasn't considered good enough to strike first for the east's great races, he was first placed in the Scarsdale Handicap, a midlevel stake, and because Seabiscuit was the longest shot on the board, few people paid him much mind ... but he had one minute forty seconds to change their minds! Fighting his way through a mass of horses, and chain-action collisions Seabiscuit, guided by his jockey Red Pollard, came from behind, extended his neck and won by inches. "The finish photo captured the scene: a dense cluster of horses stretched out for the wire, ears flat and lips peeled back in extreme effort. Ahead of them all, ears tipped forward with a jaunty expression, was Seabiscuit's heavy, homey head. Easy."

With horse racing the fastest growing sport in the 1920s and early 1930s, Seabiscuit became the icon. He was featured in the nation's corner theaters that ran pictures of Seabiscuit, he appeared on magazine covers, but it was through radio that people were most thrilled by the racing of this racing god. 

"In the 1920s the cost of a radio had been prohibitive - $120 or more - and all that bought was a box of unassembled parts. In unelectrified rural areas, radios ran on pricey, short-lived batteries. But with the 1930s came the advent of factory-built console, tabletop, and automobile radio sets, available for as little as $5. Thanks to Roosevelt's Rural Electrification Administration, begun in 1936, electricity came to the quarter of the population that lived on farmlands. Rural families typically made the radio their second electric purchase, after the clothes iron. By 1935, when Seabiscuit began racing, two thirds of the nation's homes had radio. At the pinnacle of his career, that figure had jumped to 90%, plus eight million sets in cars. Enabling virtually all citizens to experience noteworthy events simultaneously and in entertaining form, radio created a vast common culture in America, arguably the first true mass culture the world had ever seen. Racing, a sport whose sustained dramatic action was ideally suited to narration, became a staple of the airwave. The Santa Anita Handicap, with its giant purse and world-class athletes, competing in what was rapidly becoming the nation's most heavily attended sport, became one of the premier radio events of the year.
"In February 1937, all of these new social and technological forces were converging. The modern age of celebrity was dawning. The new machine of fame stood waiting. All it needed was the subject himself. At that singular hour, Seabiscuit, the Cinderella horse, flew over the line of the Santa Anita Handicap. Something clicked: here he was."

With the charge of horse racing electrifying America, language from the races was incorporated into mainstream speech. Idioms like "going to get your goat", "off to the races", "a dark horse racing", among others enriched everyday speech. One specific idiom is traced back to Seabiscuit's greatest race at Pimlico against the Triple Crown winner War Admiral, sired by Man O'War, who was also the grandsire of Seabiscuit. In the race with jockey George Woolf, replacement to the injured Red Pollard, aboard Seabiscuit and Charles Kurtsinger aboard War Admiral, the since oft repeated phrase was born when Seabiscuit looked across at War Admiral as they came around in the final stretches and then with a burst a speed shot four lengths ahead to win the race. As Woolf felt the power surge through Seabiscuit and grinned as the gap appeared, Woolf called out cheerily to Charles Kurtsinger, "See you later, Charlie" ... and linguistic humor was born.

Seabiscuit and jockey George Woolf lead War Admiral and jockey Charles Kurtsinger - source 

America loved the little knobbed-kneed horse that rocketed around racetracks and which galloped into their hearts. To commemorate their icon, a wild odd assortment of memorabilia with Seabiscuit's name or picture were sold - signature board games, pinball machines, wastebaskets, postcards, "endorsement" ads for two beer brands, two lines of Seabiscuit oranges, whiskey, a hotel, a humor magazine, a dry-cleaning service, and ladies' hats. Seabiscuit was obviously so in the minds of the American people that he became a household word, and literally was featured in many households. He was an icon of the dreams and hearts of the American people when, during the Great Depression, there was little to dream about, but Seabiscuit's grand performances sure promised a lot to hope about.

Marco Polo - Mysticized Adventurer

The book Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu told of the adventures of Marco Polo, one of the many Venetians who was a traveler and/or a merchant in 13th century Byzantine Venetia, the ungated city protected by lagoons and swamps, and easily guarded against from raids by the rapacious Genoese rivals and marauding Arabs. At the age of 17 Marco joined his father as his father returned to the Far East overland, and although the father spent many more adventurous years traveling Asia and far unknown reaches, it is Marco that became known for his adventures in the court of Kublai Khan and for traveling the Silk Road, which by the way, was not a distinct entity until christened so in 1877 when Baron Ferdinand von Richtofen, a German geographer, conceived the name through the artificial imagery of Seidenstrasse, a name suggesting romance, luxury and sensuality combined with arduous travel and dangerous undertakings.

Marco Polo actually did not compile his own book or memoir but while held as a captive in Genoa was discovered by Rustichello of Pisa who listened to the tales of heroism, woe and violence, and exotic experiences and wrote them for publication in a book entitled Travels. The writer doesn't seem to question that the tales do not always agree with each other or that some tales are feasibly impossible for the human to do, or even if the tales were ones that Marco heard or spun or were in fact his own experiences, but that seems to be a moot point as the tales did enrapture audiences and provided lively entertainment for a people thirsty for news outside of their own sphere of hard labor and daily survival.

Marco's early tales include Armenians and Nestorians, Jacobites, Georgians and Persians, as well as the Tartars and other nations who had been converted by the Christians to Christianity because the new converts were allowed great license to sin. Marco was fascinated by the merchants of Tabriz, who didn't haggle aloud in public lest they be overheard but bargained by squeezing each other's wrists or fingertips to describe and dispute the quality of items, convey the amount of the bid offered, and to communicate acceptance of a bid. The further east Marco went, the more bizarre and laughably ludicrous the tales seemed. Despite that, Marco continue to spin and war was a frequent theme.

Although Marco saw the havoc and destruction wreaked in the trail of the rampaging Genghis Khan in Badkhshan and elsewhere, he regarded Genghis (the name is derived from the Turkic word 'tengiz' which meant 'ocean' signifying great breadth and depth) as greater even than Alexander the Great in his accomplishments. Marco interacted mostly and served Genghis's grandson Kublai Khan, who having a Nestorian Christian mother, was raised to be very open-minded to religious differences and to ultimately practice religious tolerance. Kublai was also tutored by a monk of Chinese Buddhism, received instruction by Confucians, Turkish Uighurs, Muslims and Nestorian Christians, and his court was an eclectic gathering of people from many nations and skills. Despite religious tolerance, Marco does mention a system of who received the most trust and the Mongols were the most trusted in the court, followed by the Colored-eye People (meaning the Persians and Middle Easterners), then the Northern Chinese and finally the Southern Chinese, which ironically were the most numerous of vassals but those having the least influence.

Although the Mongols were a nomadic tribe relocating twice a year to richer pasturage for their horses, camels and other livestock, Kublai Khan's seat of power was "the great city called Cambulac" where he wintered. When Genghis had ruled, Karkorum on the Mongolian Steppe was the capital, but Kublai in keeping with centralizing his authority to superimpose a Mongolian civilization on the vassal Chinese, oversaw the construction of Cambulac. Work commenced in 1267 and was completed several years later. The great city featured eleven gates guarded by imposing three-storey towers and was called in Chinese as Ta-tu, "Great Capital", but known to the Turks as Khanbalikh, which Marco spelled 'Cambulac' or 'City of the Khan'. The Mongols, adapting the Chinese name, called it Daidu, and Daidu has since undergone many name changes but is now called "Beijing". The Forbidden City was the heart of this city.

In 1271, the year before Marco arrived, Kublai Khan's Chinese engineer and astronomer utilized Persian diagrams to build instruments and developed a new Mongol calendar, one based on a 12-year cycle with each year represented by a distinct animal to characterize the year: cow, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, cock, dog, or pig. For example, following this new ideology the year of the monkey is a difficult year as the passage of time in the year symbolized simian traits like rambunctiousness and being high-strung. Marco estimated that in Cambulac alone no fewer than five thousand astrologers and soothsayers plied their trade according to their own religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds - Muslims, Christians, Chinese principally.

Everywhere Marco went in his travels in China for Kublai Khan, he encountered silk worms which were a mysterious secret even to the Chinese. Europe at this time knew nothing about the art and science of sericulture, a closely guarded ancient secret. Traditions credits Xi Ling-shi - wife of the mythical Yellow Emperor who supposedly ruled China in 3000 BC - with the introduction of silkworm cultivation along with the invention of the loom. Although she was a phantom, silk was not and archaeological digs have revealed silk threads, ribbons, and cocoons dating from 3000 BC, not to mention a small ivory cup dating the same time and having images of spinning tools as well as silk thread. And in Marco's travels, he estimated that the labor-intensive production of silk occupied half of China's provinces, but he was not to discover any significant facts about sericulture as giving knowledge of silkworm production was an offense punishable by death if such secrets were revealed to a foreigner, or even if the cocoons or eggs were transported across Chinese borders as the favored and state-secret of the carefully developed and unique Bombyx mori which produced a rounder and smoother thread than other species was nationally protected.

Brutality, as we in the modern label it, was cultural and each culture had a unique form of extermination of the enemy. An enemy or even a traitor would have hot stones forced down his/her throat [this is how marmots are still cooked - the traditional way - in Mongolia, as Mongolia has virtually no wood for fuel so dung and grasses and burned, heating stones which are then dropped down the marmots throat to cook the marmot from the inside out.] Nayan, one of Kublai's uncles, rebelled again Kublai and wanted to become the Great Khan himself, and so a major battle ensued in which Nayan was defeated. As punishment, Nayan was wrapped tightly in a carpet and violently drug until he died. As Marco puts it, "Their object in choosing the mode of death was so that the blood of the imperial lineage might not be spilt upon the earth, and the sun and the air might not witness it, nor the limbs of Nayan be touched by any animal."

Upon Marco Polo's return to Venitia, people regarded Marco's tales of technological advances with disbelief, but eventually adopted the technology. Paper money was virtually unknown in the West until Marco's return, whereupon it revolutionized finance and commerce. Coal, which had captured Marco's attention is China, soon provided a new and relatively efficient means of heating. Eyeglasses (round lenses actually) became accepted and led to the rise of both the microscope and the telescope, the latter which in turn revolutionized naval battles. Gunpowder, which the Chinese had been using for three centuries, markedly changed one-on-one personal combat to fighting impersonally and yet causing more destruction to the enemy. Marco did indeed start the bridge building of later cultural and technological exchange for a technologically developing society.

The West is still enamored with the exotic tales woven of his experiences, his father's experiences, and tales he gathered and spoke of as if they were his own. Authors like Coleridge further mystify the adventures of Marco in his poem Kublai Khan. Coleridge opens with:

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan

A stately prince dome decree:

Where Alph, the sacred river, ran

Through caverns measureless to man

Down to a sunless sea.

And concludes with a warning of the dangers of unrestrained rapture, imagining himself or a kindred spirit crying out:

Beware! Beware!

His flashing eyes, his floating hair!

Weave a circle round him thrice,

And close your eyes with holy dread,

For he on honey-dew hath fed,

And drunk the milk of Paradise.

Hmmm, I don't think many people would consider the koulis, the fermented milk of the Mongols, as the milk of Paradise ... but there you have it, exoticizing the unknown and making ts alluring, mysterious and something to be desired.

Carbon Footprint

For my freshmen students' final presentation, groups of three were made and the groups had the freedom of choosing a social or environemental problem, and then to do research on their topic. They were given the guidelines of 3.5~5 minutes and 3-5 slides per individual. The reason being for limiting the number of slides is to get students to give an oral presentation rather than just a visual one. More specifically, students were to do the 3-step method when presenting each slide, i.e. (1) introduce the picture/data, (2) explain the picture/data, and (3) emphasize the picture/data following the principle of "If you write it, talk about it; if you show it, explain it." This following presentation was given by Park So Mi, Kim Ji Hyun and Oh Chan Ho, and is published here by their permission. This was one of the best presentation of the semester so I asked to share it and they were delighted that others would be interested in their well-organized research. Very phenomenal job, guys!

The Good Women of China

The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices by Xinran is a fantastic piece of non-fiction. It is a collection of stories on Chinese women, their thoughts and slowly emerging rights and glimpses into their lives of suppression under Communism and patriarchalism. As a radio reporter, Xinran, meaning 'with pleasure', started the program Words on the Night Breeze to talk about some of the women in China and to peek at their suppressed lives. There was a lot of controversy about permitting her some license in speaking for just 10 minutes on radio about the lives of women. Of course what she said was heavily censored, and since it was a show that invited the public's questions, there was extremely heavy censoring on the incoming questions. But Xinran felt like "manna from heaven" had fallen in just being allowed to talk about a topic, women, that had been so overlooked for many centuries.

Since 1949, the media had been the mouthpiece of the Party. State radio, state newspapers, and later, state television provided the only information Chinese people had access to one the one-sided voice of the media. When Deng Xiaoping started the slow process of 'opening up' China in 1983, it was possible for journalists, if they were courageous, to try and make subtle changes to how they presented the news. It was also possible, though perhaps more dangerous, to discuss personal issues in the media, and it was in these 1980 years of 'opening up' that Xinran conceived the idea of Words on the Night Breeze, in which to allow the spirits of women to breathe through a tiny hole and cry out.

Because of her radio program which gained rapidly in popularity for its freshness of topic, Xinran began to receive a large amount of mail of voices from the public, both far and near. One of the earliest letters for help was from a boy who pleaded anonymity or his family would be ostracized by the community they had lived in for many generations. However, the boy pleaded the case of a very young girl who was shackled with irons so that she wouldn't run away from the old man who had married her. The urgency of the message sent to Xinran was interpreted by the chicken feather attached to the letter, the signal in China of an urgent distress signal. Just what was a life of a woman in China worth became clear when her radio station supervisors brushed aside her concerns for the girl. Eventually with pressure and argument, Xinran, with the very begrudging help of her radio staff and connections, went to the village and rescued the young girl, who, come to find out had been kidnapped and sold to the 60-year-old man while her distressed parents spent thousands of yuans in their desperate search for her. This was Xinran's first 'rescue' of a Chinese girl/woman. She told the story on the air and more letters of woe and distress poured in.

Xinran also met a young woman activist on a university campus who was known for her independence and outspokenness. Xinran felt compelled to meet this unusual young lady who defined for Xinran what her analytical interpretation of a 'good woman' in China was. "Good Chinese women are conditioned to behave in a soft meek manner, and they bring this behavior to bed. As a result, their husbands say that they have no sex appeal, and the women submit to oppression, convinced the fault is their own. They must bear the pain of menstruation and childbirth, and work like men to keep the family when their husbands don't earn enough. The men pin pictures of beautiful women above the bed to arouse themselves, while their wives blame themselves for their care-worn bodies. Anyway, in men's eyes, there is no such thing as a good woman."

The university student then went on to explain that men, demanding absolute control and power, had very bigoted expectations of women. "Men want a woman who is a virtuous wife, a good mother, and can do all the housework like a maid. Outside the home, she should be attractive and cultivated, and be a credit to him. In bed, she must be a nymphomaniac. What is more, Chinese men also need their women to manage their finances and earn a lot of money, so they can mingle with the rich and powerful. Modern Chinese men sigh over the abolition of polygamy. That old man Gu Hongming at the end of the Qing dynasty said that 'one man is best suited to four women, as a teapot is best suited to four cups'. And modern Chinese men want another cup to fill with money too.'"

The outspoken university student finished her discussion with Xinran by citing the types of fish men said women were. "When men have been drinking, they come out with a set of definitions for women. Lovers are 'swordfish', tasty but with sharp bones. Personal secretaries are 'carp', the longer you 'stew' them, the more flavor they have. Other men's wives are 'Japanese puffer fish', trying a mouthful could be the end of you, but risking death is a source of pride. Their own wives are 'salt cod', because salt keeps a long time and when there is no food, salt cod is cheap and convenient and makes a meal with rice." Women, according to the student, were objectified and merely had a function.

China is a superstitious land, and many superstitions surround women, particularly in child bearing. One of Xinran's colleagues had a baby and so many from the office wished to visit her in the hospital to bear gifts symbolising blessings and good luck. One colleague, Mengxing, was not to go as in China a woman who has not given birth brings bad luck to newborn children if visiting them. Mengxing went anyway, pooh-poohing the old superstition. Foods are central to ceremonies, and birthing is no exception. Presented on the young mother's hospital table were brown sugar and ginseng for her blood, pigs' trotters and fish to help her breastfeed, and chicken and fruit to build up her constitution. Mengxing was there with the rest, eating boiled eggs dyed red to symbolise happiness at the birth of a new child. For this woman, the child was a boy, which gave her a glow of satisfaction and elevated her status, as for countless generations, the following saying was held true: "There are thirty-six virtues, but to be without heirs is an evil that negates them all." When the visitors left, the young mother's mother-in-law slipped Xinran a piece of red cloth and instructed Xinran to burn it to 'drive away the evil influences brought by Mengxing'. Xinran dared not disobey and quietly noted that even citified families often retained their superstitions when it came to having and dispelling luck despite their educated upbringings.

One of the most extraordinary stories uncovered by Xinran was in the very remote village of Shouting Hill, that had neither electricity nor cell phone. In fact, the place was so barren and destitute of water that even had they wished, the villagers could not have promoted a better lifestyle through tourism because they didn't even have enough water to brush their teeth every night or wash their hair but upon special occasions. And it was here in the modern 1980s that women were the most suppressed in China, and the women were locked into previous centuries of labor and child bearing. Women there were resources to be bargained for and purchased and then to be 'used', the exact word that men used to describe the women's function. In written Chinese, the word 'womb' is made up of the characters for 'palace' and 'children'. Almost every woman knows that the womb is one of her key organs, but the women in Shouting Hill did not even know what a womb was!

Women in Shouting Hill were pregnant almost every year, but there was no sense of eager anticipation for the child among themselves or among the men. Even while heavily pregnant, they labored as before and were 'used' by the men, who reasoned that 'only children who resist being squashed are strong enough'. When Xinran journeyed to Shouting Hill with other reporters, a doctor was also taken along. When examining one woman who continually miscarried, the doctor was dumbfounded to find that the woman had a prolapsed womb. The friction and infection of many years had hardened the part of the womb that was hanging outside of cutin, tough as a callus. The woman when asked what caused her condition, disapprovingly told him that all women in Shouting Hill were like that. The doctor told Xinran and asked her to confirm such an outrageous thing, but Xinran later confirmed that it was true. Xinran had wondered why the women walked with legs akimbo and the prolapsed wombs as well as the tough fibrous leaves with edges that rubbed against the thighs were the causes.

Xinran in her rambles around Shouting Hill had continually seen, secluded from mainstream traffic, leaves in a cluster and appearing to be dried for a purpose. She queried a grandmother about the leaves and found that they were the only possessions a girl was systematically given on her marriage and the only burial goods she would have. The leaves were gathered from trees very far away, and 10 were given to a girl by her mother or another woman of the older generation upon her marriage. The leaves had to be cut to the right size so they could fit in the woman's trousers. Small holes were pricked into the leaves with a awl to make them more absorbent, and the leaves which were relatively elastic would expand with the woman's menstruation and then pressed and dried after each use. These leaves, precious for their absorption and for their ability to be reused and reused, were precious in the land of virtually no water, and the 10 leaves given to her upon marriage were her inheritance as a woman.

Xinran left China after her experience in Shouting Hill. She felt the need to breathe new air, and to know what it was like to live in a free society. Four days after she arrived in London, Lady Diana died and thousands carried flowers to lay at the gate of Buckingham Palace. Unable to resist the journalistic impulse, Xinran asked a woman what Princess Diana meant to her. She and the woman talked for some time about women in British society, and finally the woman queried Xinran about the women in China. The woman had observed that for Westerners the modern Chinese woman still seemed to wear an ancient veil and she believed it was important to try and see beyond the veil. This conversation sparked the conception of an idea to write about the women of China, the "good" women of China.

Space Food

This presentation "Space Food" is a phenomenal introduction of a unique food culture, stemming from an assignment based on variation of cultures in the category of 'food'. All of the other students were fascinated by the totally new exposure of a little known food culture and I was impressed by the incredible amount of research and organization they put into their work. The content for a 10-minute maximum presentation is truly phenomenal. My students - Gang Pil-june and Lee Ji-yong - were pleased by the audience's response to their presentation and doubly happy when asked if I could publish their awesome slides on my international anthropology blog. They agreed and here is a very impressive slide show.

I do apologize for not including some of their explanations but couldn't take notes and give feedback and tips to the students on their presentation skills. The one piece of information that I will definitely be researching more, but due to time constraints they only touched on, was the difference in dietary allowances for astronauts/cosmonauts and people on earth. Calcium, vitamin D, but so many other factors are utilized by the body differently in space and so this would be an interesting piece of further research for me ... or someone else!

the history and early development of space food

why the development of space food was initiated

techniques in preparing space food

cultural variation in Asia countries on space food

a sample look at the development of one food: kimchi, an icon food for Koreans

a sample look at the difference between a known food
becoming changed for consumption in space