A red Christmas
Christmas is becoming big in China, thanks to the retail industry.
On Christmas Eve, several hundred young Chinese made their way to a sprawling shopping mall in west Beijing for “midnight mass” of a different kind. As the clock struck 12, all hell broke loose: they surged forward past a couple of hapless security guards and swarmed into the store. There were scuffles and arguments. All for 100 iPads that the store was giving away on Christmas day, to any shopper who spent in excess of 8,888 Yuan (around $ 1,410).
Welcome to Christmas in China. A decade ago, few Chinese, barring the small but dedicated community of Chinese Christians, were even aware of Christmas. Celebrations were confined to the half a dozen State-run churches and the many small underground ‘house churches' that quietly operate under the government's radar.
But today, December 25 has become a massive holiday in China, more because of an enterprising retail industry rather than on account of any religious awakening. For most Chinese, the December 25 festival of “Sheng Dan” has become synonymous with shopping, dining and celebration. “In China, the jangle of cash registers threatens to drown out the true meaning of Christmas,” complained the State-run China Daily this week.
The heart of Beijing was flooded with shoppers and Christmas lights for much of the past week. I found young Chinese waiting three hours to get inside Apple's flagship store, while every shop in the capital seemed to advertise Christmas Day sales. I asked one intrepid shopper who was braving below-zero temperatures — all for an iPad — what he thought of the “Christmas spirit”. “It's about going out with your friends and having a good time,” he said. “And shopping.”
A Chinese friend chuckled about the inevitability of a “Capitalist Christmas holiday” becoming big in China. Santa Claus — known in China simply as “Sheng Dan Lao Ren”, or “The Christmas Old Man” — “was surely a Socialist”, he joked. “He wears red, for one. And look at all that gift-giving. Isn't he spreading the wealth?” -- ANANTH KRISHNAN
Worth its weight
The recession has thieves targeting sculptures with metal content.
Art in the time of recession — a welcome escape from the daily struggle for survival? Or a source of making a quick buck?
This is the question being asked in Britain’s art circles following a spate of thefts of valuable public art installations. The thefts have coincided with a deepening economic crisis on the one hand, and a spike in metal prices on the other. Art lovers have denounced it as a “crime against people” arguing that in an age of economic hardship art alone provides the much-needed relief from the “ugliness” of everyday life.
Stealing rare art objects is as old as the hills but what is new about the current phenomenon is that the thieves have no interest in art. They are simply looking for metal to flog it in the scrap market and anything with metal component would do. Hence the preference for sculptures. They have also targeted churches for metal objects such as bells, brass crucifixes, bible stands, chalices and even metal roof-tiles.
In the latest and most daring theft, a much-admired sculpture of Barbara Hepworth “Two Forms (Divided Circle)”, on display in a south London park, was whipped out from its plinth and taken away. Ms. Hepworth, who died in 1975, was one of Britain’s most important modern sculptors and “Two Forms”, is rated among her significant works. Simon Wallis, director of the Hepworth Wakefield gallery, said it was “irreplaceable”.
The thefts have prompted calls for tougher regulation of the scrap metal industry, including a ban on cash payments to potentially dodgy sellers. -- HASAN SUROOR
Hidden in history
A unique oil tank farm that has survived the ravages of war and peace.
By end 2011, more than 8.5 lakh tourists would have passed through the gates of Sri Lanka’s gateway, the Bandaranaike International Airport. A majority of them will head south to the popular tourist destinations — Bentota, Hikkaduwa, Unawatuna, Galle and Arugam Bay.
A few thousands will head north-east to enjoy the still untouched beaches near Batticaloa (Pasikuda) and Trincomalee. But it is highly unlikely that even a handful will see one part of the island’s history that is so well hidden in Trincomalee — the tank farm.
One of the most unique sights in this part of the world is a tank farm. Yes, it is exactly what the phrase means — a collection of tanks that makes the area look like a farm!
During the Second World War, Trincomalee was an important port and played host to the biggest oil tank farm in the British Empire. When the war raged, a desperate Japan tried to strike at the oil farm, in a bid to cripple the war effort. In 1942, a Japanese fighter plane with its armament intact, tried to crash-land in a bid to blow up the tank farm.
But the design of each of the 99 tanks was so unique that there was no conflagration. Just the one tank that the fighter landed into was destroyed. There was no damage in any of the other 98 tanks!
The China Bay Tank farm is the largest one located between West Asia and Singapore. The tank farm connects to the Trincomalee harbour, which is the fifth largest all-weather, non-tidal natural harbour in the world, with a 56-km shoreline, making this tank farm most effective for fuel receipt, storage and supply. The tank farm, formerly operated by Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, is now being maintained by the Lanka Indian Oil Corporation, a fully-owned subsidiary of IOC. Currently, only 15 of these tanks are operational. -- R.K. RADHAKRISHNAN
Published - December 31, 2011 05:53 pm IST
