Weekly Rewind: Drinking in North Korea, Censorship in China, Japan's Ministry of Cool
A child stands by flowers during the Hong Kong Flower Show 2015 in Hong Kong on March 20, 2015.(PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Welcome to Asia Society’s Weekly Rewind, featuring some of the best writing and multimedia you may have missed. This week:
Out Loud: Censorship in China
Amelia Lester | The New Yorker
Peter Hessler and Evan Osnos are both New Yorker staff writers who have worked as correspondents in China. Listen to their discussion on New Yorker’s Out Loud podcast to find out why they did (or did not) comply with China’s censorship regulations, then read Hessler’s recent article “Travels with My Censor” on his recent book tour experiences.
Homebrew and house parties: how North Koreans have fun
Daniel Tudor and James Pearson | The Guardian
Learn about the term “eumjugamu,” which means “drinking, music, and dancing,” and about North Korean house parties, pop songs, and drinking habits. Then take the accompanying Guardian quiz, “How much do you know about North Korean life?”
Japan’s Ministry of Cool
Patrick St. Michel | The Atlantic
“Japan wants the world to know just how cool it is.” Read about “Cool Japan,” a government-supported movement to promote the nation’s culture leading up to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
These Indian parents climbed a school wall to help their kids cheat on an exam
Rama Lakshmi | Washington Post
A video went viral in India on Thursday showing relatives of 10th-grade students climbing the wall of a school building in Bihar state, handing cheat sheets to children taking a test inside.
Art Basel Hong Kong: The Reviews Are In
Amy Chin | New York Times
Read reviews from Art Basel Hong Kong, Asia’s largest art fair, which made its third appearance earlier this week. The fair drew 60,000 visitors, including celebrities such as Susan Sarandon and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Multimedia
Drone Flies Over Cyclone Pam Damage in Vanuatu
NBC News
Last week, Cyclone Pam struck the Pacific archipelago nation of Vanuatu, destroying 90 percent of the country’s infrastructure and killing an estimated 24 people. Drone footage from NBC shows the extent of the damage.
Overheard This Week
“No one returns my calls! … I just want to help this country. The people made me a general, but no one even asks for my advice.” — Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum, in tears, on being marginalized by colleagues [New York Times]
By the Numbers
200 million — The approximate number of Chinese viewers of “Under the Dome,” a documentary about China’s air pollution crisis, before it was recently taken down [New York Times]
233 — The number of galleries represented at Art Basel Hong Kong this week [Observer]
190 — The mph of wind gusts sustained by some Vanuatu islands during Tropical Cyclone Pam last week [Washington Post]
143 — The percent increase between 2010-14 in arms exports from China, which has surpassed Germany to become the world’s third-largest arms exporter behind the United States and Russia [New York Times]
Each week, Asia Blog will feature highlights from Asia-focused feature writing, photography, and multimedia. Do you have recommendations? Please email a link and any related details to [email protected] (we regret that we won’t be able to respond directly to each inquiry).
Opinions expressed on highlighted articles are solely those of the author(s), not of the Asia Society.