The Importance of Brand Image and its effect on the Nation’s economy

Here in China one thing is very clear, the brand of goods you buy is more important than what you buy or how many you have.  This is not only true for the upper class but for all classes and for all regions of the country.  Many foreign companies have spent a lot of time and money to develop their brand and now it is really paying off.  One interesting example is that of Starbucks vs.Costa coffee.  As you may know the Chinese are fanatical about their tea and will spend much time and money finding the perfect tea and then accessorize it with just the right brewing pots and tea cups in order to really enjoy the total experience.  So why discuss Costa coffee?  Well I am sure you are aware of the success story of Starbucks coffee in the USA but you may not be aware of it in China.  Starbucks spent a lot of time researching the potential for coffee sales in China before deciding to develop their brand here in China.  What they discovered is that the Chinese really do not like coffee but they really like to think of themselves as living part of the international lifestyle (particularly the American lifestyle).  So it is obvious that most Chinese will never be able to afford a large house on an acre of land or a vacation house or a boat and lavish vacations but what they can afford are the little lavish pleasures.  So what does this mean for Starbucks?  Well if they can convince the Chinese people that the American people enjoy the experience of the “coffee hour” where they sit in fancy cafes, sip overpriced fancy coffees made just the way they like, and enjoy chatting with their friends; then most likely the Chinese will want to do the same thing here in China.  Starbucks also discovered is that the Chinese do not have a lot of disposable income but they do enjoy indulging in luxury items when they can.  So, armed with this knowledge, Starbucks set out to make drinking fancy coffee in their cafes a luxury experience.  So they decided that rather than making the coffee affordable in Chinese standards they would keep the price the same as in the USA and make it a luxury purchase.  They targeted their marketing at the up and coming Chinese leaders and got the upper and middle class Chinese to start drinking fancy coffees in their restaurants.  The idea caught on, so even though the Chinese really prefer tea, they are flocking to Starbuck’s cafes to drink coffee.  The interesting part of this story comes when Costa coffee, a Starbucks look alike, decides that if there is a market for coffee sales in China then they want to be a part of it.  But rather than doing the extensive research that Starbucks did, they decide to move right in since there is obviously already a market for this product in China.  Their strategy was to undercut the cost of coffee at Starbucks and offer the same types of products at more affordable prices; in this way they can broaden the market to all Chinese.  What they overlooked is that the Chinese really do not like coffee, what they really like are luxury items that enable them to emulate the lifestyle of the US.  So although the coffee was more affordable, it really was no longer a luxury item and therefore if you are going to drink coffee, when you prefer tea, then it really needs to be a high priced luxury experience.  So after a disastrous start here in China, Costa realized the flaw in their logic, raised their prices and upgraded the atmosphere in their cafes and now are doing well here in China.  Moral to the story:  if you are going to sell something that people really don’t like then find another way to market it!

So although this is an interesting story and you marketing and economics people can probably enjoy the case study; I really mention it here because it is relevant  to an interesting phenomena here in China;  the importance of brand image.  Now you may say that this is important all over the world but I believe that the importance here in China is far greater.  Americans tend to buy the best value not necessarily the one with the highest image. There are of course exceptions but, by in large, the American will opt for more things rather than the “Designer Brands”.  This creates an opportunity for the Entrepreneur in the US to offer goods at reasonable prices and to bolster the American economy. 

One of the interesting times in American History took place in the mid 80’s; when we saw two emerging movements.  The first is the sudden interest in “Generic” goods.  For maybe the first time in history, the price of the item means more than the brand name or the quality of the product.  This was greatly influenced by the lack luster performance of the economy at the time and the desire of the American people to have more not better. So the national brands had to be players in this game or risk going out of business.  They would sell their product to second tier packagers who would change the name and exploit the low price and the generic nature of the goods.  This generic craze lasted almost 20 years before the resurgence of the economy enabled Americans to once again “afford the good stuff” (the more expensive alternative).    So to Americans, brand seems important when they have enough money to buy the good stuff; otherwise generic is better because it enables them to afford more “Stuff”.  This does not seem to be the case in China.  Where there is a strongly branded product, the Chinese are willing to have less but “better” products. 

I will venture my explanation for this phenomena:  The typical Chinese person has little disposable income because the cost of goods here seems close to those typical prices in Michigan and the income is about ¼ of the typical salaries in Michigan.  This forces the Chinese to live in family groups where the parents live with the married couple and their one child.  This coupled with the fact that housing prices here are also similar to or more expensive to those in Michigan, results in a family unit normally living in a less than 1000 square foot apartment.  And unlike a typical American, they do not have multiple storage units for their junk.  Hence the Chinese are very limited in how many things they can buy and therefore they put a high importance on having  very few things but making sure that they are the best things that they can buy.  So, since the Chinese are always looking for the very best, it has been easy for the luxury brands to really gain a substantial foothold here.  The downtown areas of all big cities are filled with designer stores and these stores are always very crowded. 

Another interesting observation is that we come to China to buy “fakes” and the Chinese go abroad to buy the “real thing”.  Recently on a trip to German my colleagues decided to forego the sightseeing opportunity and went shopping.  Much to my surprise they all bought $5000 - $7000 dollar Rolex watches and ipad 3s. The reason they bought these goods overseas is twofold. The first reason is that in this way they could guarantee that the goods were really authentic.  The second is that everything is better if it is made overseas.  So what potential effect will this have on the economy of China?

So getting back to the movements in the 80’s in the USA, the second is the “Buy American” movement. So when the economy began to suffer due to foreign imports and foreign brands, the Americans responded by creating the “Buy American” campaign rather than imposing trade restrictions.  This type of thinking really does not exist here in China, quite on the contrary; anytime the government feels threatened, they simply impose another law to prohibit the action.  In the USA however, Americans will limit their purchasing of imported products voluntarily if they believe there is a real threat to the American economy.  According to a recent poll, 80% of Americans think it their patriotic duty to give preference to American-made products.

America's distinction among all the nations of the world is that it enshrined political and economic freedom. Although we have departed greatly from our original laissez-faire principles, to the whole world America still symbolizes capitalism. Americanism means understanding that a free market, domestically and internationally, is the only path to general prosperity.

International trade is not mortal combat but a form of cooperation, a means of expanding worldwide production. The benefits of international trade flow to both trading partners, even when one of the countries is more efficient across the board.

In purchasing goods, we are expected to view ourselves and the sellers not as individuals, but as part of a nation. We are expected to accept lower quality or more expensive goods in the name of alleged benefits to the national collective.  Interestingly enough, the Chinese have no such feelings and in fact have no confidence in anything that is branded as a China product.   So whether or not we subscribe to the “Buy American”  as a conflict to our free market ideals or not, at the end of the day, Americans will change their habits to protect the economy that we have so long and hard struggled to create. We can however learn from the imbalance of the value of products from outside our borders.

More and better production is good for everyone, everywhere. What's good for Toyota is good for America. That's individualism, and that's Americanism.
Government interference with free trade is un-American. Sacrificing one's standard of living in order to subsidize inefficient domestic producers is un-American but has proven to be necessary when we forget that it is a global economy and that we must produce world class products.

But what do you do when the country’s people have no confidence in locally made and designed products; such is the case in China.  So far China has survived by getting the rest of the world to buy their products but I believe that for China to continue to thrive, they will need to create a middle class which will fuel its economy.  This is because China is no longer the lowest cost producer and their quality is not significantly higher than the lower cost alternatives.  But as I am sure is the case, once someone is able to be part of the middle class, he/she will quickly aspire to have the leading brand which undoubtedly will come from abroad. 

I recently attended an automotive conference where I was fortunate to be introduced to the CEO of Chery automotive company.  Chery is one of the leading brands of China automakers and continues to lead the more than 20 other China auto brands.  I asked him what he thought of the future of the China automakers.  His reply was interesting and insightful.  He said that the near term outlook is bright as the population places high value on auto ownership and Chery is able to offer low cost entry level vehicles for the masses.  But the long term outlook is questionable. 

As many of you know, my biggest challenge here in China is to help the Chinese convert from a copy to an invent society; but without the educational system support and the encouragement from the upper management, the task is daunting.  So I was in a quandary as to how to stimulate the creative spirit and encourage these people to dream.  So one day during  a trip to one of our suppliers I asked my colleague if he has dreams and aspirations for the future.  Here the focus is on technical achievement and loyalty and support for the boss so I didn’t think I would get very far with this approach but it was worth a try.  He related to me a boyhood dream that he once had.  He came from a small village in the north of China where opportunities were scarce and the work was long and hard.  One day one of the villagers bought a car, something that he had been saving for his entire life but saving for such a thing meant a lot of personal sacrifice.  My colleague, at the age of 9, decided that his goal was one day to have a ride in that automobile. A mere 20 years later he not only rides in a car everyday but he owns that car; something he could have never imagined.  But now as he moves into the middle class, he is now setting his eyes on owning not just a car but a Global branded car; a Buick or a Volkswagen, and to one day own a BMW.  So I mention this here to say that this is the issue which the CEO eluded to, the middle class wanting not just a car but a status symbol.

So if indeed China needs a middle class in order to continue to advance, and the middle class has no confidence in local products or wants the status of a globally recognized brand, where will Chery be?  Chery is working now to strengthen their brand by offering higher class vehicles but no matter how great they are, they are still viewed as a low class alternative.  If this is worrisome for the auto industry then what does this mean for the Chinese economy.  With little nationalistic pride and a desire to have an international lifestyle, there may not be much room for local products.  As is typical of government intervention here in China, the government is forcing the international companies to offer locally branded products made by the international companies.  So far the demand for these products is lacking and only the future will decide if this strategy can save the future of the Chinese brands.  Maybe this is part of the natural evolution of a society and soon we will see the “Buy Chinese” movement, but for now the battle of the brands continues and the global players are winning. 

Bangkok Thailand

Bangkok January 2012

Do you know the best way to spend the Chinese New Year?????  Leave China!!  And I am not kidding.  As the end of 2011 was drawing near I was asked what we would be doing during the Chinese New Year; not having given it much thought, I replied that we were looking forward to seeing the New Year celebrations!  WRONG was the unanimous answer from all my work colleagues.  They went on to explain that the Chinese New Year is a time for the Chinese to go home and celebrate the new year with their relatives, hence we would be left out of any celebration parties and would be annoyed by the almost nonstop fireworks celebration.  Now as we all know, fireworks are kind of exciting and can be a fun thing to watch; but I must have to agree with them that when the majority of the fireworks only make load and hideous noise and now beautiful patterns in the sky, that the novelty soon wears off.

So taking the advice of my colleagues I started to once again long at the quickly vanishing “Bucket list” for new ideas.  It wasn’t long before I was on the telephone with my long term friend Jeff now living in Bangkok asking if he was really serious about having the welcome mat out.  Well indeed it was out and it wasn’t long before Jeff had convinced me that Bangkok was the single most beautiful place on earth to visit.  So after finding out that the Chinese airlines make ALL! Their money during the Chinese New Year, we went ahead and booked the overly expensive flights from Shanghai to Bangkok for a week’s worth of history chasing and sun basking.  It was to be one of the best decisions in recent history (since we got back from Cambodia). 

The adventure started in the city of Bangkok with my friends Jeff and Dream Kinane.  Surprisingly Dream was 6 months pregnant with what will soon be their first baby (a boy), but her enthusiasm for the city and her country made her an excellent tour director.  We soon came to find out that it was a good thing that we were not relying on Jeff’s tour guide experience since although he had been living in Thailand for over 4 years, he had not seen any of the sites we were planning to visit.  This really made it exciting for all of us!  I did a very un-Mark Like thing and decide that we really needed an R&R trip so we lavished in the luxury of the Renaissance hotel for 4 days; it was to be a great decision and we had earned it! 

The tour started off ,as most of them do, with a trip to McDonalds and Starbucks for breakfast!  Next we boarded the sky train for the temples in the heart of the city.  As a backdrop; Bangkok is a small city when compared to Shanghai (only 12 million people)  and it really felt a lot less crowded which was a good thing because it was hot for the entire week we were there.  Bangkok was founded in the early fifteenth century, when it was under the rule of Ayutthaya. It is located on the Chao Phraya River along which the beautiful temples of Wat Arun and the Grand Palace are built.  After disembarking from our river boat, we entered the beautiful temple grounds of Wat Arun.  Fortunately the majority of the areas in the city were unaffected by the terrible floods but we did see evidence of the sand bags that had been used to protect some of the areas. 

Wat Arun Rajwararam, "Temple of the Dawn") is a Buddhist temple west bank of the Chao Phraya River. It was named after Aruna, the Indian God of Dawn, the Wat Arun is considered one of the most well known of Thailand's many landmarks. The temple is  named because the first light of the morning reflects off the surface of the temple with incredible beauty. (we saw it in the full light of morning and it was truly beautiful). 

Believe it or not the sky was really this blue and the roofs of the temples we an amazing cocoufiny of beautiful bright colors.  The large vertical temples (built in the Khmer-style much like those at Angkor WAT) also took on a charm of their own as they were completely covered with small porcelain tiles and sea shells, a really awesome sight.  The outer four temples are dedicated to the wind god, Phra Phai.  The halls that surround the temple complex are beautifully adorned by Buddha statues like the ones seen here. 

The entry way to the Coronation Hall is beautiful with its guardian statues on each side to protect the king from intruders.

The Thai architecture is amazing and unique.  The predominate feature is the bright colors and the covering of the surface with brightly colored tile pieces or shells.  This gives the buildings a unique look which distinguishes it as being from the Thai culture. 

The first day ended with dinner with our friends the Kinane’s in a great Italian restaurant; I know, we are in Thailand and we had Italian, but actually you can get too much of a great thing.

The next day we once again ventured onto the banks of the river to visit the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace really is a must city in the city of Bangkok. The temple complex was built in 1782 - and for 150 years it was the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government - the Grand Palace of Bangkok is an amazingly ornate temple complex which has been exquisitely restored to the Grandeur days. Thai craftsmanship is well worth seeing an is unique in all the world.  With is blend of bright colors and intricate detail, it is a fascinating to spend many hours. Today, the complex remains the spiritual heart of the Thai Kingdom.

Also inside this complex are temples, the most famous being Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), which contains the small, very famous and greatly revered Emerald Buddha that dates back to the 14th century. Although the emerald Buddha is very impressive the most memorable event was the “loosing of the shoes”.  So it is typical before entering the temple that everyone removes their shoes and leaves them outside the temple in a well organized shelf system.  So after the interesting visit  to pay homage to the Buddha, we returned to put on our shoes as the day was very hot and the pavement was heating up quickly.  After searching in vain, Cath was unable to find her’s and rather than just finding something that fit and potentially starting a chain reaction of missing shoes, she sucked it up and ventured on with them.  It was interesting to see her darting from grass patch to grass patch and from shadows on the pavement.  The day was probably 90+ degrees and the pavement was certainly oer 100.  She was a real trooper and we were able to finish our visit and upon leaving the complex, she was able to find a vendor outside that was more than willing to help her out.  So back to the visit: The robes on the Buddha are changed with the seasons by HM The King of Thailand, and forms an important ritual in the Buddhist calendar. Thai Kings stopped living in the palace around the turn of the twentieth century, but the palace complex is still used to mark all kinds of other ceremonial and auspicious happenings.

The other famous temple inside the grounds of the Grand Palace is

Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha). It is located behind the splendid Temple of the Emerald Buddha and is the largest temple in Bangkok and famed for its huge and majestic reclining Buddha measured 46 metres long and covered in gold leaf. The Buddha's feet are 3 metres long and exquisitely decorated in mother-of-pearl illustrations of auspicious 'laksanas' (characteristics) of the Buddha.

Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya was by far the most surprising settlement that we visited in Thailand.  This once-prosperous Siamese trade and political capital goes down as the most glorious as well as the most devastated city in Thai history. Although Ayutthaya is a 1 ½ hour drive from the city of Bangkok, the city is a haven for history seekers and the city is bursting with stories to tell. As we wandered through the seemingly endless ancient ruin sites, we couldn’t  help but feel humbled by the ingenuity of the Ayodha craftsmen and their powerful spiritual beliefs.

At the center of Ayutthaya City is Ayutthaya Historical Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – the most visited site in the area. Here, the four spectacular temples of the early Ayutthaya period (1350 – 1529) stand amongst a dense canopy of ancient trees. West of it is the site of the Royal Palace and Royal Chapel (Wat Phra Si Sanphet) – the political and spiritual heart of the lost kingdom.

In many ways, Ayutthaya reminded us of the temples of Ankor Wat.  The architecture of the domed monuments is reminiscent of of the domed towers of the temples in Siem Reep.  Ayutthaya has become synonymous with temple ruins and historical sites. Most visitors head over to Ayutthaya Historical Park located in the center of the inner city for a comprehensive overview of its history and past glory. When surrounded by these ruins, it’s not difficult to imagine the grandeur that once was the kingdom of Ayutthaya.

Ayutthaya Historical Park comprises four temples – Wat Phra Ram, Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Mahathat, Wat Ratchaburana – the Royal Palace and Wiharn Phra Mongkol Bophit. Outside of the historical park, the sites are randomly peppered along the west, south and eastern parts of the outer island.

Ayutthaya History

The rise of Ayutthaya followed a period of power consolidation and economic hegemony across the central plain. Legend has it that the original site of Ayutthaya was actually across the river to the east, in the area spanning Wat Ayodhya and Wat Phanan Choeng collectively called Ayodhya. It was already a thriving political and economic centre, with magnificent temples and palaces as well as warm trade relationships with Lopburi and Supannabhumi (Suphanburi).

When an epidemic broke out and threatened to wipe out the entire civilisation, King U-Thong – the first Ayutthaya King – relocated the capital across the river to where it is today. Ayutthaya’s wealth attracted traders and emissaries from across the continent as well as Europe. At its height of prosperity, Ayutthaya maintained close diplomatic and trade ties with Louis XIV’s court in France, Portugal, Holland, Persia, China and Japan, until it was felled in the last battle of the Siamese-Burmese Wars, which lasted 224 years (from 1539 to 1767). This final battle sealed the fate of the kingdom forever, as it was ransacked and burned completely to the ground.

From Ayutthaya we journeyed about 3 hours by car to the town of Pattaya.  Pattaya is a coastal city known for its “wild Life” and I don’t mean the abundance of animals. This area attracts many people from China and surrounding countries that are looking for a beach vacation “with benefits” .  By benefits I am referring the varied type of Thai massages, the abundance of fresh seafood and the tropical climate.  Combine this with a low cost and living and you discover why so many Europeans have made Pattaya their retirement home. Pattaya is the home of my colleague and his wife; tough assignment!! 

Below is the view from their balcony overlooking the ocean.  The sunset can simply be described as stunning. We really enjoyed the couple of days that we spent there but this is not the type of life that we actually long for.  While there we were treated to the Thai hospitality by Dream Kinane and also to her extraordinary Thai cooking skills.  The Thai like to cook with many really hot spices and I really enjoyed the drastic departure from the food in Shanghai (Which Cath prefers because it is predominately Sweet based). 

 

One of the more surprising attractions in Pattaya was the Sanctuary of truth.  The Sanctuary of Truth was a wooden structure built primarily of teach wood from the forests of Thailaind and Cambodia. The temple is a very ornate hand carved temple with many Buddha images.  The temple has been under construction for the part 40 years and will be for at least another 20 years.  The building was constructed according to ancient Thai ingenuity and every square inch of the building is covered with wooden carve sculptures. The purposes of decoration with wooden carve sculptures are to use art and culture as the reflection of Ancient Vision of Earth, Ancient  Knowledge,  and  Eastern Philosophy. With in this complex we get a glimpse of Ancient  Life,  Human  Responsibility, Basic Thought, Cycle of living, Life Relationship with Universe and Common Goal of Life toward Utopia.  The temple is truly a work of art and more than 200 Cambodia carvers are currently working on the temple structure. 

A big thank you goes out to the Kinane’s for their hospitality and especially to Dream for sharing her Thai heritage and the local culture.  We had an outstanding visit and can highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in history, culture, beautiful temples and great Thai cuisine. More pictures on Picasa.   

“Freedom”?

Recently, a good friend of mine from college posed a number of interesting and insightful questions about life in China;  so over the course of the next few months I will try to give my view on these issues; this is the first in the series. I hope you will enjoy these one sided dialogs, if you care to comment please respond on the blog so that all can benefit from your perspective and experiences.

Ever since 1978 when Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping laid out a vision of economic reform, China has been on a growth spurt of massive proportion. However, that growth comes with a huge price in the form of limited freedom. Last week, Chinese leaders clamped down again on freedom of speech in an effort to control the spread of social unrest.

In China, the government blocks access to the microblog service “Twitter” and, instead, a Chinese version called “Weibo” has become popular. In total, more than 300 million Chinese people use microblogs.

 Regarding last week’s clampdown, Chinese officials announced that users of Weibo in Beijing will have to register their real names and be verified by government authorities before posting on the service. In addition, users are banned from posting anything that could lead to disrupting the social order.

This isn’t the first government crackdown on freedom of speech. Earlier in the year, the government blocked citizens’ access to searches on the “Arab Spring” that was rumbling through the Middle East. Prior to that, the government blocked access to Facebook, YouTube, and Google.  Occasionally, we will be watching a global news report on CNN and the screen will go blank; obviously the content was not in keeping with the government’s version of world events.

What’s the government’s problem with freedom of speech?

As the “Arab Spring” uprising in the Middle East demonstrated, social media can enable millions of people to communicate and mobilize in short order. China seems to be very afraid of letting its citizens have this capability for fear that a popular uprising could lead to chaos in a sprawling country of 1.3 billion people.

So why is it important that the government keep the people in line? Well, if the government clamps down too hard and its citizens rise up, it could quickly morph from a social/political movement to one that has major worldwide economic implications. On top of that, China is gearing up for a once in a decade leadership change in 2012 and, given the country’s history, a smooth transition is not guaranteed. In fact the people do have free and open elections and are able to vote for any of the candidates on the ballot (which I am speculating has already been subject to the government’s intervention).  In addition, these elections are limited to certain regions of the country and are for only certain low level elected officials.  Any of the positions of power are still appointed by the government; but maybe it is a start! 

“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” --George Washington, U.S. President.   But fortunately the rest of the world is monitoring the China situation closely and will most likely intervene if the government heads in the wrong direction. 

Actually I have asked my colleagues about this issue many times and they truly believe that the government is protecting the people and has the peoples’ best interests in mind.  As far as the “man on the street” is concerned, life here has the right amount of freedom.  Many of the people in China are still uneducated and are really not able to make the best decisions and I believe that the people in the big cities, who would be most affected by a change in direction, want to protect their new-found lifestyle and not be adversely influenced by the majority who still live in rural communities.

So, if your definition of freedom is that of the US model, then no, the people of China are not free, but day to day life here seems pretty normal.  Sure they cannot practice western religion, or go on strike, or say anything bad about the government including demonstrations, or have more than 1 child or more than 1 dog (in Shanghai), or visit some social networking internet sites;  but they are now free to: choose their own spouse, choose their own job, go to college if they choose (the cost is actually very low), start their own business, and to travel abroad (with some government restrictions from both the Chinese government and the foreign governments).  The amount of freedom continues to improve but the government continues to enact new laws when things are getting out of balance.  

Or as the song puts it:  Freedom is just another word for nothing left to loose. 

Lost in Translation

Like so many things here in China, a lot gets lost in translation but never more so obvious than at Christmas time.  Although we have seen it happening around the world, here it doesn’t seem to be a transition away from the emphasis on Christ in Christmas, it started that way.  I guess it should be obvious that this would be the case because this is not a Christian country and the government wants to keep it that way.  But the problem is that celebration is not a part of the Buddha religion and everybody likes a party, so why not borrow Christmas. 

Yes it is evident that it is Christmas time here in Shanghai.  In most buildings you will see a Christmas tree and some sort of a Santa representation, so in many ways it feels like Christmas.  It is inspiring to see the Christmas lights and the frivolity in the streets and it makes this time of year a festive time.  There actually seems to be more emphasis on the moon than on anything else.  This also should not be surprising as the moon plays a prominate role in the history of China and the life of the Chinese people.  Remember that the Chinese New Year’s celebration is actually a celebration of the new lunar year; and throughout history many temples were built for the sole purpose of honoring the Moon.

 One might think that you would see signs of preparation for the Chinese New Year but all focus is on the spirit of Christmas. 

                                                               Our Apartment

Like so many places in the world, the commercial side of Christmas gets the spotlight.  But the strange thing here is that Christmas in China is not a time for gift giving, and it is not a time for family get togethers, and it’s not a time to stuff yourself until you can’t do anything but sit on the couch and watch TV.  Actually it is not a time of celebration at all!  If Christmas day falls on a work day then people work, no greeting includes “Merry Christmas” unless a westerner is involved, and no plans are being made for travel to see your relatives.  All of this type of activity actually happens during the Chinese New Year.  At  the Chinese New Year, most people return to their home towns and enjoy time with friends and relatives much like we do at Christmas. 

So; no gifts, no special meals, no time with relatives, no thanks to Christ, only a superficial representation of the “Christmas Celebration”.  I must say that we do enjoy the lights, the Weinachts markets, the Christmas trees and the artificial snow.  What we will enjoy much more will be the visit of Tommy, Allison, Zack and Beckey; this is the true celebration of Christmas, the spirit of love and family!  We have been fortunate to have celebrated Christmas in many places in the world but there is nothing like being “Home” for Christmas.  It has been interesting to see the unique traditions of this time of year in places like London, Germany, Botswana, and Australia but the feeling here is much different; without Christ in the celebration it is only a party!

Emily & Todd perform in Shanghai

It was nice to have our first visitors from the US, Emily Samuelson and her skating partner Todd.  They actually didn't come to see us but we were fortunate to not only see them perform their new ice dancing routine at the amazing Shanghai Skating complex but to spend a day showing them our current "home" town.  We had planed to show them a historic section of Shanghai called YuYuan gardens and then some local temples, but once they got a taste of shopping (bartering for souvenirs), they had so much fun that we decided to forgo the trip to the temples and just enjoy time together in the traditional China gardens.  Once they ran out of money, we went to the downtown area for dinner.  It was a nice clear evening and we all enjoyed dinner among the city lights of Shanghai.  We all had a great time and we hope that more of you will take advantage of our expert tour guiding ability and visit Asia.  See you soon!

Angkor Wat and the temples of Siem Rep Cambodia

Our trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia was an amazing trip that should not be missed if you are visiting the Asian region.  The area was a beautiful mix of jungle and lush rice fields (their main crop).  The people we found to be genuine and very friendly.  The accommodations were first class and affordable.  Our four full day tour of the ancient temples and surrounding area was the right length of time; any more time and the temples would all tend to blend together as they are all built in the same style.  The Cambodian cuisine is built around rice and all dishes seem to be based on coconut milk which made it an interesting blend of Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. We would highly recommend Cambodia as an interesting historical trip but also could be a relaxing pampered experienced; Catharine even experienced a full body massage for the first time (not sure that she enjoyed it but it was relaxing for me). The primary reason for the trip was to see Angkor Wat (an UNESCO site) and to learn about the Hindu and Buddhist temples in the region.  We were surprised to find interest in many of the other temples and also enjoyed shopping in the central market.  Many of you many benefit from this experience. I am afraid that many of you will find the following descriptions a bit of “overkill” but I wanted to write down what I could remember so when my memory fades, as it often does, I will have the memories.  For those of you non history majors; enjoy the pictures!

 Siem Reap is the name of the area which contains more than 200 Hindu and Buddhist temples which were built from the 10^th to14^th centuries and this is the reason for our sojourn into Cambodia.  The region of Siem Reap was given the name by King Ang Chan (1516-1566) after he defeated the Thais.  The meaning of the word is “the defeat of Siam” (Cambodians call Siam or Thailand “Siem”) .  This may however have been a little ironic as the Thais retook the region in 1794 and held it until 1907 when the French army retook it for Cambodia. The French built up the city from what was previously a small fishing village and established the modern day Siem Reap. In 1884 a treaty was signed and the whole of Cambodia essentially became a French colony.  When the French pulled out in the mid 1950’s the city was thrust into turmoil until 1975 when the communist Khmer Rouge began their killing rampage (you may remember the “killing fields”), and forced very one out of the city. At this time, Angkor Wat, Siem Reap's prized asset, lay dormant, not a single visitor coming to see the site as Siem Reap remained off-limits to tourists. Since Pol Pot's death in 1998, relative stability and a rejuvenated tourist industry have been important steps in Siem Reap regaining its importance.

Angkor Wat (Wat meaning temple) is the central feature of the Siem Reap region and the primary reason for our visit.  It is now an UNESCO World Heritage Site containing the magnificent remains of the Khmer civilization. Angkor Wat is dominated by five massive towers which are surrounded by bathing pools, gathering places and libraries where the people came to be educated.  The shape of the towers symbolize the mythical Mount Meru. The walls surrounding the complex are covered by thousands of feet of murals which have been carved into the outer walls and depict the history and the battles of the kings.  Also depicted here are scenes from Hindu mythology including the impressive creation story.

History of Angkor Wat

The temple complex at Angkor Wat, just outside of Siem Reap, Cambodia, is world famous for its intricate lotus-blossom towers, its smiling Buddha images and lovely dancing girls called Apsaras, and its geometrically perfect and very beautiful moats and reservoirs.

An amazing temple, Angkor Wat itself is the largest religious structure in the world. It is the crowning achievement of the classical Khmer Empire, which once ruled most of Southeast Asia. The Khmer culture and the empire alike were built around a single critical resource: water. The Angkor area was unfortunately suffering from too much water during our visit and we were not able to visit two of the lesser temples. Angkor Wat (meaning "Capital Temple") and the larger Angkor Thom ("Capital City") are both surrounded by perfectly square moats. It is hard to get an impression of the massive size of this complex including its moats so we took a tethered balloon 150 meters into the air above the complex to get a better perspective. 

Some twenty miles to the south of Siem Reap, a seemingly inexhaustible supply of freshwater stretches across 16,000 square kilometers of Cambodia. This is the Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake.

According to Hindu mythology, which was brought to the Khmer people by the Indian traders, the gods live on the five-peaked Mount Meru, surrounded by an ocean. To replicate this geography, the Khmer king Suryavarman II designed a five-towered temple surrounded by an enormous moat. Each of Angkor Wat's five towers is shaped like an unopened lotus blossom. Construction of Angkor Wat began in 1140 and ended with his rein some 32 years later.  It is amazing to think that this massive complex could be constructed in such a short period of time. It is thought that most of the 1 million inhabitants at the time took some part in the construction of the complex.

By 1431, the Khmer people had abandoned the urban center at Angkor. Power shifted south, to the area around the present-day capital at Phnom Pehn. But the monks continued to worship at the temple of Angkor Wat itself, but the rest of the 200+ temples and other buildings of the Angkor complex were abandoned. Gradually, the sites were reclaimed by the jungle. Although the Khmer people knew that these marvelous ruins stood there, amidst the jungle trees, the outside world did not know about the temples of Angkor until French explorers began to write about the place in the mid-nineteenth century. Over the past 150 years, scholars and scientists from Cambodia and around the world have worked to restore the Khmer buildings and to learn more about the Khmer Empire

Ta Prohm  is best known as the temple where Tomb Raider was filmed.  It was also a Buddhist temple and was built in the Bayon style in 1186 (before Angkor Wat).  It was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: that is taken over by the jungle but this makes it very photogenic as many of the trees are growing out of the ruins which seems to add intrigue to the already beautiful temple; actually making it kind of eerie looking. Ta Prohm was built to honor the deity Prajnaparamita, the 'perfection of wisdom’.

After the fall of the Khmer empire in the 15th century, the temple of Ta Prohm was abandoned and neglected for centuries. When the effort to conserve and restore the temples of Angkor began in the early 20th century, the École française d'Extrême-Orient decided that Ta Prohm would be left largely as it had been found, as a "concession to the general taste for the picturesque." Ta Prohm was singled out because it was "one of the most imposing [temples] and the one which had best merged with the jungle, but not yet to the point of becoming a part of it". The major threat from the tress growing into the temple is that the roots will make the foundations unstable and cause further damage.   But, much work has been done to stabilize the ruins, to permit access, and to maintain "this condition of apparent neglect." We did get to see some archeological work being done at this temple and they were excited that they had discovered some important facades and carvings.

Banteay Srei:  Next we visited the temple named Banteay Srei (Citadel of Women, Citadel of Beauty) , and were astounded by the amazing intrique carvings and small details; we called it the women’s temple. .   Banteay Srei is a 10th century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.   It was interesting to learn that some of the temples are Buddhist and some are Hindu.  This was largely due to the faith of the King that built the temple and often varied from one King to the next.  Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. This fact gives the temple an impressive character all its own and has led to it being widely praised as a "precious gem", or the "jewel of Khmer art.”

The temple was not rediscovered until 1914 and was cleared the following year. In the 1930s Banteay Srei was restored and many of its magnificient carving were brought back to “life”. Historians were surprised to discover that this level of extreme decoration had been used at such an early age. To prevent the site from water damage, the joint Cambodian-Swiss Banteay Srei Conservation Project installed a drainage system between 2000 and 2003.It was interesting to learn that the majority of temples are being restored with grants and joint support from many European countries and the USA.  Of the many temples in Angkor, this one holds a special place in our hearts. 

Bayon Temple (c. 1200)

Bayon (The 120 faces of Buddha temple) was the state temple of Jayavarman VII, a powerful ruler in the late 13th century. The temple sat at the center of Angkor Thom, a walled city that served as the capital of the Khmer Empire. The walls of the city were quite a distance from the temple which made the temple seem to rise abruptly from the ground like an artificial mountain. In fact, the temple was intended to simulate the form of Mt. Meru—the cosmic mountain at the center of the world in Buddhist cosmology. The temple honored not just one deity, but a host of gods that were being worshiped throughout the Khmer empire. Its central shrine held an image of Jayavarman VII, who perhaps imagined himself as a god-King ruling in the name of the Buddha.

The temple is best known today for the gigantic face sculptures that adorn its thirty-seven surviving towers. Facing in four directions on each tower, the faces are thought to represent Lokeshvara, a Buddhist deity that projected benevolence outward to the four directions. From a distance, the Bayon temple appears "as but a muddle of stones”, but closer inspection reveals the intricate carvings of the many Buddha faces. There are 216 gigantic faces on the temple's towers many of which appear to be representations of Jayavarman VII himself.

Since the time of Jayavarman VII, the Bayon has suffered numerous additions and alterations at the hands of subsequent monarchs. During the reign of Jayavarman VIII in the mid-13th century, the Khmer empire reverted to Hinduism and its state temple was altered accordingly. In later centuries, Theravada Buddhism became the dominant religion, leading to still further changes, before the temple was eventually abandoned to the jungle. Since 1995 the Japanese Government team for the Safeguarding of Angkor has been restoring the site. Unlike Angkor Wat, which impresses with the grand scale of its architecture and open spaces, the Bayon "gives the impression of being compressed within a frame which is too tight for it."  Many scenes of local activities of the time are carved into the temple walls.

Angkor Thom (We pronounced it Uncle Tom)

Angkor Thom literally means: "Great City", was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by king Jayavarman VII. It covers an area of 9 km², within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. Angkor Thom serves as the entrance into the temple complex within which are housed Bayon temple, Terrace of the Leopard King and the Elephant Terrace. From here the king used to review the troops and throw parties upon their return.

In the following centuries Angkor Thom remained the capital of a kingdom until its decline some time prior to 1609.

Rolous Group:  Next on the agenda was the Rolous group of temples. These were a little bit further from the city center and were comprised of many smaller temples in various states of restoration / disrepair. Roluos is a Cambodian modern small town and an archeological site about 13 km east of Siem Reap.

Among "Rolous Group" of temples are some of the earliest permanent structures built by Khmer. They mark the beginning of classical period of Khmer civilization, dating from the late 9th century. Some were totally built with bricks, others partially with laterite or sandstone. At present it is composed by three major temples: Bakong, Lolei and Preah Ko.  The first temple that we visited was Preah Ko temple. 

Preah Ko, the oldest, is arranged as two rows of three “prasats” (towers) each, and boasts stunning stone carvings and plasterwork. The most impressive part of this temple is the three cows situated out front of the complex.  The cow is a sacred animal and was probably deemed as such by the Indian culture then brought to the Cambodians. The children playing at the threshold of one of the pillars made for a stunning picture.

By now the temples were tending to all blend together but the site at Bakong was impressive.  It also blended the old with the new in that there was a working / thriving new Buddhist monastery on the grounds. 

Bottom of FormBakong: Distinguishable by the three tiers of elephants standing guard at the corners. In 802 AD, the first king of Angkor Jayavarman II declared the sovereignty of Cambodia. After ups and downs, he established his capital at Hariharalaya. Here his successors constructed Bakong as the first temple mountain of sandstone at Angkor. So in 881 King Indravarman I dedicated the temple to the god Shiva. Toward the end of the 9th century, Indravarman's son and successor Yasovarman I moved the capital from Hariharalaya to the area north of Siem Reap now known as Angkor, where he founded the new city of Yasodharapura around a new temple mountain called Bakheng. Large stone statues of elephants are positioned as guardians at the corners of the three lower levels of the pyramid. Statues of lions guard the stairways.

Pre Rup:,Distinguishable by the all brick construction.  Built in 961 and one of the most important temple mountains, it marks the transition from the pre-classic to the classic period of Angkor. It consists of two terraces, on the second of which is a three-tier pyramid. At the top, the central tower is flanked by four corner towers, all in brick.  It is very distinguishable from the other temples as it is built completely of bricks whereas the other temples were constructed of carved stone.

The almost final stop on our adventure was to Tonle Sap, a massive fresh water lake to rival those of Michigan.  At this time the massive lake was even larger due to the torrential rains of the past few months.  It made getting to the Lake difficult as the local roads were flooded out.  Once on the lake we met up with a very interesting city, a floating city.  This city housed 1200 people mostly fisherman and farmers. There are said to be many of these floating villages in Cambodia and about 2 million people are living in these sorts of villages.  The interesting thing about this particular village is that they move the entire village 5 times per year based on the availability of fish and crops.  They literally tow (with boats) the entire village of more than 200 houses.  Even the school is a series of floating classrooms where the kids get back and forth by dugout canoes.

And finally we visited the Angkor National Museum which was opened in 2007 and houses an impressive collection of artifacts..  The museum afforded us the opportunity to learn more about the areas that we had been visiting.  It is impressive in its collections but also in the way the artifacts are presented.  The room of 1000 Buddha’s was very impressive.

It was an amazing trip back in time to when the Cambodian people ruled the region and built some amazing temples to honor their Gods.  Over time things have changed but they left us an outstanding legacy from the 10-14 centuries.

More pictures will be on Picasa