Favorite Games of South Korean Celebrities

With the social and technological progress, the demand of entertainment is growing at a rapid speed. Games, considered as a very important way of entertainment, has a large group of loyal fans. This includes many Korean celebrities, who are under a lot of pressure. It is said that South Korea has a much higher rate of suicide for celebrities than the United States, Japan or Europe. Hard training and competition during intern period, the hope for fast investment return from their companies and the pressure from public opinions are among the reasons causing some suicides. It will be very interesting to know more about the favorite games of some Korean celebrities, what indoor/outdoor or video games they play when they are free, to relax or to simply spend some time.

Kim Soo-hyun – Bowling

Kim Soo-hyun, height 180cm, weight 65kg, was born February 16th, 1988 in Seoul. He has been a very popular actor in both Korea and China for the last 6 years. His TV dramas “Dream High”, “Moon Embracing the Sun”, “My Love from the Star” have brought him numerous awards for best acting. Although most of the time he plays pretty serious roles, in reality, he has actually a very mischievous personality. He used to set fire and flew tens of paper airplanes out of his classroom window when he was in high school, which caused fire of a flower bed, and of course got a “well-deserved” punishment.

What is also really well-known about Kim Soo-hyun, is his passion for bowling. After three years of training, he participated in 2016 to the “22nd Korean men’s professional bowler trials”, together with Lee Hong-gi. Both of them passed the qualification round easily and played well until their luck ran out at the final. They had an average score of 192.3 and 172.3, with a highest score both at 278. Kim’s talent and devotion to bowling has amazed many of his fans, which attracted the attention of many more. Besides bowling, Kim also loves to play badminton and go skiing during his off time.

Nam Gyu Ri – Video Games

Nam Gyu Ri, height 165cm, weight 46kg, was born on 26^th April, 1985 in Seoul. Graduated from Kyung Hee University, she became a member of the girl group Seeya. After leaving Core Contents Media, an entertainment company, Nam started to pursue a solo career in both acting and singing in 2009. She is very often called “Barbie Doll” for her cute face. She ranked 58^th at “The 23rd Annual Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Faces.”

Under her prettiness is hiding a crazy fan of video games, especially arcade-style ones. She challenged Knee, a professional player, on a Tekken 7 show match, and proved her experienced skills. She beat Tekken 7 world champion Bea Jea-min and even became a model endorsing the game to the public. From her Twitter page, you can find pictures of herself playing video games in front of a large game machine in her dressing room.

Talking about lovers of video games, besides Nam, there is a long list of names of Korean celebrities you can find. Choi Seung-hyun (known as T.O.P), the rapper from Big Bang, loves video games and swimming. Jisook, a main vocalist from Rainbow group, is also a fan. She sang the Korean version of the introduction song for video game “Atelier Sophie”. Kim Hee Cheol from Super Junior is known to be the king of games in the entertainment industry. As a huge “League of Legends (LoL)” gamer, Kim takes Lee Min-Ho as his eternal game rival. Both of them are on the top grade tier at Diamond 3 and 4. Other famous gamers include JungKook (BTS), GongChan (B1A4), HongBin (VIXX), Niel (TEEN TOP), JaeHyo (BLOCK B), LE (EXID), BaekHyun and Chanyeol (EXO), playing the game Overmatch, LoL, RPG and Tekken.

Jisook and Kim Hee Cheol @blog.naver.com

Yook Sungjae from BTOB – Fishing

Yook Sungjea, born on 2^nd May, 1995, is the vocalist and youngest member of the boy group BTOB. He is a singer, actor and host. Graduated from Hanlim Multi Art University in 2014, he debuted in 2012 under Cube Entertainment. Many of his songs are interpreted in Japanese. Sungjae is a very funny and outgoing person. The Internet is full of funny moments in which he is making funny faces, blowing bubbles with his nose and even breaking a watermelon by hitting it with his head.

When he was interviewed by the TV show “Happy Together 3” about his favorite games, he admitted to be a big fan of fishing. He goes four to five times a week. Sungjae became the first idol star to be on the show “Sports Fishing Decode” in 2016. He joined then a new SBS show “Clench Your Fist and Blow the Boat Horn” in January 2017, in which he went on a 12-hour fishing challenge. The show will be broadcasted on 15^th April. Sungjae is very skilled in terms of precision and distance, using his left hand to fish. He claims to have some special connections with fish. Going for a fishing party has the power of healing him and shaking all his stress off as soon as a fish bites. Besides fishing, Sungjae also enjoys going snowboarding from time to time.

Would you like to know more about what your favorite artist enjoys in their sparetime, let us know who!

—-Lizzy Ren

Six Bomb’s “Becoming Prettier” a Failed Gimmick

If you’re a nugu girl group, what would you do to try to gain relevance in a cutthroat K-Pop industry? Naturally, many would “train harder” or “release better music” or “come out with better concepts to get noticed.” If you’re Six Bomb, a group that debuted in 2012 with “Chiki Chiki Bomb,” you’ll do the latter.

Six Bomb returned to the K-Pop scene in 2016 with the panned viral song “Wait 10 Years, Baby,” the track that only went viral thanks to their gimmicky, raw chicken-colored body suits. Internationally, the MV solidified stereotypes that anything that comes from Asia is quirky or weird. The gimmick worked as the group is still around and they earned some international attention. Fast-forward to 2017 and the group, which now consists of leader/rapper Soa, vocalists Dain and SeulBi, and rapper Gabin, released two songs: “Becoming Prettier Before” and “Becoming Prettier After” which have, once again, generated international buzz.

In “Becoming Prettier Before,” viewers are treated to a song with a split-personality as the beat and tempo change jarringly. The MV, however, caused people to notice as it documents the girls getting consultations at a plastic surgery center and practicing in the studio before wrapping up with the girls getting gussied up in makeup for a photoshoot.

As the video unfolds, it could be interpreted two ways: The girls are literally going to have plastic surgery, or—based on the ending—they decided to love themselves enough to not go through with it. The lyrics for the track also hint that the interpretation could go either way with the song mentioning that the girl got her hair and nails done and bought new clothes following a breakup. The plastic surgery-angle isn’t hinted at strongly, but this could be due to overall poor-lyric writing.

Unfortunately, with the follow-up MV, “Becoming Prettier After,” the former interpretation of “going under the knife” became true. The second MV shows the girls with their new looks—which are estimated to have cost around $100 thousand USD—and practicing for their comeback while wrapped in bandages.

For the “Becoming Prettier After” comeback, the girls returned with enhanced busts, double-eyelid surgery, and some refinements to their jaws and noses. The transformations are not too dramatic, but they are noticeable, especially for Dain whose eyes appear too Westernized post-op. The return has polarized fans and casual observers with some praising the girls’ dedication to a concept while others felt disgust the company made them undergo the changes, especially in light of Soa saying during a BBC interview that she had to think hard about changing her looks because she “really liked and was satisfied with [her] previous eyes.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01aE2qBIDFA

While the “Becoming Prettier” plastic surgery concept isn’t too shocking due to many K-Pop idols undergoing some sort of plastic surgery and with South Korea being one of the leaders in plastic surgery, it is shocking as Six Bomb are one of the few groups to openly detail their plastic surgery in a music video (Brown Eyed Girls once parodied Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” with the SNL Korea skit “Plastic Face” where they poked fun at their own procedures). This is where the problem lies as the video showcases everything that’s wrong in society and in the Korean entertainment industry which mostly targets young people.

Today, many societies try to promote self-love and acceptance regardless of appearance and body-type. However, all the images we see of perfectly coifed and sculpted celebrities tell people the opposite: A certain look is required to be successful. In Korea, this is the message sent daily with plastic surgery tours made available to foreigners, plastic surgery ads on the streets, and certain appearances being peddled in advertisements as perfect and acceptable. Double-eyelid surgery is one of the most common procedures in South Korea and is often gifted to young people. For many, plastic surgery equals potential success.

For Six Bomb, the plastic surgery concept must have been synonymous with success, especially from a company standpoint. To a degree, they gained some notice in Korea and plenty of international coverage; but long-term, it’s a gimmick that won’t help the girls be successful in the K-Pop industry. With poorly written songs, low-quality music videos, subpar vocals, and badly arranged songs, the group still risks slipping off into obscurity much like they did after their debut. Unless the group wants to be pigeon-holed into weird and outrageous concepts much like Crayon Pop did following their viral hit “Bar Bar Bar,” there isn’t an upward movement for Six Bomb because their company doesn’t promote them well or give them the material they need to truly be successful. The money spent for the plastic surgery—a possible one-time gimmick—could have gone into better videos, vocal training, and music to help the group try to gain some ground.

The truth is this: Gimmicks only go so far and grow old quickly. In the case of Crayon Pop, 2013 was their year with “Bar Bar Bar.” Helmets became a trend and non-Kpop fans recognized the song and piston dance. Following “Bar Bar Bar,” it’s viral success, and even some of the music show wins, Crayon Pop failed to stay relevant because their company tried to continue the gimmicks over promoting their obvious talents and strong vocals.

Even PSY, who was and is still immensely popular in Korea, faced a similar gimmick dilemma following 2012’s “Gangnam Style.” Internationally, PSY went from a hero with a cult following to someone to be mocked thanks to subsequent “try-hard” songs like “Hangover” and “Gentleman” which, while racking up YouTube views, were panned more than praised. This is not to say that PSY lost popularity in his native country, but it is pointing out how trying to duplicate the success of a song and MV that grew larger-than-life can prove problematic. In PSY’s case, he wasn’t hurt in Korea, but internationally, his act grew tired.

In Six Bomb’s case, the attention received for the “Becoming Prettier” tracks will more than likely be short-lived. Because of this, instead of spending thousands trying to enhance their looks for a one-time concept, their company could have stepped outside the box of what’s expected for Korean females (plastic surgery) and promoted self-love and natural beauty. They could have sent a message to girls that they are fine as they are and they don’t need to change to be accepted, which is what was hinted at in “Becoming Prettier Before” when the girls had their makeup done. There isn’t anything makeup can’t do these days, so going “under the knife” was wholly unnecessary. This was a chance for the group to set a principle and be empowering, but they failed to do so.

The concept was done for all the wrong reasons and further the message that one’s natural looks are not good enough. Six Bomb and their company passed on a golden opportunity to send a different message: You’re beautiful as you are. Instead, the shallowness of beauty standards and faux-perfection in the entertainment industry are further enforced, but the imagery and message will not help Six Bomb succeed in the long run.

—-Joelle Halon

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Lives Up to Hype

On March 3, 2017, Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BotW) for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U. Months prior, Nintendo hyped and teased the game in spectacular fashion, appeasing the appetite of gamers and longtime Zelda fans alike. Nintendo delivered as the game is as beautiful as promised with enhanced game play, an expansive world setting, and nice features that bring BotW to life.

Pros

For starters, Nintendo created a beautiful, expansive land that is absolutely breathtaking. The rich, lush landscapes are lively and teeming with activity from the different wildlife to the monsters that hideout throughout Hyrule. It’s easy to get lost in the landscapes because there is so much to see. Grass blows in the breeze; animals hide in the woods and wander about; trees waver in the wind; mountains are slick when it rains; each landscape has extreme temperature changes. The waterscapes, too, have realism with their ripples and light play.

There is a lot happening in BotW, so players can expect to be entertained for long periods of time. Besides the main quest—defeat Calamity Ganon—there are several shrines, puzzles, and side quests to do that will make the game last a while. Players can do these quests in any order, and there’s an active quest list in the menu that helps players keep track of side quests they’ve completed or yet to complete. For the shrines, the puzzles really do keep a player on his or her toes as many do require thought and planning. The game will make you work for its various perks like spirit orbs and enhanced weapons, but it is worth it.

The game is more realistic in that weapons break [a lot]. Unlike other Zelda games where you have the same weapons throughout, there are a ton of weapon upgrades available within BotW, but weapons tend to break during the worst moments, especially early on. This is a mix pro and con because it’s horrible mid-battle when a weapon decides a shatter, putting the player at a disadvantage until weapons are swapped out. However, it makes for an interesting dynamic when the player has a mix of weak and strong weapons.

One of my favorite elements of BotW is the shrine quests. Some of the shrines involve critical thinking skills to solve them, so it’s nice that BotW isn’t just a mindless action game. There are puzzles within the shrines that are fairly easy to do, but there are others that are downright frustrating. Without revealing any of the shrine names, some of the more frustrating shrines involve tilting the Wii U controller and trying to aim it perfectly to get balls to move about accurately. Prepare for some swear-fests because they are unavoidable.

For this game, Nintendo also gives players credit for being able to craft their own gameplay experience. Unlike other games on the market where “hand-holding” exists and story and play is more linear under the guise of having free-range gaming, BotW truly is free-range. Players can do quests in any order they please. Players can wander the grounds freely without issue. Gamers can do what they please to make the experience their own.

Link, although he is silent in the game, has some personality. If he’s standing around, he’ll pass time by flexing his muscles. When he’s getting upgrades from the Great Fairies, he reacts to whatever kiss they give him. Even his dialogue text is a mix of straight-forward responses and impishness to add depth to his character.

Overall, the characters including villagers, travelers, and villains have more character. Some of the dialogue has innuendo that will go over a young player’s head but will cause adults to chuckle. Some of the background characters are stars in their own rights, like Bolson who seems to be a stereotype of someone from the LGBTQ community, and Magda, who will cause harm if you step on her flowers. There are a few Easter egg characters like the travelers that look like Robin Williams and Satoru Iwata, so be on the lookout for the background characters that will definitely breathe extra life into the game.

Middle Ground

There are some elements that are neither pros nor cons. Here are some elements that could go either way.

First, the game features voice acting within various cut scenes. A few characters have voices fitting for the characters. Mipha and Revali’s characters, especially, have voices that match their respective sweet and brash natures. Meanwhile Zelda comes across as a bit over-dramatic and stilted. The pitch of her voice is awkward and doesn’t match the tone or mood of the game. Her voice is just weird to listen to, so there is a slight failing here. Overall, the voice acting adds another dimension to BotW to enhance the epic feel of the game.

Some of the lesser bosses and monsters are more difficult than the main bosses. For example, a Savage Lynel takes more time and resources to beat than even the main boss, Calamity Ganon. This is a bit of a letdown because it’s expected that main bosses would be difficult. As Link gets stronger and collects more power and better weapons, the main bosses are fairly wimpy. Since the game does allow for the player to craft their own gaming experience, players can attack Ganon without all the enhanced weapons and powers if they are looking for a challenge.

Cons

For our review, we played the Wii U release of the game, so we can’t speak on behalf of Switch users. However, we’re assuming the cons may be the same for both systems as it is the same game. With that said, the cons we experience as Wii U players may not be the same for those playing on the Switch.

One of the biggest cons for BotW is a common issue for many games available on the market today: Camera angles are TERRIBLE. It is difficult to find consistent angles that enhance game play because locations and character position play a role. For climbing or enemy combat, camera angles stand between Link and death a lot of times. The controls don’t really allow for good views, and when there is a good view, it’s like the heavens open. Otherwise, the camera feature has not improved over time for Nintendo games and can lead to some issues with dizziness and motion sickness in some players. I experienced headaches and dizziness long after I stopped playing, so if you’re like me and have motion sickness or certain movements, graphics, colors, or lighting triggers migraines, exercise caution while playing due to camera issues.

Another con is that the game utilizes the entire controller. Different buttons do multiple things (for example, the right movement button is the camera, the Sheikah scope, and switches gear in the menu), so it’s easy to make a mistake during a battle or side activity when trying to switch weapons, shields, shoot arrows, or adjust camera angles. For younger players or those who are less coordinated, the controls may be a source of frustration. It does take a while to memorize the different button functions, but this becomes second-nature with time.

One issue I had during gameplay was that I experienced lag at various points. For example, battles against more than four monsters caused the game to slow down or glitch out, or battles that use up substantial graphics like Fireblight Ganon cause delays of more than five to ten seconds during gameplay. This could be due to my Wii U not having enough memory, but it is noticeable and annoying. I also noticed that the menus sometimes cause the game to flash or crackle. At times, I thought my TV was getting ready to go out, but it was just the game. I cannot confirm if this is an issue only with the Wii U or with both the Wii U and Switch.

Overall

BotW is stunning and breathtaking and, perhaps, one of the best games in the Legend of Zelda series. There’s a lot to explore, but it’s not without its pitfalls. Once the controls are figured out, game play feels more natural, but camera angles will certainly trigger motion sickness and headaches. With those issues aside, BotW will entertain for a long time and earns a solid 4/5.

—-Joelle Halon

The Korean-Cuban history is still nowadays, a subject which is not widely spread, although these two nations share in common, an important past. It all starts in 1905, when 1,033 Koreans left their home to Mexico to search for a better life. They set sail from Incheon in South Korea, arriving in Mexico’s Yucatan after one month, only to find that their dream land was a poor field with hard labor work. Among the demographic of this large group, there were 31% of children (below 20), 68% of adults (20-50) and 1% of old (above 50). Rising another hope, in 1921, 288 of them set sail for Cuba and arrived on May 25^th.

Korean immigration to Mexico

According to the research made by Hea-Jin Park, Koreans were having a rough time in the late nineteenth century, when Japanese influence on the Korean peninsula was increasing day by day. Years of floods caused years of food crises, bringing its flow of plagues over Koreans such as disease outbreaks like cholera. Monetary instability, economic inflation, tax burden as well as government corruption and crimes added up to a situation which was already painful to live. This motivated Koreans to massively immigrate towards Russia, northeast China at first and then Hawaii in 1902. Due to the rising interest of Mexico henequen plantation owners in recruiting Asian labor, the emigration company turned their target toward Koreans, after facing failures in China and Japan because of rejections from both governments. They put up exaggerated advertisement that attracted around one thousand people to join.

Although the emigration company failed to get any legal permission, while this was well known to Korean officials and there was no one actually in charge, the cargo ship managed to depart from Jaemulpo Harbor and sailed for Mexico. While Koreans expected a new prosperous life, a field of slavery was waiting for them upon arrival. Few people died on the trip, many more passed away due to the harsh work, the extremely hot temperature, the diseases and the lack of treatment in the fields of henequen. Losing their freedom became the price for this long trip over the ocean. Trying to escape would indeed be charged with cruel punishments.

After the completion of their four-year contract, most Koreans had no money, nor resources to go back to their homeland, and Korea was still under the control of Japan. Hawaii, where Koreans had a better living condition, could have been a solution, but that solution failed. Instead, they decided to travel to Cuba, leaving the port of Campeche in 1921.

Hard Settlement in Cuba

Cuba 1 Cuba was a Spanish colony for almost 400 years until 1898. At the beginning of the 19^th century, half of the population is black and two third of them are under slavery. Although Cuba won its independence in 1902, it was under the control of the United States until 1959. They controlled their Sugar, Tobacco, Shipbuilding industries, built factories and occupied the lands. As a result of dependence on American economy, Cuba had suffered from a heavy strike during the Great Depression (Black Tuesday) from 1929 to 1933. Cuba is very often called a “stew” of multiple ethnicities. In the mid eighteenth century, many workers from Japan, China, India, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Mexico, in addition to other Caribbean nations, went to work in Cuban sugarcane fields. Koreans were the last ones to arrive in 1921.

Among the 288 who went to Cuba, 94 were from the original 1,033 Koreans and the rest were their children. They stayed 17 days in the boat, refusing to be recognized as Japanese, before accepted as “Coreanos”. Again to their biggest disappointment, the sugarcane business was deep plummeted because of overproduction. The Koreans had to return to henequen farming, where they gained experience, to work as hard labors. They had to work from 4am to 5pm under the heating sun. Many people became trainers or supervisors afterward because of their good skills.

Emigration became immigration. Korean-Cuban community started to grow in the place called El Boro, where schools and churches were built up. It birthed the youth and women’s society of the Korean National Association through the liberation movement. The older generation preferred to live in a separated community which created a kind of self-discrimination. But the Cuba Revolution soon broke the boundaries by giving all children a free education.

Korean Legacy in Cuba

The Cuba Revolution we are talking about, was in 1959, led by Fidel Castro. He became the leader of Cuba until 2011 and Cuba became a one-party socialist state under his administration. Many Koreans fought with Castro for the revolution. Because of the overturning changes in economy, politics and society, approximately one million Cubans moved to the US over the last 50 years, mostly in Greater Miami, Florida. Some of their descendants now moved there too, because of many reasons such as to get a better education.

Today, around 800 descendants of Korea are still living in Cuba. Five generations on, most of them have lost their language, although there is a true blood connection. Most of them are still poor, while only a few became doctors, teachers and engineers. Similar cases are observed with Korean-Mexicans. Korean-Cubans are celebrating every Independence Movement Day on March 1^st, gathering and sharing Korean food. With the rebuild of diplomatic relations between Korea and Cuba, Korean soap operas, K-pop stars, Korean music, festivals are entering the land of Cuba, getting more and more popular. Many of the Korean-Cubans aspire to go to Korea one day, to search for their roots.

Cuba 2

Five Generations On, Mexico’s Koreans Long for Home, 2007
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2007/08/16/2007081661018.html

More on this facinating subject can be found at the following link: https://koreaexpose.com/koreans-cuba-jeronimo-lim/ A full documentary will be coming soon.

—-Lizzy Ren

Taiwan is an archipelago resides across from China. Though small, it packs quite an impact on the international bboy scene. While its Asian competitors, such as Korea and Japan, have undergone what we refer to the “phoenix” metaphor years ago, Taiwan has just begun to experience its boom. Unlike Korea, which is now known as the country that produces machines with inhuman execution of power moves, or Japan, now known as the most innovative country when it comes to originality, Taiwanese bboys do not aim to be the best at just one thing. Instead, the bboys in Taiwan observed and absorbed all the best qualities of their neighboring scenes and molded into their own. Because of the fact, Taiwan has a wide variety of bboys they can offer to the table.

Bboys and bgirls on this list are mentioned because of their achievements from 2016 to the time when this article is published. The rankings are, by no means, a definite way to measure each individual’s skill level in relation to one another.

Bboy Power Sour

Bboy Power Sour is one of the most iconic representations of the level of power moves that Taiwan has to offer. In his early teen years, he was scouted out by the Reformerz Crew as a young talent that not only learns quickly, but was willing to go ridiculously crazy. With his daring attitude and dedication to the dance, he became one of the first, if not the first, bboy that managed to execute a airflare suicide transitioned straight to elbow flare. His level of power moves began to echo across the world as he often times traveled to Japan to compete, where the majority of international bboy spots tend to gather. Eventually, he was invited to participate in the Silverback Open World Final in 2016, where his popularity soared. He continued to demonstrate that Taiwan can compete with the best of the best when it comes to insane power moves and seemingly impossible combinations. At the young age of twenty-one, this bboy has yet to show the world his true potential.

Bboy Taower

Though the scenes in Taiwan are relatively young in comparison to that of Japan or to that of Korea, it does not mean that Taiwan does not have its pioneers that planted the seeds to grow the scene. In fact, many of its Hip Hop pioneers, often refered to as the OG (Original Gangster), are still making noises in the competitive scene. Bboy Taower is a prime example. Representing the Future Crew, bboy Taower could be considered as the pioneer of a power style which Taiwanese bboys represent. With insane freeze stack combos one after another combined with inhuman muscle control required to execute such powerful combinations, bboy Taower always has a powerful presence on the floor. Although due to his involvement with teaching and judging, his participation in battles has dimmed as of late. However, no one doubts his skills whenever he emerges from the cipher.

Bboy Harrien

Bboy Harrien is steadily becoming one of the most recognized bboys from Taiwan on an international stage. Together with bboy Sin, bboy Boris, and many former members of Double Kill Crew, they were putting Taiwan on the map for the world to see. Unfortunately, many core members of Double Kill left the crew in pursuit of different goals. Bboy Harrien became the leader of Dream Runnerz Crew, and he led Dream Runnerz to success on various international floors. From winning the World Bboy Classic Taiwan qualifier to winning Respect Culture X Challenge Cup Crew vs. Crew category, Dream Runnerz is a force to be reckoned with. Under the tutelage of bboy Dyzee of the Supernaturalz crew, Dream Runnerz became a crew that has not only diversity, but also battle-hardened camaraderie, which is the foundation of a successful crew. Bboy Harrien has an unique style that displays his personal interpretation of basic power moves. With the addition or an alteration of a minute detail, a basic move suddenly transformed into something nobody has ever seen. It is exciting to see what the future holds for this bright young man.

Bboy Louis

A rogue bboy as former core member of the Double Kill crew, bboy Louis is another shining star in the Taiwanese bboy scene. Currently representing the Wuxiaz crew with other ex-Double Kill members, bboy Louis refined his style both within and outside of the domestic bboy scene. In his time in Double Kill, he was often overlooked. Not because he is not an astounding bboy whose intricacy in his movements and flow are second to none, but there were simply so many stars that shone so brightly on the international stage. The height of his fame in 2016 came about when the Double Kill squad encountered the notorious SkillBratRenegade squad, consisted of colossal line-up: bboy Casper, bboy Luigi, and bboy Kid David. After rounds of fury, Double Kill executed a humongous upset over the SkillBratRenegade squad and emerged victorious. Nobody expected Taiwan to win over a squad that are equipped with such weight behind its name. With Wuxiaz crew earning momentum, it will be no surprise to see more of bboy Louis on the international stage.

Bboy Drummer Man

Bboy Drummer Man is said to be a hidden gem among the bboy community in Taiwan. Originally represented the Boyz in the Hood Crew, his recent departure from the crew often leads to questions for the motives. However, there is no doubt in anybody’s mind that bboy Drummer Man has the skill to make it on his own. With a lethal combination of insane freeze stack combos and extremely powerful power transitions, bboy Drummer Man brings forth the kind of pressure that can only be found on the ace of the team. Though he does not have many solo titles under his belt, it is only a matter of time before bboy Drummer Man climbs the ladder of fame on the international stage.

—-Joe Pengachu

Top 5 Fashion Trends in China

“Your fashion style defines who you are.”If we give fashion a definition, it can be divided into 18 different styles under 5 catalogs: Liberal, Classical, Casual, Natural and Regional Styles. The top 5 fashion trends nowadays in China, among a total of 18 styles which include Hippie, Bohemia, Gothic, Lolita, Hip-hop, Mori girl, etc. Most of the time these styles don’t show up alone, a combination of styles gives an extra taste of flavors.

No.5 Baroque style – classical and luxury

Baroque style can be originated back from 16th to 18th century in Europe. During the Dutch-centered period, people were into “long look”, “lace” and “leather”. The French Baroque has added much more lace, ribbon to strengthen female body shapes. There is a strong religious character and luxurious keynote of this style, giving people a feeling of distance that can hardly be approached. The patterns of its decorative design are of all different kinds, which gives a soul to this form of art called movement and life force.

The most representative brand for this style in fashion world can only be Dolce&Gabbana. Their 2016 autumn/winter collection was released in Napoli, giving its fans a magnificent image of Italian royalties and a dream of fairy tales. The painting printing, east-Europe embroidery, golden woven and shining jewelries, makes people wonder if they were in a royal theme party “A Midnight Summer Dream”.

China 1

If you look clearly in China, you may find a lot of elements that comes exactly from Baroque: a pair of thin frame glasses, a lace design on the shirt or a small leather bag. You can find Baroque elements in almost all the popular brands in China, which sells extremely well in the last several years.

China 2

Baroque style used to be seen as the fashion of reactionary, its romantic mood and fantastic expressions explain the chase of freedom. When combining with the pure and rich Chinoiserie, producing a life-altering feeling, it gives a surprising extra beauty. This mixture of styles brings an unusually brilliant result both in Milan and Shenzhen Fashion Week.

China 3

No.4 British style – implicit and yuppie

A simple understanding of British style is “style from the Briton”, which originated from the Victoria’s period. The typical specialties of British style nowadays are a well use of tartan, a delicate cutting and a simple fitting design, natural, elegant, implicit and noble, to embody the gentility and nobility temperament. Unlike the traditional style, fancy and intricate, the new and classical British style has formed into three common kinds, the MOD, Tweed Style and Preppy Chic.

Take Preppy Chic as an example, Burberry would be the most representative brand. With a history of 156 years, it is a synonym for high class, quality, creative and forever classical. Burberry is famous for its tartan pattern, unique fabrics and elegance. Their 2017 spring/summer fashion show shaped their models into many Preppy Chic artists. If you remove their coats, you will still see the very basic British elements.

China 4

As Hong Kong is a former British colony, this British wind started from the school uniforms. Preppy Chic has always been loved by young girls. Fan Bing Bing, Yao Chen and many other Chinese actresses have shot photo albums in Preppy style. With the release of movie “Kingsman”, the typical super elegant British suit has attracted more and more fans, even men’s wear is becoming a fashion. The most common clothes match is consisted with a blazer suit top and Scottish woolen pants, gray suit pants or the classical chino pants. With some decoration like bags, scarves and watches, British style makes its wearer look younger and more rebellious.

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No.3 Athleisure style – relaxing and comfortable

When athleisure started to be trendy, the American magazine “Vogue” was doubting if yoga pants could be worn outdoor. Actresses couldn’t wait to take off their high heels and athleisure became such a hit all of a sudden in 2016. More and more sportswear brands released their new athleisure collections in China, even some fast fashion brands like ZARA and H&M created their sportswear series. Athleisure is no longer only a style for sports, but also becoming a fashion daily wear. The specialty of athleisure is relax and comfort. With a half vast or short T-shirt, a comfortable sports pants and shoes, you can easily dress up in athleisure style. From what we can see in all the fashion shows in 2017, athleisure elements are still on every designer’s inspiration list. Lively colors are highly used in sports suits, no matter Rag & Bone, Versace or the French athleisure brand Moncler Gamme Rouge. As you can see on the pictures, waist lace is taking an important role in the design.

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Rag & Bone (left), Versace (middle), Moncler Gamme Rouge (right) 2017 Spring/Summer

At the same time, a hooded coat is becoming a new trend.

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Versace (left), DKNY (middle), Yeezy (right) 2017 Spring/Summer

When you remove the gender line, athleisure can also be sexy.

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Stella McCartney (left), Chanel (middle), Chanel (right) 2017 Spring/Summer

There are also other common used elements like holes and cutouts that décor body muscles.

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Fendi (left), Alexander Wang (middle), Vetements (right) 2017 Spring/Summer

Take a good look at Chinese fashion, athleisure style is so trendy that you see them everywhere. No matter if you are going to a work out, having an afternoon tea, going shopping, a date or even going to work, this style applies in almost every case. The barrier of dressing between work and exercise time is disappearing that sports itself is becoming a fashion.

Fan Bing Bing (left), Yang Mi (middle), Yang Ying (right)

No.2 Korean style – star-leading and fast-changing

For the last several years, with the introduction of Korean TV series, more and more K-pop groups and Korean stars are seen on Chinese commercials. Korean fashion style is like a hot wind, blowing into the Chinese market, that becomes an indicator for Chinese and Asian fashion trend. It is extremely popular with young generations, very often called “little fresh (小清新)” and “stupid but sweet (傻白甜)”. The speed of changes is pretty high that most popular Korean brands are a fast-fashion type.

Spain has ZARA, Japan has UNIQLO, while South Korea has “8seconds”. Founded by the subsidiary company Cheil Industry of Samsung, 8seconds was made to compete with all the foreign brands. 8seconds represents the time period “now”, which is commonly considered as eight seconds. Their boutiques always display lots of colors and creations, which are part of the most worth-going shopping places in South Korea.

Another example is Lucky Chouette, coming from the designer Kim Jae-Hyun. It has a large variety of collections, inspired by high street fashion with affordable prices. Coming from Seoul, Kim is one of the most promising young designers. His studio is always crowded with Korean celebrities thanks to his success in Jardin de Chouette collections.

Korean fashion has been deeply inserted into Chinese culture. The fascination for Korean stars has made the cultural interaction very easy. An over-sized coat, a candy color, a lower body sweater and a pair of casual jeans will make you look cute and delicate.

No.1 Chinoiserie – witty and elegant

Chinoiserie is a Chinese style established on traditional Chinese culture, containing a large quantity of elements that are adapted to the fashion trend of the world’s art form and lifestyle. Chinoiserie clothing uses Chinese elements as a form of appearance, combining with the global fashion trend, to create a unique cultural attraction and a strong personality. It has an immortal image for Chinese fashion and its elements: Auspicious Dragon, Cheongsam, Embroidery, Blue and white porcelain decorative pattern…are more and more a fascination for the world’s leading designers.

In Paris fashion week, Heaven Gaia 2017 released their spring/summer collections under the theme of “Old Summer Palace”. Light traces of blue flowers, Chinese paper fan, round mirror, dragon tattoo, switch grass, painting brush, embroider, chivalrous woman…are all mixed in the series. Even the most common Chinese red that can be easily interpreted as tacky, has a very poetic feeling.

You can also find Chinoiserie in Prada (Left) and J.W. Anderson (Right) 2017.

Chinoiserie is the heritage of the 5000-year Chinese history. Today it runs through all kinds of Chinese fashion shows, entertainment celebrities, local brands, and everywhere on the street in people’s daily life. From architecture to interior decoration, from art objects to daily wears. Chinoiserie has presented the fashion world a strong national feature and awareness.

2017 Shenzhen Fashion Week

Chen Yan Xi (陈妍希) – a famous Chinese actress

—-Lizzy Ren

Being a big fan of SHINee for about 8 years now I was very excited hearing about their upcoming concert. The atmosphere was great from waiting outside talking with more Shawols (SHINee fanbase name) till in our seats moving our heads to the music. The following songs were played at the concert in order below:

01. Hitchhiking
02. Why So Serious
03. Juliette
04. Prism
05. Replay (remix ver.)
06. Hello
07. Odd Eye
08. Feel Good
09. Sherlock (clue + note)
10. Goodbye (taemin solo)
11. Ring Ding Dong
12. Lucifer (remix ver.)
13. Selene 6.23
14. Aside
15. 투명우산(Don’t Let Me Go)
16. 잠꼬대(Please Don’t Go) (jonghyun / onew)
17. View
18. Ready Or Not
19. Savior
20. Everybody
21. 1of1
22. Dream Girl
23. 재연(an encore)

From hearing their comments on the stage the boys were pretty excited as well and wanting to give it all they had to make sure we enjoyed the show. Loving our energy and singing every song with them, a few comments were made from Onew wishing the stage was bigger wanting to show off more and having fun with us. I couldn’t pick a favorite performance from this concert, every song, dance and vocal kept me on my feet and also the other Shawols. There was never a boring moment in the concert and just being able to see them was still shocking.

When the concert was over for me personally I still couldn’t believe it SHINee have come a long way from 2008 even if you weren’t there from the beginning and came in around 2013 or even 2015 you still feel that overwhelming fact of how hard these boys work not just as one group but each of them individually from solo albums, k drama appearances and modeling. SHINee have so much more in store for us Shawols and this American tour was just a milestone of what they want us to see.

—-Ali Johnson

VARSITY is a new K-Pop group consisting of 12 gentlemen including 7 Korean and 5 Chinese (one of them is a Chinese-American hybrid). Recently launched on January 3, 2017, VARSITY works under a joint partnership with both Korean Global K Center Entertainment (GKC) and Chinese Hi Media Ltd. To make their debut more official, they released their first, and so far the only single “U R My Only One” just 2 days afterwards, alongside with individual and group images, dance practices, biographies and a bunch of teaser trailers. Active news can be found on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Fan Café.

As a rookie boy’s group, VARSITY is facing competition from some other K-pop groups such as EXO. Same, in a way that EXO debuted as a 12 member group with multinational backgrounds, EXO has been quite successful since their debut in 2011. VARSITY is also doing well so far as a rookie group. They promised to deliver powerful performances completed with acrobatic dance moves, and they did. “U R My Only One” is very easy to listen to with a nice instrumental to back their soothing vocals. Their debut track will make you sway your body back and forth because it’s the perfect mid-tempo song. They performed this song on a music show, met with fans, who came out in the cold weather, and gifted them with Valentine’s Day hugs and chocolates. This was a very smart move as they see their fan audience growing fast.

By naming the group “VARSITY”, they targeted an international audience and are already on most fans’ radars. With these 12 multinational members, VARSITY is able to communicate with their fans in a variety of language such as Korean, Chinese, English, Arab, even French. It is very well-known that K-pop Stars are mostly famous for their outstanding appearance, and in that case, VARSITY is no exception. All of them are handsome and they all have their own unique charms, each taking a place in the group with different talents. We are going to give you a more detailed introduction of the 12 members: Kid, Bullet, Damon, XiWeol, Xin, JaeBin, SeungBo, RiHo, Anthony, YoonHo, DaWon, and Manny.

Kid (키드) – vocalist

Kid was born on October 26, 1995 in South Korea. He has been training for 6 years, which is the longest in the group. His deep voice stands out. He was supposed to debut in the group “New World” but they disbanded unfortunately. Kid and Damon are the VARSITY’s fashionistas. Kid jokes that if ever he was a girl, he would live alone rather than dating any one of his group members.

Bullet (블릿) – leader, vocalist, rapper

Bullet was born on December 2, 1995 in South Korea. He just graduated from university in 2017.

Damon (데이먼) – dancer

Damon was born on July 2, 1996 in China. He used to be a dance teacher and worked as a professional dancer in many dance crews.

XiWeo (시월) – main vocalist

XiWeol was born on October 21, 1996 in South Korea, talented in instruments like piano and guitar. His birth name is Kang Minseok (강민석). He was supposed to debut this year with the group A to Z, together with Riho, but same as “New World”, the group disbanded. His ideal girl type is like “Kim Sojung”.

Xin (씬) – vocalist

Xin was born on November 10, 1996 in China. His favorite singer is THE ONE.

JaeBin (재빈)

JaeBin was born on February 13, 1997 in China. He is very good at both Chinese and Korean as he is currently studying at Konkuk University’s Korean Language Institute, which puts him in an important position, the language bridge of the group. He also likes to be known by his nickname Kobin or Nosebin.

SeungBo (승보) – mood maker, vocalist

SeungBo was born on November 1, 1997 in South Korea. He speaks Arab, English and French besides Korean since he moved to Dubai at the age of 10. With the name of “Mood Maker”, he is actually the creator of PPAP’s Indian version. He is also very good at swimming besides his music career.

RiHo (리호)

RiHo’s birth name is Jin Seungwook. He was born on March 1, 1998 in South Korea. RiHo is not a stranger to the public, he used to be a child actor. Moreover, he appeared on KBS2 “The Clinic for Married Couples: Love and War”. RiHo is famous for his six-pack abs.

Anthony (엔써니) – vocalist

Born on December 3, 1998, Anthony is a Chinese-American vocalist who plays very good piano.
YunHo(만니) – dancer

YunHo was born on April 15, 2000 in South Korea. He is very good at street dancing and urban choreography. As what he shared, he would date SeungBo if he was a girl.

DaWon(다원)

DaWon was born on May 12, 2000 in South Korea. He is the tallest member in VARSITY who calls himself the beagle of the group.

Manny(만니) – rapper, Maknae

Manny is the youngest member in VARSITY, who was born on November 17, 2001 in China. Becoming a singer and a popular idol in South Korea has always been his dream. He has a talent for acting and is described to have a unique personality. His Muslim background has always been a discussion topic to the public.

We’d like to know your thoughts on VARSITY.

—-Lizzy Ren

Top 5 Chinese Pop Artists

Chinese Pop has taken in a lot of influence from the American and western countries. It is a reflection of the growth of culture, economy and politics, which has a very strong national feature. These top 5 Chinese Pop artists that I am going to recommend, no matter where they were born or grown up, are the most talented pop artists that have or had a career in China and revolutionized Chinese Pop.

No.5 Faye Wong (王菲 Wang Fei) – the diva of pop

Faye Wong was born in 1969 in Beijing. She is a Chinese singer-songwriter and actress. She has been recognized as the Best Selling Canto-Pop Female by Guinness World Records, the Most Popular Female Singer in HK, Singapore, Malaysia, alongside with many top awards from Taiwan and Japan, and was the first Chinese singer featured on the cover of Time Magazine.

Faye Wong tries new ways of singing and/or adds new elements to her music at all time. In 1992, her album “Coming home”, combining Chinese and western style, was her first time trying to accentuate her vocal performances the same way Whitney Houston would have done, or as Adele is known for nowadays. She added rock into her Cantonese album “No Regrets (执迷不悔)” in 1993 and tried English alternative music style in “Random Thoughts (胡思乱想)” in 1994. The cover version of the Irish song The Cranberries’ “Dreams” was her first trying to apply the skill that consist on swallowing the sound. She added Brit Pop and part of Dream Pop into her album “Fickleness (浮躁)” in 1996, and again in 1998, skills of bel canto, vibrato and falsetto have been found in her album “Sing and Play (唱游)”. Her bold versatility and strong personality were also reflected in the way she oriented her career towards different audiences, from Cantonese to Mandarin market, then from mainland China to Japan. After a hiatus period of four years between 2005 and 2009, Faye came back and remained active since then. Some of her most popular music are: “Red Bean (红豆)”, “Because of Love (因为爱情)”, “To Youth (致青春)”, “Legend(传奇)”, and “World (人间)”.

Sincere, sensible and quite straight forward are some adjectives that describe her personality and can be found in her music. By successfully inserting elements like special female voice, Brit Pop, electronic music, she managed to overturn the HK pop trend, changing the taste of the large audience. Whatever music she sings, it has a taste of difference. Because of the influence of western and Japanese pop culture, Faye captures the fashion trends and applies them in her work. Her delicacy, vogue and temperament has gifted her with large recognition in mainland China.

No.4 Beyond – the most memorable Cantonese band

Beyond is a Hongkongese rock band composed of four members: Wong Ka Kui (黄家驹),Paul Wong(黄贯中), Steve Wong(黄家强), Yip Sai Wing(叶世荣). Considered as the most influential Cantonese music group of the former British colony, they were awarded Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards, RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards and RTHK Lifetime Achievement Award.

Beyond was founded in 1983 and after three years of collaboration, they released their first album “Goodbye Ideal (再见理想)”. In 1988, the Cantonese album “Modern Stage(现代舞台)” was a true reflection of the society they were living in and the lyrics were as a matter of fact, quite critic towards it. After getting some notoriety in Hong Kong, in 1991, they started to target audiences in Japan and Taiwan. As the key figure of the band, Wong Ka Kui has united the group into a harmonious team. His strong belief and confidence was always the inspiration of their creations. His brutal death while on stage in 1993, brought the group to somehow, lose its soul. His companions continued playing and the band officially disbanded later in 2005.

Beyond’s music is full of power and life, focusing on reality, sensible to the society, culture, even politics. The deep and genuine thoughts in their music were rarely found at that time. “Glorious Years (光辉岁月)” was a music written to eliminate barriers between races, “Amani” was against wars, “Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies (海阔天空)” was for the chase of freedom. It was their spirit, the strong love and hope that have resonated to millions of fans.

No.3 Jacky Cheung (张学友 Zhang Xue You) – one of the “Four Heavenly Kings” in HK

Born is Hong Kong in 1961, Jacky Cheung is famous for being a singer and an actor. He has won many awards, including Best Mandarin Male Singer by Golden Melody Awards, two Best-Selling Chinese Artist by World Music Awards, Outstanding Young Persons of HK, Outstanding Young Persons of the World, and was awarded the most popular Asian singer of Channel [V] Billboard in 1994. Besides numerous other music awards, Jacky has also gained remarkable recognition in his acting career.

Starting in 1984, Jacky is a rather productive singer who has released over 50 personal albums in about 30 years of career. Jacky’s most notorious time is from 1993 to 1999 when his album “Goodbye Kiss (吻别)” broke records in several regions with over 4 million copies sold, and is one of his best-selling albums of all time. His most popular songs included “Miss Each Other in the Wind & Rain (相思风雨中)”, “With You All the Way (一路上有你)”“You Are the Only One (你最珍贵)”, “If This Is Not Love (如果这都不算爱)” and many others. He was recognized by Time Magazine as Top 25 most influential people in the New Hong Kong in 1996. In 2004, Jacky published his first entire single–joint album “Life Is Like A Dream” in memorial of his deceased elder daughter, wife and many friends. Among hundreds of his world tours, “Jacky Cheung 1/2 Century World Tour” in 2010 was the biggest, by which he broke his own Guinness World record that included 146 shows in 77 cities with 2,048,553 tickets sold.

Jacky succeed in opening up a worldwide market, his fame spread among the whole Southeast Asia and Chinese communities all around the world in the 1990s. The huge sales of his records have attracted the attention of the international pop music world and many foreign media. Somehow it was thanks to him that Billboard discovered HK pop. Jacky’s glorious peak is still considered as the period that saw HK pop contributing the most to the growth of the world pop.

No.2 Teresa Teng (邓丽君Deng Li Jun) – a worldwide legend

Born in 1953 in Taiwan, Teresa is a legend of the Chinese pop. Her influence goes beyond music, becoming a cultural symbol that has affected people’s daily life. She was recognized as the Top 20 World’s Most Famous Music Artists in 2010 by CNN, Top 7 World’s Female Singer in 1986 by Time Magazine, and was invited for performances in Lincoln Center, Los Angeles Music Center and Las Vegas Caesar’s Palace in the 1980s.

From 1967 to 1988, Teresa experienced several phases of her singer career. After an active 3-year start-up in Taiwan, she carried out a tour in Southeast Asia including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippine, Thailand and Vietnam and was very welcomed in Hong Kong. Since 1974, she officially entered Japan market. Her second single “Airport (空港)” broke the sales record of her company. She was a super star favored by Japanese awards and media. After 5 successful years, Teresa left Japan because of a passport issue and went back on stage in Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as many other Southeast Asian countries. In 1983, the album “Light Exquisite Feeling (淡淡幽情)” was published and it became the first work using ancient poetries as lyrics in Chinese. She returned to Japan in 1984 and again was a big hit, breaking records in every TV shows. Teresa started to stop her singing career in 1988 due to health issue. She passed away in 1994, but her afterlife influence is ever-lasting. Some of her most popular songs include: “I Only Care About You (我只在乎你)”, “Honey (甜蜜蜜)”, “Memory in Water (在水一方)”, “The Moon Represents My Heart (月亮代表我的心)”.

Teresa’s voice was described as “seven parts sweetness, three parts tears.” A well-controlled breath and a powerful weeping voice were parts of her specialties. She was the first Chinese music singer that had a worldwide influence. By combining Chinese and western elements and mixing national folks and pop characters, she created her own music style, which had inspired the music creations of many later generations.

No.1 Jay Chou (周杰伦 Zhou Jie Lun) – New king of Asian pop

Jay Chou, who was born in 1979 in Taiwan, is known to be one of the most revolutionary and leading singer-songwriter in Asian pop music since 2000. He is crowned as “the King of Asian Pop”. His most famous awards include fifteen Golden Melody Awards, four Best-Selling Chinese Artist by World Music Awards, alongside with 20 various awards per year. He was listed on Asian’s most influencing 25 people in 2009, Most Creative People 100 by Fast Company in 2010, and No.1 of Forbes China celebrity in 2012.

As a musician, songwriter, singer, record producer, film producer, actor and director, Jay Chou is an all-around developed talent. After his songs being rejected many times, in 2000, Jay started to sing his own music and published his first album “Jay”, which was written and directed mostly by himself. It combined many music styles including R&B and hip-hop. In 2001, the album “Fantasy” came out and established his record style. The Chinese-western style music “Nun Chucks (双截棍)” became a representative Rap work of him. In 2003, he was the cover story of Time Magazine (Asian version). From 2000 to 2016, Jay released almost one album a year, 14 albums in total with 30 million album sales so far, as well as performing in many world tours and movies on the side. His music “In the name of the father (以父之名)”, “East Wind Breaks (东风破)”, “Common Jasmin Orange (七里香)”, “Faraway (千里之外)”, “Blue and White Porcelain (青花瓷)”, “Red Dust Inn (红尘客栈)” are typical works of his representative Chinese style.

One of Jay’s specialties is that there are Chinese style songs in every single of his album. He has localized R&B into a total Chinese style, by combining eastern and western elements such as jazz, blues, rock, folk rhyme, hip-hop, country and electronic music. The bold application and combination of all kinds of instruments, create an unexpected effectiveness and differentiate his music from any common style.

—-Lizzy Ren

As a country with over 5000 years of history, China has always been a mysterious existence for the rest of the world, the flying Kong Fu, the Chinese food, the culture and the old architecture has attracted millions and millions of tourists every year. Here I am going to recommend you the top 5 places to visit while in China, to discover the beauty in the biggest eastern country.

No.5 Shanghai – an oriental pearl in the east

Shanghai is a very modern international city with a lot of Chinese traditional culture. For hundreds of years, it has been the center of Chinese economy, transportation, technology, industry, trade, exhibition and shipping. As a national famous historical and cultural city, Shanghai hosts many world famous landmarks. From the Yu Garden and the many ancient streets, passing by the French concession, to the new Disneyland, Shanghai brings you from the most traditional Chinese spirit to the most modern and opened entertainment.

Because of its phenomenal western style architecture, Shanghai is also called “the Eastern Paris”. Walking down the Bund, you can explore a group of 52 buildings inspired by influences coming from the old occidental world. The Bund, this architectural jewel nowadays, used to be a track road where boatman and hard labors were once working on. On the other side of the Huangpu River, facing the Bund, the scenery offers a complete different experience made of modernity: the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, alongside with the Jin Mao Tower, and the brand new Shanghai Tower…gifts its tourist with one of the most magnificent skylines.

Shanghai becomes a destination for fashion, a shopping paradise and a connection with the world. With the successful World Expo in 2010, the foundation of the free trade zone in 2013, Shanghai is walking toward the world with the “Chinese dream”.

No.4 Jiuzhaigou – a jade pool in men’s world

Jiuzhaigou is a national park, located in Sichuan province, which gained the prestigious title of UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wild panda and golden monkeys are among these very rare animals that you can spot in this natural ecological environment.

Jiuzhaigou, in mandarin, means “the nine villages in the valley”. According to the legend, nine smart, brave and beautiful daughters of a powerful god, decided to help the locals by defeating the Snake Demon poisoning the villagers’ water. As they succeeded in their quest, they married nine local men and built families. Generation after generation, nine tribes mute into nine villages, renamed “Jiuzhaigou”.

“When you return from the nine villages, you don’t look at water the same way.” Water in every form is a major attraction in Jiuzhaigou. You can find 108 springs, waterfalls, rivers and rapids, building colorful jade pools. There are six famous scenes: Changhai, Jianyan, Nuorilang, Shuzheng, Zharu, Heihai, which are distributed in a “Y” shape. The jade green sea, cascading waterfalls, colorful woods, snowy mountains, cultural feeling of Zang minority and blue ice are the six extraordinary beauties. The best season to enjoy this wonder at its fullest is during autumn when the landscape covers itself with the gold color coming from the trees. Reflected by the water combined with the mountains on the background, this will be a second to none experience.

No.3 Yunnan – the cradle of the minor nationalities

Yunnan, province in southwest China, could be translated as “south of the colorful clouds”. It is one of the provinces with the most tourism resources in China. There are three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, twelve national parks and tens of other famous tourist attractions. Out of 56 minor nationalities in China, there are 52 in Yunnan, 26 of them are long-dwelling nationalities, which accounts for one-third of the whole population in Yunnan.

As one of the two old towns which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites in China. Old town of Lijiang was built near hills and beside streams. Numerous two-storeyed, tile-roofed, timber-framed houses combining elements of Han and Zang architecture and decoration in the arched gateways, screen walls, courtyards and carved roof beams are representative of the Naxi culture and are disposed in rows following the contours of the mountainside. Old town of Lijiang is a place where you forget time. It can be a peaceful home of small bridges and rivers, a busy ancient street or a city of beautiful romance.

Beside Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge in Northwest Yunnan is a place for adventures, the majestic and precipitous Yulong Snow Mount, Haba Snow Mount, Meili Snow Mount have attracted worldwide mountain explorers. The city Xishuangbanna in Southwest Yunnan is as gentle as water, it absorbed the elegance of the Dai girls. Jianshui in Southeast Yunnan has built the meaning of culture into the cornices and brackets of the old town…When you walk into Yunnan, you walk into the Naxi Dongba culture, the Dali Baizu culture, the Dai Beiye culture, the Yi Beima culture…you walk into a local custom where myths, musicals, paintings and ancient music all come together.

No.2 Tibet – a holy land where you dream to be

Tibet, with an average height over 4000 meters, is a pure pearl on the biggest and highest plateau in the world. 90% of the population in Tibet are Zang people. Tibet is famous for its best snowy scenery and unique plateau culture. Tibetan Buddhism has turned this place into a mysterious existence.

The Potala Palace, in most people’s eyes, is the symbol of Tibet. It contains over 1000 rooms with the White Palace, Red Quarters and their ancillary buildings. It’s a museum for the art of ancient Chinese architecture and Buddhism. The beauty and originality of the architecture of these three sites, their rich ornamentation and harmonious integration in a striking landscape, add to their historic and religious interest.

As the development of tourism, Tibet has formed into four tourism areas with different specialties. Lhasa area includes Lhasa, Yangbajing, Damxung, Jiangzi, Shigatse, Yangdork lake, the local temples are the highlights there. Western Tibet area is the roof of the world, all the believers would bring their pure heart and sincere respect to come to see the beauty of the holy mountains and lakes. Southwest Tibet has the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, which is covered by snow all year round. And the Southern Tibet is centered by Nyingchi, where there’s amazing sites and the weather is always comfortable.

The local customs are also amazing attractions. The unique local events, festivals, ceremonies and Zang people’s daily life are attracting millions of tourists every year.

No.1 Beijing – a golden treasure in Chinese history

If there is only one place that you can visit in China, Beijing is definitely the must-see. As a city with over 3,000 years of history, capital of six dynasties, it has seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which ranks first in the world.

There are over 200 sights, 7,309 cultural objects, 144 museums/galleries and 20 national parks. Among the best known sites, the Forbidden City, with its landscaped gardens and many buildings (whose nearly 10,000 rooms contain furniture and works of art), constitutes a priceless testimony to Chinese civilization during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Great Wall, with a total length of 8851.8km in Ming Dynasty, is believed to be the only work built by human hands on this planet that can be seen from the moon. There’s a famous Chinese saying: “If you have never been to the Great Wall, you are not a real man.”

Other well-known sites includes: Tiananmen, center of Beijing; Temple of Heaven, representation of heaven and earth; Ming Tombs, biggest imperial mausoleum for 13 kings; Summer Palace, Beihai, masterpieces of Chinese gardening art. Under the modern atmosphere of the city, the real spirit of Beijing is deeply pure and nostalgic.

In Beijing, there are many local customs and traditions which you can’t miss: the Beijing Opera, Cross talk, Cloisonn, Grasshopper competition, Sugar blowing, Dough figures…Don’t forget to go to the restaurant, Quanjude, and enjoy a nice Beijing Duck!

—-Lizzy Ren

By Drew Farmer

Twitter: @DrewMFarmer

Manny Ramirez is like the old west gunslinger unable to put away his gun and holster. The baseball great who rose to prominence with the Cleveland Indians before becoming a household name as a member of the Boston Red Sox is at it again; only this time on the other side of the world.

Ramirez, now 44, is suiting up for Japan independent baseball club Kochi Fighting Dogs in an attempt at another baseball comeback. The designated hitter hasn’t played since 2014 when he spent a season as a player-coach for the Chicago Cubs’ triple-A affiliate in Iowa.

The 12-time Major League Baseball All-Star has already made an impact for his new team, although it is still only preseason. Ramirez hit a run scoring double for the Fighting Dogs as the team gets ready for the Shikoku Island League season.

Ramirez was well-known for his clutch hitting and ability to drive in runs. He finished his MLB career with 1,831 runs batted in, and the baseball hitting great should knock in his fair share of runs in Japan.

In the game on March 16^th, Ramirez played as the team’s designated hitter, the position outlined for him in his contract, and hit in the lead-off position.

Despite his preseason hitting catching the eye of some, it is Ramirez’s contract that has attracted more attention to the former World Series Most Valuable Player.

Ramirez’s contract, signed in January, has only had many of its interesting stipulations released to the media. For the most part, the most talked about stipulations seem the kind that foreign sports teams would offer many big name American athletes while overseas. Although one of the contract’s perks would be considered by some as an April Fool’s Day joke, if it were only April.

Ramirez’s contract calls for the power hitter to have a personally driven Mercedes to take him wherever he needs to go while with the team. In addition to the car, Ramirez will receive a personal suite during his time with the club. According to sources, the suite will cost an estimated 80,000 yen per night; or just a little more than $700 based on the current exchange rate.

Another stipulation in Ramirez’s contract calls for the player to skip any practice he doesn’t want to attend. The club will also sell Manny Ramirez exclusive merchandise through a new English language website.

Finally, the item that has raised most eyebrows is the fine print that allows Ramirez to receive unlimited sushi while playing for the Fighting Dogs. Whether Ramirez has asked for the sushi or it was put into the contract by the team is unknown. Regardless, Manny will have plenty of sushi rolls knock home during the season.

Ramirez officially joined the team on March 10^th, and already rumors have been floated that the former Red Sox player could sign with a Nippon Professional Baseball team if he does well for Kochi. The NPB is the highest level of professional baseball in Japan, but there is no word on whether he would receive the same all-you-can-eat sushi deal with one of the league’s teams.

While much of the talk about Ramirez’s signing with Kochi has been about his new contract, the fact of the matter is the former big leaguer still has the passion to play. As a player-coach with Iowa, several Cubs’ minor league players credited Ramirez for his help with their hitting.

Ramirez has received a bad rap since completing his first full MLB season in 1994. That year saw him finish second in Rookie of the Year voting to Kansas City’s Bob Hamelin. Amazingly, Ramirez went on to baseball superstardom while Hamelin quit the game in 1999 before going into construction. He later became a professional baseball scout. Ramirez hopes to change his reputation by working with young players, and Kochi is an opportunity for him to do just that.

Ramirez’s glittering MLB career was tarnished in 2011 when he tested positive for a banned performance enhancing drug. Reinstated just over a year later after serving a 50-game suspension, Ramirez attempted his first comeback. However, things never truly worked out for him as he bounced from the Oakland Athletics to Taiwan’s EDA Rhinos before playing in both the Texas Rangers’ and Chicago Cubs’ farm systems.

Despite his MLB Hall of Fame credentials, Ramirez’s PED suspension will keep him out of Cooperstown for the time being. Although that could change in time.

For now, Ramirez is set to light up the Shikoku Island League in Japan with Kochi Fighting Dogs. The career .312 hitter should be a hit with the team as he eats up the league’s pitching one at-bat at a time.

—-Drew Farmer

#MannyRamirez, #KochiFightingDogs, #ChineseBaseball

The National Basketball Association, also called the NBA, is a professional basketball league in the U.S. The best basketball players in the world all strut their stuff here. It is also considered the sport of giants with an average height of players being 6 ft 7 (2m 01). NBA teams now pick players from countries like China, Taiwan and Japan. Some FORMER NBA players have also been recruited to play overseas in Asia as well. In this article, we will look at a list of past and current Asian players in the NBA as well as past and current former NBA players playing basketball in Asia.

Asian players in the NBA

WAT MISAKA

Wat was born December 21, 1923. A 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) point guard of Japanese descent, he was the first non-white player and the first player of Asian descent to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), known then as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). He played three games for the New York Knicks during the 1947–1948 season.

MENGKE BATEER

Mengke Bateer was born on the 20^th of November, 1975. He is 6 ft 10 3/4 in tall (2m 10). Most of his career was in the tournament in China. He played for Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors. He spent 3 years playing in the NBA from 2002 to 2004.

SUN YUE

Sun Yue is a talented basketball player. He was born November 6, 1975 with a height of 6 ft 9 in (2m 6). Majority his career was in China, but he has 1 year with Los Angeles Laker in NBA.

WANG ZHI ZHI

Wang was born July 8, 1977. He is a retired Chinese professional basketball player who most recently played for Bayi Rockets in the Chinese Basketball Association. He also played in the National Basketball Association for the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Miami Heat.

YAO MING

Yao Ming was born September 12, 1980. He is a Chinese retired professional basketball player who played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected to start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game eight times, and was named to the All-NBA Team five times. At the time of his final season, he was the tallest active player in the NBA, at 2.29 m (7 ft 6 in). He is the only player outside of the United States to lead the NBA in All-Star voting.

YI JIANLIAN

Yi Jianlian was born October 27, 1987. He is a Chinese professional basketball player for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He has also played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks.

HA SEUNG-JIN

Ha Seung- Jin was born August 4, 1985. He is a South Korean professional basketball player who has played in the NBA and the NBA D-League. He was a second round draft pick (46th overall) of the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2004 NBA Draft. At 7 ft 3 in, 305 lb, he was among the largest players in the NBA. He is also the first (and as of 2016, only) South Korean to play in the NBA.

YUTA TABUSE

He was born October 5, 1980. He is a Japanese professional basketball player. A point guard, Tabuse is 1.75 metres (5 ft 9 in) and 75 kilograms (165 lb). He is currently with Link Tochigi Brex of the Japan Basketball League. After leaving the Toyota Alvark in 2003, Tabuse became the first Japanese national to play in the NBA’s summer league, playing six games in the Rocky Mountain Revue for the Dallas Mavericks.

JEREMY LIN

Jeremy Lin is an American whose mother is Taiwanese. He was born August 23 1988. He began his career in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors and is currently playing with the Charlotte Hornets.

Former NBA players in Asia

GREG ODEN

Gregory Wayne Oden Jr. (born January 22, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). In the NBA, he played for Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers.

STEPHON MARBURY

Stephon Xavier Marbury (born February 20, 1977) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He has won three CBA championships with Beijing in 2012, 2014 and 2015, and is widely considered as the greatest foreign player to ever play in the Chinese Basketball Association. In the NBA, he played for Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics.

DORELL WRIGHT

Dorell Lawrence Wright (born December 2, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wright was drafted in the 2004 NBA draft by the Miami Heat directly out of high school. He has also played for the Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers. He played for the Chinese Basketball Association team Beikong Fly Dragons from 2015-2016.

TRACY MCGRADY

McGrady came to the CBA at the tail end of his career, playing a season with the Qingdao Eagles before briefly returning to the NBA as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. In the NBA, he played for Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets.

STEVE FRANCIS

Steven D’Shawn Francis (born February 21, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected with the second overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft, and played for the Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, and New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association, and the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association. He was known for his crossover dribble, driving ability, and flashy dunks.

BONZI WELLS

Gawen DeAngelo “Bonzi” Wells (born September 28, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Ball State University and was drafted in the 1998 NBA Draft. In the NBA, Wells played for five teams from 1998 to 2008: the Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, and New Orleans Hornets. He played for Shanxi Zhongyu in China.

Are you familiar with any of these players? What do you think about this article?

—-Angela Writter

#NBA, #Asia Basketball, #Basketball, #Shanxi, #BeijingDucks, #HaSeung-Jin, #JeremyLin, #NBADLeague, #SanAntonioSpurs, #YaoMing, #ChineseBasketballAssociation, #CBAChampionship

No other country in the world has left their mark in the international bboy scene as colorful as Japan. Originally outshone by their Korean counterparts, the Japanese bboys broke the blight and have outdone other international competitions in recent years. With their creative style and explosive dynamics, Japanese bboys are a force to be reckoned with. Among the Japanese scene that boasts a sea of talents, these 5 Japanese bboys made their names echoed on the world stage.

Bboys and bgirls on this list are mentioned because of their achievements from 2016 to the time when this article is published. The ranking is, by no means, a definite way to measure each individual’s skill level in relation to one another.

Bboy Issei

Hail from Tokyo, Japan, this bboy represents both the FoundNation Crew and Kyushudanji Crew. He is the most decorated bboy in 2016. From reaching the finals of the prestigious Silverback Open World Final to winning the Red Bull BC One World Final, this bboy brings terror to those that had to face him on the floor. With his dynamic style involving power moves and unique power transitions with impeccable flow, one can expect him to go the distance in any solo competitions he participates. He is no stranger to group competition either. Just last year he contributed greatly to Found Nation’s victory in Freestyle Session World Final, which was in three-on-three format. He also battled through a list of battle-tested crews alongside his crew mates and reached all the way to the finals in Silverback Open World Final’s crew battle. The world is this man’s playground. With him gaining more and more experience under his belt, his limit is nowhere in site.

Bboy Shingekix

When asked about any upcoming Japanese bboys that are shining brighter than the rest, the name Shingekix will be among the first names that rush to mind. Representing the KAKB crew, he is a formidable force that shatters all expectations people may have. In fact, he is the very representation that age is only a number.

When watching Shingekix throw his rounds, it almost seems like this kid will never run out of energy to entertain. Combinations after combinations, together with his precise executions and high-level transitions that seem reckless yet controlled, bboy Shingekix proved that one cannot underestimate him just because of his age. At the age of fifteen, bboy Shingekix has traveled throughout the world, taking title after title in solo competitions. From Asia to Europe to the United States, he has stood on the same stage as the best bboys in the world. Only time will tell what this blooming talent can achieve in the future

Bboy Taisuke

Bboy Taisuke is one of the first Japanese bboys to bring attention of the world to the Japanese bboy scene. For awhile, he was the only Japanese participant in the Redbull BC One World Final. Though he has toned down his participation in battles as of late, he still proved that he has what it takes to battle amongst the best at Redbull BC One World Final last year. Representing not one, but four prestigious and accomplished crews: RedBull BC One All Stars, All Area, the Flooriors, and the Mighty Zulu Kingz. Taisuke has a style that reflects both his experiences and his flavors. From one big move transitioning to small yet accented details, Taisuke impacted a whole generation of bboys that utilized the concept to be original. In addition, he is also credited for creating an unique powermove called “continuous criticals”. Though he announced that he will no longer participate in the upcoming RedBull BC One competition, there is no doubt that he will continue to cause spark in other competitions around the world.

Bboy Yosh is Stoic

Representing the Gun Smoke Breakers, Bboy Yosh is Stoic is a bboy equipped with every move in the game. However, it is not his explosive moves that he is famous for. It is his application of his arsenal to the music that made him a deadly force on the floor. His understanding of the dance as a whole has greatly aided him in his participation of the RedBull BC One series. In Redbull BC One Kansai Cypher, he had to defeat numerous accomplished bboys, including bboy Kaku of Mortal Kombat crew, in order to enter the RedBull BC One Last Chance Cypher, which upon winning will grant him the right to partake in RedBull BC One World Finals. After an intense exchange of tricks after tricks, it was Bboy Yosh is Stoic that took home the win, and the right to participate in the Redbull BC One Last Chance Cypher, where he went all the way to the finals. Though most of the trophies he won are from crew battles, his contributions to Gun Smoke Breaker’s victories are undeniable. This year may be the year that Bboy Yosh is Stoic will have a chance to climb up the global fame ladder.

Bgirl Narumi

Bgirl Narumi has, again and again, proved her worth as a member of the world famous Body Carnival Crew. Together with her sister, bgirl Ayumi, and bboy Kazuki Rock, they traveled the world and participated in battles. Together they won Remix 10th Anniversary 3v3 Competition, which is a high level competition that attracted bboys and bgirls from all over the world. In addition, she is the only breaker that won the Silverback Open Championship World Final two years in a row in their respective category. In 2016, she also came close to winning the Freestyle Session World Finals Bgirl 1v1 category. When she dances on the floor, one would wonder how can one of her stature compact such a big personality. Her movements are wild yet calculated. Combined with powermoves to flow smoothly into freezes and footwork transitions, her unique flavors in her dynamic movements are what makes her unique. The year 2017 will hopefully feature more of her participation.

—Joe Pengachu

#bboy, #RedbullBCOneWorld, #SilverbackOpenWorldFinal, #FreestyleSessionWorldFinals

On March 7, 2017, B.A.P and their leader Bang Yongguk, who has been on hiatus for personal health reasons, returned with “Wake Me Up.” Since its release, feedback for the track has been overwhelmingly positive as the song and the Rose single album continues to trend on global iTunes charts. In the United States, it was even ahead of Beyoncé and Adele on the iTunes world album chart for some time. On Facebook and Twitter, the praise continues with fans and non-fans of the charismatic group encouraging everyone else to watch the video. Twenty-four hours following the release, #BAP_WakeMeUp continued to trend on different Twitter feeds globally, and a week after, it continues to trend high on Naver’s top 100.

By far, “Wake Me Up” is one of B.A.P’s best tracks and MVs, and this is with personal bias aside. The composition is memorable and different, causing it to stand out amidst the current K-Pop release lineup. The music is fresh while sounding like it has an old soul, while the vocals show B.A.P’s enhanced growth. The haunting “wake me up” chorus just grabs the ear with intensity. “Wake Me Up” features some of the best vocals in B.A.P’s discography with Himchan, Daehyun, Youngjae, and Jongup showing greater development and more stability. In terms of sound, “Wake Me Up” bursts forth with guns blazing.

Lyrics

Looking at the track lyrically, it’s impossible to not feel something when listening to the song. The theme of “waking up” plays on the phrase “get woke” or, in layman’s terms, gain awareness. The first verse of “Wake Me Up” hints at this meaning with “I’m awakening a different me inside, the faint light that was turned off. Wake me up. Open my eyes.” The way the lyrics are structured, they can pertain to societal issues, mental health awareness, and strengthening social awareness. Like a rose, the song has many layers that make it have the depth it has; all-the-while, it remains relevant and relatable to a global audience.

Each verse can relate to someone who is going through something negative. For example, in verses nine and ten—Himchan’s solo part—the lines come across as someone with an emotional or mental health disorder speaking about “Putting back together the messy puzzle pieces in this game… Questions thrown at me, without even a question mark.” “Putting the pieces back together” is a common phrase used for someone who may experience emotional distress, confusion, or a breakdown as he or she tries to get a life back on track. Meanwhile, the questions being thrown without question marks refers to how people are quick to judge and make statements without thought or consideration of how the suffering individual may feel. In verse 11 when Yongguk takes over, the lyrics call for revolution and for people to become aware. The lyrics suggest that people need to discover a world outside of what the media and governing bodies feed us in order to see how people actual suffer and feel. There is a call for action for those who are repressed to rise above and be seen. The most poignant line here is also the simplest: “FREE, LOVE, REAL, ILL.” This line tells listeners that no matter their background, identity, or stigma, they need to rise above and be heard.

The fact that each line can be taken and applied to different situations— including our own issues here in the US with racial and gender inequity, government and media corruption, and immigration and human rights— makes the song an artful masterpiece.

MV and Analysis

The MV strikes a chord with a wide audience, not just B.A.P fans. There are several elements to the MV that makes it a standout from its diversity to its artsy approach to social issues and stigmas.

First, diversity is strongly displayed throughout “Wake Me Up.” People of different races and genders are all portrayed as struggling with a social stigma, mental illness, or fighting for something. As many have noticed, “Wake Me Up” features minorities as human beings over thugs or criminals, which is a strong positive for this MV. This sends the message that no matter our backgrounds, we should be “awake” to each other’s suffering because everyone does have a struggle.

Second, the way mental illness and social issues are portrayed are expertly crafted and tastefully done. Within the MV, we see the following:

A blonde female struggling with body image. She symbolizes eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder.
A black male struggling with paranoia.
A brunette woman with suicidal depression.
A Middle Eastern young man who shoots people with his fingers. He symbolizes the stereotype that people from the Middle East or who are Muslim are all terrorists.
A black female with delusorycleptoparasitosis. Individuals with this syndrome feel as if their surroundings are infested with bugs or parasites.
A black male with the “Emotion rEVOLution” sign. He can be perceived as a peaceful protester. In the US, he is a symbolic of the Black Lives Matter movement and other minority protests (women, LQBTQ+). He also symbolizes how those with a personal struggle are ignored in society.

They, along with Yongguk— who was on hiatus due to a panic disorder—all represent an important issue neglected in society. Mental illness is often swept under the rug; there are negative stereotypes associated with being Middle Eastern; and protesting, which is prevalent today, is viewed as useless. Each person is seen suffering alone because they are invisible.

BAP__4 Mixed in with the scenes showing people’s struggles, there are two key elements. The first is the animation of people’s heads being filled; the second is when B.A.P appear on the TV and people suddenly take notice.

With the first animation, it appears the heads are being filled with excrement which can be interpreted two ways: People want to fill their heads with useless information to avoid dealing with real issues, or, second, the media fills people’s heads with an agenda while not addressing real issues. In either case, people’s heads are filled with content that takes away from the human element or the important issues in life.

With the second scene when B.A.P appear on the TV screen, people in the streets stop and watch. This is following how no one took notice to the man pleading for an emotion revolution. This scene is saying that people will only listen to issues if it’s through media. Given how media is everywhere—TV, film, radio, music, advertisements, cell phones, and many other forms—people do pay attention to that over what others—i.e., real flesh and blood— around them are saying and doing. It is through media that people want to act. This hints at the spread of social media activism that has been prominent the past few years.

In addition to these scenes, there are other relevant images. One includes B.A.P members with torches, which symbolizes how they’ll be a light in the darkness. There are also scenes throughout where members are featured with their eyes closed and quickly opening to symbolizing waking up, while Zelo and Yongguk are standing in front of the sun. The sun scenes symbolize full awakening and is a play on the word “rose” (the album name) because the sun has risen to signify a dawn to a new day. The time for change is here.

The rose theme plays a role throughout. For “Wake Me Up,” the roses belong to someone who has had a personal struggle starting with each B.A.P member and ending with the six individuals shown throughout the MV. The roses play on the “everyone rose has its thorn” and “where flowers bloom, so does hope” quotes. Roses are beautiful, which relates to the beauty of the human soul, but roses are thorny, which relates to how people have darkness inside of them. The rose flowers are what people see while the thorns are what’s beneath the surface. However, if tended to properly, a rose can bloom and prosper. This is what is hinted at between the dark rose scenes and the scenes later where the characters smile with their roses.

The MV is well-crafted and full of symbolism. Part of the MV’s beauty is that it can be analyzed easily to where any fan can pick up on the themes. As for as B.A.P MVs go, this is one of their most brilliant.

Overall

“Wake Me Up” is a timely, necessary song and MV. It is timely given the turmoil that exists globally, and it is timeless because the MV contains themes that won’t disappear in society. The song is also their strongest comeback since “1004,” signifying that B.A.P isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Given its global success, the track definitely hit fans hard.

Scores

MV: 9/10

Lyrics: 8/10

Overall Song: 10/10

Total: 9/10

—-Joelle Halon

For those that don’t know, Makestar is a sort of crowdfunding site made for Kpop groups. Companies post a group’s information, usually about a comeback or item for sale, and allow fans to donate money with perks attached to higher donations.
Makestar’s home page

For example, Stellar, have a project for a ‘Fan Special’ albums that is currently on-going. As you can see below, they have exceeded their project goal by more than $40,000.

Some of the donation perks include Honorary Producer for the most basic donation($0.99) all the way up to invitations to Stellar’s showcase, music video filming and a meal with the group($832.20). It is safe to say this has been a success for Stellar, as most projects on Makestar are.

Glancing through the website it is easy to see that the groups that are holding projects are not the most popular. However, popularity and talent are not synonymous which is why this website’s services are so important. It is easy for groups, especially girl groups, from small or new companies to get lost in the sea of the dozens of groups that debut every year. Most groups are able to establish a fan base and with Makestar that fan base can directly support any future efforts the group makes.

Makestar also follows through on all promised items from a support. For the project supporting Astro’s photobook project Makestar updated as goals were met, most recently posting information regarding a promised subway ad for Astro’s first anniversary.

It is important to keep in mind a successful Makestar project does not guarantee success of a group. High4 have had successful fundraisers, however, after leader Sunggu announced his departure from the group, Makestar announced that the current project would be High4’s last album. Internal issues within companies or groups can cause even the most fruitful projects (High4 raised $37,000, 427% of their goal) to end in failure. Similarly, WA$$UP reached their project goal and are planning on releasing an album despite the departure of 3 members, including UPRS Season 2 runner up Nada.

In short, money cannot solve all a group’s problems. However, barring that there are no other issues, a service like Makestar can help groups who are having a hard time financially stay afloat longer. By placing power in fans’ hands, it shows that there are people who want to see a group survive to produce more content.

Sometimes it comes down to your favorites wanting to know whether or not they are still your favorites by using this style of platform.

Would you look down on your favorites if they had to fundraise to make comebacks?

Photos: Makestar.co

Disclosure: KCRUSH has contributed to and will continue to support the fundraising efforts on Makestar.

—-Ke’Anna Bullard

It seems February was the month of TWICE and BTS. With their songs being monster hits on the charts, it’s easy to overlook some of the other releases. February was a surprisingly strong month for K-Pop artists even though February is typically a ballad month. Let’s look at the ten songs that caught our attention. For our list, music charts and YouTube views don’t count; we only go by the songs themselves. Of course, our list may be way different than yours!

Honorable mentions: Red Velvet “Rookie,” Cross Gene “Black or White,” Day6 “You Were Beautiful,” Block B “Yesterday,” Grace “Zombie High,” Soyou X Baekhyun “Rain,” 100% “Sketch U,” Yun “Wonder Land,” Lovelyz “WoW!”

Subin “Circle’s Dream”

Dal*Shabet’s Subin has one of the strongest voices in the current female idol crop. When she’s solo, her idol image disappears in favor of a more versatile vocal talent. For “Circle’s Dream,” Subin channels her folksy side with a song that’s all at once refreshing and repetitive without being grating. The chorus has the cadence of the pitter-patter of falling rain, which is suitable for a track that feels like it’s ushering spring and brightening the winter doldrums.

MelodyDay “Kiss on the Lips”

“Kiss on the Lips” is a spot of summer in the middle of winter with its light reggae that recalls Wonder Girls’ “Why So Lonely.” MelodyDay, like another group coming up, tend to fly under the radar despite a solid discography. “Kiss on the Lips” has the perfect amount of great vocals and musical arrangement to make it a standout.

Gu9udan “A Girl Like Me”

“A Girl Like Me” shows off Gu9udan’s more grownup side as the track is a departure from their previous track, “Wonderland.” “A Girl Like Me” is fun, sharp, and features one of the cutest rap breaks to come from a current girl group. There’s a lot of hope for Gu9udan, and this track shows they are a top-notch group in the making.

TWICE “Knock Knock”

While “Knock Knock” isn’t as strong as other TWICE songs, it’s a cute, feel-good song that lifts spirits while recalling simpler times on the K-Pop scene. It’s peppy and cheerful while radiating charm. The catchy chorus is guaranteed to get stuck in your head, which is probably why it’s blowing up records left and right.

Taeyeon “Fine”

Taeyeon’s lovely voice returns to enchant us with the beautiful “Fine.” The song is simple but contains strong emotion to paint of picture of moving on after a failed romance. The track features Taeyeon’s borderline-indie vocals that show her prowess as a soloist.

BTS “Spring Day”

BTS’ “Spring Day” holds a lot of meaning for A.R.M.Y and casual fans alike. The song, which is theorized as being about being left behind following a friend’s suicide, resonated well with listeners. The song shows BTS’ softer side beautifully, highlighting their ability to hold their own with songs that carry emotion alongside their hard-hitting power tracks.

Gavy NJ “An Obvious Melody”

Gavy NJ, a group that’s always flying under the radar, have another strong comeback with “An Obvious Melody” (English title: “An Obvious Melo”). Their powerful vocals pair nicely with the tango-esque track to create a song that’s memorable and sensual. Vocal groups often don’t get enough love from international fans, but they really should.

Jung Joon Young ft. Jang Hyejin “You and Me”

Jung Joon Young does emotional songs well. With his deep, unique voice, there is feeling within every note he sings. “You and Me” is a ballad done right due to its strengths. Jung’s high and low notes are enough to send chills down a listener’s spine. The track is worth more than one listen.

K.A.R.D “Don’t Recall”

K.A.R.D are a group that’s more adult K-Pop fan-friendly than mainstream friendly, which is why they’re so attractive to international audiences. The thing about K.A.R.D is that they haven’t even officially debuted yet. The project group keeps winning more fans, and with tracks like “Don’t Recall,” they will continue to do so with strong rap, vocals, and harmonies. With co-ed groups not being popular anymore, here’s to hoping they can refuel the co-ed trend!

BTS “Not Today”

BTS’ harder tracks truly show off their color. “Not Today” has powerful lyrics that matches its strong beat and arrangement. “Not Today” has quickly become a mantra in memes as well as youth rallying cry. The track is purely BTS with their signature sound and intensity, making it our number one track of the month.

What songs make up your top ten? Share your thoughts with us!

—-Joelle Halon

Clean It Zero is one of those products that people constantly rave about. From its cleansing abilities to its scent, beauty fanatics consider it a top-notch cleanser that should be a staple in everyone’s makeup drawer. After trying it for the first time, I will agree as I now wonder why it wasn’t a part of my skincare routine before. Banila’s makeup remover is gentle, light, and thorough and a real treat to use.

Packaging

I ordered the original Clean It Zero, so my packaging was pink and feminine. The product comes packaged nicely in a watercolor-esque box. Inside the box, there are instructions for use in multiple languages, a card with an online code, a plastic lid to preserve the product’s integrity, and a plastic spatula to use for scooping out the balm. The plastic container the product comes in is also pink and cheerful with clean lines and a good weight. The packaging actually makes Clean It Zero look more expensive than it actually is, so it is a product that could proudly be displayed on a bathroom counter.

Ingredients

Mineral oil, cetyl ethylhexanoate, peg-20 glyceryl triisostearate, peg-10 isostearate, polyethylene, butylene glycol, water, rubus suavissimus (raspberry) leaf extract, bambusa arundinacea stem extract, aspalathus linearis leaf extract, viscum album (mistletoe) leaf extract, angelica polymorpha sinesis root extract, carica papaya (papaya) fruit extract, malpighia glabra (acerola) fruit extract, epilobium angustifolium leaf extract, bht, butylparaben, ci 16255, ci 15985, fragrance

Use

Clean It Zero is easy to use. Scoop out some balm using the provided spatula, then spread it on your dry face in circular motions to help the balm melt. As you apply the balm, makeup will begin to emulsify. Then, use warm water to begin rinsing off the cleanser. As you do, Clean It Zero turns white and almost milky. Keep rinsing until all the product and makeup is gone and pat dry. You can even follow up with a foaming cleanser for an extra clean feel.

Impressions

Since Clean It Zero is an oil-type balm, I expected it to be heavy. Thankfully, it’s not! The balm is light and refreshing on the skin, and it does a great job breaking down makeup. My makeup look is usually fairly lightweight, but for testing purposes, I went heavy on mascara, lipstick, foundation, blush, and eyeliner to test its capabilities. The balm emulsified waterproof mascara and eyeliner with ease, and even the full-coverage foundation was not match for it. As it breaks down makeup, it’s not pretty because it will look like your face is melting, but it clearly does an excellent job.

Rinsing the balm off is easy, too. The warm water turns the somewhat oily balm into a milky cleanser that dissipates as you continue to rinse while using circular motions on your skin. When the product is completely washed off and dried, what’s left behind is smooth, satiny skin that’s bright and clean.

The cleanser has a sherbet scent to it that’s summery and pleasant. The scent isn’t strong and overpowering, but it is clean and light. The papaya extract included in the cleanser also smells delightful and helps to lightly exfoliate skin. The fragrance isn’t a skin irritant, but if you do have sensitive skin, Clean It Zero Purity may be more to your liking.

Overall

Clean It Zero, hands down, is one of the best cleansers on the market. It’s easy to see why it’s an award-winner and praised highly by those in the beauty industry. The product earns a solid 5/5 and should be a staple product in any beauty basket.

Clean It Zero is currently available for $16 on SokoGlam.

—-Joelle Halon

JYP Entertainment’s chart-dominating girl group TWICE returned with “Knock Knock” on February 19, 2017. Since its release, “Knock Knock” received 60 perfect all-kills, and the MV became the fastest K-Pop MV to 30 million views on YouTube. With another hit on their hands, TWICE cannot be stopped even though they have many antis and naysayers who call them “flops” and “untalented artists.” Meanwhile, TWICE get the last laugh as they quickly become a chart-dominating, worldwide-recognized super group.

Accolades aside, looking at “Knock Knock” objectively, the song isn’t as strong as TWICE’s debut runaway hit “Like Ooh Ahh” and follow-up track “Cheer Up,” but it is stronger than “TT.” “TT” showed that as a long as a group is cute and likeable and the song is catchy, sugary, and poppy, a hit can happen even if there’s no substance. Meanwhile, while “Knock Knock” comes across as basic and nothing that special despite its growing accolades, it’s a nice song with a high replay quality… lyrics aside, of course.

Lyrically, the song is a typical throwaway pop song. The lyrics are fluffy and airy as the girls sing about wanting a potential love interest to notice them. The actual song content is spliced heavily with “knock knocks” (which is repeated 131 times throughout the track), so an actual story doesn’t exist. This is where “Knock Knock” fails because it is more focused on being cute and bubbly than substantial. With the lyrics, it’s nothing special and doesn’t stand up to other basic pop songs that exist in the K-Pop or global industry. The reason “Knock Knock” is a runaway hit is due to execution and the charm TWICE exudes.

However, what makes “Knock Knock” enjoyable is that it’s repetitive without being obnoxious. Each verse is blooming with adorable charm that highlights TWICE’s strengths as the new “it” group. The track is youthful and effervescent that oozes with bubblegum poppiness that could be sickeningly cloying if executed wrong or if it’s too over-the-top. Here, TWICE balance sweetness with maturity to make the song an effortless hit. The bouncy beat and overall arrangement strengthens the song even further and masks the lack of substance contained within the lyrics, so it is essentially selling its strongpoints. For the song, TWICE are good performers because they sell the song just by being themselves. Their joy and individual color shines brighter than the weaknesses.

With that said, the MV is a bit of a letdown. “Knock Knock” is a continuation of “TT,” yet it comes across as a standard sleepover MV with no plot other than “look at how cute this group is.” There are pillow fights, snowball fights, and cute shenanigans with a cameo by JYP (but sadly no “JYP” whisper), and a picture book featuring the fantasy characters from “TT” drops by, but there’s nothing coherent that shows “Knock Knock” is a continuation of “TT.” The house is the same, but that’s about it. Throw in how “TT” takes place during Halloween and “Knock Knock” is in winter, and you have a non-linear story that’s unclear and jumbled.

Story aside, the video is a visual treat. The outfit changes, glitchy filming, and fun elements match perfectly with the mood the song creates. Each girl is adorable with bright smiles and non-obnoxious aegyo. While Tzuyu is often the most talked about member thanks to her stunning visuals, the “Knock Knock” era belongs to Dahyun because she is ridiculously charming with a smile that can warm even the coldest, deadest heart. Dahyun steals the show with ease, but she does have close competition with the equally charming Nayeon.

Another standout for the MV is Jeongyeon. Usually, Jeongyeon comes across as insipid, and facially, she almost does once again in this MV. However, her iciness thaws nicely as the MV progresses to show a lighter side to her usual stonewall appearance. Jeongyeon often looks like she takes everything seriously while aiming for perfection, which is nice to see her let loose.

The dance portions for the song are also cute and match the music nicely. The way the group executes dance with their actions helps to make “Knock Knock” a win.

Overall, “Knock Knock” is a delightful song despite weak lyrics. Execution-wise, TWICE sell it and the MV beautifully. It is better than “TT” but not on par with “Like Ooh Ahh” and “Cheer Up,” but it is a winner in its own right.

Scores

MV: 6/10

Lyrics: 3/10

Overall Song: 8/10

Total: 5.67/10

—-Joelle Halon

For many KPOP fans, attending a fansign is the ultimate goal. For those unaware, a fansign is an event, usually held in Korea or Japan, excluding special events, where fans have the opportunity to talk to their favorite group while getting an album signed personally to them.

For foreign fans with limited access to groups in their home country, this seems like a dream come true. However, gaining admission to one of these events can be extremely difficult and expensive. Fansigns are ran by lottery and purchasing one album gains you one entry. For some groups attending a fansign is as easy as buying a single album but for others a fan can buy 100 and still not get in. However, it can be difficult even getting to that point in the fansign process.

To start, a group will announce on their fancafe/social media that they will be holding a fansign with information on the location and time of the event. They will also include the specific store where you must buy the album from.

Got 7 1 Got 7 2

The information shown in this includes the date, time, and location of the fansign. The other information is about where to buy the album and how many people will get in. Usually this number is 100 but this varies from time to time.

In this specific posting, you are to buy the album from a specific YP Bookstore during a specific time frame. Some time frames last for a week or more while many, like this one, end after 3 days.

Once you have found the store, you have to decide exactly how much money you are willing to spend to get into the fansign. Being that it is based on a raffle system there is also luck involved. There have been times a fan purchases 3 albums and get in while another purchases 15 and does not. These albums are also slightly more expensive than in regular KPOP stores.

The next part is what many believe to be the worst of the entire process: waiting for results. Even if you buy the album at the last possible moment you will have to wait at least a couple hours to know if you make it in or not. Once the time is up the shop will post a list of the people who were drawn on their site (this url is usually found in the original fan meeting post as well).

If you get in, it can be nerve wracking as many fansigns occur within a few days of the winners’ announcement. Different groups have different rules regarding their fansigns and following them is a must or you risk getting kicked out and banned. For example, GOT7 fansigns are strictly for the album and do not allow for fans to ask questions written on sticky notes and you are no longer allowed to give them gifts.

At the fansign, you usually draw a number and it will decide the order you get your album signed and how far away you are. It can be a little intimidating being there and surrounded by fans with big cameras but the idols will quickly make you forget that. For non-Korean speakers, it will be harder to understand what’s happening but many idols will try to meet you half way and speak a mix of Konglish with you. There are also special events that take place during like games or polaroid photo events.

These events are sometimes once in a lifetime and if the opportunity to attend one arises it should be taken advantage of. It may be hard to decipher the information, but with a little luck you will be on your way to meeting your favorite idols.

— Ke’Anna Bullard

SF9’s Jaeyoon is being accused of blackface after uploading a photo of his face covered in black paint.

The photo was posted to Twitter after a V-App video where members of SF9 painted each other’s faces.

The original tweet was posted to SF9’s main twitter account and caption “Everyone, it’s Jaeyoon. Can you….see me? I am right here kekeke”

The tweet has since been taken down and many fans are requesting an apology from the group. Do you think this was blackface or just something accidental?

—-Ke’Anna Bullard

On January 17, 2017, CLC released their mini album Crystyle. Unfortunately, the album did not get the love it deserved domestically despite the love and rave reviews many international fans provided. CLC are fiercer and edgier thanks to HyunA (yes, former 4Minute member HyunA) working alongside her hoobaes, but it also means some of the members have adopted HyunA’s high-pitched, nasally rap. With that aside, Crystyle is a strong album that helps get 2017 kicked off in the right direction.

What’s impressive about Crystyle is that the album is multi-faceted. While CLC came back with a hip-hop concept with “Hobgoblin,” Crystyle also has tracks that show off CLC’s range.

Pros

The addition of Elkie and Eunbin (added to the group in 2016) provides stronger vocal color for CLC.

In addition to new members, the fierce concept fits CLC well, which is a surprise to many given how CLC had a string of cute, basic songs after their strong “Pepe” debut. The hip-hop sound of “Hobgoblin” and the old-school vibe of “Mistake” demonstrate CLC’s vocal improvements. Each of the songs, in addition to the aforementioned, are well-executed and arranged strongly to highlight CLC’s strengths. For example, “Liar” features a nice use of high notes in the chorus, while “Hobgoblin” has some strong low tones that make the song haunting.

Then there’s “MeowMeow” that also has an old-school feel. “MeowMeow” has a Western-pop sound that feels straight of the 1990s, but the vocals fit nicely in K-Pop’s late-2000s sound. A song that has the repetition “MeowMeow” has would normally grow old fast, but the song doesn’t thanks to its catchy, addictive chorus.

“Tears Bottle” feels like it is ripped from a drama OST, but it is beautiful and feels like a sad, rainy day. The sweet vocals and echoes help make the song haunting and innocent. The rap, too, is soft, but it could have been left out as it’s barely noticeable. The song helps leave a lasting impression to wrap up the album.

Cons

The album kicks off with “Liar.” “Liar” is a strong song and suits CLC to a T. The song has a great vibe with relatable lyrics and has some bitterness with its feminine vocals. The only cons with it is that it sounds too familiar to songs available on the global market. If a listener really listens, there are shades of Aly and AJ’s “Potential Breakup Song” (and, by extension, Tahiti’s “Lovesick”) and Ladies’ Code’s “Galaxy.” All these elements come through in the chorus, so it does cause a pause and think moment that someone detracts from an otherwise well-done song.

“I Mean” is the song that stands out the least, but it’s pleasant. “I Mean” recalls previous CLC eras while sporting stronger vocals and tone. The song opens strong and has a pleasing chorus. While it is overall pleasing, the song isn’t special and is fairly basic. The track tends to fade into the background.

Now, the lead track, “Hobgoblin,” is fantastic and fiery and actually breathed life into CLC, especially since many thought they were on the decline with their recent string of weak releases. “Hobgoblin” had CLC roaring back with guns blazing to help them remain in the mix of the current rookie class. The song has everything going for it and has CLC fans excited, but… we’ve heard this song before!

While HyunA’s involvement in helping to turn CLC around is a huge blessing, it’s also a curse. Essentially, “Hobgoblin” is a 4Minute song, and CLC became little HyunA clones. From the style, the filming, and vocals, everything about “Hobgoblin” is 4Minute starting with how it sounds like a “Crazy” and “Hate” mashup of epic proportions. This doesn’t settle well with some listeners because it’s like Cube Entertainment is trying to morph CLC into 4Minute, a group that disbanded not too long ago. It’s almost a slap in the collective face of fans because they lost 4Minute, and here’s a newer group trying to fill their shoes. While “Hobgoblin” is unquestionably one of the best tracks in January, it also stings a bit and has too much 4Minute/HyunA flavor. There is a love-hate relationship with this track.

Another issue with the album is that the production quality isn’t up to par. For some physical albums, “Liar” and “Hobgoblin” have uneven sound and even skip in portions. The digital tracks don’t have this issue, but it is present on some physical copies.

Overall

Crystyle has some flaws, yes, but it’s a strong comeback for a group that many started to consider as no longer a contender. There are several impressive tracks despite the squeaky rapping and familiarity, so it is safe to say that CLC isn’t going anywhere any time soon as long as they get some love. Crystyle earns a solid 4/5.

—-Joelle Halon

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