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 In this stunning new novel, the award-winning Tash Aw charts the overlapping lives of migrant Malaysian workers, forging lives for themselves in sprawling Shanghai.
Justin is from a family of successful property developers. Phoebe has come to China buoyed with hope, but her dreams are shattered within hours as the job she has come for seems never to have existed. Gary is a successful pop artist, but his fans and marketing machine disappear after a bar-room brawl. Yinghui has businesses that are going well but must make decisions about her life. And then there is Walter, the shadowy billionaire, ruthless and manipulative, ultimately alone in the world.
In 'Five Star Billionaire', Tash Aw charts the weave of their journeys in the new China, counterpointing their adventures with the old life they have left behind in Malaysia. The result is a brilliant examination of the migrations that are shaping this dazzling new city, and their effect on these individual lives.  The twenty-first century has seen a rise in the global middle class that brings an unprecedented convergence of interests and perceptions, cultures and values. Kishore Mahbubani is optimistic. Yet, he also warns that a new global order needs new policies and attitudes. Policymakers all over the world must change their preconceptions and accept that we live in one world. National interests must be balanced with global interests. Power must be shared. The U.S. and Europe must cede some power. China and India, Africa and the Islamic world must be integrated. Mahbubani urges that only through these actions can we create a world that converges benignly. This timely book explains how to move forward and confront many pressing global challenges.  This richly illustrated volume offers an innovative study of the long painted scrolls of Northeast Thailand and Laos that depict the Prince Vessantara Buddhist birth story. A 31-metre scroll in the Asian Civilisations Museum illustrates this popular narrative in exceptional detail. The authors analyse Thai-Laos scrolls in the context in which they are used, and consider their complex interplay of text, art, ritual, and belief.  Bonsai kitten - a pervert's contention that just as plants can be stunted, so can living beings. And wasn't that the guiding principle behind procuring a suitable girl? Catch her young when she is malleable like playdough, so she can be twisted and mangled to your liking. This way, she knows her place and stays there. At the lowest stratum. But little does Divya suspect that the Cosmic Jester - that celestial imp who specializes in tripping up humans - has other plans for her. Plans that include a roller-coaster ride from Delhi to Mumbai to Singapore, with tears and laughter, betrayal and friendship, loss and rebirth, as her companions. And through it all, she would have to fence with that master puppeteer to reclaim her destiny.  In these 20 papers given at the Melaka July 2009 First International Admiral Zheng He Society Conference, some 24 English-speaking specialists discussed aspects of the impact and career of the Admiral in the Afro-Asian world of the 15th century. The papers, several of which deal with largely unexplored and/or acutely controversial aspects of the subject, demonstrated the significance the Admiral had, and perhaps still has, in Afro-Asian history and in perceptions of it. The four sections focus on Zheng He and maritime civilization; and cultural continuity in Southeast Asia; in historical traces in Africa and beyond; and in new approaches and ongoing historical research. Another volume in Chinese includes the Chinese language papers presented at the Melaka conference.  Robert Wang fled the Chinese civil war at the age of five and came to Hong Kong with nothing. The colony was a harsh place in the 1950s and 1960s. But he was determined to rise to the top - and through hard work and resolve, he got there. Robert's rags-to-riches story offers a rare look inside the unimaginably wealthy world of Hong Kong's property tycoons.  The ultimate reference on indigo dyeing techniques across the world, and a compendium of the most beautiful samples of indigo textiles. Gloriously pieced together, this colorful book takes the reader on an international tour of indigo-colored textiles, presenting a huge swathe of remarkable clothing, people, and fabric. The book explores the production of indigo textiles throughout America, China, India, Africa, Central Asia, Japan, Laos, and Vietnam. It features more than 500 color photographs and is completed by specially commissioned drawings that provide close-ups of patterns and cloths.  Kenzo Tange is a peerless figure among twentieth-century Japanese architects, unmatched in his talent, influence, and versatility. This unique assemblage of new scholarship by an international team of experts reframes Tange according to the contingencies of Japanese modernism as well as contemporary discourses of cultural identity, technology, urbanization, and the synthesis of the arts. Abundantly illustrated with archival drawings and period photographs, this volume provides fresh and compelling perspectives on the practices, discourses, and production contexts of Tange's work as well as the architecture and urbanism of postwar Japan.  This book is an exploration of what is often seen as Hong Kong's shadow-side, from the viewpoints of community, consumerism, art, food, fashion and sex - 15 years after the handover. Scores of colour photographs bring the peninsula to the reader in a salute to street culture and the ordinary and extraordinary people of Kowloon.  A fast-paced, intensely emotional drama of Indonesian life high and low, set against the tumultuous backdrop of thereformasi era, after the fall of Suharto in 1999. This is the story of Sito, a brilliantly gifted artist who leaves his home in a poor village in Central Java while still in his teens, to make his name and his fortune in the royal city of Jogjakarta. Vatikiotis tells a suspenseful tale that weaves together a fascinating inside view of the art boom in Indonesia and the nation's religious and political ferment in the twenty-first century, haunted by ghosts of the nation's bloody past.  Incognito, a psychological thriller, tells the story of the lead character Anjali. Her plain and staid life suddenly turns into a whirlpool when she befriends four very different individuals, leading distinct lifestyles. Slowly and steadily, they entrap Anjali into their lives. Four separate stories! Four strong women! Four independent lifestyles that, are as different as chalk and cheese. These women are captured very interestingly into intriguing plots of exotic and surreal locales, blossoming romance and finally a murder-intent.  This book offers a glimpse of the Malaysian art scene in the making, seeking out and briefly documenting practices and tendencies that have emerged over the past several years which have captured the attention of contemporary audiences. It showcases the works of game-changers and risk-takers in a shifting art ecology with the greater aim of capturing the spirit of a rising generation. Artists featured in the book include recent winners of The Young Contemporaries and Malaysian Emerging Artists Awards. Many of them are painters but there are also those focusing on photography, sound, street art and design as well as performance, installation, video and object-making.  Many archival photographs are included in this insider's account of Malaya's music scene 1900-1965, a period of close Malaya/Singapore interchange. The first section overviews the history of Malay music, traditional songs and the early 20th century's Bangsawan opera, and gramophone and radio music. This music scene and Japanese policy 1942-45 and the 1045-65 developments in Radio Singapura, in cinema and entertainment hubs and at functions are then described. Inset photographs and biographical summaries are given for some 90 artistes and performers, and the role of musical groups noted. With bibliography, online database and index. Bilingual in Malay.  For more than 40 years, the New Economic Policy and its successor programs have shaped Malaysia's socioeconomic development and the allocation of political power. The policy's core tenet was affirmative action on behalf of the Bumiputera community. Drawing on a wealth of statistical and documentary evidence, this major new book provides a comprehensive and rigorous assessment of the NEP. The contributors show that there have been some positive outcomes, among them a considerable reduction of poverty, greater interethnic equity parity and the emergence of a resourceful Bumiputera middle class. But these partial successes have to be weighed against persistent complaints associated with increasing intraethnic Bumiputera income disparities; the emergence of a small, politically powerful and disproportionately wealthy Bumiputera elite; a serious brain drain; and weak human capital. This volume offers a timely and fresh perspective, suggesting that the long-term implementation of racially-targeted policies reinforces stereotypical ethnic identities and hinders the creation of a more inclusive society.  Covering 25 years, Burmese Shadows is an unprecedented body of work which highlights, with stunning photographs, the reality of living and fighting for survival for ordinary people in Burma. These harsh realities, however, are juxtaposed against the vibrant and rich traditions and cultures which combine to make the enigmatic country that is Burma. Highlights include his photographs of Aung Sang Su Kyi, the ethnic armies and tribal warlords, interviews with the legendary opium baron Khun Sa and his unparalleled access to the Free Burma Rangers, a force of humanitarian commandos living in the Black Zones, where the Burmese army operate a shoot-on-sight policy. The author has spent one month with the Rangers every year since 1999. No other journalist has had such access.  Tomorrow, Today: Contemporary Art from the Singapore Art Museum (2009-2011) is an essential guide to SAM's contemporary art collection. The works featured were brought into the collection from 2009 to 2011, following SAM's transformation into a contemporary art museum. There are over 300 fully illustrated artworks, including significant and iconic pieces from emerging artists and senior art practitioners from the Southeast Asian region, as well as China, India and Japan. This guide is an accessible resource for all artists, curators, critics and writers and art lovers interested in the region and Asia's contemporary art scene.  ViVa! spotlights 50 of Singaporean visual artist and author Adeline Yeo's most exciting art pieces, embracing the trinity of life - love, joy and faith - and accompanied by captivating poems and writings that express her inner thoughts and life perspectives. This stunning, hard-cover coffee-table book is set to enthral readers with its eclectic, adventurous collection of contemporary works, fused with earnest literary works, and subtly encapsulated in each of the 100 pages.  This is a heartwarming recollection of life in the little village of Potong Pasir in Singapore during the years 1955 to 1965.
Peranakan author Josephine China brings us into the world of her childhood in a kampong. Though deprived of modern comforts like electricity or running water, her multi-racial neighbours lived harmoniously with each other in their attap homes, and had a wonderful zest for life and a strong sense of community. This vibrant kampong spirit, or gotong royong, was a significant aspect of living in a kampong.
The period 1955 to 1965 was also a dramatic era for Singapore. As the country struggled towards nationhood, the social and political events of this time and their effects are seen through the eyes of the common folk. This collection of delightful, real life short stories will take you through Singapore's history and heritage at a human level. For some it will be a journey of discovery and for others a time for reminiscing.  Fort Canning Hill: Exploring Singapore's Heritage and Nature is the first coffee table book dedicated to the rich heritage and biodiversity of Singapore's beloved park on a hill. It takes the reader through a holistic journey through the park - from uncovering the layers of its military, architectural, trading and natural heritage to getting an intriguing look at its diverse botanical life and previous inhabitants.  Terrible things happen to Zoe and Seth after they find a strange scroll. With help from their friends, they uncover a creepy conspiracy to turn their school into a place of horrors.  Visual Culture is an exhibition in print project by SAM. This project acknowledges the rise of predominantly visual forms of media, communication and information exchange in recent years. It is an emergent field of inquiry that combines aspects of art history, cultural anthropology, critical theory, philosophy and media & performance art. The second edition explores issues of urbanity and the impact of change on perceptions of status quos. Through the specially commissioned work of local artist Djohan Johari, Visual Culture 02 is transformed into a site of active reclamation and inquiry, provoking viewers to take a second look at the cultural meanings and historical roots of our street signs.  The Collectors Show presents compelling works of contemporary art from private collections in Asia. This third edition of The Collectors Show is titled Weight of History, featuring 23 works that show how artists perceive, and re-conceive the multiple facets of history in the Asia-Pacific region. The knowledge, narratives and records of the past, range from the personal to the social, the spiritual to the art historical. Weight of History examines, through the eyes of artists, how the past has shaped, and continues to shape present day societies, as they engage with and evaluate their local traditions and contexts of culture in a globalised world. This publication includes detailed artwork write-ups and contributions from art collectors on their visions on the collecting of contemporary art today. With full-coloured plates of remarkable contemporary artworks that are seldom exhibited, it also offers a rare view into the world of private art collection.  The publication contains content about the historic Fort Canning Hill, authored with the support of materials from National Parks Singapore. The book also documents multi-disciplinary artworks by leading Tokyo contemporary photography artist Taisuke Koyama, acclaimed sound artist Kangding Ray, independent curator June Yap and emerging Singapore artist Boedi Widjaja after their travel to the hill.  This book attempts to provide a deeper understanding of Singapore's largest minority group - its struggle in the change from being the majority to being a minority; the symbiotic relationship between the government and the community leaders; and how Malay activists as well as community leaders garner support within and outside the community, working hard to ensure the development and success of the Malay community in the period 1980 to 2010. With important facts on vital developments within the community, this book will shed light on a number of myths about Malay Muslim Singaporeans in Singapore.  This volume was published in conjunction with an exhibition organised by the Asian Civilisations Museum in collaboration with the Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture, Thailand. It explores the many forms of Buddhist art in Thailand through more than 100 important works. Buddhist art in Thailand draws on both Hindu and Buddhist origins and incorporates animistic traditions as well. Sculptures, paintings, ceramics, textiles, and furniture show the wide range and diverse influences of this artistic tradition.
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