KATHMANDU, May 11 — Laxmi Devi Thapa, 80, woke up early on Thursday morning only to discover that she is all alone without her children around in a shrine for the aged at the Pashupati Temple, east of Kathmandu.

It’s been more than 11 years since she arrived in the dilapidated complex that she shares with other homeless and elderly citizens in Nepal. She has never been visited by relatives since she moved into the shelter.

Like other residents in the shrine, Thapa yearns for affection and love from her children but they are nowhere to be seen. “Life here is empty. My children have completely forgotten me,” Thapa sadly told Xinhua during the weekend.

On Mother’s Day that falls on new moon day of Baisakh according to Nepali calendar, Thapa thought of offering a special treat to those who have been taking care of her. She cooked curry and selroti, a deep-fried sweet-bread, prepared sour potato pickle and offered these dishes with a glass of milk each to some 10 individuals.

“Today is a very special day. It’s Mother’s Day. It is my duty to feed my sons and daughters though I’m not their biological mother,” Thapa said.

Unlike Thapa, Nanu Maya, who is in her seventies, does not like to talk much about her life and whether she has children. “After years of being here, I’m finding my peace of mind. It is meaningless to ponder on the past and say that my relatives did not take care of me or fulfill their obligation,” she said.

Lal Gedi, another elderly woman whose real name nobody knows, has a special interest in getting medicine tablets from the nurse assigned in the shrine. Several times a day, Lal Gedi, a mental patient, asks for medicine even if she is not sick. She gets some digestive pills in return.

Cheli Maya, who is 72, is new to the shrine as she has arrived just eight days ago from Kavre, a nearby district. She looks pale and gloomy but is determined not to reveal anything about her life. “I came here for health check-ups. I’m not sure how long will I stay here,” she said, indicating that she does not want to permanently reside in the home for the aged.

Currently, there are 230 elderly citizens in the shrine, 127 of them female and 103 male. Their age varies from 65 to 96 years.

Nepal has a population of 26.6 million people, out of which 57 percent are of working age. The government provides a nominal amount for old people since there is no real social security net in the country.

Male and female residents have separate rooms, but nobody gets a single room in the shrine built during the rule of King Surendra Shah in 1881. Some 3 to 10 people have to share one room.

The government provides two meals a day while many individual donors provide them with fruits and clothing.

“The main problem here is that there are no caregivers. We are 16 employees but none of us are caregivers. This is creating difficulties,” said Ram Sharan Thapa, office chief of the shrine.

“There should be at least one caregiver for 10 elderly citizens, ” said Somlal Bataju, an individual donor, who donated 130 shawls to elderly women. She also gave packs of juice and biscuits to the shrine’s residents on the eve of the Mother’s Day celebration. ” Mothers are special. I and my wife do not have mothers now. All mothers living in this shrine without their families are our mothers. We wanted to put smiles on their faces. This is our small effort to help fill up the emptiness in their lives,” Bataju added.

MY SON, Vietnam, May 12 — Local and foreign visitors to the My Son Sanctuary, which can be found some 650 km south of Hanoi in central Vietnam’s Quang Nam province, still wonder with awe at the remarkable architectural ensemble that archeologists said has developed over ten centuries or from the 4th to 13th century.

The sanctuary, which has been declared a World Heritage site by the United Nations, presents a vivid picture of spiritual and political life in an important phase of the history of Vietnam.

It is graphically illustrated by the remains of a series of impressive tower-temples located in a valley surrounded by mountains which was chosen as the site for a religious center for the capital of the Champa Kingdom.

“There are a lot of secrets about the Champa Temples in My Son Sanctuary which still remains a mystery for most people, including the Vietnamese themselves,” Vo Van Nhut told Xinhua and other foreign visitors during a tour of the My Son Sanctuary.

Nhut said that a lot of people have visited the sanctuary but they did not understand how the Champa people built the temples and how they made bricks for the My Son Sanctuary monuments,” the 38-year-old local tour guide said.

“The bricks here are over a thousand years old but they remain sturdy. Nobody knows about the technology adopted by the Champa people and even archaeologists could not explain how this was made possible,” he said.

Nhut said that one of the biggest mysteries in My Son is how the bricks were stuck together although some Vietnamese archaeologists have said that it was possible that the builders used organic resin glue but this is only their theory. “No one knows for sure what kind of materials the builders used,” he added.

The temples in My Son Sanctuary are constructed in fired brick with stone pillars and decorated with sandstone bas-reliefs depicting scenes from Hindu mythology. The technological sophistication as shown by the temples and stone pillars betray the Cham engineering skills while the elaborate iconography and symbolism of the tower-temples give insight into the content and evolution of Cham religious and political thought.

“When visiting My Son, it is easy to find original walls and restored walls. It is believed that when finishing the construction of the temples, the Champa people used a special mortar to cover the outer layer in order to harden it,” Nhut said.

The experienced tour guide said that the old walls have bright color while the restored walls are darker.

After centuries of disuse, My Son was rediscovered by French scholars in 1898 and restoration work began in 1937.

Unfortunately, much of the site was destroyed by bombs during the war in Vietnam. In the years following, it was also ravaged by floods and vandalized by local residents.

In 1979, the My Son Sanctuary was recognized as a National Site by the Vietnamese Culture Ministry and then was ratified by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1999 based on two prominent criteria as typical example of cultural exchange and unique evidence of disappeared Asian civilization.

The 71 temples in My Son were built into groups that basically followed the same model. Each group was comprised of a main tower (kalan), surrounded by towers and auxiliary monuments. The kalan symbolizes the sacred mountain of Meru at the center of the universe, where the gods live and it is dedicated to Shiva.

The small temples are devoted to the spirits of the eight compass points. The towers were stocked by offerings and sacred objects by pilgrims. The main temples do not have windows so it is very dark inside. Windows are only found in the towers.

Another mystery in My Son is how the decorative carvings were installed. Were the walls constructed and then carved, or were the bricks carved first and then assembled to create the walls?

An examination of the carvings reveals no broken lines as expected if the bricks were carved first and then assembled. Scientists believed that the craftsmen made the carvings directly onto finished brick walls. This technique is unique in Asia.

Apart from construction method, ancient language is one more mystery found in My Son.

“It is difficult to translate the writings here. They are derived from the Sanskrit language. Languages in My Son Sanctuary are used for upper class and for religion, not for every people. It was dated about 800 years ago and being carved by a very good technology which can still be seen very clearly at present,” Nhut said.

http://www.nzweek.com/?p=64330 by Bui Van Y, Zhang Jianhua

HANOI, May 15 — At a cloudy noon in early summer, a man in office outfit wearing dark glasses, and a woman in a sun- resistant cloak with a mask muffling her head, stealthily entered a room at a mini-hotel in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi. About an hour later, they checked out, again covertly.

The five-story mini-hotel nestles in Bo De Street in Long Bien urban district on the northern bank of the Red River in Hanoi. Long Bien, formerly Gia Lam rural district, is noted for its numerous mini-hotels that the local teenagers and adults choose to understand the phrase “sang Gia Lam,” which literally means “go to Gia Lam,” in its figurative sense.

A motley variety of mini-hotels, or “nha nghi,” meaning rest house, have mushroomed in Vietnam’s major cities, including Hanoi, attracting an increasing number of young lovers, or married men or women seeking an affair, rather than the conventional tourists or people on business trips. Mini-hotels attract their new customers because they are considered “convenient, safe and economical.”

Many married and courting couples in extended families without their own rooms often rent a well-furnished “nha nghi” over the weekends for between 60,000-100,000 VND (3-5 U.S.dollars) for the first three hour. Some even managed to squeeze a visit during their lunch hour.

A receptionist in an ordinary outfit without a name tag at a 10- room mini-hotel in Tran Duy Hung Street, told reporters that they receive a daily average of 30 couples. “On festive days like Christmas Eve or Valentine’s Day, we run at full capacity although rooms are double or treble the normal price.”

A female designer with a local newspaper who only gave her last name as Hong, said she and her husband some times still visit the “nha nghi” they frequented before marriage. Couples would feel more comfortable and secure in a quiet space away from daily cares, hence enjoying a more intimate sexual experience.

Dung, a stock investor, recalled his experience when he dated his girl friend some 10 years ago, when they had to go to deserted parks and tree-lined roads, and had their wallets twice stolen, and stumbled time and again over syringes thrown away by drug addicts. “If there had been more ‘nha nghi’ at that time, we wouldn’t have had to put up with such things,” he said.

Mini hotels help keep couples away from embarrassing and dangerous situations, as intimate acts in public places are still frowned upon by many people, especially the aged.

Diep, a college student from Thanh Tri rural district who claimed himself to be “open-minded,” said he and his girlfriend go to mini-hotels every week. He said intimate acts in public places can be dangerous, citing the example of his friends who had their photos of intimate acts put on pornography sites by some paparazzis.

Mini-hotels in out-of-the-way lanes also helps those having affairs to keep away from acquaintances. Most “nha nghis” even help cover the number plates of their customers’vehicles to ensure privacy. They seldom require their customers to show personal documents such as identity cards, a common practice in larger hotels.

However, serious incidents at mini-hotels are sometimes reported in the local media. These hotels are some times raided by police to crack down on prostitution, child sexual abuse and drug smuggling. Some times wives would go there to pick up a fight with their unfaithful husbands’ mistresses.

Well-known psychologist Trinh Trung Hoa, a frequent contributor for local newspapers on love and marriage, lamented that today lovers pay more attention to sex, and less to the noble values of true love. “The growing number of ‘nha nghis’ and their customers, especially the young, indicates that a self-indulgent lifestyle is becoming more and more popular,” he said.

Despite the occasional serious incidents at “nha nghis” and the great concern over the moral and ethical issues they have raised, these hotels are still mushrooming in cities in Vietnam.

In Hanoi, areas such as My Dinh, Tran Duy Hung, Hoang Quoc Viet, Dam Trau, Nguyen Van Cu and Bo De are well-known for their high density of these mini-hotels. In Bo De Street alone, as many as seven “nha nghis” operate within a 100-meter stretch.

However, “nha nghis” are losing some customers after local media reported incidents of the obscene photos, even videos of couples visiting mini-hotels being posted on Facebook, YouTube or pornography web sites. What is more startling, a jobless man in Ho Chi Minh City tried to blackmail several schoolgirls in the southern province of Long An when they played truant to visit “nha nghis” with their boyfriends.

The risk of having their privacy intruded and undesirable hygienic conditions have turned some customers from these mini- hotels. Some have turned to star hotels in urban district. “The price is much higher, but the room is cleaner and bigger,” a 37- year-old office clerk in a state agency said, declining to be named

Chinese Consul-General in Melbourne Shi Weiqiang told the 150- strong audience and students who attended the opening ceremony that the competition is a bridge of friendship and culture exchange, through which Australian students would know more about Chinese language and culture.

“Chinese language has a history of thousands years, and the Chinese civilization has immense impact on the world, with efforts from both sides, I strongly believe Chinese culture will eventually become popular in the vast land of Australia,” said Shi.

A total of 8 students from local universities joined the competition, which was divided into two parts — a speech on the theme “My Chinese Dream” and a Chinese cultural performance.

After nearly three hours of intense competition, Alistair Bayley from Monash University won the competition and he will be one of the Australian representatives to join the finals in China later this year together with his runner-up Jessica Wagstaff and other winners in different Australian cities.

The 12th “Chinese Bridge” competition, a Chinese language contest for non-native Chinese speaking college students is underway around the world.

Launched in 2002, the “Chinese Bridge” project played an ever- growing role in promoting the study of Chinese language and culture.

The Russian government will step up efforts to promote its education resources and work with Chinese agencies to introduce more young people to Russian universities, said Margarita Barzhanova, the representative of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, attached to the Russian Embassy in China.

During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia in March, the two countries agreed to bring the total number of their overseas students in each other’s countries to 100,000 by 2020.

Judging from current bilateral relations, the target will surely be fulfilled and Russia is expecting a new wave of Chinese students, said Barzhanova in an interview with Xinhua.

“Russia’s educational institutions are of high quality and less expensive than those in Western Europe and the United States. Also, we do not set a threshold concerning language,” she said.

According to the Russian official, it normally costs 5,000 to 15,000 U.S. dollars a year to study in a renowned university in Moscow or St. Petersburg and about 3,000 dollars in a university outside the two big cities.

In addition, the Russian government offers scholarships for 10,000 foreign students every year, she said.

The two countries have a tradition of educational exchanges. In the 1950s, after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese government sent more than 10,000 students to the Soviet Union, mainly studying science and engineering.

About 20,000 Chinese are currently studying in Russia and 70 to 80 percent of them are majoring in language, said Liu Limin, China’s vice minister of education.

The Chinese government would like to encourage more young adults to study science and technology as a number of Russian universities are known for high-level research and development, Liu said.

On the other hand, the number of Russian students in China has been increasing over the past few years.

A total of 13,000 Russian youths are studying in China and the number of newcomers in 2012 increased by 7 percent from that in 2011, according to Barzhanova.

Kateryna Danylova will graduate from a postgraduate program at Beijing Language and Culture University this summer and has received a job offer from a Beijing media group.

“Besides the interest in Chinese history and culture, the booming employment market in China attracts us,” she said.

The exchange of overseas students is the best way to improve understanding between young generations of the two countries, Barzhanova added.?

SYDNEY, May 15 — In a world first, a game of Mahjong was held amid soaring views Wednesday on the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as Australia prepares to host its first ever International Mahjong competition.

It was certainly a sight to remember as East meets West on top of one of Australia’s most recognizable icons.

The intrepid players, Pauline Heng, Tony Liu, Ling Khor and Jak Heng, scaled to the summit of the bridge, 134 meters above sea level, and tested each other’s skills in this sport which combines skill, strategy and luck.

Mahjong has been moving out of China in recent years to become a globally recognized game.

After three competitions held in Macau, the World Series of Mahjong Tournament is moving to Australia next month.

This year, players will be competing for a prize pool of 1 million Australian dollars.

Pauline Heng, the CEO of Mahjong Australia, said”Sydney is a fantastic place to have this tournament. Mahjong has become a popular cross cultural sport with a large number of local Chinese and Australians playing on a daily and weekly basis.”

World Series of Mahjong 2013 aims to attract 500 players to compete from Australia and overseas. International players will mostly come from the greater China region but it is expected that up to 15 countries will be represented.

Since its inception in 2007, the three annual competitions have all taken place in Macau. The last World Series of Mahjong was held at The Venetian in Macau in 2010. Chan Tak-Kwan from Hong Kong was crowned as the champion.

As part of Sydney Bridgeclimb’s promotion of its new Mandarin Climb — which features local Mandarin speaking guides — players were rewarded with spectacular 360 degree views of the city and one of the most beautiful harbors in the world.

Hailing from very different backgrounds, but all sharing a passion for Mahjong, the Chinese tradition is finding its feet in Australia.

Ling is a paralegal, Tony is the proprietor of Jade Express Travel and a winner of various Mahjong tournaments, Pauline is a business migration agent and organizer of Mahjong tournaments, while Jak is a postgraduate student.

Jak first learned to play Mahjong on a trip down the Yangtze River when he was eight year old. He spent many hours watching the Chinese onboard playing the game. Not speaking Chinese, he had to learn how to play by studying their actions over the three-day cruise. “The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a powerful symbol of Australia. Similarly, Mahjong is an iconic game that originated in China, so it was a rewarding as well as unusual sight to have the two brought together in such exceptional circumstances,”Heng said.

The Competition kicks off in Sydney on June 2.

The foundation’s Asia Aware Students’ Survey has found 74 percent of year 12 and 13 students believed Asia would have more influence on New Zealand’s international trade and demography than any other region.

But 55 percent said they lacked the knowledge and understanding to engage confidently with Asian peoples and their cultures in New Zealand, while 72 percent felt they were under-prepared to engage with the peoples and cultures of Asia.

Most students could show the locations of China (87 percent) and Japan (83 percent) on a map and 81 percent knew China was the Asian country with which New Zealand traded the most.

But only 46 percent could identify Malaysia on a map and the survey suggested awareness of Southeast Asia was low overall.

Half (51 percent) of students knew basic greetings or introductions in an Asian language, and 13 percent could hold at least a basic conversation, with 23 percent of students studying Japanese, the most commonly studied Asian language, followed by 5 percent studying Chinese.

Asia New Zealand Foundation Executive Director John McKinnon said the findings demonstrated the need to increase Asia-related content across the entire school curriculum.

“For young New Zealanders to succeed in the world and get good jobs, they will need to be global citizens who are comfortable in Asian settings, know Asian business and social nuances, and who can ideally speak an Asian language,” said in a statement.

“The low awareness of Southeast Asian countries is particularly troubling, given that this region is a priority area for New Zealand.”

The release follows a previous round of curriculum consultations covering the priority languages of Mandarin, Hindi, Indonesian and Japanese.

“We’ve already consulted on the Chinese Mandarin and Italian curricula and this is the next step towards rolling out the full languages Australian Curriculum over the next few years,” said School Education Minister Peter Garrett.

“Along with Indonesian as a priority language, the study of Korean will also help build stronger understanding and links with our neighbours,” Garrett added.

The plan follows the government’s commitments laid out in the 2012 Australia in the Asian Century White Paper, including the aim for every student to have significant exposure to studies of Asia to increase their cultural knowledge.

Trade Minister Craig Emerson, who is also responsible for Tertiary Education and Asian Century Policy, said Asian languages would help unlock career opportunities for coming generations.

“Languages give insights into other cultures, which can translate into career and business opportunities,” Emerson said.

The next languages to be released for consultation will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, Modern Greek, Spanish and Vietnamese on May 20, followed by Arabic, German and Japanese on May 27.

Consultations will remain open until 25 July 2013.

“Over 61,000 foreign students from 152 countries are now studying in Ukraine. This fact confirms that our country is actively developing higher education,” Tabachnyk told an international conference.

Over a half of foreign students are from Asian and the ex-Soviet states, he said.

The growth in international students going to Ukraine for higher education has contributed some 537.5 million dollars to the Ukrainian economy in 2012, Tabachnyk said.

Universities in the eastern city of Kharkov, where over 20,000 foreigners have been enrolled this year, are the biggest destination for international students in the East European country, he said.

Nearly 35,000 Ukrainian students are studying abroad, mainly in Russia, the United States and Poland.