Lijia Zhang's Blog, page 19

7 July, 2022 20:14

Stalin’s Museum In his Hometown

Funny that I should write a dispatch from Georgia one week after I have returned home. While travelling, I was too busy exploring and meeting all sorts of interesting people that I hardly had time to write any FB posts. But some of those experiences/stories are worth-telling. In any case, writing those posts here are my way to keep a record of my life.
Today I want to talk about the Stalin Museum in Gori, his hometown in eastern Georgia. I wanted to visit the place partly because I am reading an interesting biography of the Soviet dictator Stalin: Passenger to Revolution. Gori wasn’t very easy to get to but I was glad to have made the effort.
This museum is regarded as one of the most interesting museums in the country. Constructed in 1957, a few years of his death, it radiates more than a whiff of religious air. As I walked up the carpeted stairs to the main exhibition hall, I felt like entering a tall temple, dedicated to him.
The exhibition charts his remarkable rise from a poor shoemaker’s son to one of the most powerful men in the 20th century, detailing his childhood, his early revolutionary activities, brief mentioning of his personal lives and his friendship with Lenin. Among his birthday presents on display, quite a few of them came from the Chinese leaders.
I noticed with interest that the museum does avoid the purges and his gulags where millions of people lost their lives. It even mentions one sickening detail: the family of the executed prisoners had to pay for the cost of the bullet.
After I finished the visit, I lingered to chat with the staff in my broken Russian. I wanted to find out how people from his hometown regarded Stalin today. All thumbs went up. “Great leader!” “Hero!” They were impressed that I knew Stalin’s nickname as ‘Soso’ and his family name was ‘Jughashivili’, so much so, one woman grabbed some keys and beckoned me to follow her.
It was then that I realized that the museum has other parts, beside the main building. There is Stalin’s parental home, a humble wooden hut, which is now enshrined in a Greco-Roman style pavilion. It is usually locked. There’s also his personal railway carriage – he was afraid of flying and always travelled by train – in his personal carriage.
Later, I met a young tour guide, shepherding a bored German couple. She let the couple wander on their own and explained to me that most people in Gori still feel very proud of him, especially the older generations, some of who feel nostalgic about the good old Soviet days, but the young and educated people don’t care about him and even dislike him.
The Stalin Museum is a popular tourist attraction. Bus loads of people from all over Georgia and beyond come to visit.
I wonder most of the visitors are like me – driven by curiosity rather than admiration.

Armenia genocide

Talking about Armenia, one has to mention the Armenia Genocide, which was the systematic destruction of the Armenia people and their identity by the Ottoman Empire during the First World War, including the forced deportation and massacres.
On my last day in the country, I visited the Armenia Genocide Memorial and Museum on the northern outskirt of Yerevan. I found it a moving experience.
The museum itself is housed in a grey underground bunker where large photographs with texts tell the harrowing story of the genocide, which saw up to 1.5 Armenians being killed. A wide concrete path leads to the memorial, which consists a 40 meter-high spire, next to a circular structure where 12 slabs, representing the 12 lost regions in western Armenia, hunching over a permanent flame on the ground.
All the while, a haunting piece of opera is playing. The atmosphere is somber and moving.
An Armenia cross-stone, commemorating the 1988 Sumqayit massacre in Azerbaijan, stands nearby. The relationship between the two Caucasus countries, both former Soviet states, has been tense. They fought a war in 2020 over the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh, a region inhabited mostly by the Armenians but within the Azerbaijan territory.
Close to the entrance there is a row of trees planted by foreign leaders who recognized the Armenia genocide. Turkey still refuses to admit it.
Standing outside the museum, one can see the snow caped Mt. Ararat, a symbol of Armenia, but Turkey took control of it during the Turkish-Armenia War in 1920.
Armenia is a country traumatized by its past and still facing enormous challenges, particularly over its security, but it has survived so far and is trying to soldier on. And it is certainly a country well-worth a visit.

Pro Europe rally in Tbilisi

People Mountain, people Sea. That was the Chinese phrase that came to my mind tonight as I took part in a mass pro-Europe rally in the heart of Tbilisi.
Tonight, thousands of Georgians gathered in front of the Parliament, appealing to the council of European Union, which will decide on the country’s EU bid in a few days. People waved Georgian flags and held placard that read “We are Europeans”. Politicians and representatives from all walks of life gave impassioned speeches, declaring Georgia as one of the oldest European nations and expressing their willingness to throw their lot with the EU.
A few days ago, the European Commission recommended candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova, but not Georgia, to the dismay of the locals.
Plenty of Georgians are also not happy with their government’s stance on the Ukraine war. Although people here are sympathetic to the Ukrainians and angry with Russia, which still occupies 20% of their territory, the government has been careful not to upset its powerful northern neighbor too much. It has not joined the sanction against Russia.
As the rally reached its climax, Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’, the European Union’s official anthem, was played through loud speakers. People sang along, waving their mobile phones, with the flash on. It was a touching sight.
The rally might not change the mind of the Council of the EU, but it is important to get their voice heard.

my latest piece on the fraught relationship between China and Russia

https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3179846/standing-uneasy-ally-russia-over-ukraine-not-chinas-long-term

The British Library

I was invited to take part in the Slow Café event at the British Library this Tuesday, in conjunction with its ‘Breaking the News’ exhibition. I am pleased to report that it went well. Plenty of people turned up: friends, those who are interested in the current affairs and perhaps those attracted by free coffee?
I am only too happy to meet other impressive panelists: Afghanistan journalist Shazia, Jonathan Cohen, the director of Conciliation Resources. Our session was skillfully moderated by Giles Whittell, a senior editor with Tortoise Media group and a veteran correspondent with the Times of London. Interestingly, I have mutual friends with all three of them.
Indeed, friends are the one that make the world beautiful. Thank you Kelly, Cathy, Ali and Jonathan, for coming along!

A working party in Tuscany

I’ve just returned to London after three weeks in Italy. Loved every bit of it. The highlight, though, was a gathering at an eco-farm in Tuscany, organized by Pio, a renowned Italian journalist. I had met him when he interviewed me after my memoir was published in Italy.

Some six weeks ago, when Pio invited me to join him at a big ‘working party’ at the farm, I immediately said yes – of course, I never want to miss a trick. Also I only saw ‘party’ but not the word ‘working’ before it.

It took place over the May Day weekend. Upon arriving at the farm on Friday evening, Pio casually told me: “You are going to give a talk tomorrow. Everyone is looking forward to it.” “Oh, really?” I said. “What should I talk about?” “You, China, whatever you like.”

So over the breakfast the next day, I scribbled out some notes to form a coherent ‘China Story’, my life story, the changes that have taken place in China and the challenges it is facing: Covid, Ukraine crisis, the conflict with the US, ect.

It went well, I am pleased to report.

Once it was out of the way, I enjoyed myself even more. The farm is just outside Suvereto, a beautiful medieval village. The villas we stayed were surrounded by lovely vineyard. The party consisted of about 18/19 people, who are interested in Asia, Japan in particular. They are all Italian professionals, writers, journalists, publishers, illustrators and teachers. Most of them speak some English.

Overall, it was well-organized. We had excellent take-away food; we had BBQ; (people made various starters and I made a Chinese salad with Sichuan pepper oil); we ventured to the seaside; we took talks in the enchanting countryside; we had wine tasting; we danced and sang (including ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘The Internationale’ – there were a few intellectual lefties among the party goers.)

On Sunday morning, I had a little bit of ‘work’ – moderating a talk by a former Italian ambassador who recently published a book about China’s irresistible rise.

The final bit of work was an interview with Pio. Here’s the link:

https://www.ow7.rassegnestampa.it/MinisteroAffariEsteri/PDF/2022/2022-05-06/2022050651518667.pdf

All in all, the gathering was more of a ‘party’ than ‘work’, which I appreciated.

Escape from Mogadishu

The Tale of a Hero

I’ve arrived in Udine in north-eastern Italy to attend Far East Film Festival. My stay here has kicked off in high note.
Last night, I watched Escape from Mogadishu, a South Korean blockbuster set in the civil war in Somalia in the end of 80s and early 90’s. Based on real life events, the film is centered on the improbable story of diplomats from South Korea and North Korea working together to escape from war-torn Mogadishu. Both groups seek help from the Italian embassy, which enjoys a good relationship with the Somalia government. The charismatic ambassador Mario Sica manages to break a ceasefire and allows both groups and other foreigners stranded by the war to travel to the airport where a Red Cross plane takes them to safety.
I am usually not a fan of action movies, and I still found certain aspects of the film unsatisfactory, the cheap humour, the Hollywood style car chase and unconstrained violence. Yet overall, I found it rather interesting. The best part is the tension between the two Koreans. After the Northern Embassy was robbed, the staff members, led by the ambassador, first turn to the South Koreans for help. After much hesitation, the South Korean Ambassador Kang opens its door, partly because the N. Koreans have a few children with them. Kang’s wife is extremely nervous as she’s heard rumour that the North Koreans train their children to kill. Meanwhile, the North Koreans worry that they may be taken as defectors. Until the outbreak of the war, the two Koreans have fought a bitter war to win the favour of the Somalia president in their bid to be admitted by the United Nations.
Interestingly, the festival organizer managed to get Ambassador Mario Sica, who has now long retired with many honours, to the festival. It was him who introduced the film to the packed audience.
After the screening, the organizers threw a small dinner in his honour. And I had the fortune to be invited (thanks to my charming and well-connected friend Pio, I guess). Over the dinner, I asked him about the civil war in Somalia. The ambassador said although the situation was not as bad as depicted in the film, but it was really dangerous, volatile and unpredictable. Both the government and the rebel forces didn’t always keep their promises.
Of course, I asked him if he had written a book about it. And of course, he did, two years after the event. Being a diplomat, he had to ask for permission and it was at first rejected because of the sensitivity. When a new foreign minister came around, he finally got the permission to publish the book titled Operation Somalia.
Intrigued, I looked him up on google and found a NYT piece published in 1991. “The Italian Ambassador, who is manning the only operating embassy in the embattled Somali capital, Mogadishu, said today that Government forces and rebels continued to fight with neither side holding an edge.” It said. The piece gave a good sense what the perils they were facing. Well, I sat next to a real hero. What an evening!

https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/10/world/deadly-impasse-said-to-go-on-in-somali-city.html

China’s soft power derailed by it stance on the war

Pordenone film festival

Greetings from Pordenone, which is a small but sweet town just north of Venice. (There are many such lovely places across the country.)

I am here for a film festival. It kicked off yesterday and a fabulous documentary Ascension by American-Chinese director Jessica Kingdom was screened in the evening. Right after the screening, a panel discussion followed. I was on stage with my Italian journalist friend Pio, and sinologist Giada Messetti, who was on Zoom. It went well. Well, all three of us got so much to say about the film, China and the Ukraine crisis.

I loved Ascension. It is rather unusual, in a sense that there is no narration and no voice over. A bunch of images, shot at 50 locations across China, are artfully strung together. They tell the story of China’s hyper capitalism. It explores the China dream through different social classes, migrant workers, growing middle class and the super rich.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascension_(film)

Plenty of good films to watch. I enjoyed a Ukraine documentary This Rain Will Never Stop, following a Ukraine/Kurdish Red Cross aid worker in Donbas during the war. After the screening, the young lady director Alina Gorlova, who is staying in Kyiv, addressed the audience. She spoke eloquently, in English, about the film and her life in Ukraine now and her effort in documenting the war. She became emotional when she was given ‘The Image of Courage’ award, deservingly. And everyone present was moved, too.

Graduation

Durham on Monday was a grey day, but my world was brightened up by my beautiful younger daughter Kirsty who had her graduation ceremony then. She had studied human geography at Durham University.
How I am proud of my little girl, who has grown from that little timid girl into day’s tall and confident young woman. She even brought her divorced parents together – for the day, haha!