As the Gregorian calendar ticks on forward into 2013, this time of year is often associated with change. Perhaps it’s time for the cigarettes to finally go for good, or perhaps you’ve decided to go against the grain and up your intake. Perhaps this is the year to write that novel, or perhaps you’ve decided to take up the guitar instead. Perhaps the gym membership will get used more than twice this year, or perhaps you won’t go at all. Perhaps you’ll do none of these things, maybe you’ll just carry on with everything the same as before.
My own feeling is that people don’t necessarily change, or have to change, but they certainly have the capacity to. Perhaps with other things it’s the other way around. For example, I’m sitting jotting these early morning thoughts in the peaceful blue-skied quiet overlooking the Mekhong River from a coffee shop in Vientiane. My first visit here was more than a decade ago now and that time feels both like a lifetime past, and yet in other ways like it was just last week. This coffee shop wasn’t here back then but the colourful tuk-tuks outside are as resplendent as ever, if only in their ability to somehow continue to function against the odds of their mechanical and aesthetic deterioration. Their drivers maintain the same amiable and sometimes questionable manner of a decade ago, and an artful tendency to quote prices more London than Laos – whether this was the case before I simply can’t remember, although prices everywhere in the region seem to empty the wallet quicker these days.
This city doesn’t seem, on face value, to have changed too much in that time, although as a tourist here I’m not as privy to the nuances of cultural and economic change which would no doubt be much more obvious had I been a native of the country, or had I taken up residence here over a prolonged period. And as I note such things I’m reminded of a series of advertisement placards I saw yesterday, advertising projected images of the new Laos skyline, the buildings planned, and the artist’s impressions of a high-rise brightly-lit city more identifiable as Shanghai or Mumbai than the old-world tranquility which remains here in part. Perhaps then, on my next visit if it turns out to be ten years from now, Vientiane will be a whole new gaze. If that’s the case I hope that the genuine smiles, and the hospitable nature of the locals retain their role and their purpose, and the sense of community which seems less evident than ever in more developed parts of the region, also stays true to its heritage.
In other parts of East and South East Asia, the change I mention here is much more striking. Bangkok, a city I’m very familiar with, is beginning to exude all the characteristics of a real-deal 21st century megacity, as is Ho Chi Minh, and no doubt those familiar with other large metropolitan areas in the region are also witnessing rapid transitions. As I type this, the so-called Pearl Delta Megalopolis in China is home to some 120 million people, and counting.
Moving away from aesthetics, population numbers, and perhaps economics, one should probably note political change also. The recent handover in China adds spice to an already interesting melee of opinion. The horse-mounted Supreme Leader of North Korea celebrated his first year at the helm in arguably the most fascinating country in the region, but on a personal level, I found the political developments in Myanmar the most interesting and most satisfying. Having had the pleasure of visiting the country back in 2010, and seeing both the hardships and potential of the people first-hand, I’m cautiously optimistic that the dramatic changes taking place there will reap benefits for all.
OK, let’s get to a point here: East and South East Asia is going through rapid transition on a number of different levels. Some of these changes may be for the better, some for the worse. All of them have an effect on the peoples, the cultures, the histories and the stories of the region. Some of these stories talk of the undoubted technological advancements and the new ways in which we communicate. Some talk of political, economic, philosophical, sociological and perhaps even psychological change. Sadly, a lot of these stories still scream of poverty, injustice, and despair. Whatever the case may be, it seems that for most of us the much-hyped 21st of December didn’t bring with it the end of all these stories and time ticks on regardless, perhaps oblivious to our wants and needs, our successes and failures, our strengths and frailties as human beings in an ever-changing world.
So times may change or not, people may change, or not, but stories in themselves remain. Throughout 2013 it is our wish here at Eastlit to continue to bring these stories, be them of poetry or prose, fiction or non-fiction, into the public domain in a way which hopefully presents a varied and multi-ethnic interpretation of life past and present concerning East and South East Asia. We will continue to support second language writers, new writers, and continue to showcase the work those more experienced or already published. While continuity and remaining true to our original goal is paramount, we also hope to change, and grow, and introduce a number of exciting sub-projects which you can keep in touch with through our newsletter. You can also follow us on facebook. Or check out our latest page where you can also subscribe by e-mail.
Thank you to everyone who has taken an interest in Eastlit these last couple of months. The work presented in Issue II is, in my own opinion, all of a high quality and is diversified by all of subject matter, genre and style, and by the various countries – from China to Singapore, and via America – where the work has been submitted from. A big thanks of course to all the contributors, and in particular this time I’d like to mention the work of Jiawen P., a secondary school student from Singapore, for her piece entitled Good Morning, Good Night, and for her photograph of Hong Kong which serves as the cover to this month’s issue. And finally, if you’ve put up with my ramblings this far, thanks to Graham for captaining our little ship safely through its maiden voyage.
Have a great new year and all the best for 2013.
Bryn
