The Lampang College of Commerce & Technology: Pictured above (l-r) are Dr. Korawik Pornnimit, President of the Lampang College of Commerce and Technology, William Madden, Coordinator 2009 USG Faculty Seminar to Thailand, and Dr. Chakkapan Pornnimit, Vice-President, Lampang Inter-tech College.

During my visit to Thailand in March of 2009, I especially enjoyed meeting Dr. Korawik Pornnimit and Dr. Chakkapan Pornnimit, currently serving as President and Vice President of Lampang College of Commerce and Technology and its satellite campus in Bangkok. Korawik and Pornnimit were kind enough to host me for a delightful dinner at Bangkok's Royal River Hotel, where we discussed the possibility of bringing our USG faculty group to visit Lampang in May of 2009.

Lampang (Thai ลำปาง) is one of the northern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Chiang Rai, Phayao, Phrae, Sukhothai, Tak, Lamphun and Chiang Mai. As described in its Wikipedia entry, "Lampang, also called "meuang rot ma" in Thai, meaning "Horse Carriage City", is considered by some Thais as the last paradise in Thailand. It is located about 100 km to the southeast of Chiang Mai. Although well-connected by rail, and 4-lane highways to both Bangkok and Chiang Mai, it is here that tourists can still find the horse-drawn carriages in regular use for transportation. This, together with the relative lack of skyscrapers that have contaminated Chiang Mai's skyline of late, make Lampang an increasingly favored setting for period drama. One account attributes the horse-drawn carriage to the Portuguese, via Macau, although a more likely origin is colonial Burma—Lampang was an important center of timber industry in the early 20th century and saw an influx of migrants from British-controlled Burma. The horse-drawn carriage is one of the most memorable symbols of Lampang, as reflected in many traditional products."

Besides the traditional rice paddy farming, pineapple, and sugarcane constitute major food crops. Lampang has a large deposit of lignite in Mae Moh district, and hosted several coal-fired electricity generating plants [. . .] Lampang also has a large deposit of kaolin which is widely utilized in the ceramics industry. Historically, logging was an important industry, since Lampang, together with nearby Phrae had a large stand of teak. Many elephants were employed to transport the logs to the river for transport to Bangkok, hence a founding of the 'Elephant School', the predecessor of the Thai Elephant Conservation Center. Much of the old growth teak stands in Lampang have been thoroughly harvested.

Thailand Reflections: Me at the Annual Chula-Thammasat Football Match, January 1991:

Can you find the "farang" in the photograph? This a funny photograph of me attending the famous annual Chula-Thammasat Football Match (January 1991), representing the fierce rivalry in soccer between Bangkok's two most prestigious Universities, the venerable Chulalongkorn University and the renowned Thammasat University. This football match took place during January of 1991, an "interesting" year because the Persian Gulf War was in full swing and Americans had been advised by our embassy not to go out in public. But my Thai friends said not to worry, that one American wouldn't get terrorized in a crowd of so many friendly Thai faces, so we went to the ballgame anyway and had a really good time. Shortly after this ballgame, there was also a Thai military coup (a bloodless one, thanfully), led by General Suchinda Kraprayoon, deposing then Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan who was famous for dismissing criticisms and critics of his policies with the phrase, "Mai mii ban haa!" or "No problem!" A very useful Thai phrase that I still use to respond to my own critics.

Faculty of Economics (E.B.A. Program), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok Thailand:

(pictured l-r are: Dr. Yong Yoon, Vice-Chairman Dr. Thawatchai Jittrapanun, Chairman Dr. Teerana Bhongmakapat, Prof. William Madden (USG Asia Council), Vice-Chairman Dr. Paitoon Kraipornsak, and Vice Chairman Dr. Thomya Wangcharoen.

On Wedneday, March 5th 2008, I had the delightful experience of being hosted for a luncheon by the Faculty of Economics (Bachelor of Arts Program in Economics) at Thailand's prestigious Chulalongkorn University. The E.B.A. faculty graciously agreed to provide some lectures for our group from the University System of Georgia during our faculty development seminar to Thailand, May 15-June 1, 2009, sponsored by the Asia Council of the University System of Georgia. Our faculty group will visit Chulalongkorn University and hear lectures from the E.B.A. faculty on Monday, May 18, 2009.

I really enjoyed my luncheon with this dynamic and hospitable group of faculty and enjoyed discussing many topics with them, including the Thai economy and U.S. politics. I wish to express my thanks to them for agreeing to host our group in May 2009 and also my thanks to Dr. Jonathan Leightner of Augusta State University for introducing me to them.

2009 University System of Georgia Faculty Development Seminar to Thailand: Thailand is the destination for the 2009 faculty seminar abroad sponsored by The Asia Council of the University System of Georgia. Themes of the Thailand seminar, which will take place from May 14^th-June 1 2009, include criminal justice, social justice, business, technology, and sustainable development. The seminar will spend one week in Bangkok and a second week in the developing cities of the north and the Thai-Myanmar border region. GPC’s William Madden (Dunwoody Humanities), who previously lived and taught in Thailand (1990-1992) and provided assistance to Burmese refugees there, is serving as organizer and leader of the Thailand seminar. Participation is limited to 12 faculty members from across the University System, and the cost of the seminar is $3025.00 per faculty member. GPC faculty are encouraged to apply both for the seminar and for the available Chancellor’s Award travel grants. Please contact William for more information at: william.madden@gpc.edu.

In preparation for the seminar, William made a site visit to Thailand from Feb. 22 to March 10^thof 2008. William is pictured above with Special Colonel Preecha Thimamontri, Director of the Counter-terrorism Task Force, Criminal Investigation Division, Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau.

Palaung Boy in Yellow Coat

Thai-Burma border area 2/25/08

UHDP Site Visit and Volunteer Experience: Our Adobe Construction Experiment: In the photos above, you can see 1) me and Apat preparing the mud, 2) my wife, Leslie, with Apat, treading the mud, 3) Banchai inspecting the partially constructed adobe house, and 4) the nearly completed adobe house with thatched roof.

During our first several days at the Thailand UHDP, my wife Leslie and I worked on two construction projects. The first was mixing, pouring, and finishing concrete to serve as foundations for two new water tanks which are located on a hill above the UHDP site to facilitate water flow to the UHDP's various buildings and residences. The project that we spent the most time on, however, was the mixing of mud to make bricks for a small adobe house. Constructing the small adobe house gives the UHDP staff an opportunity to experiment in adobe construction techniques on a small scale in anticipation of the construction of a full-size adobe guesthouse later on this year. To build the small adobe house, we spent several hours mixing and preparing the mud, pouring the mud into molds to make bricks, and using the finished brick to construct the adobe house. As organizer and leader of the University System of Georgia's 2009 Faculty Seminar to Thailand, I will be bringing a group of 12 faculty to the UHDP to learn about the UHDP, do a service project, and spend a night in a hilltribe village.

Rick Burnette, UHDP Director, explains upland agriculture.

My Return to the Thailand UHDP: From February 22 to March 10th, I traveled to Thailand, the beautiful country where I had spent two years teaching English from 1990-1992. I spent the first week doing volunteer work and visiting with old friends at the Thailand Upland Holistic Development Project http://www.uhdp.org/, a community based, agricultural and educational extension project aimed at improving the quality of life of Thailand’s Palaung hilltribe. This marks my fifth visit to Thailand and my third visit to the UHDP in the last six years. On previous visits and this one as well, I recruited Thai friends from Bangkok to serve as translators for American doctors and other volunteers from Atlanta, Georgia who travel to Thailand bi-ennially to do medical clinics in Palaung villages. Working with the UHDP over these many years, I have especially enjoyed getting to know Rick Burnette, the UHDP's director, who grew up in Franklin NC, not far from my hometown of Elberton GA.

GPC in China--Does China Have a Middle Class?: 10 or 15 years ago, guys like the watermelon man in the photo to the right were much more common. Now they have to compete with more cars, buses, scooters, and even roller-bladers. China definitely looks different and by different I mean more prosperous. All of the young people wear jeans, which used to be too expensive, and almost everyone seems to have cellphone. But does that mean that China is growing a middle-class in the way we think of a middle-class? The answer, I'm finding, seems to be, "No." According to Arthur Kroeber of Dragonomics Research and editor of China Economic Review (see May 2007 issue), the growth that China has seen has resulted from a combination of foreign investment and exports. To sustain growth China needs its own people to become consumers. But when you look at incomes and living costs, what you find is that only about 125 million out of the total populations have significant disposable income. And they are limited by opportunity costs as well, for if they buy a car, it may be years before they can save enough money to buy anything else, such as a major appliance or computer. Also, these 125 million or so Chinese consumers are concentrated in 3 zones: Beijing-Tianjin, Guangzhou, and Shanghai-Hangzhou. Those three urban centers are as far apart from each other as some European capitals, creating real challenges for foreign companies that want to set up distribution centers to serve these far-flung cities. Estimates on how quicky China can grow a consumer class vary, with the most conservative suggesting a possible 300 million consumers by 2015. This week I had an interesting conversation with a bright young journalism major, let's call him "Itchy," who recently finished internships with both Xinhua News Agency in Beijing and the prestigious Wenhui Daily in Shanghai. Itchy also thinks that China doesn't have a true middle-class and he thinks it could be 50-100 years before it really gets one. Of course, these facts are not all bad for U.S. businesses and other foreign companies that want to do business in China. Such realities may burst our China bubble but prompt a more strategic focus on various trends and issues that shape emerging markets here. For example, financial services, is one area that seems to be doing well, with both Chinese banks and foreign banks, such as Citigroup, expanding their range of services as they try to discover niches that reflect consumer wants and needs. Fueling domestic spending through the availability cheap credit!--That sounds more like the American Way than Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, don't you think?!

GPC in China: Nanjing by Night, Part II: At about 1:30am, I was getting ready to shoot some generic street scenes on Ninghai Road in front of our campus when this young man came walking by. He expressed an interest in what I was doing, and I offered to shoot his portrait, and he agreed. I did five or six shots with him and it all took less than five minutes. I liked this one the best since, as you can see, he has undeniable charisma. Afterward, I gave him my blog address so he could view the photo when he gets back to his own country (he sounded American). I wish that I had written down his name because afterward, I was so focused on getting all of my equipment gathered, I forgot his name. I think I will start keeping a journal to record the names of the persons who pose for my street photography. Anyway, friend, thanks for posing for this portrait. When you do finally view your portrait, please email me and I'll update this blog entry to include your name if you want. Best, William.

GPC in China--Nanjing by Night, Part I: Friends of mine know I'm a fan of the Rumanian emigre photographer Brassai, who shot night scenes of Paris in the '30's. Last night came the biggest rain we've had since arriving in Nanjing. I'm a bit of a night-owl and couldn't resist going out to try and snap a few shots of Nanjing's glistening streets. The little cobblestone alleyway in the photo to the left isn't as foreboding as it looks. It's just around the corner from my dorm and a stone's throw from Ninghai Road that runs in front of our campus. At 1am I was wrestling a tripod, fiddling with shutter speeds, doing manual focus in the half-dark, fighting foggy lenses, and dodging the occasional lone midnight motor scooter rider until I got the shot that I liked. Wherever you are out there, Brassai, are you proud of me? (Photos on this blog are clickable if you wish to view them in a large format).

GPC in China--The Private Gardens of Suzhou: I snapped this picture of some little manmade waterfalls in the private garden called the Canglang Pavilion in Suzhou. Although, I preferred the forested trails of the hills outside of Hang Zhou, I think I would have enjoyed the elaborate private gardens of Suzhou more if they had not been so crowded. I guess the problem is that the private gardens are no longer private! After returning from Suzhou, I found a funny old verse by the Song Dynasty poet Ye Shaoweng, entitled, "On Getting No Admittance to a Private Garden":

Most likely, he hates visitors' clog-spikes leaving prints on the green moss;
No response is made to my prolonged tapping at the wicker door.
But how can the splendor of springtime in a garden be enclosed?
A twig of red apricot flowers peeps out over the wall.

GPC in China--Han Shan Temple, Part II: During our visit to Han Shan Temple in Suzhou several weeks ago, I snapped this photo of a Buddhist nun. Even though I took the pic before I'd learned to use the continuous-servo focus feature on the camera I was using, and it came out a bit blurred, I still liked it because the the nun looked so serene. Of the many schools of Buddhism, only Chan survives as a vibrant practice (the famous Shao Lin Temple monks are Chan). Chan was somewhat counter-cultural in its orientation and did not benefit from state-sponsorship in the early dynasties, and so, to its benefit, it did not suffer but instead flourished when those dynasties fell. Unlike other forms of Buddhist practice which were textually focused, Chan emphasized the importance of teacher-disciple relationships and active, joyful participation in society. Chan traditions tell of Chinese "homegrown" Buddhist teachers, such as Hongren and Huineng, whose combination of humor and insight challenged their students to consider how the Buddha's teaching applied to their existing situations. The Chinese Chan Buddhists trace their lineage all the way to the historical Buddha through Bodhidharma to one of the Buddha's favorite disciples, Mahakasyapa. The story is told of how the Buddha once appeared to preach before a large crowd, but instead of preaching, simply held up flower instead. Mahakasyapa was the first person to smile at this, and the Buddha said that Mahakasyapa had understood his sermon the best. Judging from her beautiful smile, it looks like the nun in the photograph above understood the lesson, too. (Thanks to the East-West Center's Peter Hershock and his excellent book for introducing me to Chan Buddhism).

GPC in China--Counting Down the Days! I snapped this photo of a man and woman involved in some kind of intense discussion on a market street in Suzhou. I'm still curious to know what they were fussing about, but it's more fun to imagine. Relationships have been an interesting subject here in China. Chinese people have asked us if we know about the one-child policy, but haven't expressed any criticisms of it. I've made one good Chinese friend whose parents divorced early and who grew up in a step-family. Another new Chinese friend just broke up with his girlfriend because she wants to stay in Nanjing and he wants to live and work in Beijing. Based on conversations we've had with various Chinese divorced persons or children of divorce, it appears that what I'd read about previously is true: that divorce and its consequences are more common here. Yet, still on every radio station, Chinese pop songs weave the dream of a shared romance, and on the shores of Hang Zhou's West Lake, between the peacock pen and the tidal basin, we stumbled up on a plump Chinese lady bedecked in a Western-style white bridal gown, posing for a photographer in anticipation of a "white wedding" that is becoming more and more popular here.