South Korea: August 2007 Archives

It seems so.

I've always felt there's a lot of potential for Asian ice hockey teams. They are not bruisers, like the Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970s, but they are small, speedy, and talented. I recently watched a game between China and Japan at the Changchun Winter Games this year. I was quite impressed.

It looks like China will be getting some help in the ice hockey field (arena?)... at least the women, according to Sun Media in Canada:

China, which will host the 2008 IIHF World Championships, sent its top players to Calgary this summer to train with the Olympic Oval High Performance Female Hockey Program. Six players will join the three Alberta-based WWHL teams -- the X-Treme, Edmonton Chimos and expansion Strathmore Rockies -- for the upcoming season. As well, the entire Chinese team will relocate to Calgary until the new year to play 30 games vs. WWHL teams in preparation for the worlds.

Mario Amantea, the head coach of the X-Treme, agrees that there is big potential for Chinese women's ice hockey:

Amantea... has worked with the Chinese players for a month. He said they have plenty of skill but lack game sense and experience.

"Everything from a fundamental perspective is outstanding," Amantea said. "The big challenge is how they respond to game situations.

First, I had no idea that China was hosting the IIHF World Championships, which is fabulous. You can bet I'll be in the stands, along with many other Crazy Canucks.

If you can't wait until 2008 to catch some ice hockey, you can watch the Asia League Ice Hockey (ALIC) which features teams from Japan, South Korea, and China. Chinese fans might want to catch the Changchun Fuao take on the Beijing Hosa.

Here we go again... this is a Photoshopped version of the Forbidden City, which is being used in Korea to advertise a pet shop. You'll notice the Great Helmsman has disappeared... instead having been replaced by a dog! (Insert your own joke here...)

The photo was posted over a pet shop in Yongin, Geonggi Province. Chinese people complained about the image and it has since been taken down. Free Republic reports:

The owner of the pet shop said, "I got a call from the Korean Embassy in China and the Foreign Ministry, asking me to remove the signboard. And Chinese students in Korea also called nonstop to protest saying that the signboard offends China's pride." The owner explained he had no intention of insulting China but simply thought the signboard, which also showed the Great Wall of China, would look cute.

The international protest appears to have been sparked by a picture of the signboard taken by a Chinese student in Korea and posted on a Web portal. Protests from Chinese Internet users at one stage threatened to erupt into a diplomatic incident when the Chinese Foreign Ministry summoned an official from the Korean Embassy in Beijing to protest and request corrective measures.

Anyway, I'm not sure what the Korean says (anybody care to fill us in?) but the photo is generating some angry comments among the Chinese. I've written before about the traditional "hurting the feelings" statement, which seems to constantly crop up anytime somebody says something remotely critical of China. That being said, portraying a country's beloved leader as a dog may be going a bit far (ya think?)

You can find other photos of the pet shop sign here.