ScandAsia China April 2013

APR 2013
China
Urban planning art
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Opinion
Growing Up Purple
I
am 23 but I always tell my friends that I have been around for only 6 years. My life, as I see
it, started when I was 17 – on one rainy evening and I just arrived home from school. I was
on the phone talking to my best (girl) friend about what we found most interesting – love,
and she asked me for whom I had an eye for. The breeze and stormy clouds set the scene
so perfectly; lonely and yet intriguing, that I felt it was a time to tell the truth. I confronted to
her that ‘I am gay.’
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It wasn’t a big surprise for her though, since she had long hinted at my habits and my love for
Mariah Carey and musical theatre, to know that I was different than the other guys. At that
very moment, I felt like the great walls which I’ve caged myself into had finally tumbled down.
For the first time, I found a home.
Born into a middle-class family in a quiet provincial town in the South of Thailand, I have a
loving mother and a gentleman father who both love me dearly. But for a long time, I wasn’t
happy being around them. In fact, I was insecure being around, almost, anyone at all.
Remember when you were growing up, your family, schools and society kept feeding you with
certain kind of cultural contexts – the bad/black and the good/white – that you had to follow
and admire and to distaste and dismiss. Oftentimes, they left out the gray area.
I grew up not knowing that I was different. But the painted picture of the manly young country
boys who were into sports and liked to play in the rice fields caused me much headache because
I didn’t fit into any of those frames. I was too young to understand the mental complications
that I had at the time, so I chose an easy way out by trying to be normal, well, straight.
I played like the boys. I acted and talked like one. People, including my family, saw me like one.
However, I always had an admiration for the fluttering boys with confident characters. The
Thai society called them tood or kathoey – boys who love to act like girls. The words are
negatively used, casting them as funny and overtly unnatural. But I didn’t want to be like girls
so I tried to get away from that stereotype as much as possible.
I hid my real confusing ‘self’ and sought escapism through many kinds of harmless entertainment:
films, radio and TV. (It was a time when the Internet was pretty much irrelevant.) I
became quieter, and didn’t want to share my stories with my family anymore. I felt so wrong
all the time and life was but a series of repressive acts.
At times, I blamed the place I lived in. Nothing satisfied me there. But as I got older, I learned
that my condition was rather simple: I wasn’t being myself. And when you’re not yourself,
there’s no chance that a healthy state of mind can be attained.
That missing gray or gay area seems so little but can create a huge impact on one’s identity,
especially during the adolescent years. It took a broader view of life, a help from the right
people and immense courage to finally break the barriers down and be free.
But society can play a role to help educate the young who feel a little bit different like I was
and let them create the best version of themselves, regardless of genders or race.
We need to bear in mind the gender choices in which children might – mentally – be inherited
to in order to avoid leaving them suffered from not being who they are.
Sippachai Kunnuwong is a graduate
from Thammasat University in
Journalism. Before joining ScandAsia as a
journalist, he was trained at the Bangkok
Post and BBC World News in London.

The 113 th China Import and Export Fair
Date: 15 April – 5 May 2013
Location: China Import and Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou
Coming Events
The China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair Spring April 2013) is a comprehensive international
trading event to be held in three phases from 15 April to 5 May. The first phase will be held on 15 –
19 April, featuring Electronics & Household Electrical Appliances, Lighting Equipment, Vehicles & Spare
Parts, Machinery Hardware & Tools, Building Materials, Chemical Products and International Pavilion. Phase
two will take place on 23 – 27 April, featuring Consumer Goods, Gifts and Home Decorations products.
And phase three on 1-5 May will feature Textiles & Garments, Shoes, Office Supplies, Cases & Bags, and
Recreation Products, Medicines, Medical Devices, Health Products, Food, International Pavilion.
Canton Fair, also renowned as the China Import and Export Fair, is held biannually in Guangzhou every
spring and autumn, with a history of 55 years since 1957.
For more information, visit www.cantonfair.org.cn
Joint
Nordic
Luncheon
Seminar
Date: 23 April 2013,
11.30 a.m. – 1.30 p.m.
Location: Sofitel Shanghai Hyland
The Nordic Chambers have invited Ms.
Cathy Huang, Founder and President of CBi
China Bridge, to talk on the subject “Design
Evolution in China & Design Thinking in
Practice” at the Joint Nordic Luncheon
seminar on 23 April.
Trained as a designer, Cathy will share
her personal observations on the evolution
of the design industry and ecosystem in
China over the past 20 years. She will also
share her views on Insight Based Innovation,
Design Thinking, and Design Strategy – her
main areas of focus and the foundation that
propelled her to be an honoree of the very
first “China’s Women to Watch” and the
Founder and President of CBi China Bridge,
an insight-based innovation firm that helps
world leading companies create profound
customer experiences.
Participation fee is 250 RMB for members
and invitees and 600 RMB for non-members.
Interested people are suggested to sign up
at fbcs@fbcs.fi within19 April 2013.
Swedish Chamber of Commerce Spring Party 2013
Date: 26 April 2013, 6.30 p.m. – 1.00 a.m.
Location: Le Royal Meridien, Shanghai
DanCham Gala Ball in Beijing
Date: 27 April 2013,
6.00 p.m. – 2.00 a.m.
Location: InterContinental Hotel Beijing Beichen
The Danish Chamber of Commerce in China will
host its annual charity gala ball at InterContinental
Hotel Beijing Beichen under the theme “Going to
Hollywood”. This year’s event will support the kids
of Sun Village, whose parents are incarcerated.
The entertainers of the event will be famous
Danish singer Rasmus Seebach while MC’s will be
magician and comedian Rune Klan and TV host Felix
Smith.
For more information and ticket bookings,
visit www.dccc.com.cn or email mail@dccc.com.cn
Mark your calendar for a fun night out with great Scandinavian food
and entertainment at Swedish Chamber of Commerce Spring Party
in Shanghai!
Anna-Lena Brundin, a famous stand-up comedian, will
be the host of the evening filled with The Honorary Award
Ceremony, performances and surprises. The dinner party will
take place right after the chamber’s annual general meeting.
Interested people can pick up your tickets on the 8 th or 9 th of
April at the Shanghai or Beijing offices. Prices are 750 RMB for
member and 1500 RMB for non-member.
For more information, visit www.swedishchamber.com.cn
Norway – Asia Business Summit 2013
Date: 26 – 27 April 2013
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia
Organised by Indonesia Norway Business Council (INBC) in collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Embassy and Innovation
Norway, Norway – Asia Business Summit 2013 will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia on 26-27 April 2013. The summit will offer a
platform for representatives from the Norwegian business communities in Asia and Norway to connect with each other, as well
as to share and accumulate experience during the meetings and networking events.
The topics to be discussed at the summit include: Changing Asia – Protectionism, New opportunities and changing trade
patterns; Are Norwegian companies competitive in Asia?; Responsible business practices; Norway Inc – Where are we today and
what’s our strategy?
For more details on speakers, venue and registration,
contact the INBC Secretariat, attention of Ms. Bente Toxopeus-Ekdahi at nabs@inbc.web.id
April 2013 • ScandAsia.China 3

Past Events
DCC South China - Annual General Meeting
Danish Chamber of Commerce South China
(DCCSC) held its Annual General Meeting on
8 March 2013. Hosted by Maersk Container
Industries in Dongguan, the full-day event included a
company presentation and a guided factory tour at the
premises of Maersk.
The event was in presence of the General Consul
Thomas H. Christensen from the Danish General Consulate
in Guangzhou who discussed what the present
changes in the China Government may mean to wholly
foreign owned companies in China, and provided insights
on how to build relationships with local authorities
most effectively.
In the evening, a dinner was held at Bongiorno
Italian restaurant in Dongguan city. Members said
goodbye to the following board members who are
no longer represented in China: Camilla Cronjé, Kim
Kirkegaard and Carsten Primdal while welcomed Inge-
Lise Rønnow (Alfa Nordic in Guangzhou) and Jørgen
Sobol (Linak in Shenzhen) who were voted to be
board members.
The board members voted to proceed their work
included: Jens Engelbrecht Mortensen, Jan Lægaard
Broni, Henrik Ankjær, Christian Schjerbeck and Michael
Schjerbeck.Thomas H. Christensen (Consul General)
and Henrik Larsen (former chairman) will proceed as
Honorary Members. The Board will appoint the various
positions in the Board at the first coming board
meeting and an announcement will be made public
after that. Until then, the positions are as you know
them.
The present Office Manager, Bettina Vilhof Laub,
has resigned and will go back to Denmark soon. Since
she has informed the DCC a long time ago, the replacement
has already been found. Celine Westerberg
will become new Office Manager from the end of
March.
The approved financial statements including an audit
result were conducted by Maersk Container Industries.
The DCC thanked for Maersk’s support on this.
Next year’s AGM will be held on 14 March 2014.
Swedish Chamber of Commerce in
Shanghai - Awareness on social media
On 27 February 2013, the Swedish Chamber of
Commerce in Shanghai invited its members to
a morning meeting on the subject “Awareness
on social media, a study about potential loss of personal
and corporate information”.
The meeting was filled with nerve wrecking examples,
as Mr. Lars-Åke Severin from PSU gave an interesting
lecture about how the information that we
share on social media and that are accessible on internet
can be misused. He also explained how OSINT
(Open Sources Intelligence) can be used to put together
information with the target to approach individuals
with critical corporate positions and get access
to vital information.
4 ScandAsia.China • April 2013

Past Events
Nordic Light Quartet on a four city tour
Sponsored by the Consulate General of
Sweden in Hong Kong, Nordic Light Quartet
recently held concerts in China, Macau and
Hong Kong. Nordic Light Quartet was founded
by award- winning Swedish bassist and composer
Rickard Malmsten. The group also consists of Sweden’s
most promising jazz artists, Magnus Lindgren
(saxophone), Erik Söderlind (guitar) and American
Drummer Jack Greminger.
After a big success in China, Nordic Light
Quartet has been invited to perform at festivals
in Europe, Baltic States and Asia.
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April 2013 • ScandAsia.China 5

Past Events
Swedish crime novelist Håkan Nesser
visits China
Swedish crime novelist Håkan Nesser visited China on 15 – 18 March
2013. On the evening of 15 March, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce
invited book loving members to meet with Håkan Nesser and mingle at
the Consul General’s residence on Xiangshan Road in Shanghai.
Håkan Nesser is a famous Swedish author of mainly crime stories with
25 published books, which are translated to numerous languages. He has
won several literary awards, including The Scandinavian Glass Key and The
European Crime Star Award. Born in Kumla, Sweden, he has lived in New
York and London and recently moved back to Sweden, where he lives in
Stockholm on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea.
Danish Consulate General in
Shanghai hosts press event
On 5 March 2013, the Danish Consulate General in Shanghai held
the event “Get to know Denmark”, aiming to introduce Denmark
to Chinese journalists at the Consul General’s residence in Shanghai.
The event gave Chinese journalists an opportunity to learn more about
Denmark, the Danish foreign ministry’s work in China, and why the Nordic
countries are becoming the new supermodel for transparent and clean governance.
The event gathered 20 Chinese journalists from a wide variety of media
including Xinhua, People’s Daily, 21st Century Business Herald, Xinmin Evening
Paper, China Construction Times, Wen Hui Daily, Modern Weekly, Domus
China and Inculture.
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6 ScandAsia.China • April 2013

Breakfast with Swedish
Consul General Viktoria Li
On 31 January 2013, the Swedish Chamber
of Commerce facilitated a round table
breakfast discussion between Viktoria Li,
the Consul General in Shanghai and representatives
from Swedish Corporations in China.
The discussion centered on what we may
expect from the new Chinese political leadership.
The discussion also covered how Sweden
is preparing to meet upcoming economic challenges
and what the Consulate General can do
for Swedish companies and Swedish interests in
this region.
Past Events
Scandi Village DK.pdf 1 3/10/2555 17:01:07
April 2013 • ScandAsia.China 7

News Brief
Dane reinvents
Chinese shoes
Danish Lego builds
first factory in China
Danish toy maker Lego said on 18 February that it plans to build its first
factory in China next year to support its sales in fast-growing Asian
markets. Lego, the world’s third-largest manufacturer of play materials,
said in a statement that construction will begin in early 2014 in the city of Jiaxing.
Lego did not specify exactly how much it would invest but said it would be a
“3 digit million euro figure.” The plant would have about 2,000 employees once
it is fully operational in 2017. Last month the company announced that they
were laying off 380 employees in Denmark.
“Asia – including China – is a future core market for the Lego Group and
therefore I am excited to share our plans for the new factory,” Chief Operations
Officer Bali Padda said in the statement.
The Lego Group does not operate its own manufacturing facility in China
currently but expects the new factory to supply approximately 70 to 80 per cent
of all Lego products sold in the region in 2017. Lego Group sales in Asia have
grown by more than 50 per cent annually in recent years.
Lego currently has factories in Denmark, Hungary, Czech Republic and Mexico.
The company reported in February that its sales rose to DKK 23.4 billion last
year from DKK 18.7 billion in 2011, despite an economic slowdown that has hurt
rivals Mattel (MAT.O) and Hasbro (HAS.O).
Last year, Lego extended its deal with American filmmaker George Lucas
to manufacture models related to the Star Wars saga, including space ships and
miniature figures.
The Lego group was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen and has passed
from father to son. It is now owned by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, a grandchild of the
founder.
Danish produced Chinese shoes are a hit. Ulla Hentze has
taken the traditional Gong Fu shoe, also known simply as
“China shoes”, and given it a Scandinavian design. It has
turned out to be a great business idea and the shoes have sold well
both in Scandinavia and Asia.
Ulla Christensen Hentze is the owner of Copenhagen based
ShoeShoe Company. The company also has its own factory in
China which produces 25,000 pairs of shoes a year.
Like many others, she was looking to tap into the Chinese
market but marketing and sales were difficult to handle in China’s
vast market. Therefore, she started a partnership with a Marketing
bureau in Shanghai – Schultz Knudsen – who could be in charge of
sales and marketing while she focused on design and production.
The Scandinavian designed Gong Fu shoes turned out to be
extremely popular, especially among university students, so the
Shanghai bureau decided to hold an event to promote the brand
at Shanghai Jiatong University. In June 2012 they created a design
competition where the winner’s design was put in production. The
event exceeded all expectations as there were 6,000 people entered
the competition and publicity was big both online and in
traditional media which hyped the shoes even further.
“It has only been a few months since I went online with my
Chinese shop but I have already sold so much that the expenses
for my marketing in China are covered,” says Ulla Hentze to Danish
paper Boersen.
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8 ScandAsia.China • April 2013

Swedish food
gains popularity
in China
Swedish food can break new grounds in China as the middle-class
Chinese is growing and the consumers’ behavior is changing, said
a Swedish sourcing company based in China.
“A growing proportion of the Chinese middle class is starting to
look at imported food to satisfy their concerns,” stated in a report from
Scandic Foods Asia. “Swedish food, free from antibiotics and Salmonella,
is an attractive choice for health-conscious Chinese consumers.”
Chinese people also associate the food with a status symbol. Expensive,
modern, clean and safe, according to the report, are some of
traits associated with Swedish food.
‘Changing behavior’
“The Chinese market may seem difficult to get into, but the rewards for
those who succeed are the greater. The possibilities here are on a completely
different scale,” said Per Lindén, CEO at Scandic Foods Asia. The
company has successfully established itself in the Chinese food market.
The company has been analyzing how the Chinese consumers’ buying
habits are changing.
“In China, food security is highly valued and the consumers are
preparing to pay more for imported quality products,” said Linden.
These purchasing trends have not gone unnoticed by Swedish industry:
last year China’s Agriculture Minister He Changfu and Swedish
Agriculture Minister Eskil Erlandsson signed a new trade agreement to
boost Swedish exports to China. The deal is to develop trade between
Sweden and China and deepen cooperation in research, food technology
and animal husbandry.
“Swedish food has great potential to sell in China. The middle class
is growing and they demand high quality, healthy and safe products,”
said Erlandsson.
The potential is great for Swedish exports. China’s middle class is
expected to grow to 340 million people by 2016.
The
Presidium of
the Danish
Parliament
visits China
Speaker of the Presidium,
Mr. Mogens Lykketoft (left),
together with Speaker of the State
Parliament of Mongolia,
Mr. Zandaakhu Enkhbold (right).
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News Brief
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til fællesskab, faglighed, seriøsitet og individuel talentudvikling. det vi på
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vi tilbyder:
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• grundskole, 10. kl., studentereksamen (stX)
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• aktiv brug af it og internet i undervisningen
• enkeltværelser til kostelever, lektiehjælp hver dag
The Presidium of the
Danish Parliament paid
an official visit to Mongolia
on 2-6 March 2013. The
Speaker of the Presidium,
Mr. Mogens Lykketoft as well
as the deputy speakers, Mr.
Bertel Haarder, Ms. Pia Kjaersgaard,
Ms. Camilla Hersom
and Ms. Anne Baastrup participated
in the trip.
After the visit to Mongolia,
the Presidium stopped in
Beijing on 6 March to have a
meeting with the Vice-minister
of International Department
of the Chinese Communist
Party, Mr. Liu Jieyi, as well
as Mr. Song Tao, Vice-minister
in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign
Affairs with responsibility
for European affairs.
The Speaker of the Presidium,
Mr. Lykketoft, held a
press conference for Danish
press in Beijing telling of the
Presidium’s activities in Mongolia
and China.
The Presidium also had
consultations with Chinese
scholars and civil society representatives
on China’s civil
society and human rights.
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April 2013 • ScandAsia.China 9

News Brief
Chinese and
Norwegian
diplomats meet to
restore relations
Online interest
in the Danish
Royal Family
from the Chinese
The official website of the Danish royal family was launched
in Chinese six months ago when Hu Jintao visited Denmark.
It was the initiative of marketing bureau Schultz Knudsen
who approached the Danish court and offered to do the Chinese
version of the site. Since then, it has been very popular especially
during events like the visit of Hu Jintao in Denmark and most
recently when the Danish Crown Prince was on state visit in China.
“We saw the visit from Hu Jintao as an excellent opportunity
to launch a site in Chinese so that the people of China could follow
the President’s visit to the country of H.C. Andersen. There are a
lot of ties between the big and the small nation and we have seen a
big interest in the Chinese version since it first went up in June last
year,” Lene Balleby who is head of communications at the court
explains.
“Both we and the embassy in Beijing have been pleased with
the Chinese site. When there were royal visits in China, we could
link in our press material. So with few resources we have managed
to reach a wider group than what would have been possible with
traditional media,” she adds.
Relations between Norway and China have been shaky after the
Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the prize to an incarcerated
Chinese man Liu Xiaobo. China reacted strongly, saying that
relations between their two countries had been damaged. A deal was
made with several European countries that made it possible for citizens
to travel to Shanghai without applying for a visa in advance. Norway was
no included in that deal.
“Some countries are not qualified because they have a people or a
government of low quality and that act poorly,” was the comment from
a Chinese official at the time.
During a review of foreign policy in the Norwegian Parliament on
12 February, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide, said that they
were experiencing progress with the Chinese. On 14 February, the Norwegian
paper Aftenposten writes that diplomats from the two countries
have been meeting in secret to work on the relations.
Prominent diplomats with mandates from highest authorities in Norway
and China have been meeting on a regular basis since early summer last
year. The aim has been finding a way past the difficult situation.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide, will not go in details
about who are at the meetings or where they take place, but Aftenposten
writes that ambassador to Norway, Zhao Jun, is leading the negotiations
on behalf of China.
Eide also says that the meetings are not taking place in a third country.
He says that the meetings are very concrete and that many of the conversations
are about showing respect and respecting each other’s values.
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10 ScandAsia.China • April 2013

News Brief
Danish architects are in
high demand in China
Andersen Garden
by Schmidt hHmmer Lassen Architects
A
number of Danish architect
firms have won competitions
in China and are now
realizing big projects. Bjarke Ingels
and his international architectural
company BIG, for example, designed
a 500 meter high tower to be
built in the port city of Tianjin near
Beijing. In southern China, Henning
Larsen Architects are working on
the construction of Foshan Cultural
Center. Also lesser-known architects
have gained a solid foothold
in China. KPF Architects are now
drawing up a master plan for an entire
district of Chongqing in western
China – and as they say from the
headquarters in Viborg.
“When the entire project is
budgeted at just less than 10 billion
DKK, a few of those millions might
as well go to us.”
In Viborg, the architects know
that you have to find Chinese partners
to be near the main project
planning – thus making more money.
The Council of Exports in China
are eager to help promote this process.
It has launched several initiatives
to get more Danish architects
and construction companies enter
the Chinese market.
“We would like to help more
small and medium-sized enterprises.
Consequently, we plan in the spring
to hold a conference in Copenhagen
for both architects and engineering
firms, where a number of speakers
tell about their experiences,” says
Jesper Bech Andersen, team leader
for architecture and construction at
the Consulate General in Shanghai.
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This fall Jesper says he will invite
Danish architects and engineering
firms to Shanghai to hold lectures
on Danish architecture and building
tradition at Tongji University. At the
same time, he plans to match the
International Baccalaureate
- an alternative to the Danish
‘Studentereksamen’
Danish participants with local architectural
firms so that the Danish
firms gain a greater understanding of
the rules of the game in the Chinese
construction market. Jesper hopes
to increase exports in the sector.
Nyborg Gymnasium & Kostskole
Skolebakken 13, DK-5800 Nyborg, tlf +45 65 31 02 17
post@nyborg-gym.dk, www.nyborg-gym.dk
April 2013 • ScandAsia.China 11

News Brief
B&O partner to
open 50 ‘Play’ stores
in China
Danish luxury stereo and television maker Bang & Olufsen said in the
end of January it had signed a deal with Chinese partner Sparkle Roll
to open more than 50 new stores in the country.
It said Sparkle Roll would operate three Bang & Olufsen stores in three
cities and more than 50 smaller stores across the country dedicated to its
lower-priced “Play” products.
The aim of the smaller “Play” stores was to create brand awareness of
Bang & Olufsen and drive customers to Bang & Olufsen stores selling its more
expensive products.
The company’s top-of-the-range offering is the 103-inch BeoVision4 TV
costing around 100,000 euros ($134,600).
“These steps are part of our overall strategy for China, that we want to do
significantly better in the country,” said Chief Executive Tue Mantoni. “Today’s
deal is a step in the right direction.”
B&O generates about 3 percent of its revenue in China and wants that to
rise to between 20 and 30 percent within two to three years.
China soon to
replace Germany
as H&M’s largest
market
China is set to overtake Germany as the largest market for
Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), the world’s second-largest apparel
retailer, a fashion website reports.
It is because the pace of new store opening by H&M in China is faster
than in any other country, Karl-Johan Persson, CEO of the Swedish
company, said in a recent interview, Bloomberg reported.
In 2012, H&M opened 52 outlets in China, compared to 22 stores
in Germany, taking the tally of H&M stores in Germany to 406.
Mr. Presson said while China’s economy is growing rapidly, Europe
is passing through a difficult economic situation, which has impacted
private consumption and spending.
The demand for clothing in Europe has declined and H&M’s sales
have been seriously impacted in Germany, Greece, Spain, Portugal,
the Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy, he said.
H&M is mulling on opening stores in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia
and India, while the European demand recovers, he added.
(c)Nelson Ching/Bloomberg News
A shopper walks past an advertisement for an upcoming
Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) AB store in Beijing, China.
Swedish island Gotland working on
partnership with Chinese island Hainan
Gotland
Swedish island Gotland, situated 90 kilometers from the coast of Sweden,
is working on an unusual relationship with the possible future
partner, Chinese Island Hainan. The two islands are worlds away
from each other and those differences are the cause of mutual interest.
Ten times bigger than Gotland, Hainan is home to almost 9 million
people. While Gotland sees this as an opportunity for more tourism, imports,
and exchange in workforce, Hainan wants more western tourists,
western personnel and more companies and visitors at the annual agricultural
fair.
“They really want to partner with us. But it takes a bit time and a
culture is different there,” says Sven Sandström from Product Gotland.
Product Gotland has several cooperation plans for the two partners.
It all started when a delegation from Gotland of 40 people visited the
Chinese island in March last year. The visits have been repeated since then
and a “treaty of friendship” was signed.
12 ScandAsia.China • April 2013

14 ScandAsia.China • April 2013
Urban

planning art
Swedish city planner Pontus Boden at Atkins Global
in Beijing talks about urban planning in China
By Alexandra Leyton
You can’t build
a city quickly,
it has to evolve.
The accidents
last year caused
by severe floods
could have
been avoided
if companies
had put more
emphasizes on
urban planning
for a real city.
State control on urban planning
and development in
China is rapidly diminishing
after economic reforms
in 1978. With the development
in China’s economy and
increase in foreign investments, the
state and centrally-planned economy
have less significant role to play in
influencing the development of urban
landscapes.
For over two years, Swedish
city planner Pontus Boden at Atkins
Global has seen the urban planning
development in China at first hand.
“Even if the government doesn’t
sell as much land as it used too, in
an attempt to control the housing
bubble, the market is still performing
better than in Europe,” Boden says.
The small city of Karlskrona, with
its 35,000 thousand citizens, wasn’t
an option when Boden graduated
after studying Spatial Planning at
Bleaching Institute of Technology.
Instead he had set his eyes on a
cosmopolitan metropolis, Beijing.
“For me, China was an unexplored
place. It is exciting to just stroll around
and experience Chinese street life. In
smaller cities in Sweden I don’t feel we
have the right components for a good
social life, there are too many limits.
You don’t have the fundamentals of
a bigger city like pubs and restaurants.
We miss the active life and I wanted
to be a part of that scene in China. For
city planners in Sweden, unfortunately,
there are not many jobs in the bigger
cities,” Boden says.
“Once I arrived in China, my
first thought was, where have I been
when all this happened? I believe that
had to do with the media image we
have in Europe about China. You
believe it will be very traditional or
with a closed communist heritage.
We tend to forget how modern the
big cities actually are.”
Boden works for a British firm
which develops urban planning for
various projects, districts, housing
states and tourist areas, ranging
from a few hectares to thousands
of square kilometers for Chinese
companies. Still, the firm - like many
other western firms in this genre in
China - is only hired to come up with
new ideas. They often don’t have all
the certificates required to produce
drawings and tend to be more expensive
than local firms.
“A local firm will often take
over, and finish the job. The biggest
challenge for a western architecture
firm is to either think about the firm’s
reputation or just take the money
and do what you are told to do. The
most frustrating aspect about this is
that most of the decision makers in
the projects don’t have a clue about
urban planning. They tell us to draw a
residential area that is not supportive
for local needs or culture. Still they
only see the return on investment
by selling the properties. If you insist
on building something sustainable for
the future it affects your relationship
with a customer, so we usually do as
we are told,” Boden says.
According to Boden, sustainable
urban development is a big challenge
facing China. Building can change a
landscape and hence change people’s
way of life. It is critical to cultivate
city life and integrate the land with
structures.
“Unfortunately, most companies
are only interested in profit, generally
said, they want to maximize the
housing bubble. Chinese home buyers
have been accumulating houses
for years, mainly because they have
few options for safely stashing their
savings. But we do have Chinese
company owners that are interested
in the community that will reside in
these areas and care about their living
conditions,” Boden says.
What matters is a beautiful set of
pictures and a vision that the companies
can sell to the state in order to
buy land.
“A substantial amount of our
time is about creating something
beautiful for the eye, when in fact
many times it’s not sustainable. In
China it’s about pretty pictures to
sell for not only to the state but also
house buyers. A lot of properties in
China are sold by how they will look,
even before the constructions start.
In Sweden projects are developed
from concept to final build, and we
develop ways to maximize the use
of areas, parking lots, child friendly
areas, narrow streets, drain systems
that work. In China this is not a part
of the process until the very end,”
Boden says.
“You can’t build a city quickly, it
has to evolve. The accidents last year
caused by severe floods could have
been avoided if companies had put
more emphasizes on urban planning
for a real city,” he adds.
Quality assurance is, according
to Boden, not a natural part of urban
planning in China. And constructive
criticism or feedback is never a part
of the planning stage.
“We don’t follow up and talk
through the different steps in the
planning. Most of the time the
owners of the property have all the
power in decisions and even if we
planners are the people who are
educated on the subject, our professional
opinion is not always taken in
consideration. It’s more important
that the owner doesn’t lose face,”
Boden says.
“We do come across rich people
who come from provinces outside
the city, have made a fortune in Cole
mining and want to invest in property
without a clue about how it actually
works.”
However, to a cadre of western
urban planners, developers and architects,
China represents the ultimate
market.
“China is still a very interesting
place to be working. The scalable
projects you get here don’t exist
in Sweden. As a westerner you see
the potential and you want to be a
part of a developing ecosystem. You
also get extensive freedom since
regulations are less restrictive than
in Europe and decisions are made
quicker,” Boden says.
April 2013 • ScandAsia.China 15

Education in m
Morten Laugesen holds
a BA in economics and a
MA and PhD-degree
in Chinese from
Aarhus University
16 ScandAsia.China • April 2013

ixed cultures
Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research (SDC)
promotes and strengthens collaboration between Danish
and Chinese universities.
By Mikkel Keldorf
In September last year, 48 Danish students
went to Beijing as the first group of Danish
University students studying at Sino-Danish
Center for Education and Research (SDC).
The centre is a collaboration between eight
Danish universities, the Danish Ministry of Science,
Innovation and Higher Education, the University of
the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) and the
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Head of the SDC Secretariat in Aarhus, Morten
Laugesen, shared with ScandAsia his experiences
from the first semester ever at SDC. The project is
up and running, but it has been hard work getting
to this point and a lot of adjustments still need to
be done, he says.
“In a collaboration like the SDC, it is important
that the partners take responsibility for the project
in order to overcome the start-up challenges that
inevitably appear,” says Morten.
“The Danish universities have shown a great
interest in the project and invested many resources
so far. I hope that UCAS will live up to its responsibility
and invest more human capital in the project
as it develops in the future,” he adds.
Culture as a part of the education
China’s increasing power on the world market has
motivated the Danish government, the Danish
industry and the Danish universities to bring students
even closer to the culture that is predicted
to become more and more dominating in the
years to come.
The idea behind SDC first started in 2008.
Since then a lot of top-level negotiations have led
to the beginning of the first SDC semester. Today
SDC offers 4 different Master’s programs: Public
Management and Social Development; Water and
Environment; Neuroscience and Neuroimaging;
and Innovation Management.
Johannes Vørts, Communication Manager at
SDC, is dealing with the everyday communication
with the Danish students. His impression from
talking to the Danish students is that they chose
to join the programs for various reasons depending
on programs they take.
“The Social Science students study culture, so
obviously they want to get a close up experience
with the Chinese culture. The Water and Environment
students on the other hand can get a unique
view of the actual problems in China e.g. they can
go see the polluted lakes and rivers. Regarding the
Neuroscience students, the program we offer is
only available here in Beijing, and not in Denmark,”
says Johannes Vørts.
Danish students want to participate
Arriving in China in itself can be a big culture chock
for Westerners. But getting in a classroom with
Chinese students and professors also contributes
to this experience. SDC has both Danish and
Chinese students and professors in its programs
and according to Morten this is a big challenge.
First of all Danish and Chinese students have
been trained differently during their educational
years. Secondly, the Chinese students are not used
to classes taught in English, which generates some
difficulties working with the English academic terms.
Furthermore, the study culture is very different in
China compared to Denmark.
“In China the students do not ask questions to
the teacher whereas in Denmark it is an important
part of the education. This is causing some confusion
during the classes because Danish students do
not mind interrupting the professor whereas the
Chinese students on the other hand are mostly
quiet. Also, working in groups is very common in
Denmark, but UCAS do not even have rooms for
that,” Morten explains.
Differing views on planning horizons is also
something SDC is dealing with on everyday basis.
Usually Chinese people do not solve problems
before they appear. E.g. when arranging a field trip,
it is common not to think about the transportation
before the day of departure.
Positive replies from
the students
Despite the startup difficulties and cultural differences,
it seems like the most important part in this
setup – students – are generally satisfied with the
program. According to Johannes, what Beijing has
to offer especially the culture, brings a smile to the
faces of the Danish students.
“They have been very active and have spent
a lot of time together. This is very usual in China
because people go out all the time, so this is an
important part of studying at SDC,” says Johannes.
In the future SDC’s educational activities are
planned to take place in a separate building funded
by the Danish Industry Foundation. The facilities
in the new building will include classrooms, group
rooms, offices for faculty, administration and a
number of apartments for Danish teachers who
come to Beijing to teach there.
For more information,
visit www.sinodanishcenter.com
Despite the startup
difficulties and
cultural differences,
it seems like the
most important
part in this setup
– students – are
generally satisfied
with the program.
What Beijing has
to offer especially
the culture, brings a
smile to the faces of
the Danish students.
Johannes Vørts
holds a MA degree in Media Studies
and a BA in Multimedia and Media Studies
April 2013 • ScandAsia.China 17

The impacts of
multilingualism
By Frazer Cairns, Head of UWCSEA Dover CampusDespite multilingual education dating
back to the ancient world in a variety
Author biography
Frazer Cairns started his
career as a management
consultant and journalist
after graduating from the
University of York in the UK.
He retrained as a science
teacher and subsequently
taught in the UK, Indonesia
and Switzerland. He is
currently the Head of
UWCSEA Dover Campus.
Gajo, L., (2007) Linguistic Knowledge
and Subject Knowledge: How Does
Bilingualism Contribute to Subject
Development? The International
Journal of Bilingual Education and
Bilingualism 10(5) pp 563 – 581
of different cultures, multilingualism was
seenuntil relatively recently by many education
researchers as an exceptional,
even hazardous, phenomenon. Trying to learn through
a language other than the language spoken at home
(for example learning science in English rather than
Danish) was cited as the root of a number of difficulties:
cognitive overload, semi-lingualism and language
confusion to name but three. Learning through more
than one language was, essentially, bad for you.
This point of view obviously has profound implications
for international schools, where a potentially large
proportion of the community is learning through a language
other than their home language. It is not at all
unusual for parents sending their children to a school
where English is the working language to worry that
speaking their home language with their children will at
best impede their progress in English and at worst confuse
them so that they end up speaking no first language.
Thankfully, modern educational research now
sees multilingualism as a potential asset that provides
learners with a strategic (and significant) advantage
rather than as a cause for concern. As one might
perhaps expect, speakers of multiple languages learn
further languages more easily—they seem to have a
higher metalinguistic awareness (in other words, they
show a better understanding of the nature of linguistic
structures) and a more analytical approach towards
the social and pragmatic functions of language. However,
more interestingly, research has suggested that a
‘uniqueness’ exists in the development of multilingual
students when compared to their monolingual peers.
Empirical research has shown that multilinguals
‘know things’ that transcend the purely linguistic level
according to Laurent Gajo 1 , a professor at the University
of Geneva. In Gajo’s view of learning, the different
languages interact and combine to generate, not the
simple addition of distinct competences (i.e., not just
two monolingual halves welded together), but rather
an original, individual, complex competence on which
the user may draw. Speaking multiple languages, it
seems, makes you better not just at other languages,
but also potentially more creative and better at mathematics,
science or history.
It is important to say that learning through a language
other than your home language is not an easy
option or one that will yield instant results. Though
many children attain basic communicative competence
in a language relatively quickly, the more specific language
demanded in an educational setting takes longer
to acquire; most students will, in fact, initially see a drop
in their overall performance as they try to adjust. Much
will also depend on personal factors such as motivation,
the child’s communicative needs and levels of
anxiety. However, in the medium term, the drop is
usually compensated for and a multilingual child usually
regains their age-appropriate progress. Often times
they surpass their monolingual peers.
Going back to the worried parent, should you, then,
speak to your child in English at home if it is not their
mother language? The research is clear - no. For a child
learning in a second language it is vital to maintain their
mother tongue. Skills acquired in the first language can
be transferred to the second language so, for example,
if your child has developed good reading skills in French
or Korean, she is likely to be able to apply these skills
when reading English. (One useful transferable reading
skill is the ability to guess the meaning of unfamiliar
words from context.) Similarly, the skills of being able to
plan out a piece of writing or develop an argument in a
persuasive essay can be applied in the second language
once they have been learned in the first.
Many children in international schools plan to return
to their home country at some point to continue
their education. Students who neglect their mother
tongue can often suffer from problems of identity loss
or distance from their parents, and from other family
members in their home country. Both of these are
strong reasons to make sure they do not have gaps in
their mother tongue.
Educational research has generated its fair share of
false conclusions—playing Bach to your children and
having potted plants in the classroom does not necessarily
make them better at maths despite the claims
made in some studies. It is important to recognise that
the range of factors that go together to generate the
positive consequences of multilingualism are not as yet
fully understood, and that much will depend on the personal
factors mentioned above. The choices of the institution
(for instance, its language curricula and its teaching
methodology) will also have a critical influence on a
learner’s willingness, or reluctance, to transfer resources
from one context into another. However, what is clear
is the importance of the strategic and transferable skills
that multilingualism can bring to children as they face a
complex and rapidly changing world.

Life after Dam
Norway’s contribution to Laos’ hydropower
Long before a USD 650 million hydropower project in
Laos began operating in January, thousands of low-land
Lao and ethnic minorities had to relocate their homes
to new given villages. But can they attain a sustainable
future after the change of location?
By Sippachai Kunnuwong
20 ScandAsia.China • April 2013
(C)THPC/Jim Holmes

Colourfully dressed women of all ages
rush around the compound like
they are preparing a feast of sorts.
The crinkling sound of plates and
forks tells of a meal being prepared.
One lady serves papaya salad on a table full of
mouth-watering delicacies – all Lao favorites.
A middle-aged lady from Vientiane is there this
afternoon to teach the female villagers - who all
come from different tribes - how to process Som
Pa, or smelly sour/pickled fish. The women recently
formed the Women’s Union and Som Pa is a way
to add product-value to the growing number of fish
caught near the village, as well as to preserve them.
“You wanna try?,” the trainer asks one villager.
She nods. They swop places and an amateur fish
cutting session begins.
This would be unthinkable only two years ago:
In one kitchen various ethnic minorities joined together
with low-land Lao - the mainstream culture
- in a communal environment. The mountaineers
used to live in isolation, uphill or along the river
and relied on wild food and husbandry. There were
little need for money, no access to electricity, and
almost no connection to the outside world.
All this changed with the mega hydropower
project that washed away their traditional livelihoods.
Everything, for better or worse.
Moving out
On January 19, 2013, the USD 650 million Thuen-
Hinboun Expansion Project was inaugurated in
Borikhamxay and Khammuan provinces, 5 hours
south of Vientiane, the Lao capital. The ceremony
was marked by the company’s shareholders – energy
key players from Laos, Thailand and Norway
– along with Lao prominent politicians.
The new hydropower plant was the second
mega project the Thuen-Hinboun Power Company
(THPC) has carried out in Laos and an expansion of
the first-ever cooperation between its government
and foreign investors since the cold war.
Just days after the launch, an activist group
International Rivers published a report painting
an intriguing back side of the event that had not
garnered a similar attention from the media.
“The project has displaced over 7,500 people
and will affect the livelihoods of tens of thousands
more people living downstream,” says Tania Lee,
International Rivers’ Lao coordinator in a report from
her visit to the affected area in Laos over the past year.
The new project has twice the capacity of the
first plant and will, according to Lee, “double the
amount of water being diverted into the Hai and
Hinboun Rivers, causing extensive flooding and
other impacts.”
Its biggest footprint went directly to the
people. 4358 persons from 760 households had
to move out of their old homes to resettlement
villages, provided by the company. They were,
however, provided with full compensation of
housing, money, electricity, community facilities
and necessary goods. A further 4436 persons living
along the downstream of the power station who
faced extensive flood water were relocated and
given compensated budget and other needs.
Also, approximately 4500 persons downstream
will be relocated in the next four years. The
overall number of resettled and relocated persons
is a little over 13,000 when all is completed.
“THPC – which is partly-owned by the Norwegian
state-owned company Statkraft – is profiting at
the expense of some of Southeast Asia’s poorest
people,” Lee said in an interview with a local Thai
newspaper.
Laos’ economic tipping point
To really examine the costs and benefits of such
a project that has run for over a decade, what
impact it has created, it helps to go back in time.
From the 1970s to mid-90s, Laos’ economy had
remained silent and struggling.
“Back then, the country was so poor and
isolated. Only 5 percent of its people had access
to electricity,” says Aiden Glendinning, THPC’s
communication advisor.
“The only money the government received
from abroad was the fees from the airline companies
when their aircrafts flew across its territory.”
The Thuen-Hinboun Power Plant, THPC’s first
project, operated since 1998, was the first major
industrial project in Laos in 30 years. The project
was deemed as a tipping point for Lao economy
as ninety-five percent of its produced power are
being exported to Thailand under a long-term
contract, ten percent sold to Laos.
(C)THPC
The Thuen-Hinboun Expansion Project
in full operation since January 2013
“We bring hard currency to Laos. We pay
profit taxes, dividends, royalties and the Lao
shareholder is sixty percent. 98-99 percent of our
staff are Lao nationals,” says Robert Allen, THPC’s
general manager.
So far the company, shared by state-owned
Electricite du Laos, Statkraft of Norway and Thailand’s
GMS Power has contributed more than USD
300 million to the country’s state finance. And
with the operation of a new dam, the production
capacity will double from 220 MW to 500 MW:
an estimation of USD 35 million is expected to be
injected into Lao, annually.
Statkraft in Laos
Not only an iconic facelift for Lao economy, the
first dam was also a boon for a foreign company
like Statkraft whose part of business strategy is
“to develop, build, and operate hydropower in
emerging markets.” Lars Magnus Guther, the
company’s corporate communication advisor,
indicates that Laos was such a market with a growing
energy demand and huge untapped potential
for hydropower.
Guther says Statkraft and Swedish Vattenfall
were approached by the Lao government and
Asian Development Bank (ADB) back in the early-
90s after Statkraft’s “100 years of hydropower
competency” caught their attention. The two
companies established a joint venture under Nordic
Hydropower and took a 20% stake in THPC.
Later, in 2001, Statkraft bought Vattenfall’s share
and took over the company.
The Norwegian counterpart provided THPC
with technical support, equipment and Operation
and Maintenance managers posted at both project
camp grounds.
Is it really “Green”?
“Sustainability” and “green economy” are among
the banners THPC and Statkraft have been promoting
over the years, thanks to their hydropower
production that leaves zero waste and is renewable
and a long list of supporting schemes aimed
at helping the villagers create a long-lasting future.
But a Canadian-born activist Lee says she is
rather skeptical about such offerings being at all viable.
From her visits to resettlement and relocation
sites, Lee states that some of the plans to restore
the people’s livelihoods are proved difficult. For
example, at one village, there was an attempt to
develop fish ponds in the rice fields. Villagers were
provided with compensated land and development
equipment and training but it ended up a failure as
“the valley doesn’t have good soil for dry-season
rice farming.”
The loss of fishery is another alarming concern
for the villagers who have not been relocated to
the new villages. Lee says that stronger water flow
wipes away aqua-plants along the river tributaries –
what used to be the breeding place for fish – which
causes frustration to the villagers who still rely on
fishery as THPC’s support hasn’t yet arrived.
“That kind of situation where you have a total
loss of food security and the future of people there.
I would challenge how to call that part of the green
economy, really.”
Long road to sustainability
During a meeting I had with Robert Allen, THPC’s
general manager, at the company’s Headquarters
in Vientiane, the veteran investment consultant
admits he understands that changes come with
consequences.
“We don’t deny that we have to move them
but the new livelihoods does take an effort in time,”
says Allen, adding that new paddy rice field takes
3-4 years to develop into full production. “So along
the way we keep supporting the villagers until they
achieve it.” The achievement is the income target
April 2013 • ScandAsia.China 21

Students of the relocation
village Phoumakneng
studying in a Lao
language class.
per household of USD 1800 for resettled villagers,
USD 1450 for relocated persons - 25-40% above
the income levels surveyed at the beginning of the
project - by diverse livelihoods.
A whole range of activities, from cash crops
planting, commercial fisheries to the development
of various types of fish ponds, are being introduced
to the villagers by Livelihoods staff, part of Social
and Environmental Division (SED), a compartment
within THPC, which Allen states “report directly
to me.” These projects were born to find suitable
career choices for each household in a mix of
schools, clinics and community infrastructures –
“which didn’t exist before” – as well as the village
organisation, another crucial task.
“It’s easy to put in an irrigation scheme you see
in Thailand and elsewhere. But if you don’t teach
the villagers how to manage it, it can be a waste.
So we’re spending a lot of time doing that too,”
says Allen.
One example of the managerial buildup that is
prevailing and has created quite an income for the
villagers can be seen at Ban Keosenkham, located on
the valley heading to the reservoir gate, where the
Village Fishery Group was established. The villagers,
under a supervision of THPC’s Fishery staff and district
administration, regulated their own fishing rules.
Destructive fishing equipment is prohibited and
fishing licensing has been set up. They also set a
selling price with the merchants who travel daily
to the village to buy the just-caught products.
“We are now looking into finding a suitable
breeding zone for fish in the reservoir so that the
number of fish will last for generations to come,”
says Xiangkhan, head of the Village Fishery Group.
Allen says these approaches were taken from
other community projects that had been successful
in the past, in the likes of the United Nations’, World
Bank’s, ADB’s and whatnot. “Are we going to have
some failures? Yes, but we have to adapt. That’s the
attitude we have: we change when things don’t work.”
The future
At the resettlement site of Nong Xong, the
22 ScandAsia.China • April 2013
development that has taken place means many
things to many families. A new Hyundai van that is
parked in front of one house displays the success
of hard work that has been put into developing
their first potatoes farming. Mushroom farming is
also a hit here: three families even split their roles
in cultivating them.
The all-weather roads have led many traders
from the city coming in to pick up cash crops to
sell. “It has become the main livelihood component
for villagers here,” says a local truck driver whose
deliveries are for the factories in the city and in
Vietnam. He comes to the village during the harvesting
seasons and, in a good day, would collect
almost two tons of sliced potatoes.
“These villagers are from different tribes. In the
beginning, some didn’t want to work because it’s
not in their nature, but when they saw the neighbours
profiting from the farming, it has encouraged
them to do the same,” he says.
The access to electricity is a stark development
One of the Livelihoods staff showing an example
of a good cut.
too. They were given free installation of electricity
but are responsible for paying their own electricity
bills. Irrigation scheme electricity bills are paid by the
company or subsidised for varying periods of time.
However critics have doubted how much
benefits the project can provide to Laos as a
whole, when majority of THPC’s production is
being exported to Thailand and the Laotians are
buying it back at a higher rate.
“The problem with electricity [in Laos] is that
it’s very difficult to transport,” explains Glendenning,
suggesting that the country full of natural
richness is so vast when compared to its 6 million
population. “To build transmission to the north
of the country for only a handful hundreds is too
expensive.”
On my way back from the project-inspection
trip, I visited a middle school at Phoumakneng, the
relocation village, a properly built building located on
a higher land overlooking the entire village. But a high
school across the yard is not of the same standards.
“We got compensated for what we had before.
It was our traditional methods of building: to
use woods and natural materials,” says the school
principal Waan Phrakhunthong.
“I think we’re better off this way. Students from
different villages don’t have to walk a long distance
to get education anymore. We’re right here.”
Eager to hear what other villagers think of the
future that will hold for all of them, I went to talk
to the village head Phoumy Phetbounthong.
“Do you think you will be able to live here for
a long time?” I asked.
“Oh yes. I will live here. My children, grandchildren
will live here. We are stable here,” says
Phetbounthong.
Those assuring words do not necessarily guarantee
what will come next, but there’s one thing
the general manager Allen holds dear in mind.
“Is every villager 100% happy yet? No and that’s
going to be a challenge for long-term but the approach
is going very well. There are also summaries
of what we need to work on – improving soil and
livelihoods. But we have to stay until we achieve.”

Medium
Danish Ham
with Beer
Evil
By Anders Holm Nielsen
A
terrific meal when serving a large number of guests. This recipe
from Denmark combines the Danish love of pork with the fact
that Danish beer is world renowned.
Serves 10 people
Ingredients
• 1 ham -- tenderized • ½ teaspoon • dry mustard • 4 tablespoons water
• 1 cup brown sugar • 10 bay leaves • 1 liter of beer
Preparation
• Remove all but a thin layer of fat from the ham.
• Score the top. Place in a roasting pan.
• Mix mustard, water and sugar to the consistency of prepared mustard.
• Cover the ham with this mixture.
• Stick cloves in the ham surface.
• Fasten the bay leaves to the ham with small skewers or toothpicks
broken in half.
• Pour the beer over the ham and bake, uncovered, 30 minutes to the
pound in an oven preheated to 220 ºC
• Use the liquid in the pan as a sauce for the ham.
Danish Scalloped Potatoes
(Creamed Potatoes)
Are you done?
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Potatoes are a very important ingredient in traditional Danish cooking.
Try this recipe for Danish scalloped potatoes. The potatoes go well
with any type of steak or roast (beef, pork, lamb, veal).
Ingredients
• 5-6 pounds potatoes
• 6 large onions – finely chopped
• 4 crushed garlic gloves
• Salt
• Pepper
• Mornay sauce (Béchamel sauce with
shredded or grated cheese)
• Cream (or milk if you are on a diet)
Preparation
• Peel the potatoes and
cut them into thin
slices.
• Chop the onions
• Mix mornay sauce
and cream. ¼ of
mornay sauce and ¾
of cream
• Mix potatoes with
onions and place it in
an ovenproof dish
• Add mix of cream
and Mornay sauce so
it nearly covers the
potatoes.
• Add garlic, salt and
pepper and stir lightly.
• Place in preheated
oven at 180 degrees.

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