Daniel Nardini – författare

Many South Koreans do not know they exist, and almost no westerners know they exist. They are the invisible ethnic minority that has existed in Korea and South Korea for over 140 years. They are the ethnic Chinese; South Korea's invisible minority. Born and raised on the Korean peninsula, their ancestors first came in 1882. They have shared the fate of the Koreans from the late Joseon period to the short-lived Korean Empire, the Japanese colonial period, the Korean War, and the birth pains of the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Even though they have lived side-by-side with the Korean people through all of this, they are very little understood outside of South Korea and their history and very identity is basically unknown to the West. The author came across this widely disbursed community through good Chinese friends like Mr. Wang and Mr. Chen who helped Nardini see a people who have been as much part of modern Korean history as the Koreans themselves. Through his friendship with Mr. Wang especially, the author saw through Mr. Wang's eyes a community that has survived the fire of modern Korean history. The Chinese come from all walks of life just like Koreans, and they are as much a part of Korean society and the very fabric that is the country, the people, and the history that is the Korean peninsula just like the Koreans themselves.

This is my updated memoir about my experiences during the 1989 prodemocracy movement in China and the events that include the June fourth Massacre (also called the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the Beijing Massacre). The event now lives in history, and it is an event that shall always be remembered by the people not only in Beijing, where the massacre took place, but in every major city in China by those who participated in the prodemocracy movement. I had originally gone to China to document everyday life. This became overshadowed by this incredible mass movement that would take place not only in Beijing but in every major city in China as students were joined by young people, workers, and people of almost every profession in a call for drastic reform against corruption, inequality, and the growing division between rich and poor.

My Taiwan, Seoul and Guadalajara (Mexico) Memoirs are a combined work of three separate memoirs. The first deals with his life in Taiwan, and his experiences there during an important part of the nations history. The second deals with the authors experiences and that of his Korean wifes family history with the city of Seoul. The third memoir is based on reports Mr. Nardini made on Guadalajara during his assignments for the newspaper Lawndale News.

For some Americans, when they think of the Republic of Korea (popularly called South Korea), they think of the Korean War fought so long ago. Many younger Americans, when they think of South Korea, think of K-pop, the big corporations Samsung, Hyundai, LG and Kia, and the cars these corporations have produced over the decades. But this is only one small aspect of a country with a rich history and culture few Americans know. Many Americans have not heard of, for example, the ancient City of Gyeongju with its surviving relics and monuments that were part of a once great kingdom. Then there is the Korean alphabet known as hangul, which was an invention to help facilitate all Koreans to be able to read and write in their language. My book is an exploration of some of these palaces, temples, churches and famous places in South Korea. More than that, my photographic memoir also looks at the things that make Korea what it is, and the dynamism behind the Korean people who have in their own way greatly contributed to our world.

Taiwan, also called the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan, has remained a place not too well known to westerners. With a population of 25 million, Taiwan is the seventh largest economy in Asia and the 20th largest economy in the world. Yet there is much more to Taiwan than just the size of its economy, or that the Taiwanese are among the most affluent in Asia. Taiwan is an island of climate contrasts, a country with a rich culture going back centuries, and with vibrant major cities like Taipei, Tainan and Taichung City (as described in the book). It is a country with a mountainous inter-land, many rural farming villages, and tropical rain forests. Taiwan's people include the Austronesians (the first people to set foot in Taiwan), immigrants from Fujian province (the province opposite of Taiwan), many Chinese immigrants from northern China (who brought Mandarin), and the Hakka. The most important religions are Buddhism, Taoism and native Chinese ancestor worship. For the world traveler, or for an expatriate living there, Taiwan is worth exploring and knowing.

This book is a personal journey of the author to find a faith which would give him meaning to both his life and an understanding of life beyond just existing day to day. Along his life''s journey he experienced different religions. While he found them fascinating, they did not help fulfill his desire to feel that there was something beyond oneself and being grounded in rigid dogma. It was by happenstance that he came across Taoism from people who became a part of his life when he needed help the most. Their acceptance of him and their kindness and generosity changed his perception of people and of life as a whole. During all that time they asked for nothing of him in return. This act of not asking for the author to join their faith convinced Mr. Nardini that this was the faith he had been searching for. Mr. Nardini has taken this faith back to his native Illinois.

This is about the other stories from Mr. Nardini''s career at Lawndale News that the author had not included in the previous book. These include people, places and events that took place over a 20 year period. This book reveals some of the issues the Latino communities have had to deal with over the years, and how some of these issues are still ongoing problems. Despite the problems, many talented, hardworking and innovative people have come up with solutions for dealings with the issues of the day. The book includes the personal experiences of the author during that time period. This book is not just a reminiscence of the author of his time at the newspaper, but a deeper look at the Latino communities that the newspaper serves.

Seoul has been the capital of Korea since 1392, and today is one of the world''s largest metropolitan centers. Amid its modern skyscrapers and ultra-futuristic infrastructure are echos of its ancient past. For centuries, Seoul''s three best known Buddhist temple complexes have been in so many ways a separate world from the rest of the city. Buddhist monks and nuns have lived in, slept and recited Buddhist mantras in some of the most beautiful temples ever built. Despite centuries and war on the Korean peninsula, these Buddhist temples have withstood the test of time and can be seen both by the Buddhist faithful as well as visitors. Mr. Nardini''s book explores these three of Seoul''s best known Buddhist temple complexes; Bongwonsa, Jogyesa and Bongeunsa. His book depicts these great centers of Buddhist learning in South Korea that seem aloof from one of the world''s greatest cities and yet all three are very much a part of it.

Gyeongju, now a mid-sized modern city in the Republic of Korea (South Korea), was 1,400 years ago the capital of the Silla Kingdom. From 57 BCE to 935 CE, Gyeongju was the cultural, religious and administrative capital of a unified Korean state and the first true capital of Korea up to that time. In that ancient period, Gyeongju was three to five times larger than it is today. Filled with palaces, Buddhist temples and monuments, only a few remnants remain of the Silla Kingdom today. Nevertheless, those few historic sites are an impressive window into what the Silla era was like. The author visited these beautiful places to understand something about this part of Korean history. This work examines the five significant places in Gyeongju that bespeak of this city’s rich cultural and historic past as the former capital of ancient Korea.