In early 2016, two different companies, Mobike in Shanghai and Swapfiets in the Netherlands introduced a new type of bike-sharing service that quickly gained popularity. In just two to three years,...Show moreIn early 2016, two different companies, Mobike in Shanghai and Swapfiets in the Netherlands introduced a new type of bike-sharing service that quickly gained popularity. In just two to three years, distinctive and easily recognizable bicycles earned their place on many city streets in China and the Netherlands. Even though these two companies introduced services that were in essence nothing new, they both managed to tweak two different concepts in a way that resulted in staggering adoption rates. No academic studies on Swapfiets have been published. Furthermore, the developments of shared-bicycle systems in China are taking place at such a rapid pace that academic studies written in the last few years and even months quickly become outdated. This study aims to address this lack of literature on Swapfiets and offers more up to date evaluation of the developments on the Chinese bike-sharing market. This study also provides insights in recent developments in the bike-sharing industry and the status quo of bike-sharing in Shanghai as of late 2018. By comparing the development of these two services this study explores the question how their development, sudden growth and popularity can be explained and evaluates to what extent Shanghai could be a viable market for Swapfiets. This is important because bike-sharing is widely promoted as a way of making personal transport more sustainable.Show less
Kimchi is a Korean fermented dish that has a important role in the Korean cuisine. The practice of making kimchi, called kimjang is a tradition that is practices for hundreds of years. This paper...Show moreKimchi is a Korean fermented dish that has a important role in the Korean cuisine. The practice of making kimchi, called kimjang is a tradition that is practices for hundreds of years. This paper focuses on the importance of kimchi and kimjang in Korean society and how this has changed with the modernization of the Korean society.With the inscription of kimjang as intangible cultural heritage on the representative list of UNESCO, the position of kimchi and kimjang changed significantly. This paper will also look at the intangible cultural heritage system of UNESCO, the inscription of food practices as intangible heritage, but also what such an inscription does with the value of the inscribed element. Lastly, the nomination of North Korea with the same element, under the name kimchi making will be analyzed to understand the position of kimjang in North Korea, but also the noticeable similarities and differences in both nominations by the two Koreas.Show less
