J.BILGUUN SHARES PLANS FOR NAADAM FESTIVAL AND THE MONGOLIAN ENTERTAINMENT WORLD

‘I will go wherever I’m needed’

Mongolian readers might recognize J.Bilguun as the son of S.Jargalsaikhan, a popular script writer, or from “Ye Ye Shar Bud Aa” and “Turiin Suld Ushuu” films but for the past nine years, he has been working as a foreign affairs and policy planning specialist and manager of Northeast Asia at Avex Group Holdings Inc., a Japanese entertainment conglomerate, with the sole purpose to become the best at his work.

After studying in acting and directing at the Beppu University in Oita Prefecture, J.Bilguun joined the production team of “Chinggis Khaan” film produced in Japan as an assistant producer and translator. He recently accepted to join the organizing commission for this year’s National Naadam Festival and briefly spoke about some of the plans for the national holiday, as well as the Japanese entertainment industry and his impression of changes in Mongolia.

How often do you visit Mongolia and what do you feel every time you return? From your perspective, is Mongolia developing?

Now, I visit Mongolia at least five or six times a year. I feel like the general appearance, people’s attitude, their needs, and landscaping of Ulaanbaatar is improving a lot every time I visit. I like to take walks and observe the city life when I’m in Ulaanbaatar. I prefer finding improvements rather than shortcomings but there are some issues I’m concerned about. Nowadays, you can get practically any kind of service in the city center but residents in the outskirts seem to be facing more challenges. I’m concerned about the possibility that social class and the gap between the poor and rich is becoming more distinct. Like so, I’ve noticed a couple of bad changes but it’s probably more important for locals to think positively and find a solution for them.

Many educated young Mongolians are living abroad to seek better conditions and be recognized for their abilities. What would you recommend to the government to bring back these skilled personnel?

There needs to be a wage system or economic system that is based on a person’s ability and potential. The average wage in Mongolia is quite low and both the state and private sector want to continue to have low wages. I can’t re- ally blame them because it’s related to the general capacity of the economy. GDP per capita is relatively low at around 4,000 USD. Japan has a principle to train good human resources rather than seeing their education background and how many diplomas they have. In short, Japanese people focus on training and developing people but Mongolians evaluate people by their education background.

Parents spend generous amounts for their children’s education but whether their child becomes better and more knowledgeable depending on the amount they spend is another matter. Instead of putting all the blame on the state, we should be trying to fix the education system and focus on training people rather than increase the number of diplomas they attain.

There are countless Mongolians my age who can speak three to four languages, have high potential, and are working successfully at large companies worldwide. These people get paid approximately 6,000 to 9,000 USD a month. They’re living perfectly fine abroad but I’m sure that they want to return to their home country one day. Personally, I feel like Mongolians shouldn’t be living an average life abroad. If they’re going to work and live in another country, they should strive to become the best in their respective field and show the true potential of Mongolians to others. This would be considered a contribution to the development and reputation of Mongolia even if they aren’t physically in Mongolia. I hope that more people think this way from now on.

You have been working at Avex for nine years. How does it make people into world stars? Do you plan to work in the Mongolian entertainment world and train future artists?

I’m preparing to establish a company called B Entertainment with some friends. I plan to open a branch of Avex in Mongolian to train new artists and teach management skills. I’ve seen how children are trained to become artists and celebrities from the side for many years. I want to share this knowledge to others. There needs to be a coach that’ll teach children what they need to do to become stars.

There are many Mongolian judokas, wrestlers and other athletes gaining world recognition. Behind their success lies the efforts of their coaches. To succeed in the entertainment world, a person needs to have someone who will encourage, teach, advise and support them. Children aged between 12 and 20 who aspire to become an artist or entertainer are given vocal and dance lessons and other training to improve their communication skills, language skills, and general ability after getting permission from their parents or guardians. Management is very important for creating world stars.

How long do people train in Japan to debut as a singer, actor and dancer?

It’s the same as turning a stone into a diamond. The minimum training period is four years and around two to three million USD is spent on each trainee. Avex is able to nurture and train talents since it has an affiliate professional training academy. Mongolians have high potential and incredible talents. So unless we develop an accurate training plan best suited to charac- teristics of Mongolians, it’s impossible to create a world star. Singers and groups in Japan are considered stars only if they’re able to fill a concert hall with at least 40,000 fans. Mongolian singers think they are a great singer and a star when they have filled a concert hall with merely 500 people. This is a huge misunderstanding.

Apparently, you have agreed to help out with the planning of this year’s National Naadam Festival as a member of the Naadam Festival Organizing Commission. Can you tell us about this?

I was given the opportunity to represent the youth in the Naadam Festival Organizing Commission. I believe it’s my duty as a citizen of Mongolia to run back to my home country when the state calls for me. I plan to work wholeheartedly and devote my all in planning out the best festival for the public. Other people might say that I’m being ambitious and trying to start a career in Mongolia now that I’ve worked in another country. Mongolians need to stop putting up their guard and trying to hinder other people’s goal just to prevent them from becoming better than them. Since we have a small population, we should stop being cautious of one another and instead, support each other and demonstrate what Mongolians are capable of to the rest of the world.

What can we expect from this year’s National Naadam Festival?

There are other people organizing and planning the main festival events. I’m assisting them from an observer’s standpoint. From what I saw, the National Sports Stadium has enough seats for 20,000 people at most. I’d like to organize the national holiday at a stadium big enough for at least 50,000 people. If we truly want to host the Asian Games in Ulaanbaatar in 2040, we definitely need a bigger stadium. In the least, we need to organize the National Naadam Festival in a magnificent and interesting way so that the 5,000 to 10,000 tourists that come to Mongolia during the summer will want to see it again. We need to plan the national holiday at the same level as the opening of Olympic Games. I know it’s difficult to do something grand while the economy is in a bad shape but we must pay more attention to trade show marketing. It’s also possible to attract investment from the private sector. I’m sure that Mongolia can and will develop this area.

What do you plan to do for the entertainment industry?

I will focus on bringing back my father’s plays to the theater. I have established a foundation named after him, S.Jargalsaikhan Foundation. His “The Secret History of Chinggis Khaan” novel has been published in Mongolian script writing, in English, Russian, and Korean. I believe that this plays a big part in promoting the Mongolian history to the world. My father inspired others with his writing so I want to continue his legacy and become the next S.Jargalsaikhan. Adapting his novels into films and plays, and translating them to other languages will allow foreigners to read and view them. Compact versions of the Bible is made available in large hotels abroad. Like so, I want to publish “The Secret History of Chinggis Khaan” novel in a small book form or in a more interesting way and sell them for a cheap price at large hotels such as Blue Sky, Shangri-La and Tuushin hotels. I’m sure foreigners who are interested in history will gladly buy the book. I want to show that Mongolians were more than just barbarians who sliced people with their swords. The more foreigners learn about Mongolia, the more they’ll want to invest. I try to tell about Mongolia, our history, Chinggis Khaan, and the current political and economic situation to new people I meet. Wherever I’m needed, I will go there. If my country calls for me, I will gladly return.

...I’ve seen how children are trained into artists and celebrities from the side for many years. I want to share this knowledge to others. There needs

to be a coach that’ll teach children what they need to do to become stars...