Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Walking the Tungfeng (Dongfong) Green Bikeway (Part 2)

Last week I embarked on the first leg of my plan the walk the length of the Tungfeng Green Bike Way 東豊自行車緑廊, the bicycle trail built over the route of an abandoned railway that connects Fengyuan (Fongyuan) 豊原 with Tungshih (Dongshih) 東勢. My time was limited on that Monday afternoon, so I was only enable to get as far as Shihkang (Shihgang) 石岡. This Tuesday morning I had a lot more time on my hands and was determined to finish the route, so I got out to Shihkang before 9:30, and picked up where I had left off.

Everything started out well. Off I went towards Tungshih, passing old homes, cafes and restaurants built to cater to the cycling trade...


...the site of the old Meitzu (Meizih) 梅子 Station, Taoist temples set in the middle of fields until...


 

...I reached a dead end!

 

Yes, it seems something has happened to the bridge that once spanned the Tachia (Dajia) 大甲 River. With no other way to cross the water, I had no choice but to turn around and go back to my scooter.


Seeing as it was only 10:45 in the morning when I got back to Shihkang, I hopped on my scooter and rode out to Tungshih, crossing the river on Highway 3 upstream from the missing span. Once in Tungshih, I had some trouble locating the bike path. In true Taiwanese fashion, there are signs clearly indicating the way to the bike trail...only until you're almost there, at which point the indicators disappear and you're left to your own devices. Eventually, I found the starting point at the site of the old Tungshih train station, which has now been converted into a Hakka Culture Park (Tungshih has a sizable Hakka 客家 population; here's the Wikipedia entry on them). Off I went again...


The section of the bike way in Tungshih is much quieter, and the scenery more rural, than on the Fengyuan side of the river. The hills were also much closer here.


After 45 minutes, I reached the Tungshih side of the damaged bridge. The goal having been obtained, there was nothing left to do but turn around and go back the same way I had come. Whereas there were many cyclists on the Fengyuan-Shihkang stretch of trail, I only saw two the whole 90 minutes I was walking in Tungshih.


Mission accomplished.

In the foothills of Kōri 后里の前山にいる

Usually on Monday afternoons, I like to go for a stroll in the hills above Chung-cheng (Jhong-jheng) Park 中正公園 in Fengyuan (Fongyuan) 豊原. For a change today, however, I ventured in a different direction, to the nearby town of Houli 后里 and a place called Fenghuangshan (Fonghuangshan) Farm 鳳凰山農場. Although the farm is located on a small road well off the busy route between Fengyuan and Sani (Sanyi) 三義, past the military base, bicycle trail and horse ranch, the way is clearly signposted and easy to follow:


On the weekends, the farm is busy with visitors, but on this Monday afternoon, I was the only one there. The trail is an easy walk for the most part, with only a short, steep staircase leading to the top of a small hill that is crowned with the kind of pavilion you see everywhere in Taiwan. The views from the top were clearer than usual today.


Following a brief self-photo op, and a short skirmish with three dogs over possession of the strategic hilltop pavilion (a brandished metal stool and a well-placed shot with a mandarin orange みかん successfully repelled the attack), I walked over to another pavilion lower down and attempted a panorama shot of the view:


I had the option of continuing down the path from the second pavilion, but from previous visits to this area, I knew it would just take me past some orchards and houses on the way back to the parking lot. So I returned whence the way I came (this time the dogs barked at me, but wouldn't show their cowardly faces), and instead took a short series of steps that led to a pleasant Taoist temple called Chaok'un (Jhaokun) 朝崑宮. From the temple, a small road led to another entrance to the Fenghuangshan Farm parking lot. In step with the ongoing leisure boom in Taiwan, this farm has converted itself into a tourist facility. Though it was closed on this Monday, I was surprised to find four cars in the parking lot when I returned to my scooter.


My favorite part of the day was the ride back into Fengyuan. Instead of returning on busy Sanfeng 三豊 Road, I took a longer, but much more scenic back road that led in the direction of Tungshih (Dongshih) 東勢. The traffic on this route is always light, and the road winds it way through the hills past small homes, plus a couple of temples. At one point, there's a great view looking towards the Shihkang (Shihgang) 石岡 Dam, with the central mountains looming in the background. At the bottom of the hill, I crossed over the Tachia (Dajia) River 大甲川 and was back in Fengyuan again.



I observed this scene from the roof of my apartment building after getting back from my ride. Despite a sign indicating no cars, and the obvious narrow width of the road, this was the fourth time in two years I've seen someone in a car or truck get themselves stuck. Usually a forklift from one of the small factories nearby will be brought in to extricate the vehicle. When I used the same road to go to work a couple of hours later, the truck was gone.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

In the news ニュース

In the news today on the front page of the Japan Times’ website is this article. The headline says it all: “Japan, Taiwan to sign deal on flights”. In an agreement that is long overdue, All Nippon Airways 全日本空輸 and Japan Airlines 日本航空 will phase out their practice of flying into Taiwan using their respective subsidiaries, Air Nippon エアーニッポン and Japan Asia Airways 日本アジア航空, and start flying under their own names.

The practice began in 1972 when Tōkyō 東京 switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing so as not to upset the Chinese government. Apparently, ANA and JAL are the only airlines still doing business in this manner. The article quotes Hwang Ju-hou, Taiwan's director of the Committee on Japanese Affairs in the Foreign Ministry, as saying the agreement “…is a sign of normalization in Taiwan-Japan relations…(These subsidiaries) are unnecessary; they're too cautious." This is another positive step in Japanese-Taiwanese relations, though the article does ominously note that “Tokyo first sought and received Beijing's approval for the deal ahead of time.”

The pending agreement, due to be signed during the first week of November, will also open up routes for charter flights between T’aipei (Taibei) 台北 and Komatsu 小松 and Miyazaki 宮崎, to be operated by Taiwan’s national carrier, China Airlines チャイナエアライン. There will now be more opportunities in the future for China Airlines’ planes to crash or catch fire at Japanese airports.

In the news ニュース

The Japanese English-language media, namely the Daily Yomiuri デーリー読売 and the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ, frequently carry articles about Taiwan. In general, those stories are often more sympathetic about Taiwan's position in the world, and its relationship vis-a-vis China, than what you find coming from Western media outlets like the Associated Press. Today, however, the Daily Yomiuri ran a piece entitled "Hu looks for new Taiwan approach But China's soft stance may change if moves toward independence continue", that is more along the lines of what Western reporters have to say about the China-Taiwan relationship.

It begins by reporting on the approach taken toward Taiwan by Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Hu Jintao (Ko Kintō) 胡錦濤 at the recently-concluded 17th party congress:

"In a political report approved by the congress on Oct. 21, the party declared its support for development of areas such as the western coast of the Taiwan Strait where many Taiwanese investors inject their capital."

The story then refers Amoy 厦門 (aka Xiamen) as an example of a city that will prosper by the peaceful approach to Taiwan the Chinese government is allegedly undertaking, and quotes a Taiwanese businessman as evidence:

"Commenting on the political report, which sets China's policy direction for the coming years, Taiwan entrepreneur Tseng Chin-chao, said,"I feel it contains a message saying, 'Let's stop preparing for war with each other, and instead work together on economic development.'"

The 58-year-old, whose electronic hardware company employs about 6,200 Chinese, said: 'As Amoy is on Taiwan's front line, infrastructure development in the city was held back. But now, there are lots of ongoing development projects such as the construction of railways, roads, and ports.'

A construction project at a large hospital headed by 90-year-old Wang Yung-ching, the legendary founder of Taiwan's Formosa Plastic Group, is under way in an Amoy suburb. A source close to the project said Amoy was a 'testing ground for attracting investment from Taiwan's medical industry' that had been specifically chosen by the Chinese leadership."

The writer then contrasts the "softer" line taken by Hu compared to past bellicose statements by Chinese leaders:

"...Hu urged Taiwan 'on the basis of the one-China principle' to join talks on 'a formal end to the state of hostility' and 'reach a peace agreement.'

Nowhere is it explained what the "One China principle" entails - that Taiwan accept that it is part of the territory belonging to the People's Republic of China, and can never be an independent, sovereign nation.

The next paragraph states:

"However, Hu's call was not directed at Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian, who flatly rejected China's one-China policy. Rather, Hu was eyeing Chen's successor, who will be elected in the coming presidential election in March 2008."

The Chinese have refused to negotiate with Chen the entire time he has been president, so there is no surprise here. This is followed by:

"Hu, who in 2005 orchestrated a historic reconciliation between his party and Taiwan's opposition Nationalist Party, aims to engage with the independence-leaning ruling Democratic Progressive Party, buoyed by strengthening economic ties between China and Taiwan.

But Chen, wary of Hu's move, is pushing a plan to hold a national referendum on the island's U.N. membership at the same time as the presidential election. Next year will be a eventful and important year for Taiwan. China will host the Beijing Olympics in August--after the inauguration of Taiwan's new leadership. The U.S. presidential election will follow shortly after. A member of the pro-independent camp close to Chen said, 'This is an opportunity to create a 'solid base for the country' by the time of the Beijing Olympics, as China won't be able to stick its oar into Taiwan's affairs.'"

The writer seems to be suggesting that Hu wants to pursue a line of "reconciliation" with the DPP as was done with the KMT 中国国民党, but that Chen is resisting these peace overtures and, worse, might be taking advantage of the Olympics to do something "drastic". For one thing, the CCP and KMT basically agreed to work together to bring Taiwan back into the fold (so to speak), and it's highly doubtful a DPP successor to Chen would ever go along with a similar agreement. And for another, the voters of Taiwan can say what they want on any referendum - the Chinese (as permanent members of the U.N. Security Council) hold a veto over any admissions into the United Nations, so Taiwan's chances are the proverbial snowball in hell. Chen's referendum is a meaningless gesture aimed at the party faithful (it's no coincidence the vote is going to be held on the same day as the presidential election) that shouldn't get anyone worked up, but one which the Chinese government is trying to use to force other countries into further isolating Taiwan.

More quotes from the Chinese side follow:

"Xu Bodong, director of the Institute of Taiwan Studies at Beijing Union University, said: 'Chen is the kind of politician who does and says unpredictable things. Nobody knows what he will do before his term expires. But what concerns China most is Taiwan's moves toward independence.'

As part of a personnel reshuffle made prior to the Congress, Hu installed top military officials with long experience of Taiwan-related issues, eying possible tension with Taiwan during presidential elections on the island. This contrasts with the soft stance taken by Hu during the Congress."

Chen has been very consistent and predictable during his seven years in office. The writer does point out the reshuffling in China's military leadership that took place prior to the party congress, but then lets the matter drop. No mention is made of Chinese missiles pointed at Taiwan (numbering around 900), the ongoing modernization of China's military (nearly two decades of annual double-digit growth in defense spending) or the notorious Anti-Secession Law (in which China granted itself the right to invade Taiwan).

After mentioning the Dalai Lama's recent meeting with George W. Bush, the article states:

"For Hu, it is essential to retain stability in Tibet and Taiwan and keep a free hand in governing China. He also is wary of foreign countries meddling in China's domestic affairs prior to the Beijing Olympics."

"Non-interference in internal affairs" is an expression used by Beijing to mean "don't criticize us for our numerous human rights abuses". Non-interference, however, is a one-way street in China's eyes, for its government routinely meddles in other countries domestic affairs when it comes to matters like issuing visas to Taiwanese baseball players for a tournament in Venezuela.

At last, the conclusion:

"If Taiwan suddenly accelerates its drive toward independence, China might shift its apparently soft stance to a tougher one. Then, Hu's 'harmonious world' diplomatic approach will collapse.

How will Hu control Taiwan? Next year's presidential election will be the first and greatest challenge of Hu's second term."

The "harmonious world" is one in which Tibetans, Taiwanese and foreign meddlers, among others, know their proper place in the Kingdom of Heaven. How will Hu control 23 million people who are not under the rule of his authoritarian regime? That's going to be a tough one for him to answer. There's just no telling what those crazy Taiwanese are going to do next year!

Fortunately, today's Taipei Times has an article that shows a more positive viewpoint towards Taiwan from the Japanese public: "Japanese survey indicates strong support for UN bid". A poll of 1000 adults conducted across Japan between Oct. 12 and 14 revealed:

1.) 74% think Taiwan should be offered UN membership (as opposed to 17.2 % saying no);
2.) 81.2% support Taiwan's entry into the UN under the name "Taiwan" if the campaign is supported by a referendum (12.6% said "no");
3.) 89.2% say Japan should respect a decision made by a majority of voters in a democratic way (the "no" share was 7.7%);
and 4.) 63.5% feel Japan should help Taiwan with its UN membership campaign despite China's opposition, with 29.5 preferring to kowtow to the Chinese.

The third point is a loaded question - except for some odd (and stress the "odd") Westerners here in Taiwan who think Ma Ying-jeou (Ba Eikyū) 馬英九 would make a great president and that Taiwan should be part of a Greater China, who would say "no"? And it's doubtful that many Japanese understand the significance of applying to join the UN as "Taiwan", instead of as the "Republic of China" (the KMT's proposal). Nonetheless, the survey does show how, in many respects, Japan is the best friend Taiwan has at the moment.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Walking the Tungfeng (Dongfong) Green Bikeway (Part 1)

Today I set out on the first stage of my plan to eventually walk the length of the Tungfeng Green Bikeway 東豊自行車緑廊, the bicycle trail that runs from Fengyuan (Fongyuan) 豊原 to Tungshih (Dongshih) 東勢. Giving myself two hours (one hour each way), I made it as far as Shihkang (Shihgang), passing the turnoff for the dam along the way. I intend to pick up where I left off today in a couple of weeks, and eventually reach the end in Tungshih. I could rent a bike, of course, and finish the trail in one morning or afternoon, but going on foot allows me to see things I would otherwise miss on wheels.


The trail begins in Fengyuan, in the shadow of the No. 4 Freeway, and quickly separates, with one branch going towards Houli 后里, and the other to Tungshih.


The bike path was built on the route of an abandoned rail line, and the locations of the stations are marked with raised platforms, such as the one for P'otzuk'ou (Pozihkou) 朴子口. The next landmark after Potzukou was imaginatively called "The Landmark" in English. Although there were more people than I expected on the trail (including several other walkers), there were long stretches of road that I had all to myself. This was probably due to the fact that animal- and hand-drawn carts are banned from the path.


The trail passed by some old houses, and the Tachia (Dajia) River 大甲川.


Not long after passing the site of the old Shihkang Station, I reached the one-hour mark on my walk, and turned back to Fengyuan.


The questionable work of "art" on the top was more than balanced by the sight of the old Japanese-era house on the bottom.


Taiwanese kids are notoriously camera-shy.


Betel palm trees and roosts for racing pigeons - what could be more rural in Taiwan?


There were plenty of places along the route selling food and drink, though this being a Monday, most were closed. It would've been nice if some toilets had been installed.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Seisui 清水

Another Sunday, another family outing. Blessed with fine weather today, we headed out to the nearby town of Ch'ingshui (Cingshuei) 清水, or more specifically, the Kaomei (Gaomei) 高美 wetlands, a rest stop for many birds heading south from Siberia シベリア for the winter. The first thing we noticed upon arriving at Kaomei was the wind turbines. A number of these have been built in recent years along Taiwan's western coast to take advantage of the windy conditions. We also saw several people looking for crabs in the mudflats. Someone had left behind a jarful of the pitiful creatures, so I set them free, and hopefully earned some karmic brownie points in the process.

 
風力タービン

 

After ensuring that I won't be reborn as a cockroach ゴキブリ in my next life, we had lunch at a seafood restaurant located across the street from what appeared to be a lighthouse 灯台. Even though it was only around noon, there were two extremely drunk middle-aged men in the restaurant. Fortunately, they never bothered us, but to my astonishment, both men got into cars (staggered into them is a more accurate description) and drove away afterwards. After finishing off a bottle of Taiwan Beer 台湾ビール with lunch, we took a walk along a promenade プロムナード, and then went down to the shore. Amber joined the multitudes there in looking for crabs and clams.

カニか貝を掘り出している人がたくさんいた

The last thing we did before leaving was to go for a stroll along a bike path. We didn't see anyone actually riding any bicycles, but several people did go by on scooters. At one point, we came across an observation post for watching birds, but apparently not many use it as it was overgrown with weeds.


The surrounding scenery was pure Taiwan countryside - ponds filled with birds, fields, houses, small factories and elevated highways.

台湾の田舎のシーン

Once back in Fengyuan (Fongyuan) 豊原, we stopped off at the local department store to do a bit of shopping. In the toy department, I noticed that models of Taiwan's own high-speed trains 台湾の新幹線 are ready to be purchased in time for Christmas. On the way back to our car, we bought some donuts at a newly-opened Waili Donuts stand.

 

As the sign says, Waili Donuts is Taiwan's No. 1...ripoff of Mister Donut.