Saying yes and の

Taiwanese love to say, or at least write, "no" - as in the Japanese kana 仮名 syllable の, which is read as no. The words 筆柿の家 (bǐshì no jiā) refer to a stand selling persimmons in the Sintian 新田 area of Greater Taichung's 台中 Tán​zǐ District 潭子區.

Saying the English word "no" this evening was me, unfortunately, as in "I'm sorry, but there is no way I can go into work tonight." Not only is my cold not getting any better (my nose this evening is like a waterfall), but the doctor confirmed that the discomfort I'm feeling around my left eyeball and left upper row of teeth is the result of sinusitis. To add insult to injury, I'm also suffering from the effects of diarrhea. Yesterday's four-hour hike was apparently only a momentary blip of normality.

Not saying "no" is the National Palace Museum 故宮博物院, according to this Kyōdō News 共同通信社 article from today's Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ:

Taiwan's National Palace Museum is likely to lend Chinese antiquities for exhibition in Japan in 2014, Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九 told visiting Diet 国会 members.

Ma told Takeo Hiranuma  平沼赳夫, head of the Japan-Republic of China Diet Members' Consultative Council, during a visit Monday at the Presidential Office that if all goes well he hopes the exhibition will take place at the Tōkyō National Museum 東京国立博物館.

Ma also thanked Hiranuma for keeping his promise to help push legislation to guarantee the return of the national treasures.

The Diet passed legislation last year to address Taiwan's concern that China could seek to have artifacts and artworks impounded if there were no such law.

Hiranuma later told Japanese media at Taipei Songshan Airport 臺北松山機場 that details of the exhibition are still being arranged, including the dates.

National Palace Museum director Chou Kung-shin 周功鑫 said last month that Diet members would come to Taiwan to discuss plans for the exhibition with her ahead of a visit by Masami Zeniya 銭谷真実, executive director of the Tōkyō National Museum. The date for Zeniya's visit has not yet been set...

...The exhibition in Japan will be the first of its kind in Asia.

The treasures have only been exhibited in four foreign countries — the United States, France, Germany and Austria — all of which enacted laws beforehand to guarantee their return to Taiwan after the exhibitions.

Museums, Makiyo and mistreatment - 3M ranting

Momo has started making himself at home again, including on top of my daughter's table why she's trying to do her math homework. Amber doesn't seem to mind much.

The Japan Times had this Kyōdō News article in its Wednesday edition:

Japan will hold an exhibition of ancient Chinese art treasures from Taiwan's National Palace Museum 故宮博物院 in 2014, museum director Chou Kung-shin 周功鑫 said.

Chou said last week the exhibition, the first of its kind in Asia outside of Taiwan, could take place from June to September.

She said the timing and other details will be finalized when Masami Zeniya, executive director of the Tōkyō National Museum 東京国立博物館, visits Taiwan to discuss the matter with her.

To date, the treasures have only been exhibited in four foreign countries — the United States, France, Germany and Austria — all of which enacted laws beforehand to guarantee their return to Taiwan after the exhibitions.

The Diet (Japan's legislature) 国会 passed similar legislation last March to address Taiwan's concern that China could seek to have the artifacts and artworks impounded if there were no such law...

The National Palace Museum in Taipei 台北  is home to an extensive collection of Chinese antiquities, including scrolls, calligraphy, seals and vases collected by various Chinese emperors over a millennium.

The Nationalist Party 中國國民黨 took more than 650,000 art objects to Taiwan after losing the Chinese civil war 國共內戰 to the communists in 1949.

Since then, Taiwan and China have been governed separately. China views Taiwan as part of its territory and claims the treasures housed in the National Palace Museum are its own.

But thanks to the rapid thawing of cross-strait tension since 2008, the National Palace Museum has held exhibitions showcasing Chinese relics on loan from Chinese museums...

However, the loans have so far been one way, with Taiwan still balking at lending its treasures to China, citing lack of international standards for the care and return of museum pieces on loan.

The National Palace Museum is a prime example of the confusion and quandaries that arise from Taiwan's complicated postwar history. On the one hand, the collection in the Gù​gōng​ Bó​wù​yuàn​ has little to do with Taiwan itself - even the architectural style of the museum building is alien to this island - and in the eyes of some is symbolic of the KMT's attempts to force a mainland identity upon the Taiwanese people. The story of how the precious artworks were spirited out of China and into Taiwan in the waning days of the civil war served as an effective piece of propaganda in support of the Nationalists' claims to be the protectors of China's cultural heritage. On the other hand, it's hard to dispute the assertion that had the collection remained in China, much of it would've been lost in the insanity that was the Cultural Revolution 文化大革命. The museum is arguably one of Taiwan's few world-class sightseeing attractions (another being the natural wonder of Taroko Gorge 太魯閣), and anyone with even a passing interest in Chinese art would be doing themselves a disservice by not spending at least a couple of hours there on a visit to Taipei. 

Speaking of Taipei, I came across the following assertion left as a comment on a popular local blog. It concerns the recent hubbub over Japanese-Taiwanese celebrity Makiyo 川島茉樹代, and provides a glimpse into the rarefied world inhabited by North American ESL teachers here in Taiwan (and I should know - I'm one of them):

Makiyo might still be in the newspapers, but I can assure you that at least in Taipei, nobody is talking about her anymore (thank the gods, if they existed)!

The news can report on what it wants but the people are talking about Jeremy Lin, not Makiyo. For the first time in weeks, my Facebook feed (which I estimate to be at least 3/5ths full of posts by my Taiwanese friends - I have more overall foreign friends but they don't post as often) is all Lin and zero Makiyo.

Which is fantastic. She wasn't famous for any good reason, and I don't understand why she was famous at all before the taxi incident.

For all I know, the above is probably true - Lin's sudden blossoming as an NBA star (and the attempt by many in Taiwan to claim the American as one of their own - but that's a different rant) is more likely the hotter topic at the moment than the older news concerning Makiyo. What I can't grasp is the leap in logic required to make a blanket assertion regarding a metropolitan area with a population of 6.9 million based on a handful of posts put up by a few local acquaintances on a popular social networking site. After all, one's "Facebook friends" probably share many of the same interests, and would hardly be a representative cross-section of the metropolis (shades of the 1936 Literary Digest debacle?). I'm the first to admit I'm not in the loop when it comes to the local culture, but even if I were better assimilated, I could never imagine presuming to speak for "the people". 

As for why Makiyo was famous even before she helped to send a taxi driver to the hospital, it shouldn't be too hard to understand. Flip through the TV channels to have a gander at some of the numerous (and mind-numbingly childish) talk and variety shows, and you will find a television universe populated by the young and beautiful, of both sexes. These people have very limited talents, but they certainly look good on the screen. In Makiyo's case, her appeal was broadened by her bi-cultural background, and in fact she first came to public attention by speaking in Japanese in commercials for a cell phone company (オレンジはジロだ！ - I think I've been here too long!). It's that emphasis on physical appearance over genuine talent as to why I've never let my daughter watch the dreck that's aired on Momo or Yoyo TV.

As for our Orientalist observer, they left another interesting comment a couple of months ago regarding another recent scandal, that of the disgraced diplomat and serial housekeeper abuser Jacqueline Liu. Responding to an assertion that such mistreatment of foreign domestic workers is a "tradition of Taiwanese employers", it was Said that:

A tradition of Taiwanese employers? I am sure people have examples to the contrary but generally speaking I have not heard of this level of mistreatment being a huge issue in Taiwan (yes, I am sure it happens, but I mean I am not aware of it being such a widespread problem that someone would actually say "all Taiwanese employers do this so we should stay out of it"). If it is an issue, it's something I'd definitely blog about because most domestic workers are women and I do try to focus on women's issues. 

I was more aware of it being a big problem in Dubai, where the main culprits are actually foreign (ie British, Australian, American) families who confiscate passports and require 24-7 work...

I know that it is also a problem in Hong Kong (although Dubai seems to be the worst)...

"I'm not aware of it, ergo it doesn't exist (or at least not in any meaningful sense)". I agree that this isn't a big issue in Taiwan, but that's probably because it has more to do with a general lack of awareness or interest in the problems facing those from Southeast Asia who are doing the dirty jobs here. The plight of "Maria from the Philippines" seems to generate a few laughs, but not much in the way of sympathy or understanding, at least in my admittedly limited interactions with the natives. One netizen didn't seem to appreciate our observer's remarks:

It's specious to try to shift the problem to Hong Kong. After all, no Hong Kong official has been arrested in the U.S.for enslaving servants.

This is a Taiwan problem.

A different kind of Taiwan problem. This KTV, the Taiwanese take on what the Japanese call a Karaoke box カラオケボックス is an establishment catering to those seeking a "healthy break" 健康休間, a euphemism for...well, a quick look at the female staff on duty there would clear up any doubts someone might have over what kinds of services are on offer. I took this photo from a public park on the opposite side of the street, where my daughter was enjoying herself on the slide at the playground there. The park, in turn, is located in one of the more upscale neighborhoods in Taichung 台中. My dismay at the apparent laxity of zoning laws in Taiwan is one of the reasons (out of many) why I'm reluctant to follow through on my wife's suggestion that we sink was little we have in the way of a nest egg into a Taiwanese dream home.

Clearly speaking

As you can see in the pictures above, we've had some really clear weather recently. The first two photos were taken around noon today, while the last one was shot in the late afternoon. The line of mountains in the distance are part of the Central Mountain Range 中央山脈, and it isn't often that they can be seen through the usual haze and smog. 

Also apparently becoming clearer is the search for the killer of the two young Taiwanese women murdered last Thursday in Tōkyō 東京. The Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ ran the Kyōdō News 共同通信社 story on the not-so-surprising suspect in the case:

A Taiwanese man is being sought in connection with the fatal stabbings of two female Taiwanese students in Taitō Ward 台東区, Tōkyō police said Sunday.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Chang Chih-yang 張志揚, 30, who has been missing since Thursday after telling his roommate at around 10 a.m. that he was going to Ōsaka 大阪. Chang was a student at the same Japanese language school the slain women attended.

Police suspect Chang of killing Lin Chih-ying 林芷瀅, 22, and Chu Li-chieh 朱立婕, 24, at around 9 a.m. Thursday at an apartment rented by the school as a dorm, police said. The two women each had about 10 stab wounds, mostly around their necks, and the cause of death was apparently blood loss, police said.

Chang is believed to have been fond of Lin as he recently complained that she had been giving him the cold shoulder since mid-December. He was spotted by security cameras near the crime scene at around the same time as the murders, police said.

On the day they were killed, Lin promised to go on a trip with male friends from the school. They were to meet at a subway station at 9:30 a.m., but when Lin failed to show, her friends contacted a school official who used a duplicate key to enter the apartment where the women were found.

Lin was found lying in the hallway in a jacket and boots, while Chu was found bleeding in the room's bottom bunk bed. 

Japan Today has a similar article on its website.

When this story first broke, I had a feeling that the killer might have been another Taiwanese. Not because I think a Japanese is incapable of murder (they are, just like anybody else), nor because Taiwanese people are more prone to killing (they certainly aren't). The reason I thought so is that it seemed that in most cases where foreign students are murdered, the killer or killers often turned out to be compatriots, or at least fellow classmates. I don't have any crime statistics to back up that last assertion, but it is a fact that in most murder cases, the victim(s) knew their killer(s). Add to that the tendency among students studying abroad to socialize with classmates from their home countries, and/or with others studying at the same school, and the odds increased in this particular case that the main suspect would turn out to be from Taiwan. 

According to the latest news, which I heard from a student this evening, Chang committed suicide, and it appears the case is being brought to a close. A sad end all around.

Monkey see

2012 is going to be an "unnerving year for Northeast Asia", according to the editorial writers at the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ. Elections are going to be held in Russia, South Korea, the United States and, of course, here, the results of which could bring about substantial changes in regional politics and relations:

"The first ballots will take place in Taiwan, where both presidential and parliamentary elections will be held together for the first time on Jan. 14. President Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九, who took office four years ago, is battling Democratic Progressive Party 民主進步黨 nominee Tsai Ing-wen 蔡英文, and at this point the race is too close to call.

The most notable feature of the Ma presidency has been the calming of cross-strait relations and there is a fear that a Tsai victory will roil the relationship as did the last DPP president, Mr. Chen Shui-bian 陳水扁, who was forthright in his support for Taiwan independence. Ms. Tsai has tried to dampen concern but the Beijing government worries that lightning will strike twice.

Nonetheless, a Tsai win could prove destabilizing. Not only because Beijing fears a DPP victory, but because China is undergoing a leadership transition of its own as President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao turn over their offices to the fifth generation. Authoritarian societies are inflexible at the best of times, and changes at the top, even if planned, exacerbate hardline tendencies as followers jockey for position.

There is little inclination on the mainland to tolerate Taiwan's democratic foibles, but China has learned to be low key with its complaints, recognizing that overt intervention is only likely to antagonize Taiwanese voters. No one wants cross-strait relations to deteriorate — and they do not have to, regardless of the election outcome — but the congruence of two leadership changes is likely to generate friction regardless of intent."

The best outcome for Taiwan would be a Tsai victory over the corrupt, blood-stained Chinese Nationalists, aka the Kuomintang  中國國民黨. However, what Taiwan needs is often not what the major players in Northeast Asia desire. "Stability" is the operative word here, and stability means having a Taiwanese leader who would do his best to keep the Chinese placated. Tsai may be the right choice, for both moral and historical reasons (she would be the island's first female president if elected), but there is no guarantee the Taiwanese electorate will make the right call. Just as large segments of the working poor in the United States continually cast their ballots for Republicans in congressional and presidential elections, so too do many Taiwanese voters vote against their own best interests. These people might strongly identify with Taiwan and not with China, yet they continue to elect (and reelect) KMT candidates. The lure of pork barrel politics often triumphs over concerns for the dangerous erosion of national identity. 

Fortunately for Taiwan, we'll be out of the country on election day. Due to complex Freudian family relationships, my wife is a strong supporter of the KMT, but thanks to the lack of absentee voting here, she won't be able to cast a ballot before we leave for the U.S. That's one less vote for the blue side. I'm not allowed to participate in the electoral process here (nor would I want to), but I've done what I can to help ;-)

Politics is a noisy business in Taiwan, but at least I was able to escape some of that this afternoon by fleeing to the mountains of Dakeng 大坑. I took an easy walk along Trail No. 5 - easy in the sense that I usually approach this trail by first climbing the No. 1 (or No. 2) Trail, then finish the hike by descending the No. 2 (or No. 1), which makes for over 2½ hours of steady progression. Today, however, I cut out the steep ascent/descent by approaching the start of the No. 5 Trail from the rear, by way of Zhongxing Mt. 中興嶺. This effectively lopped off around 90 minutes from my usual trek, but as I prefer the longer sojourns, I'll revert to the traditional approaches the next I do the No. 5. As it was, much as changed on the trail since my last visit. New wooden staircases have been constructed, and in some places the path has been widened. There were more people than usual on this trail today, perhaps because of the easier accessibility. Shorter walking times, easier trails and the lack of good views - though it was sunny and warm in Dakeng this afternoon, haze obscured both the city of Taichung 台中  to the west, and the Central Mountain Range 中央山脈 to the east - could have made for a disappointing day out.

Thank god for the monkeys. While walking along the ridge past the point where the No. 1 Trail joins the top, I had to answer the call of nature. Venturing off into the forest to take care of business, I heard the familiar grunts and sounds of heavy movements through the trees. In the distance, behind an orchard, were several monkeys cavorting in the foliage. They were too far way for me to get any decent photos, but I was close enough that they noticed my presence, and were shaking the branches at me in an effort to scare me off. After watching them from afar for a while, I returned to the trail, and in just a matter of moments, came across a small group of four macaques 台灣獼猴. These ones were much closer, and while leery, nevertheless made no attempt to run off. As I result, I was able to take these shots and videos:

No matter how many times I encounter macaques while hiking in Dakeng, I never get tired of stopping to watch them. I'm fortunate that I have time on a weekday afternoon to hit the hills, for on weekends, when the noisy hordes swamp the trails, I'm pretty certain the monkeys retreat into the depths of the forest. I'm not particularly happy about having to live where I am, but I do appreciate the chances to interact with nature that I have in my area. It helps to keep me sane, and I'll need all the sanity I can preserve if Ma gets another four years to try and bring this island closer to China.

Trying to keep my dinner down

Scanning the headlines on the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ website this morning, my eyes were drawn to one of the commentary headings in the "Opinion-Editorial" section - North Korea's Khrushchev (link). Curious as to how such a comparison could be made, I clicked on the link to the article and found that it was written by none other than Gregory Clark, former Australian diplomat and longtime contributor to the newspaper. If you're not familiar with the man or his writings, do a Google search of "Gregory Clark Japan Times". If you have any sense of moral decency, you may find the results to be more than a little disturbing. Clark is an unapologetic apologist (pun intended) for authoritarianism and social discrimination. This is a man who has penned numerous articles attempting to defend or excuse the actions of the Chinese leadership, while never forgetting to pat himself on the back for having played a role in opening up of Australian-Chinese relations in the late 1960's/early 1970's. He has long earned the scorn of many in Japan's resident foreigner community over his attempts at justifying or whitewashing the often blatant forms of discrimination faced by many non-Japanese in the country. Don't confuse Clark for being on the same side with the Japanese right wing, however - when it comes to Japan's relationships with its neighbors, especially China, Gregory always manages to find a way to lay all the blame for the various regional disputes entirely on his host country (Clark has lived in Japan for a number of years, working as a journalist and university president). He no doubt fancies himself as a sort of provocateur, but his ideas generally come across as offensive to anyone who believes there should be a place for morality in international relations, while his articles are filled with half-truths and, in some case, outright fabrications.

This morning's exercise in revisionism concerns Kim Jong-il and North Korea. The opening paragraphs set the tone for the obnoxiousness that follows:

"The commentaries after Kim's death tell us repeatedly that the deceased North Korean leader was reclusive, erratic, enigmatic and dangerous. Yet almost all the few outsiders who actually met the man came away impressed by his intelligence, moderation, rationality and openness."

You don't rule a nation with an iron fist for seventeen years without possessing a high degree of intelligence. Kim had to have been an extremely shrewd individual to have been able to have remained in power despite presiding over the economic decline of his country and, especially, the devastating food shortages that led to a famine that may have killed up to 3.5 million people by some estimates. Clark would no doubt dispute such figures as being an example of unreasonable and unwarranted Western hostility to Kim's regime, but nowhere in his article will you find any mention of all of the hardships endured by the North Korean citizenry under the benevolent guidance of their "Dear Leader". Clark also makes no reference to the personality cult built up around Kim Jong-il, which is understandable as doing so would seem to undercut any evidence of the man's so-called "rationality". Clark doesn't dwell, either, on the ironic juxtaposition of Kim's "openness" while at the helm of the world's most secretive country.

Clark next goes on to place the blame for the failure of the 1994 Agreed Framework between the United States and North Korea (Wikipedia article link) squarely on

"...U.S. congressional conservatives and Pentagon hawks (who) moved to deny those agreements. They said the North Korean regime could not be trusted and was, in any case, about to collapse. But Pyongyang did not collapse, and Kim has since used various carrot-and-stick tactics — everything from cultural invitations to rocket and nuclear testing — while trying to bring the U.S. back to its 1994 promises..."

It is true the Agreement failed in large part due to Congressional opposition and insufficient funding, but Clark fails to mention to us here that it was the North Koreans' admission in 1998 that they had maintained a secret uranium enrichment program that led to the Agreement's demise. And only in Clark's world can "cultural invitations" be considered on an equal level with "rocket and nuclear testing" when it comes to international negotiations.

Japan, of course, fares no better than the U.S. when it comes to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK):

"Sublimating its justified anger over North Korea's abduction of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and '80s, Tōkyō 東京 was able in 2002 to gain a remarkable apology from Kim and the conditional return of five abductees, in exchange for Tōkyō promises to normalize relations and pay long overdue reparations. But fearing this would lead to detente with the hated communist regime, the Japanese right-wing, led by (Shinzō) Abe 安倍晋三, swept into action. It demanded, and got, a Tōkyō withdrawal of its promise to accept Pyongyang's conditions for the return of the five former abductees. It then began to use dodgy DNA data to prove that Pyongyang was lying when it denied holding on to other alleged abductees. This then allowed it to argue that Pyongyang's alleged lies justified reneging on the 2002 normalization promises.

Images of other abductees languishing in a North Korean hell — the beautiful but almost certainly deceased, Megumi Yokota 横田めぐみ, especially — were used to gain wide public support for severe sanctions which, we were told, would force Pyongyang to back down. In fact all it has done, predictably, is force Pyongyang to clam up. Relations with North Korea are now totally frozen, which means even less chance of any further abductee return — if such a chance ever existed."

For those of you unfamiliar with what Clark is referring to, you can read the Wikipedia entry on the North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens. In the late 1970's/early 1980's, up to as many as 70-80 Japanese (though only 17 are officially recognized by the Japanese government) were kidnapped by North Korean agents, and taken from Japan to North Korea, where they were used to train the regime's agents in Japanese language and culture (the woman who blew up Korean Air Flight 858 while posing as a Japanese tourist was taught by one of the abductees). After years of denial, in a 2002 summit meeting with then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichirō Koizumi 小泉純一郎, Kim Jong-il surprisingly admitted to 13 such abductions having occurred, and revealed that five of the unfortunate victims were still alive. The five were eventually allowed to "visit" Japan, but only on the condition that they return to the "workers' paradise". Once back home, however, they all decided, not unsurprisingly, to stay in the land of their birth, and Pyongyang responded by criticizing the Japanese government over its "broken promises".

Though he uses the term "justified anger" in this article, Clark has in the past tried to excuse the kidnappings by claiming that they were in revenge for the use of forced Korean labor by Japan during its colonization of the Korean peninsula. And while trying to appear sympathetic, it is utterly repulsive that he finds nothing wrong with first forcibly abducting the five Japanese nationals, and then demanding that they be returned to North Korea as the price for letting them see their loved ones in Japan again after the long enforced separation. In Clark's world, it is the Japanese political right which is almost solely to blame.

After casting doubt on the North's attacks on the South last year, Clark moves on to why the DPRK has pursued the development of nuclear weapons:

"With his hopes of closer relations with Tōkyō and Washington dashed, Kim seems to have had no choice but to resume rocket and nuclear testing, and to turn increasingly to China, which North Korea had previously distrusted. His son and successor Kim Jong Un will almost certainly have to follow the same path while giving even more power to North Korea's hawkish military."

Again, Japan and the United States are to blame, for the North Korean regime had no other choice but to pursue the nuclear option. And it is interesting that Clark fails to make mention of the fact that it was the collapse of the Soviet Union, and with it the generous aid the USSR had provided to Pyongyang, that forced North Korea to become more dependent on China.

The Khrushchev comparison mentioned in the article's headline comes in the next-to-last paragraph:

"History will show the late Kim to have been North Korea's Khrushchev. The former Soviet leader also sought detente with the West only to have his hopes dashed by U-2 flights and other U.S. hawk activities, which in turn strengthened the hand of the Soviet hawks. Khrushchev was ousted and that cruel, wasteful and meaningless exercise called the Cold War had to continue for another two decades. Presumably the same will happen over North Korea, with the regime there able to use foreign threats as an excuse for continued domestic repression."

History, apparently, shows a different face to Gregory Clark. Nikita Khrushchev came to power in 1953 following the death of longtime despot Josef Stalin. Though he was one of the dictator's closest advisers, and a supporter of the bloody purges of the 1930's that turned the Soviet Union into a nightmarish police state, Khrushchev made his mark on history by repudiating the worst excesses of Stalin's reign of terror. Though certainly no democrat, he was responsible for lessening the repression within the USSR through what is now known as the Khrushchev Thaw. Nevertheless, the "Gulag Archipelago" remained in existence,  and despite his pursuit of detente with the West, it was Khrushchev who ratcheted up Cold War tensions by approving the construction of the Berlin Wall and the stationing of nuclear arms in Cuba, the latter leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. Nor should it be forgotten that in the same year he made his secret speech denouncing Stalin (1956), Khrushchev sent in the Red Army to brutally crush the Hungarian Revolution.

Kim Jong-il also succeeded a brutal dictator, succeeding his father, Kim Il-sung, upon the latter's death in 1994. Unlike Khrushchev, however, there was no attempt to launch a North Korean version of "De-Stalinization". Rather, Kim Jong-il played the Confucian role of dutiful son, elevating his deceased father to the status of "Eternal President of the Republic". Under the rule of the junior Kim, North Korea remained one of the world's most repressive societies, with an extensive gulag system of its own which imprisons thousands of its subjects in internment and reeducation camps (Human Rights in North Korea). The population, of course, has suffered in other ways as well, namely as a result of the food and famine crises (hunger is still a serious concern in the DPRK) and the crippling power shortages. Despite the breakdown in the functions of the centrally-planned economic system, Kim Jong-il made few attempts at reform, clinging to the elder Kim's policy of self-reliance, known as juche (link). And as for detente, it can be argued that the younger Kim played a far more dangerous game of concessions, threats and brinkmanship than his father ever did, at least in the last few years of Kim Il-sung's life. Khrushchev was overthrown by more conservative elements in the Soviet leadership, who feared his reforms had gone too far. What followed Khrushchev's ouster was the stagnation of the Brezhnev years, and the eventual downfall of the USSR. In North Korea's case, however, the stagnation set in long before the senior Kim left the scene, and greatly worsened during the rule of Kim Jong-il. History is going to remember Kim Jong-il, but not as the bright, rational Khrushchev-like figure Gregory Clark imagines him to have been.

Not that this will matter to Clark, though, who concludes his commentary in such a way as to leave a bad taste in the mouth (and by blowing his own horn in the process):

"The one hope is that the shift to China will have a moderating influence. China, too, once had to suffer the same hawk on hawk confrontation as the former Soviet Union, until rescued by China's Gorbachev — the moderate and intelligent premier Zhou Enlai relying on the 1971 so-called ping-pong diplomacy ( in which I was able to participate). For what it's worth, the "En" in Zhou's name is the same ideograph as the "Un" in the name of Jong Il's son. It means benevolent and kind."

It took 27 years of stagnation and decline following the forced retirement of Khrushchev before the peoples of the Soviet Union finally able to break free from a failed economic, political and social experiment that resulted in the needless deaths of millions of people (and with the exception of the Baltic states, the struggle is arguably still continuing in the former republics of the USSR). Can the people of the socialist paradise that is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea afford to wait that long?

Making the big time?

Amber shows off her Christmas drawing. As I write this, she has gone to bed, waiting for Santa to bring her some gifts. Momo, one of our two cats, shows typical feline indifference. 

There is one Taiwanese baseball player currently plying his trade in Japan who knows what he would like to get from Father Christmas this year - a nice, fat Major League Baseball contract. Jason Coskrey, a staff writer for the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ, makes the call:

"With the majority of the baseball world caught up in the hoopla surrounding (Yū) Darvish's ダルビッシュ有 posting, and the record $51.7 million (¥4.04 billion/NT1.6 billion) fee the Texas Rangers doled out for his rights, there hasn't been too much attention paid to Hisashi Iwakuma 岩隈久志 and Chen Wei-yin 陳偉殷 this winter.

Both probably expected to be in MLB last season, but had to stay in Japan a little longer. Now the duo, who also both dealt with injuries in 2011, are ready to make the jump for real this time...

  

Chen is a bit of a mystery.

The Taiwanese lefty has been among the best pitchers in the Central League セントラル・リーグ since 2009, when he posted the lowest ERA (1.54) in the CL since 1968.

At 26 years old, he's still slightly unpolished, with his future potential a major selling point for some MLB observers.

'His ceiling looks lower than most thought just a few seasons ago, yet I'm hearing that 12 teams are interested,' said the MLB scout. 'His control is excellent, but his command is not. Strikes at the letters over the fat part of the plate are going to travel much farther in the big leagues.'

Chen is 36-30, with one save, a 2.59 ERA and 1.09 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched) in five seasons with the Chūnichi Dragons 中日ドラゴンズ.

He's been helped to an extent by playing home games at pitcher-friendly Nagoya Dome ナゴヤドーム where, since 2008, he's 18-7 with a 1.97 ERA in 51 games versus 18-23, 2.84 in 64 outings everywhere else.

Chen made his first start of 2011 on May 6, after struggling with a left adductor injury in the spring. His performance suffered early in the season, but he regained most of his velocity and some command of his slider as the year progressed.

'Usually a team doesn't have to pay what Chen and his agent may be asking for to find out if a 26-year-old can improve his command and stay healthy,' the scout said.

'The fact that he already bridged the gap between Taiwan and Japan very well works in his favor; he is diligent and driven. He could be a great guy to have in the pen.'"

Only six players from Taiwan have ever appeared in a game at the Major League level, and the results have been mixed. Chen Chin-feng  陳金鋒 was the first, making his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2002. A once-highly regarded prospect, he never realized his full potential and returned to Taiwan for the 2006 season, where he's now currently an outfielder for the Lamigo Monkeys (Lamigo桃猿).

Tsao Chin-hui 曹錦輝 had some success pitching for the Colorado Rockies, but a series of arm injuries limited his playing time. He eventually came back to Taiwan, only to get involved in one of Taiwanese baseball's never-ending string of gambling scandals, and was booted from the game as a result.

As a Los Angeles Dodger, Kuo Hong-chih 郭泓志 became the first Taiwanese to appear in an All-Star Game, pitching in the 2010 contest. However, he suffered from an anxiety disorder during the 2011 season which saw him spending time on the disabled list, and he's currently a free agent.

Infielder Hu Chin-lung 胡金龍 showed some promise when he was named the MVP of the 2007 All-Star Futures Game while a member of the Dodgers organization. However, his career has sinced stalled, having appeared in only 118 big league games over five seasons, including 22 in 2011 with the New York Mets, his current organization.

Reliever Ni Fu-te was the first player to make the move from Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL 中華職業棒球大聯盟) to the majors, making his debut with the Detroit Tigers in 2009. He spent the most recent season on the Tigers' AAA-affiliate Toledo Mud Hens.

Then there's Wang Chien-ming 王建民, the most successful by far of all the Taiwanese who have played in MLB. Wang, of course, was a 19-game winner with the hated New York Yankees in both 2006 and 2007, and became the pride of Taiwan in the process. After being sidelined by injuries for a couple of years, Wang pitched himself back into the picture in 2011 with the Washington Nationals, finishing with a 4-3 record and 4.04 ERA. He should be part of the Nats' starting rotation in 2012.

MLB career stats for all the above Taiwanese players can be checked out at baseball-reference.com.

Here's hoping that Chen Wei-yin will be able to make the jump from Japan to North America...as long as it isn't with the Yankees.

When the chips are down

Christmas is almost upon us, but you would have a hard time knowing so here in Fengyuan 豐原. Sure, there are a few stores with some Xmas decorations up, and the occasional Yuletide jingle can be heard from a loudspeaker, but for the most part the scenery downtown is as usual. Now don't get me wrong - I don't expect this non-Western, non-Christian society to fully accept what is, after all, an alien holiday, and I'm not feeling any disappointment or sadness about this situation. Rather, I just know that somewhere out there in the blogosphere, there is a Westerner who has posted something about the bright decorations he/she can see in Taipei 台北, noting that the Taiwanese have embraced Christmas with a passion (I recall one overly enthusiastic blogger a few years ago who remarked that the people here were even more excited about the holiday than the folks back in his/her home country. This person was writing from Taipei, of course). I had planned after work to walk into downtown Fengyuan and take a photo of how it was mostly business as usual in these parts, but due to the effects of the full-blown cold I've come down with, in the end I just sneaked a quick picture of this food vendor's sign before getting on my scooter and going home. Hiding among the characters for yibao 刈包 and rùn​bǐng 潤餅 (photo) is the Japanese word わさび, wasabi.

Tis the season for goodwill to all men, or at least it seems so for Japan's Elpida Memory エルピーダメモリ , according to this Kyōdō News 共同通信社 article from today's Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ:

"Chipmaker Elpida Memory Inc. is thinking of forming a capital and business alliance with Taiwanese semiconductor maker Nanya Technology Corp., sources close to the matter said Thursday.

Elpida aims to take advantage of the tie-up to improve its business performance, which has deteriorated from the strong yen and falling prices for its mainstay dynamic random access memory chips, the sources said.

But it remains uncertain whether such an alliance will form because Elpida has sued Nanya in Taiwan and the United States for infringing on its DRAM patents.

Under the plan, Elpida will consider licensing Nanya to manufacture Elpida products, while focusing on cutting-edge products at its plant in Hiroshima Prefecture 広島県, the sources said."

Chips are big business in Taiwan, and Elpida is a major player here. It might seem kind of odd to be simultaneously suing and wooing a bitter rival/potential partner, but losing ¥56.76 billion ($726.6 million/NT22 billion) over a six-month period earlier this year might have something to do with this move. In any event, it appears that Nanya isn't very interested at this stage, at least according to the Taipei Times:

"Nanya Technology Corp (南亞科技), the nation’s biggest PC DRAM chipmaker, (Thursday) denied any knowledge of a plan to engage in technology and capital tie-up talks with Japan’s biggest memory chipmaker, Elpida Memory Inc, as has been reported in the media.

The Taoyuan 桃園-based chipmaker’s comments came after the Nikkei Business Daily 日本経済新聞 reported yesterday that Elpida Memory was set to start talks next month with Nanya to form an alliance. Creating a holding company was one of approaches being studied, the Nikkei said.

The speculation came after most local DRAM chipmakers drifted into deep losses because of weak chip prices, which have plunged over 55 percent since May this year..."

Apparently there isn't much peace on earth when it comes to Japanese/Taiwanese chipmaking operations. Let the chips fall where they may!

Fearing Not

I know of certain bloggers here in Taiwan who might like to eat and drink at this establishment ;-)

From yesterday's (Sunday's) edition of the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ comes this Kyōdō News 共同通信社 news story:

TAIWAN PLANE BRINGS TOURISTS BACK TO FUKUSHIMA

A TransAsia Airways 復興航空 chartered flight with 180 tourists on board landed at Fukushima Airport 福島空港 Saturday morning, the first international flight to arrive since March 11, giving the region's badly-hit tourism industry a much needed lift.

The tourists are participating in a four-day tour organized by several travel agencies in Taiwan, and will visit sites mainly around the prefecture's scenic Aizu 会津 region.

The airport's regular services to Seoul and Shanghai remain suspended because of radioactive fallout from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant 福島第一原子力発電所.

To reverse the plunging number of foreign visitors to Fukushima 福島県, the prefecture has been running promotional campaigns in Taiwan, as well as in China and South Korea.

The chartered plane will carry Japanese tourists to Taiwan on its return flight.

Operations at the airport, about 50 km (30 miles) inland from the prefecture's coast, were not affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami 東日本大震災.

Taiwan's airlines have started operating chartered flights to Fukushima Prefecture in recent years.

It certainly is encouraging to see the Tōhoku region 東北地方 slowly getting back on its feet. It will take time, but eventually all the debris will be carted off, transportation links will be resumed (though some damaged train lines may be converted into exclusive bus lanes - see this Yomiuri Shimbun 読売新聞 article from today's Daily Yomiuri ザ・デイリー読売  and, yes, the damaged nuclear reactors will be achieve cold shutdown. Visitors are gradually making their way back to the area, though for the residents who suffered through that terrible day and its aftermath, the emotional scars may never heal. Before March 11, I had been thinking about visiting Tōhoku at some point in 2012, and despite all that has happened, I see no reason for changing my plans. Sightseeing spots such as Hiraizumi 平泉 and the Tōno 遠野 Valley appear to have emerged relatively unscathed from the disaster, while I'm confident that Sendai 仙台, the region's hub, will quickly recover much as Kōbe 神戸 did in the aftermath of the Great Hanshin earthquake 阪神・淡路大震災. The one alteration to my plans would probably have to be Kinkazan 金華山. I haven't heard anything about the state of the island itself, but I do know that the city of Ishinomaki 石巻 and the town of Ayukawa 鮎川, the two main transportation points to Kinkazan, were devastated by the tsunami.

 A new store in Fengyuan 豐原 selling old clothing for old women

Bubblelicious

My daughter this morning in her devil costume for Halloween, the same one she wore last year. Amber likes this outfit so much she even kept it on when her mother took her to the clinic this evening to get some medicine for a small cold she has recently come down with. Happy Halloween to one and all!

And speaking of which, the following comment appeared on Facebook the other day:

"With all the party signs, decorations and costumes I've seen today, I think Halloween must be celebrated more in Taiwan than anywhere."

The person who wrote the above isn't American or Canadian, so it's likely that he/she has never experienced a genuine Halloween. But the comment did remind me of something unrelated to ghosts, goblins and pumpkins - the Bubble phenomenon. I blogged about this in an entry on Sponge Bear a couple of months ago - namely, the tendency for some Western residents on this island to assume that what they're doing, feeling, hearing and seeing in Taiwan must somehow be uniquely...um, unique. In fact, much of this so-called uniqueness can be found elsewhere in East and Southeast Asia, but ignorance is often bliss in the case of the Bubble People. There's no harm, and thus no foul, in any of this, but it does get annoying after a while reading about the same ad nauseum testimonials on how special Taiwan and the Taiwanese are. 

What I forgot to point out back in that August diatribe is that there exists a sub-species of the Bubble People who reside in Taipei, the capital and largest city on Ilha Formosa. These folks tend to assume that what they're doing, feeling, hearing and seeing in T'aipei 台北 isn't unique, but actually representative of the island of Taiwan of a whole. Therefore, when one sees colorful Halloween decorations and costumes on the streets of the metropolis, it must mean the country as a whole is doing the exact same thing. The only problem is that out here in the hinterlands, aka The Real Taiwan, or the place where 90% of the Taiwanese population resides, you would be hard-pressed to find any signs of Halloween other than at some kindergartens and cram schools. 

On social websites such as Facebook, or in discussion forums such as Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree or Forumosa, one can read countless comments and postings describing a cosmopolitan, fashionable and thoroughly modern land known as "Taiwan" that sounds almost completely alien to the provincialism and sheer ugliness that I encounter on an almost daily basis out in the Taiwan where I reside (which happens to be in the suburbs of the third-largest city on this island). Replace the word "Taiwan" in these descriptions with "Taipei", and things immediately become clear. Yes, Taipei can be a very appealing city, and certainly a very comfortable one for Western expats, with all mod cons and many of the familiar trappings of home, but with just enough exoticism to impress the folks and friends back home (or when they come to visit). And it should be, for Taipei:

• receives a disproportionate share of cash from the central government in comparison with other cities, resulting in plenty of funds to be spent on parks, bikeways, mass transportation and urban beautification projects;
• and by hosting the best schools, and benefiting from its location as the headquarters for many domestic as well as international companies, attracts the best and the brightest - people who have had more dealings with non-Taiwanese and are thus more open to different things, as well as being more likely to have spent time abroad and therefore more demanding in their expectations of what a capital city should (or shouldn't) be.

Out here in the rest of Taiwan, the situation is a wee bit different. Things are not as well-planned, the architecture is more hideous to look at and it's more difficult to track down things from home. The area where I live has hundreds of eateries to choose from, but other than watered-down offerings of Japanese or Italian cuisine or the ubiquitous fast-food outlets, trying to find food that isn't Chinese or Taiwanese in origin can be a major undertaking. 

Taipei is Taipei, and Taiwan is Taiwan, and quite often the twain doesn't meet. I just wish some of my fellow expats can remember that the next time they marvel in how wonderful life is in the big city.

Some good news for those folks in Taiwan who are obsessed with beating the Koreans: according to this Kyōdō News 共同通信社 article, Sony to end LCD panel venture with Samsung, tap cheaper sources, from today's Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ:

"Sony Corp. ソニー株式会社 is in talks to terminate its joint venture with South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. for the production of liquid crystal displays for televisions...Sony has decided to increase procurement of cheap displays from Taiwanese and other manufacturers rather than focusing on the joint venture."

In the zero sum game of relations between the southern half of the divided Korean peninsula and the renegade province of China, South Korea's loss is Taiwan's gain.

Random stuff

The mighty pientang 弁當 boy prepares to unleash his wrath on the unsuspecting denizens of Fengyuan 豐原 below

A couple of Taiwan-related articles in the English-language Japanese media today. First, this Kyōdō News 共同通信社 story from the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ:

MAEHARA OFFERS THANKS TO TAIWAN

"The chief policymaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan 民主党, Seiji Maehara 前原誠司, thanked visiting Taiwanese opposition leader Tsai Ing-wen 蔡英文 for the help the people of Taiwan provided to Japan following the March 11 earthquake-tsunami disaster 東日本大震災 and subsequent nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant 福島第一原子力発電所事故, DPJ officials said.

Maehara, a former foreign minister and current chairman of the DPJ Policy Research Committee, expressed gratitude in a meeting with Tsai, leader of the Democratic Progressive Party 民主進步黨, who will challenge incumbent President Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九 of the Nationalist Party 中國國民黨 in an election in January.

Tsai told Maehara that many citizens in Taiwan have an affinity for Japan and have tried to provide as much help as possible as the Japanese cope with the natural disaster and nuclear crisis. Japan has received a raft off donations and relief goods from Taiwan since March 11."

The Taiwanese have proven to be very generous in their support of the Japanese who have suffered as a result of the triple disasters of March 11. Arguably, the people of Taiwan feel a closer affinity to the Japanese, despite the similarities in culture and language with their cousins in China. Fifty years of separation, combined with over a hundred years of influence from Japan (colonial and post-war periods) will do that to a society.  The recent improvement in relations between Taiwan and Japan could be undone, however, if the Ma administration decides to ramp up the patriotism over the Senkaku Islands 尖閣諸島 (for an example, you can following this disturbing link).

Meanwhile, NHK World ＮＨＫワールド has a short feature on the issue of selling arms to Taiwan:

US STILL STUDYING SELLING F-16 SALES TO TAIWAN

"A senior US government official says the United States is still considering weapons sales to Taiwan, including new F-16 fighter aircraft.

Acting Assistant Defense Secretary Peter Lavoy testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday regarding US policies toward Taiwan.

Lavoy responded to criticism from lawmakers about the government's decision last month to upgrade Taiwan's existing fleet of F-16s instead of selling the territory new jets of the same type.

He said that retrofitting the fleet amounts to what he called 'the best bang for the buck' for now and is the immediate priority.

Lavoy said the US is talking with Taiwan about ways to step up the territory's defense capabilities against China and has not ruled out selling it new F-16 aircraft.

China is against both upgrading and replacing Taiwan's aging F-16 jets."

There is a video segment that goes along with the above report. The question of whether, and what, the United States should sell to Taiwan is being closely watched not only by China and Taiwan, but also by other players in this part of the world.

It would seem obvious that a well-armed Taiwan would be in the best interests of the U.S., but there are many factors at play here. One that doesn't get much attention is whether the U.S. feels comfortable selling advanced weaponry to the Taiwanese in light of the growing ties between China and Taiwan. Under Ma, Taiwan has moved closer towards the Chinese sphere of influence. The growing reliance on the Chinese market, combined with the current Taiwanese administration's reluctance to push for a distinct Taiwanese identity, is making it every more likely that some kind of union is inevitable down the line. In this case, would the American government want to provide high-tech weapons to Taiwan only for them to fall into the hands of the Chinese? Some officials are worried, it seems.

The above photograph is odd for several reasons. First, why would any mature adult want to be seen in public driving a car with images of an anime アニメ character (in this case, Hamtaro) emblazoned on the body? The writing under the decals is also a strange mix of Japanese and Chinese. Hamtaro is written as とっとこハム太郎 (Tottoko Hamutarō) in Japanese, while in Mandarin the name is rendered as  哈姆太郎 (Hāmǔtàiláng), hence ハ姆, which doesn't seem to make much sense. Also not adding up is the Japanese script which follows the hybrid moniker - あまりに男. "Too man(ly)"?

Just another day in the former colony.

Streaming along

I was surfing through the Taiwan blogosphere this afternoon, and was surprised to find one of my entries from a couple of months ago being discussed on one person's blog. In the comments section, someone else criticized me for my "apparent faith in the BBC's accuracy". To which I would reply to J that:

1.) your reading comprehension skills need some work;

2.) I don't rely on the BBC as my sole "accurate" source for information on Taiwan. But then neither do I unquestionably accept anecdotes and third-person generalizations from Western residents; and

3.) if you thought my original post was a "low blow" (the blogger didn't seem to think so), then all I can say is your hide must be made of gossamer.

Carp-shaped wind socks 鯉幟『こいのぼり』flutter in the wind over a local junkyard

As the above picture shows, symbols of Japanese culture are prevalent here in Taiwan (even if some are placed in unusual surroundings). The Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ posted this Kyōdō News 共同通信社 article today on another facet of things Japanese that is popular among many of the locals - music:

1,500 TAIWANESE COMPETE IN NHK AMATEUR SINGING CONTEST IN TAIPEI

"Nearly 1,500 Taiwanese entered a talent contest sponsored by NHK World ＮＨＫワールド in Taipei 台北 on Sunday to be named the best at crooning Japanese songs.

The taping, for broadcast on the international arm of Japan's public broadcaster, will be shown in Japan, Taiwan and about 150 other areas and countries on or around Oct. 29.

The Taipei show is the 12th NHK has taped overseas since the singing contest — known as "NHK Nodo Jiman ＮＨＫのど自慢" — began on radio 65 years ago.

It has been a television staple since 1953.

NHK began holding the contests overseas in 1998 and the Taipei taping is the first outside Japan since one in Mexico City in 2005.

Contestants have also tried their hand at singing Japanese songs in Beijing, Singapore and Seoul in the past.

Sunday's event attracted 1,480 participants, the most since 1998.

All participants are amateurs who must go through two stages, with the champion selected from 16 finalists.

Sachiko Kobayashi 小林幸子, a special guest on Sunday's program, said she was surprised to see how much the Taiwanese love singing.

Kobayashi encouraged future viewers to visit Taiwan, especially the Chen Lan Temple 大甲鎮瀾宮 in Greater Taichung 大台中."

Name that tune: A couple from Taiwan's indigenous Amis 阿美族 people sing at a contest sponsored by NHK World on Sunday in Taipei. KYŌDŌ PHOTO

As anyone who has had to suffer through karaoke カラオケ (or 卡拉ＯＫ, as it is known in Taiwan) can testify, enka 演歌 has had a big influence on the local music scene. Virtually every KTV has Japanese songs on file, while many popular Taiwanese tunes are actually enka songs that have had the lyrics either translated, or in many cases rewritten, into Mandarin 國語 or Taiwanese 台語. In our area, NHK Nodo Jiman is aired on Channel 107 on Sundays at noon. If I can remember, I'll check it out on the 30th.