Gregory Clark and Tibet

It didn't take Gregory Clark long to come up with a column in the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ on the recent troubles in Tibet チベット ("Tibet and Olympic Games"). He only makes one reference to Taiwan, but it's a classic:

"As for Tibetan independence, people forget that the strongest opponent was the Western-backed Nationalist Chinese government that ended up in Taiwan. Beijing simply inherited that Western-approved situation."

So it's all Taiwan's fault! Well, Greg, I'm no fan of the KMT 中国国民党, but it wasn't their forces that invaded Tibet in 1950, and drove the Dalai Lama ダライ・ラマ into exile in 1959. But there's no end to the excuses that Clark dreams up to explain away one of the world's worst abusers of human rights. In fact, he's been writing in this vein for so long, it's hard to work up a sense of outrage anymore. But it does make me wonder how people who can otherwise distinguish between what is right and wrong (as far as I know, Gregory Clark has never committed any felonies) can betray those most basic principles of being human when the lives of literally millions are needlessly suffering. Or is that also a part of being human?

And so we come to Taiwan, and the March 22 presidential election. I'm having a difficult time comprehending why otherwise decent people would consider voting for a party like the KMT, with it's long history of unrepentant corruption (and cozy ties with gangsters) and repression (40 years of martial law 戒厳令, the 228 Incident 二・二八事件, the White Terror 白色テロ etc.) This isn't like deciding to vote against the Republicans 共和党, where even though one might disagree with many of their conservative principles, it is still the party of Lincoln, after all. No, the KMT is odious, plain and simple, yet it controls the legislature, and stands a good chance of capturing the presidency. There are plenty of types like Gregory Clark here in Taiwan, with their warped views of both history and current events often being reflected on the pages of the China Post, a newspaper which frequently tries to portray Chiang Kai-shek (Shō Kaiseki) 蒋介石 as the man who (almost single-handedly!) defeated the Japanese in World War II (never mind the fact that the Japanese army was still entrenched in China when the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima 広島 and Nagasaki 長崎, and the Red Army 赤軍 attacked Manchuria 満州国); protected Taiwan from communism (no, it was the U.S. Seventh Fleet 第7艦隊 that did that); and started Taiwan on the path to democracy (a process which was actually begun by his son following Chiang's death). I guess it all comes down to what benefits the individual more than anything else, and if the KMT is judged to be party that can better bring home the bacon, then a little moral obfuscation will help to swallow the bitter pill that comes with all that pork.

Perhaps the day will come when the KMT will attempt to atone for its sins of the past, either by reforming itself into a new party, like the former communists in Hungary ハンガリー, or agreeing to the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to look into past misdeeds, as was done in South Africa 南アフリカ共和国. And someday, too, pigs may take to the skies, and there will be snowball fights in Hell.

Tōkai University 東海大学

It's probably a safe bet to say that spring has arrived in central Taiwan. The weather has warmed up noticeably, in spite of the scattered rainfall we've had the past several days. Today was sunny, though the air quality left a lot to be desired. Nevertheless, it seemed like a good day to let Amber run around outside, so off we went to T'aichung (Taijhong) 台中.

Following a stop for lunch at a small shopping mall on Chungkang (Jhonggang) Road 中港路 operated by Taisugar 台湾製糖, we parked our car on the side of the road, and walked into Tunghai (Donghai) University, a private university founded by Protestant missionaries. Tunghai is best noted for the Luce Memorial Chapel 路思義教堂, designed by none other than I.M. Pei イオ・ミン・ペイ. There were lots of people taking pictures of the chapel, and generally enjoying themselves on the grassy lawn. The mid-afternoon sun reflecting off the side of the building resulted in a lot of glare:

 

Amber uses her feet to massage her father's back. It might have been a good idea to have taken her shoes off first.

After checking out the chapel at Tunghai, we drove over to the nearby Taichung Metropolitan Park 台中都會公園. This park is located on top of a ridge, and on a clear day (and night), the views would be fabulous. This wasn't one of those days. The park was packed with couples and families, but for once, this produced a good vibe, as everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. And the poor air quality did make for a nice sunset (shot courtesy of my wife, Pamela):

ニュース

First up this morning was a brief, but interesting, article in the Daily Yomiuri ザ・デイリー読売 entitled "Taiwan emergency 'Japan security concern'":

"A military crisis in the Taiwan Strait 台湾海峡 would present a matter of concern for Japan's own security, a senior official of the Defense Ministry 防衛省 told a Liberal Democratic Party 自由民主党 panel Thursday. Asked about a possible government response in the event of an emergency in the strait, Nobushige Takamizawa, director general of the ministry's Defense Policy Bureau 防衛政策局, said, 'It's a serious matter for our country, so before we decide to consider it as a crisis in areas surrounding [Japan], we, of course, would like to strengthen surveillance by the Self-Defense Forces 自衛隊. It's not [merely] a matter of the Japan-U.S. security cooperation, but also a matter of Japan's national security,' he told the ruling party's Research Commission on Security."

While this would seem obvious given both the close proximity of Taiwan to Japan (Yonaguni 与那国島, the westernmost island in the Ryūkyū Islands 南西諸島 chain, is only 78 miles/125 kilometers from the east coast of Taiwan), and the fact that the Taiwan Strait lies near one of Japan's vital economic sea lanes, it's rare for officials like Takamizawa in such high positions to make public remarks on the subject. As the article notes:

"The (Japanese) government has been ambiguous about the definition of a crisis in areas surrounding Japan, saying the definition is not bound by geographic factors. The stance is apparently out of consideration for China, which is concerned about possible containment moves aimed at it by Japan, the United States or other countries at the time of a contingency in the Taiwan Strait."

The story points out that Takamizawa's comments are likely to provoke controversy, though so far none has been reported.

Another Sunday in Taichū & アンバーの始めて運動会

One of the rites of growing up in Asia is the 運動会, or "undōkai", an athletic meet. For children, of course, an undōkai isn't very difficult or challenging, and the emphasis is (or should be) on having fun. A little while back, Pamela enrolled in a program offered by a company called Your Family, which sends us material designed to encourage Amber's physical development, and holds classes that our daughter attends in T'aichung (Taijhong) 台中 once a month. Today they organized a sporting event, and Amber took part in some activities like pushing a tire, or standing on my shoes while I walked us around. When she wanted to, that is. For it seems our daughter, much like her old man, doesn't go in much for group activities, preferring instead to have fun on her own. Which in northeast Asia, at least, could be a problem should we still be here when Amber is old enough to start school. Or am I just worrying too much?

After the event, we drove to a sporting goods store, where I finally found what I had been looking for for so long: a kiddie porter, or a kind of backpack that allows the parent to carry the child on their back when they go hiking. It's been my dream to bring Amber along when I go for walks in the mountains, and the child porter would have been ideal. Note that I wrote "would have been" instead of "is", because Amber did not enjoy being in one at all. Trying it out in the store, she started to get very upset, and wanted to be put down as soon as possible. Faced with the question of whether I should force my daughter to do something she clearly didn't enjoy, I decided to forgo the porter, at least for the time being. One step at a time, I suppose...

Following lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon in downtown Taichung. First stop after finding a parking spot, was the old Taichung Broadcasting Bureau 台中放送局 building. Built during the Japanese colonial period in 1935, it was Taiwan's third broadcasting station, after ones in T'aipei (Taibei) 台北 and T'ainan (Tainan) 台南. It's now a cafe for the most part, though there is apparently a commercial radio station broadcasting from the second floor. I'm happy to see Japanese-era architecture not just being preserved as museum pieces, but as functioning buildings in their own right as well. Lots of photographers were taking pictures there, including one group that was seemingly inspired by the Japanese connection.

The fascination among Taiwanese youth with Japanese hipness was in evidence along Sanmin Road 三民路:

 

For those in the know, Shibuya 渋谷 is a trendy young fashion district in Tōkyō, and the 109 Building is one of the well-known landmarks there, hence the name of the hair salon in Taichung (I'm guessing).

 

Amber checks out some of the Japanese magazines in Mag Freak. Two floors of virtually nothing but reading materials in Japanese. If it wasn't for the hefty price tag (NT740; that's ￥2480, or $24.15), I would've bought a magazine on Taiwanese trains. Amber was checking out the latest trends in fashion from Nippon: shades of things to come?

Finally, it was back to the car for the trip home, but not before stopping off at the Taichung Broadcasting Bureau again for a quick doughnut or two in the late afternoon sunlight. At the end of a long day, not even the genkiest of children could find the strength to stay awake.

中正公園

今朝、生徒のエンジェル、ロディック、シャロン、シャロンの息子さんといっしょに中正公園へ行って、丘の周りで散歩をしていた。

　

Taking the train to Byōritsu 苗栗へ電車に乗っている

One of the things I really enjoyed doing when I was living in Japan was riding the trains. Maybe it had to do with the fact that, growing up in California, I never had the chance to do so (Sacramento's サクラメント light rail ライトレール system went into operation after I had gone away to college at UC Davis カリフォルニア大学デービス校), but whatever the reason, I loved traveling around Japan by rail. Living in Taiwan, however, I don't get to take trains very often, as Fengyuan (Fongyuan) 豊原 is small enough to get around on scooter, and we have the family car for longer excursions. But Amber seems to like trains, and recently I've decided she should have more opportunities to get on board them. So on this fine Sunday, we parked the car close to Fengyuan Station 豊原駅, and caught the 12:46pm local 普通, bound for the city of Miaoli 苗栗, 35 minutes away.

　

Our train as it was pulling into the station.

There weren't many passengers on the ride north to Miaoli, and Amber had a lot of fun looking out of the window. She got really excited when the train pulled into San'i (Sanyi) 三義. The opposite platform was crowded with people, many of whom began waving and smiling at Amber when they saw her looking at them through the window of our car. Our daughter must have felt like a queen!

Once in Miaoli, we looked around for a place to eat, but it wasn't easy. Usually, Taiwanese cities have very active downtown areas, but Miaoli's was dead on this Sunday. Pamela remarked that her hometown of Hsiluo (Siluo) 西螺 might be smaller, but is a lot more にぎやか than Miaoli. Eventually, we found a small hole-in-the-wall eatery that was open, and had lunch. This establishment was decorated in Snoopy スヌーピ pictures, a theme that wouldn't raise an eyebrow in Japan, which is full of unique cafes and small restaurants, the decor of which reflect the interests and passions of the owner. In Taiwan, however, such places are uncommon, at least in smaller towns and cities like Miaoli. The food was pretty standard local fare, but good.

The street pictured on the bottom is a section Miaoli's Chung-cheng (Jhong-jheng) Road 中正路, near the train station, which should be the main drag in any Taiwanese city. Where's the traffic? Where are the people?

Following lunch, we walked over to the "Miao-lie Rolling Stock Exhibition" 鉄路博物館, a free, open-air train museum. Neither the Lonely Planet ロンリープラネット or Rough Guides books to Taiwan mention this place (let alone Miaoli), but I found out about it from my Japanese guidebook on Taiwan, 地球の歩き方台湾 ('05-'06 edition), which had this to say:

日本統治時代に使用されていた古い蒸気機関車や、最近まで使われていたディーゼル機関車にサトウキビや木村の運搬に活躍していた日本製の小型蒸気機関車など10台ほどが展示されている。

Which basically says that about 10 trains, including old steam locomotives from the Japanese colonial period, and more recent diesel trains that were used for such purposes as transporting sugar cane, are on display. I hadn't checked the guidebook closely, for it also said the museum was closed on weekends, but the gate wasn't locked, so the three of us went in for a look. Unless you're a trainspotter 鉄道ファン, or happen to live relatively close by (like we do), it's probably not worth the trip to Miaoli, but it's still an interesting museum nonetheless.

It was the middle of the afternoon by the time we returned to Miaoli Station, and we had a choice to make about the trip back to Fengyuan. I wanted to stick around for another hour in order to catch the 4:45pm local, but Pamela preferred we take the earlier 4:06 limited express ("Tzu-Ch'iang" or "Zih-Ciang" in Chinese, roughly equivalent to 特急 trains in Japan). I knew the express would be crowded, whereas we stood a good chance of sitting down on the local, but as Pamela pointed out, Fengyuan was the next stop after Miaoli on the Tzu-Chiang, so what was 28 minutes of relative discomfort? So we stood in line to buy tickets from the window, and herein lies one of two examples of how train service in Taiwan, though relatively efficient, lags behind that in Japan. Because most ticket vending machines don't accept notes (there were actually a couple of machines inside Miaoli Station that gave change for paper money, but hardly anyone was using them), it's often the case that you have to stand in a long line in order to buy tickets from a ticket window. You have to tell the worker your destination and how many tickets you need, hand over your money, then receive your tickets and change. It's much like the 緑の窓口 in Japan, except that you have to do it more often in Taiwan because there are more types of trains that require reserved seat tickets (though standing is allowed, of course).

The other complaint I have concerns time. Our train back to Fengyuan was 7 minutes late arriving in Miaoli, which is usual in Taiwan. I know that's no big deal compared to some parts of the world, but I got spoiled by Japanese trains, which are so punctual, you could almost set your watch to them. And as I feared, the Tzu-Chiang was standing-room only, but we were fortunate to stand right next to the door, which made it easy for Amber to sit down on the step, and to get off the train once we got to Fengyuan.

Some of the scenery along the route between Miaoli and Fengyuan.

Amber taking a breather on the floor, and the Tzu-Chiang getting ready to pull out of Fengyuan, on the way to its final destination 終点 in Kaohsiung (Gaosyong) 高雄.

Now to start planning where to go next...

In the news ニュース

For those of us leery of flying with Taiwan's national carrier, China Airlines チャイナエアライン, due to its less-than-stellar safety record, this article in Friday's Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ ("Airbus again cleared in '94 Nagoya crash") will only reconfirm our suspicions:

"The Nagoya High Court 名古屋高等裁判所 dismissed an appeal Thursday in which the offspring of a couple who died in a 1994 China Airlines plane crash at Nagoya airport 中華航空140便墜落事故 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Airlines_Flight_140) had demanded that not only the carrier but also the jetliner's maker, Airbus S.A.S. エアバス, be held liable for damages. Upholding a 2003 lower court decision, the high court ordered the Taiwanese carrier to pay some ¥98 million in compensation to Kazuyo Hakamata, 51, and her brother, Hiroshi Aozawa, 49, while exempting Airbus from responsibility. The Nagoya District Court ruled in December 2003 that the crash, which claimed 264 lives, was caused by recklessness on the part of the copilot of the Airbus A300-600R. But the court rejected the plaintiffs' argument that there were defects in the airplane's autopilot and warning systems. Presiding Judge Koji Okahisa of the high court said operational errors were the chief cause of the crash and concluded the aircraft could not be called defective."

In the initial lawsuit, China Airlines was ordered to pay ¥5 billion to 232 people, an amount that greatly exceeded the limits of the Warsaw Convention ワルソー条約, which regulates the liability of airlines involved in accidents. The court:

"...determined serious misconduct by the airline caused the crash...(according to a transport ministry 運輸省 report) the pilot and copilot made a series of operational errors leading up to the April 26, 1994, crash, including mistakenly aborting a landing approach but then attempting to land manually while the autopilot was in abort mode."

A group of 29 people appealed the first ruling, but all, except the two plaintiffs in this case, settled with China Airlines for compensation in April 2007, and dropped all claims against Airbus.

According to the article:

"China Airlines said it humbly accepts (Thursday's) ruling and added it will prioritize aviation safety."

Considering what happened as recently as last August (チャイナエアライン（中華航空）120便炎上事故), I still have my doubts.