Speaking in two tongues

My daughter was playing by herself in her bedroom after lunch today, and she was speaking to herself...in Chinese. Until recently, English had been her primary language, but lately she has been using Chinese more often, though never with me. Language acquisition is a concern I have living in Taiwan, as I'm Amber's primary exposure to the English language (along with some DVD's my parents have sent from the U.S.), and I don't get to spend much time with her during weekdays due to work commitments. My wife uses English with our daughter occasionally, but naturally she converses most of the time in Mandarin 中国官話. Combined with the fact that Chinese (and Taiwanese 台湾語) is what Amber hears when she goes outside, I'm worried that her English ability could start to be affected. We'll be visiting my parents for a couple of weeks next month, which will be a good experience for her linguistically, but I'm wondering if the long-term solution would be to have her grow up in an English-speaking environment, with Mandarin being reserved for the home.

On a completely different topic, the chairman of the Kuomintang 中国国民党, Wu Poh-hsiung 呉伯雄, is currently in Japan in yet another attempt to repair damaged relations. The Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ has the story ("Time to end Senkaku dispute: Wu"):

"Japan and Taiwan should work to settle their territorial dispute in a peaceful manner and strengthen bilateral cooperation for the development of the East China Sea 東シナ海, the chairman of Taiwan's ruling Nationalist Party said Wednesday in Tōkyō 東京. 'Our position is very clear' regarding Taiwan's claim of sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands 尖閣諸島 in the East China Sea, Wu...reiterated during a speech at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan. But the two sides 'should avoid any conflict,' he added."

Wu's speech comes after two Chinese survey ships were spotted on Monday near the Senkakus, in what the Japanese consider territorial waters. Was this intrusion coincidental or deliberate? As the Japan Times notes:

"Wu, whose visit to Tōkyō is the first-ever by a leader of a ruling Taiwanese party, was involved in a historic meeting in China with Chinese President Hu Jintao 胡錦濤 in May. The meeting brought together the heads of China's and Taiwan's ruling parties for the first time in over half a century. Regarding concerns that stronger ties across the Taiwan Strait 台湾海峡 may weaken ties between Tokyo and Taipei (T'aipei) 台北, Wu acknowledged that communication and exchanges between the Nationalist Party and the Japanese government were 'insufficient' during the eight years his party was out of power. But he stressed that the two countries share basic democratic values and ties with Tokyo will remain strong."

Unfortunately, those so-called shared "democratic values" seem to be weakening these days in Taiwan. As some observers pointed out in the run-up to Human Rights Day yesterday, Taiwan appears to be becoming more like China rather than the other way around. Sadly, it feels like Taiwan's wonderful experiment in political freedom is gradually coming to an end. And don't expect the likes of Wu to mourn its passing. As the article notes:

"Wu...said he supports China's position on the issue of Tibet's demand for autonomy..."

Ivan must be feeling pretty good these days.

On the road in Miaoli

My friend Thoth Harris (The Montreal Writers' Storm Sewer) had invited me on a couple of occasions to go riding with him in Miaoli 苗栗, where he has been living since coming back from Canada last spring. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take him up on his offer...until today, that is. It took about an hour on the scooter, riding from Fengyuan 豊原, through Houli 后里 and Sanyi (Sani) 三義, and finally to Miaoli, where I waited for Thoth at an observation tower by the side of Highway 13. The views toward the mountains and the city were great, which made it all the more stranger why such a pavilion had been erected along a busy road with no place for cars or motorcycles to park. TIT - This is Taiwan, I suppose!

Thoth took me through central Miaoli, which looks much the same as most small Taiwanese cities. One place that did stand out, though, was a Taoist-themed park adjacent to a large temple in the downtown area. Here, religious devotion was expressed through tacky/kitschy sculptures. The view from the top of the artificial mountain did reveal a good example of a still-functioning Japanese-era home.

From the park, we rode out of the city, and up to the Mingde (Mingte) Reservoir. This large man-made lake was very pleasant. It was unusual to find a quiet place with fresh air that wasn't overrun by hordes of visitors, and we spent some time on the road going around the reservoir and taking in the scenery. My guide for the day:

After checking out some of the sites around the lake, we set off on a long ride through the countryside, finally ending up in Nanjhuang (Nanchuang) 南庄. Rough Guide describes Nanjhuang as "a small, atmospheric Hakka 客家 village", which I'm sure it is...on a weekday. On this Sunday, however, the town was packed, especially on a small lane lined with food stands. I'd wager that up until five years ago or so, Nanjhuang was a quiet village, even on weekends, but it has since joined the growing list of "old towns" in Taiwan that are drowning in a sea of tour buses and tourists every Saturday, Sunday and national holiday. Still, even with the hordes, it was nice to see a lot of old Japanese-period wooden buildings in use, instead of the usual hideous concrete-and-tile blocks so prevalent all over this island. And the mountains stretching off into the distance were a magnificent sight.

It was getting on in the afternoon, so we rode back to Miaoli, and had a cup of coffee before I left for the ride back to Fengyuan. The trip home was dark and chilly, but uneventful, except for the one place where I failed to notice the motorcycle lane in time, and ended up on an elevated expressway. Fortunately, traffic was light, and besides, I'm a stupid foreigner, so what do I know? My thanks go out to Thoth for taking the trouble today to show me some of the sights around his neck of the woods.

 

 

Above it all

While the nights recently have become chilly (by local standards, anyway), the days have been gorgeous. This morning I went for a walk in the Sintian Mountain area, part of the township of Tanzih (T'antzu) 潭子. I've been in these hills on a number of occasions, but always on hazy days, it seemed. Today, however, the sky was clear, and the sight in all directions was a wonder to behold (especially when looking east, where the mountains seemed to go on and on). The photographs I took didn't do the views justice, but I've posted a couple anyway.

Out of the news

I turned on CNN this morning, and the events taking place in Mumbai were receiving non-stop coverage. Curious, I flipped through the nine (count 'em, nine!) local news channels on the cable here several times during the morning (and evening, after I got home from work), and not a single one of them devoted any time to what was happening in India. Clearly, events that occur outside of the Taiwan Strait 台湾海峡 are of little interest to the average Taiwanese viewer, who would rather tune in to stories about jailed former presidents, car accidents and betel nut girls (hard to find fault with the last one). I often hear my adult students bemoan how little known Taiwan is to the outside world. However, the fact is that if you want the outside world to pay attention to you, you have to pay attention to what is going on in the outside world. Ignorance is a two-way street in this case.

Below is a picture I took today of a children's program on NHK 日本放送協会. Amber likes to watch this show during lunchtime on weekdays. What caught my attention was the shirt the woman was wearing - "Grateful Dead Forever":

She isn't what I imagine a female Japanese Deadhead to look like. And, no, the hosts weren't performing "St. Stephen" or "Truckin'", though the latter song does some up my time in Asia. What a long, strange trip it's been.

It's a dog life

I got up early this morning to go for a walk in Shihgang (Shihkang) 石岡, and afterward I decided never again. The first part of the walk, from the Shihjhong Temple up to the "Divine Tree of Five Blessings" was relaxing enough, with nice views of the valley below, though it was hardly strenuous. It was the route back to the temple, along a specially-paved walking path, that was most unpleasant. The bane of walkers in Taiwan is dogs, and I had to run a gauntlet of chained and unchained, snarling, barking canines. Though I am a cat person, I have nothing against man's best friend, and I like playing with happy dogs as much as the next person. What I don't like is having to deal with aggressive beasts when I'm minding my own business. I was forced to aim a kick at one brazen beagle who came charging out at me from a fruit orchard. The most annoying part is the majority of these mutts are cowards. Oh sure, when they're chained up, they put on a brave show of "scaring" me away. The unchained ones wait until I walk past, then try to snap at my heels, only to run away when I turn around to face them (not unlike some people I've encountered in Taiwan!). If the local authorities have gone to the trouble and expense of laying out a walking course through a rural neighborhood, they could also try to persuade the locals to do a better job of keeping their dogs in check (and on leashes). Having gone through this a couple of times now on this particular walk, I've come to the conclusion that the rewards are not enough to justify the stress, and so I won't bother coming this way again.

On the ride back home, I stopped to take a photograph of a Japanese-era granary, or the "Rice Husking Barn of Shi-Kon-Shiang Farmers' Association", according to the sign in front. There seemed to be some confusion about dates, or a possible break in the space-time continuum, as it stated that the barn was "Established in 1942", yet "After Attacked by the big earthquake in 1935, the structure of the barn was reinforced". So in other words, it was repaired and strengthened seven years before it was built. The Chinese wording also included the same dates. Mysterious 不可解なあ...

The streak continues

"The Uni-President Lions 統一獅 kept the Seibu Lions 埼玉西武ライオンズ caged for 8 2/3 innings. But with their backs against the wall, Tomoaki Satō 佐藤友亮 and the Japan Series champions roared loudest in the end. Satō lined a sayonara double into left-center field with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and Yoshihito Ishii 石井義人 beat the relay throw home as the Seibu Lions won the Asia Series title in dramatic fashion with a 1-0 win on Sunday at Tōkyō Dome 東京ドーム."

(Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ "Asia falls to mighty Lions")

For the fourth consecutive year, a Japanese team has clinched the Asia Series club championship, but the baseball gap between Japan and the rest of East Asia is narrowing. The next edition of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) should be exciting to watch as well. The Uni-President Lions, however, return to Taiwan to face as uncertain future as the viability of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) 中華職業棒球大聯盟 is in doubt over yet another gambling scandal. Where is Taiwan's Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis?

A Sunday in Taichung for Amber

A while back, my wife signed our daughter up for a learning program that is supposed to encourage a child's mental and physical development. We received some playthings, plus periodic classes and activity days were offered. One of those activities was held this morning in Taichung (T'aichung) 台中. There were obstacle courses full of things for kids to climb up, walk across, crawl through and roll over, plus storytelling and dancing. Amber enjoyed doing the individual exercises but showed a worrisome reluctance to participate in the group activities (much like her father, unfortunately). Still, she said she had a lot of fun, and that's what matters the most. Here she is at the end, with the rubber tiger hat and box of cakes that all the children received for coming today:

The three of us were pretty hungry afterward, so we drove over to a nearby Géant hypermarket to have lunch. Our first choice was a Japanese restaurant there called Gen Teishoku 元定食. I sat down and ordered the tonkatsu set meal 豚カツ定食, only to be told it was already sold out (before 12:30 on a Sunday afternoon?). As nothing else on the menu looked appetizing enough to justify the prices being charged, we moved on to a teppanyaki 鉄板焼き establishment across the food court to have a more reasonably priced lunch.

From Géant it was another short drive to the cleverly-named Children's Hall and Children's Park, located in the Beitun (Peit'un) District 北屯區 of Taichung. Unimaginative nomenclature aside, the park is a well-laid out expanse containing several playgrounds, a baseball field and tennis court, and a large fish pond, while the three-story hall provides a library, art and crafts rooms and a couple of indoor play spaces. Amber enjoyed herself playing on the slides and in the sandbox. She also made friends with a couple of girls. As the parent of an only child who has few opportunities to interact with other children, I worry about her ability to get along with others. If this afternoon was any indication, she should be fine once she's old enough to start school.