Anyone for culture?

T'aichung 台中, for some reason, likes to call itself a "city of culture". Anyone who has spent some time in Taiwan's third-largest city might be surprised to hear that, considering the number of shady businesses that can be seen in almost all areas of the wannabe metropolis. Taichung's current mayor, Jason Hu 胡志強, has been working to make the city live up to its nickname, unlike his predecessor Chang Wen-ing, who spent the last year of her administration handing out permits to virtually anyone who wanted to open a pachinko パチンコ parlor (and there were many!). Unfortunately, he's been wasting his efforts on futile attempts to land local branches of well-known museums or spending large sums of money on white elephants like opera houses, when the money instead could be used to combat Taichung's crime rate (the highest of any city in Taiwan), or improve unglamorous but necessary items like sewage systems.

In one respect, however, Taichung does have something to be proud of in the culture department. There may not be many galleries around town, but there is the excellent National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, which I visited this afternoon in lieu of going hiking. On show is Viewpoints & Viewing Points - 2009 Asian Art Biennial, featuring 56 artists, art groups and film directors from 20 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The 144 works on display cover a wide range of media, ranging from standard paintings to video installations. Best of all, it's free of charge:

Like many exhibitions, the displays tend to be hit or miss, but most were interesting, if not always successful in their stated ambitions. Photography wasn't allowed, and the heavy-handed presence of attendants in each room stopped me from sneaking any shots, but here is a brief listing of some of the installations that had me stopping to take longer looks:

"Some Memorial Flags" (Louisa Bufardeci, Australia) combined statistical data about things such as internet access and political affiliations to create new national flags for a grouping of countries that included Turkey and Kyrgyzstan;

"Bloated City and Skinny Language" (Hung Keung, Hong Kong) was a fun installation that had 漢字-like symbols following an image of the viewer projected onto one wall of a small room;

"Last Riot-Last Riot 2" (AES+F, Russia) had disturbing scenes of beautiful young people threatening each other with samurai swords 日本刀 and baseball bats against a computer-generated background of changing scenes, in beautiful HD video and set to music that sounded much like gagaku 雅楽;

"The Edge of the Heaven" (Lin Jia-an, Taiwan) was a collection of large black-and-white photographs showing industrial scenes of Taiwan;

"Paramodelic-graffiti" (Paramodelic, Japan) is one to keep the kids away from, not because it may be too disturbing, but because it's a floor-to-ceiling and all four walls-installation of toys cars, race tracks, plastic farm animals and erector sets. One child couldn't resist while I was there, much to the consternation of one of the attendants;

The paintings of Taiwanese artist Lien Chien-hsing were interesting in their blending of idyllic nature scenes and wild animals in unexpected ways;

"Religion Space" (Qu Yan, China) was a series of photographs of the interiors of makeshift Christian churches taken in rural Chinese villages;

The installation by Yang Mao-lin of Taiwan combined traditional Buddhist sculptures with modern pop icons like King Kong and Gigantor 鉄人２８合;

"CU:Clesthyra's Undoing" (Tim Gruchy, Australia) sounded pretentious, but actually was a 360-degree screen showing changing scenery such as beaches and Chinese cemeteries;

"Double Happiness" (Chang Chien-chi, Taiwan) was a print and video documentary on Vietnamese brides and the Taiwanese men who pay for the privilege of meeting and marrying them.

The exhibition runs until February 28, 2010, and did I mention it was free? Upstairs, and being held concurrently with "Viewpoints & Viewing Points", is another show called "Mind Topology - the Phases of 2009 Korea" that looked worthwhile as well. Unfortunately, time was running short and there were some errands that needed to be done, so I had to leave. I did, however, take a walk through the Museum Art-park Way, which begins across the street from the art museum. The long, narrow park located on a meridian between two small roads, is in an area that's home to some of Taichung's more aspiring cafes and Western eateries, as well as upscale Chinese and Japanese restaurants:

Eventually, it was time for the ride back to Fengyuan 豐原, a city that has a culture center, but not much culture to put in it.

Interconnected Disconnectedness

It isn't easy observing a holiday like Christmas in a non-Western culture, particularly the secular aspects of an otherwise religious occasion. If we were Christians, we could just join the nearest church (like the Presbyterian one a few blocks from our apartment building), but we're not, and we haven't (and won't). As December 25 falls on a Friday this year, both my wife and I will have to go to work and my daughter's kindergarten will hold classes as usual, so we will have to wait until the next day to let Amber open her presents that have been sitting under the tree (once we finally get around to wrapping them and putting them there, that is). Speaking of trees, due to the cramped living conditions of our small apartment, ours is, well, pathetic. It's artificial, for one thing, and smaller than even my daughter. Amber, though, got a kick out of decorating it with the few ornaments we have, and seems genuinely satisfied with how it looks. I've vowed to get a bigger, better one for next Christmas, but in the meantime, it seems my little 娘 has grasped the meaning of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" without having ever seen the cartoon (something that will have to be rectified someday)

 

Strawberry Pickin'

A "sacred tree" close to the restaurant where we had lunch this afternoon

Much to Amber's delight, we went to a strawberry farm in T'antzu 潭子 in order to pick some of my daughter's favorite fruit. Fruit farmers are geniuses - come harvest time, they can sit back and collect money from city dwellers who are more than happy to do the picking for them.

(insert "yowza" comment here)

Computing

I've been using the same laptop for more than five years now, and it's now showing its age. Actually, it started showing its age from a long while back, but I've been putting up with slowing operating speeds, jammed keys and occasional small electric shocks because basically I'm too cheap to buy a new one. Today, however, my wife convinced me to go to a large computer show in T'aichung 台中 to see what's out there, both in terms of the latest models and current prices. I saw some reasonably priced laptops for less than NT19,000 ($590/¥52,520). Prices certainly have come down over the years since I bought my first computer, a Tōshiba 東芝, for around $3000 in the mid-90's, so I'm now officially in the market. While I mull over the many brochures we picked up this afternoon, here a few photographs to share with you...

The show was held at Taichung's now-disused Shuinan Airport. We parked our car on what was once the runway, and in the background can be seen a couple of old airplane hangars:

Being a red-blooded all-American male, in addition to computers, I was also keeping an eye out for what the Japanese like to call コンパニオン, women who present products at car or electronic shows. However, the computers were more interesting. With the exception of the stunning woman working at the Sony ソニー booths, most of the promotional models were dressed like race queens. While there's certainly nothing wrong with that (insert smiley face here), the dancing was atrocious and too many ridiculous games were played. Of course, I couldn't leave without a couple of pictures:

Some of the High-definition TV's on display were showing a Japanese music program featuring KONISHIKI:

Kaminoge's Ultimate Taiwan Itinerary (KUTI)

Michael Turton recently put up a post on The View from Taiwan about “distinctive towns in Taiwan”, and asked readers to submit their suggestions. A lot of interesting locales were mentioned, but what struck me about many of them was the fact that they would mainly be of interest to long-term foreign residents who have been there, done that when it comes to Taiwan’s sightseeing spots (let’s face it, only a serious architecture otaku would take the time to visit Siluo in Yunlin County just to see the small collection of old buildings there – everyone else would come away with a case of the BFD’s). Anyone who has traveled extensively in Northeast Asia would probably feel the only things distinctive about Taiwanese towns are the ugly architecture, polluted air, dangerous drivers and dogs (stray and otherwise) roaming the streets.

Despite all the silk purses being made from sows’ ears, Taiwan is arguably THE undiscovered tourist spot of Asia, so I’ve taken it upon myself to come up with an itinerary highlighting many of the places to visit in Taiwan. The criteria for this list are very simple: 1.) the sights must appeal to the first-time visitor to Taiwan (not to the lifers); and 2.) the locations have to be accessible by public transportation (though a few places do require vehicle rentals). This proposed schedule assumes our hypothetical traveler has both the free time (about a month) and the funds to undertake this journey.

If you actually take the time to plod through everything below, it won’t take long to realize that the itinerary is heavy on history, while light on hot springs, hiking and offshore islands. The list is naturally subjective, and because I’m interested in historical places, the itinerary reflects this. As for hot springs, while it’s true there are a great many places in Taiwan to enjoy a good soak, the true onsen 温泉 aficionado is arguably better off traveling around Japan. After all, most of Taiwan’s best hot springs were developed by the Japanese during the colonial era. When it comes to hiking, Taiwan is an undiscovered gem (when will Lonely Planet get around to putting out a hiking guide to this country?), but the best spots are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to reach via public transport, and so do not satisfy the above criteria. The ridiculous permit requirement for mountains over 3000 meters high would also just add a layer of unnecessary bureaucratic hassle for the short-term visitor to have to go through, so I’ve had to reluctantly leave out the best hikes, such as the ascent of Yushan. On the topic of offshore islands, the Penghu archipelago is probably the best of the lot, but visiting it would require several days, and so I’ve gone with one of the other islands that presumably could be seen in the course of a single night’s stay.

And so, without further ado, here is Kaminoge’s Ultimate Taiwan Itinerary (most of these things I’ve done, and the rest I would like to):

Day 1

We arrive at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, take the bus to our hotel close to Taipei Main Station, and crash. It was probably a long flight, and we’re feeling the effects. Still, we might take a walk around the area.

Day 2

We get most of the Republic of China-related stuff out of the way, in order to focus on things that are more “Taiwanese” later on. This means we will visit the Grand Hotel, the Martyrs’ Shrine and the National Palace Museum, before making our first foray into Taiwan’s culture by ending the day at the Shilin Night Market.

Day 3

There are three options on the table for this day: 1.) take the train to Keelung, and visit Jungjeng Park and Keelung Miaokou; 2.) soak in the hot springs in Beitou (established by the Japanese, of course); or 3.) stretch our legs on some of the hiking trails on Yangmingshan.

Day 4

This itinerary doesn’t really require us to do so, but it would be a shame to visit Taiwan and not go for a ride on the High Speed Rail, so on this day we take it to Taichung (actually Wuri). However, instead of taking the bus into Taiwan’s third largest city, we take a regular train from the adjacent Xinwuri Station, and make the short trip to Changhua. I live in the Taichung area, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the city to someone looking to live and work in Taiwan, but for the short-term tourist, there’s really nothing to see here. Instead, after dropping our bag off at our hotel, we spend the afternoon exploring Changhua, especially the Confucius Temple and Baguashan. Changhua is also a good base for…

Day 5

…when we make a day trip to Lukang, going to and fro by bus.

Day 6

Leaving Changhua in the morning, we take the Jiji Line to Jiji, rent a bicycle and spend some time cycling in the countryside. Then it’s back on the train to Shuili, from where we catch a bus to Sun Moon Lake, and spend the first of two nights there.

Day 7

Sun Moon Lake is the most overrated tourist destination in Taiwan (don’t take my word for it – several of my adult students have said the same thing), but it’s one of the few places in Taiwan that is known in the rest of East Asia, so we might as well go there. This day could be spent visiting some of the lakeside temples, taking a boat tour of the lake itself, doing a short stretch of hiking and/or, if it’s a weekday and the weather is good, renting a bike and going for a ride.

Day 8

It’s back on the bus to Shuili, and on the Jiji Line to Changhua, with a possible stop in Ershui for some more exploration of the Taiwanese countryside via a rented bicycle. From Changhua, a regular express train will have us in Chiayi, our destination for the night. There isn’t much to see here, but there are plenty of eating options in the area around the train station.

Day 9

The Alishan area took a beating from Typhoon Morakot, but we’re assuming that at some point in the future, repairs will be carried out and things will be (somewhat) back to normal. Therefore, we will leave Chiayi in the morning on the Alishan Forest Railway. If there are two trains running that day, we will ride the morning one to Fenchihu, get off there and do some looking around, then catch the afternoon train for the final leg to Alishan. Otherwise, we’ll stay on the train all the way to the end, and spend the afternoon walking around some of the trails up there.

Day 10

It’s the done thing to do in Alishan, so we’ll get up before the crack of dawn, take the train up to Chushan to see the sunrise, and then walk back through the forest to Zhongzheng Village. After some more strolling around, we’ll take the bus back to Chiayi, and then get on a train to Tainan. Assuming we arrive in Tainan around dinner time, we’ll see what kind of nightlife Taiwan’s fourth-largest city offers after our evening repast. .

Day 11

Lonely Planet’s Taiwan guidebook lays out an excellent walking course through central Tainan, so we’ll make use of it.

Day 12

We’ll spend the morning and afternoon in the Anping area, then return to central Tainan, and take a regular express or local train to Kaohsiung. After checking into our hotel, it’s off to the Liuhe Night Market.

Day 13

Kaohsiung has really cleaned up much of its act in recent years (though there’s still much left to be done), so we’ll reward the city for all its hard work by visiting Lotus Pond (where the temples are tacky but fun) and Cijin Island, before seeing the sunset at the old British Consulate at Takao, followed by a tour of the Love River at night.

Day 14

Along with Sun Moon Lake, Kenting is the most overrated place to visit in Taiwan. However, a month-long visit without any time spent at the beach would be disappointing, and seeing as we won’t be going to Penghu on this trip, we might as well take the bus from Kaohsiung to see what all the fuss is about. Let’s avoid Spring Scream time, however, unless your idea of fun is hanging out with drunken 20- and 30-something Western males, all the while listening to music from bands you’ve never heard of (and never will from again).

Days 15 and 16

One day will be spent at the beach and in the water, while the other will take place on a rented scooter, riding out to Eluanbi and Jialeshui, before looping back to Kenting via the old town of Henghcun. Don’t be shy, either – get out and soak up some of the nightlife.

Day 17

It’s a bus to Fangliao, then a train ride to Taitung, and our accommodation for the night.

Day 18

We take the bus and make a day trip to Chihpen Hot Springs (another legacy from the time the Japanese were here).

Day 19

Hopefully the weather will be good, because on this day we are planning on taking the ferry to Green Island. We’ll rent a scooter in order to get around (I probably should have mentioned an International Driver’s Permit is a necessity for this itinerary), and spend the night in a homestay.

Day 20

After some more fun on Taiwan’s former place of political exile, we’ll catch a late ferry back to Taitung, and spend one more night in the city.

Day 21

It’s a long but scenic bus ride along Highway 11 to Hualien. We’ll make one or two stops along the way (one being at the Platform of the Three Immortals), but we’ll need to take careful note of bus timetables in order not to get stranded out in the middle of nowhere.

Day 22

More money will have to laid for scooter rental (or even a car), because we are going to spend the entire day in Taroko Gorge, Taiwan’s premier sightseeing destination. The serious hiker might consider spending the night here, but we’ll be content with seeing the Eternal Springs Shrine, and walking the Tunnel of Nine Turns and the Baiyang Trail, before making the drive or ride back to our hotel in Hualien.

Day 23

This time it’s back on the train, and on to Ruifang, where we will catch a bus up to Jiufen. When in Rome, you should do as the Romans, so we will walk along Jishan Street and gorge ourselves on street stall snacks. Things should be more atmospheric in the evening once the day trippers have gone home.

Day 24

It’s up early for the climb up to Jilongshan, and afterward we’ll take the bus for the short ride over to Jinguashi, and its Gold Ecological Park. Once we’ve had our fill of the mining-related attractions there, we’ll return to Ruifang and take the train back to Taipei, thus completing the circle.

Day 25

Having seen much of the island of Taiwan, we should have a better perspective on things, so now it’s safe to explore some of Taipei’s remaining sights, like Longshan Temple and the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Even though it’s no longer the world’s tallest building, we might as well check out Taipei 101, maybe staying long enough to see the night lights come on in the city far down below.

Day 26

Our last full day in Taiwan will be spent in Danshui, easily accessed by Taipei’s excellent MRT system. We’ll walk along Gongming Street and on to Fort San Domingo and Huwei Fort, detouring to see some of the George Mackay-related sights, before taking the bus out to Fisherman’s Wharf (don’t confuse it for the one in San Francisco!). What better way to enjoy our last evening in Taiwan than by watching the sunset while drinking a cold beer (just make sure it isn’t Taiwan Beer), before taking the ferry back to Danshui, and the subway back into Taipei?

Day 27

It’s time to say 再見 to Taiwan. With a trip like this one, we probably won’t be back, but hopefully we’ve enjoyed ourselves. In the end, that’s all that really matters.

In the news

Taiwan's leaders say they want more respect on the international stage, but the actions of some of this country's companies aren't doing the island any favors. The Yomiuri Shimbun 読売新聞 has the report ("Taiwan firms scupper probe by FTC of intl LCD cartel", Daily Yomiuri ザ・デイリー読売):

"The Fair Trade Commission 公正取引委員会 has decided not to issue cease-and-desist orders to about 20 domestic and foreign firms suspected of forming an international cartel involving the sale of liquid crystal display panels for such products as TVs and cell phones, it has been learned. Ultimately, the FTC could not discover the whole truth behind its suspicions as Taiwan companies believed to be at the center of the cartel refused to cooperate with the FTC's investigation. It will officially end its probe when the statute of limitations expires in the middle of this month...The FTC launched its probe in December 2006 in tandem with U.S. and European authorities. It ordered about 20 companies suspected of forming a cartel in the Japanese market--including, in addition to Japanese manufacturers, two South Korean firms and three Taiwan firms--to submit information about such things as their customers and fluctuations in wholesale prices. Because the FTC cannot conduct searches of the overseas offices of foreign companies, it gave equal treatment to the domestic firms and did not conduct such inspections of them. The FTC furthered its investigation primarily through documents received as a result of the orders to provide information and questioning of company employees. However, the three Taiwan firms did not cooperate with the investigation. They did not, for example, assign lawyers to speak on their behalf. According to sources, the Taiwan firms took a leading role in the cartel in the Japanese market and even held meetings in T'aipei 台北."

Obviously, some laws need to modified in Japan, especially in light of the actions being undertaken by authorities in the United States and Europe:

"...the U.S. Justice Department had identified Ōsaka 大阪-based Sharp Corp. シャープ; Hitachi 日立 Displays Ltd., based in Chiyoda Ward 千代田区, Tōkyō 東京; and South Korea's LG Display Co. as members of this international price cartel and levied fines totaling 640 million dollars (¥56.5 billion/NT20.7 billion). The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, also identified this as a cartel of firms from South Korea, Taiwan and other countries in July and is planning to impose huge monetary sanctions soon."

In the news

The Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ has a good article today concerning Taiwan and it's rather "unique" situation ("Taiwan out in cold on climate issue"):

"A sightseeing train stands abandoned on a mountainside in southern Taiwan. The railway in Alishan 阿里山, a popular destination for Japanese tourists, should be taking thousands of visitors every day past red cypresses for panoramic views. But no tourists can get there because the road leading up to the alpine resort was swept away by mudslides when Typhoon Morakot 颱風莫拉克 devastated the area in August. It is generally believed that the typhoon, which killed more than 700 people, grew into an unusually powerful storm because of global warming. But Taiwan, because it is not a member of the United Nations, is only being represented by NGOs at the Climate Change Conference that kicked off Monday in Copenhagen. Many Taiwanese feel that while participating at any level is a step in the right direction, there is still a long way to go."

This, in a nutshell, is the situation Taiwan all too often finds itself in: despite having all the trappings of a sovereign state (an elected representative government, the issuance of passports and visas, even a handful of diplomatic allies), it's often frozen out of major international conferences and conventions because it lacks a UN seat. Data from Taiwan is also often not included in international compilations, but as the article points out, this island is too big to be ignored:

"Not only is Taiwan victim to the severe effects of climate change, it is also one of the worst greenhouse gas emitters. Home to a mere 23 million people, it nevertheless accounts for 1 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions..."

Taiwan's size should matter for other important issues as well, such as communicable diseases that ignore national boundaries. Of course, it's no surprise who is behind Taiwan's exclusion from global get-togethers:

"Taiwan cannot participate in the Copenhagen conference as a national delegation because the U.N. does not recognize its sovereignty, mainly due to pressure from the People's Republic of China 中华人民共和国. So it is being represented by four NGOs who are attending as observers, with the Environmental Protection Administration's 行政院環境保護署 deputy minister acting as adviser."

And what is the KMT 中國國民黨-led government doing about this?:

"Since Taiwan was ousted from the U.N. in 1971 in favor of Beijing, the breakaway island has been applying in vain to rejoin. But the Nationalist government that came to power last year adopted a new strategy and is requesting official participation in the U.N.'s specialized agencies such as the U.N. Framework Convention to Fight Climate Change, the organizer of the Copenhagen conference...without participation, Taiwan has to approach individual countries to ask about global standards and strategies...At Copenhagen, Taiwan's NGOs are listed as hailing from 'China,' which prompted complaints from their representatives last week."

When you denigrate your own country's sovereignty by accepting humiliating monikers such as "Chinese Taipei" 中華台北 in international arenas, it shouldn't come as a surprise when others start referring to Taiwan as a "province 省 of China". As the article points out, Taiwan needs to be more aggressive in staking out a place for the country on the global stage because the stakes are too high:

"Minimizing the effects of climate change is an urgent task for Taiwan, which has a high bill to pay after Typhoon Morakot ravaged its southern areas in August. The rainfall reached an unprecedented 3 meters (9.8 feet) over three days, and to undo the damage done by subsequent landslides and floods the government has set a four-year budget of 116.4 billion New Taiwan dollars (¥319 billion/$3.6 billion). The storm was particularly damaging to the island's tourism, with the cost estimated at NT$10.4 billion (¥28.5 billion/$323 million). Much of the devastation was around Alishan, a famous mountain resort in Chia'i County 嘉義縣, where the reconstructed road leading up to it is not yet open to tour buses. Despite attracting 1 million tourists this year prior to the typhoon, nearly 10 percent of whom were Japanese, the Alishan National Scenic Area Administration estimates there will be a drop of 750,000 visitors in total this year compared with last year."

Despite what the current administration may think, 3000 Chinese visitors a day aren't going to solve the challenges facing Taiwan/the Republic of China 中華民國/Chinese Taipei/the separate customs union of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, or whatever other name might be used to refer to Ilha Formosa.