A time to rant: The ink is black, the page is white

Vampires are all the rage these days in Hollywood, what with "Twilight", "True Blood" and others of that ilk, but here in Taiwan, vampirism has long been the norm. No, I'm not implying that Taiwanese are blood suckers - duck's blood, perhaps, but not the human variety. What Taiwanese and vampires have in common is a fear of the sun. Whenever I go hiking, it's not uncommon to see people on the trails with virtually every exposed part of their flesh covered in some manner or another (some women look like they've just flown in from some fundamentalist Islamic society), as well as carrying umbrellas. Scooter riders will search out any patch of shade to park their bikes while waiting for traffic signals to change, even if the only source is fifty meters or fifty feet back from the intersection (and even if it means blocking other scooters behind them). Now, Taiwan does have a semi-tropical climate, and the sun can get pretty strong here, especially in summer. And it's well-documented that too much exposure to that which gives life to everything on our planet can also shorten our own lives, thanks to nasty things like melanoma and other types of skin cancer. So it's understandable why many people try to limit the time they spend in the sunshine. Ask them why they're so afraid, however, and the answer most likely won't have anything to do with health. Rather, more likely than not, it's the cultural perception that having dark skin, especially for women, is somehow unattractive. And therein lies today's rant.

Once upon a time in the West, white skin was considered the standard of beauty. After all, if one's skin was of a pearly, translucent hue, it meant one had money, and therefore, plenty of leisure time in which to enjoy it. Suntanned skin, on the other hand, implied that one was a laborer who spent his/her time outdoors, toiling in the brutal light. Over time, however, as the middle class grew (along with the white-collar jobs associated with it) and more people started finding themselves with more free time on their hands, perceptions changed. Now, a bronze body seems to suggest a life of leisure spent idling by the swimming pool or at the beach, while the pasty look implies that someone is spending too much time in the office, and needs to get out more. Of course, one does have to be careful out there under the ozone layer, but that's why God gave us SPF 50 sunscreen.

In Taiwan, white power reigns supreme. Commercials for skin whiteners dominate the airwaves, and Caucasian models are often used as standards of attractiveness that Taiwanese women must aspire to reach. This whole notion of the beauty of a pale, been in a hospital for an extended stay-looking pallor could be considered amusing or quaint, except for the downside - if white is beautiful, then by extension the inverse must also be true. And if being dark is something to be avoided at all costs, then it can also by safely assumed that people with lighter skin are treated much better, even if only on the subconscious level, than people of a browner or blacker hue. Though most Taiwanese would probably deny it, the darker one's skin, the lower down on the social totem pole one is here (and in many other countries, too). I've certainly never seen any Africans or African-Americans being used in advertising to promote concepts of beauty. Come to think of it, I haven't seen many Africans or African-Americans in Taiwan, period, at least in comparison to when I was living in Japan (which is certainly no paradise for people of color, either). Contempt for the Thai factory workers, and Filipina/Indonesian caregivers and domestics, one often sees here is widespread. But it isn't just black or brown foreigners that are looked down on - Taiwan has its own natives of color, the aboriginal peoples 台灣原住民族, as well as plenty of dark-skinned folks of the Han Chinese 漢族 variety. The further south you go in Taiwan, and especially into the more rural areas where people spend more time working outdoors, the more examples of less-than-white skin you encounter. Yet you hardly ever see these people represented on TV - certainly not in TV commercials, and not even on dramas that purport to take place in the countryside. If you didn't know any better from watching Taiwanese television, you would think this was an island with four distinct seasons, including cold, snowy winters, and not a land bisected by the Tropic of Cancer.

What brought this rant on was my daughter, as is often the case. The other day in the car, while we were driving back home after I picked her up from her kindergarten, Amber complained about the brightness of the setting sun. While doing so, she mentioned that she had been told that she should stay out of the sunshine because it might make her skin "black". Concerned father that I am (despite what some creepy posters might say), I'm now worrying if this line of thinking might lead her someday to look down on those whose skin color isn't as dark as hers. So I'm resolved to have her spend more time in the sunshine (with all proper precautions, of course) to show that the sun is nothing to fear, and that there is nothing wrong with having black, brown or dark skin tones. I admit I've been lax in recent weeks about taking her out for walks, so this morning we went hiking on some of the trails in the hills behind Chung-cheng Park 中正公園 in Fengyuan 豐原. Amber had a good time out in nature, being especially fascinated with all the ants we saw (and learning about the differences between the workers and the soldiers). And while many of the other walkers out there were covered up as usual, as you can see from the picture below, Amber was dressed, well...normally. The Tea Partiers and Fox News watchers might not like having a black president, but the world is a beautiful rainbow of humanity, and I want my daughter to appreciate and enjoy all the colors.

Speaking of not being afraid of the dark, we were in downtown Fengyuan this evening, where I took this pictures (don't strain your eyes looking for any 日本語 I just wanted a shot of some of the lights):

The continuing story of the Diaokakutai Islands

And so it goes on, according to this Yomiuri Shimbun 読売新聞 from today's Daily Yomiuri ザ・デイリー読売:

TAIWAN ACTIVISTS ENTER JAPAN'S CONTIGUOUS ZONE

"A Taiwan fishing boat carrying two protesters entered Japan's contiguous zone near the Senkaku Islands 尖閣諸島 in the East China 東シナ海 Sea early Tuesday, in what appeared to be a failed attempt to land on the disputed islets, the Japan Coast Guard 海上保安庁 said. The encroachment is believed to have been made in response to the arrest of the Chinese captain of a trawler that collided with two JCG patrol vessels last week near the Senkaku Islands. The fishing boat entered the contiguous zone - a 12-nautical-mile (22-kilometer) strip of water extending from the outer edge of Japan's territorial waters - at a point east-southeast of Uotsurijima island 魚釣島, the main island in the Senkaku Islands, at about 2:35 a.m. Tuesday. The 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters based in Naha 那覇 issued repeated warnings to the vessel and dispatched patrol boats and aircraft. The fishing boat, which left a northern Taiwan port Monday, stopped near Uotsurijima island when five Taiwan and JCG patrol boats surrounded it at about 4 a.m. About 2-1/2 hours later, the fishing boat moved west and headed toward Taiwan, leaving the contiguous zone at about 8 a.m. at a point west of Uotsurijima island. At about 10:30 a.m., the boat left Japan's exclusive economic zone. According to the JCG, the activists are members of a private organization, the Chinese Association for Protecting Tiaoyutai. Both China and Taiwan claim the Senkaku Islands, which they call Tiaoyut'ai 釣魚台群島. In the contiguous zone, which is within Japan's EEZ but outside its territorial waters, foreign vessels are not allowed to engage in economic activities such as surveys for natural resources without permission. But they can sail through the zone as long as they do not violate the rules. In Taiwan, the Chinese Association for Protecting Tiaoyutai announced Tuesday morning it had abandoned its effort to land on the islets and the fishing boat was expected to arrive in Taiwan on Tuesday night. In Tōkyō 東京, Chief Cabinet Secretary 内閣官房長官 Yoshito Sengoku 仙谷由人 expressed regret over the incident. 'We lodged a protest with the Taiwan government through diplomatic channels. The Senkaku Islands are an integral part of Japan, both historically and under international law,' Sengoku said at a press conference Tuesday morning. '[The JCG's action to prevent the activists from landing on the Senkaku Islands] was appropriate.'"

Not surprisingly, the Taiwanese government expressed its "deep dissatisfaction" and lodged a protest with the Japanese government, while a small group of protesters burned Rising Sun flags 旭日旗 and threw dead fish in front of the Japan Interchange Association 財団法人交流協会 in T'aipei 台北. Perhaps not so coincidentally, today's Taipei Times had this story on its front page, in addition to a report on Taiwan's protests at Japan's "interference":

US, JAPAN TO HOLD EXERCISE TO RECAPTURE DISPUTED ISLES

"A massive military exercise of potential importance to Taiwan will be staged in December on and around the Ryūkyū Islands 琉球諸島 by the Japan Self-Defense Forces 自衛隊 and ships from the US 7th Fleet...the exercise is aimed at perfecting plans for recapturing the lightly protected islands should they be invaded by China...One possibility...is that the Chinese might stage a narrowly focused attack on the Ryūkyū Islands designed to open a corridor through the archipelago. A prime candidate is Miyako Island 宮古島, which abuts both Miyako and Ishigaki 石垣島 straits...Alternatively, the (Chinese People's Liberation Army) could try to capture the entire Ryūkyū chain from Japan in an effort to bar maritime Asia to US reinforcements while keeping forces already in the theater from entering the Taiwan Strait...PLA forces entrenched along the island chain could supply air and sea cover for (People's Liberation Army Navy) vessels cruising off the east coast of Taiwan...An obvious step, (one) study says, would be for Japan to fortify the islands themselves against attack, 'sparing Japanese forces the hazards of retaking them from PLA occupiers. Dug-in and armed with anti-ship and anti-air weaponry, Japanese troops could make the Ryūkyūs exceptionally hard targets to capture for PLA forces operating far from their bases,' it said."

I've been thinking of visiting Ishigaki, in Okinawa Prefecture 沖縄県, on my next trip to Japan. The way things are going, I might have to speed up preparations before things get out of hand.

The Diaokakutai Islands: Here we go again

Once again, the ire of Chinese nationalists has been raised, this time over the recent arrest of a Chinese ship captain after he ignored orders to leave a disputed area near the Senkaku Islands 尖閣諸島 and collided with a couple of Japan Coast Guard 海上保安庁 vessels. The headline from this Kyōdō News 共同通信社 article in today's Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ bares it all:

TAIWAN GROUP IN SENKAKU PROTEST

"Activists supporting Chinese sovereignty over the disputed Senkaku Islands and surrounding waters said Saturday that protesters in China will set out Sunday from Xiamen on a voyage to the area and that Taiwan-based protesters will also set out within days.

Huang Hsi-lin, chief executive of the Taiwan-based Chinese Tiaoyut'ai Defense Association, told reporters at a conference in Chunghe 中和, T'aipei County 台北縣, that a number of fishing vessels are scheduled to set out from Xiamen and that, sea conditions permitting, Taiwanese activists will set out as early as Sunday. The disputed islands are known as the Senkaku in Japan, the Diaoyu in China and the Tiaoyutai in Taiwan. Details of the Taiwan-based protest, such as ports of departure and number of boats and on-board activists, are being withheld to avoid intervention by the authorities, whom activists complain have cracked down on their activities in recent years. Huang said protesters will fish near the islands and attempt to disembark with a statue of Matsu 媽祖, the patron goddess of fishermen. 'We'll worship Matsu and have a barbecue,' he said. In recent years the activists have enjoyed no government or opposition patronage and have little public support. But the protests could exacerbate acute tensions between China and Japan over the continuing detention of a Chinese skipper after his boat allegedly rammed two coast guard vessels in Japanese waters near the Senkakus on Tuesday. The ramming incident, one of a growing number of confrontations between Japanese and Chinese vessels in the region, triggered public protests in Beijing and Hong Kong last week. Huang was one of more than 100 mostly veteran activists from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Macau and overseas Chinese communities who attended the conference Saturday. In a message dated Tuesday that was read at the start of the conference, Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九 extended his best wishes for the meeting. 'It is my greatest hope that with this esteemed conference, consensus . . . can be reached in probing the practicalities of maritime economic territory, guaranteeing the livelihood and rights of fishermen and contributing all strength in the interests of regional peace, cooperation and prosperity,' he said."

The Taipei Times has a similar article in its Sunday edition.

It should be kept in mind that the neither the Chinese or Taiwanese governments started making any serious territorial claims to the Senkaku Islands until the late 1960's/early 1970's, when, surely by coincidence, geological surveys of the waters around the then American-held islands pointed to the possibility of abundant natural gas deposits in the seabed (not to mention the rich fishing grounds).

Some posters might not be able to see it, but the Middle Kingdom mindset is alive in Taiwan, most worryingly in the mind of the president of the Republic of China 中華民國 ("...regional peace, cooperation and prosperity"...as long as it's done the Chinese way). Alive but not well, fortunately - as the article points out, the dispute over the Senkaku Islands doesn't generate much "outrage" or "hurt feelings" among the majority of the Taiwanese population.

 

My wife and daughter try their hands at a Taiko no Tatsujin 太鼓の達人 rhythm game before joining the local 台客 and 台妹 in shopping at the Carrefour in Taya 大雅

In the news

From the Yomiuri Shimbun 読売新聞, by way of today's Daily Yomiuri ザ・デイリー読売:

EXPAT FILMMAKER MAKES TAIWAN DEBUT 

"Japanese expatriate Toyoharu Kitamura 北村豐晴 has made a splash in Taiwan with the new comedy 'Love You 10000 years' - his first film as a professional movie director and Taiwan's first movie to be directed by a Japanese. Kitamura has lived in Taiwan for the past 13 years. He has set down roots so deeply, he said, that 'I don't feel any linguistic or cultural barriers.' His film tells the story of a Japanese woman studying in Taiwan who signs a three-month contract requiring her to be the girlfriend of a local rock star. He is already enthusiastic about his next film project, and says, 'I want to make movies only a Japanese man living in Taiwan can.' Kitamura, originally from Shiga Prefecture 滋賀県, was a member of an Ōsaka 大阪 drama troupe before moving to Beijing to study Chinese to enrich his acting repertoire. After a short visit, he moved to Taiwan and began studying at a school there. It was at this point that he decided switch from acting to directing. The decision came after a graduate professor of Kitamura's suggested that he expand one of his short films into a full-length feature. Kitamura is now married to a Taiwanese woman, with whom he has a son. The director has made Taiwan his home and plans to remain there. His approach to life is to 'build something from nothing,' an Chinese saying. 'I'll be a Japanese immigrant here, just as there are Chinese immigrants in many other countries,' he said. 'I'll also send my works back home to Japan.'"

Later, ghosts

Today was the last day of Ghost Month 盂蘭盆節, and all over Taiwan people were laying out offerings of food and drink on tables in front of their homes and businesses, and burning "ghost money". The Diore swimming pool, where I went after lunch this afternoon to swim a few laps and enjoy the spa facilities, was getting into the act as I was leaving. I wasn't able to stop in time to take a picture of the bar hostesses sending their ancestors off, but I did get this shot of a betel nut girl being interrupted in her efforts to alleviate the sufferings of the ghosts by a customer on a scooter demanding his fix:

Flying discs

Amber mastered the Tao of the Frisbee this afternoon on the lawn outside the Botanical Garden of the National Museum of Natural Science 國立自然科學博物館 in T'aichung 台中. After being shown how to flick her wrist when tossing the disc, and to use two hands to when trying to catch it, our little girl soon had it all down. She even developed a technique of catching the Frisbee using her thumbs, which I wasn't quite able to get the hang of, being all...thumbs. It was certainly a nice way to enjoy a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Ruining my day

Some Tuesday afternoons are meant for hiking, others for exploring by scooter or by train. Despite the constant rain generated by not one, not two, but three tropical storms/typhoons lurking in the seas not far off Taiwan, today was one of the latter. Less than half an hour by bike from central Fengyuan 豐原, in the mountains outside of the town of San'i 三義, lies what Rough Guide calls the Lungt'eng Broken Bridge 龍騰断橋 while Lonely Planet insists on referring to it as the Lung T'eng Viaduct. In any event, it's a viaduct originally built in 1905 (or 1908), but destroyed in the magnitude 7.1 (or 7.3) Hsinchu-T'aichung earthquake 年新竹－台中地震 in 1935. Even on weekends, when the tour buses and vendors descend on the area, the ruins are photogenic, but they were especially so on this lonely, wet Tuesday.

Close to the broken viaduct lie more ruins, the abandoned rail tracks of the old mountain line. These make for a great walk to the Shenghsing Train Station 勝興車站, which used to be Taiwan's highest railway station back when it was in service, and which is now a tourist zoo on the weekends. Having done the walk before (and in better weather, and without the badly scraped elbow I incurred slipping and falling on a slick set of stones), I elected to walk only part of the way today, and instead enjoyed the misty mountain scenery.

After a couple of hours in the area, I got back on my scooter and rode up to the Liyu Reservoir 鯉魚潭水庫. The spillways were working to siphon off all the rainwater, an impressive sight to be sure...

...but what really caught my attention was the Formosan Rock Macaque 台灣獼猴 I espied in the parking lot as I returned to my parked scooter.

A couple more stops to check out some more of the scenery...

...then it was back home to meet the wife, pick up the child from school and have dinner with the family. Thoroughly soaked shorts and bloody elbow aside, it was a pretty good excursion by scooter this afternoon.