Kristian McGuire, M.A. International Affairs 2014
Sigur Center 2013 Chinese Language Fellow,
National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan

My time in Taiwan has come to an end.  In my typical fashion, I decided to leave most of the “must do,” touristy activities for the last couple weeks of my stay.  For Taipei, this meant going to the top of the Taipei 101 skyscraper; visiting Shilin Night Market, the National Palace Museum, the Eslite 24-hour bookstore; and eating an oyster omelet (蚵仔煎).

I usually try to avoid the most touristy activities a city has to offer not because I dislike them, but because they often require more effort than I deem necessary or worthwhile.  Nevertheless, I always end up doing these activities, and in retrospect I’m always glad that I did.

 

I knew that there was no way I could spend a summer in Taipei without ascending the heights of Taipei 101.  The price of making a trip to Taipei and not visiting its most famous building is years and years of having to explain to people why you didn’t make the requisite pilgrimage.  (This reminds me of a saying they have in China: 不去長城, 非好漢, or If you [go to Beijing and] don’t visit the Great Wall, you are not a real man.)  Therefore, not wanting to have my future travel stories tarnished by a deflating response to the Taipei 101 question, and a little curious to know what Taipei looked like from so high up, I decided to do the prescribed activity during my second to last week in the city.  Despite having my first effort to scale the building 

View from Taipei 101

frustrated by an exceedingly long line, I eventually made it to the top on my second attempt.  The view, although dimmed by cloud cover, was great.  Much like my first trip to the top of Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, I felt like a chess piece finally catching a glimpse of the entire chessboard.  It was amazing to see how well Taipei has structured itself to fit the contours of its natural environment.  Taiwan’s most populous city is situated in an environment that is sort of like a combination of San Francisco and Pittsburgh with hills dotting the outskirts and rivers cutting around the city.  The view and the peace of mind I gained from checking a trip to the top of Taipei 101 off my list of things to do made the outing worthwhile.

Shilin Night Market was a fun but less important item on my to-do list.  Few people outside of Taiwan, including myself prior to planning my trip to the country, have ever heard of Shilin Night Market.  Therefore, unlike a visit to Taipei 101, I knew that no one would grill me for not visiting it. I actually didn’t have a firm intention to go to Shilin, I just stumbled upon it while wandering around the northern part of Taipei one day.  As much as I enjoyed looking at all of Shilin’s interesting shops, the novelty of the market was lost on me since I had been to several other night markets earlier in my stay.  In essence, Shilin felt like my neighborhood night market just on a grander scale. 

In contrast to my lackluster experience at Shilin Night Market, my trip to the National Palace Museum exceeded my expectations.  For years I had heard told of the National Palace Museum and its collection of some of China’s most prized artifacts which were spirited off to Taiwan while the Nationalists fought in and eventually evacuated from China.    Going to the museum, I expected to see an amazing collection of Chinese artifacts, what I didn’t expect was a museum that matched the splendor of the artifacts.  My brother-in-law, who is a photographer, has explained to me the importance of choosing a suitable frame for a photograph.

National Palace Museum Day

A similar rule, I believe, also applies to artifacts and museums.  The National Palace Museum is situated amidst the lush greenery of Taipei’s northern hills.  The building itself is impressive to say the least.  With rows and rows of stone steps leading to a magnificent imperial style structure, the museum’s majesty befits its cherished contents.  Of course, I didn’t have time to see all of the artifacts on display in the museum.  However, those that I did have time to see left me wanting to return to the National Palace Museum the next time I make it to Taipei.

National Palace Museum Night

Before coming to Taipei, I never would have guessed that visiting a bookstore would be one of the main items on my Taiwan to-do list.  Since arriving in Taipei, I have heard countless expats and locals alike tell tale of a wonderful bookstore chain called Eslite that has at least one 24-hour store in the city.  A Taiwanese friend told me that this bookstore chain is the pride of Taiwan, and that, when the company opened a store in Hong Kong last year, a Hong Kong newspaper proclaimed that Hong Kong finally had culture.  Eslite lived up to all the hype.  Coming from a country where bookstores seem to be on their way to extinction, I was pleased to see a bookstore chain that isn’t just surviving, but thriving.  Even though Eslite is primarily a Chinese language bookstore, its selection of English language books and magazines is large enough to put many American bookstores to shame.   If it hadn’t been for the fact that I was flying back to the States in less than a week and I already had enough things to pack my suitcase to the gills, I definitely would have bought a few books at Eslite.  Anyway, I know for future trips to Taiwan where I can stock up on books and magazines. 

Jiufen Day

Jiufen Night

Monday night I finally tried one of Taiwan’s famous dishes, an oyster omelet.  The incredibly diverse food selection in Taiwan makes Taiwan very similar to the U.S. in that it is hard to identify any single dish among the multitude of tasty dishes available as truly indigenous to the country.  Fusion cuisines, and spin-offs of other countries’ traditional dishes seem to comprise the bulk of Taiwanese cuisine.  The oyster omelet is no exception.  I have seen similar fried creations in China, yet I have only tried a handful.  When a friend suggested that I try an oyster omelet at a little snack shack that is especially well-known for them, I decided it was better to follow a friend’s recommendation than to take my chances with a restaurant I might find on my own.  I wasn’t disappointed with my friend’s recommendation.  The oyster omelet was a great choice for one of my final meals in Taiwan.

A Street in Jiufen

There are plenty of things that I will miss about Taiwan and plenty of observations I would like to share (I might do so at a later date).  Above all, I will miss the peaceful atmosphere, and the value Taiwanese seem to place on constantly improving their quality of life.  Granted Taiwan has its problems.  This summer, the country has had to cope with the death of young soldier who appears to have died from torturous punishments inflicted upon him by his superiors.  Rabies has appeared on the island for the first time in more than a half a century.  The government has come into conflict with thousands of its citizens over a land requisition project in Miaoli county that has entailed the forced demolition of four houses.  Yet these problems have been met by government and civic action with an eye toward moving Taiwanese society forward.  Where Taiwanese citizens feel that their government is failing them, they let it be known.  Where the government feels justified in actions or positions, it states its case.  I have been astounded at the willingness and enthusiasm with which so many Taiwanese participate in political life.  Their activism gives me hope that the Taiwan that I will return to will be even better than the Taiwan that I left.

My Neighborhood at Night 1

My Neighborhood at Night 2

My Neighborhood at Dusk

Quite Possibly the Coolest Catholic Preschool in the World, Yilan City

   

Taipei, A Truly Green City 1

Taipei, A Truly Green City 2

Taipei, A Truly Green City 3

Keelung City Sign

A Street in Keelung

Bust of Douglas MacArthur, Chiayi

Taipei Graffiti 1

Taipei Graffiti 2

     

Taipei Graffiti 3

   

The Reaction

Hi Sigur Center and Asia on E Street readers!

This is Selina with a quick update on what the living conditions are like in Seoul. Rather than culture shock, I think I was more shocked by living conditions. The living conditions are quite different from the US. I've recently moved into my own studio apartment closer to Korea University where I will be studying in the Fall. Just some things to note for people coming to South Korea. The biggest difference are the bathrooms. In Korea, there are no separate shower areas! Granted my dormitory at Sogang University had a separate shower, most studios, which are called one rooms, simply have a shower head attached to the sink. The picture below is from the guesthouse I stayed in when I first came to Korea.

For anyone going to study in Korea and interested in living off-campus, there are different room type options. I choose to live in a one room because it offers private bath, kitchen and laundry amenities. Its very comfortable though it is a smaller room compared to my dorm back at GW. As you can see in the picture below, in most one rooms and officetels the washing machine is right under the stove. Most apartments, even houses, do not have ovens.

 It is also incredibly hot and humid in Seoul. Although the temperature may be similar to DC, it is much more humid in Seoul. I don't think I have sweated so much walking down the street before. Many shops, shopping centers, and residences lack central air conditioning as well. So its not uncommon to find stores that only sell fans or portable air conditioners. Which reminds me of the Seoul Metro system. Yes this metro system can take you anywhere! But the stations are very hot and also do not have air conditioning. Yes the lack of cool air makes living tough for me. The trains however are usually pretty cool. Interestingly, there are some train cars with signs saying the temperature is 2 degrees celsius higher. This is because of laws that were passed to conserve energy. And Koreans are strict on adhering to these energy laws despite the heat. In my dormitory, you could not turn the AC lower than 24 celsius, and most days you could not turn the AC on between 1-5 pm because these are peak energy times.

 The last living condition that has shocked me since coming to Korea is how many hills, mountains, and stairs there are here. What I miss about DC metro are the escalators! Unlike DC, Korean metro stops will have multiple exits, and usually only one or two of the exits will have an escalator. Living in DC, and growing up in a beach community, I rarely go uphill, but somehow in this program I've managed to climb three mountains. At the end of my trek I found this pile of stones seen below. The words etched on top means health. Quite appropriate!

But despite some of these shocks in living conditions, Korea still has some pretty fun things! Like the Gangnam style teddy bear I ran into at the Teddy bear museum at Namsan tower!

Last weekend I had the chance to go to Kenting, which is the most Southern part of Taiwan. Kenting is small and has a beach town vibe to it. It's a popular spot for tourists. The largest attraction is probably the beach and water activities which range from boating, tubing, to surfing and swimming. 

I went with my old high-school friend Feeling and her boyfriend. I was extremely grateful for her relatives in Kaohsiung who hosted us for the weekend. Unfortunately it's quite a trip from Kaohsiung to Kenting. Our methods of transportation were limited so we ended up riding motor scooters down the coast to Kenting. I most certainly did not take the risk of attempting to drive the motor scooter because that would cause my mother to lose years of her life moreover it's against the rules. Needless to say the views of the coast (from the backseat) were gorgeous. 

Kenting Beach 

My high school friend Feeling and her boyfriend 

Funny word play. The Chinese character reads "yi" making the sign read "email"

Thank you for watching. -S.Y.

A fellow Elliott School student, Alicia Rose, and I went to pay our respects at the Yasukuni Shrine. Alicia and I became interested in the Yasukuni Shrine after taking International Relations - East Asia with Professor Mochizuki last spring semester. 

Yasukuni Shrine: Alicia and I

August 15th has been a controversial date to visit Yasukuni Shrine since the enshrinement of the World War II Class A war criminals in 1978. More accurately, official visits started gaining attention after Prime Minister Nakasone visited Yasukuni Shrine in 1985 after publicly expressing his desire to move past postwar politics and raise the cap on defense expenditures above 1% of the GNP. Since then, both China and South Korea have expressed their dissatisfaction with Japan's unclear sense of remorse for their aggressive past. 

Main Hall of the Yasukuni Shrine

Chinreisha: The Spirit Pacifying Shrine established by head priest Tsukuba Fujimaro in 1965

Although many Prime Ministers of Japan avoided visits to Yasukuni Shrine in order to maintain peaceful relations with China and South Korea, Prime Minister Koizumi's 6 consecutive visits during his time in office reignited strong negative feelings.

On August 15, 2013, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo paid his respect for the war dead at Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery. 

I encourage those who are interested to read Professor Mochizuki's article titled The Yasukuni Shrine Conundrum: Japan's Contested Identity and Memory. It provides a holistic picture of the issue as well as many details I was unable to add.

Soohyun Yang

B.A. International Economics and Japanese Language and Literature 2014

Sigur Center 2013 Japanese Language Fellow

Sendagaya Japanese Institute, Japan

Taipei: Ningxia Night Market

Shirley Hsieh, M.A. International Trade and Investment Policy 2015,

Sigur Center 2013 Chinese Language Fellow, 

National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan

Shrine to Koxinga, or Zheng Chenggong, who took Taiwan back from the Dutch in the 17th century.

Koxinga shrine, Tainan.

Koxinga shrine, Tainan.

One is supposed to write down prayers in these small wooden cards and leave them for them to be fulfilled.

Koxinga, of Chinese/Japanese parentage, was loyal to the Ming dynasty. His statues are everywhere in Tainan.

The oldest Confucius temple in Taiwan was commissioned by Koxinga's son in 1663. 

Confucius Temple, Tainan.

Confucius Temple, Tainan.

Chihkan Tower, or Fort Provintia was the administrative center of the Dutch in 1650s till it fell to Koxinga

Artist's depiction of the Dutch surrender.

Chihkan Tower, Tainan.

Fort Zeelandia or Anping Fort was the Dutch outpost that looked out to the sea for possible attacks. It fell after a 9 month siege when fresh water ran out. And that, in 1662, ended Dutch rule in Taiwan.

Old Wall built by the Dutch in the 17th century in Fort Zeelandia or Anping Fort. The bricks were brought from Java and the mortar made of sugar, sand, ground seashells and rice. Still standing after 350 years!

Koxinga, still keeping an eye out at Anping Fort.