Jioufen, Taiwan

In all fairness, my visit to Jioufen was on the wrong day and and under the wrong circumstances. Jioufen is actually a very interesting town and loaded with character. I saw none of that. There were far too many people and my time there was strictly limited. I hope to go back one day when the streets are not so crowded and I am able to stay longer. According to what I have read, Jioufen was once a gold mining town, totally outrageous and excessive.... so much so that it was tagged, "Little Shanghai." The gold dried up within a decade or two and the town quieted down. In 1989, one of Taiwan's filmmakers, Hou Haiso-Hsien, filmed the movie, City of Sadness, in Jioufen. It was a movie about Taipei, but Jioufen was the stand-in for Taipei, because it was to depict Taipei in the 40's. the success of that movie brought artists to live and work in Jioufen. It also brought a throng of visitors. In a small way, the town suggested to me what a small, old Seattle might have looked like with the hills and mountains and layers of buildings at different heights with a large body of water close enough to feel in the air. There are stone steps and laddered streets. But for me and Myra (a foreign teacher friend in my county who makes a great travel partner), it was a flood of tourists and barely room enough to slither throu gh the crowds unscathed.

Taipei and real sidewalks

Ah, you smirk. Sidewalks! This woman has been in Taiwan too long if she gets excited by the sight of a wide, beautiful, smooth and CLEAN sidewalk! That's only because you haven't seen the typical Taiwan sidewalk. And why haven't you seen any photos here of the typical Taiwan sidewalk? The answer is simple.... because they are few and far between, generally hidden by a dozen scooters and several cars or trucks, a food stand and pots of tropical plants as well as miscellaneous dogs and bags of supplies or litter. Pedestrians have to take their chances walking in the streets--- which also have cars stopped or parked randomly. Taipei was an immediate delight simply because of the sidewalks. Now I should explain a little bit, as Taipei was a place I wasn't even sure I wanted to visit at all. It took me nearly six months to decide to make the three hour train trip to Taipei. My main interest in sight seeing Taiwan has been to see the more traditional and historic architecture and lifestyle. I wanted to see Taiwan through glimpses of what might have existed in the lives of the elders, traditions -- beliefs which stood the fickleness of time and generations of youth. But alas, how beautiful these sidewalks of Taipei! What a relief not to have to dodge scooters, step over sleeping dogs, walk dangerously in oncoming traffic to avoid cars parked in the streets, gingerly step over temporary covers to street construction! Hell with romance! These sidewalks make me smile! Seriously though, visiting Taipei, even for a very short time, opened my eyes a bit and brought in a sliver of understanding about Taiwan and it's people.... about myself as well and I have a touch of shame. All along I have wanted to experience the character of the historic Taiwan, being disappointed when what I saw was too Western, too modern and efficient. What was I thinking? That America should evolve while the rest of the world stood still? Oh, that American arrogance! It is as much a part of me as it is the other new foreigners here. I recognize this and am not proud of myself. I need to rejoice that the Taiwanese have made great strides in improving the quality of life here. They are a huge force in Asian economy. Much of the advancements are extremely efficient. The technology produced here is used throughout much of the world. They cherish the past, yet guard the future. There are so many examples I could give. So I continue my adventure, unwittingly picking up scraps of knowledge as I go. Knowing all too well that the "open mind" I thought I had is in fact a brittle shell of antiquated ideas pieced together through limited experience and stubborn notions. If I wanted to see and photograph Taiwan of 1970, then that's when I should have journeyed here.

Nanya area of Taiwan, January 27

Not sure if these photographs will show up well or not, but perhaps they will give an idea of what I saw when I briefly visited Nanya at the end of January. I've cropped most of them to make them easier to see on the blog. The day was overcast and the air was thick with humidity. The old abandoned buildings are an old petroleum processing plant. The little buildings on the side of the hill are monuments.... tombstones, actually. I am told that the wealthy people in Taiwan like to be buried overlooking the oceans and large bodies of water. Each tombstone/monument represents where one person is buried. I guess the poor people of Taiwan are generally cremated. The other photos are just the shoreline and rocks there.

Night Markets

So you wanted to know about night markets, eh? Maybe not. But, I'm going to post some photos of night markets anyway. I've only been to two of them, so I'm no expert, and I haven't yet bought anything at one, with the exception of a tea or other strange concoction. Basically, night markets are areas in a town where stalls are set up and people sell things, particularly food, but also many other things. Towns are known for their night markets and the specialties sold there. The photos here are from my city, Chiayi, and from Taichung. Night markets are probably also an excuse to socialize and even to go for a "date," or just to get out of the house and hang out somewhere. Because night markets are often large areas, none of these photographs capture "the whole" of a night market, but perhaps by looking at the expressions on the faces of the people attending, you will have some idea of what a night market is all about. They are important in Taiwan, and well attended by Taiwanese. At the night markets I went to, there were no foreigners except for me the people I was with, although I would imagine that some foreigners would find these gatherings much to their liking. Personally, I found them much more interesting for people watching than for the items being sold. Still, I doubt that I will attend many more night markets while I am in Taiwan.

Going back to Christmas eve...

On Christmas eve, I took a road trip to Tainan and then to the western part of Tainan which is Anping. I was only there for a few hours and thought it was much smaller than it turned out to be, so I didn't get to see everything I had hoped to see. As a matter of fact, I barely saw a fraction of what I had planned. Being a Sunday, Anping was very crowded making it slow moving through the old streets. I visited a Matsu temple there which has the oldest Matsu statue in Taiwan. I believe the photo here of the female goddess with the black face is the statue, but since I went alone, and still have a pathetically sub-basic Chinese vocabulary, I had no one to ask without the use of extensive mime and dramatics. There are at least two statues of Matsu in the temple and I may have chosen the wrong one to post. Ah well, such is life. There were some very interesting paintings on one room of the temple there, and without a doubt, the temple was worth the visit. As with all temples here so far, each is different and unique in one way or another. Anping was an interesting area to visit and there is much history. Fort Zeelandia is there, although I didn't go inside. Fort Zeelandia was built by the Dutch in 1634. As with many historical structures in Taiwan, the original fort does not really exist except for a portion of the wall around the structure. What exists now is a reconstruction of the fort which was made during the occupation of Taiwan by Japan. Although there is a folk museum inside, I didn't investigate. Maybe next time. The atmosphere seemed to be created for tourists with almost a carnival feel to it. I looked around for the cotton candy once or twice. But I did end up being a good tourist and buying a few things while there. I found a calligraphy brush and some very cool calligraphy paper which allows one to use water to draw on the "paper" and after a few moments the water evaporates. So, I shelled out 100 NT dollars (about $3.10 US) and got 5 sheets of the paper. Another $200 NT and I had myself a beautiful calligraphy brush. Merry Christmas, eh? I found a handmade leather, jade, and bead bracelet for a friend, and a fragile shell mobile and figured my duty as a buying tourist was complete. Anping Tainan, Taiwan was not a bad place to spend Christmas eve. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss America and my home, but it was good to see a part of the country here where I had never been before. On Christmas morning, I drove my scooter to the morning market in Chiayi and bought several traditional Chinese articles of clothing. I now have a small collection of traditional handmade jackets and shirts. For the most part, they can be had for very few dollars. I have a feeling the cost of dry cleaning will outweigh the savings in purchase.

Early one morning in January

from my bedroom balcony. Rather surreal.

Another side

I've been feeling a little dishonest by posting photographs which show only a certain side of Taiwan and hide another. There is much beauty in Taiwan culturally, as well as with the natural landscape. Many of the people here are the kindest, most selfless and helpful I have know. I don't "buy into" the rumor that their kindness is based entirely in honor and gaining "face" -- any more than with any other society. I have seen their actions come from the heart. There is great beauty here that goes beyond what one can see with the eyes. But it would be deceptive to show only one side and not the other... almost as if I showed you the clean hand and hid the dirty one behind my back. Most cities, and countries have a mix. Taiwan is no different. I want to remember it all. I want to remember more than just the majestic mountains, breath taking bamboo forests, incredible sunsets and awe inspiring views. I also want to remember the beggars on the streets, crumbling shacks and the relics of a not so distant oppressive past. Forgive the blurry photo taken from the window of a train speeding past a typical street in one of the towns along the north bound route of the railroad from Chiayi. I posted it here because it speaks volumes.....
Among other things you will see here are a bus schedule, billboards for upcoming movies, a woman beggar on the edge of the street in downtown Chiayi, two old men at Lantan Lake engrossed in physical labor and a building in Chiayi. And I have just added 3 more photos from the old Chiayi Prison which I visited in autumn.

JiJi, Taiwan December 2, 2006

On September 21, 1999, a powerful earthquake hit Taiwan killing over 2000 people and causing damage throughout the island. The epicenter was near Jiji, Taiwan. I visited Jiji on December 2 of this year. Earlier this week another strong earthquake hit Taiwan, but it was less damaging than the one in 1999 that devastated Jiji and other parts of Nantou County. I'll refrain from telling about the earthquake on December 26 because I haven't entirely worked that one through in my head yet. Let it suffice to say that it altered my perception about a number of things. Anyway.... here are a few photographs from Jiji. While I did see some remaining destruction from the earlier quake, I did not photograph it. But at some point I do hope to go back to Jiji and maybe at that time I will be able to photograph some unusual sights. The first mistake I made in going to Jiji was in neglecting to rent a scooter to ride around the town. Instead, I walked. After several hours of walking I realized that it was going to take huge effort to get back to the train station on time to catch my ride to Erschui so I could get back to Chiayi City before it got late. I'm not sure why, but I liked Jiji right away, even though the first glimpse of it was almost as if I had entered a cast off Ripleys Believe it or Not carnival scene ---- rather a strange collection of mismatched artifacts from different cultures and different places in history.... including a replica of E.T. adorning the top of one of the first buildings I saw as I left the train station. There was also a snake tamer and what appeared to be some sort of Chinese tomb warriors. Quickly, the appearance of Jiji changed and kept changing further from the train station. In the distance, the mountains were framed by bamboo forests and high on a hill was a huge Buddhist monastery. The streets became empty just a few blocks from the station. Probably the thing that hooked me on Jiji was that so many of the people there were enjoying themselves so thoroughly. Huge authentic smiles were on so many faces that I couldn't help be feel the spirit of the place.