August2015

A p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e C o m m u n i t y S e r v i c e s C e n t e r

August 2015, Volume 15, Issue 10

Centeredon TAIPEI

summer time

August 15_Cover.indd 2 2015/7/29 6:15:41 PM


3www.communitycenter.org.tw AUGUST 2015

5 LeTTer from The ediTorS

6 richArd recommendS AUGUST 2015

7 cenTer GALLery AUGUST 2015 evenTS AboUT Town — SUmmer expLorATionS cenTer book cLUbS

8 commUniTy — TAS Taipei American School Students Explore the Universe with Joanna Nichols Visiting Scholar Dr. David Spergel

9 cULTUre Bringing Up Baby: Life in Taipei with Sage

15 cULTUre Taiwan POW Society Holds Memorial Service For American Airmen

18 cULTUre Interesting Encounters on Yangmingshan

20 oUTLook Abusive Partners

21 cULTUre Opening the Gates of Hades

24 cULTUre Blooms in Summer

27 phoToGrAphy Photographing People – Approaching Strangers

28 off The beATen TrAck Taiwan’s Daylily Mountains

29 chineSe kiTchen Dragon Fruit, Avocado, Wax Apple

30 cSc bUSineSS cLASSified

CO

NT

EN

TS

August 2015 volume 15 issue 10

cover: Taiwan is a botanical treasure box containing over 4,000 native vascular plants including wildflowers.

for more information, please go to our website atwww.communitycenter.org.tw

Centered on Taipei is a publication of the Community Services Center, 25, Lane 290, ZhongShan N. Rd., Sec. 6, Tianmu, Taipei, Taiwan Tel: 02-2836-8134fax: 02-2835-2530e-mail: [email protected]

Correspondence may be sent to the editor at [email protected]. Freelance writers, photographers and illustrators are welcome to contact the editor to discuss editorial and graphic assignments. Your talent will find a home with us!

Copyright 2015. All rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner.

9

18

28

August 15_p3-end.indd 3 2015/8/2 10:28:54 PM

4

baiwin-cotad 072015.indd 1 7/23/15 4:48 PM

AUGUST 2015 www.communitycenter.org.tw

CR ad Center Magazine.indd 1 5/20/2015 10:20:51 AM


expat perspective


commUniTy ServiceS cenTer

Adam McMillan

Grace Ting

Suzan Babcock, I-Wen Chan, Katherine Chang, Hui-Shiang Chao, Jung Chin, Chiao-Feng Chung, Wendy Evans, Cerita Hsu, Joyleen Huang, Carol Lee, Emilie Ma, Ming-I Sun, Kuang-Shan Wan

Joanne Chua

Michael Mullahy, Eva Su

Monica ChengPamela LinRosemary SusaJohn ImbrogulioJane WangJustine O'Neil Kathryn RookeGloria GwoBunny PachecoBeth Verne

Alison Davis Bai, Alice Ballard, Miyuki Boice, Anita Ho, John Imbrogulio, Shan Lee, Sharon Landon, Fiona Mackelworth, John McQuade, Gloria Peng, Emmy Shih

Bai Win AntiquesEuropean Chamber of CommerceGrand Hyatt TaipeiHao Ran FoundationCostco Wholesale Taiwan

Concordia ConsultingICRTSan Fu Global

director

office manager

counselors and consultants

counseling Admin.

counselling interns

Accountant General Ledger Activities coordinator coffee mornings coordinator cross-cultural Trainercommunicationsevents coordinator mandarin chinese Teacherprogram SupportSystems manager

volunteers

benefactors

premier Sponsors

The community Services center (cSc) is a non-profit foundation. cSc provides outreach and early intervention through counseling, cross-cultural education and life skills programs to meet the needs of the international community in Taipei. cSc offers the opportunity to learn, volunteer, teach and meet others. check out our website www.communitycenter.org.tw and drop by The center to chat with us about our programs. you can also email us at [email protected].

publishereditorsAdvertising managermagazine emailTelfax

writing and photography contributors

community Servicescenter editorial panel

printed by

Community Services Center, TaipeiSuzan Babcock and Richard SaundersNaomi [email protected]

Suzan BabcockIvy ChenKit FarleyCraig FergusonCerita HsuTing Ting HuangMichael HurstNick KembelMichael O'Neill

Siew Kang, Fred Voigtmann

Farn Mei Printing Co., Ltd.1F, No. 102, Hou Kang Street, Shilin District, TaipeiTel: 02-2882-6748 Fax: 02-2882-6749E-mail: [email protected]

Bunny PachecoJoseph ReillyKathryn RookeRichard SaundersRosemary SusaMarta SuzukiTASGrace Ting T aiwan may sizzle in August but that doesn’t seem to stop

the wide array of activities and events that are being offered this month for having ‘fun in the sun’.

This month, Richard Saunders suggests a visit to the daylily “seas of blooms” that only flower each year in August and September at Chihken, Liushidanshan and Taimali in Hualien and Taitung counties, followed by Kit Farley’s “Blooms in Summer” suggestions to explore the Taipei downtown Botanical Garden with more than 2,000 plant species or the “Hanging Gardens of Taipei” at the National Concert Hall.

Michael Hurst’s sobering WWII Prisoners of War (POW) account of when more than 4,350 allied men were held in Taiwan at Japanese POW camps and the story of the 14 airmen whose lives were needlessly taken provides a somber article for reflection on the cruelty of war.

If traveling with young children, then parents and grandparents will enjoy the insights and stories of Nick Kembel, a new father, about his summertime travels with his two year old son, Sage.

Being an amateur photographer, I fully appreciate Craig Ferguson’s useful suggestions for approaching and photographing strangers with good results, along with Marta Suzuki’s novel approach to meeting her Yangmingshan neighbors; Mr. Jiang the sweet potato soup seller, Mrs. Ma, the mountain path sweeper and Mr. Lai who saved Marta and some other strangers from being bitten by a dangerous snake.

As a subtropical island, Taiwan is rich in exotic fruits; mangoes, dragon fruit, avocadoes, wax apples, watermelon, passion fruit, lychees, red dates and longan. This month, our chef-in-residence, Ivy Chen, provides us with some interesting historic tidbits and practical suggestions for preparing some of these luscious summer time delights.

These are a few of our Centered on Taipei (COT) August issue submissions. We hope that you will enjoy them and if you are in the neighborhood, please feel free to drop by the Center for a cup of coffee and some lively conversation.

Richard SaundersCo-editor

Suzan BabcockEditor

Naomi KalyAdvertising Manager

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

Please send email submissions, comments, and feedback to [email protected].

COT is printed on FSC certified 100% post-consumer recycled fiber. The paper is certified in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council which promotes environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests.https://ic.fsc.org/

Sue and Richard


J ust occasionally, ever so rarely, a chance listening reveals a piece of music that’s of such stunning beauty that I can only wonder how I missed it all these years. That’s exactly what happened only last week, and the piece in question

was the great contemporary composer Messiaen’s timeless, rapt, and utterly exquisite O Sacrum Convivium for unaccompanied choir. This wonderful discovery got me thinking about the Taiwan International Choral Festival (which culminates on August 2nd when the various artists from the preceding nights come together for a final, combined performance), and how wonderful (yet under-appreciated) ‘serious’ a cappella choral music generally is, compared with opera and song. Since the National Concert Hall remains closed for another two months for refurbishment, let me chat a bit this month about a few more unaccompanied choral works that in my opinion deserve a bit more love than they generally receive.

Standing at the top of the list is the Rachmaninov Vespers (also known as the All-night Vigil), one of the greatest a cappella works of the last century. This hour-long work sounds very, very different

from Rachmaninov’s best-loved works – don’t expect any great melodies of the kind that flood the piano concertos – but in its rapt, restrained way, it’s a masterpiece. Rachmaninov even considered it his finest work (alongside his cantata The Bells, another sadly under-played choral work) and requested its fifth movement be sung at his funeral.

Similarly most of French composer Francis Poulenc’s great choral works are a far cry from the charming, playful, often rather irreverent music that marked the composer’s earlier years. Already, by the later 1930s, Poulenc was showing a hither-to concealed profundity in his masterly Mass in G minor and the brooding, intensely moving Litanies à la Vierge Noir (written shortly after the horrifying death of a good friend), while Figure Humaine, which was written during WWII as a symbol of resistance, has a somber but very moving intensity that in spirit seems light years from his best known works such as the delectable Concerto for Two Pianos or the thoroughly frivolous ballet Les Biches.

Another profound response to the horrors of the Second World War was English composer Michael Tippett’s cantata A Child of our Time, in which he brilliantly used Native American spirituals to carry the emotional weight of the work’s pacifist message. While the whole work remains firmly in the repertory, the five spirituals, composed for unaccompanied choir, have taken on their own life separate from the parent work, and pack a mighty punch for a collection lasting only about ten minutes.

RichaRd RecommendsBY RichaRd SaundeRS

TAIPEIAMERICAN

SCHOOL

www.tas.edu.tw

6 AUGUST 2015 www.communitycenter.org.tw



events about townSummer Explorations The 2015 Taipei Arts Festival Dance EventsAugust 8thNEW CO-choreographer ProjectVenue: The Da-an Forest Park AmphitheaterTime: 7:30 pm

August 14th-16th Hungry Heart with the Lin HH Dance x sjDANCEcoVenue: Taipei Zhongshan Hall’s Zhongshan Auditorium (check Festival website for exact dates, times & locations)

August 28th – 30theXchange- Fragment 31Venue: Taipei Zhongshan Hall’s Guanfu Auditorium (check Festival website for exact dates, times & locations)www.taipeifestival.org

August to SeptemberThe Tern Watching Tour – MatsuEach year, the protected Bridled Tern, the Black-napped Tern, the Roseate Tern, the Crested Tern, the Black-tailed Tern, the Reef Egret and the Fork-tailed

Swift fly in and nest on the uninhabited reefs of Matsu.Location: Jhong Islet, Beigan, Lienchiang County Telephone: 0836-25630www. Matsu-nsa.gov.tw

August 20thChinese Valentine’s Day is one of the most celebrated Taiwan festivals among couples and singles. Go pay a pre-valentine’s visit to the Matchmaker’s Temple – Xiahai Chenghuang Temple on 61 Dihua Street, in

Dadaocheng Taipei.www.tpecitygod.org

The Keelung Mid-summer Ghost FestivalAugust 13th to September 13thVenue: KeelungOrganizers: The Cultural Affairs Bureau, Keelung City GovernmentTelephone: 02-2422-4170http://www.rs-event.com.tw/2014kmsgf/index.html

csc News

A percentage of all proceeds of items sold at the Gallery will go to the Center. Please remember that by displaying your items or shopping at the

Gallery, you will be helping the Center to continue to provide valuable services to the international community.

Jwo'S SpRing FLoweR Bouquet

ouR LocaL taiwan authoRS’ BookSheLF diSpLaY

We have a new author to present to our readers.

Justine O’Neil has several s ign i f i cant “f i rst s” go ing on in her life. She has just f in ished her f i rst year in Taiwan and has published h e r f i rs t b o o k, Ta iwan – Photography, a col lect ion

of initial impressions of Taiwan through the lens of her camera. Justine’s book is available for sale at the Center, along with books by local authors Richard Saunders, Amy C. Liu and Nick Kembel. Please come in and browse through our collection of books and materials on Taiwan.

Yang tze-Yun aRtwoRkWe are continuing to present

the work of Chinese calligrapher, Yang Tze-Yun. Yang’s unique and express ive ca l l i g raphic sty le i s widely known within international c i r c l e s f o r i t s a v a n t - g a r d e departure from traditional forms of calligraphy.

the aSian coRneRT h i s m o n t h ’ s a n t i q u e

select ion is an e lm Gangsu cabinet from the Qing dynasty (1644 – 1912), and was made between the late 1800s and e a r l y 1 9 0 0 s . T h e c a b i n e t h a s t wo f ro nt p a n e l d o o rs decorated in polychrome with

lotus flowers, and a rectangular drawer underneath. The cabinet is on loan to the Center from the collection at Bai-win Antiques.

GALLERY August 2015

deSigneR waLL decoRationS

Designer Wall Decorations with Blessings for a Happy Home are available during August at the Center’s Gift

Gallery Display area. Handcrafted in the Holy Land, each item is made from natural wood, silver and precious gemstones, along with a cheerful Happy Home Blessing.

THE CENTER BOOK CLUBSThe Center's Book Clubs will be shifting their meetings to a new location.

For further details, email [email protected] (morning meetings) or [email protected] (for evening meetings). The selection for August is: The 100-year-old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson


commuNity — tas


L ast Januar y upper schoo l students and faculty were star struck, of the deep space kind, that is. Dr. David Spergel

of Princeton University joined the TAS faculty as the 2014-2015 Joanna Nichols Visiting Scholar and took our students on a cosmic journey into theoretical astrophysics. Dr. Spergel is a Professor and the Department Chair of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University, and the Charles A. Young Professor of Astronomy on the Class of 1897 Foundation. Named one of Time Magazine’s 25 most influential space scientists, Dr. Spergel has received a host of accolades and titles: the Shaw Prize, the Gruber Prize, a MacArthur Fellowship, Science Citation Laureate,

and more.While at TAS, he sparked discussions

about cosmic concepts, such as how the universe was formed, how the universe behaves, and our place in the universe. Dr. Spergel taught sections of modern physics and astronomy as well as biology. In the physics course, he covered exoplanets and how they are discovered, how telescopes work, and cosmology, with a focus on dark energy, dark matter, and the cosmic microwave background. In the biology classes, he covered astrobiology, or the science of life on other planets. Dr. Spergel said, “It was a nice opportunity to talk about the basics of biochemistry and evolution at a very high level.” It led to interesting discussions with students

about the generic processes that take place on Earth.

O u r s t u d e n t s m a d e a s t r o n g impression on Dr. Spergel. He said, “The students are bright; stronger students here are very comparable to students at Princeton.” He commented that TAS students were very engaged and asked great questions. Faculty and students were equally impressed with Dr. Spergel. David Iverson, Chair of the Upper School Science Department, said, “Our TAS community was very fortunate to have the opportunity to spend time with an enthusiastic, articulate, and profound scientist who is on the forefront of unraveling the mysteries of the Universe.” Upper school student Claude S. reflected, “It is incredible to have someone of his caliber come share his passion with us… His approachability, expertise, passion, and humor ensured that we were able to delve with him into the ever expanding (literally) universe of astronomy.”

A s a t h e o re t i ca l p hys i c i s t, D r. Spergel's research has focused on understanding the properties of the Universe. While at TAS, he presented his work with the WMAP Satellite, which has had enormous impact on cosmological scientific papers, and his search for planets around nearby stars. His work has fundamentally shaped how the scientific community thinks about the shape of the Universe.

Dr. Spergel’s stay at TAS represents the fourth installment of the Joanna Nichols Visit ing Scholar program, which brings relevant, distinguished, and stimulating figures such as Dr. Spergel to TAS each year to share singular insights and experiences with our students. The program is a result of the continuing, extraordinary generosity of a former TAS parent. Dr. Spergel was preceded by his colleague, Dr. Benjamin Elman, Chair of the East Asian Studies Department at Princeton University, “mathmagician” Dr. Arthur Benjamin, and Senior Fellow of the USC U.S.-China Institute Mike Chinoy. TAS is looking forward to welcoming next year’s Joanna Nichols Visiting Scholar, Dr. Michael Littman, Professor and Departmental Representative of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University.

Taipei American School Students Explore the

Universe with Joanna Nichols Visiting Scholar

Dr. David SpergelTexT: MiChAel O’Neill, COMMuNiCATiONs OffiCer iMAge: TAs



D on’t read this expecting a list of all the best things to do with kids in the summer in Taipei. On this subject I

don’t claim to be an expert, and I’ve only just begun year two of being a father. I’m just a dad who happens to live in Taipei (Xinzhuang in New Taipei City, to be more precise) and has now been through a couple of summers with my son, Sage. Below are some of my thoughts on the experience so far.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from becoming a father it is that every set of parents has their own style of parenting. But at the same time, when you become a parent, you quickly realize that every other person out there has suddenly become a pediatrician who is particularly vocal in regards to what exactly you are doing wrong in the way that you are bringing up your child.

This begins well before your baby is born. I’m sure this happens in every country, but the things that people tell parents or pregnant mothers not to do in Taiwan might be different than where you come from. For example, the temperature of food and drink is a

Bringing Up Baby: Life in Taipei with Sage

TexT & PhOTOs: NiCk keMbel

culture



big topic of concern here. In Chinese medicine, it is considered unhealthy and potentially dangerous to consume cold foods, and people take this quite seriously. Taiwanese eschew cold food and drinks when they are sick, and for women when they are pregnant or menstruating. I remember once when I escorted a group of schoolchildren on a field trip to a restaurant in Taipei, the parents of nearly half the students had advised the school to make sure their kids didn’t get their hands on any cold drinks in the restaurant. In Taiwan, it is also common to be served a glass of warm water, no matter what season it is.

Now of course I’m not menstruating or pregnant, but once, walking down the street with [my wife] Emily when she was pregnant, a building security guard actually crossed the street to caution Emily to stay away from the ice cream cone I had in my hand, as if it were an unexploded grenade or something. In restaurants, Emily would take defiant sips of my cold beer, and while nobody ever expressed their disapproval verbally, their looks often said otherwise. People told us that we shouldn’t travel while Emily was pregnant, but we enjoyed a wonderful holiday in Japan when she was five months pregnant.

From what I have seen, Taiwanese parents are quite overprotective with their children, and this persists through the teenage years and even into adulthood. The result, in my opinion, is that this, combined with the local education system, has produced a generation of shy, socially awkward young adults that lack confidence in

many aspects. Emily and I know local couples who don’t let their kids crawl on the floor, won’t feed them with metal spoons, rarely take them outside, don’t let them taste cold things… the list goes on. But what baffles me the most, and the reason why I’m even mentioning this, is that most Taiwanese families find it perfectly acceptable to drive little babies or young toddlers around on scooters with no safety p ro te c t i o n at a l l . I h ave p e o p l e approaching me on the MRT telling me my son should be wearing a jacket (in summer) because the air con on the MRT will make him catch a cold. But meanwhile, it’s totally OK for eighty-year-old, half blind grandpa to drive a scooter through congested traffic with a child who has just learned to walk balancing precariously between his legs, and without even putting a helmet on the kid.

For Taiwanese-westerner couples such as us, the month fo l lowing pregnancy i s the t ime when you will likely run into the most cultural differences. In Canada, couples establish a detailed birth plan with their doctor in the months leading up to their pregnancies. In Taiwan, most hospitals offer few options in terms of how the baby will be born. In Canada, depending on the length of employment with a company, new mothers can take between 17 and 52 weeks of maternity

leave, which comes with benefits and at least partial pay. And - get this - the couple many chose to split up to 35 weeks of leave between either of them, that is to say, I could take an extended maternity leave while my wife went back to work! (And I’m not being silly here. Since Emily owns her own business, and I am a freelance writer, we seriously discussed the possibility of me being a stay-at-home Dad while she went to work.) When women (or men) return to their jobs in Canada, they are

guaranteed the same pay as before they left. In Taiwan, no such promises are made, and in some cases women lose their jobs if they take too much time off. As a result, most Taiwanese working women only take a month off following their pregnancies. When they return to work, they slip into breast pumping rooms at the office to do what they need to do, and hire nannies or get their father’s parents to basically raise their kids for them.

Many Taiwanese men are quite conservative too in that they remain quite uninvolved in ra is ing their children, especially in the early years,

culture

For Taiwanese-westerner couples such as us, the month following pregnancy is the time when you will likely run into the most cultural differences.



and I feel that this lack of attention and time spent with the kids as they are growing up is why many Taiwanese young adults I know seem to have a strained or practically non-existent relationship with their father. Of course I am generalizing here, but I have encountered this situation time and time again in Taiwan.

Most Taiwanese women to varying d e g re e s zu o y u e z i i n t h e m o nt h following the birth of their child. Zuo yuezi (“sitting for a month”) is a set of dietary and lifestyle restrictions that women are expected to abide by. The general view of most Western people that I have encountered is that zuo yuezi is “crazy,” and this is based on the fact that many of the rules only made sense in China in days gone by. For example, taking a shower or washing the hair was forbidden because in colder regions of northern China, getting wet and cold may have caused women to fall ill. In order to get through the first month while following all of these restrictions, many women in Taiwan these days stay in pricey zuo yuezi centers, where food is provided and nurses are on hand to help take care of the child while the mother rests and recovers. From my western perspective, I initially couldn’t

help but view staying in a zuo yuezi center as only the start of a lifetime of parents getting other people to do the work of raising their children for them (including preschools, kindergartens, regular schools, cram schools, relatives, live-in nannies, summer camps, and more), whi le they make a speedy recovery so they can go back to their 9-to-9 jobs.

I tried to approach zuo yuezi with an open mind, and advised Emily to simply follow restrictions that made sense to her. Luckily, nobody in her family was breathing down her neck,

and so I realize that we had it easier than some couples do. There were only a couple of harmless things she had to do to satisfy her father, such as covering her head when she came home from the clinic. We only stayed in the clinic for three days and then Emily did her zuo yuezi at home, and the food they provided in the clinic (and that we continued to order after going home) was more varied and palatable than the horror stories I’d heard. They also provided so much of it that it was more than enough for me to subsist on the leftovers, so I guess in that sense, I did zuo yuezi too. For the most part, my wife felt that while some of the restrictions don’t make much sense in modern times, they can’t hurt you either. The overall purpose is to help the mother’s wounded body recover, and this is not a bad thing. It only becomes negative when women are forced to comply with aspects of it that they don’t want to. For this reason, my wife gets annoyed when non-Taiwanese, non-parents express such strong and negative sentiments towards zuo yuezi.

My son was born a few months before the summer of 2014. In the first three months of having a child, you shouldn’t expect to get out of your house much, no matter what the season. Elderly Taiwanese in particular frown upon taking babies outside at all in the first six months unless truly necessary. However, we found we were actually able to do quite a lot with him in the early months, relatively speaking. In many ways, taking a very young infant out is a lot easier than

In many ways, taking a very young infant out is a lot easier than taking a toddler out. Young babies can fall asleep anywhere and at just about any time.


culture

taking a toddler out. Young babies can fall asleep anywhere and at just about any time. They mostly just lie there being cute, not yet able to do many of the things than make older children so difficult to handle.

What this also means is that most of the times we took Sage out of the house that summer were for our own interests, not his. By the time Sage was four months, he’d been to pool parties, outdoor festivals, picnics, bar patios, and even bowling (and I admit, many of these activities were on father-son days, not with Mommy.) Of course, taking a baby out means that you are restricted to daytime hours, you have to prepare many things, you can’t stay out too long, you can’t always focus on what your companions are talking about, and you have to pay more attention to the weather. But at least I was still getting out of the house and maintaining my friendships.

Taipei is sweltering in the summer, and the importance of protecting babies from harmful UV rays can’t be overstated. But with caution in mind, it is still feasible to take babies out in the summer in Taipei. And of course this comes in baby steps, too. The first few

times I even left our house after Sage was born, I felt like I was emerging from a cave. The first time we took him out of the house (besides the journey home from the hospital) was just a short walk to the neighborhood park, and he didn’t even open his eyes the whole time because the outside world was so bright. The first time we took him on a drive, we went to a café with a large garden, and it felt like we were taking him on an adventure to another planet.

Later on, when my wife was working and I had Sage for the day, I was only limited by the need to keep a chilled bottle of milk in my backpack, and then have access to a place where I could warm it up when it was needed, which is possible at any convenience store in Taiwan. To avoid my father-in-law’s disapproval about taking him out, since we still lived with him at the time, I used to wait until Emily’s dad would take a nap after lunch, and then seize the opportunity to sneak out with Sage for the afternoon.

One unexpected change after we had Sage was that my father-in-law became an entirely different person. The former gambler, drinker, military

man, and person who was seldom involved with family matters, suddenly turned into a tender, loving, constantly smiling granddaddy. This dramatic transformation shocked all of us, and in many ways brought the family much c loser together. My father-in-law regularly buys gifts for Sage, helps us take care of him, and also generously contributed to our new apartment when we moved out. He was more hospitable when my parents came to Taiwan and met him for the second time, and he has us over for lunch every day, mainly because he wants to see Sage.

The most difficult change for me in becoming a father was giving up most of my free time, which included drastically cutting down on hobbies and hanging out with friends. Emily and I were already very busy before we had a child. We both work several jobs and are the kind of people who, if given a week of free time, would probably use the time to write a book. I think that having been such a busy and productive couple made us better prepared for the transformation to parenthood. Emily’s mother has already passed away, and my family lives in Canada. Emily insisted




on going back to running her business a month after having Sage (actually, she is so dedicated to her work that she was handling work matters on the hospital bed the day after giving birth, still under the effects of the painkillers), yet I insisted that I didn’t want to pay other people to raise our child. It just meant that we had to make a lot of sacrifices to keep the jobs that we loved and raise Sage at the same time, and making sacrifices is just part of being a parent and husband or wife. In order to be a good parent, you have to abandon a lot of selfish concerns and interests, and men in particular struggle with this.

I’ve heard that the average parent loses a thousand hours of sleep in the first year, and I don’t doubt it for a second. I’m already a light sleeper, and often have trouble sleeping in Taiwan due to the heat and noises of the city. In the first few months, I still tried to go out partying late a few times with my friends. What I quickly learned, though, was that besides the obvious fact that my wife hated it, it was nearly impossible for me to recover from those nights. Babies wake up several times in the night, and then wake up very early the next morning. As a parent, no matter how early you used to wake up before having a baby, you will soon have to get accustomed to waking up several hours earlier than that.

Blazing summertime temperatures in Taiwan also mean that early mornings are the best time to take kids out. For me, this inevitably meant that I would be spending less time with my friends who like to go out late (most of them), as well as the ones who prefer to spend

the weekends climbing mountains or riding scooters around the island (the rest of them) and instead favoring daytime activities and events, of which there are many in Taipei, and at least some friends can usually be coerced to join. Also, as Sage grew older, he started sleeping better, which meant we weren’t quite so exhausted all the time, and I also eased into my new daddy lifestyle, overcoming my initial selfish unwillingness to let go of my former social habits.

At the end of summer, we took Sage back to Canada to meet my family for the first time. It was an emotional visit, for I am very close to my family. It was hard to live so far away from them before, but now that we have a baby and he’s growing up on the other side

of the world from his all his Canadian relatives, including my sister’s children, who are almost the same age, it feels substantially more difficult. We did much less on that trip than I usually do when I go home. Our only big venture was a three-day camping trip (again, more for my own interest than for Sage) which involved coordinating family members’ working schedules, finding enough baby car seats and drivers, preparing all the necessary baby gear, convincing Mommy that this would all be OK, and so on. When all was said and done, it proved to be more complicated than one can imagine.

People worry a lot about taking babies on flights, especially longer ones such as those between Asia and North America. I found it quite exciting and enjoyable. Sage slept well, and remained his usual smiling, curious self everywhere we went. Some babies feel uncomfortable during takeoff and landing because they don’t know how to clear their ears. A good trick is for mommy to breastfeed the baby during those times. Not only does it comfort the baby, but also drinking helps to unplug the ears.

After summer, and as Sage got older, every week seemed to come with groundbreaking developments. Crawling, the first bite of solid food, the first tooth, the first word, the first steps, etc. His personality started to show, with his first likes and dislikes. His senses developed, and with that, our

Blazing summertime temperatures in Taiwan also mean that early mornings are the best time to take kids out.



culture

daily activities and weekend ventures started being more catered to him (but still “for” us in that as parents there is no greater feeling than seeing your child experiencing joy in the world.) There are great parks for kids in Taipei, plenty of kid-friendly restaurants, free children’s activity centers, and hot spring hotels are a fun outing for the whole family.

As Sage got o lder, h i s napping schedule also became more regular, and with his curiosity toward his environment constantly aroused, it became more and more difficult for him to fall asleep anywhere but in his bed at home. This now means that from 1:30 to 3:30 pm every day, almost to the minute, I need to be at home, making mornings or late afternoons the only time to go out.

Eating out, something Emily and I (used to) love doing, was something that we just did way less during the first year. Also, while we generally used to eat out at around 8 or 9 pm on dates or with friends, we now eat out pretty much as soon as restaurants open for dinner, and at that time you’ll notice that most restaurants are generally full of families with kids like us. Eight o’clock is now “a little too late for us,” something only other parents can possibly comprehend. I still get out once in a while for outdoor activities or nights at the bar with my friends, and provided

I don’t come home unreasonably late, Emily is fine with this.

Around Chinese New Year of 2015, we were blessed with the news of a new baby daughter, which I had been wishing for all along. Just as things seemed to be getting quite a bit easier, we signed up for Round Two. A lot has changed for us in the last year. We moved into our own apartment, bought a car, and hired a reliable babysitter (at some point I just had to cave in and admit we needed help). We feel we are much more prepared for what’s coming this time, even though taking care of a toddler plus a newborn child at the same time should technically be much more difficult.

Shortly after we announced the news, my parents came to visit us. Despite having hosted them twice before in Taiwan, I’m still never short of new restaurants, sights, and hot springs to take them to in and around Taipei. The second week we went to Phuket in Thailand, Sage’s second time out of the country in his first year of life. We stayed on a small, quiet, white sand beach, in a simple guesthouse with a pool right beside our bungalow. Sage loved the pool and all the exotic sights and smells, and was no trouble at all on the flights. I guess one of the benefits of taking him out a lot in Taipei is that he is already a seasoned little traveler.

Now that the summer heat is here again, and despite Emily being seven months pregnant with Baby Lavender, and Sage unable to sit still for more than three seconds, we still take him out to the park almost every day, and manage to go on some kind of little adventure every weekend. Perhaps by next year I’ll be more qualified to write a “what to do with kids in Taipei” guide, but for now, I’m still learning. For the first year, all I can emphasize is that we fathers have to be as involved, and support our wives as much as possible, and never forget that no matter how tired or overworked we feel, they had to go through more physical pain and discomfort than we can imagine, and they probably still work harder than we do today.

Every parent has a different approach to raising kids, and Taipei is as good a place as any for babies. In the first year, everything is new to them. From their point of view, a trip to IKEA can be just

as exciting as going to an amusement park, in the same way that i tems such as boxes often make better toys than expensive, store-bought ones. It doesn’t matter so much where you take them in the first year. If you want to do a little bit of traveling or see your friends, it’s still possible so long as you are careful and well-prepared. What’s more important is that you just spend as much time with your baby as you can. Talk to them, sing to them, teach them how to do things by letting them help you do them, show them the world, and find a way to combine taking care of them with doing the things that make you happy. You’ll have to say goodbye to some of the things you used to think were important. And don’t worry about work, because it will always be there. Having kids isn’t for everybody, but for those who choose to, your life will be blessed with new meaning, more laughs, and a profound sense of pride.

N i c k K e m b e l i s a Canadian freelance writer who sett led in Taiwan after backpacking in 45 countries. His first book, "Taiwan in the Eyes of a Foreigner," was published in 2011, and he currently writes for a number of magazines and publishers in Taiwan. To view more of his photography and writing, or to purchase his book, visit www.nickkembel.com.



I n addition to striving to tell the story of the more than 4,350 allied prisoners of war (POWs) who were held in the fourteen Japanese

POW camps here on the island during World War II, the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society also remembers the American airmen who were captured during their missions over Taiwan in the fall of 1944 and the spring of 1945.

These airmen were not considered as prisoners of war but rather “war criminals” and when captured were not sent to the regular POW camps, but instead were incarcerated in the infamous Taihoku Prison in downtown Taipei. Sadly and needlessly fourteen

of these airmen were murdered by a Japanese Army firing squad on June 19th, 1945, only 57 days before the end of the war. They were between the ages of 19 and 24 years old.

When this story came to light, a special memorial service was held on June 19th, 2005 by the remains of the old wall of the former prison which forms the northern boundary of the Chunghwa Telecom complex on Jinshan South Road – sixty years to the day after the murders took place. In attendance was the brother of one of the executed airmen and two of his sons from Florida, USA. It was a moving and memorable event, and following

this it was decided to try to place some kind of memorial plaque on the old prison wall to make sure that these men and all those who had been held in the prison would be remembered.

S o o n J u n e 20t h , 2009, a f t e r obtaining permission from the Taipei City government, the POW Society erected and dedicated a plaque in memory of the American airmen. It will remain there forever in tribute to their courage and their sacrifice for our freedom.

In th i s sevent ieth ann iversar y year of the end of WWII, the Society decided to hold another memorial service by the old wall. Since the

culture

TaiWan PoW socieTY hoLds memoRiaL seRVice FoR ameRican aiRmen

TexT: MiChAel hursT PhOTOs: The POW sOCieTy & rOseMAry susA

1.Taihoku Prison – site of the airmen’s execution2.Some of the young men who were murdered3.Joseph Chuang plays Last Post and Reveille4.The group gather at the place where the airmen died

1

3

2

4



culture

actual location of the execution site inside the Chunghwa Telecom complex was found last year by Society Director Michael Hurst MBE, it was decided to ask permission for those in attendance to visit the site and Chunghwa Telecom was most co-operative in obliging.

So on Saturday, June 20th more than fifty people gathered once again to pay respect to these brave airmen. Prior to the memorial service itself the group was led inside the Chunghwa Telecom complex by Vice President of Public Affairs, Ho Hsu-Hui and his staff. A description of the execution was rendered by the Society director and then piper Mal Turner played Amazing Grace. It was a solemn moment.

Then Mal led the march back to the memorial site and the service got underway. AIT Acting Director Brent Christensen brought a tribute to the airmen and VP Ho brought greetings from Chunghwa Telecom. Poems and messages from some of the family members of the airmen were read and then Rev. Dave Homer of Grace Christian Church gave a challenging message and prayer of remembrance before the laying of the wreaths in tribute to the airmen. The Last Post and Reveille were played by trumpeter Joseph Chuang of Taipei American School, and Lt. Col. Jennifer Groves of the Salvation Army led the gathering in reciting the FEPOW Prayer to conclude the ceremony.

Representatives from the British Office and the Australian Office, the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the ROC Air Force

were also present. It was a wonderful service and all who attended were not only informed about another part of Taiwan’s little-known WWII history, but were also moved and touched by what they had witnessed.

For more on this story see the Spring-Summer Issue of the POW Society newsletter Never Forgotten on their website at www.powtaiwan.org .

The POW Society offers tours to the various camps and particularly the former Kinkaseki Camp in Jinguashi – the infamously cruel copper mine camp where the POWs were made to slave in the dark depths of the mine in deplorable conditions, causing many deaths.

Every year, the Community Services Center organizes a tour to Jinguashi with Society Director Michael Hurst as our guide and many have been well attended. A tour is being planned for late September, so please contact

Rosemary Susa at the Center for more information and to make a booking.

The Society conducts tours for ind iv idua ls, fami l ies, school and c o m m u n i t y g r o u p s , v e t e r a n s ’ o r g a n i z a t i o n s, r e s e a r c h e r s a n d historians, visiting government officials and anyone interested in learning more about the story of the Taiwan POWs. For further information please check out the POW Camps Tours page on the Society’s website. For costs and to arrange a tour, please contact the Society.

POW TOUR: IN THE STEPS OF THE MEN OF KINKASEKIDate: Tuesday, September 29 Time: 8:30am - 3:30pmCost: $1600Meet @ Corner of Zhongshan N. Rd., Sec. 6 & Lane 290Guide: Michael Hurst

It is not a well-known fact, but in 1942, the Japanese began bringing Allied POWs to Taiwan from Southeast Asia and held them under horrendous conditions until Japan surrendered in 1945. The largest of the six camps on Taiwan was in Kinkaseki, today's Jinguashi. This fascinating tour will take us from Raifong to Jinguashi via Jiufen along the route taken by the POWs and will include stops at the Gold Mining Museum (admission fee included) and the POW Memorial Park on the site of the camp. Bring water, a packed lunch and rain/sun protection as needed.

Canadian Michael Hurst MBE has lived in Taiwan for over 25 years. He is the founder and director of the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society and is considered to be the foremost authority on them. Michael was awarded the MBE (member of the Order of the British Empire) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his work with POWs.



C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

AGS_Taiwan_(w)15cmX(h)21cm_GLobal_17DEC_HiRes.pdf 1 2013/12/19 10:05:43 AM

No. 7, Lane 50, Sec. 2, zhong Cheng Rd., Tian Mu, Taipei 台北市忠誠路二段 50巷 7號

Chamkar Tel. 2838 3400 https://www.facebook.com/chamkarvegetarianREJUVENATE Tel. 2833 3040 https://www.facebook.com/RejuvenateTaipei

Café & Restaurant

Pure Natural Vegetarian Cafe & Restaurant Pure Natural, Holistic Health, Beauty- and Well-Being Center



culture

D uring two years of hiking on Yangmingshan, I have met some very interesting and sometimes unusual people.

Of these, I’d like to tell you about three men and one lady I met at different times and places.

Mr. Jiang is a kindly man who lives in a wooden house on the mountain, surrounded by dogs and chickens. His house is in the middle of the forest, but he sees many people. In fact, he sees enough people to sometimes put up a blue tent and serve soups, bamboo, sweet potato, and fresh orange juice to

people who walk through his front yard. There are a few tables and chairs in the tent and folks often buy some soup or orange juice and sit for a while to savor the ambience. As far as I’m concerned, Mr. Jiang makes the world’s best sweet potato soup. The flavor is amazing and it is full of huge chunks of sweet potato.

Mrs. Ma is a happy lady with a charming smile. One day, as I was passing through on my way up the mountain, she took a break from sweeping her area with a twig broom to greet me as I passed. She was very well, if somewhat strangely, dressed, given the venue. She wore a long, colorful skirt, a white blouse, white pumps with 6 cm heels, and pearls. Her hair was parted in the middle and gathered into two braids.

As I was on my way back down, we met again. She grabbed my arm and pulled me to a bench to sit down. We spoke three languages (English, Mandarin and Japanese) to, or perhaps at, each other. It took some time before any communication could take place. She urged me to exercise six days a week and demonstrated by crouching down and then springing back up. She said she had reached the age of 83 without any major bodily problems because of her six-days-a-week exercise regimen. In her younger days, she spent a lot of time hiking

TexT & PhOTOs: MArTA suZuki

Interesting Encounters on Yangmingshan


on the mountain. Now, on Sunday mornings, her son drives her to this spot on Yangmingshan and leaves her for the day. At three in the afternoon, he sends a cab driver to pick her up. I listened carefully. It is not every day that one meets a guru in the forests of Yangmingshan.

Mr. Lai is a brave soul. He and I were strangers when he was walking in front of me on the trail one day. Suddenly, he turned back to me and everyone behind me and said ”Stop moving!!” He was

holding a long branch and was waving it slowly in the air. When I saw why he was behaving this way, I almost fainted from terror. Mr. Lai was coaxing a large snake back into the forest. He had walked past the snake and then noticed it. He turned around and helped a group of strangers when he could have just continued on his way; Mr. Lai proved himself to be a hero that day.

On a Saturday morning, I was going up the mountain when I met Mr. Zu Zhuan. He was alone, raking up

leaves and bagging them. I stopped to talk and Mr. Zu spent a few minutes teaching me the correct pronunciation of his name. On the way back down, he had vanished, but had left bagged leaves for other volunteers to carry away. Mr. Zu is an outstanding example of the volunteers who help preserve and maintain Yangmingshan. He is also one of the most interesting people I have met there or anywhere in Taiwan.

Marta Suzuki was born in Rio de Janeiro, has a Japanese husband a n d t w o i n c r e d i b l e t e e n a g e r s . S h e i s a p s y c h o l o g i s t a n d worked as a flight attendant for fifteen years. Marta, who has a passion for travelling and meeting new people, has been living in Asia for seven years and this is her second time in Taiwan. She loves the local food, the people, and hiking in Yangmingshan.



R elationship issues are one of the most common reasons people seek help in counseling. Ideally we want to be in a relationship that is healthy, warm and caring. A satisfying relationship helps

us feel better about ourselves or life in general. On the other hand, being stuck in an unhealthy relationship places tremendous strain on a person’s mental health. Sometimes, however, people may not be aware that they are in an abusive relationship. They just feel they are not happy and something is not right. It is helpful to recognize some signs in abusive partners:1. Constant Monitoring Abusive partners need to know every detail of your

schedule. They may be opposed to you going out with certain friends and family members with no good reason. Basically all your appointments need to be approved by them. When you are not with your partner, you are asked to constantly report back to him/her. You can’t have any personal space or privacy. If you miss a call from your partner, you can expect ten missed calls and eight voice messages from him/her.

2. Controlling They are overly involved with your personal decisions,

but always claim they are doing this for your own good. They “help” you decide what you are going to wear, with whom you are going to hang out, what kind of job you are going to do, even whether or not you can work overtime. Basically you need to follow his/her opinion and not have your own voice.

3. Ignoring your needs Whenever you have a request, they brush it off or find

different excuses to say no. If you want more quality time together, they say they are too tired or too busy. If you want more personal space, they either guilt-trip or manipulate you into staying with them despite your own desires.

4. Blaming Whenever you have an argument, it is never their fault.

Even if they acknowledge what they do is wrong, it is because of you. So, it is still your fault.

5. Condescending They look down on everything about you, whether it is

your job, your education, or your friends and family. They never appreciate your opinion; instead, they think you are ignorant, ridiculous or wrong. They always argue with you and consider their own opinions to be the only right ones. They cannot appreciate or value you as a person. They may even think that you don’t deserve them.

6. Verbal violence When they talk, they may use curse words in every other

sentence, even though you feel offended. Especially during an argument, they are verbally abusive and make you feel humiliated and worthless.

If you find your loved one matching most of these signs, you may want to think twice. Everyone deserves to be respected, especially in an intimate relationship. If you don’t think you deserve to be treated with respect, what does that say about your view of yourself? If you find yourself always being attracted to this type of abusive partner, what is happening? These questions may not have simple answers, but they are worth exploring, especially if you want to break away from a cycle of unhealthy relationships. Sometimes our view could be distorted when staying in an unhealthy relationship for so long, because we forget there are other ways to relate to our significant other. If you need professional help on the journey toward establishing a fulfilling relationship, please do not hesitate to contact the Center.

outlook

TexT: CeriTA huANg iMAge: Web iMAge

ABUSIVE PARTNERS

Cerita is a counselor at the Center. Her professional interests are emotional disturbance and relationship issues.


culture

TexT: suZAN P. bAbCOCk iMAges: Web iMAges

OPENING THE GATES OF HADES

I n Asia, there is a cultural Buddhist and Taoist tradition, which has been observed since ancient times; one that many respectfully fear…it is the month when the gates of Hades are open and ghosts, including those of deceased ancestors leave the lower realms to visit the living on earth.

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, this exodus always occurs on the fifteenth night, at midnight, of the seventh month allowing the ghosts to wander wherever they wish for the next thirty days.

There are several names associated with this tradition that have developed over the years; Hungry Ghost Month, Hungry Ghost Festival, the Festival of Hungry Ghosts, Ghost Festival or just plain Ghost Month.




culture

What is a ghost?In traditional Chinese religion, a

ghost is a soul. Souls are released after a person dies. One soul is said to stay in the home with the ancestral family tablet, the other goes to the grave and the remainder descends into hell to be tried for the number of good and bad deeds done during its lifetime. Depending on the judgment, these souls are usually mean and very hungry because they do not get enough to eat or to live comfortably in the underworld. These souls are not worshiped as gods, but since they are believed to have power over the living, they are given offerings by those still on earth, especially during the month long Festival of Hungry Ghosts.

What do ghosts eat?PreParing their food and drink

Since the roaming ghosts are hungry, it is necessary to feed them. Buddhists believe food and water are necessary for appeasing this hunger, so they have offering rituals, which are performed at night for them. These ceremonies are for purifying the offerings, to pay respect to the Buddha and for reciting the Heart Sutra for the benefit of the hungry ghosts, along with other ritualistic observances such as the burning of paper money and incense.

Tables are set up outside of shops, homes or community clearings and are covered with just about any type of food and drink imaginable; Taiwan beer, XO whiskey, pineapples, apples, grapes, vegetables, cookies, special Buddhist steamed buns, cooked chicken, sheep, pigs, instant noodles, rice, in addition to vast servings of favorite family food specialty items.

Additional tables are set up where

individuals can pay their respects to the hungry ghosts and to also pray for deceased family members, relatives or friends. Among their prayers are those specifically for the hungry wandering ghosts, to ask them to be peaceful and happy during their time on earth and not to cause any mischief or bring harm to their living family members or cause chaos to their homes. If the ghost does not have any remaining family to pray for them, then they are reassured that they will be remembered through the prayers and offerings made by the people in the community where they are roaming.

Money offeringsThe Hungry Ghost Festival is a time to

show great compassion and generosity to help the wandering ghosts with their ordinary daily needs, so spirit money is burned for them. As the money is burned it is considered to have the power to move from this world to another realm.

aPPeasing the ghoststaiWan’s teMPles

On the first day of Ghost Month, t e m p l e-g a t e s a r e t h r o w n o p e n throughout Taiwan symbolizing that the Gates of Hades/Hell are now officially open. In the middle of the month, usually on the 12th day, tables laden with food and candles are set up on the sidewalks and in the streets to distract the hungry ghosts from going into people’s homes. This custom of holding a huge feast for the ghosts is followed by two days of parades, outdoor street performances, lively entertainment, music, puppet shows, the burning of paper money and joss sticks. Earthlings h a v e l e a r n e d f r o m e x p e r i e n c e throughout the ages that hungry ghosts are less prone to mischief if they are happy during their Ghost Month visit.

Public eventsI n S i n ga p o re fo r exa m p l e, t h e

Chinese community sponsors the



highly popular “Hungry Ghost Dinner Auction.” This event is an opportunity for community members to show the rest of the community their attributes of “social and economic face.” Being present at this event can enhance one’s position with leaders of the business and social communities, along with gaining an opportunity to return favors received during the year from business associates. Bidders are happy to place high bids because they feel that they are giving back to the community and fostering good business relationships. Such actions are valued within their communities, and auction bidders have the satisfaction of knowing that they have performed a duty of compassion for those within the hungry ghost communities.

The Keelung mid-summer ghosT FesTival

This is one of the largest attractions in northern Taiwan for observing Ghost Festival activities and rituals. Of special

note is the Ying Dou Deng parade, which takes place on the 13th day and the water lantern procession to the sea, on the 14th day. Each of the festival’s month-long ceremonies and colorful parade competit ions has i ts own specific ritual and cultural significance.

The festival’s origins began as a result of community conflict. Early Qing dynasty settlers to Keelung were mostly from Fujian Province, where ancestral hometowns were held in high esteem. Rivalry disagreements within the Keelung immigrant community sprang up resulting in armed conflict, many casualties and mounting resentment between groups. Finally, the elders decided that enough was enough and negotiated a truce. Out of this truce came a dedication to organize respectful rituals and observances for those lost and lonely spirits.

a downside For businesses and birThs

Due to lingering superstitions or taboos, businesses suffer from lack of sales during Ghost Month. Property and car purchases are also down, in spite of lucrative discount sales, geared now towards the younger generation. Studies are showing that C-sections are significantly lower during Ghost Month than in other months because many Chinese believe that it is inauspicious to have major surgical procedures during this time.

supersTiTions and TradiTional pracTices

Superstitions have a long life and in Taiwan there are many associated with Ghost Month. I remember some of my students telling me that their mothers warned them not to stay out late at

night and to never go near any bodies of water for there were ghosts in the water just waiting to snatch their bodies.

Common taboos of Ghost Month include: don’t whistle at night, for you will attract a ghost; don’t move or purchase a house, get married, have a baby; don’t wear red, which means “good luck” and ghosts want to have “good luck” from you.

closing The gaTes oF hadesIn Hong Kong, there is a 15-foot

paper replica of Taai Si Wong, who is the messenger that reports back to the lord or king of the underworld, Yen Lo Wong. In close proximity stands the Goddess of Mercy or Koon Yam, who was the first to hold a feast for the Hungry Ghosts. Apparently, during this feast, the ghosts were misbehaving so badly that she became exasperated a n d a s ke d Ye n L o Wo n g fo r h i s assistance. Legend has it that he took one look at the situation and began to eat all the ghosts in sight. Other ghosts took notice and things quieted down in a hurry.

Just before the Hungry Ghost Festival ends, the offerings of food such as noodles, buns and dishes of sweet dumplings are given to those in need. Sweets and fruit are given to children. The enormous paper replica of Taai Si Wong is paraded through designated areas to make sure that everything is in order before the Gates of Hades are closed until the following year. Once his inspection has been made, torches are lit and dropped onto any remaining ritual items, followed by the igniting of his paper replica thus, sending him off with a fiery farewell, as the Gates of Hades close firmly behind him.

Suzan Babcock is a long-t ime resident of Taiwan. Dur ing her stay here, she has managed four successful careers in education, cross-cultural relations and counseling, although being a mother has been her favorite.



culture

Blooms in SummerTaiwan is a place that offers surprise and discovery to those whose eyes are wide open. The summer months provide many garden spots and flower viewing opportunities, especially while the seasonal blooms are at their peak.

The Taipei BoTanical GardenIn 1895, at the commencement of

the Japanese colonial period, the new government addressed the importance of conducting a thorough recorded investigation of Taiwan’s indigenous plants, trees, insects, birds and animals. In 1920 land was purchased near the Taipei South City Gate to house and grow plant species. This land was known as the “Taipei Nursery,” only to become the Taipei Botanical Garden in 1921.

Located at 53 Nan-Hai Road, in busy downtown Taipei, this 8.2 hectare garden offers vis itors a pleasant, refreshing experience in nature. If you are a first time visitor, I would recommend a walk around the Lotus Pond with i ts ancient pine trees, willows and bamboo; it offers many photographic opportunities, especially i f the pond’s lotus f lowers are in bloom. There are more than 2,000 plant species to be found in the other 17 pond and garden locations giving visitors a careful representation of Taiwan’s rich bio-diversity and natural forest life.

More Than jusT a GardenGiven the wide expanse of the entire

garden and its collections, the Botanical Garden has become “more than just a garden.” Currently, it is one of the most important institutions for research and education about plants in Taiwan. It holds documented collections of living plants which are used for research purposes, conservation, exhibitions and education. Among the 17 sections are the Succulent Plants Garden, Taiwan Aquatic Plants, Dicotyledons, the Fern Garden, the Botanists’ Memorial Garden, the Plants in Literature Garden, the Woody Plant Bamboo Garden with 40 varieties of bamboo and the Odes to Plants Garden.

an ode To suMMerThere is something soothing about

stand ing in the Ta ipe i Botan ica l Garden’s Bamboo Garden on a hot August day. Bamboo is an important

plant within Chinese culture because of its versatility. Its stems are hollow, with well-defined jointed nodes and a prolific underground root system.

D u r i n g t h e m o n t h o f A u g u s t , blooms from the East Indian lotus, the Negundo chaste tree, the small-leaved barringtonia, the Queen Crape Myrtle, Campsis grandflora, Blackberry lily, Plumeria ruba and Plumeria obstusa (pink and white frangipani), Subcostate crape myrtle and Golden dewdrop can be seen in the Botanical Garden’s smaller gardens.

indoor VerTical GardensThe National Concert Hall’s indoor

vertical climbing garden is now on the international eco-tourists’ “must-see” list when visiting Taipei. Created in 2007-8 by Patrick Blanc, a French botanist and the originator of the vertical garden, this stunning artistic indoor garden has been officially titled

TexT: KiT Farley images: web images

Terrace nurseries of HushanTo get to Hudi Trail and the camellias, take bus S25 bus from Beitou MRT station, or bus 535 from Shipai MRT station and get off at Meihu stop, then walk five minutes to the trailhead.


titled “The Green Symphony Garden of Taipei.”

This living eco-art installation is 8 meters in height and 6 meters wide with 51 varieties of green plants, which were especially selected for this unique wall canvas. All of the 4,153 plant containers are artistically arranged according to plant leaf sizes, shades of green and projected growth rate. Ceiling grow lights, which allow plants at least 8 hours of light per day, along

with sufficient water,allow the plants to thrive since the plants do not need soil.

the teRRace nuRSeRieS oF huShan

The Yangmingshan area is rich in “f lower power” as wel l as having geothermal resources from the Datun volcanic cluster. Conveniently located, this area has long been a favorite nursery location, since Japanese times. More recently, it has become a center for the planting of indigenous camellia species, whose growing season is from March to November.

The camellia, an ornamental woody plant, has long been treasured for its beauty and economic value. The camellias are grown in the village of Hushan, in Beitou District; there is a terrace camellia nursery located at the end of Hushan Road, Section 2, near the Guanyuanlou restaurant where the Christmas camellia is in bloom. Another nursery locat ion is the camel l ia plantation, which is located next to the Hudi trai l behind the Hushan

Elementary School.

the ten Shin nuRSeRY and gReenhouSeS oF MiaoLi countY

Nestled in the fertile region of Miaoli County, in Yuanli Township, are the Ten Shin nursery and greenhouses, where some of the most highly prized rare orchids in the world are grown. Orch id spec ies are cu l t ivated to preserve them and avoid orchid species extinction. Many projects involving the development and growing of distinctive orchid hybrids are ongoing.

Near the Ten Shin orchid nursery and greenhouses are many organic farms, which have clean rice, vegetables, fruits, flowers and medicinal plants for sale. A visit to this area would make a lovely summer day-trip.

Kit Farley is a free-lance journalist now based in Taipei until the next adventure beckons.





photography

TexT & iMAge: CrAig fergusON

N o matter where you go in the world you'll find people. Young, old, male, female, at work, at play. If you take a

look through the portfolios of the great travel photographers such as Steve McCurry or Bob Krist, you'll see that they are full of people photography. However photographing strangers on your travels is not the easiest thing, and many opportunities may go begging as we struggle to work out how to approach somebody with the intent of photographing them. When I look back on my first travel photographs from the mid-1990s, I see that the subjects are mostly landscapes, street scenes and static subjects, while people lag behind. Nowadays, people make up probably 80-90% of my photographs. So the question becomes, how does one create strong photographs of people while traveling?

diFFeRent appRoacheSThere are a few different approaches

photographers make when they want to shoot strangers. Some work better than others, and there's one that if you are doing I'd urge you to stop immediately. Let's begin with that, and why it shouldn't be used.

For a newer, or shyer, photographer, it is tempting to attach a long telephoto lens, stay well back and zoom in on people from a distance. Some even go further and almost hide in the shadows

in the hope that they won't be seen. Don't do it. You are always noticed, even if it appears you aren't, and the first thing that goes through a person’s mind is, “Why is that photographer hiding behind the tree?” It puts people on their guard and is quite a rude way to go about photographing people. In any event the photos aren't typically very good anyway as they're furtive and you're shooting from a long distance. Famed war photographer Robert Capa once said, “If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough.” So how do we get close?

Obtaining permission from your subject is guaranteed to allow you to photograph them from up close. That permission may come directly through asking, or it may be more indirect such as a smile while raising the camera. Still though, the people you'll be trying to photograph during your travels are strangers and may not speak your language, so nervousness on the part of the photographer in obtaining that permission is normal.

A good way to start is in a street market or at a festival, or some other location where camera-toting tourists are common. Buying a piece of fruit or drink from a vendor is a good way to start the interaction between you and your subject. Ninety-nine percent of the time, if you then ask them if you can photograph them, they'l l say yes. You now have permission to photograph them and that puts you well on the way to creating a good photograph. Mix up your shots a bit.

Start with a close up portrait as the first shot while you have their attention, and then step back. Take a few environmental portraits from a couple of different angles. For these, it doesn't matter so much if your subject has turned his/her focus back to work and other customers, as that can just add to the atmosphere of the photograph. Just be sure not to get in anyone's way.

A s a m o r e i n d i r e c t w a y o f photographing people, be obvious about your intentions. This is easiest when you obviously don't look like a local, but just being open and friendly is what it's all about. Make no attempts to hide your presence. The people in the environment will generally be aware you are there and that you are photographing, at the very least. You may not necessarily directly ask whether or not you can take a photo, but your obvious presence gives the local people the opportunity to let you know if they don't want their photograph taken. That may be by way of a shake of the head, waving in negative manner or even saying “no photo.” That's fine. If and when you come across that, respect it, don't take the photo, and give them a friendly smile and acknowledgment of their wishes.

Craig is a professional p h o t o g r a p h e r a n d has worked with the likes of Lonely Planet, Monocle, Asia Business T r a v e l l e r , A s i a n Geographic and many more. In addition, he also teaches regular photography workshops and individual classes in and around Taipei. Visit his website at www.craigfergusonimages.com.

Travel Photography Essentialsby Craig Ferguson

Travel Photography Essentials is an eBook designed to get you up and running with travel photography. From beginner level right through to enthusiast, this 98-page book covers a wide range of topics from basic settings to subject-oriented advice to what to do if you think your photographs are good enough to sell.For more details and to purchase the eBook, visit http://www.craigfergusonimages.com/travel-photography-essentials/. Enter the code ‘centered’ and get US$5 off!

Photographing People – Approaching Strangers




D aylily soup, with its bland taste and watery, almost colorless appearance, with a couple of shriveled daylily flower buds floating on top, is never likely to be

a hit with the average Westerner in Taiwan, despite the health-giving properties claimed for it by locals. What is likely to be of great interest, however, is the way the flowers are grown for consumption here. Covering hillsides on the eastern part of the island in vast swathes of orange, the daylily plantations of Hualien and Taitung counties are one of the most beautiful sights of the Taiwanese summer, and you don’t even need to be a flower lover to be bowled over by the spectacle.

Daylilies (hemerocallis) are of course a popular ornamental flower back in the West where countless gardens and parks are graced in summer by the fragile blooms (each of which lasts for just one day, hence the name) of these lovely plants. The incredible seas of blooms that flower each year in August and September at Chihken, Liushidanshan and Taimali in Hualien and Taitung counties on Taiwan’s sun-drenched east coast, however, are something else completely. Although they’re incredibly beautiful in flower and attract crowds at the weekends, these fields of day lilies are grown for consumption. The buds are picked before they’re allowed to open, and then steamed to kill them and so prevent them from opening. Finally they’re dried in the sun for several days.

Despite their relative remoteness, all three daylily mountains are extremely popular destinations among local tourists; in season try to avoid busy weekends at all costs to avoid horrendous traffic jams up the long, winding roads. Try instead to go on a weekday, when conditions are much more conductive to enjoying these amazing places to the full. All three daylily mountains are fairly high (at 800 to 1,100 meters), and are refreshingly cool on the hottest summer days, although the altitude also makes them prone to fog and afternoon clouds, so visit in the morning if possible.

Taiwan’s daylily mountains

TexT & iMAges: riChArD sAuNDers

richard saunders is a trained classical musician and writer who has lived in Taipei since 1993. he has written several books (available at the Center and in bookshops around Taipei), including Yangmingshan: the Guide (a complete guide to the National Park on Taipei’s doorstep) and Taipei Escapes I and 2, which together detail sixty day trips and hikes within easy reach of Taipei city. A fourth book, a guide to Taiwan’s offshore islands, is out now.

For more ideas on places to go and things to see in Taiwan, visit Off the Beaten Track at http://taiwandiscovery.wordpress.com/

RICHARD SAUNDERS EXPLORES TAIWAN'S LESS-TRODDEN PATHS



dRagon FRuit 火龍果 [huolongguo]Dragon fruit is a species of cactus originating in Mexico, but

now grown in many countries in Central America and Asia.The fruit has a creamy pulp and delicate aroma, dotted with

black, crunchy seeds. Varieties with white and red flesh can be found in Taiwan. Dragon fruit can be eaten fresh, added to salads or squeezed to make juice.

Dragon fruit can be found in Taiwan through the year, but summer and fall are the best seasons.

avocado 酪梨 [luoli]Like dragon fruit, avocado also originated in Mexico, and was

introduced to Taiwan during the Japanese colonial era (1895-1945). Many varieties are found on the market from June to February.

Avocados found in Taiwan usually have a fairly smooth skin, and range from 50g to 800g in weight. Some types are ripe and can be served when the color of the skin changes from green to purplish, while some will remain green when ripe.

Avocado can be served with salad, but the Taiwanese like to make milk shakes with them. In the south of the island, people serve avocado with sugar or soy sauce.

wax appLe 蓮霧 [lianwu]Wax apple originated in Malaysia and was introduced to

Taiwan in the 17th century.Wax apples can be whitish, pink, red or green in color. Each

has one to three small black seeds in the middle. The fruit is very juicy and tastes like apple, but is less crunchy.

Wax apples can be found all year round, but the best months are from May to September, and during Chinese New Year. The darker red fruit tastes sweeter than lighter ones.

TexT: ivy CheN iMAges: TiNg TiNg huANg

dragon Fruit, avocado & wax apple



SAT | Redesigned SAT | ACT | GRE | GMAT | TOEFL | L3 | Private Tutoring

www.PrincetonReview.com.tw

facebook.com/tprtaiwanEnroll today forsummer courses!

phone: 02-2751-1293 address: 2F, No. 169, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei City 106

phone: 02-2871-0270address: No. 30-1, Lane 81, Section 7, Zhongshan North Road, Taipei City 111

Better Scores. Better Schools.

#14 Tienmu E. Road | Telephone 2871-1515 | [email protected]

cSc BuSineSS cLaSSiFied

education

heaLth

education BeautY

inveStMent education

haiR StYLiSt

BeautY



Documents

August2015