Taipei
Taipei. When my family informed me that I would be traveling to Taiwan with them to visit our family there, I remember that sense of anticipation. I had not been to Taiwan since the summer after freshman year of high school more than four years ago. I was going to travel to Taiwan after graduating from high school, but an unfortunate development prevented me from doing so, much to my disappointment.
I was in Taiwan three weeks after coming back from a robotics competition in Shenzhen, the Silicon Valley of China. When my Taiwanese uncle drove my family through the outskirts of Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, I remember being somewhat surprised. The buildings were old, appearing to have been built more than seventy years ago in the 1930s or 1940s. When I arrived at my grandparents apartment in Xindian, a district in the eastern section of Taipei, it only reinforced my impression of Taipei's age. However, I was once again surprised when I traveled to the eastern section of Taipei. Western Taipei is so...modern, as modern as Shenzhen...a stark contrast with the undeveloped (old), pseudo traditional (old), western section of Taipei.
Taipei. Divided into eastern and western sections by a river. The western part of Taipei felt more traditional, more eastern. It was as if Westernization had limited influence. It felt like time had stopped there, remaining frozen in time. Late 1800s and 1900s with some hints of 1940s and 1950s settings. However, the eastern part of Taipei is modern, Western. Incredibly Western. It was almost like walking down a lane in Bellevue or Redmond. This part of Taipei is more connected with the Western world. Like Hong Kong, Taiwan is not a continuous smooth blend of Eastern and Western culture, integrated as one whole. It's more of a composite of Eastern and Western cultural elements. Certain cultural aspects are distinctly Western. Others cultural aspects are distinctly Eastern. Yet, this division of East and West is not only reflected in the landscape in the city. It is also reflected in its inhabitants. The older generations tend to be more Eastern in their mannerisms, the younger generations more Western, a sign of the changing times, of globalization.
The cultural atmosphere. Taiwanese culture is surprisingly complex. On the surface, it appears to be mixture of Chinese culture and American western culture. However, upon closer inspection, Taiwanese culture has many aspects. Many cultural influences. The eastern aspect of Taiwanese culture is a blend of Han Chinese, Japanese, and native Taiwanese culture. The western aspect a blend of European and American western cultures. Perhaps best illustrated by the flags of Fort San Domino at Dansui, the northern district of Taipei. Spanish. Dutch. British. Japanese. Australian. American. All of them having their influences on Taiwan with varying degrees.
Like many Italian cities, traces of Taiwan's past emerge from its modern landscape. Fort San Domingo at Dansui, the northern district of Taipei. Lin Family Mansion and Garden in Banquiao, a district in Taipei. Both indicating Taiwan's past cultural influences.
I was in Taiwan three weeks after coming back from a robotics competition in Shenzhen, the Silicon Valley of China. When my Taiwanese uncle drove my family through the outskirts of Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, I remember being somewhat surprised. The buildings were old, appearing to have been built more than seventy years ago in the 1930s or 1940s. When I arrived at my grandparents apartment in Xindian, a district in the eastern section of Taipei, it only reinforced my impression of Taipei's age. However, I was once again surprised when I traveled to the eastern section of Taipei. Western Taipei is so...modern, as modern as Shenzhen...a stark contrast with the undeveloped (old), pseudo traditional (old), western section of Taipei.
Taipei. Divided into eastern and western sections by a river. The western part of Taipei felt more traditional, more eastern. It was as if Westernization had limited influence. It felt like time had stopped there, remaining frozen in time. Late 1800s and 1900s with some hints of 1940s and 1950s settings. However, the eastern part of Taipei is modern, Western. Incredibly Western. It was almost like walking down a lane in Bellevue or Redmond. This part of Taipei is more connected with the Western world. Like Hong Kong, Taiwan is not a continuous smooth blend of Eastern and Western culture, integrated as one whole. It's more of a composite of Eastern and Western cultural elements. Certain cultural aspects are distinctly Western. Others cultural aspects are distinctly Eastern. Yet, this division of East and West is not only reflected in the landscape in the city. It is also reflected in its inhabitants. The older generations tend to be more Eastern in their mannerisms, the younger generations more Western, a sign of the changing times, of globalization.
The cultural atmosphere. Taiwanese culture is surprisingly complex. On the surface, it appears to be mixture of Chinese culture and American western culture. However, upon closer inspection, Taiwanese culture has many aspects. Many cultural influences. The eastern aspect of Taiwanese culture is a blend of Han Chinese, Japanese, and native Taiwanese culture. The western aspect a blend of European and American western cultures. Perhaps best illustrated by the flags of Fort San Domino at Dansui, the northern district of Taipei. Spanish. Dutch. British. Japanese. Australian. American. All of them having their influences on Taiwan with varying degrees.
Like many Italian cities, traces of Taiwan's past emerge from its modern landscape. Fort San Domingo at Dansui, the northern district of Taipei. Lin Family Mansion and Garden in Banquiao, a district in Taipei. Both indicating Taiwan's past cultural influences.
Penghu
The Penghu Islands, also known as the Pescadores Islands. Literally meaning "Fisherman's Islands" in Spanish. An archipelago of small islands to the west of Taiwan. A place known for its natural beauty, mostly untouched by the modern world (for now). White sand. Clear waters. So quiet. So slow. Time flows differently. Whereas time flows relatively quickly in Taipei (though not nearly as quickly as in Shenzhen), time flows slowly in the Penghu islands, analogous to the painting of drooping clocks, The Persistence of Memory. It felt like eons could pass with nothing changing, as if time were frozen in one moment...or at least very slowly progressing from one moment to the next...