Contemporary Taipei

This site provides an interesting look at contemporary Taipei and its future. Author Douglas McGray, with photographer, Michael Wolf, visit the city of Taipei searching for its future. They meet many characters along the way, eat a variety of "interesting" local foods and visit many sites. In the pages, I found a very real look at the Taipei I am experiencing. There is depth and long tentacles to the past, resulting in unique creative expression in all directions.

Check out the site below to read the story and enjoy the pics, but be patient..it takes some time to read, but is well worth the wait.

http://nytimes.com/indexes/2008/03/30/style/t/index.htm#pageName=30taipeiw 

Five Cent Driftwood House

The Five-Cent Driftwood House was designed, built and turned into a living sculpture by artist, Li-hsiang Hsieh. Her style is defined through the transformation of varied ad unique building materials into remarkable homes and restaurants is one that is filled with intrigue and magic. She does not call herself an architect and has never received any formal training, not even in art, yet since she was a child she has been putting sticks and found objects together. Building and sculpting is part of the rhythm or her life. I was so amazed by the Five-Cent Driftwood House in Taipei that the food which was beautifully prepared and presented on handmade pottery created by Hsieh, was of less importance to me. Every surface inside and outside of the structure is decorated with sculptural surfaces, artifacts, sculptures and painting. It is all handmade, on location, by Hsieh. This is one of four existing restaurants in Taiwan, all individually created by Hsieh. Please check out my flickr page at http://flickr.com/photos/23521940@N07 for more images. Check out Hsieh's site for additional information at her goals and four restaurants. http://www.five-dime.com.tw.

Green Ideas

You can see more photos of the march at my flickr account: http://flickr.com/photos/23521940@NO7
Yesterday I was invited to participate in a live performance a the the Green Party (DPP) Political rally in Taipei. There are over 127 political parties registered in Taiwan, but next weeks election has boiled down to a contest between two prominent parties. One is the current presidents' political party, known as the DDP or Democratic Progressive Party which favors permanent political independence from mainland China. The other party is the Chinese Nationalist Party, known as the Kuomintang or KMT party. The DPP is "green" and the "blue party is KMT.







My friend Lily, her cousin and her cousin's friend and I met early in the morning at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall. The other participants, about 50 in all, were Taiwanese and right from the start I stuck out like a BIG American! A famous actor and designed a huge Trojan horse and a performance piece we were invited to participate in. The story we performed concerned the poor quality of products exported by China. Characters, dressed as cell phone, candy, oil, toys, food, even milk, lobster and dumplings danced and sang in a choreographed performance. On closer inspection, the poison signs and skull and crossbones painted onto their elaborate costumes became evident. Workers dressed in the blue costumes of China climbed from the Trojan horse where smoke and dirt spewed out onto the crowd. A huge replica of China's president presided over all. Suddenly the good guys (that's me!) came running out carrying huge canisters of CO2. All 20 of us herded the workers and dangerous export products away, gassing them until our canisters were empty. We then cried out about our victory and began to push the horse around the city of Taipei. Tens of thousands of people followed us, high-fiving everyone. The figures jumped along the roadways and politicians climbed aboard the horse and stood inside the huge windows waving at the crowds. A cotillion of Japanese senators also joined in. It was an amazing experience. I have gone to many peace rallies in DC, but this one topped them all.



Although I was hounded by the news media all day, the only statement I made was that I love Taiwan and that in America we have the same problem with imports from China..remember the lead painted toys at Christmastime? I honestly did not know enough to comment on anything else related to this election. Taiwan is a democracy and this exercise of freedom of speech was both real and amazing to be a part of. I will never forget the hundreds of hands I touched, the eyes that sparkled into mine and the words of gratitude I received for being a part of this important event.

Zhinan Temple

I have posted my photos on http://flickr.com/photos/23521940@N07

Please copy and paste the link into your browser to view. Then select the Zhinan Temple from my sets.

Yesterday was a beautiful day and my friends, Jessica and Steven, treated Chiu-Jhin and I to a terrific home-cooked Italian meal. They live in the San Francisco area of Taiwan. I think of it that way because of the way the buildings are built into the sides of the mountainous terrain.

After lunch we walked up along a wonderful mountain road with streams and waterfalls to the awesome mountain temple of Zhinan. Check my flicker account to see an unusual fern tree. The fern top dies at the end of the season, leaving a tall trunk that has a cool oval pattern. A new fern grows from the top of the trunk in the new season.

The temple is a beautiful example of the architectural style that combines northern, Chinese and southern Taiwanese ideas, creating a uniquely Taiwanese structure. The structure was built in 1890 and can be reached from a stairway of 1200 curved steps. The religion at this temple is Taoism. There are many registered religions in Taiwan. The most popular one is Buddhism and the second most popular is Taoism. Over 4.5 million Taiwanese follow this religion. The religion evolved from the teachings of Lao Tsu, who lived during the 6th Century BC. Taoists believe that religion is the fulfillment of divinity. Taoists use incense and food offerings for prayer and worshop. There are many Taoist temples throughout Taiwan and most of them are distinguished with a colorful, sculptured roofline. One must enter the temple on the right and exit it on the left-side. The temple's surfaces are filled with colorful and historical images that relate stories. People line up to be doused in incense from head to toes as volunteers wave large incense sticks over every person.

Just inside each entrance stands a large cauldron where people like their incense sticks, leaving them there to honor the god of the sky. When incense sticks are lit up, the person holding them bows towards the god or altar three times in quick succession. Leaving offerings such as religious paper money and various kinds of fresh and packaged foods is common. Plus there are large glass cabinets for donating bills and coins as well as for making larger donations. Zhinan Temple honors one of the eight immortals, Lu Dongbun. Folklore has it that he is jealous of young lovers, so couples who are unmarried do not go to this temple alone, for fear that he will cause them to break-up.

Surrounding the temple are many gardens and pathways through the landscaped walkways that are both traditional and totally gorgeous. The Taoist Institute of China is connected to the Zhilan Temple. I was fortunate to hear a performance of the monks. It was another one for the memory books. The views were spectacular. It was great to be in the sweet, fresh air and enjoy the peaceful gardens and fresh spring blooms.