by Chris Lynd 林持一Strangely, instead of doing nothing and relaxing, I spent all my summer solving problems which should have not happened at all. I was travelling, and I was faced with many curious and ridiculous problems that let me have a rethink on how life works. However, after all the agonising processes of getting through the troubles, I survived. I hope my experiences may give you some insight into your own life as well.
Taipei At the gate, I was queueing to board the aeroplane for Hong Kong, having my documents checked. “Sorry, sir. I’m afraid that we cannot let you board the plane”, said an airline lady with a stern face. As it turned out, the information on my Hong Kong visa was inconsistent with that on my passport. Due to the strict operating procedures of the airline company, they could not pass me through. Even if they did, I might still be blocked from entry at Hong Kong immigration and ultimately sent back to Taiwan. “If you can renew the visa right now, we may wait for you for another 10 minutes before take-off”. Having heard that, I tried my best, but 20 minutes later I saw my flight take off. However, it was urgent for me to arrive in Hong Kong that day. I had to get my visa ready and board the plane, any plane. So I was then led to the airline’s transfer counter. The transfer area of an airport is funny, and somewhere between countries. I was standing on Taiwanese soil, yet I was not actually inside Taiwan, legally speaking. To enter Taiwan, I had no choice but to go through some extremely complicated procedures. To get on the plane, I still had to leave the transfer area into Taiwan and again check in at the airline counter, waiting for the security check and immigration. Most importantly, I could not board my flight without the bloody visa. In the next 8 hours, the famous film The Terminal came to life. I stayed at the transfer counter for help. The airline staff were willing to help, though they ended up not being quite helpful. After one hour of pacing in front of the counter, I decided to seek help from Hong Kong myself. During my waiting for the staff who were trying to help me by refreshing the Hong Kong visa application website again and again to see if it was possible to renew my visa, I went on the Internet and found that some people had put themselves in similar situations. In these articles, I found the contact information of the Hong Kong Immigration Department. I wrote them immediately, described the situation, and stated that it was really, really urgent. It was a Friday. If I did not receive their reply that day, I might not get my visa until Monday, which was one day prior to my scheduled departure from Hong Kong. Surprisingly and touchingly, soon after I sent the email, they replied to me with warmth and sympathy. Another 2 hours later with more emails written, I finally got my visa. The next step was to get my ticket. But all the flights were fully booked. I had two options: get on my airline’s standby list, or spend 3 times more money on a new ticket from another airline. No matter what I chose, I had to leave the transfer area into Taiwan anyway, which meant I had to go through all the procedures. Luckily, an airline lady kindly accompanied me and helped me pass through without any difficulty. Officially on Taiwanese soil, I was on my own. It was then I found out that if I would like to purchase a new ticket the price would be enormous. I ran to every airline counter in 2 terminals to ask if there was still a ticket that day. In the end, I gave up and went back to my original airline, finally managing to get a seat and several hours later landing in Hong Kong safely. Monte Carlo “Hello? Can you hear me?” At that moment I was in Monaco, having a fight with my girlfriend over the phone, who was some 9,000 kilometres away. A friend of mine gave me his backup phone, telling me to turn on the personal Internet hotspot so I did not need to buy a SIM card. Sadly, spending most of my time outdoors, the signal was beyond terrible. So as I made an unsuccessful FaceTime call to my girlfriend for the millionth time, an idea struck me. It was the worst idea I ever had, to be honest. What I wanted to do was put my mate’s SIM card into my phone with an eye to enhancing the signal. I sat in a small garden on the pavement and ejected the SIM card from my mate’s phone, trying to put the card into mine. However, the card did not fit the slot of my phone, and I had to place the card on my lap and put the trays of the phones back. Then I saw my card fall from my lap into the ditch cover right beneath my feet. I was astounded. Mercifully, I could still see the card through the ditch cover, which meant that there was a chance for me to save it. I got down on my knees and lifted up the cover, reached down into the ditch and finally picked up the card. After that, I did my best to put the cover back, but it was a Monaco ditch cover: robust, sturdy and very, very heavy. How could I have lifted it up so easily? I moved to a safe spot in the garden and put the SIM card back to my friend’s phone. But then I was asked to enter a PIN code. How did I know what the code was? I couldn’t ask my friend because I couldn’t make a phone call. I only had three chances to enter the right code before the phone locked, and I had already used up two tries by guessing. “How on earth am I going to solve this?” I thought to myself. So I decided that free public Wi-Fi was the only answer, but in Monaco it was easier to find than a unicorn than that. Around 20 minutes later, I popped into a souvenir shop to ask if they sold SIM cards. “No, we don’t. You need to leave Monaco into France to get one.” I felt suicidal. But another 5 minutes later, a miracle happened. I connected to the “Public Wi-Fi of the Principality of Monaco”, which charged me 5 euros a day. Now I could phone my friend for the PIN code, but my heart had nearly popped out in the meantime. I unlocked the phone and called my girlfriend. She could not believe what had just happened, neither could I. In the end, the signal did not get any better, and I realised that I had just wasted two hours of my time and it was all devoted to solving problems resulting from my own stupidity. However, I decided to think positively and to carry on in spite of what I had done. The first thing I did, as soon as I could, was to get a bloody SIM card. London I had had my camera for 4 happy years, but on my first day in London I broke it. I was at the DriveTribe office and was being shown around, giving me many opportunities to take photos. But then I dropped the camera, and my jaw dropped, too. I looked at my watch, 7 pm. I had to get to the Queen’s Theatre for Les Misérables in 30 minutes. There was no chance for me to be there on time by taking the Tube. But it was possible if I took Uber (a London taxi during rush hour? No, thanks). But what about the camera? The next day I was supposed to visit two car shows and interview a lot of people, so I needed the camera a lot. If I decided to have the camera fixed, or even buy or rent a new one, I would miss the shows. Or should I give up Les Misérables, the musical that audiences were still fighting for tickets for? I had spent so much time and money to get a good seat. Should I really ditch it for the camera? But if I headed for the theatre, how could I have my camera repaired? “You’ve already lost the camera, accept it and move on”, I told myself. Then I called Uber, thinking that my misery might end. However, the driver got lost and it took him another 10 minutes to arrive at the pickup spot. When I finally got in the car, we had 13 minutes to cover a journey which normally takes 20 minutes. Worse still, with his peculiar accent, it took me another 2 minutes to go through Uber’s necessary identity check. I was going to be late, could it be any worse? Suddenly, the driver said, “I’m afraid the fastest way to get there is to run”. “Run? Are you joking?” He proved he wasn’t joking through his silence. Less than a minute later, I’m running through London’s glittering West End like a mad man, bumping into a million people. At 7:33 pm, I arrived at the Queen’s Theatre. Nonetheless, due to the theatre’s policy, I was not allowed to enter until 15 minutes after the show had begun. But it didn’t matter, it was a really good show, worth every penny. After the show, it was around 10:30 pm and I was starving to death. Just when I thought that my life was getting more and more shitty, and all the restaurants were closed, I found a famous burger shop ready to feed my flesh and my soul. Just as the musical said, “Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” Having my first bite, I realised the meaning of this line. Life goes bad but never leaves you in despair. There will always be a way out. “What could possibly go wrong?” we ask ourselves. Mind you, you never know. Often, life does not work the way we want it to. Carelessness, stupidity or bad decisions may give rise to catastrophes. Faced with frustrations, we may have breakdowns, yet after that we must—as it’s the only choice—get up and get on with it. Just accept what life gives you and try to move on.
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by Takeshi Uchida Is Taiwan very similar to Japan? Is your answer “Yes” or “No”? I want to say “Yes,” but also say “No”. Maybe some Japanese say “Yes” and other Japanese say “No”. I don’t know which is true. Therefore, to figure out the difference between Japan and Taiwan, I focused on my life every day from morning to night.
My story “It is time to get up”; I have to get up at 7am, but I feel heavy, because it rains and is always humid. “I don’t want to go out.” I think in my bed. I finish getting ready and go to the campus. Chinese class starts at 8 am. I can concentrate during class because the teacher can speak English very well and the teaching style is so good. In general, Taiwanese people can speak English better than Japanese students can. After class, I have plans to meet my Taiwanese friend in Guting. So I go to Gongguan station. On the way to the station, there are a lot of bicycles and motorbikes on the road. It is so scary to walk and I have to be careful all the time. When I get to the station, I have to buy the ticket, so I charge 500$ to my card. I am surprised to see how cheap the transportation fare is. In Japan, the fare is more expensive. Also, if I use my student ID, it is cheaper than the regular price. I am so glad. I arrive at Guting station and I meet my friend and go to a Taiwanese restaurant. I am so thirsty that I wait for water, but no matter how much time I wait, the waitress doesn’t bring a cup of water. I ask my friend “why they don’t bring a water?” he say “It is usual to buy something to drink in Taiwan.” I am used to Japan’s style, so I wait for a cup of water, naturally. I end up ordering Taiwan beer. When I drink little bit, I am surprised it is so easy to drink. Japanese beer is more bitter, so I don’t like the Japanese one. But I like Taiwan beer so much. I eat a lot of Taiwanese foods; they are all tasty and have a lot of garlic. I like them all so much. I eat a lot, so I am worry about how expensive it is. When I see the bill, I say “How cheap!” In Taiwan, the cost is much cheaper than Japan. I am so satisfied with the lunch. On the way back to the dorm, on the MRT, I drink juice. Suddenly a woman says to me” don’t drink juice here. I say” Why?” a woman says “drinking on the MRT is banned. Oh,no… I didn’t know this rule. “sorry”. In Japan, it is usual to drink juice on the train. So here I learned about Taiwanese culture. I want to sit, and there are some seats, so “please sit in those seat”. But my friend says “They are different colors, so we should not sit down there. Wow, in Japan we should give priority seats to elderly people, it is the same as Taiwan, but some people take priority seats. In Taiwan, nobody takes priority seats. I feel the kindness of Taiwanese. After coming back to the dorm, I say “what a refreshing day” while on my bed. This is my day. Have you experienced the same or not? Do you think Taiwan is similar or not? Result of interviews To generalize the difference, I interviewed 20 Japanese exchange students. (See graph below) pros 6 people say cheaper cost is the most attractive point. Of course, food is cheap, and fare is also cheaper than Japan. Next, 5 students answered kindness of Taiwanese, they feel kindness anytime in Taiwan. Third is traffic system. MRT and bus is well established. 4th is about foods. Most Japanese say Taiwanese food is so tasty that they are satisfied with them. Except for ranking, some student say it is comfortable to live or Taiwanese is cuter than expected. Cons Take a look at the above graph. 1st is about traffic. Most students think the road is dangerous. 2nd is about weather. It rains a lot and is so humid that it is a little stressful for Japanese. 3rd is toilet. In Taiwan, toilets are a little dirty for Japanese. In Japan, restrooms area too clean and have a washlet. 4th is about smells. In the streets of Taiwan, gasses from motorbike and car make the air have bad smells of “chodofu” is offensive. So while walking on the street, Japanese feel uncomfortable. Expect for rank, there are less holidays. There are a lot of wild dogs too and this is scary. Summary Can you see the differences? We still cannot answer this question. However, according to my story and results of the interviews, we have differences. I think it is so good because culture difference is exciting and interesting. I want to investigate this topic more. If you can enjoy my article, I am glad. See you. by Chienn Tai Artwork by white Terror victim Ouyang Jian-hua (歐陽劍華, 1927-2011), husband of Zhang Chang-Mei.
“Lost to human rights, lost to human morality, lost to humanity.” A Sole Survivor “He said that he’d rather have innocent 99 wrongly executed than leaving one guilty out,” remarked the 87-year-old White Terror victim Zhang Chang-Mei (張常美, 1931-). She was speaking about Chiang Kai-Shek(蔣中正), the former president of Taiwan. Zhang was imprisoned for 12 years during the period known as the White Terror, a term familiar to all Taiwanese who grew up after the 1980s. But the details of what really happened remain mostly unknown. In September 2018, the theatrical troupe Island Stage (海島演劇) presented this untold story via an original stage play revolving around three women who were imprisoned and even lost their lives during this terrible period. Zhang, the only survivor out of the three, was interviewed after the show, and the bloody history of the White Terror became, once again, alive, with the suffering and tears that caused to a generation of two hundred thousand. What is the White Terror (1949-1991)? Beginning in 1947, Taiwan entered a phase of single-party rule by the KMT (Kuomintang, a.k.a. Chinese Nationalist Party). Martial laws were launched, eliminating any opposition and strictly controlling the whole nation’s ideology. Civilians were on their guard against one another, and were terrified of being accusing of a bandit spy (匪諜, a spy for Chinese communists), which got them into a great deal of trouble. The entire island was shrouded by the fear of being labelled or prosecuted by the officials. Criminals Without Committing Crimes Ding Yao-Tiao (丁窈窕), sentenced to death by shooting after 3 years of prison. Shih Shui-Huan(施水環), sentenced to death by shooting after 2 years of prison. Zhang Chang-Mei , sentenced to 12 years of prison. All of the victims were forced into jail in the middle of an ordinary day, midway through dinner or school, but only one of them made it out alive after twelve years and one hundred days under lock and key. Even Her Two-Year-Old Child Knew What “Shooting to Death” Meant Ding and Shih shared dear friends and were both accused of communism involvement. It was an age of torture and interrogation, false confessions were made on a daily basis with belts and whips. Ding was sent to jail because of her close proximity to Shih. She had helped her friend fend off an arrogant pursuer.Frustrated, the man reported her as a spy because of her possession of “the restricted book.” Ding was pregnant when she went to jail and her baby girl grew up in prison. On the day of execution, she was told that there were “special visitors” for her. She was later grabbed forcibly, leaving her child screaming and crying repeatedly, “My mama is not a bad person, please don’t shoot her!” The sentence lingered on, but Ding’s life did not. May God grant us His glory upon us all, amongst our family, Amen. Peace be with you.” (from Shih’s 68th letter, 1956) Shih had a younger brother who got labeled as a spy because of his left-wing political stance whilst in university. She hid him in the ceiling of her dormitory and was later arrested herself. The 68 letters home are her only belongings preserved to this day, along with her firm and steadfast spirit. “Mother dear, worry not, our righteous judge shall prove us innocent. We have always been abiding by the laws, have always been well-behaved, nothing of the government dare we challenge in this great, wide world.” (from Shih’s 2nd letter,1954) So she wrote, reassuring her family and holding on to hope, but each time it was another wave of disappointment and torture that finally carried her away into the tides of death. “Why Am I Confined Here? I Need to Go Back to Class!” Zhang was still a young and bright 19-year-old elite student in Taichung when, out of the blue, she was summoned to the principal’s office and never returned to class. She was made to sign a false confession letter and admit to accusations she was completely ignorant of. “I was only the class leader, how do I know anything about committing crimes and communism?” During her days in jail, she shared a ward as tiny as 100 square feet with 10 other prisoners; she witnessed many people shot to death every day, including seven women whom she knew who were shot to death right in front of her. Recalling Fu Ru-Zhi (傅如芝1932-1956), another white terror victim, Zhang said: “I remember how brave she was when being told there were ‘special visitors’ for her. She simply took off her green sweater and told us to pass it to her little brother. We dared not cry out, as she did not; it was only after a gunshot pierced through the silent air that we unleashed our great lament.” A History that All Taiwanese Should Be Familiar With “To be truthful, it’s really agonizing to recall all those terrible, horrible days… but then if you all wish to hear about them, here I am.” Tears accompanied her memories as she finished her story, and her audience shed tears along with her. Zhang Chang-Mei represents the one survivor of the 99 innocent people who were captured and slaughtered by the government, like sparrows on the field. But when one sparrow is willing to share her memories — barely surviving, still holding on— we can know something of the real untold story of the White Terror. by Peter WangGrowing up in Taiwan, it is not surprising to encounter foreign restaurants on the streets. However, based on a survey I made, Taiwanese people’s impression of foreign foods is actually quite limited. When asked them what was the first foreign food that came into their minds, the top three answers were always Japanese, Korean, and American.
So today, let me take you on a ride to explore the most exotic restaurants around campus. Hold on tight! Sababa Sababa, a special Middle-Eastern restaurant, rests quietly on the corner of Wenzhou street and with its distinctive ambiance draws in passers-by. Sababa is most famous for its pita bread, a dish barely seen or known by Taiwanese people. Pita is a round, flat bread made of whole wheat flour that contains a pocket, a room puffed up by air while baking. Fresh out of the oven, the pocket will be stuffed with meat and all kinds of fillings. Falafel balls and hummus can be placed on top, nicely covered by mint yogurt or other sauces, depending on which flavor you choose. You may wonder what hummus and falafels are. Hummus is like mashed potatoes, thick and creamy, only it is made from chickpeas, a type of bean high in protein that originates in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Chickpeas can also be served in other forms, the most common one being falafel. Falafel is a type of deep-fried ball containing ground chickpeas, various spices, and flour (to bind it all together). A well made falafel will have a warm, soft texture on the inside with a thin, grainy crust on the outside, adding another layer of taste to the pita bread. 3 idiots toast & curry Another restaurant I find interesting is “3 idiots toast & curry,” a vegan Indian restaurant located by Wenzhou Park. What makes it extra special is that its curry doesn’t use onion and garlic, which are almost essential in traditional Indian curry. But some vegetarians avoid eating onion and garlic for religious or cultural reasons. That’s also the reason why 3 idiots curry doesn’t give off a pungent smell and a strong taste. What’s more, they also use chickpeas in one of their curries, named Chole Masala. I am surprised by how common chickpeas are in different food cultures! The chickpeas in this curry are unground and they still retain their shape. However, they are so soft that you can smoothly mush them with your tongue. The rice served on the side, with its long and thin grain, is also different from what we usually have in Taiwan and has a rougher texture. However, for me it simply didn’t shine. Then I caught a glimpse of the girl sitting across from me having a green, tasty-looking curry and I thought to myself I would definitely try that one sometime. I later found that it was spinach curry with cheese! Here’s another honorable mention: their grilled cheese sandwich with salsa jalapeño. Although it isn’t really Indian food, I still highly recommend you to give it a shot. Salsa is a sauce, usually made as a dip, made primarily from diced tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, and lemon juice. Here, the jalapeño peppers replace the red hot peppers in the dish to “spice it up.” Jalapeño (“holl-a-PAY-nyo”) is a type of chili pepper, medium in size, that is picked and usually used while green. It is not smoky, fruity, or extremely hot as other chilies are, but somewhere in the middle, making it a perfect match for cheese. Exploding on my taste buds as soon as I took the first bite, the cheese-jalapeño combination is simply unbelievable. So next time if you feel like having something different, bring your friends and visit Sababa or 3 idiots toast & curry, where you can transport yourself to a world of the most exotic tastes. by Aria Hsia(image source: People’s Daily)
If you’ve ever spent time in Asia or watched Asian movies, you may have seen people seated before a square table stacked with suspicious green tiles. Or, you may have walked down the alleys of Taiwan and heard strange click click sounds coming through the doorways. Don’t be alarmed, for nothing strange is going on behind those closed doors. Chances are, those strange clicking sounds are the sounds of tiles shuffling together in a heated game of mahjong. So what is mahjong, and why is it so popular among Taiwanese people? Mahjong is a tile-based game that originated from China during the Qing dynasty, and has since spread to many Asian countries including Japan, Korea, and in recent years, Western countries too. The name mahjong is said to be derived from the word mah (麻) meaning sparrow in Chinese, as the clacking sounds of the tiles shuffling together resemble the chattering of sparrows. In Taiwan, the game is played with 144 tiles (with different variations depending on region) based on Chinese characters and symbols. The ultimate goal is to assemble six combinations, five of them being comprised of either series, triples, or quadruples, and the last one an eye. There are three basic ways to form a combination. The first one is a series, meaning three tiles must be in sequential order. When you form a series, you must say chi (吃)out loud, which literally translates to “eat”! But keep in mind, that you can only chi when the tile you need was discarded by the former player on your left. The second type of combination is a triple, where you must have three identical tiles. The word peng (碰) is used to form a triple. After taking a tile, you must discard another to maintain a constant hand of 16 tiles. The last type of combination is a quadruple, where you have four identical tiles. By the lucky chance that you come across a quadruple, you must say gang (槓)out loud. The last rule to assembling a winning combination is an eye. An eye is a pair of identical tiles. Once you form 6 combinations, you should have a winning hand of 16 tiles. With these rules under your belt, you’ll be well on your way to beating all your Taiwanese friends at the next Chinese New Years party. (image source: Elys Muda) Growing up in a Taiwanese family, I vividly remember my grandparents sitting around a square table with their elderly, each staring intensely at a row of small, rectangular tiles for a whole afternoon. Even to this day, my grandparents still play at least a few times a week, if not daily. When I was a child, my mother used to forbid me from entering my grandparents’ so-called “mahjong room”, and her disapproval of the game was evident on her face. It was not the gambling aspect that bothered her; she would rather the elderly spend their time outdoors, taking in the fresh air, instead of wasting the afternoon away sitting at the mahjong table. However, my mother’s opinion on mahjong has since changed. A scientific study was done researching the effects of mahjong playing. According to doctors, mahjong and other card games could possibly help prevent dementia by keeping the brain active. The popularity of mahjong does not only lie with the elderly. Mahjong is much more than just a game or form of gambling to Taiwanese people. It is a centuries-old tradition, embedded deep into the roots of Chinese heritage. In many Taiwanese families, it is customary to play mahjong during Chinese New Year. Once their bellies are full after the big feast, the grandparents will settle down at the mahjong table with the other adults. Year after year, as the children grow up, they will gradually pick up the techniques and skills needed to master the game. Despite online games and other electronic devices taking the spotlight for modern entertainment, mahjong remains popular as ever. Recent adaptations have made the game even more accessible, with mobile APPs and online versions of mahjong becoming popular among teens and adults alike. Over the summer, I went on a road trip with a few of my college friends, and they made sure to pack a travel size set of mahjong tiles into their luggage. While technology seems to be replacing and transforming many forms of entertainment, mahjong will always hold a special place in Taiwanese people’s hearts. |
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May 2024
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