By Chieh Hsu How insane must a person be to leave behind everything he owns in search of an ideal lifestyle on foreign soil? Unlike tourists, these dreamers or “life practitioners” have come to this petite island and have dedicated their passion to making Formosa a better place to live – sometimes doing even more than we ourselves do. Godfrey Zwygart, who comes from France, could barely imagine what Taiwan would be like. He had a “slightly unpleasant” image of Asia as it was depicted in some novel he had read, but he was appointed here as a yacht designer in 1982. Constantly traveling between France and Taiwan, it was not until six years ago that Godfrey first thought of running his own business. In fact he has two of them: Mon Jardin Publishing, which has been highly lauded for its publications such as the Culture Express booklet and Life Style magazine; the other, where presumably most of his enthusiasm lies, is the Budo Martial Arts association. It all started with the desire to find a bigger space for students at the European School to train, and this kindled his interest in teaching martial arts as a profession. He also wanted to pass on something he regards as beneficial to the local community. So Godfrey launched a career as a Japanese martial arts coach, something he never thought of doing when first starting learning judo at the age of 12.
Trying to get more people involved in martial arts, Godfrey has picked up fluent Chinese. Godfrey found it crucial to comprehend Mandarin and Taiwanese culture in order to promote his beliefs and expand his business. He pointed out that Taiwanese are mostly open to new things and are usually exempt from stereotypes, but first they must fully understand what they are getting into. Godfrey credits these qualities of broad acceptance and magnanimity to Buddhist culture, which allows Taiwanese to expose themselves to change and impact, and which also helps to explain how swiftly Taiwan has transformed in recent decades. Another adventurist, Sebastian Thomas, shares a similarity in martial arts teaching, yet he has integrated it with language teaching, theatre performances, and other cultural events in his workshop based in Kaohsiung. His interest in Chinese culture first brought him to Taiwan in 2000, first as an English teacher. Meanwhile he searched for advanced martial arts programs, something he had been learning since he was ten years old. However, after settling down in Kaohsiung Sebastian started teaching martial arts himself to the local community. He then came upon the idea that many people were eager to participate in theatrical productions as well as physical training or academic courses. This led to the launch of the Mindful Phoenix Arts (or MPA) group in late 2000. Well supported by both the local and foreign communities, the group has successfully produced nine full-length English plays, along with improvised Comedy Sports shows and Xtreme Theatre plays (which are rehearsed and performed in only 24 hours). The MPA marked a new era when in late 2003 the “Space” was established, serving as the center for martial arts training, performances, and extended language courses. Sebastian also began to offer yoga and tap dancing classes, as well as English programs in art, reading, martial arts, science, drama, and culture for children. By helping to connect foreigners to the local community, both Godfrey and Sebastian have certainly accelerated cultural interactions. They don’t just enhance people’s physical strength but have brought joy and happiness to this fast-paced and highly tense society. Both Godfrey and Sebastian have stated that Taiwanese are driven by only one motive, which is to succeed. This leads to long working hours which leave no time for extra activities, but which also cause alienation and isolation, and, finally, apathy. They thus want to help people think in creative and critical ways, to be confident and healthy physically and mentally, and to develop passions and curiosities for things they wish to explore. Naturally, people might wonder what drove them to Taiwan to do all these things and to exert such effort for the island. What has brought them to Taiwan? According to Sebastian, life will always lead you somewhere, and it’s up to you to make the decision to do things with what you have. Or as Godfrey put it so well, “I didn’t choose Taiwan; Taiwan chose me.” a
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May 2024
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