by Katherine Lee
One night after dinner, I casually strolled along Hsin Shing South Rd., not expecting any surprising pleasure to befall me. Suddenly, a placard of a small bookstore, “Taiwan Store” caught my eyes. Driven by an avid curiosity as to the meaning of the mysterious character in the name, I had an urge step in. With only a few dedicated readers on chairs, a non-bustling sales counter, light-green painted walls, and several rare maps of aboriginal Taiwan, the bookstore was enveloped in a calm, primitive, and simple atmosphere. I had no clue as to what the character “…” meant, until Mrs. Wu, co-establisher of the store, explained to me that it was a Taiwanese character indicating the possessive. Taking a closer look, I realized that this was a theme bookstore, filled with various kinds of books, displays and music collections related to Taiwan. Established six years ago, Taiwan Store aims to preserve the culture and the beauty of Taiwan, including that of its minorities. “We hope that more people can understand the many ways of the island, lest Taiwan’s culture be forgotten in the dominant stream of Chinese culture,” Mrs. Wu said. The decision of the location, near National Taiwan University, resulted not only from consideration of commerce, but also in the hope of making students aware of being Taiwanese. “It has nothing to do with politics. Since Taiwan is the island on which we live, we should all be familiar with its history,” she explained. Although Taiwan’s Store is relatively small, it provides plentiful information about Taiwan not readily available in other bookstores. The first book I picked up was a photography book on the ancient trees of Taiwan, with both pictures and histories. Other books such as those about architecture, nature, and social customs are also about Taiwan. Books recording Taiwan’s history are also on hand, even some in comic book-form for children! Another section of the store is occupied by masterpieces of Taiwanese literature, arranged according to different publishers. In still another corner there is a small display of aboriginal crafts for sale, including pottery and T-shirts with authentic totems on them. It is nice that one can sit in a chair reading leisurely and, at the same time, enjoy such a pure Taiwanese atmosphere! Even for a Taiwanese like me, all that I have learned about our island is from official textbooks in geography and history class. This is the first time that I found so many diverse topics about the place where I’ve grown up. If you are interested in this fascinating bookstore, visit them today: Address: Hsin Shing South Rd., Sec 3, Lane 76, No.6 Telephone: (02) 23625799 or 23628835 Website: http://www.taiouan.com.tw a
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Authors
The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
|