I enjoyed these observations about Taiwan and generally agree with them.
Audrey Tang is right that there is little social pressure to rebuild Taipei's many dilapidated buildings. But a more important reason is the system of land and building ownership. A typical five floor apartment block in Taipei has ten separate owners. It's almost impossible to buy them out or have them agree to rebuild.
It seems that you don't think these dilapidated buildings are solar punk anymore ;) Taiwan does have many interesting industrial era ruins. Spectral Codex has many fine examples focused on abandoned theaters. Taiwanese artist Chen Po-I is also good.
Taiwanese may not be quite as laid back as you think--people work an average of slightly more than 2,000 hours per year. That's the fourth longest hours in the world. There is a more leisured class in Taipei though.
It is true that there are many kinds of regional Chinese cuisine available in Taiwan, but Taiwan has its own distinctive indigenous cuisine that is undoubtedly the most common, popular, and overlooked. Clarissa Wei, among others, is rectifying this.
Taiwan was a paranoid, fearful, authorization, and high militarized society a few decades ago. While the military did have to keep on eye on China, it largely functioned as part of a security state that repressed the Taiwanese people during forty years of military law. Its demilitarization was closely linked to the emergence of the democratic and tolerant society you appreciate now. This is an important reason for why the Taiwanese have not dropped everything to focus on defense as many with good reason feel they should.
Another reason is that Taiwan is deeply politically divided. Some political parties here are doing everything they can to increase suspicions that the US is a fickle friend who just wants Taiwan to buy expensive weapons. In effect, they think that a negotiated surrender to China on the best terms possible is the only responsible way to prevent Taiwan from turning into another Ukraine. In short, the insouciance you observed is the result of many complex domestic factors.
These are relatively minor points. I hope you have the chance to come back to Taiwan soon to expand your understanding of what you rightly call its unique civilization.
“A typical five floor apartment block in Taipei has ten separate owners. It's almost impossible to buy them out or have them agree to rebuild.” - something similar (plus some archaic rent controls and sky-high unaffordability) has happened to beautiful but crumbly Lisbon, I read
Your “feeling” about Taiwan after just 11 days there and mine after more than 20 trips pretty much align - it’s a likable place and an interesting blend of cultures. I also don’t quite get why they are so nonchalant about the threat of invasion - the mandatory army service in Taiwan is nothing like Israel or Switzerland, the soldiers are barely getting any training at all according to my friends who did their 6 months in the Army.
On the relative lack of ambition, this is a source of deep frustration for many of the more daring and creative Taiwanese - fortunately many of them are able to study or travel for an extended period abroad and get at least exposed to the more cut-throat and less conflict-averse cultures. Just like its fauna, Taiwan feels like an ecosystem with very few natural predators - it’s easy to let down your guard and that’s fine as long as the predatory neighbors don’t pull off an amphibious assault one day.
Glad you got into Taiwanese music - some of their most interesting and original stuff is aboriginal-based, the Native cultures are growing in cultural importance since the introduction of democracy and add a uniquely Taiwanese flavor that clearly distinguishes it from the mainland (where in contrast minority cultural expression is brutally suppressed). Oh, and finally a personal tidbit - I actually collaborated with 9m88 on one of her (so far unreleased) songs!
It's been well over forty years since I lived in Taiwan, and I haven't followed political events closely there, so the situation described in weiyun's comment, which echoes and responds to Mr. Pryrodny's first paragraph above, surprised me (assuming I'm reading it correctly). I'm going to try to render it in English for others to read.
"As for the issue of military service, this is a product of former President Ma Yingjiu's administration [a Kuomintang-led government]. Originally, military service was for two years. Later, because that could be discounted by inter-semester military training for those in school, it was effectively reduced to one year and nine months. But Ma Yingjiu reduced it further as a matter of policy and all that's left now is four months.
"This seems impossible to understand. Seventy years ago the Chinese Communist Party chased these people [the KMT/Mainlanders] to Taiwan, an island the KMT had little use for. Shouldn't they view the CCP as their enemy? But these days KMT officials fall all over themselves racing to bow before the CCP Chairman. The is completely beyond the understanding of those of us who weren't refugees in 1949."
weiyun's comment reflects the fact that most of Taiwan's population is not descended from the 1949 refugee Mainlanders, but consists of families that migrated from south China to the island centuries before. The linguistic, social, and political cultures of native Taiwanese and Mainland refugees were dramatically different in 1949, and much of the period of martial law (1949-87) was a reflection of the Mainlander need to suppress Taiwanese resentment of KMT control--the island had only been firmly under any Chinese government control for a relatively short period during the imperial era, and most recently prior (1895-1945) it had actually been a colony within the Japanese empire. (Older Taiwanese seemed to me much more comfortable with Japanese than Mandarin when I lived there.)
Originally it was the Mainlander KMT that demonized the Communist government and maintained military strength with the (insane) idea of reconquering the mainland. So it is paradoxical that it was under Ma Yingjiu's KMT administrtaions (2008-2016) that military preparedness was loosened, and the KMT adopted an accommodationist stance towards the CCP. (I gather from the tone of weiyun's comment that this is still the case, although polls I have seen reported online put total Taiwan support for any form of union with the PRC at 10% or below.)
Many of my friends (and interestingly they’re all Kmt supporters) still believe the threat, the invasion are either conspiracy from the current gov to get the votes or ‘it’s just all barking’ and wouldn’t happen that easily. Unfortunately the sense of risk and emergency isn’t quite there
Interesting that you bring up all the individualism. It makes me think: the Taiwanese I know DO tend to be the most intelligible from an American perspective. Like, they’ll sit there and argue with you just like any American would, no fear or hesitation -- and also, no hurt feelings afterwards! And I don’t mean that in an inappropriate sense; they somehow just *know* to pick the right contexts where an American would happily have an argument.
A practical people whose independence I am happy to support. And failing that, may we open our shores to any refugees of Xi’s avarice.
Just went to a wedding and met a Taiwanese friend who grew up in a midwestern university town (Champaign). Someone asked him how many of his (professors) parents’ friends still lived there, most of whom were Taiwanese. He said most of them moved to San Diego. That seems like such a sensible retirement spot for someone who can easily fit into American values. It’s no LA or SF, in other words, but it’s also not Phoenix or (shudder) Florida.
From an economics perspective，you might talk about how Taiwan's anti China disaster prepping allowed them to coast through Asia's financial crisis in 1997.
I was a student in Taipei during the sunflower movement and it was amazing to see.
So students from NCCU had gone into the legislature (let in by an opposition leader) and occupied the legislature for three weeks. In any other country, this would get you shot.
In Taipei, the police were super respectful, the protesters brought them sandwiches, and the whole thing was focused on the cross strait relationship.
The worst violence was when another group of students tried to seize the executive building and the police broke someone's arm.
It was a national scandal, this arm breaking. Taiwanese people were very upset with the use of force.
As an American, I was like, "Bless your hearts, your civic culture is too good for this world."
After the sunflower movement ended, the students left the legislature peacefully and then the ruling party lost the next election.
Also, the president, Tsai yingwen is the first female head of state in Asia that didn't have to first be some famous man's wife, sister, or daughter.
As a foreigner who did four years of undergrad in Taiwan, I found a handful of my classmates feeling a sense of inferiority, when placed against foreigners. This feeling is many fold greater than what I would get in my home country Singapore. This is a culture that has been long overshadowed by its neighbour, and shunned by other countries (not wanting to get near for fear of its neighbour's wrath).
As your article begins to spread in Taiwan (already seeing a couple of posts on Facebook), I hope more of such views are made available to the people of Taiwan, to let them know that they are beautiful and appreciated as they are, and they deserve every right to be left alone and to shine on the world stage (or just chill and drink bubble tea, whatever they wish).
Taiwan's cultural imprint only seems small if you ignore the influence of Taiwanese pop culture on the Sinosphere (broadly defined to include Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Chinese diaspora in places like South East Asia) from the 80s to date. Taiwanese pop is by far the most influential strain of Mandopop, overshadowing Cantopop quite definitively in the 2000s. Lo Da Yu, Beyond, Amei, Jay Chou, Mayday etc dominated the airwaves. If you can make it in Taipei you can make it anywhere. In the 2000s everyone around me watched some Taiwanese tv drama or another. Today in Chinese karaoke parlors the world over, the majority of music being sang are probably Taiwanese in origins.
Over time the outsized influence of Taiwanese pop might be supplanted by China (unless Xi continues to debase his own country's creativity). But Taiwan's moment in the sun was glorious.
Always fascinated by how Westerners view Taiwan. And grateful when word gets out. My view is still that much of Taiwan diplomacy is word of mouth, psst tell your friends and family about this beautiful place. As a Canadian who lived there for eight years, I found it more free, friendlier, more polite, and they have a better public healthcare system to boot.
Oh wow, 9m88! Yes, her music is correspoding to Taiwan laid-back phenomenon as you described.
For those who attracted by 9m88's vibe. I picked some Taiwanese musician with similar style (R&B, Jazz, Soul, hip-hop) Here's some female artist you should give it a try!
Julia Wu, 吳卓源 (with more modern style, compare to 9m88.)
?te, 壞特 (Her name is start with a question mark, and her voice tone is more.... allure.)
And some male musician:
Layton Wu, 雷頓狗 ( He used to be the music arranger cooperate with 9m88, now coming to the front stage)
YELLOW, 黃宣 ( Made a song "怪天氣" with 9m88, I think YELLOW is try to add some experimental material into R&B)
Osean, 吳獻
The Crane, 鶴
J.Sheon
Because this type of music is mostly affected by the voice tone, I divided these musician with gender.
Nice piece! I commented on your “Taiwan is a Civilization” post a while back and am glad to see you finally made the trip. I think the Netherlands comparison is apt—the two ways local Taiwanese usually stereotype themselves are “polite” and “laid-back.” And yes, cuteness (called ke’ai as opposed to the Japanese kawaii) is ubiquitous but, as you said, unique in Taiwan.
If you haven’t visited these places and return in the future, I would recommend exploring the east coast (Hualien, Taitung, Pingtung) and Kaohsiung. The east coast is naturally gorgeous, I’d say to the level of Hawaii. It also has a ton of indigenous culture that has been better supported by the government in the past decade. In the same vein, I’d check out Sun Moon lake (in the middle of the island, not the coast), which is one of the top tourist spots for locals. The main town has tons of indigenous culture and food—it’s a bit artificial like an American Chinatown, but still fun regardless.
Kaohsiung is great for different reasons. If Taipei is LA, Kaohsiung is it’s San Diego—even more laid back, solid public transport, beautiful beaches, and a navy presence. But for you specifically, Noah, it has a very interesting urban development and labor history that is documented in its museums (the labor museum, history museum, and national science museum specifically, if I remember correctly).
The East Coast is fantastic and has really great little rural townships, like Ruisui, with hot springs and scruffy, tasty restaurants. Reminds me of Asian towns of 20 years ago. Driving around the incredibly windy roads in the mountains is amazing, though the shortcut that turned into an hour long crawl through thick cloud in the dark was kinda terrifying
My first visit to Taipei and Shanghai was in 1983. Taipei was more modern than Philadelphia. After visiting China last oh about 2009, of course Shanghai was pretty modern. As far as architecture and downtown life.
I'm happy for your observation of Taipei. It's not mainland China or a Shanghai.
Again, Sir, I am impressed and I continue to be glad that I upgraded my subscription from free to paid - you do deserve to be paid for your wonderful prose and thoughtful commentary.
I enjoyed these observations about Taiwan and generally agree with them.
Audrey Tang is right that there is little social pressure to rebuild Taipei's many dilapidated buildings. But a more important reason is the system of land and building ownership. A typical five floor apartment block in Taipei has ten separate owners. It's almost impossible to buy them out or have them agree to rebuild.
It seems that you don't think these dilapidated buildings are solar punk anymore ;) Taiwan does have many interesting industrial era ruins. Spectral Codex has many fine examples focused on abandoned theaters. Taiwanese artist Chen Po-I is also good.
Taiwanese may not be quite as laid back as you think--people work an average of slightly more than 2,000 hours per year. That's the fourth longest hours in the world. There is a more leisured class in Taipei though.
It is true that there are many kinds of regional Chinese cuisine available in Taiwan, but Taiwan has its own distinctive indigenous cuisine that is undoubtedly the most common, popular, and overlooked. Clarissa Wei, among others, is rectifying this.
Taiwan was a paranoid, fearful, authorization, and high militarized society a few decades ago. While the military did have to keep on eye on China, it largely functioned as part of a security state that repressed the Taiwanese people during forty years of military law. Its demilitarization was closely linked to the emergence of the democratic and tolerant society you appreciate now. This is an important reason for why the Taiwanese have not dropped everything to focus on defense as many with good reason feel they should.
Another reason is that Taiwan is deeply politically divided. Some political parties here are doing everything they can to increase suspicions that the US is a fickle friend who just wants Taiwan to buy expensive weapons. In effect, they think that a negotiated surrender to China on the best terms possible is the only responsible way to prevent Taiwan from turning into another Ukraine. In short, the insouciance you observed is the result of many complex domestic factors.
These are relatively minor points. I hope you have the chance to come back to Taiwan soon to expand your understanding of what you rightly call its unique civilization.
“A typical five floor apartment block in Taipei has ten separate owners. It's almost impossible to buy them out or have them agree to rebuild.” - something similar (plus some archaic rent controls and sky-high unaffordability) has happened to beautiful but crumbly Lisbon, I read
To be honest, I really want to go back and stroll around the Zhonghua Market in Taipei, but unfortunately it was demolished thirty years ago.
Your “feeling” about Taiwan after just 11 days there and mine after more than 20 trips pretty much align - it’s a likable place and an interesting blend of cultures. I also don’t quite get why they are so nonchalant about the threat of invasion - the mandatory army service in Taiwan is nothing like Israel or Switzerland, the soldiers are barely getting any training at all according to my friends who did their 6 months in the Army.
On the relative lack of ambition, this is a source of deep frustration for many of the more daring and creative Taiwanese - fortunately many of them are able to study or travel for an extended period abroad and get at least exposed to the more cut-throat and less conflict-averse cultures. Just like its fauna, Taiwan feels like an ecosystem with very few natural predators - it’s easy to let down your guard and that’s fine as long as the predatory neighbors don’t pull off an amphibious assault one day.
Glad you got into Taiwanese music - some of their most interesting and original stuff is aboriginal-based, the Native cultures are growing in cultural importance since the introduction of democracy and add a uniquely Taiwanese flavor that clearly distinguishes it from the mainland (where in contrast minority cultural expression is brutally suppressed). Oh, and finally a personal tidbit - I actually collaborated with 9m88 on one of her (so far unreleased) songs!
Wow, that's awesome! I'm now a big 9m88 fan!
對於兵役的問題，就是馬英九當政時期所造成。原本兵役為2年，後來因為就學期間的軍事訓練可以抵扣，所以大約可以減少到1年9個月。但是馬英九有計畫的減短役期，所以現在只剩下4個月的時間
這就是我們無法了解的，在70多年前，這些人被共產黨趕到台灣這個國民黨所不屑的島嶼，不應該是仇敵嗎??結果現在每個國民黨黨員，不顧一切爭先恐後地去朝聖共產黨主席。這個我們台灣非1949逃難來的人，非常不了解
It's been well over forty years since I lived in Taiwan, and I haven't followed political events closely there, so the situation described in weiyun's comment, which echoes and responds to Mr. Pryrodny's first paragraph above, surprised me (assuming I'm reading it correctly). I'm going to try to render it in English for others to read.
"As for the issue of military service, this is a product of former President Ma Yingjiu's administration [a Kuomintang-led government]. Originally, military service was for two years. Later, because that could be discounted by inter-semester military training for those in school, it was effectively reduced to one year and nine months. But Ma Yingjiu reduced it further as a matter of policy and all that's left now is four months.
"This seems impossible to understand. Seventy years ago the Chinese Communist Party chased these people [the KMT/Mainlanders] to Taiwan, an island the KMT had little use for. Shouldn't they view the CCP as their enemy? But these days KMT officials fall all over themselves racing to bow before the CCP Chairman. The is completely beyond the understanding of those of us who weren't refugees in 1949."
weiyun's comment reflects the fact that most of Taiwan's population is not descended from the 1949 refugee Mainlanders, but consists of families that migrated from south China to the island centuries before. The linguistic, social, and political cultures of native Taiwanese and Mainland refugees were dramatically different in 1949, and much of the period of martial law (1949-87) was a reflection of the Mainlander need to suppress Taiwanese resentment of KMT control--the island had only been firmly under any Chinese government control for a relatively short period during the imperial era, and most recently prior (1895-1945) it had actually been a colony within the Japanese empire. (Older Taiwanese seemed to me much more comfortable with Japanese than Mandarin when I lived there.)
Originally it was the Mainlander KMT that demonized the Communist government and maintained military strength with the (insane) idea of reconquering the mainland. So it is paradoxical that it was under Ma Yingjiu's KMT administrtaions (2008-2016) that military preparedness was loosened, and the KMT adopted an accommodationist stance towards the CCP. (I gather from the tone of weiyun's comment that this is still the case, although polls I have seen reported online put total Taiwan support for any form of union with the PRC at 10% or below.)
Many of my friends (and interestingly they’re all Kmt supporters) still believe the threat, the invasion are either conspiracy from the current gov to get the votes or ‘it’s just all barking’ and wouldn’t happen that easily. Unfortunately the sense of risk and emergency isn’t quite there
Interesting that you bring up all the individualism. It makes me think: the Taiwanese I know DO tend to be the most intelligible from an American perspective. Like, they’ll sit there and argue with you just like any American would, no fear or hesitation -- and also, no hurt feelings afterwards! And I don’t mean that in an inappropriate sense; they somehow just *know* to pick the right contexts where an American would happily have an argument.
A practical people whose independence I am happy to support. And failing that, may we open our shores to any refugees of Xi’s avarice.
Just went to a wedding and met a Taiwanese friend who grew up in a midwestern university town (Champaign). Someone asked him how many of his (professors) parents’ friends still lived there, most of whom were Taiwanese. He said most of them moved to San Diego. That seems like such a sensible retirement spot for someone who can easily fit into American values. It’s no LA or SF, in other words, but it’s also not Phoenix or (shudder) Florida.
Very cool to go there.
From an economics perspective，you might talk about how Taiwan's anti China disaster prepping allowed them to coast through Asia's financial crisis in 1997.
I was a student in Taipei during the sunflower movement and it was amazing to see.
So students from NCCU had gone into the legislature (let in by an opposition leader) and occupied the legislature for three weeks. In any other country, this would get you shot.
In Taipei, the police were super respectful, the protesters brought them sandwiches, and the whole thing was focused on the cross strait relationship.
The worst violence was when another group of students tried to seize the executive building and the police broke someone's arm.
It was a national scandal, this arm breaking. Taiwanese people were very upset with the use of force.
As an American, I was like, "Bless your hearts, your civic culture is too good for this world."
After the sunflower movement ended, the students left the legislature peacefully and then the ruling party lost the next election.
Also, the president, Tsai yingwen is the first female head of state in Asia that didn't have to first be some famous man's wife, sister, or daughter.
The
As a foreigner who did four years of undergrad in Taiwan, I found a handful of my classmates feeling a sense of inferiority, when placed against foreigners. This feeling is many fold greater than what I would get in my home country Singapore. This is a culture that has been long overshadowed by its neighbour, and shunned by other countries (not wanting to get near for fear of its neighbour's wrath).
As your article begins to spread in Taiwan (already seeing a couple of posts on Facebook), I hope more of such views are made available to the people of Taiwan, to let them know that they are beautiful and appreciated as they are, and they deserve every right to be left alone and to shine on the world stage (or just chill and drink bubble tea, whatever they wish).
Taiwan's cultural imprint only seems small if you ignore the influence of Taiwanese pop culture on the Sinosphere (broadly defined to include Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Chinese diaspora in places like South East Asia) from the 80s to date. Taiwanese pop is by far the most influential strain of Mandopop, overshadowing Cantopop quite definitively in the 2000s. Lo Da Yu, Beyond, Amei, Jay Chou, Mayday etc dominated the airwaves. If you can make it in Taipei you can make it anywhere. In the 2000s everyone around me watched some Taiwanese tv drama or another. Today in Chinese karaoke parlors the world over, the majority of music being sang are probably Taiwanese in origins.
Over time the outsized influence of Taiwanese pop might be supplanted by China (unless Xi continues to debase his own country's creativity). But Taiwan's moment in the sun was glorious.
Good point.
Always fascinated by how Westerners view Taiwan. And grateful when word gets out. My view is still that much of Taiwan diplomacy is word of mouth, psst tell your friends and family about this beautiful place. As a Canadian who lived there for eight years, I found it more free, friendlier, more polite, and they have a better public healthcare system to boot.
Oh wow, 9m88! Yes, her music is correspoding to Taiwan laid-back phenomenon as you described.
For those who attracted by 9m88's vibe. I picked some Taiwanese musician with similar style (R&B, Jazz, Soul, hip-hop) Here's some female artist you should give it a try!
Julia Wu, 吳卓源 (with more modern style, compare to 9m88.)
?te, 壞特 (Her name is start with a question mark, and her voice tone is more.... allure.)
And some male musician:
Layton Wu, 雷頓狗 ( He used to be the music arranger cooperate with 9m88, now coming to the front stage)
YELLOW, 黃宣 ( Made a song "怪天氣" with 9m88, I think YELLOW is try to add some experimental material into R&B)
Osean, 吳獻
The Crane, 鶴
J.Sheon
Because this type of music is mostly affected by the voice tone, I divided these musician with gender.
Hope you enjoy it!
Wow, thanks so much!!
Nice piece! I commented on your “Taiwan is a Civilization” post a while back and am glad to see you finally made the trip. I think the Netherlands comparison is apt—the two ways local Taiwanese usually stereotype themselves are “polite” and “laid-back.” And yes, cuteness (called ke’ai as opposed to the Japanese kawaii) is ubiquitous but, as you said, unique in Taiwan.
If you haven’t visited these places and return in the future, I would recommend exploring the east coast (Hualien, Taitung, Pingtung) and Kaohsiung. The east coast is naturally gorgeous, I’d say to the level of Hawaii. It also has a ton of indigenous culture that has been better supported by the government in the past decade. In the same vein, I’d check out Sun Moon lake (in the middle of the island, not the coast), which is one of the top tourist spots for locals. The main town has tons of indigenous culture and food—it’s a bit artificial like an American Chinatown, but still fun regardless.
Kaohsiung is great for different reasons. If Taipei is LA, Kaohsiung is it’s San Diego—even more laid back, solid public transport, beautiful beaches, and a navy presence. But for you specifically, Noah, it has a very interesting urban development and labor history that is documented in its museums (the labor museum, history museum, and national science museum specifically, if I remember correctly).
The East Coast is fantastic and has really great little rural townships, like Ruisui, with hot springs and scruffy, tasty restaurants. Reminds me of Asian towns of 20 years ago. Driving around the incredibly windy roads in the mountains is amazing, though the shortcut that turned into an hour long crawl through thick cloud in the dark was kinda terrifying
Fabulous.
My first visit to Taipei and Shanghai was in 1983. Taipei was more modern than Philadelphia. After visiting China last oh about 2009, of course Shanghai was pretty modern. As far as architecture and downtown life.
I'm happy for your observation of Taipei. It's not mainland China or a Shanghai.
Again, Sir, I am impressed and I continue to be glad that I upgraded my subscription from free to paid - you do deserve to be paid for your wonderful prose and thoughtful commentary.
Aww. Thank you so much.
Great read. Thanks! One thing I thought is that some Taiwanese may counter that the Netherlands should rebrand itself as the Taiwan of Europe :)
The ASML-TSMC relationship might make them economically the Netherlands of Asia as well. Recreationally, I don’t know if they do as many drugs.
Probably not as many, but...
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-15/taiwan-s-rivers-are-flowing-with-the-drug-ecstasy
Looking forward to ending my Asia trip in Taipei.
I'm glad you got to enjoy a piece of the place I call my second home. Just as an aside, what was your favorite dish while visiting?
Oden!
From 7-11 eh? lol
Lol, what?
Over 7 years here and I never knew what that was called in English lol. Had to ask a friend. That stuff is yummy!
superb...look forward to the piece on singapore !!