Travellers in Taiwan: Reflections of Formosa

TRAVELLERS IN TAIWAN

旅人在臺灣

Reflections of Formosa

映像福爾摩莎

by

Kitty Shi-hui Lee

Dr. Paul W. Mathews

English Version

English translated by

Sophia Hsienyi Hsieh, Abby Meng-Yin Tsai & Ju-Ching Chen

Mandarin translated by Steven Marsh

Illustrations by Juan Pablo Ho Tseng

Cover design: Cassandra J. Mathews.

Back cover design: Paul W. Mathews.

Philippine Studies Association of Australasia Inc.

2006

© 2006 Kitty Shi-hui Lee and Dr. Paul W. Mathews.

This work is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, critique, or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the authors. Inquiries should be made to the authors. Pmathews2@hotmail.com

Translations from Chinese/Mandarin by:

Steven Marsh.

Translations from English by:

Sophia Hsienyi Hsieh, Abby Meng-Yin Tsai, Ju-Ching Chen, Kitty Shi-hui Lee.

Illustrations by: Juan Pablo Ho Tseng*

Printed in Taiwan by: ENLON Premier & Publishing Co. Ltd, Kaohsiung.

National Library of Australia

Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

Lee, Kitty Shi-hui,

Travellers in Taiwan: Reflections of Formosa

ISBN: 9 78064646 8365 (paperback)

1. Travelers - Taiwan. 2. Taiwan - Description and travel.

I. Mathews, Paul W. (Paul William). II.

Philippine Studies Association of Australasia. III. Title.

915.124904

Smashwords Edition License Notes 2014

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.

E-Book ISBN: 9781311122759

Contents & Bla bla bla

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Part 1

Visitors' Vignettes

By Kitty Shi-hui Lee

Part 2

Themes and Comments

a. By Kitty Shi-hui Lee

b. By Dr. Paul W. Mathews

Part 3

A Survey of Visitors

By Dr. Paul W. Mathews

Part 4

Ay yo…

By Dr. Paul W Mathews

Part 5

What Does It All Mean ?

By Dr. Paul W Mathews & Kitty Shi-hui Lee

Conclusion

Appendix (Tables of Data)

Epilogue (in English only)

Declaration (in Babble only):

You can't leave now, you haven't completed all the forms !

About the Authors & Other Publications

Taiwanese people have definitely become very dear to me.

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the following for their contributions, in various ways, to this study and publication. First, we must thank all the respondents who took the time to complete the survey and in one way or another return it to us; while we may have a limited number of survey responses, we feel confident that their views generally represent those many travellers living in or visiting Taiwan. We also especially thank those 13 people who patiently answered our questions during sometimes lengthy interviews and for sharing their thoughts with us and our readers. While the authors of this book may not always agree with comments in and findings from this study, we nevertheless appreciate their efforts and willingness to open their hearts and minds to us all. We sincerely hope we have done some justice to their thoughts.

We also extend a special thanks to Steven Marsh, who has lived in Taiwan for almost 20 years, and who painstakingly translated the Chinese vignettes to English. Steven obtained an MA in Philosophy from Fu Ren University in Taiwan and will soon receive his PhD from Chinese Culture University in Taiwan. He is an amiable and helpful fellow, and we trust that he has taken an open and honest approach to the translation of what were, in some cases, difficult terms and comments.

No less helpful were Sophia Hsienyi Hsieh, Abby Meng-Yin Tsai, 陳汝卿 Vivian Ju-Ching Chen, assisted by Angela Chien-Chi Lien and Jamie Chan, who each translated various sections of the English to Mandarin, at times no easy task. As friends and colleagues of the authors, they also helped and encouraged the making of this book and in the administering of the survey. Abby holds a MSc. from Wollongong University (Australia), while Sophia has a MSc. of Management from Baker University, Kansas, USA (2000). She has been an English teacher in Taipei, an administrator and interpreter in private enterprise, and currently works in the same capacity at Taipei Veterans General Hospital. Vivian is a graduate from the Cultural University in Taipei, and works as a freelance translator, based in part at I-Shou University, Koahsiung. Angela and Jamie are young students.

While we all have suffered great pains to ensure translations from and to Chinese/English that reflect the respective linguistic and cultural meanings conveyed in the various texts, we feel that, in cases of incomprehension, ambiguity, ambivalence, confusion, doubt or dispute, the English version prevails—to turn a legalistic Taiwanese phrase on its head. ☺

Juan Pablo Ho Tseng, an overseas born Chinese young man, must be applauded for not only the great illustrations* he provided, but for doing them so quickly for us—at a time when we had almost given up hope of finding a suitable cartoonist. Sei sei ! Also, John 姜志翰 of Tainan, Scott Cook, a Canadian in Taipei, and Martin Peers in the UK, all must be thanked graciously for the use of their illustrations.

Mingli Tung and Ben Lu, too, must be thanked for more than their constant encouragement to the authors to address some of the issues raised in this study, as we also thank Dr. Ela Keck for her encouragement and proofreading of English.

We also thank those whom we may have talked to, especially William Yang, but for various reasons could not be included directly in this publication. Their ideas, thoughts and feelings, however, we have tried to express throughout the text.

We must also not forget, and must thank, those beautiful girls with mysterious eyes and shining smiles skirting on scooters: Mavis Zhang, Joanne Lin, Joyce Lu, Ting Tsai, Elaine Lee, Missha Lee, Rebecca Tsai, and Peggy Pan who, as students of I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, accommodated us with their patience and poise in some of the photos you will see herein.

Finally, but by no means least, we acknowledge the patience, comments, suggestions, innuendos and even frowns, and mostly the very Being of the Taiwanese people, who in one way or another allowed us to intrude into their lives and cultures.

Kitty Shi-hui Lee

Dr. Paul W. Mathews

Introduction

Any country is a big place and its cultures1 can be complex, thus to present any impressions of and experiences in even the smaller nations is no easy task. What we present here, therefore, can only be snapshots by random observers who have lived in Taiwan from several months to several years, and in no way can be comprehensive. But despite these limitations and only 13 vignettes2 presented in this study, they all have one thing in common: they are balanced. Certainly most of these commentators have not-so-positive things to say about Taiwan, and experiences to regale, but they also have a generally positive attitude toward their stay in Taiwan, toward the Taiwanese, and toward Taiwan cultures, politics, economics, and other facets of life in this tiny island. These are not, therefore, comments of foreigners out to criticize and demean yet another Asian country, but are critiques3 of a place and of its peoples; a critique underpinned by a heartfelt genuine liking for Taiwan—which one senses if not readily perceives in these writings. Their message thus becomes all too clear: Taiwan is an interesting country, rich in diversity and even oddity; visitors and workers generally enjoy their time here; but there are some issues which could be addressed quite readily by the Taiwanese themselves to make the place and their cultures even more inviting and pleasant—not simply for foreigners or tourists, but indeed for Taiwanese themselves.

As any loyal citizen of a country can readily sympathize, Taiwanese might respond to these comments, and indeed this whole study, by asserting that if foreigners do not like it here in Taiwan, then they can go back to their own country. Such a response would be myopic, and fail to appreciate the motivation for this study and the comments by overseas visitors to Taiwan. Indeed, the ultimate purpose of this study, initiated in fact by a Taiwanese, has been to proffer avenues which Taiwanese themselves could explore for their own betterment—however that is defined by Taiwanese themselves, as their national and cultural identity evolves and matures.

No one associated with this study expressed any urgency or desire to depart Taiwan, or that Taiwan was in any way unfit to be called a nation of integrity and value. On the contrary, they all expressed admiration, fondness and respect for Taiwan and its peoples, but balanced their views with a genuine wish and interest in seeing particular issues addressed—cultural, social, political, and economic issues—to make Taiwan an even more hospitable place and experience for both themselves and the Taiwanese. Thus there is evident in these interviews a balance of the good, the bad and the ugly.

As these vignettes and the accompanying survey4 results show, what topped the list of the bad and the ugly of Taiwan were four issues:

1. Unnecessary, excessive, cumbersome, ambiguous and ambivalent bureaucracy, often linked to numerous instances of misinformation;

2. Mayhem and congestion in traffic control, compounded by a seeming disregard for other users of the roads;

3. Various social practices, including:

litter and pollution,

a disregard for other people's rights and the public domain,

selfishness,

a lack of public responsibility and social consciousness,

a lack of a sense of community or neighbourliness,

antiquated educational practices and attitudes—very much a testing mentality clearly rooted in unquestioned Confucianism—and associated language issues,

superstitions and a high degree of conservatism and a notion of face that are restrictive;

4. Language.

But the good aspects of life in Taiwan were numerous and diverse, and more than equally balanced the less attractive aspects of Taiwanese life and culture; these positive aspects included but were not limited to:

• the friendly and attractive people;

• the political freedom and economic robustness of the country despite the lament of many Taiwanese;

• the MRT (which scores almost 100% approval) and public transport generally;

• the cavalier and skill of beautiful girls—masked princesses—on multi-adorned motor scooters majestically weaving amongst congested traffic (an icon that Taiwan tourism-promotion seems to have missed, along with the betel-nut girls);

• scenic areas and diverse interesting places and events to explore, not least among which are night markets, Wulai and Dan Shui, and the numerous parks and festivals;

• the cuisine and its variety;

• the ubiquitous 7-11s and street food-stalls;

• a sense of and reality of being safe in public areas;

• the democracy and sense of freedom;

• the respect people are ostensibly afforded;

• and the health care available.

But what of the issues—good or bad—not detailed? As this author is a sociologist and anthropologist, I could readily observe the perpetual tiredness of Taiwanese; their complaints about having to always work, often at two jobs; their almost total obsession with money-making; their limited world views despite what seems to be a large number of Taiwanese having travelled overseas; an ephemeral credentialism; an absence of punctuality (although I note that I think Filipinos are far worse in this regard); apparent contradictions or even paradoxes in social values and behaviours; and, resplendent of the literature on population density and high-rise living and anomie, the lack of communal solidarity and a general sense of selfishness, an unconcern for others and a lack of social conscience.

On the other side, this author has personally found Taipei and other cities to be very clean, contrary to many other commentators who, perhaps, have had limited experience with other Asian cities such as Manila or Djakarta (although I hasten to add that trash cans are scarce in the streets and even at the airport of Taipei). Many of those living in Taipei, and casual visitors, too, have commented that Taiwan is safe, and few have had any unpleasant criminal or racial experiences. Almost all foreigners say Taiwanese are friendly, and certainly more so in southern and country counties such as Koahsiung and Nanzte. Life is easy and convenient; as one visitor said: I like Taiwan. I am really comfortable here, and plan to stay the rest of my life. Life and people are also humourous, amidst the sometimes bizarre! With labels on whisky bottles that read the lest taste, no wonder visitors may feel so at ease to do what they want—as another foreigner noted, as some of us ponder signs that read Disabled Elevator or greetings from shopkeepers (歡迎光臨huanying guanglin) that sound like I am going—just when we got there!!!?? Or crazy white monkeys flapping their arms like a chicken at a food stall while they point and shout fun! fun!—rice and chicken for the uninitiated.

Many of these issues have been touched upon in this study, and certainly noted and discussed in talks we have had over the course of this project with both visitors and Taiwanese.

Perhaps we expected damning criticism of Taiwan and its people, but as the vignettes—carefully, honestly and lucidly crafted by Kitty Shi-hui Lee, herself a Taiwanese scholar—show, there is, rather, an endearing fondness for Taiwan, tempered by gentle suggestions for improvement. Take for example the public bus transportation system: On the one hand, it is convenient, timely, cheap and generally efficient; the drivers are mostly skilled in maneuvering these juggernauts through often congested traffic and narrow streets, and are to be admired for it. On the other hand, some of the buses are antiquated, with manual gear shifts, noisy and polluting, with a high step or two,… or three to board, occasionally slow and cumbersome; and some drivers seem to think that smooth driving consists of taking off in a fast, jerky manner that sends passengers—young and old alike—cavorting all over the interior before they can secure a seat, and that smooth cruising is a constant and nauseating jerk of the neck and body as the driver moves his foot up and down, on and off the accelerator to the tune of the governor-alarm that notifies everyone, above the roar of the engine and air-conditioning, that we are exceeding the remarkable speed of 40kph—phenomena equaled only by buses plying their way in the outside lane, necessitating the frequent cutting across traffic to pick up passengers in the kerbside lane. A casual look at buses in Sydney or Hong Kong would tell even blind Freddy that there is a better way. But Taiwanese simply accept, without outward complaint, the unnecessary, the easily remedied.

Such benign thematic observations and attitudes among visitors to Taiwan, multiplied a 100-fold, are also evident in the random survey of over 100 visitors and non-Taiwanese residents—from numerous countries—who had opportunity to present a scathing profile of Taiwan, but instead showed compassion and a passion for this formosa. They express a certain affinity with Taiwan, as they continue to try to understand the culture and come to terms with their experiences here. Thus, just as these foreigners present opportunity for reflection, it is hoped that, through this study, the Taiwanese people will grasp such opportunity.

Dr. Paul W. Mathews

Sociologist and Anthropologist

Kitty Shi-hui Lee

March 2006

Notes:

1. Most modern countries are constituted by a diversity of cultural and ethnic groups, the degree of and claim to cultural homogeneity varying and often contested.

2. In conducting largely semi-standardized random interviews one quickly reaches a point of saturation; that is, methodologically one generally expects and usually acquires a consistent repetition of ideas, issues and comments, which occurs by the 20th interview. This saturation became evident in this study by the 10th-12th interview despite the ethnic diversity and other variable characteristics of the interviewees, and there was little point in seeking further information from additional informants. Thus, methodologically, 13 interviews is not a small number, but adequate and valid.

A vignette is a brief scene from a movie, play, personal experience or life; it is a short descriptive piece of literary writing describing some thing or viewpoint in a brief but often elegant way.

3. A critique vis-à-vis criticism is constituted by elements of both negatives and positives, with the aim of not demeaning but of highlighting positive attributes and negative attributes, as perceived, with a view to addressing any shortfalls for the betterment of the critiqued.

• The following illustrations are provided by Juan Pablo Ho Tseng of Spain.

Pages (in the original paperback version): iii, 16, 24, 38, 39, 46, 61, 80, 92, 100, 105, 144, 175, 185, 191, 246, 255, 277, 292, 317, 318, 326, 329, 332, 339, 341, 355, 372, 373, 395, 409.

Illustration at page 47 of the original is by Scott Cook, a Canadian jack-of-all-trades and master of none, currently tangling with kindergarteners in Taipei, Taiwan. He can be found at www.scottcook.net

Illustrations at page 8 & 354 in the original are by John 姜志翰 of Tainan, Taiwan.

The illustrations of the Canadian backpacker beginning at each Part, and of the girl backpacker on the front cover, are by Martin Peers ©. Martin Peers, currently single and living in Bristol, UK, is a cartoonist and animator who specializes in cartoon strips, character designs, humorous and satirical illustrations and animated visual aids for business-training conferences. A self-taught cartoonist, he has recently trained at the Bristol School of Animation. Martin created the Toast series of cartoon strips for The Student Times in 2005 and has produced a series of complex animated training presentations for clients such as Think Consulting Solutions, Christian Aid, and Guide Dogs for the Blind. His Backpacker Stereotypes series of travel cartoons has a burgeoning online following from his website, www.toastcartoons.com His favourite colour is blue and he is convinced that drawing cartoons is incredibly attractive to the opposite sex. He can be contacted at: mart_man1@hotmail.com

Illustrations from other sources are acknowledged where appropriate.

~ ~ ~

TOP

Part One

Visitors' Vignettes

by

Kitty Shi-hui Lee

Translated from Chinese

by Steven Marsh

~ #1 ~

When I was in Canada, many people tried to scare me out of coming to Taiwan (including some Taiwanese themselves). They told me the place was overcrowded, it wasn't a clean place and houses were too small, among other things. They said the winters were wet and cold, while the summers were steaming hot, adding that foreigners could not get used to the place easily, which is why I prepared well beforehand.

When I got here, I found the mass transit system in Taipei was wonderful, with clear maps and English-language indicators, but more importantly, Taiwan seemed to maintain its own culture. I feel that no matter how fast a place progresses, it can't forego its own cultural identity.

Taiwan accomplished in a short time what it took the Western world one or two centuries to do. I'm talking about economic and political reform as well as social relief programs and the like. These have been amazing accomplishments. The fast pace of progress here has been admirable, but there is still room for improvement.

I feel fortunate to be a Caucasian here because many of my Southeast Asian friends in Taiwan complain that Taiwanese don't respect them [Southeast Asians]. They say it's due to their darker complexions as well as the fact that they come from developing nations and do menial jobs here, so they feel looked upon as mere slaves. They say, though, that xenophobia is worse in Korea.

How could a civilized nation in the 21st Century be this way? Don't Taiwanese say they respect human rights? Why, then, are there so many restrictions on foreigners living here? We need local guarantors if