Showing posts with label taoyuan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label taoyuan. Show all posts

Thursday, August 19, 2021

The restored Japanese temple in Taoyuan, and other assorted goodies

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You know you want to visit this temple because of French Fry Box Cat.


I know a serious political blogger would be writing a piece right now all about how Taiwan can't be compared to Afghanistan, but honestly, I think that conclusion is so obvious that it's truly beneath me. The US failed at nation-building. Taiwan is already a functioning nation with a competent government that enjoys rule of law. The two countries are so different as to be utterly incomparable, so let us talk about something else because I simply cannot with that particular story. 

Now that that's off my chest: Taoyuan!


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I still maintain that while greater Taoyuan has some attractions, Taoyuan as a city is not particularly interesting. But, there are still a few things to interest the casual visitor. Most notably, the well-preserved Japanese-era temple at the Taoyuan Martyrs' Shrine and Cultural Park (桃園忠烈祠暨神社文化園區), on a hill at #200, Section 3 Chenggong Road (成功路三段200號). 

This particular temple, built in 1938, is astoundingly intact: in fact, it's the most intact Shinto shrine in all of Taiwan. It's a rare example of preservation of Japanese cultural influence rather than intentional destruction, although to be sure the "martyrs" now enshrined here are certainly not Japanese.


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You can get there from Taoyuan Train Station by taking a taxi for less than NT$200, and there are a few buses that go up the hill. My recommendation is to take the taxi up and the bus back. There are also buses from Taipei City (buses 9069 and 9069A both run between Nanjing Fuxing MRT and Taoyuan Veterans' General Hospital, next door to the shrine) and transport to and from Taoyuan HSR, though it takes awhile. 

Most Shinto shrines and other Japanese cultural relics in Taiwan were either destroyed, "left to the elements" to rot naturally, or occupied as civil servant dormitories for years after the ROC colonial regime took over from the Japanese one. Those that survived into the 1970s, were torn down right around then. This particular shrine was slated for demolition in the 1980s, but by then consciousness of Taiwanese history could be spoken about more than during the worst years of the White Terror, and a public outcry saved it. It was renovated in 1986, designated as a Level 3 historic site in 1994, and underwent renovations again around 2017, which also happened to be the first time I tried to see it.

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The site offers several pavilions with beautifully gabled roofs -- including a ritual washing (misogi) pavilion, a shrine office with a distinctly Japanese portico, a main temple and a hondono supported by wooden pillars with copper tile and "turtle belly" decoration, though it's not open to the public. The temple itself is still a martyrs' shrine, and indoor photography is prohibited. 

Also of note is the intact torii, the traditional gate, and a bronze horse (for more on the bronze horses of Taiwan, read Taipei, City of Displacements. This particular horse even gets a mention). These horses were common in Taiwan and some other Japanese colonies. Interestingly, they all look quite similar, but don't seem to be common in Japan.

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The brochure says they "symbolize the ride of the gods between the divine sanctuary and the mortal world", though of greater interest to me was the shrine's emblem engraved on the side, which has in fact endured a great deal of wear. 

With gorgeous greenery and beautifully restored buildings, local residents come up here for fresh air -- we met some folks with their cats in boxes -- and it's a popular spot for cosplay photography. I recommend coming early, as the shrine closes early -- 5pm, to be precise. 

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There's a 7-11 nearby where you can grab water or call a taxi, and almost directly across the street on the way to the bus stop, you'll find an exceptionally hip cafe called Luna (鹿點咖啡), which has two floors of excruciatingly fashionable shabby-chic seating. They also sell coffee beans and high-quality insulated coffee thermoses. It's an excellent place to spend a lot of money for quality (and ultra-hip) coffee while you figure out when the bus you want will arrive. 

It's hard to figure out if this place is deer-themed (implied from the Chinese name) or moon-themed (from the English name) so I can only suppose it intends to be both.


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If you're in Taoyuan and near the train station, don't forget to check out the amazing storefront of HN Nail, and the odd "vampire" building across the street. HN Nail can be found at #150 Fuxing Road (復興路150號) within walking distance of the station, and the creepy "vampire building" is directly across the street. 


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HN Nail features in a book about interesting Taiwanese facades:


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...but it doesn't say much other than that the idea of using large 3D signage to advertise what your business offers originated in Japan. There are other examples in Taiwan, usually of the crustacean variety. There's a great one of a lobster or crayfish in Kaohsiung:


                   


It's fun, the neighborhood is fairly lively and pleasant to walk around in, and it's very close to a transport hub. 


And the area has some interesting signage as well:


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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Weekend at Lalashan

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A few weeks ago I was invited, on the spur of the moment, to Lalashan - a gorgeous mountain "recreation area" known for its snow peaches (large peaches with a honey-like taste) and persimmons. My student, Michael, was telling me about his planned trip and I mentioned I'd never been - I wasn't fishing for an invite - seriously! - and so he invited me along with his wife and their friends, many of whom I know from a few group outings I've gone on with them.

I had never had the chance to go to Lalashan because to get there, you really need to drive. There's a bus as far as Shangbaling, a tiny town perched on a ridge over Baling, several hundred meters below on the North Cross Island Highway, but you can't get very far out of Shangbaling unless you have a car. I don't, nor do I wish to drive (I would be willing to drive the North Cross Island Highway in a rental car, but I would not be willing to drive in Taipei city, and I'm not sure how I'd feel driving outside Taoyuan, so my options are quite limited). So...no Lalashan for me until Michael invited me along.

I was supposed to study for Delta that weekend, but it was a rare chance to go somewhere it's hard to reach without your own transport, so I went. Brendan unfortunately could not join us as he had to work on Saturday (I didn't).

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We stopped in Daxi for lunch - Daxi is famous for its well-preserved Japanese-era shophouses and dried tofu. One fun thing to do on the usually crowded old street is to try all the free samples.

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Then we headed up into the mountains. Sitting in the back, I didn't have the guts to tell Michael that his fast, take-those-curves-by-the-horns driving was making me supremely nauseated.

We finally stopped in Baling for a cup of coffee and to meet Michael's friend, Wuya (Crow), and I stumbled out of the car. I am pretty sure I was puce-colored. At least I was chartreuse. This dog owns the road that passes through Baling.

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It's HIS road!

Crow had cycled as far as Baling, and had pre-arranged with Michael to get a ride the rest of the way, to Shangbaling and then down the ridge to the homestay near the river at the base of the mountain. The homestay was owned by Michael and Fuzhen (his wife)'s friend's parents (the friend is named Teresa - I only know her parents as Chiu Ma and Chiu Ba).

The homestay has two lovely, friendly German shepherds and two cats who are so shy that I never did get to meet them. Our mutual friend Gary, who is shy around most people, had a special connection with the dogs.

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We went because it was persimmon season, and the Chiu family was going to take us to their persimmon orchard across the river to pick as many as we'd like the next day. That's why I've had so many persimmons to experiment with in what I've now dubbed Jenna's Test Kitchen (other discoveries: cherry tomato salad with figs, capers, pomegranate seeds and roasted garlic with greens, dressed with fresh herbs, a touch of salt, olive oil and fig balsamic vinegar...and couscous cooked in chicken stock with butter and savory apple pie spice - apple pie spices with sweet paprika, black pepper and salt added).

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Three great things about the trip:

1.) It was all Taiwanese and me, so I had a nice long weekend to speak nothing but Chinese in a fully authentic atmosphere. It was great practice!

2.) It was nice and cold, which meant fresh cool air more appropriate to the seasons where I'm from, and that I had a good excuse to make everyone my signature hot wine.

3.) Taiwanese-style socializing meant lots of free time to goof off - I could chat, or play with the dogs, or read for a bit, or futz on Facebook...there was no need to be "on" all the time.

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Michael bought some chicken feet in Daxi. I said NO THANKS but the dogs were quite interested.

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Teresa and her parents, the owners of the homestay, and Teresa's husband:

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Gary and Michael play some online game - which meant lots of free time for me to just relax:

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In the evening we played mahjongg (I'm a terrible player and they're serious, so I watched):

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The most important ingredients in hot wine, and Fuzhen is quite enjoying herself after a glass:

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Hot wine:

- 4:1 ratio of dark, spicy red and Fire Water cinnamon schnapps
- Shots of Goldschlager or an alternative to taste (I usually go with 3-4 shots per bottle of wine)
- For one bottle of wine: 4 cinnamon sticks, 6-8 cloves, 1-2 nutmegs well cracked, 1 star anise, 5-6 cardamoms cracked open. You can use powdered spices but I do not advise it

Heat together until wine is hot with tiny bubbles forming at the sides and steam but NOT boiling, strain out spices with a spoon strainer, serve with cinnamon sticks (your best bet for light drinkers is to put it, with the spices, into an insulated coffee/tea/hot water carafe, and let them drink it slowly out of small cups, don't bother serving with the cinnamon sticks).

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The group included a pair of newlyweds, who got the best room at the homestay. For everyone who thinks Taiwanese people are prudish, I submit that that is simply not true. The next morning the newlyweds did not emerge - the husband came out to tell us that his wife "doesn't feel well" so they would skip the persimmon picking. Someone who was not there asked about them and the answer was "oh...they're busy...ha!". Crow was in the room below them and was asked, with a wink-wink-nudge-nudge, how he slept. When the husband finally emerged but his wife was still resting, Chiu Ba asked about her. "She's not feeling well." "Ah!" he replied. "You're too strong!"

Yeah, no, I don't think Taiwanese people are prudes at all, or at least you cannot generalize this. Despite what a lot of expats believe.

Persimmon picking was fun - not challenging, but fun.

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We also stopped at a grove of trees whose leaves taste and smell of cinnamon (they may be cinnamon trees, but I'm not sure). You can use them as cinnamon substitutes in cooking, so we all picked a few to try. You can also chew them as a natural breath freshener.

Just below Shangbaling and visible from lower on the ridge is an aboriginal community with a very unique church:

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Seen against the entire mountainside it looks like an ark on a cresting wave. Quite creative there.

Our persimmons:

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Saturday, June 11, 2011

The Longtan Weird House (龍潭怪物房)

I am not sure that's the actual name, but it's something along those lines.

This "house"...thing...is in Longtan, right on the main highway through town (not downtown). Apparently the following things are true:

1.) It was built by the mayor's brother

2.) The mayor's brother is a bit of a weird guy (really, ya think?)

3.) The mayor's brother designed it himself and - apparently, though maybe there was a language-based miscommunication here - built it, too, as he owns a construction or contractng firm. He designed it this way because he liked it.

4.) People still live on the ground floor (it sure seemed that way)

5.) The mayor's brother actually lives on the upper floors (really?! I am not sure I believe this)

6.) The inside is really quite luxurious, in a "太over啦!", European chintz way

7.) You can go inside if you want, and there's even a restaurant (I have a really hard time believing this)

8.) Everyone in Longtan knows it (this has to be true - you can't NOT notice a monstrosity such as this)

9.) People who don't live in Longtan have also heard of it - it's actually quite famous

10.) It was apparently built with the mayor's brother's own funds, not taxpayer dollars


I don't know how much of the above is true and how much is dodgy info from locals, but there you have it.

The Longtan Weird House.

When I showed Joseph and Brendan while we were in town for Dragon Boat (I knew it because I go to Longtan for work fairly often - I teach a seminar at the Acer facility out there on occasion) I said before we got there "it's a really odd building. It won't change your life or anything, but it's really, really strange."

Brendan: "You lied to me! You said this building wouldn't change my life, but it did! LOOK AT THAT THING. I mean...WTF? Seriously?"

So...

...enjoy.