A GENUINE request to be proven wrong

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
1

I tend to be pretty vociferously critical of Taiwan and Chinese culture in general. In a nutshell, my view is that its deader’n a proverbial doornail. From my experience, there is almost no creativity, very very little logic (the Ph.D. Engineer who was terrified when someone lit a candle in an apartment here, afraid that it was going to use all of the oxygen up…and failing to realize that the candle was dancing around from breezes through the closed windows).

I have seen a hella lot of copycat photography, knockoff music, and most art I’ve seen has been a conglomeration of copying various western artists (ONE notable exception is Chu Li Li, who spent a long time studying in Spain, and whose work is spectacular).

I’ve asked my wife to find culture. Locate it. FIND me a traditional dance troupe, or a Chinese opera troupe that hasn’t sold out to the infantile glitz of distorted P.A. systems and lights that would trigger seizures in a corpse. FIND me a temple that hasn’t had Christmas tree lights draped over the gods, or where people don’t put plexiglass over the altars (one guy said it was to prevent the deity from being stolen, another said it was so they wouldn’t have to clean back there).

So, this is a SERIOUS request. I’ve asked my wife to prove me wrong, show me the culture. Show me modern art that is meaningful (I’ve honestly seen a couple of sculptures around that are amazing, but most are meh).

From what I see day in and day out, its really depressing. Our school has 200 kids, and exactly zero have any interest in culture and the arts, what their parents force them to worship is the God of Dollah via math and science.

PROVE me wrong, I’d be thrilled. Show me that there is something of value here (not the individuals, an individual can do nothing other than wail, like I do, that all is for naught, there are some INCREDIBLE individuals here).

At this point, I’m working on two photographic projects that are deeply disturbing, and seriously depressing (and at some point, I’ll 'fess up to what they are, but its far too early in their processes) and I’d LOVE to find reasons for not recommending the entire island (at present I only recommend Miaoli County) for above ground nuclear testing…

2

Seriously, maybe you are seeing it but haven’t yet comes to terms with it.

Taiwan has come from backwater banana farms to ultrahightech/service economy in a very very short time, all the while dealing with a relatively unknown market system and an incredible first experience with democracy.

Can’t you, and I, and all of us cut them a little slack?

The unknown is never as deep as people seem to feel and think and fear it is.

jdsentimental

cheers :rainbow:

3

Sorry, Ace, but for your request to be genuine your mind has to be open to be proven wrong, and I mean no offense by this, but from chatting with you over the past few years, I just don’t think it is. Given the relative young age of modernity in Taiwan the art is EXPECTED to be mostly derivative. Same as in the US in the 18th and 19th century and Canada up to the middle of the 20th. Why are you perpetually amazed that the Taiwanese are going through the exact same growing pains as we did in the west?

You also give yourself away when you say:

So even if I list the “culture” I have found you will dismiss it as one-of-a-kind, a fluke, an accident, a spit in the ocean, not “great” enough, etc. This is futile. The problem really is with you my friend, and not Taiwan. Taiwan is more or less where it should be in terms of its development.

4

I suspect one would have to do some serious travel in Taiwan to find what you maybe looking for. It’s not Japan and Korea by any stretch of the imagination, or even has the amount of time of exsisting as a ‘country’.

I concur with you that Taiwan doesn’t have any serious art or music culture here. David Tao, a TW singer who spent time in the US laments about it alot.

I’ve just told people when they ask me what Taiwanese culture is, it’s their politics.

5

Check here…
tpecc.org/

6

You ask us to prove you wrong but you have not shown us any proof of:

And I quote:
there is almost no creativity
very very little logic
lot of copycat photography
knockoff music
conglomeration of copying various western artists
modern art that is meaningful

All the above statements come from your words in your post and for me I see nothing there but a single person’s opinion, a very bitter opinion some might think. Every negative point you highlighted about Taiwan, I could say the same thing about any other country and have the same amount of validity.

You asked us to show you culture.

Children riding on scooters with no helmets, water down liquor in pubs, cold stares, the “Hello’s”, rude behavior (by western standards) and smoking everywhere, the list goes on and on and on. This is the culture.

Eating moon cakes, sipping on tea for 4 hours at a tea house, smiling, fried chicken in theaters, Ba-boo ice cream and riding scooters everyday. This is also the culture. I personally like this part of Taiwan.

[quote]
Chinese opera troupe that hasn’t sold out to the infantile glitz of distorted P.A. systems and lights that would trigger seizures in a corpse

FIND me a temple that hasn’t had Christmas tree lights draped over the gods, or where people don’t put plexiglass over the altars[/quote]

The above quotes are something that annoys you for personal reasons that do not concern me because they do not annoy me. Though I am curious why do these minor differences take so much of your energy?

I do have an answer for you and I hope that it will take away some of your stress.

Taiwanese have a DIY (do it yourself) mentality, it saves money. However, the problem is, nobody has taught them how to (in this case) set up a stereo system correctly, hence the horrible distortion sound you described is casued by the lack of experience in certain areas. At least they are trying yes?

If it annoys you greatly, maybe you can show them how to hook up a system for them and show them how to coordinate a light show.

[quote]
Our school has 200 kids, and exactly zero have any interest in culture and the arts, what their parents force them to worship is the God of Dollah via math and science. [/quote]

This opinion of yours honestly annoys me on many levels. Instead of describing details of the why, I will suggest something that will prove the above quote wrong.

Suggestion:
Bring the children a Bat Man comic book and read it to them while showing them the incredible art by many various inkers, colorist, artist (pencil) and letterers. For me, comic books were art for me when I was a child and still hold a place in my heart when I see a good piece of comic art.

The children will show you their appreciation of the art and the culture. Also, do not expect a child to have the same understandings as an adult.

The last thing you said that I simply cannot understand is:

And I quote:
Show me that there is something of value here

Do you not value your wife?

I am married here and my wife holds more value than I can describe in words. Maybe if I was a poet I could paint you a mental picture to describe how beautiful and valuable she is to me, unfortunately God did not gift me when it comes to expressing my thoughts.

My point is (assuming your wife is Taiwanese), how can you feel such a negative thing with your wife under the same roof?

I will leave you with this famous quote:

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.
~Charles Darwin~

7

Ju Ming. Nuff Said.

*There’s a sculpture of an old lady/man working with a water buffulo and cart. Does anyone know where to find at a pic? Beautiful

8

[quote=“BW”] Maybe if I was a poet I could paint you a mental picture to describe how beautiful and valuable she is to me, unfortunately God did not gift me when it comes to expressing my thoughts.
[/quote]

For most women that’s a mouthful. Just the gratitude expressed simple is enough…

9

[quote]And I quote:
Show me that there is something of value here

Do you not value your wife?

I am married here and my wife holds more value than I can describe in words. Maybe if I was a poet I could paint you a mental picture to describe how beautiful and valuable she is to me, unfortunately God did not gift me when it comes to expressing my thoughts.

My point is (assuming your wife is Taiwanese), how can you feel such a negative thing with your wife under the same roof?
[/quote]

Exactly and if he doesn’t feel that in the gonads then nothing will get through to him.

OP, sorry but I think you’re missin out on alot more of Taiwan than meets the eye.

10

[quote]I agree with Tom’s assessment of Taiwan. Although I don’t plan on leaving Taiwan anytime soon; I do believe this place gives some (most) people the impression that they can get away with anything. Taiwan/Asia as a whole isn’t bad but it suckers some into a mindset of : “Why? Because I can” type of attitude. Some foriengers here, which include myself, tend to lose touch with the do’s and don’t’s of back home.*

We all know that to some degree or another that Asia offers a freedom we couldn’t have back home per say and that the main reason we would ever consider returning to Taiwan/Asia is to become and enjoy being obscure once again. Nothing is certain here. But I would venture to guess that back home (where ever that is for any of us), most of us have an idea of certain goals and a direction as to where we’d like to be in life. Unlike here in Asia, where it seems to blow smoke up our pucker which drives some of us farther away from our friends, family and/or career. Procrastination.

I said this a while back regarding Taiwan: Taiwan’s like a beanbag chair…comfortable for the time being but difficult to get out of.

*We should never compare Taiwan to our native countries. We simply cannot have the same comparisons. Instead we should be measuring our own behavior with our own moral standards of which we were raised by nothing less or more. If you don’t like how Taiwan/Asia does things then stay true to yourself (hard…I know) because in the end you can’t blame a country…only yourself. A true sign of weakness is passin the buck and not ownin up. Do what’s good for you and stay true. Good Luck.

edit perhaps my entry needs to be redirected to another forum? A little too serious in nature for “Fun & Games”? Just a thought.
[/quote]

There’s the lure…where’s the fish?

11

acearle, it sounds like what you’re saying is that Taiwan has finally caught up to Western society, in which culture has been dead for decades (perhaps a century).

Everything you wrote about Taiwan can be said about almost every Western country I can think of. Especially the worship of the ‘Dollah’.

12

Although I was not looking for original art (not sure exactly what that means) I have been to many of the mountainous remote areas of Taiwan. I find what I percieve to be your “original art”. Often in a form that most would have to view twice to recognize as art. Tats, piercings, sculpture, mostly in wood, song and dance. You just have to get out of the metro areas. Go where the locals don’t go. Go to a mountainous area and find a road or trail that goes “up” Up is always better than down. You will find folks that will be your best friend in a few minutes. Most are aboriginals of the 14? (number seems to change with the seasons). Camp. Spend a few days. Chat, drink, spend time with the kids. Remember, these kids nor families don’t often see Westerners. They will be a bit startled at first but then, after a few hours (or days) start to share their culture with you. You will hear and record music that most of the world has never heard. Sure, I know that they copy too from all the available electronic media but you will also find some original artistic endeavors. I really enjoy the early photography that might be available in the community. The tats and history of the aboriginals does it for me. I can"t tell you how many hours I have enjoyed around a campfire with the native Taiwanees, hearing there stories and sharing memories. This, in my mind, is true “art” and some of my most treasured memories.
Try it just one time and you will understand.

13

I was talking to someone recently about Chinese festivals and holidays and how they really couldn’t compare with our western holidays in terms of living, vital entertainments and cultural practices.

But if you know anything about your history you know that our so called Christmas and Halloween and so on traditions are mostly 20th century inventions. In addition, what we have of true Christmas tradiitons were revived by Dickens. Before he wrote his series of Christmas books (the best of which of course is A Christmas Carol) traditions were all dying out as a result of the industrial revolution. Feel happy that Dickens saved Christmas, but also be humbled that without him, a lot of what we enjoy now would have been brushed aside.

Furthermore, some of our greatest Christmas cultural products were created in the mid-20th century. The Dr Seuss stories, Frosty, Rudolph, A Christmas Story, Burle Ives songs, etc. We redefined Christmas, and recreated traditions and stories to suit our modern sensibilities. But Jesus, it took long enough. Over a century we are looking at a handful of GREAT works. Why expect Taiwan to produce that in two decades? It’s preposterous.

Taiwan and China will find their Dr Seuss’s and their Dickens over time. They will redefine and recreate their traditions and their holidays and art in general. They will find their voice.

Another point to remember is that the arts in general are in a funk everywhere. High art has been in retreat since the 60s and popular culture is sporadically creative. Songwriting is at an all time low. Fiction is dead, except children’s writing where there is still a lot of energy and innovation happening. Television is one of the most creative medium these days but film is mostly dreadful. Dance? Theatre? The scenes survive but they, like painting, are largely irrelevant.

14

acearle,

While your post and opinion would be predictably unpopular, don’t let that faze you. You made some valid observations. To a large degree, I agree with you. On one hand, there is credence to the idea that Taiwan is evolving, at least in terms of adopting western culture and democracy, and so is at some half-baked point on that scale. On the other hand, five thousand years of overly hyped culture and they’re still eating with sticks. Doesn’t say much for innate creativity or innovative potential.

Apparently like you, I don’t like disliking any culture, especially one that I’m living in. For that reason, on my good days, I too search for redeeming local qualities. Haven’t found a lot yet, but I’d also genuinely like to find some.

On that note, it was nice when I bumped into a Discovery or NGC program the other day, called “Hot Science” I think. It was showcasing Taiwanese scientists who were doing original work, some of it as international leaders in their fields. That short program was like a cool drink on a hot day – very refreshing. Restored some hope.

If you ever compile such a list for your own use, I’d like to see it also.

Seeker4

15

[quote=“seeker4”] On the other hand, five thousand years of overly hyped culture and they’re still eating with sticks. Doesn’t say much for innate creativity or innovative potential.

Seeker4 [/quote]

I am perplexed. Why are you referring to chopsticks as “sticks”, and what do you mean by “still”? Was there a stage when Western or other civilizations were using chopsticks? I have no idea.

Also, please explain what the role the use of chopsticks (or knives and forks, for that matter) plays in innate creativity or innovative potential. I am a westerner living in Taiwan, but when eating certain types of food, whether here or in the west, “sticks” are my implement of choice. I am now worried that this could be stymying my innate creativity or innovative potential, or that of my two sons, so please advise how I should proceed.

When travelling in Africa, I was also guilty of eating with my hands. Perhaps there is no hope for me?

16

Well there’s obviously some hope, because you’ve graduated to sticks.

17

I have to agree with most of the other posters who replied so far on this topic/question/statement…

Taiwan is just getting out of its childhood years. Many things are new to the Taiwanese. Democracy, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, environmental issues, and many more.

I’m Danish and Greenland wasn’t much further in the 60’s than Taiwan today. Hell… Denmark was a regular poorhouse 100 years ago. So I guess you’ve to take a look at yourself and become better in absorbing the way things are in a developing democracy such as Taiwan. Of course they make mistakes and they will continue to make them for the generations to come. But please tell me a country which hasn’t been through the same ordeal at its early stages of “life”. Bet you can’t.

BTW, lovely pics :cool:

18

Wow, some GREAT responses, and the initial perusal already has me thinking. Some initial thoughts: Yep, I agree that western culture is dying also (errrm, I’ll never forget the “art” installation at the Seattle Art museum that consisted entirely of bathtubs and toilets piled up, or the time my Uncle’s father, a relatively well known photographer, set his camera on a trash bin in the middle of a courtyard at the Denver Art Museum and was curtly asked by the guard to “not put his camera on the artwork”…

This WAS a genuine request. With the death of western culture, there are pockets of hope, some wildly creative and expressive people…ermm…most half-cracked, and about 10% half-baked, hehe. That’s what I haven’t FOUND here, at least among the Chinese (I have found it in some Aboriginals).

I don’t LIVE in an urban area, and in all honesty, I’m starting to think that is why I’m getting to the point of suggesting scuttling the island and letting the volcanos start anew :smiley:. SOME of the hope I’ve seen has been on occasion in Taipei, but when I tell people that I have 200 students and exactly ONE of them is creative AND can think, and about 10 are EITHER creative OR can think, that leaves 189 that sit there waiting to be given the answers (its the schools, I know it is…I was told once by the principal of one of 'em that “it isn’t the school’s job to teach, its the buxi ban’s job to teach.”)(and also the parents, they went to these same schools, and have NO concept of what their own kids are capable of).

JDSmith, no…I can’t cut them slack, not when they are using indentured servitude and human trafficing to fuel the economy, and not when what i view as a backwater 3rd world culture puts on airs and claims to be the center of the known universe because of some alleged 3500-5000 years of “history.” The reality is that Chinese with means are abandoning the sinking ship in droves, if you people think I’m vitriolic, you should talk with my wife and a few people who have thrown in the towel and climbed down the anchor chain. I’ll cut the culture slack when it cuts ME slack.

Remember folks, I first came here in 1989, and since then have spent…ermm…geez, I’ve lost count…11 years? 12 years?? I honestly would have to look at my passport to figure it out, I’ve gone through the Taiwan apologist phase not once, but twice. I haven’t posted the reality of what happens when a foreigner gets beyond the “He’s a guest and we can still pull the wool over his eyes” phase.

And, I’m seriously looking for something worthwhile. Again, there are a HUGE number of individuals. In fact, with the school move, I can list our electrician as one of the most incredible people I’ve known and worked with. After I bit the security company, they straighened up and did REALLY good work (errrm, a really really bad way to start a job is by spitting betelnut on the floor of a classroom full of kids, its a SURE way to get a rabid foreigner to rip you new orfices).

Mucha, interesting point. So, your premise is that a newly industrialized culture is expected to dispose of all creativity and culture? Maybe Taiwan never had it, I dunno. But, if you’ve been to Thailand, its there…The Philippines, its there…Korea? Yeppers. Japan…ermm, in a big way. It HAS occurred to me that maybe Taiwan has been the backwater of China, under Japanese or Dutch control…etc…etc…for so long that there really is no indiginous culture other than the Aboriginal culture. I’d really love to find someone who has been here since the '60s, the only person I knew who had been here that long died in the early 90s at close to 90 years old, he showed up in Taiwan in the '50s I believe (wonder if there are any really, really old Catholic priests wandering around, they’d know). My views and the sincerity of my looking for something worthwhile other than unreliable electronic equipment and worsening Chinese food are two different things :-)).

Interesting point Namahottie, politics as culture. If that’s the case, I wouldn’t be surprised if it all explodes into civil war at some point, but yeah, there is a VERY different flavor and feel to politics here (I don’t get politically involved here, I figure I’ve got more than enough to whine about in the U.S., lol).

TomHill is officially nominated for sainthood, that’s EXACTLY what I was looking for, once this school move is done I think it may be time to attend some of them there event thingies.

BW, yep. You quoted me right. Unfortunately, the quality of Mooncakes have dropped in the interest of bigger profit margins, I rarely eat them anymore. The tea houses? Aside from two in Hsinchu, I don’t bother. Yeah, the tea is good, but the atmosphere has been sacrificed to save money in most of the new ones (but the two in Hsinchu, holee crap, pry me outta there with a crowbar).

Kids without helmets on scooters? You hit a nerve there. I suppose that’s culture in the same way that gun violence is American culture. Seeing parents helmeted on scooters with helmetless kids only reminds me that to many people, kids are simply retirement investments and replacable. Even if not on a conscious level.

I’ve actually tried to explain gain, etc. etc. to people in their PAs, but I usually get the “You just don’t understand Chinese culture” attitude, people don’t actually WANT help. Its one of the reasons I left music, when I was performing, everyone is an Imperial Expert, especially if they have 5 minutes “experience” and the shame of having the Ferigner with 30 years experience in theater, live music, lighting, etc. say “errrm, this is a 20w tube amp, it needs to be miced” is just too much, lol. Or, the shame of the ferigner saying “I asked you to print my photos without ANY corrections, why did you ignore me? And I asked for bordered prints. And I asked you to print the ones that are blurry, they are motion studies, but you ignored me on all these points.” I’ve learned to not offer help, as it is usually an affront to people.

Yes, you’re right. I DO value my wife. I also value a number of people, the single common denominator is that they’ve spent long periods of time abroad (not just the west, a friend of mine spent 6 years working in Japan somehow, don’t recall the details). The other interesting common denominator, is that 100% of these people are desperate to get out of Taiwan (errrm, 1-3 years for us, seriously, I figure that over 1/4 of my life is enough).

I was referring to something culturally of value. Not the attempts to “out cheap,” but things of value.

Monster, SURE, there are STUNNING women here. There are stunning women everywhere. There are (to avoid the backlash of being called sexist) handsome men here, and everywhere. There are beautiful people anywhere in the world. I’m at the “age” where I love ALL of the teachers in my school dearly, errrm…any ONE of them could be my daughter, lol, and I’m always grumbling that one of them needs better tastes in boyfriends, lol (the others who have 'em have picked incredible kids as Significant Others :smiley: ).

My gonads are just fine, but…ermm…I’m of the age where I don’t think with them anymore :smiley:.

Fortigurn, yes. Errrm. I’m not exactly chomping at the bit to end up back in the U.S… There are other places that appeal to me, however my wife has a singular obsession with Seattle that I can’t seem to get rid of, lol. I’m really studying the bait and switch techniue (awww, come on dear, Samoa starts with S, it MUST be the same as Seattle). My honest opinion these days is starting to be that global civilization is on a serious decline, and that maybe I really oughtta find a deserted island or small patch of antarctica, I hear Penguin culture is quite progressive…

Enigma, you’re reminding me that I really DO need to get back up to the Aboriginal areas. I haven’t wandered up there for a few years, and maybe that’s where I’m starting to lose it. I think THIS concept (and the link from TomHill) are just the medicine the doctor ordered :-).

Mucha (errm, can you tell I’m going though these in order in another window?). VERY good points on western “traditions” lol. Errrm, you are talking to someone who is not, nor was he raised, a Christian. My Christmas tradition often involved working tripple shifts (errm, one Christmas, 48 consecutive hours at a radio station) to allow people who had emotional attachments to it to take the time off, lol. Haloween is simply my favorite holiday (always has been, lol), and the history of that holiday is really fascinating (some of the modern mythology…errm, off topic, never mind)…

Seeker, yeah…I know my post and views will be unpopular. That’s NEVER phased me (errrm, I danged near got death threats from the American right wing back in the 80s over some editorials I wrote, lol…). The thing is, I find that MANY people hold the same views, most have been here a decade or more…the apologists tend to have been here 2-3, maybe 5 years at the longest. There are exceptions on both sides of the coin (the Vitriolic Foreigners and The Taiwan Apologists, hehehe…nothing like polarizing people for the sake of argument). I saw the first 10 minutes of that DSC show, then had to go clean up a mess made by my physicist cat, who is constantly testing gravity. The ONE thing that I howled about is Taiwan’s claim to genetic engineering fame (different show or article): Irridescent green pigs, now THAT is useful to humanity (great for late night BBQs if they can get the meat to glow in the dark).

Henrik, THAT IS THE ROOT OF MY FRUSTRATION!!! Taiwan/China IS just getting out of its childhood years, yet people put on airs and openly abuse foreiners because we are viewed as sub-human (the culture tends to lump hominids into two groups, “people” (Chinese) and “other” (foreigners). Over the next 12-18 months, I may post pieces of a project I’m working on, but considering some of the research I’ve been doing, the entire culture is in a 100% indefensible position (unless there are some major legal changes, which is the first step to fundimental cultural change)(which is why I’m doing this project/research, I know way, way more than I wish I did, and if I could crawl back into my shell and forget much of what I know, I would).

FANTASTIC responses, thank you all. I’ve definitely got some good directions to go in, I’m honestly wanting to photograph some positive things, and have some good directions (this other project is so seriously disturbing and depressing that I have GOT to find something to balance it, or simply leave the island for a few weeks every few months or risk institutionalization). TomHill’s website is a GREAT start, as is a now planned trek up into the mountains in a couple of weeks :-).

And those of you who live in Taipei, count your blessings. Out here in the hinterlands, life is…ermm…different…

<grammur and spellink errors attributed to 30 days of moving and painting without a day off, dyslexia, and mild psychosis, mwaaahahaha>

19

A dusty Christmas tree sitting in the corner of McDonalds 9 months after Christmas has already passed, is actually a Taiwanese example of modern abstract artform.
A betelnutter;… lips encrusted with red, blue plastic slippers , with a diamond studded Rolex watch is walking living art.
Their poetry is in the shop signs and new apartment complexes going up all over with names like…“Top Green High Class Fancy Gold Villas #1!”
Art is all around but you need to learn to feel it, live it and be part of it.
Isn’t this why we are all here?

20

I live in Muzha and have for the past 7 years. When I first moved ut here it was not such a popular place to live. Too far. Too much like the countryside people said. Within two yeras attitudes started to change. People started to realize that living close to nature was a bonus. Having space for their kids to run around in was great. More and more buildings have been going up including a whole row of rather nice ones along the river. The walkways on the dike are filled with people in the evenings out strolling, riding bikes, and the lower playgrounds see kids all day long. And best of all their is almost no garbage. (Cross the river into hillbilly country and it is a different story.)

Just last year we had a new community centre open up. We have art exhibits, dances, and other cultural offerings. Lots of people attend them and there was a lot of buzz about when the place opened. I see people in Taiwan as quite open to improvng their lives and quite interested in more sophisticated cultural offerings than TV. How many film festivals does Taipei have every year? Four, five? They are always popular. How many massive bookstores do we have open till the wee hours of the morning? Three now.

How about Taipei Eye? Designed for tourists but still a good venue for traditional performing arts. Do you know who started this? The Goo family. Yes, the same filthy rich family that polluted this shit out of southern Taiwan. In any case, it was a great sign of progress when TE opened, as it signalled an era where the wealhty would start to fund cultural activities or institutions that could not otherwise exist. (For without outside funding, most dance companies, theatre, and museums wwouldn’t exist in the US or Canada either.)

You mentioned you wanted to see dance. Surely you know about Cloud Gate. They are a perfect example of what I was talking about above: taking old traditions and stories and modernizing them. Now, one dance is called Journey to the West. The last fifteen minutes of the show have a monk walking around in a spiral with a rake in hand, making a pattern on the sand on the ground. FIFTEEN minutes! Who would try something so audacious? I’ve seen this on stage and at the outdoor concerts given free at CKS (and packed, packed everytime) and the audience has always been held rapt.

Taipei gets a lot of visiting art exhibits and these are always packed. I just can’t accept that no one here is interested in culture, that money is everything, and some of the other accusations you make. Everytime something good opens up, whether a new museum, exhibition, or a bike paths along the rivers, people flock to it.