…somewhere in Taoyuan county. I’m sure that others have heard the rumors too, but does anyone know if it is real? It seems more plausable because the various stories I’ve heard actually match fairly closely, an industrial area dating back 10-20 years, before there was any control over industrial contamination.
Curious because I’m thinking it would be interesting to photograph if it really exsists.
Anyone know if these rumors are true? And if so where it is?? Or, does anyone know if it is basically urban Taiwan myth?
[quote=“Namahottie”]I didn’t know there were rumors about my beer belly. Where did you hear about this?
Okay sorry of mocking your post
[/quote]
Hehe, okay, I’ll shoot your rumored beer belly . I’ve heard about this off and on for several years, usually casual conversation on the street, or in a pub…coffee shop…always hear it from a foreigner, and I kinda suspect that it may be urban legend. I mean, the tap water down here in Miaoli county will kill all fish (cost me a lotta money in fish and anemone until I figured out that the water is toxic), so it seems that no matter how toxic an area is, people still live there.
BUT, if it IS real, and I can figure out where it is, definitely worth a trip up to photograph it (getting tired of shooting crumbling buildings and abandoned factories).
May well NOT be real, though…but…hehe, on the off-chance that it IS and that someone knows where I can find it …
this sounds like the story I heard in Taiwan several years ago. The guy who told me than lent me a newspaper which had a two page spread on it. If the article is correct (assuming we’re talking about the same incident) there was a relatively small nuclear accident. The toxic materials were left and have been leaching into the water ever since in Northern Taiwan. I guess it should be easy enough to test for radiaoactivity in the water. Another teacher said that when he was walking in the woods he came across a dead area. Perhaps a search through newspaper archives would locate the article? I’ll give it a try.
So. all very hearsay for readers but i definately remember reading the article although the details are misty with time. Perhaps someone else can put things more concretely?
[quote=“Taiwanlight Zone”]this sounds like the story I heard in Taiwan several years ago. The guy who told me than lent me a newspaper which had a two page spread on it. If the article is correct (assuming we’re talking about the same incident) there was a relatively small nuclear accident. The toxic materials were left and have been leaching into the water ever since in Northern Taiwan. I guess it should be easy enough to test for radiaoactivity in the water. Another teacher said that when he was walking in the woods he came across a dead area. Perhaps a search through newspaper archives would locate the article? I’ll give it a try.
So. all very hearsay for readers but i definately remember reading the article although the details are misty with time. Perhaps someone else can put things more concretely?[/quote]
VERY cool, I don’t read Chinese, and I can’t watch the news without having the nearly uncontrollable urge to throw objects at my TV , and my wife hasn’t heard the stories, and doesn’t read the paper…and…ermm…steals the object that I’m about to launch at the TV and launches it herself, hehe.
There is a beach that I sometimes take the bike for a ride. The Sun sets off the shore so it looks kind of nice if you squint and pretend there isn’t so much rubbish lying around.
Anyway, recently I decided to venture down over the concrete eyesore wave breaker/anti invasion things. I could see some rock pools and patches of beach for exploring with the dog.
Oh my gawd. What a wasteland. I did not see a single living thing. Not even a crab or worm or snail. The crustations crumbled when I walked on the rocks - even the barnacle things have been a long time dead. There is kind of a dark brown sludge on everything.
What is shocking is the amount of rubbish around. At first I assumed it had washed up from the sea but the closer I looked, most of the shit looked as if it was dumped on the other side of the break water from cars. Plenty of industrial dumping too, there is stuff so big like massive steel cable coils, lamp posts, 44 gallon drums of shit, tins of paint, car batteries, dead dogs (I am not joking), lots of smashed glass offcuts & and god knows what else.
It made me sick to think here is such a potentially beautiful and educational part of the coast, that has just be repeatedly raped by the people that live here. Maybe this is the area of toxic leakage? There are quite a few ex military buildings hear the coast, and inland a little a massive ghost town of old barracks that would house 10000 people, my guess.
Take a look at this place, here are the Google Earth co-ordinates.
25° 5’26.06"N
121°10’43.32"E
It got me thinking. What will it take for parts of the country to be cleaned up, respected and enjoyed? Do we need to start a “Hall of shame” website or something?
I think Taiwan was called “formosa” cause it meant beautiful island, and they say it was beautiful back in the day. However due to the rapid industrialization and stuff people polluted the crap out of this island. You know Ji Long river in Taipei used to be BLACK, and people said it had dead pigs and all kinds of crap floating on the river. Also Taipei used to not have any blue sky because of all the pollutions. Things have gotten better but I still think there are no value when it comes to teaching people not to throw garbage cause anytime you walk down the danshui river walk you will see crap all over the bottom at low tide. People said that area used to be a junkyard. The government probably spent massive amount of money cleaning all this up but I think they should 1. educate people not to throw crap all over the place, 2. actually have trash cans so people dont litter (they got trash cans at the danshui river walk but people still throw crap into the river… why?) and 3. fine people massive amount for throwing crap all over like cig butts and bing lang spits. then use the money toward cleaning up.
apparently on orchid isaland they did a bunch of toxic waste dumping… I heard it’s been affecting things there… but I haven’t heard anything about touyen… sorry
Dude, if you find this I am SO going with you. I’ll ask around here. I’m sure one of my scout friends will know where it is. Call me and remind me cuz you know I’m a worthless flake.
Broken Windows Syndrome - ‘In a 1982 Atlantic Monthly article titled “Broken Windows,” James Q. Wilson and George Kelling argued that disorder in a community, if left uncorrected, undercuts residents’ own efforts to maintain their homes and neighborhoods and control unruly behavior. “If a window in a building is broken and left unrepaired,” they wrote, “all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. . . . One unrepaired window is a signal that no one cares, so breaking more windows costs nothing. . . . Untended property becomes fair game for people out for fun or plunder.”
When a river is full of garbage, then people will litter in that river. When a river is cleaned up and the law doesn’t tolerate any kind of destruction - even binglang or cigarette butts - then people will take care of the river.
[quote=“ImaniOU”]Broken Windows Syndrome - ‘In a 1982 Atlantic Monthly article titled “Broken Windows,” James Q. Wilson and George Kelling argued that disorder in a community, if left uncorrected, undercuts residents’ own efforts to maintain their homes and neighborhoods and control unruly behavior. “If a window in a building is broken and left unrepaired,” they wrote, “all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. . . . One unrepaired window is a signal that no one cares, so breaking more windows costs nothing. . . . Untended property becomes fair game for people out for fun or plunder.”
When a river is full of garbage, then people will litter in that river. When a river is cleaned up and the law doesn’t tolerate any kind of destruction - even binlang or cigarette butts - then people will take care of the river.[/quote]
My God Woman, do you ever stop reading?!??!
I remember now, that I once had a language exchange partner who was doing a doc or a paper on women who had worked for RCA back in the 70/80’s. She said that a majority of the women who were employed there have or had have breast cancer as well as there were high amounts of miscarriages and birth deformities. My guess would be to find out where these plants where located and follow the trail.
. I’ve heard about this off and on for several years, usually casual conversation on the street, or in a pub…coffee shop…always hear it from a foreigner, and I kinda suspect that it may be urban legend. I mean, the tap water down here in Miaoli county will kill all fish (cost me a lotta money in fish and anemone until I figured out that the water is toxic), so it seems that no matter how toxic an area is, people still live there.