Poignant Scenes from Taiwan

What are some touching, emotional – poignant – scenes you’ve witnessed in Taiwan?

Perhaps because a nice park is right out my front door, such scenes for me invariably involve old people in the park, but that needn’t be the only setting. For me such scenes include:

The decrepit old guy, perhaps in his late 80’s, who appears to be half-blind and half-deaf and doesn’t seem to have any companions, who exercises religiously every day by shuffling slowly and methodically, alone, down the long crack between the marble tiles from on side of the park to the other, tracing the line with his foot, moving an inch or two with each shuffling step, dragging his lame leg behind him, before turning around at the other end and shuffling back down the line, as young couples with babies walk past and squealing children loop around him on bicycles.

The other decrepit old guy, who’s no longer able to trace the line alone, but gets his exercise with the assistance of a muscular young guy in the prime of his life, perhaps his grandson, who drapes the old man’s arm over his shoulder, hoists him up and half-drags him across the park.

The Filipina assistant pushing a hunched-over lump of a person in circles around the track in a wheelchair as sweaty young people run by in shorts.

The two old ladies in the morning, holding hands and waltzing under the trees. Do they have husbands? Have they ever danced with their husbands? What feelings do they have for each other? Do they ever fantasize they are dancing in some fancy ballroom at some fancy affair (who knows, maybe they really do)?

The group of 20 or so graying, post-menopausal ladies struggling to keep up with more aerobic-type dancing to western pop music, as the granddaughter of one of them, a lithe, budding young girl of 14 or so has joined them and is energetically dancing along, outshining the whole pack of them.

A guy, probably in his mid 50’s I see jogging around the local university sports fields just about every week-day evening.
From the looks of it he is in recovery from a stroke. His left arm appears to be semi-paralysized and he kind of drags one leg a bit. He also has the typical facial drooping on one side.
Last year this guy could barely walk. He just sort of shuffled at a slow walk. Gradulally over the time he is now up to a very slow sort of jog. It look somewhat painful, but its real progress. His face looks like its getting more movement back also.
And he’s there plugging just about every evening.
The dude motivates me to see his determination. :bravo:

One very poignant scene I saw a few months ago.

Maybe 50yo man, with his young daughter (or possibly grand-daughter). She was about 8yo.

At first glance, he was holding her hand at the side of the road, waiting for a break in the traffic to walk her safely agross the road.

On second glance, I realised SHE was walking HIM across the road (he was blind and, well, not very good at walking).

I almost burst out crying (I know, I know… I’m a wimp).

About 4 months ago I was over near Fuxing Sogo and I saw this old man walking down the street with blood running down his face. I ran up to him and got him to sit down and started calling for help. These three teenage boys came over. One took off his shirt and held it to the guys head. Another made a phone call. The third held the guys hand.
It made me feel good to see TEENAGERS of all people acting so much like they cared.

I like the way a group of unrelated Taiwanese can burst into collective laughter and banter when something funny or scary happens.

HG

A pen full of cute little piglets, playing around. All infected with foot and mouth disease. All to be slaughtered.

I’d been killing mature infected pigs all day and wanted a break, so the sergeant in charge sent me over there “for a change of pace”.

“That’s ok,” I said, and went back.

[quote=“Poagao”]A pen full of cute little piglets, playing around. All infected with foot and mouth disease. All to be slaughtered.

I’d been killing mature infected pigs all day and wanted a break, so the sergeant in charge sent me over there “for a change of pace”.

“That’s ok,” I said, and went back.[/quote]

nice to see someone opting for the less pleasant definition of poignant. :slight_smile:

Sorry, did you mean the sweet, syrupy kind of ‘poignant’?

everyone else did… as always you are a breath of fresh air…

Poagao’s example definitely qualifies as poignant (and not my idea of a good time). But I’d hardly call the other examples sweet and syrupy. Most of them concern the frailty of the human condition, our mortality, inevitable deterioration and demise and the futile struggle against such forces (not so different from the tale of Poagao’s piglets, except that he’s the executioner). To me that’s a little sad.

Taking the MRT back from Danshui and a young boy in the cross seat in front of me was attacking a pimple on his nose. His girlfriend, incredibly,was holding a mirror up for him. After a few minutes his tissue was full of blood and pus. I was disgusted and really started to hate the little twerp the longer I had to share the ride with him.

When he finally got up to leave he stepped on my foot a little. To my surprise he turned with a very sincere, bashful look on his face (now dry) and smiled and apologized.

The other day, I saw a young boy of about 15 stop an old lady from walking across busy Muzha Road. She was old, frail, and carrying a load of cardboard. The boy twice went out onto the road, put his arm around her and explained how dangerous it was to be trying to cross the road. Very decent of the lad, especially as school was just out and all the other kids were at the bus stop.

Unfortunately, the nutty old lady ran across the road when the boy turned his back.

March 18, 2000, Wen Hsin Rd. Taichung City. Hundreds of people going absolutely apeshit outside of DPP headquarters after Lien Chan concedes defeat in the election. Old men crying and hugging everyone they can grab. People flooding the street, cars blaring their horns, everyone realizing that history had been made. It was like Mardi Gras, minus the nudity.

Thanks BotelTobago, reminded me of a most memorable evening out at the baseball stadium in Taipei as Chen flew in for the last round of campaigning the night before he won the presidency. The crowd were pumped with an incredibly optimisitic vibe coursing through the place. It really felt like we were united on the cusp of something truly great.

HG

i think in 2008 - the ‘other’ definition of poignant will be appropriate.

An old man in his 80s pushing a pushcart full of cardboard up a long hill every day, around 2 pm every afternoon, like Sysiphus, he does it everyday, lives in rags, eating left over food people people give him…

Just this week my daughter started walking to school alone.

We only live one block from her school, but she’s in first grade and we’ve walked her there from the first day. Actually, my wife’s usually late, so I’ve walked her there every day, holding her hand and talking with her about sundry trivial subjects on our one block jaunt. Obviously she doesn’t need help finding the school, and there’s not much hazard involved, but . . . but . . . I LOVE my girl and it’s nice to have a little saying goodbye ritual in the morning.

Oh well, now I give her a hug at the door and watch out the window as she looks both ways, crosses the street with her giant backpack full of books, and looks up to see us watching her and waving to her.

Not quite “Silently closing her bedroom door, Leaving the note that she hoped would say more,” but . . . :frowning:

A class busy chatting falling silent precisely when the professor steps in.

[quote=“Mother Theresa”]Just this week my daughter started walking to school alone.

We only live one block from her school, but she’s in first grade and we’ve walked her there from the first day. Actually, my wife’s usually late, so I’ve walked her there every day, holding her hand and talking with her about sundry trivial subjects on our one block jaunt. Obviously she doesn’t need help finding the school, and there’s not much hazard involved, but . . . but . . . I LOVE my girl and it’s nice to have a little saying goodbye ritual in the morning.

Oh well, now I give her a hug at the door and watch out the window as she looks both ways, crosses the street with her giant backpack full of books, and looks up to see us watching her and waving to her.

Not quite “Silently closing her bedroom door, Leaving the note that she hoped would say more,” but . . . :frowning:[/quote]
AWWWWW! Made my eyes tear up. Or it could be the ulnar nerve thing… she still loves you, MT. Forever and ever. At least you have that in your favour.

Thanks. My wife tells me our girl was my wife or lover in a prior life. Apparently that’s the Chinese view.

[quote=“Poagao”]A pen full of cute little piglets, playing around. All infected with foot and mouth disease. All to be slaughtered.

I’d been killing mature infected pigs all day and wanted a break, so the sergeant in charge sent me over there “for a change of pace”.

“That’s ok,” I said, and went back.[/quote]

Did you eat bacon and/or ham afterwards to cool down?