Loads on Salt Spring. I wore a Bush/Cheney sweater and thought I would be tarred and feathered.
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Since you are meticulous and thoughtful in presenting so many details in your blog, I did want to ask you about this phrase which appears in your 10/28 post:
the Japanese occupation of Taiwan
Many folks have criticized this use of the term “occuption,” which indicates some sort of temporary military take-over. We know however that Japanese rule in Taiwan came about formally via the Treaty of Shimonoseki. As an alternative, these folks suggest using Japanese colonial rule as more historically accurate.
The ideology behind using the term “occuption” in the context of Japanese colonialism comes into sharper focus when examining how the ROC-on-Taiwan took over this island—precisely as an occupying power granted authority by General MacArthur following the military defeat of the Japanese Empire. This was actually a true temporary take-over, with no lasting authority vested in legal process, as we know that the ROC (as well as the PRC!) is unnamed in the Treaty of San Francisco in which Japan, in the early 1950s, formally renounced sovereignty over Taiwan and Penghu. No beneficiary is named in this treaty. This unsettled status remains for us in Taiwan and Penghu as our political condition today.
Guy
Are you asking about my opinion? Well, I’m no historian but it does seem to me that the Qing Dynasty was to some extent forced (coerced) into the Treaty of Shimonoseki by the Japanese, so I feel comfortable with “occupied.”
But I suppose a more honest answer is that I’m going to have to think about it. In previous posts I’ve used “Japanese colonial administration,” in place of “occupation,” often without thinking about the distinction. You’re right, “occupation” is a charged word, so I’ll give it some thought.
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I appreciate the response!
What the term “occupation” does in this case is normalize Qing as well as KMT rule, presenting Japanese colonialism as a minor exception as opposed to one in a series of colonialisms (Dutch, Spanish, Koxinga, Qing, Japanese, KMT—all outsiders coming in and setting up their systems of colonial rule).
In any case, thank you for your awesome blog. It’s inspiring to see this kind of detail and care about Taiwan.
Guy
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Any eateries of note in that community?
Guy
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More in Gangshan a mall with company that has one USA washington, also I went to some nice cafes there, and massive MUJI for countryside area (has lots of spaces for cars in the car park, nice cafe and foods market inside MUJI)
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There’s a restaurant just south of there in Zhutian but it’s been closed for a while. COVID casualty? Aside from that none that I know of.
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Yeah, I know that place. Really close to the Gangshan MRT station and not far from my mother-in-law’s house. I’ve been to the Uniqlo near the station, but I haven’t been to the newer stuff they’ve built since. Might go there this Saturday.
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Update us if you do visit !
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ZhuTian Station has nice coffee cafe, sometimes busy so need to wait. A ten minute walk to the highway also has nice Hakka food place.
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Tidy looking market. They just had to bring vehicles in there though, couldn’t bring themselves to reserve the space for pedestrians.
Yeah, unable to refrain. So many places would be so much nicer if people would just park their scooters outside. Ah well it’s country up there, no way of getting around that.