A few days ago friends of mine, who hosted me in Taiwan this summer, asked me one more time if I would ever send them some photos of the week we spent together. This is how long it takes me to edit my work, and this is what it takes to make me actually do that: friends asking over and over again!
So, since I have finally something to show about this trip, I'll try to show something of this rather unheard of "other China" that is Taiwan (in Italy at least, many would have a hard time finding it on a map). Enjoy!
History lesson first: Taiwan is actually an island off the Chinese coast, were the Chinese Nationalist Partyand its army, led by General Chiang Kai-shek, fled after being defeated on the mainland by the Communist Party in a civil war, right wfter WW2. Taiwan was a military regime until Chiang's death in the 70s, now it's a democracy.
This is the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial in Taipei.
The main problem with Taiwan and China is that both their governments formally declare themselves being the official government of the same country - China - so other States can only recognize one of them, not both. Nowadays they all recognize the People's Republic of China (i.e. the Communist Party), so Taiwan is not exactly a State in the eyes of international diplomacy.
One of the good things about Taiwan being politically apart from mainland China for half a century and counting is that on the island survived much more of the original Chinese cultural background, such as religious festivals, temples, monasteries, folklore: much of this was wiped out in communist China by the excesses of Mao Zedong's rule.
In China temples are rarely so alive and well integrated into the city as in Taiwan.
Earlier in the 20th century, Taiwan has been under Japanese control for a long time, so much so that to me it looked like a hybrid mix of Chinese and Japanese culture. Much like the Japanese, people in the capital Taipei enjoy their thermal baths. Many hot water sources are found all around the city, and we tried to boil some eggs in one, because people once used to do so - they were quite good.
Taipei is also the kingdom of night markets and street food. In crowded alleys and underground malls, one can find any kind of small snacks, teas, infusions and fresh tropical fruit juices.
I'll just stop writing and finish the post with a few photos taken around Taipei, which I'll leave without caption.
