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Final Project Video

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August 7 - Tea Ceremony and Group Dinner

Today was the last day of the program. We left Tainan for Taipei in the morning on the bus. We stopped at a rest stop on the way there for lunch. I got a rice bun burger from Mos Burger. It had rice patties and an egg. It came with sweet tea and a side. Then, we finally got to Taipei in the afternoon. We went straight to the tea ceremony, which was at a pretty tea house. They taught us how to make, pour, and drink tea properly. Part of the process is also smelling the teacup before tasting the tea. At the table, we each got to trying making the tea. They also gave us pineapple cake and these little rectangles with dates and walnuts. Everything was quite good. Then, we went straight to our last group dinner. It was at a Taiwanese restaurant with the lazy Susan to share food. We were given pork xiaolongbao, shrimp fried rice, chicken, tofu, shrimp, pork belly bao, and shumai. It was all a very good last dinner in Taiwan. We gave Peter a card and gift there. After dinner, we had a bittersweet farewell bus drive back to the hotel. We said goodbye to the bus driver, Terry. We also gave him a card. I will see Peter once more tomorrow when he takes us to the airport. Later on, some of us went to the Ximen area to go shopping. It was so interesting seeing Ximen again but after a months-worth of experience in Taiwan. I ran into a Ransom Everglades alumnus, which was my rival high school.

Academic Reflection:

At the tea house, I learned the steps to a tea ceremony. First, she poured some hot water into every teacup to warm them up, and then they let us smell the tea leaves. Then, she poured the tea onto a tea tray only to then pour it into the teapot. The teapot was warmed by pouring hot water around it. Hot water was poured into the teapot and the lid was put on for forty seconds. Then, she poured the tea out into another container.

Our teacups were all emptied of their hot water. We actually each had two teacups, and she poured the tea into one and then flipped the other on top of it. Then we all had to flip over the entire thing so that the tea ended up in the other teacup. The original one is then picked up and rubbed between the hands. This is so that you can smell the teacup. Then you just drink out of the other teacup that has the tea.

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August 6 - Sicao Green Tunnel, Anping Tree House, Tainan Confucius Temple, and Hayashi Department Store

We were told to meet today at 1pm, so I had the morning to myself. I decided to go try an Asian massage. I just got a foot massage, and the masseuse told me that she can tell I’m not sleeping well based on rubbing my feet. It was cool experiencing Eastern medicine. Then, we were off on the bus for our tour of Tainan, which is the oldest city in Taiwan. Our first stop was at the Sicao Green Tunnel, which is a river with mangrove canopies hanging over both sides. We got on the boat tour, and we could see a great temple from the river. They gave us life jackets and hats. The boat took us down and back this beautiful river. Then, we went straight to the Anping Tree House, which consists of trees growing on top of the ruins of a house. It all looked so interesting. The roots of the trees growing down the brick walls of this old house. There was another building on the premises with a gift shop and more educational exhibits, including Chinese calligraphy practice paper. After that, we went to Tainan Confucius Temple, which was similar to the one I went to on my own. It had a surrounding wall with multiple rooms and then a central building. Our last stop was at Hayashi Department Store, which is a super historic building in Tainan. It has this old-style elevator that I got to ride up to the top floor in. On the roof, I saw a traditional Japanese gate. We also went shopping there. Later on, I walked to a famous beef noodle restaurant in Tainan because Peter said Tainan is known for its fresh beef.

Academic Reflection:

Peter told us at the Sicao Green Tunnel that the mangroves can’t get as much oxygen from the saltwater, so part of their roots are above the water line. At Anping Tree House, I learned more about banyan trees, which are the trees that are growing on the ruins of this house. I also learned about the underground military shelter right next to the house.

At the Confucius temple, Peter taught us how to tell north and south Chinese architecture apart. The northern style architecture has a straight roof, while the southern one is curved. This temple had a curved roof, so we knew it came from a southern Chinese design. At the department store, Peter taught us about the elevator, and he said that the Japanese-style gate is similar to the one we saw across the street from the Confucius temple. He also said that the current president of Taiwan used to be the mayor of Tainan, and he led the charge to reopen this department store.

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August 5 - University and Ten Drum

We had to get up early today because we left Kaohsiung for Tainan on the bus. Once we got to Tainan, we went straight to the National University of Tainan. We first saw an old building on campus that had lots of damage from bullets during World War II. They preserved the wall so people can see the bullet damage and historic effects of war. Then, we went inside a classroom and learned about Chinese calligraphy. We got to write Chinese characters on a traditional Chinese fan to take home. They gave us bento box lunches. After the university, we went to Ten Drum Cultural Village, which is a drum-themed entertainment venue in an abandoned sugar refining factory. They had ziplining, laser tag, a sky swing, a drumming class, and many other attractions. They also had a theater that we saw a band called Cross Metal play in. Then we finally checked into the hotel. Later on, some of us walked over to Dadong Night Market. I got an amazing fried scallion pancake that was chopped up into pieces. Then, I found a stand selling fried pork. It was a little sweet, so it was good. I chased that down with some cold sugarcane green tea. Then I had to have some chicken hearts, so I got a skewer of those. I thought I was done eating, so I went to the carnival game section and won a capybara plushy with my airsoft gun skills. On my way out of the market I saw more orange tanghulu and had to get it again.

Academic Reflection:

At the National University of Tainan, I read a plaque outside the building with the bullet marks. It said that Tainan was under Japanese control during World War II, so the Americans bombed this building’s roof and floors in 1945, which set off the artillery shells inside. The walls stayed intact, however, and still have shell marks after multiple repairs.

I also learned a lot during the calligraphy lesson. We were taught that China traditionally has two types of fans, the folding one and the one we painted on. I learned that the one we painted on originated in Japan and Korea and actually came to China after the folding fan. I also learned how to hold a Chinese calligraphy brush properly. At Ten Drum, I learned what traditional Chinese drums look like and how they’re played in the drumming class.

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August 4 - Independent Excursion 2

Today I decided to go back to the Lotus Pond as my independent excursion to see all the temples that we didn’t have the time to see or walk into. I first went to get lunch at a beef noodle restaurant on the walk to the MRT stop, but they were so packed. I instead went to an Indian restaurant around the corner. I had butter chicken and garlic naan, and it was absolutely delicious. Then, I took the subway to the Lotus Pond. I first walked across a bridge to a small island in the center of the pond to take in the view. Then, I checked if the Confucius Temple was open because it wasn’t open when we tried to go as a group. Lucky for me, it is only open one day a week, and that happened to be the day I went. So, I went to the Confucius Temple first. It was so cool and had an outer gate with a center building. I walked into the center building and all of the rooms in the outer gate. After that, I started walking towards the temples we had seen before. On the way, I came across six other temples. The first one I saw was big and ornate. It was so magnificent like a castle. After that, I found a smaller one hidden in a garage almost. It was mostly gray and red. Then, I saw one that part of it almost looked like a normal building, but the inside was beautiful golden-colored with chandeliers and a bright shrine with statues in the center. Across the street from that one on the pond was another massive temple. This one was special though, because its bell and drum towers were separate and then its central room was inside a huge statue of a god with a sword right on the water. I went inside the statue and walked around it. There was a koi pond and wish tree. As I was leaving that temple, I saw a beautiful smaller pond with a bridge and pink flowers. Across the street from that was a tiny red temple. Then, as I kept walking, I saw a tall red gate with hanging lanterns, and found another tiny temple behind that. I finally made it to the temples we saw before, which each had temples across the street that I also saw before but never got to go inside. This time of course I went inside both of those other temples, and they were amazing. Then, I kept walking around the pond and eventually made it to a Buddhist temple on the other side. It had a grand Buddha statue sitting atop the temple, and the inside was gorgeous. I thought I was done seeing temples after that, but as I was walking back towards the subway station, I saw one more temple across the pond hiding in the trees. I couldn’t go inside of it though because it was closed off for renovations. Later on, I went back to the Taiwanese restaurant from July 30th for dinner, and I had pork xiaolongbao, scallion pancake beef roll, and a pork pie. I loved all of it.

Academic Reflection:

For my second independent excursion, I was thinking about seeing more temples again in Kaohsiung after I did it in Taipei. This is because my final project will likely be on temples and religion in Taiwan. When we went to the Lotus Pond, Peter told us that there are over 15 temples surrounding the pond, but we only had time to see three of them. The third one was the Confucius Temple, but it was closed when we went. I immediately thought that I had to come back to see more of the temples and to see the one we missed. That is why I chose this as my independent excursion. I already said a lot of similarities and differences between the American Christian culture that I grew up in and the Taiwanese Buddhist and Daoist culture, but I discovered more here. The biggest new similarity I discovered is that the Confucius Temple is only open on Sundays, and masses at Christian churches are normally held on Sundays as well. Another difference is that Churches generally don’t group up like this group of 15-20 or so temples around the pond. You won’t find any body of water or region with a bunch of Churches of the same denomination on every block.

I found an academic article entitled “Religious Service Development of Folk Religion Temples in Taiwan: A Comprehensive Perspective” by Wang, K. The article says that the folk religion of Taiwan is a mix of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. This is exactly what I saw around the pond; I saw a Confucius Temple, lots of Daoist temples, and a Buddhist temple. Wang also wrote about temples selling deity-themed merchandise. He said that deity-themed souvenirs are increasingly sold and can include flash drives, scarves, wine vessels, mobile phone straps, and key rings. I actually saw some souvenirs being sold at some temples. The Confucius Temple had a coffee shop as part of it. The next one had branded water bottles, CD’s, and booklets. The Buddhist temple had a machine selling golden egg souvenirs. There was actually a huge building that looked a little like a temple around the pond, but it was a massive souvenir shop. The article also says temples need incense, joss paper, and red candles, which I saw in every temple.

Wang, K. (2015). Religious Service Development of Folk Religion

Temples in Taiwan: A Comprehensive Perspective*. Review of

Integrative Business and Economics Research, 4(1), 49-54.

https://login.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/religious-service-development-folk-religion/docview/1636558487/se-2

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August 3 - Fo Guang Shan Monastery

Today we spent entirely at Fo Guang Shan Monastery. We took the bus there in the morning. We started at the Buddhist monastery itself. We were given a tour by a monk dressed in a yellow robe with a shaved head. He also had an American woman from Michigan learning from him and living at the monastery for a month. It was massive and beautiful. The landscaping was so nice. We got to see inside a building with three big Buddha statues and hundreds of smaller Buddha statues all around the walls. We then got to each lunch in the monastery with all of the monks, but we had to learn the traditional way of doing it. It was completely silent, there was no meat, and we had to move our dishes in the correct ways. We followed along with their chants before and after eating. After lunch, we went over to the Buddha Museum. This museum had a massive Buddha statue on top of it. It is one of the largest Buddha statues in the world. Inside, there were so many exhibits, rooms, and worship centers. Saw some cool artifacts and learned a lot. We also got to write Chinese calligraphy on a paper to take home, with the instruction of a Buddhist monk. Later on, we went to dinner at a nearby restaurant and ordered over 10 dishes for the table with a lazy Susan to share. We got pork fried rice, beef and veggie stir fry, fried shrimp balls, spicy chicken, stir fried squid, pig intestines, clams, tofu, and much more. I loved the squid, but after trying pig intestines once, I can safely say I will decline any opportunity to have more. After dinner, we went clubbing, and it was Latin-themed night with all of the music I've heard in Miami.

Academic Reflection:

At the monastery, we learned that there is a past, present, and future Buddha. The original Buddha, Siddartha Gautama, was from India. He first showed the path to becoming Buddha, but we learned that if you follow his eightfold path and three rules, you can also become Buddha. The three rules are to do good deeds, speak good words, and think good thoughts. We learned that they eat in silence in order to focus on their meal with no distractions. They are supposed to focus on how appreciative they are for the food and to ponder whether they have done enough good to deserve this meal. The only time they aren’t silent is before and after they eat, they do chants.

At the museum, when we wrote the Chinese calligraphy, the monk also taught us a greeting where you touch the tip of your middle finger to your thumb. This can be hello, goodbye, how are you, and other things. It is an important part of the Buddhist culture. I learned a lot perusing the museum. It had exhibits on Buddhism as a whole, Taiwan’s history (natural, prehistoric, and historic), and on Hsing Yun, who is the monk that started this monastery. It is the biggest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan.

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August 2 - Science Museum and Meinong Hakka

I got up today and made it to breakfast in the hotel, and then we took the bus to the National Science and Technology Museum. It was bigger than I thought it would be, and it had quite the array of topics. My favorite was the space one because they had actual rocket parts. One of the rockets said TASA, which is probably Taiwan’s NASA equivalent. A lot of the exhibits were more thought out with advanced technology. One of them was about cars, car parts, and car-making. I saw some robot arms used to build cars. After the museum, we were gifted a group lunch at Din Tai Fung, which is a restaurant chain based out of Taiwan. They are most known for their xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and we watched workers make them while we waited. Of course, we ate xiaolongbao. But we also had shrimp dumplings, vegetable dumplings, spicy dumplings, shumai, vegetables, rice noodles, hot and sour soup, flavored cucumber, pork fried rice, and finally chocolate xiaolongbao for dessert. My half of the table didn’t quite finish all of our food, so I ate the rest to avoid food waste. Everything was so delicious. The restaurant was inside a mall, so they gave us an hour to go shopping before we left to Meinong. I went straight to a Japanese cheesecake bakery and bought their chocolate cheesecake. Japanese cheesecakes are very different because they are fluffy and jiggly instead of dense and creamy. I finally got to taste one, and it was pretty good. We left the mall and went to Meinong to learn about the Hakka people in Taiwan. We first stopped at a Hakka shop where they were making and selling lots of things but most notably the Chinese-style bamboo umbrellas. Then, we went to the Meinong Hakka Culture Museum and learned about the history and culture of the Hakka people in Taiwan. After we got back to the hotel, I and 2 other guys went straight to a Chinese Professional Baseball League game. I had hotdogs there for dinner. It was so fun.

Academic Reflection:

At the science museum, I learned that Taiwan actually has a decent space program. I originally thought NASA was way bigger than all other countries’ space agencies. I also learned about the manufacturing and technology in Taiwan. They had car and motorcycle parts and showed how they move. Taiwan is a leader in computer chip manufacturing, which is used in cars. I also saw an exhibit about natural disasters and earth science in Taiwan as well as one on the textile and clothing industry science in Taiwan. The natural disaster one had an earthquake simulator and small-scale model of flooding and landslides. This taught me how important technological innovation is in Taiwan to protect from natural disasters.

On the way to Meinong, Peter told us about the traditional Chinese umbrellas. They are made of bamboo and have painted oily paper on top. We saw lots of them at the shop. In Meinong, we learned about the Hakka people, who are originally from China, but aren’t from a specific area in China called Hakka as Peter told us. The museum told us that they originated in the northern part of China, and then they immigrated to the southern part of China, then they settled in the mountainous part of Taiwan. Peter and the museum said that “Hakka” means guest. The Hakka people were guests of southern China and then of Taiwan. They are a subgroup of the Han Chinese ethnic group that immigrated to these places together and interacted with the locals to create their own Hakka culture.

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August 1 - Lotus Pond and Qishan Train Station

The first thing we did today was go to the Lotus Pond. The pond is surrounded by 15-20 temples, so we went to a few of them. The first one was under renovation, but we were still able to walk inside the tiger statue and walk out of the dragon statue. It was on stilts on the water and had a zigzag bridge connecting it to land. The second one was also on stilts on the water, but it had a bigger dragon statue with whiskers. It also had a bridge going to another temple in the center of the pond. We went to a group lunch after the Lotus Pond. It was Mongolian barbecue, but each table also had a hot pot. The food was all very good. Then, we went to Qishan train station, which is an old train station. It is not used anymore. There were train cars outside of the historic building. Later on, for dinner, two of the guys came with me to Ruifeng Night Market. This night market seemed like it had the most stuff out of any night market. It was shaped like a grid with night market stretching in every direction. Most of the other ones were down one street. I first got barbecue grilled squid again, and it was good again of course. Then, I got a meat pie, which is like a bun filled with meat and scallions. I have also gotten these before. I got two more things that I hadn’t tried before, however. We have seen several Turkish food and ice cream stands here and there in Taiwan. We found a Turkish shawarma wrap stand here, so we tried it. It was very good, and the young Turkish men that served us were very nice. Then, I tried a Thai banana pancake with chocolate sauce, which was also good.

Academic Reflection:

On the way to the Lotus Pond, Peter taught us about how many temples surrounded it. He also taught us about the history of Daoism and Confucianism in China and Taiwan. He said that some Confucius thought is being challenged in the modern society of Taiwan, such as men obeying their mothers-in-law. Peter also told us stories he was told as a child, where the moral of the story was a Confucius teaching. Peter told us at the temple on the water that some people buy fish or turtles and let them free near the temple so they can go to heaven.

We learned in the reading, “Religion in Taiwan at the End of the Japanese Colonial Period,” that there was and is Daoism, Buddhism, and an offshoot of Buddhism called Zhaijiao. At Qishan, I learned that the train station was built by the Japanese. The reading spoke of political dislocation, and this building is evidence of that. The reading taught us that the Japanese were good for Taiwan because they helped modernize, including building railways.

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July 31 - Shoyoen, Library, and Night Market

We started the day with a little class time in the hotel to work on some assignments. Then, I went with a few of the guys to a Spanish and Latin American restaurant. I got paella, and it was okay. I also tried the empanadas, and they were also okay. The food did exceed my expectations though. Taiwan obviously does not serve much of that food that I’ve had back in Florida a lot. After that, we joined the class group and walked over to the bridge next to our hotel, Great Harbor Bridge, to watch it spin around. Most bridges lift each side up to let larger boats or ships pass through, but this one rotates from the center. After the bridge, we took our bus to Shoyoen, a traditional Japanese-style house. It had a pretty lotus pond outside. We walked through the many rooms of the house such as the kitchen, bedroom, and study. Then we hopped on the bus and headed to Kaohsiung Main Public Library. I went straight to the roof and walked across the bridge to another building to take pictures of the library. The inside was also beautiful. I perused the book topics on all of the shelves in the library. It was a very comprehensive and beautiful library. After the library, we drove over to the Formosa Boulevard subway station that had a gorgeous stained-glass ceiling. We were also there because Liuhe Night Market was right above, so we could get dinner before taking the bus back to the hotel. I ate a scallion pancake with egg and bacon, a fried potato spiral with curry seasoning, and sweet potato balls with plum powder. I also tried a deep-fried crab with the hard shell on. I saw pig brains but didn’t eat them. Later on, some of us went to Klash nightclub, and it was C Pop night. 

Academic Reflection:

I learned that the Great Harbor Bridge was built just a few years ago, and it costed about 10 million USD. It rotates twice a day at 3 and 7pm for boats to pass through. The bridge is supposed to resemble different sea creatures. On the way to Shoyoen, Peter talked more about the history of the Japanese occupation of Taiwan. He explained that the Taiwanese don’t hold any grudges today over the Japanese occupation. He said it is partly because the Japanese pushed Taiwanese society forward. He compared it to Hong Kong not disliking the British. 

At the library, I got learn and explore on my own. I got a sense of what Taiwanese people learn about by walking through the halls of the library and seeing the topics of every shelf. It was humbling seeing mostly books on Taiwanese history, literature, and art instead of American or European. I also learned about how important Chinese medicine is because there were lots of books about that in addition to “Western medicine” books.

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July 30 - Monkey Mountain and Art Museums

We were told to meet in the hotel lobby at 1pm for today’s activities, so we had a free morning. I got up earlier and ate breakfast in the hotel because most of us were planning on hiking together in the morning. We headed out to Shoushan Mountain right after breakfast. It was a demanding hike because it was mostly up muddy rock steps. The view was beautiful. We could see the South China Sea and the city of Kaohsiung. We saw some monkeys on the way up, but once we got to the top, we saw so many macaques. After we got back to the bottom of the mountain, we went straight back to the hotel to shower right before meeting up with rest of the class. Our bus took us first to the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts. The first floor had statues, and then I went upstairs to all of the beautiful paintings. Then, we went to another art museum, the ALIEN Art Centre. They had a few exhibits of very modern artists. For dinner, I went with three of the guys to a nearby Taiwanese restaurant. I got my own hot and sour noodle soup, and we shared meat pies, scallion pancakes, beef rolls, and soup dumplings. The food was so good that we might come back again before leaving Kaohsiung.

Academic Reflection:

I first learned that the monkeys I saw are called Formosan rock macaques, and they are endemic to Taiwan. They are also the only primate native to Taiwan, other than Taiwanese humans of course. Today on the bus, Peter taught us about the Taiwanese military and how they require conscription for most young men. He said the exceptions are for men over a certain weight or under a certain height.

At the first art museum, I started on the top floor, which taught me all about this one artist’s life and how he feels like he is always running from his life. He had small statues exaggerating people running and colorful, geometric, chaotic paintings. On other floors, I learned about more traditional paintings of Taiwanese landscapes. They had some paintings of places that we are visiting soon in Kaohsiung. There was an exhibit with a projector showing Taiwanese art in different years. At the other museum, the ALIEN Art Centre, I saw much more modern art and learned about the two artists that had exhibits there. Their art was so much more abstract than the pieces I had seen at the first museum.

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July 29 - Beach

Today we had a free day in Kaohsiung, so I slept in and then went to the beach with three of the guys. We first took the public transportation to the dock, but the worker there said the ferry wasn’t running at that station. We had to walk over to the next stop, and then we took the ferry to the small island. There were also people on mopeds driving straight on and off the ferry. The trip had a pretty ocean view. Once we arrived at Cijin, we were immediately welcomed by a market. There was of course way more seafood in this market than other night markets I had been to, and I loved it. They had lots of fish tanks, fried squid, and snails. I also saw a pretty temple there. We walked down the street market and got to the beach. The beaches in Taiwan are black sand beaches. I had never been to a black sand beach before, so I was so intrigued. There was some trash on the beach, and part of it was closed off probably because of the recent typhoon. There were other people there nevertheless. I went in the water, and it felt so good because it was so hot outside. After we left the beach, we went straight to a 7-Eleven to cool off in the AC and get some snacks and drinks. Then, we made our way back to the dock and took the ferry back. We got a late lunch at a small restaurant on the way back to the hotel from there. There was one woman working there, and she made us handmade dumplings. They were very tasty. Later on, we took the train two stops and then walked to the closest night market for dinner. We found a place with indoor seating, and they fried us an egg on top of steak and noodles. We also tried their corn soup and sweet tea. It was all very good. The steak and noodles were quite peppery. After dinner, I went with four others to a movie theater to see Deadpool & Wolverine. We took the train a few stops, walked all the way to a mall, and then took an elevator to the twelfth floor to get there. It was fun seeing the similarities and differences between a movie theater in Taiwan and the United States of America.

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July 28 - Going to Kaohsiung

This morning, we got up and left Taitung on our bus for Kaohsiung. The drive was around mountains, and we saw the Philippine Sea on the east coast and then the South China Sea on the west coast. We took a couple stops to use the restroom and buy stuff from convenience stores on the way to Kaohsiung. Our first stop in Kaohsiung was at the Ciaotou Sugar Refinery train station to see the cat mascot. There was a cat behind the counter of the train ticketing booth. He holds the title of the station master and has lots of merchandising. I got lunch at a steamed bun place nearby the station. I got a pork, brown sugar pork, and scallion bun. The buns were pretty good. There was a parade of people carrying around the statues of the temple deities. They were playing drums too. I walked around the area more because they had sort of a farmer’s market and small shops. They also had an outdoor karaoke setup. We drove to the high-speed rail station in Kaohsiung after that to see the cat’s merchandise shop and to add funds to our EasyCards for the Kaohsiung subway. Then, we hopped back on the bus and went to check into our hotel in Kaohsiung. This hotel is the nicest of all the hotels we have stayed at. We walked to dinner from our hotel. We had to cross a bridge to get there, and I liked the view of the river. We ended up at a sushi restaurant, and I got a nigiri platter with tuna, salmon, shrimp, scallop, squid, and some other fish. I had never had raw shrimp, raw scallop, or raw squid before. It was delicious. I also got uni (sea urchin roe) and miso soup. I had never had uni before, and it was very good. After dinner, we went back to the hotel to freshen up, and then we went out. We first went to a small bar that had music videos playing on a TV. They had Taiwan Beer among other things. Then, we walked over to another bridge that was pretty at night. It had an interesting white design. Right near the bridge was another bar that we went to. This one was nicer, and they sat us down at a table with no seats. It had floor cushions and low tables, so we had to sit on the floor. They had good cocktails, but this bar was much more expensive than the first one.

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July 27 - Rice and Prehistoric Museums in Taitung

Today I got up, had breakfast at the hotel, and then hopped on our bus. We saw many mountains and rivers on the bus ride. Our first stop was at a rice museum. There were a bunch of bins of different stages of rice. The first one had rice with the hulls on, then just the hulls, then brown rice, then broken rice, then a few other ones, and it ended with quality white rice. There was also a grocery store there with local Taiwanese farmed food. After the rice museum, we drove to the Wuling Green Tunnel. We got out of the bus to take pictures, and then our bus driver drove us through the tunnel and back. The trees were gorgeous. Then, we stopped at a hot pot restaurant for lunch. This restaurant had a small hot pot for each person. It was delicious. After lunch, we went to a prehistoric museum. This museum had exhibits on the indigenous people that lived in Taiwan before the Chinese and others came. I saw an indigenous person’s skull. However, it also had a section on the natural history of Taiwan. After that, we stopped at a few stores on the way back to the hotel. Some of us walked to a small restaurant near our hotel, and there was a pet pig standing outside on a leash. 

Academic Reflection:

At the rice museum, I learned about the different stages of rice production and processing. The hull of the rice has to be removed. Then you can either keep the brown rice or remove that part too to get white rice. Peter told us that Taiwan makes lots of short grain rice, but the younger generation has been eating less rice, causing a surplus of rice. He said that the Taiwanese government has been advocating for people to eat more rice. 

At the prehistoric museum, I learned about the advances made in pottery by the indigenous Taiwanese. They went from black ceramics to red. I also learned that they are Austronesian, so they come from the same ancestry as lots of native Pacific Islanders. In the natural history section, I learned about the tectonic plates that surround Taiwan and the fault line that goes down the east side. I also learned about the animals that lived in Taiwan and saw their fossils. Most of the animals are said to have probably come from mainland China’s southeast coast. 

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July 24, 25, 26 - Typhoon

On July 24th, we had to cancel all of our planned activities and excursions because there was a typhoon (hurricane) coming. We had to hunker down in the hotel all day. Before the storm got bad, I went out to 7-Eleven to get some food and water to hold me over for the day. There was a beautifully lit up temple right across the street. That night, we went in the indoor hot springs. Obviously, the outdoor ones were closed. After the springs, we played cards and called it a night. The storm wasn’t too bad where we were. The next day, July 25th, the storm was dying down. I got a scallion pancake with egg for breakfast. Then a few of us walked over to the fish springs. You’re supposed to put your feet in and then the little fish nibble on you and it tickles. We were supposed to leave Yilan and take a train to Hualien that day and then to Taitung the day after that, but the trains still weren’t running. So, we had to stay an extra night in Yilan. We walked around Yilan and found a teppanyaki place for dinner. The chef cooked everything on a flat top right in front of us. I had lamb. We went in the indoor hot springs and then played cards again. Now it is July 26th, and we were supposed to go to Taitung from Hualien. But we were still in Yilan because of the storm. The route from Yilan to Hualien and then Taitung was ruined by the typhoon, so we had to go around the entire island in the other direction to get to Taitung from Yilan. First, we took a train from Yilan back to Taipei. Then we broke for lunch, and I just grabbed a pork chop bento box. Then, we hopped on the high-speed rail from Taipei to Kaohsiung in the south. Our bus driver met us there and drove us the rest of the way to Taitung. The route was beautiful because a lot of it was along the coast. Taiwan has black sand beaches. We saw fish farms, mountains, and temples along the route as well. We also saw rice paddies flooded from the storm. Our bus driver gifted each of us a custard apple. I had never had one before, and it was decent. Now we are finally back on track, and we will resume our planned schedule tomorrow. I’m sad we missed out on a couple days of activities, but now I have experienced a typhoon in Taiwan instead. Excited to get back to the fun tomorrow!

[jacksulkes]

July 23 - Clog Museum and Pearl Milk Tea

This morning, we had a free half day, so I slept in and then went out to get some food. I first got a scallion pancake with egg on it. Then I got a really good pork bun. We met in the hotel lobby at 1:00pm with our luggage and left Taipei on the bus. On the way to Yilan, we went under mountains through several long tunnels. Once we got to Yilan, we went straight to a clog museum. We learned about the traditional art of making wooden clog shoes. I got to try on some handmade wooden clogs. The view of the rural landscape there was amazing with the clouds in the mountains. After that, we went to a pearl milk tea shop and made our own pearl milk tea. It was delicious. Then, we checked into the hotel and rested. On the walk to dinner, I got to see how cool the city of Yilan looks. For dinner, I got sliced duck breast, an Asian-style omelet with fish roe sauce, chicken wings, and fried chicken skin. Our hotel is a spa hotel with lots of hot and cold springs. They are like pools and hot tubs but with different temperatures and types of jets. There is also a sauna and steamer. After dinner, we hung out in the springs until they closed.

Academic Reflection:

At the clog museum, I learned about all the different types of clogs used by different people. The royal clogs looked the coolest because they were so intricate and colorful. I got to try one other type of clog when I was there. They made us all get into these clogs that were shaped like reverse high heels. They were high toes. The point of these was to stretch your calves. We were taught a traditional method of raising our arms to feel the stretch even more.

At Kili Bay, the tea shop, we learned how milk tea is made and the history of it. First, we made hot tea, and then we put in the milk powder and sugar syrup. Then we mixed in ice to cool it down and strained it. The final step is to pour it into the glass with the boba. After we made the tea, we walked around the small museum they had in the shop. I learned about the different types of milk teas from around the world and the history of this pearl milk tea.

[jacksulkes]

July 22 - University, Zoo, and Tea House

Second blogpost today because I was behind on writing the other one. Don’t forget to scroll down and read yesterday’s post as well.

This morning, a bus took us straight to National Chengchi University, which is one of the top universities in Taiwan. We were given a tour of a dorm building, a library, a makerspace, and a coffee shop on campus. It was very interesting comparing this university to American ones. The library was massive and impressive. We went to their university avenue for lunch. I got a burger with rice buns from Mos Burger, and it was good. Right after lunch, we went to the Taipei Zoo. The first two exhibits that we went right to were the koalas and the pandas. Then, we took the zoo train up the hill and made our way walking to each exhibit down the hill. We first saw a bunch of cool reptiles and amphibians like snakes, lizards, iguanas, frogs, chameleons, alligators, crocodiles, and turtles/tortoises. Then, on the way to see the penguins, we saw one wolf napping in the wolf enclosure. When we got to the penguin enclosure, one of them kept pacing in front of a mirror. Then we saw three different species of bear, a puma/cougar, and a lynx. After that, we saw one of my favorite animals, the otter. There were a pile of otters cuddling, and then we saw one beaver, one red panda, and one bison, each alone. Then, we walked through the bird conservatory and saw so many species of birds. Then in the African section, we saw elephants, hippos, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and camels. Then we saw a porcupine, orangutans, monkeys, a tapir, a kookaburra, a leopard, a tiger, and a great hornbill. After the zoo, we went to the YaoYue Tea House, where our professor made us traditional fragrant tea. The old building and the tea farm landscape were beautiful. I had more xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and I tried traditional rice cakes at the tea house. Later on, we went out to dinner at a restaurant that had whole ducks and got delicious Cantonese fried rice.

Academic Reflection:

Our professor, Yeh Laoshi, told us that she attended National Chengchi University, so I learned even more from her about the university than I thought I would have. She taught us that chengchi means political science. The library we went to was built in 2019. The makerspace tour guide showed us the workings of the 3D printer and the laser printer. Peter taught us that, unlike the US, the best schools in Taiwan are the public schools, while the private ones aren’t as good. For example, the number one university is probably National Taiwan University, which is public just like Chengchi.

At the zoo, we learned about all of the different animals that we saw. For example, baby koalas consume some of their mother’s excrement for the probiotics. At the tea house, Yeh Laoshi showed use the traditional way of making tea without a tea bag. It involves multiple teapots and instruments. The tea was put into a small teacup that had another teacup on top of it that we were supposed to flip over. I found this very engaging. Yeh Laoshi also explained to us the background of the place that we were at. The name of it in English is cat’s face.

[jacksulkes]

July 21 - Independent Excursion 1

I got up rather late this morning because I was up late clubbing last night. For breakfast, I just went down to the bakery across the street and got some basic things, but I did also try their fish roe bread. Then I was off for the day. Today I decided to explore temples on my own. I ended up seeing four different temples. First, I went to Xingtian Temple, which was pretty big and similar to the other temple we already went to, Lungshan. There were stations to wash hands and to wipe the sole of your shoe. Lots of people were either praying or waiting in line to get blessed with incense. Then, I headed to Songshan Ci Hui Temple, but I came across another temple in the park first. It is called Yucheng Park Land God Temple, and it is way smaller than all of the other ones. It has one small table for offerings in between gray cement cage pillars. Then I finally got to Songshan Ci Hui, and it was marvelous. It was uphill, so it had a beautiful view of the city and mountains. It has several rooms and even more ornate décor than the previous ones. The central room has massive red columns and a golden-colored image of a god. Finally, I noticed on maps that there was even another temple right nearby this one, so I went to Songshan Fengtian Temple. As I walked in, I was greeted by two man-made fish ponds and waterfall fountains. I walked up the steps and found an even more decorated temple. This one was the most impressive to me. The inside had multiple floors and everything was so intricately decorated and sculpted. After I got back to the hotel, I went with some guys in the group to a tailor shop to see about prices and ask some questions. We didn’t get measured or fitted nor did we buy or order anything, but it was a cool experience nonetheless. For dinner, I tried pork knuckle and broccoli covered with salted small-curd scrambled eggs. Afterwards, we got some scallion pancakes from a street vendor. The cook used a traditional method of smacking the pancakes with her spatula and tongs to fluff them up. Then we went to a mango shaved ice place and shared a massive bowl of that.

Academic Reflection:

Since I chose to visit four temples in Taipei, my research topic was on the religious culture in Taiwan. I chose this topic because I have always been very interested in religion. Religion was the topic of my personal statement in my college application. Also, I was so impressed by Lungshan Temple that I wanted to see more. The religious culture of Taiwan has similarities to that of US religious culture. The dominant religion in the US, Christianity, has churches, priests or pastors, and Jesus statues or crosses just as the dominant religions in Taiwan, Buddhism and Daoism, have temples, monks, and Buddha statues. They both pray a lot to their god or gods. Churches and temples both have at least one altar with their prophet or god depicted in the center. Followers in both religious cultures regularly visit their places of worship and partake in activities involving food. In addition to the similarities, there are many differences between American Christian culture and Taiwanese Buddhist/Daoist culture. The temples don’t hold regular worship services like churches do, although they do have certain scheduled things like movement of the gods. But people don’t come and meet to pray at the same time. They just go whenever. Another one is that temple-goers leave food offerings to the gods, but then they pick them back up when they leave the temple. Christians typically take a food offering from the priest or pastor instead of leaving one. Additionally, people in Taiwan use moon blocks and/or other physical forms of getting answers from the gods, but Christians get answers purely from praying or talking to the priest or pastor. Of course, there are many other similarities and differences.

I read an academic article entitled “The Development of Temple Culture in Taiwan” by Ming-Chao Yeh before I went to the temples. The beginning of the article explains that there are so many temples in Taiwan that they outnumber convenience stores. Politicians have to visit many temples to even have a winning chance because they are so prevalent and important in Taiwan. When I actually went to visit two temples, I came across two others on my way, which vindicated the article’s claim of the high number of temples everywhere in Taiwan. I also went at a weird time during the day, and I still saw so many people worshipping in all of the temples which also hearkened me back to the article discussing the importance of these temples to so many Taiwanese. The article also explained the history of temples in Taiwan. The Japanese, and then later the Chinese, suppressed local Taiwanese culture, including their temples. However, eventually with the formation of the Council of Cultural Affairs, or the Cultural Council for Planning and Development, by the Taiwanese government in 1977, temple festivals were supported by the government and local religions and temples were less suppressed. When I visited these temples, I saw firsthand that the reading was correct because the temples looked amazing and fit perfectly well in their communities. One of them was even in a public park. The government clearly doesn’t attack temples anymore.

Ming-Chao Yeh. 2023. "The Development of Temple Culture in

Taiwan." SHS Web of Conferences 168. doi:

https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202316802001.