Cultural Heritages

Tourist Centres

We have never been more 'touristy' as this before. At every opportunity, Mee Sing made sure our days in Taipei were fully occupied and the daily itineraries excellently arranged. She, being new to the place also thought that she should acquire as much knowledge as possible about the place and was not afraid to ask her new acquaintances for the latest information.

So, on a beautiful morning she took us to Taiwan's Martyrs' Shrine to witness the exchange of guards on duty. Apparently, the routine takes place hourly from 10 am to 6 pm and many tourists were seen catching the routine.

In Chinese, the place is remembered as ' Wan Ku Liu Fang' , a connotation related to memoirs of past heroes who died defending the island.

Dad and I took a shot beside the guard on duty, and we had yet to see his eyes flicker even after a long while observing him. I wondered how he controlled himself. He must be super disciplined.

In this elaborate building the guards marched into it to perform a short ceremony before taking over duty for the day.

The final marching procession to the main entrance which was about 200 metres away.

The day was cool and slightly chilly but definitely fine. Kong Kong and Por Por enjoyed the show and they were glad to have the opportunity to witness the ceremony. Kong Kong blabbered and remarked on how fun it was to be there and not to be a 'katak di bawah tempurung'... sheltered to boredom.

Dad took a lovely shot at yet another cultural centre ; the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall where the history of the island is stored. History came alive for Kong Kong as he started to relate non-stop about the struggles of the revolutionaries and how the great General created history away from Mainland China...home away from home. The display of memories, photos and events were clearly depicted there and I encountered a local interpreter blaring away in Japanese to a Japanese tourist about past records. How I wish I could be as fluent in the language too.




In this Memorial Hall, the role and position of General Chiang Kai Shek are given the due recognition . Reconciliation of past history to the present political situation between the island and Mainland China ... I am not in any position to understand and say but the tourist guide quietly reported some soft ways are rendered for reconciliation ; and again I am not in any situation to commend.

This museum piece is the Cadillac used by General Chiang for official purposes and today is proudly displayed here.

Outside the Hall are 2 other important landmarks ; the National Theatre and Concert Hall . However I could not identify which was which but enough for me to know that cultural shows and performances take place there. The architecture is so Chinese and for many moments and instances I felt I was in China but then...the Taiwanese are so related to the Mainland. Hokkien is so well spoken here and dad commented that it is so easy for anyone of Chinese descent to assimilate into the local culture and scenario.

Next, we drove to The National Palace Museum where pottery pieces were displayed in splendour and recognition. Detail expositions were given to the porcelain pieces and a concerted mention by everyone is the Jade Cabbage piece. No photos allowed in this place so none was taken. So nothing to show. You are cordially invited to visit the place. But I must say if you are able to go to Melaka to witness the porcelain pieces in the local museum ; you may have just hit the nail...something like that la. That's why the President of China made his way there during his recent visit to Malaysia ; connection.
Coincidentally I was following the local series 'Little Nyonya' on NTV7 and there was mention about the porcelain pieces and the value attached to them. I came home disappointed that the series had ended and I have no clue to what had happened to Yueh Niang and the rest. Can anyone enlighten me? So sad.







Since we could not take any shots from the inside, we decided to take some outside the Museum for memory's sake. One for our keeps ; my parents with us...our rich heritage.

Being a teacher and thinking that I am writing an essay, I have this thing in me that I want to relate all cultural matters at a go so I am bringing you to another popular cultural centre; this time in a suburban area in the town of Yilan.
On the way home from Hualien last Friday, we detoured into Yilan where a cultural village is located. Just like any other cultural villages found in international tourist spots, this place informs her visitors of what the Taiwanese indulge in ; food, clothes, products and practices.





The entrance has an attractive depiction of wholesome fun and family relationships. Mee sing purchased the tickets and when she mentioned she had 2 elderly parents aged 85 and 91; the ticketing lady asked to see them and opened her mouth in awe when she saw Kong Kong and asked " Is he really 90?".

The semi young and the elderly walking in peace and harmony along the well- carved pathways in the village. If time and patience are with you, one can stay there for the whole day just like when in Disney World. At one point, we could not locate Por Por and it brought memories to Kong and I when we recalled how we 'lost' her in Disney World; Orlando some 10 years ago. Por has this in her ; disappearing on her own and engaging everyone in frantic search. Celine found her roaming in wonderland !

Some DIY products using local tiles.

There; a typical representation of local taste and show. "Hei"...all Chinese folk songs start with it.

Lou mentioned in an earlier conversation that he noticed that the Spring season will see the locals hanging the word 'foo' ( good fortune) at their doorstep and then to turn it upside down just as shown in the above representation. He could only connect the practice to deep superstition and culture and wondered why they would take such great effort to connect good luck with this. We are not too far away too ; many Malaysian Chinese are drawn to this practice too.

A ' La Mien' (Noddle Making) or is it 'sweets' demonstration in process ? ; interesting. The longer the pull, the better the taste?

A bead making process by a local tribal lady. Her deft fingers could produce beautiful pieces.

Some weight and balance devices of the Chinese people.

See. I too could not resist balancing them. This brought old memories in good old Muar Town when Por's old friend used to carry something like that selling nyonya kuih in the streets. She has long gone.

Celine and dad are good friends. They played together like father and daughter all the way from Hualien to Yilan at the back of the MPV and are sticklers to each other. Here they attempted the paired clogs and balanced each other.


Kong looked at them ; open-mouthed. Kong ... you are inviting insects to pop in. Be careful.



We ended the Cultural Village tour with reminiscences of the Mandarin ducks swimming in harmony with nature. That's what the village was about ... in tandem with culture and nature.

My eyes have seen culture depicted in various forms here... most enlightened and grateful.