January - March 2016
1. "Conventional Industries" (2) (January 2016)
For a (weird) introduction to this topic, refer to Conventional Industries (1).
This section is about fishing and aquaculture, which is - as you might imagine - a huge industry in Taiwan. Many Taiwanese people eat fish, many Taiwanese people catch fish, and both fishing and aquaculture have a long history in Taiwan.
III. Fishing 漁業
For this section I also consulted Taiwan's Fishing Industry 台灣的漁業 and Taiwan's Aquaculture Industry 台灣的養殖漁業, both written by Hu Shing-hua 胡興華 and part of Walker Cultural's 遠足文化 Taiwan Geographical Encyclopedia 台灣地理百科.
1. Waters around Taiwan provide habitat for 2500 species of invertebrate, 300 species of crab, 270 species of shrimp, and 2600 species of fish.
2. Six types of fishing are done in Taiwan. These are: (a) coastal 沿岸, (b) offshore 近海, (c) deep sea 遠洋, (d) ocean aquaculture 海面養殖, (e) inland aquaculture 內陸養殖, and inland fishing 內陸漁撈. The last of these, inland fishing, is of little economic importance.
a. Coastal fishing is defined as either fishing done within 12 nautical miles 浬 of shore, or as the distance a boat can travel to and from port in a single day.
b. Offshore fishing is defined as fishing done between 12 and 200 nautical miles from shore.
c. Deep sea fishing is defined as fishing done more than 200 nautical miles from shore. This is Taiwan's most important type of fishing, and accounts for 46% of the total catch.
d. Taiwan's ocean aquaculture can be divided into two types: shallow and deep. The shallow type is done in the intertidal zone, and primarily involves the production of oysters and clams. The deep type is done beyond the low-water line (or mark)*, and tends to involve fish raised in cages.
e. Inland aquaculture can be divided into the freshwater and saltwater types. This type of "fishing" accounts for 31% of the total catch. Eels and shrimp are often the product of freshwater aquaculture, while milkfish 虱目魚 is the most commonly seen product of the saltwater type.
A. Fishing Tools/Equipment 漁業器具
1. Deep sea fishing wasn't an important industry until after the government built Kaohsiung's Chien Jen Port 高雄前鎮漁港 in 1967.
2. Commonly seen fishing methods/equipment include: single boat trawling 單船拖網, "tent netting" 叉手網, "stone fish weirs" 石滬, gillnetting 流刺網, individual fishing/angling 一支釣, longline fishing 延繩釣, "coral cutting" 摃灘, "hand dredging" 耙網, seine netting 低竿網, drift netting 巾著網, pair trawling 雙船拖網, swordfish spearfishing 鏢旗魚, and squid fishing 魷釣.**
B. Fishing Ports 漁港
I also discussed this topic in the Fishing Ports of Taiwan entry.
1. There are four types of fishing port in Taiwan, defined by size and number of facilities/services. The first type is the best, and includes Kaohsiung's Chien Jen Port 高雄前鎮漁港, Keelung City's Ba Dou Dze Port 基隆市八斗子漁港, Yilan County's Nan Fang Ao Port 宜蘭縣南方澳漁港, and Penghu County's Magong Port 澎湖縣馬公漁港. Most ports in Taiwan are of the second, third, and fourth types.
C. Aquaculture in Taiwan 養殖魚
1. Aquaculture has been practiced in Taiwan for over 300 years, since the Dutch founded a colony in Tainan 台南.
2. During the Japanese Imperial Administration, before deep sea fishing was viable, aquaculture accounted for as much as 40% of Taiwan's total catch.
3. Taiwan's "aquaculture revolution" from 1961 onwards had an enormous effect on aquaculture in Southeast Asia and Mainland China. During this revolution, new fertilization techniques were discovered, and new species of fish were cultivated.
D. How the Mullet 烏魚 Attracted the Chinese to Taiwan
1. Fisherman from Mainland China first came to Taiwan's main island from Penghu 澎湖. At that time, they were drawn here by the spawning cycle of the mullet 烏魚, which migrates from south to north Taiwan (and back again) around the winter solstice. Eventually these fishermen settled down in Taiwan to take better advantage of the catch.
2. After 1976, it became possible to farm mullet, and this type of aquaculture steadily diminished the percentage of mullet caught offshore.
E. Southern Taiwan's Household Fish - The Milkfish 虱目魚
1. The milkfish is Taiwan's most-farmed fish. Cultivation of this fish began in An Ping District 安平區, Tainan 台南, and from there spread outward to other parts of Taiwan.
2. Taiwan was the first country to develop a method for milkfish reproduction within aquaculture pools. This was one of the big events marking the "aquaculture revolution" from 1971 onwards. Before this development, those raising milkfish were dependent on eggs harvested from the wild.
3. The "growing season" for milkfish in Taiwan begins around April and ends in October. The milkfish are very sensitive to changes in temperature, and if the temperature drops below 8 Celsius they begin to die. For this reason they are not raised during the coldest months.
4. There are two methods of raising milkfish. The traditional, or "shallow flat" method 淺坪式, and the "deep water" method 深水式, which relies upon more artificial feed and machinery. The "deep water" method produces a larger catch, but is more expensive to do.
F. Shrimp 蝦
1. Farmers in Taiwan primarily raise four kinds of shrimp. These are: the grass shrimp 草蝦, prawns 斑節蝦, the Pacific white shrimp白蝦,***, and the "freshwater long-armed shrimp" 淡水長臂蝦 or "Thailand shrimp" 泰國蝦.
2. Some varieties of shrimp are even more sensitive to temperature changes, so they are not cultivated year-round.
G. Abalone, Clams, and Oysters 貝養殖
1. Chinese people have been raising shellfish since the Neolithic.
2. Shellfish grow best in estuaries, and river pollution has forced many former shellfish farmers into inland aquaculture.
3. Abalone 九孔 is a shellfish primarily grown on Taiwan's east coast. It can be raised inland in pools.
H. The Beginning of Squid Fishing Under Japanese Rule
1. In 1913 the Governor of Taiwan 台灣總督府 sent an expeditionary crew to fish for squid in north Taiwan. This expedition proved that the squid fishery could be profitable.
2. Until the Second World War disrupted fishing, crews working under the Japanese Imperial Government from 1932 onwards left ports in Kaohsiung 高雄地區 to fish for squid in the Philippines, Malaysia, and New Guinea.
3. Squid are caught using a the 美式圍網 "American fence" method, developed in the U.S. A net is suspended between a larger boat and a smaller boat, and the smaller boat steers a circular path from one end of the larger boat to the other. The squid are thus trapped within the net. This is also done with three boats - one large and two small, with the two smaller boats pulling different nets and steering in half circles.
4. Taiwanese squid boats ply the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, and more than 1000 Taiwanese fishing craft are engaged in the squid fishing industry. It's a HUGE business, employing thousands.
I. Squid and Other Cephalopods 頭足 as Seafood
1. Squid fishing began in earnest in the 1970s. Before that point, most squid consumed in Taiwan were imported. One of the most important fishing grounds for Taiwanese squid boats is the area between Argentina and the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic.
J. Coral "Fishing"/Harvesting 珊瑚漁業
I also wrote about this topic in the Coral entry.
1. Coral sculpture came to Taiwan from Japan in the 1920s. The art of coral sculpture reached a high point in the early 1980s, and has declined since then. Taiwan was once referred to as "The Coral Kingdom" 珊瑚王國.****
2. Coral is dredged from the ocean floor using long nets. 8-12 people man each coral boat, using a netting method first developed in the Philippines.*****
K. Whale Hunting in Taiwan
1. Taiwan's first (known) whale hunt was attempted off the coast of south Taiwan in 1920, again under the direction of the Governor of Taiwan, who was working under the Japanese. They used both Norwegian boats and a method of whale hunting done in Norway.
2. World War Two brought an end to large scale whale hunting in Taiwan, though it was revived on a smaller scale after the Kuomintang took over. In 1981, the Department of Economics 經濟部, in part due to pressure from the Americans, declared whale hunting illegal.******
3. In 1990 whales were declared a "protected species" 保育動物, and in 1996 the first whale watching society was established.
2. "Conventional Industries" (3) (January 2016)
For a (weird) introduction to this topic, refer to "Conventional Industries" (1).
This will be the last of the "Conventional Industries" entries, as the Mining and Crafts sections bring me to the end of the book.
IV. Mining 礦業
Mining isn't that significant in the overall history of Taiwan. Taiwan is a very small country, its geography doesn't vary that much, and the groups that migrated here never put much importance on mining. In the earliest times it was either fishing or farming, a little later it was lumber, and later still came the crafts for which Taiwan is justifiably famous. Large-scale mining arrives relatively late in Taiwan's history, and has never been important to the island's economy.*
A. A History of Taiwanese Coal 煤礦
1. Most of Taiwan's exploited coal fields lie in a band that stretches from Jhunan 竹南 in Miaoli County 苗栗縣 to Keelung 基隆. There are unexploited coal reserves south of Jhunan, along the west coastal plain.
2. Coal was used by prehistoric peoples to smelt iron. There are records of the Spanish trading with Taiwanese aborigines for coal in the early 1600s.
3. In the 1870s, during the Ching Dynasty 清朝, there were over 90 coal mines in north Taiwan. Despite superstitions regarding mining, the Ching court later allowed British engineers to modernize some of these mines, and to make them more profitable.
4. Transport of coal was improved by development of the railways under the Japanese Imperial Administration.
5. Coal production in Taiwan reached its peak in 1964. Thereafter the cost of importing petroleum adversely affected the market, and the use of coal declined.
6. The implementation of new safety regulations in 1984 was a further blow to the industry, as most coal mines were by that time antiquated and badly managed.
7. Taiwan's last coal mine closed in 2001.
B. The Story of Taiwanese Gold
1. Europeans came looking for gold in Taiwan as early as the 1500s.
2. The gold deposits in Jiou Fen 九份 were discovered in 1894.
3. Gold mining on a large scale wasn't begun until Taiwan was under Japanese Imperial administration. The gold mine they set up in Jiou Fen was operated until 1987 by the Taiwan Gold Company 台灣金屬業公司, long after the Japanese had lost possession of Taiwan.
4. The town of Ruei Fang 瑞芳 in New Taipei City owes much of its existence to the Jiou Fen gold mine and the miners who worked there.
C. A Tour of Mining Areas
1. Many of the old gold mines can still be visited, and even explored to some degree. Jiou Fen is of course the easiest to reach. Most of the other mines are in very remote areas.
2. There is a gold museum 黃金博物館 in Ruei Fang, New Taipei City.
D. The History of the Taiwanese Salt Industry 鹽業
1. Just after its establishment, the Dutch colony in Tainan 台南imported salt. Later a salt mine was opened, but the salt from this mine was very bitter, and not very profitable.
2. Koxinga 鄭成功 and his successors strove to improve Taiwan's salt supply after the Ching court 清廷 imposed an embargo on all exports to Taiwan. The discovery and excavation of new salt mines in the 1600s was part of this strategy. The Yan Cheng ("salt repository") district 鹽程區 in Kaohsiung City 高雄市 had its own salt mine during this time.
3. Even after the colonial era, Japan remained one of the biggest importers of Taiwanese salt.
4. In 1967 Taiwan ceased exporting salt, and thereafter the industry went into decline. Facing increasing competition from imports, Taiwan's last salt mine shut down in 2002.
5. There is a salt museum 台灣鹽業博物館 in Chi Gu 七股, Tainan County 台南縣.**
V. Crafts 工藝
A. Ceramics/Pottery 陶瓷
1. Ceramics is a complex subject, and several areas within Taiwan specialize in their own types of ceramics. Going into all the different types of ceramics and how they are produced would take up a lot of space, and to be honest I'm not up to the task right now. Those interested in Taiwanese ceramics would probably do well to start at the ceramics museum in Yingge 鶯歌陶瓷博物館, New Taipei City.
B. Metalwork 金工工藝
1. Tainan 台南, Jia Yi 嘉義, and Lu Gang 鹿港 all have long traditions of fashioning gold into both ceremonial objects and jewelry. Many of these traditions were brought here during the Ching Dynasty.
2. Shr Lin 士林, in Taipei City, produces the "Shr Lin Knife" 士林名刀, which dates back to 1870.
3. Knives have both practical and symbolic functions within many Taiwanese aboriginal cultures. Tong Men Village 銅門村, located in Shiou Lin Township 秀林鄉, Hualien County 花蓮縣 produces a distinctive knife used by aboriginals.
C. Glasswork 玻璃產業
1. Hsinchu 新竹 was an important glass production center between 1961 and 1981. They made a lot of Christmas lights for Western markets.
2. The Paiwan tribe 排灣族 is known for the glass beads it still produces.
3. There is a glass museum 玻璃工藝館 in Hsinchu.***
D. Basketry and Weaving 編織工藝
1. Methods of making baskets on the west coast of Taiwan predate Chinese settlement of those areas. Da Jia 大甲, Yuan Li 苑裡, and Tong Shiao 通霄 in central Taiwan all have traditions of basketry that can be traced back to the "plains aborigines" 平埔族 and the Kas tribe 卡斯族.
2. Many other Taiwanese aboriginal tribes have their own traditions of basketry and weaving.
3. Examples of local basketry can be viewed in the bamboo products museum 竹藝博物館, located in Jhushan 竹山, Nantou County 南投縣.
E. Other Crafts
1. Da Shi 大溪 in Taoyuan 桃園 has a tradition of furniture making. San Yi 三義 in Taichung 台中 is known for wood carving. Tainan has a tradition of temple painting. Meinong 美濃 in Kaohsiung is known for its paper umbrellas. Other places are known for other things - cloth stitching, drums, or even blankets. But most of these "other things" are so obscure that you'd have a hard time finding them, much less finding the place they came from!
And this, my friends, brings to an end my discussion of "Conventional Industries." Hoped you learned something? I know I did!
3.Super F**k (January 2016)
The Taiwanese Ministry of Education, looking for ways to make the English used in Taiwanese English textbooks more like Hollywood movies, has recently allowed the use of profanity in elementary-level English textbooks. In response, Kang Shuan Publishing has released "Super F**k," a textbook series which uses all the bad words that kids know and love.
The following is a conversation taken from the Super F**k textbook, level 3.
For a (weird) introduction to this topic, refer to Conventional Industries (1).
This section is about fishing and aquaculture, which is - as you might imagine - a huge industry in Taiwan. Many Taiwanese people eat fish, many Taiwanese people catch fish, and both fishing and aquaculture have a long history in Taiwan.
III. Fishing 漁業
For this section I also consulted Taiwan's Fishing Industry 台灣的漁業 and Taiwan's Aquaculture Industry 台灣的養殖漁業, both written by Hu Shing-hua 胡興華 and part of Walker Cultural's 遠足文化 Taiwan Geographical Encyclopedia 台灣地理百科.
1. Waters around Taiwan provide habitat for 2500 species of invertebrate, 300 species of crab, 270 species of shrimp, and 2600 species of fish.
2. Six types of fishing are done in Taiwan. These are: (a) coastal 沿岸, (b) offshore 近海, (c) deep sea 遠洋, (d) ocean aquaculture 海面養殖, (e) inland aquaculture 內陸養殖, and inland fishing 內陸漁撈. The last of these, inland fishing, is of little economic importance.
a. Coastal fishing is defined as either fishing done within 12 nautical miles 浬 of shore, or as the distance a boat can travel to and from port in a single day.
b. Offshore fishing is defined as fishing done between 12 and 200 nautical miles from shore.
c. Deep sea fishing is defined as fishing done more than 200 nautical miles from shore. This is Taiwan's most important type of fishing, and accounts for 46% of the total catch.
d. Taiwan's ocean aquaculture can be divided into two types: shallow and deep. The shallow type is done in the intertidal zone, and primarily involves the production of oysters and clams. The deep type is done beyond the low-water line (or mark)*, and tends to involve fish raised in cages.
e. Inland aquaculture can be divided into the freshwater and saltwater types. This type of "fishing" accounts for 31% of the total catch. Eels and shrimp are often the product of freshwater aquaculture, while milkfish 虱目魚 is the most commonly seen product of the saltwater type.
A. Fishing Tools/Equipment 漁業器具
1. Deep sea fishing wasn't an important industry until after the government built Kaohsiung's Chien Jen Port 高雄前鎮漁港 in 1967.
2. Commonly seen fishing methods/equipment include: single boat trawling 單船拖網, "tent netting" 叉手網, "stone fish weirs" 石滬, gillnetting 流刺網, individual fishing/angling 一支釣, longline fishing 延繩釣, "coral cutting" 摃灘, "hand dredging" 耙網, seine netting 低竿網, drift netting 巾著網, pair trawling 雙船拖網, swordfish spearfishing 鏢旗魚, and squid fishing 魷釣.**
B. Fishing Ports 漁港
I also discussed this topic in the Fishing Ports of Taiwan entry.
1. There are four types of fishing port in Taiwan, defined by size and number of facilities/services. The first type is the best, and includes Kaohsiung's Chien Jen Port 高雄前鎮漁港, Keelung City's Ba Dou Dze Port 基隆市八斗子漁港, Yilan County's Nan Fang Ao Port 宜蘭縣南方澳漁港, and Penghu County's Magong Port 澎湖縣馬公漁港. Most ports in Taiwan are of the second, third, and fourth types.
C. Aquaculture in Taiwan 養殖魚
1. Aquaculture has been practiced in Taiwan for over 300 years, since the Dutch founded a colony in Tainan 台南.
2. During the Japanese Imperial Administration, before deep sea fishing was viable, aquaculture accounted for as much as 40% of Taiwan's total catch.
3. Taiwan's "aquaculture revolution" from 1961 onwards had an enormous effect on aquaculture in Southeast Asia and Mainland China. During this revolution, new fertilization techniques were discovered, and new species of fish were cultivated.
D. How the Mullet 烏魚 Attracted the Chinese to Taiwan
1. Fisherman from Mainland China first came to Taiwan's main island from Penghu 澎湖. At that time, they were drawn here by the spawning cycle of the mullet 烏魚, which migrates from south to north Taiwan (and back again) around the winter solstice. Eventually these fishermen settled down in Taiwan to take better advantage of the catch.
2. After 1976, it became possible to farm mullet, and this type of aquaculture steadily diminished the percentage of mullet caught offshore.
E. Southern Taiwan's Household Fish - The Milkfish 虱目魚
1. The milkfish is Taiwan's most-farmed fish. Cultivation of this fish began in An Ping District 安平區, Tainan 台南, and from there spread outward to other parts of Taiwan.
2. Taiwan was the first country to develop a method for milkfish reproduction within aquaculture pools. This was one of the big events marking the "aquaculture revolution" from 1971 onwards. Before this development, those raising milkfish were dependent on eggs harvested from the wild.
3. The "growing season" for milkfish in Taiwan begins around April and ends in October. The milkfish are very sensitive to changes in temperature, and if the temperature drops below 8 Celsius they begin to die. For this reason they are not raised during the coldest months.
4. There are two methods of raising milkfish. The traditional, or "shallow flat" method 淺坪式, and the "deep water" method 深水式, which relies upon more artificial feed and machinery. The "deep water" method produces a larger catch, but is more expensive to do.
F. Shrimp 蝦
1. Farmers in Taiwan primarily raise four kinds of shrimp. These are: the grass shrimp 草蝦, prawns 斑節蝦, the Pacific white shrimp白蝦,***, and the "freshwater long-armed shrimp" 淡水長臂蝦 or "Thailand shrimp" 泰國蝦.
2. Some varieties of shrimp are even more sensitive to temperature changes, so they are not cultivated year-round.
G. Abalone, Clams, and Oysters 貝養殖
1. Chinese people have been raising shellfish since the Neolithic.
2. Shellfish grow best in estuaries, and river pollution has forced many former shellfish farmers into inland aquaculture.
3. Abalone 九孔 is a shellfish primarily grown on Taiwan's east coast. It can be raised inland in pools.
H. The Beginning of Squid Fishing Under Japanese Rule
1. In 1913 the Governor of Taiwan 台灣總督府 sent an expeditionary crew to fish for squid in north Taiwan. This expedition proved that the squid fishery could be profitable.
2. Until the Second World War disrupted fishing, crews working under the Japanese Imperial Government from 1932 onwards left ports in Kaohsiung 高雄地區 to fish for squid in the Philippines, Malaysia, and New Guinea.
3. Squid are caught using a the 美式圍網 "American fence" method, developed in the U.S. A net is suspended between a larger boat and a smaller boat, and the smaller boat steers a circular path from one end of the larger boat to the other. The squid are thus trapped within the net. This is also done with three boats - one large and two small, with the two smaller boats pulling different nets and steering in half circles.
4. Taiwanese squid boats ply the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, and more than 1000 Taiwanese fishing craft are engaged in the squid fishing industry. It's a HUGE business, employing thousands.
I. Squid and Other Cephalopods 頭足 as Seafood
1. Squid fishing began in earnest in the 1970s. Before that point, most squid consumed in Taiwan were imported. One of the most important fishing grounds for Taiwanese squid boats is the area between Argentina and the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic.
J. Coral "Fishing"/Harvesting 珊瑚漁業
I also wrote about this topic in the Coral entry.
1. Coral sculpture came to Taiwan from Japan in the 1920s. The art of coral sculpture reached a high point in the early 1980s, and has declined since then. Taiwan was once referred to as "The Coral Kingdom" 珊瑚王國.****
2. Coral is dredged from the ocean floor using long nets. 8-12 people man each coral boat, using a netting method first developed in the Philippines.*****
K. Whale Hunting in Taiwan
1. Taiwan's first (known) whale hunt was attempted off the coast of south Taiwan in 1920, again under the direction of the Governor of Taiwan, who was working under the Japanese. They used both Norwegian boats and a method of whale hunting done in Norway.
2. World War Two brought an end to large scale whale hunting in Taiwan, though it was revived on a smaller scale after the Kuomintang took over. In 1981, the Department of Economics 經濟部, in part due to pressure from the Americans, declared whale hunting illegal.******
3. In 1990 whales were declared a "protected species" 保育動物, and in 1996 the first whale watching society was established.
2. "Conventional Industries" (3) (January 2016)
For a (weird) introduction to this topic, refer to "Conventional Industries" (1).
This will be the last of the "Conventional Industries" entries, as the Mining and Crafts sections bring me to the end of the book.
IV. Mining 礦業
Mining isn't that significant in the overall history of Taiwan. Taiwan is a very small country, its geography doesn't vary that much, and the groups that migrated here never put much importance on mining. In the earliest times it was either fishing or farming, a little later it was lumber, and later still came the crafts for which Taiwan is justifiably famous. Large-scale mining arrives relatively late in Taiwan's history, and has never been important to the island's economy.*
A. A History of Taiwanese Coal 煤礦
1. Most of Taiwan's exploited coal fields lie in a band that stretches from Jhunan 竹南 in Miaoli County 苗栗縣 to Keelung 基隆. There are unexploited coal reserves south of Jhunan, along the west coastal plain.
2. Coal was used by prehistoric peoples to smelt iron. There are records of the Spanish trading with Taiwanese aborigines for coal in the early 1600s.
3. In the 1870s, during the Ching Dynasty 清朝, there were over 90 coal mines in north Taiwan. Despite superstitions regarding mining, the Ching court later allowed British engineers to modernize some of these mines, and to make them more profitable.
4. Transport of coal was improved by development of the railways under the Japanese Imperial Administration.
5. Coal production in Taiwan reached its peak in 1964. Thereafter the cost of importing petroleum adversely affected the market, and the use of coal declined.
6. The implementation of new safety regulations in 1984 was a further blow to the industry, as most coal mines were by that time antiquated and badly managed.
7. Taiwan's last coal mine closed in 2001.
B. The Story of Taiwanese Gold
1. Europeans came looking for gold in Taiwan as early as the 1500s.
2. The gold deposits in Jiou Fen 九份 were discovered in 1894.
3. Gold mining on a large scale wasn't begun until Taiwan was under Japanese Imperial administration. The gold mine they set up in Jiou Fen was operated until 1987 by the Taiwan Gold Company 台灣金屬業公司, long after the Japanese had lost possession of Taiwan.
4. The town of Ruei Fang 瑞芳 in New Taipei City owes much of its existence to the Jiou Fen gold mine and the miners who worked there.
C. A Tour of Mining Areas
1. Many of the old gold mines can still be visited, and even explored to some degree. Jiou Fen is of course the easiest to reach. Most of the other mines are in very remote areas.
2. There is a gold museum 黃金博物館 in Ruei Fang, New Taipei City.
D. The History of the Taiwanese Salt Industry 鹽業
1. Just after its establishment, the Dutch colony in Tainan 台南imported salt. Later a salt mine was opened, but the salt from this mine was very bitter, and not very profitable.
2. Koxinga 鄭成功 and his successors strove to improve Taiwan's salt supply after the Ching court 清廷 imposed an embargo on all exports to Taiwan. The discovery and excavation of new salt mines in the 1600s was part of this strategy. The Yan Cheng ("salt repository") district 鹽程區 in Kaohsiung City 高雄市 had its own salt mine during this time.
3. Even after the colonial era, Japan remained one of the biggest importers of Taiwanese salt.
4. In 1967 Taiwan ceased exporting salt, and thereafter the industry went into decline. Facing increasing competition from imports, Taiwan's last salt mine shut down in 2002.
5. There is a salt museum 台灣鹽業博物館 in Chi Gu 七股, Tainan County 台南縣.**
V. Crafts 工藝
A. Ceramics/Pottery 陶瓷
1. Ceramics is a complex subject, and several areas within Taiwan specialize in their own types of ceramics. Going into all the different types of ceramics and how they are produced would take up a lot of space, and to be honest I'm not up to the task right now. Those interested in Taiwanese ceramics would probably do well to start at the ceramics museum in Yingge 鶯歌陶瓷博物館, New Taipei City.
B. Metalwork 金工工藝
1. Tainan 台南, Jia Yi 嘉義, and Lu Gang 鹿港 all have long traditions of fashioning gold into both ceremonial objects and jewelry. Many of these traditions were brought here during the Ching Dynasty.
2. Shr Lin 士林, in Taipei City, produces the "Shr Lin Knife" 士林名刀, which dates back to 1870.
3. Knives have both practical and symbolic functions within many Taiwanese aboriginal cultures. Tong Men Village 銅門村, located in Shiou Lin Township 秀林鄉, Hualien County 花蓮縣 produces a distinctive knife used by aboriginals.
C. Glasswork 玻璃產業
1. Hsinchu 新竹 was an important glass production center between 1961 and 1981. They made a lot of Christmas lights for Western markets.
2. The Paiwan tribe 排灣族 is known for the glass beads it still produces.
3. There is a glass museum 玻璃工藝館 in Hsinchu.***
D. Basketry and Weaving 編織工藝
1. Methods of making baskets on the west coast of Taiwan predate Chinese settlement of those areas. Da Jia 大甲, Yuan Li 苑裡, and Tong Shiao 通霄 in central Taiwan all have traditions of basketry that can be traced back to the "plains aborigines" 平埔族 and the Kas tribe 卡斯族.
2. Many other Taiwanese aboriginal tribes have their own traditions of basketry and weaving.
3. Examples of local basketry can be viewed in the bamboo products museum 竹藝博物館, located in Jhushan 竹山, Nantou County 南投縣.
E. Other Crafts
1. Da Shi 大溪 in Taoyuan 桃園 has a tradition of furniture making. San Yi 三義 in Taichung 台中 is known for wood carving. Tainan has a tradition of temple painting. Meinong 美濃 in Kaohsiung is known for its paper umbrellas. Other places are known for other things - cloth stitching, drums, or even blankets. But most of these "other things" are so obscure that you'd have a hard time finding them, much less finding the place they came from!
And this, my friends, brings to an end my discussion of "Conventional Industries." Hoped you learned something? I know I did!
3.Super F**k (January 2016)
The Taiwanese Ministry of Education, looking for ways to make the English used in Taiwanese English textbooks more like Hollywood movies, has recently allowed the use of profanity in elementary-level English textbooks. In response, Kang Shuan Publishing has released "Super F**k," a textbook series which uses all the bad words that kids know and love.
The following is a conversation taken from the Super F**k textbook, level 3.
What a F**king Day!
F**k: Where's my f**king book? Is it on the f**king bed?
Lisa: No. It's not on the f**king bed.
F**k: Is it on the f**king chair?
Lisa: Yes. It's on the f**king chair.
F**k: Where's my f**king pencil? Is it on the f**king char?
Lisa: Yes, it is. It's on the f**king chair.
F**k: Where's my f**king pencil? Is it on the f**king char?
Lisa: Yes, it is. It's on the f**king chair.
F**k: Is that your book bag, f**ker?
Lisa: Yes, it's my f**king book bag.
F**k: Is that your eraser, f**ker?
Lisa: No, it's not my f**king eraser. It's Tom's f**king eraser.
F**k: Is that your eraser, f**ker?
Lisa: No, it's not my f**king eraser. It's Tom's f**king eraser.
F**k: Are you happy?
Lisa: F**k yes I am.
F**k: Are you sad?
Lisa: F**k no I'm not.
F**k: Are you sad?
Lisa: F**k no I'm not.
F**k: Great. Are you at home, f**ker?
Lisa: Yes, I am, with your mother. She's ******** ** **** while she ***** your father ** *** *** with a broomstick.
F**k: Cool!
Lisa: OK, goodbye.
F**k: Goodbye. Have a good day!
4. Koxinga 鄭成功 (January 2016)
Koxinga was the guy who "took back" Taiwan from the Dutch in the 1600s. He was also trying to revive the Ming Dynasty, which by that time had given way to the Ching Dynasty, which he regarded as a harmful, "foreign" presence. Taiwan served as his "government-in-exile" while he attempted to reestablish the Ming Dynasty on the Mainland. 國姓爺是十七世紀時從荷蘭人手上把台灣拿回來的人. 他也試著反清復明. 他認為滿人的清廷不算漢人的政府, 他以台灣為他重建明朝的基地.
And yes, history has a way of repeating itself. 對! 歷史總是不斷的重演.
As you might have guessed, Koxinga ended up stuck in Taiwan, where he died of an illness soon after. The Ming Dynasty was never reestablished, Taiwan remained a political and economic backwater, and eventually the island was reabsorbed into the Ching Empire. 你應該也猜到之後發生了什麼事情. 他一直留在台灣, 也在不久後在這裡生病去世. 明朝沒被重建, 台灣也繼續成為政治和經濟上落後的地方, 最後更被滿清納入中國的一部分.
So sorry, Mr. Koxinga. But if it makes you feel better, the Ching Dynasty had a very shameful time dealing with the British and the Japanese. 很抱歉! 鄭先生. 如果知道清廷末期跟英國和日本的事情可以讓您的心情好一點! 它跟英國和日本之間發生了許多丟臉的事情.
Opium Wars and partitions aside, I sometimes wonder what Koxinga would make of modern, democratic Taiwan. Would he enjoy a tour of Taiwan in 2016? Would he find modern Taiwan fascinating - or alienating? Would the differences between Taiwan and China interest him, or just make him sad? 除了鴉片戰爭跟劃分租界勢力之外, 我有時候想國姓爺對現代的中華民國有什麼看法. 他會喜歡2016年在台灣的旅遊嗎? 他會對現代的臺灣很好奇還是很失望? 他會對台灣跟中國的差異有興趣? 還是很後悔?
It's fun to imagine what a conversation between Koxinga and any modern Taiwanese person might be like. The world Koxinga inhabited was SO different from the Taiwan of today, and he would probably find modern Taiwan at once fascinating and disconcerting. Someone like Koxinga, coming from the height of Imperial China, would be even further removed from modern Taiwan - even more so than your average American, Italian, or African. Of course it's impossible to know what his reaction to modern Taiwan would be, though it's fun to think about. 想像鄭成功跟現代的台灣人在一起的對話情景是件有趣的事. 鄭成功時代的台灣跟現代的台灣差很多, 他應該立刻對台灣產生興趣還有失望. 帝制時代的中國人離現代台灣非常遙遠. 他比現代的美國人, 義大利人, 非洲人要了解台灣還困難. 當然沒辦法知道他會對現在的台灣有什麼看法, 只是想像這種事很好玩.
I do know one thing though. He wouldn't be all that happy to see so many foreigners - like me - walking around. 我只知道一件事: 他在現代的台灣看到那麼多外國人走來走去會很不高興.
"What?" I can imagine him saying, "I get rid of those Dutch devils, and now YOU'RE here?!?! I'm going to have to do something about that!" "什麼?" 他會跟我說, "我把那些荷蘭鬼子趕走你們就來了?!?! 這件事我一定要處理!"
5. Happy Year of the Monkey!! 猴年快樂!! (January 2016)
Item 1: Taiwan has a new President now. Tsai Ying-wen, representing the DPP, won the general election last Saturday. 上個星期六台灣已經選出新的總統. 由民進黨的候選人蔡英文贏得總統選舉.
Item 2: I only have a few more days of school before winter vacation. We plan on driving up to Hualien, and from there driving to Nantou and back. Might also go to Kaohsiung for a couple days. 只剩幾天就開始放寒假了. 我們計畫開車往花蓮的方向, 從那之後往南投再從花蓮回來. 另外也要去高雄玩二天.
Item 3: I'll be away from this blog until February 15, when winter vacation comes to an end. 二月十五日前我不寫文章. 寒假結束之後我才會開始寫.
Item 4: Chinese New Year is on the way! Happy Year of the Monkey! 春節快到了! 猴年快樂!
Item 5: This week in my English class we are doing something like this. You can play, too! 這個禮拜在我的英文課, 我們用下列的表格學英文. 你也可以玩!
Koxinga was the guy who "took back" Taiwan from the Dutch in the 1600s. He was also trying to revive the Ming Dynasty, which by that time had given way to the Ching Dynasty, which he regarded as a harmful, "foreign" presence. Taiwan served as his "government-in-exile" while he attempted to reestablish the Ming Dynasty on the Mainland. 國姓爺是十七世紀時從荷蘭人手上把台灣拿回來的人. 他也試著反清復明. 他認為滿人的清廷不算漢人的政府, 他以台灣為他重建明朝的基地.
And yes, history has a way of repeating itself. 對! 歷史總是不斷的重演.
As you might have guessed, Koxinga ended up stuck in Taiwan, where he died of an illness soon after. The Ming Dynasty was never reestablished, Taiwan remained a political and economic backwater, and eventually the island was reabsorbed into the Ching Empire. 你應該也猜到之後發生了什麼事情. 他一直留在台灣, 也在不久後在這裡生病去世. 明朝沒被重建, 台灣也繼續成為政治和經濟上落後的地方, 最後更被滿清納入中國的一部分.
So sorry, Mr. Koxinga. But if it makes you feel better, the Ching Dynasty had a very shameful time dealing with the British and the Japanese. 很抱歉! 鄭先生. 如果知道清廷末期跟英國和日本的事情可以讓您的心情好一點! 它跟英國和日本之間發生了許多丟臉的事情.
Opium Wars and partitions aside, I sometimes wonder what Koxinga would make of modern, democratic Taiwan. Would he enjoy a tour of Taiwan in 2016? Would he find modern Taiwan fascinating - or alienating? Would the differences between Taiwan and China interest him, or just make him sad? 除了鴉片戰爭跟劃分租界勢力之外, 我有時候想國姓爺對現代的中華民國有什麼看法. 他會喜歡2016年在台灣的旅遊嗎? 他會對現代的臺灣很好奇還是很失望? 他會對台灣跟中國的差異有興趣? 還是很後悔?
It's fun to imagine what a conversation between Koxinga and any modern Taiwanese person might be like. The world Koxinga inhabited was SO different from the Taiwan of today, and he would probably find modern Taiwan at once fascinating and disconcerting. Someone like Koxinga, coming from the height of Imperial China, would be even further removed from modern Taiwan - even more so than your average American, Italian, or African. Of course it's impossible to know what his reaction to modern Taiwan would be, though it's fun to think about. 想像鄭成功跟現代的台灣人在一起的對話情景是件有趣的事. 鄭成功時代的台灣跟現代的台灣差很多, 他應該立刻對台灣產生興趣還有失望. 帝制時代的中國人離現代台灣非常遙遠. 他比現代的美國人, 義大利人, 非洲人要了解台灣還困難. 當然沒辦法知道他會對現在的台灣有什麼看法, 只是想像這種事很好玩.
I do know one thing though. He wouldn't be all that happy to see so many foreigners - like me - walking around. 我只知道一件事: 他在現代的台灣看到那麼多外國人走來走去會很不高興.
"What?" I can imagine him saying, "I get rid of those Dutch devils, and now YOU'RE here?!?! I'm going to have to do something about that!" "什麼?" 他會跟我說, "我把那些荷蘭鬼子趕走你們就來了?!?! 這件事我一定要處理!"
5. Happy Year of the Monkey!! 猴年快樂!! (January 2016)
Item 1: Taiwan has a new President now. Tsai Ying-wen, representing the DPP, won the general election last Saturday. 上個星期六台灣已經選出新的總統. 由民進黨的候選人蔡英文贏得總統選舉.
Item 2: I only have a few more days of school before winter vacation. We plan on driving up to Hualien, and from there driving to Nantou and back. Might also go to Kaohsiung for a couple days. 只剩幾天就開始放寒假了. 我們計畫開車往花蓮的方向, 從那之後往南投再從花蓮回來. 另外也要去高雄玩二天.
Item 3: I'll be away from this blog until February 15, when winter vacation comes to an end. 二月十五日前我不寫文章. 寒假結束之後我才會開始寫.
Item 4: Chinese New Year is on the way! Happy Year of the Monkey! 春節快到了! 猴年快樂!
Item 5: This week in my English class we are doing something like this. You can play, too! 這個禮拜在我的英文課, 我們用下列的表格學英文. 你也可以玩!
Aa | Bb | Cc | Dd | Ee |
3 | 1 | 16 | 10 | 21 |
Ff | Gg | Hh | Ii | Jj |
20 | 22 | 4 | 17 | 19 |
Kk | Ll | Mm | Nn | Oo |
12 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 14 |
Pp | Qq | Rr | Ss | Tt |
5 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 7 |
Uu | Vv | Ww | Xx | Yy |
8 | 13 | 26 | 6 | 9 |
Zz | ||||
2 | ||||
4-3-5-5-9 9-21-3-25 14-20 7-4-21 15-14-18-12-21-9!!
24-21-21 9-14-8 17-18 20-21-1-25-8-3-25-9!!
24-21-21 9-14-8 17-18 20-21-1-25-8-3-25-9!!
6. 台灣幸福百事 "100 Fortunate Things in Taiwan" (February 2016)
The following list/timeline was taken from "100 Fortunate Things in Taiwan" 台灣幸福百事. This book was written by Chen Rao-jin 陳柔縉, and was published by Jiou Jing 究竟 in 2011.
This book does not include an entry for every year of Taiwan's long history. Even so, I think it offers a more fun and interesting take on how modern Taiwan came to be.*
1874 - Taiwan's first Western wedding. The ceremony was performed by Reverend Mackay 馬偕牧師, for whom the hospitals are named.
1891 - Taiwan's first railway began operating. At this time there were six stations, all in north Taiwan.
1895 - Taiwan's first court of law was established during the interim period between Ching 清 sovereignty and the Japanese occupation.
1896 - Taiwan's first billiards competition. This game was brought to Taiwan by the Japanese.
1897 - Taiwan's first coffee shop opened in Taipei.
1898 - Taiwan's first phone network established. The first assigned number, "1," was for the Taipei County Hall 台北縣廳.
1899 - Taiwan's first city park was created in Yuan Shan 圓山 in Taipei.
1900 - The first four bicycles arrived in Taipei.
1901 - Taiwan's first public library opened in Danshui 淡水.
1902 - An X-ray machine was used for the first time in Taiwan.
1905 - Red bean bread was sold for the first time in Taiwan. Prior to this it had become very popular in Japan.
1906 - Electric fans became available for the first time.
1908 - Taiwan's first Western-style hotel, the Taiwan Railway Hotel 台灣鐵道旅館 opened its doors. This hotel sold its own brand of cola, and was equipped with one of Taiwan's first elevators. It was located where the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi 新光三越 department store now stands, right across from the Taipei Main Station 台北車站.
1910 - Shortbread cakes 長崎蛋糕 were sold in Taiwan for the first time.
1911 - Some of Taiwan's first graduates from foreign (Japanese) universities returned from abroad.
1912 - The first automobile arrived in Taiwan.
1913 - The first switchboard was used in Taiwan. At that time, there were only 999 phone numbers in all of Taipei.
1914 - A group of Hakka singers were taken to Tokyo, and several traditional songs were recorded. This was the first time Taiwanese music was put on record.
1915 - Taiwan produced its first vending machine.
1916 - Two British doctors brought the sport of soccer into Taiwan for the first time, and thereafter several teams were established.
1918 - The first golf course was built in Danshui 淡水.
1921 - Taiwan got its first swimming pool, located in a Taipei Y.M.C.A.
1922 - Hospitals in Taiwan began using a new "car style" 汽車式 ambulance.
1923 - The first underground pedestrian tunnel was completed in Ba Du Station 八堵火車站.
1924 - The first driving school was opened in Taichung 台中.
1925 - The first motion picture (V8) cameras appeared on the market.
1926 - The first electric refrigerators were sold.
1927 - Taiwan's first horse racing track was opened in Taipei.
1929 - Mickey Mouse began appearing on Taiwanese products. His likeness even appeared on a local beer!
1930 - The first neon signs began appearing on storefronts.
1931 - The first ballrooms were opened.
1932 - Taiwan's first department store opened in Taipei.
1933 - A building in Taipei was the first to use air-conditioning.
1935 - Taiwan held its first election, in which representatives of many cities, townships, and villages were elected.
1935 - The first televisions were sold.
1936 - The first airplane tickets were sold.
1946 - Automobiles were required by law to keep to the right side of the road.
1947 - The first I.D. card was issued.
1957 - The Taiwan Sugar Corporation 台糖 became the first Taiwanese company to buy a computer. The computer purchased was an IBM 1400, which was the size of a (very) large refrigerator and had less computing power than your cell phone.
1958 - The first crosswalk appeared in Taipei.
1959 - The first escalator was installed in Da Shin Department Store 大新百貨 in Kaohsiung 高雄.
1962 - The first cooking show appeared on Taiwanese television.
1964 - The Jung Shan Freeway 中山高速公路 was opened to traffic.
1967 - A cable car began operation in Wulai 烏來.
1968 - Taiwanese companies began producing instant noodles. The Wei Li 維力 Company was the first on the market.
1969 - The first supermarket opened.
1973 - Taiwanese credit card companies began issuing credit cards.
1977 - The Youth Convenience Store 青年商店, Taiwan's first convenience store, opened in Taipei. Taiwan's first 7-11 would open not long after. You can still visit this 7-11 on Chang An East Road 長安東路 First Section 一段 Lane 53 (53巷) in Taipei City.
1984 - McDonald's came to Taiwan. You can still visit Taiwan's first McDonald's on Min Sheng East Road 民生東路 Section 3 三段 in Taipei.
1996 - Taipei's first MRT line began operation.
2007 - Taiwan's High Speed Rail (HSR) 高鐵 began operation.
2016 - I thumb my way through a copy of "100 Fortunate Things in Taiwan," and type all of the above. Now it's history!
7. Bu Luo Wan 布洛灣 / Shan Yue Village 山月村 (February 2016)
Bu Luo Wan is inside Taroko National Park. It is located near the Central Cross-Island Highway, and it's about ten minutes from the Taroko Visitor's Center. 布洛灣在太魯閣國家公園裡面. 它靠近中橫公路. 從太魯閣遊客中心開車到布洛灣要10分鐘左右.
A winding road connects Bu Luo Wan to the highway below. This road is very steep, and tour buses make it a little dangerous. Fortunately there's not as much traffic on this road, and despite recent adverse weather it's still in good condition. 連接中橫和布洛灣的是一條彎曲的路. 這條路很陡, 遊覽車開在它上面顯得危險. 還好這條路上的車沒那麼多. 最近的天氣也沒有影響到這一段的路況.
There's a big parking lot at the top of the hill, and a another visitor's center lies next to the parking lot. Near the visitor's center is a small room with some exhibits, a theater which - when we visited - was not in use, and an unfinished concession area. 那條路的終點是停車場, 停車場旁邊還有一個遊客中心. 遊客中心旁邊有一個小展覽館, 一棟最近沒有使用的電影院, 還有一個還沒完成的餐廳跟紀念品店.
On the north side of the parking lot there's a short trail with a great view of the gorge below, and also another trail behind the unused theater. When we visited, this second trail was under repair, and judging by the weeds it's been out of use for a long time. 停車場旁邊有一條短短的步道. 那條步道的風景很棒. 電影院後面還有另一條步道, 可是我們在那裡的時候那條步道在整修. 好像很久沒用了.
Behind the visitor's center there is a long, straight driveway leading up to Shan Yue Village, the resort where we stayed. This resort is staffed by members of the Taroko Tribe, and it looks a lot like a movie set. It's not a cheap place to stay, but you won't find anywhere more scenic. 遊客中心後面有條又長又陡的路往山月村, 那是我們在那裡住的地方. 這個飯店的員工都是太魯閣族的, 那裡好像是電影裡的場景. 住這邊不便宜, 但是風景真是令人驚豔.
While we were there we slept a lot. It would rain, and the rain would make us sleepy, and we'd sleep, and we'd wake up when the rain stopped. ...and then it would start to rain again, and we'd get sleepy, and we'd go back to sleep. There are also performances of aboriginal music and dance in the evenings, and a restaurant that serves aboriginal food. 我們在那裡睡很多. 因為那裡的雨讓我們想睡覺, 下雨時我們睡大頭覺, 雨停我們就起來活動. ...然後又開始下雨, 我們就再睡一次. 晚上還有原住民的音樂會跟表演, 他們的餐廳提供原住民美食.
After our stay in Bu Luo Wan we drove out of the mountains, and back into Hualien City. As we were eating lunch I couldn't help but reflect on how extremely AWAKE I was. I can't say I did much in Bu Luo Wan, but it sure was restful. 我們離開山裡面的布洛灣後回去花蓮市. 在那邊吃午餐的時候, 我發現自己的精神非常好. 我在布洛灣時很優閒, 得到非常充分的休息.
8. Studying Chinese (February 2016)
Is it weird to get nostalgic about studying Chinese? I really don't know.
And it's not like I'm through learning Chinese, either. I learn new words all the time, and I'm always trying to improve my grammar. My Mandarin might be good for a waiguoren*, but I'm always trying to speak, read, and write it better.
So I guess when I say "studying" what I really mean is taking a class, having a textbook, writing homework, and all that stuff. I'm talking about being in school, and having a teacher.
When I started learning Chinese - more from desperation than any genuine desire to learn the language - my wife was my teacher. We held class in our living room, and she had me reading children's books. She taught me the sounds of the phonetic symbols next to each character, and I would do my best to imitate her pronunciation. It was really slow going, and I lost patience easily.
A few weeks later, my wife decided that she'd had enough of my foolishness, and she signed me up for a Chinese class at a local university. Tung Hai University was closest to where we lived, so that was the obvious choice.
Thus began a pleasant year of learning Chinese. I quickly found that practice with the phonetic characters paid dividends - especially since my instructors had no knowledge of pinyin or any desire to teach it. With their guidance I learned the phonetic characters much faster, and before long the children's books my wife had used began to seem easy.
I had Chinese class for (I think) two hours a day, and I studied at least two hours a night. I did this five days a week, for two semesters. As I learned more characters I was able to read things, and as I began to read things I wanted to learn more characters. Suddenly I wasn't surrounded by meaningless scrawls - I was surrounded by words - and knowing the meaning of these words proved extremely useful.
That, and it was also fun sitting around deciphering Doraemon or Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. It began to seem more like a game I was playing, this attempt to find out what I could understand and what I still needed to learn. I finished the first semester's Chinese textbook before the semester was even over, and before Chinese New Year my wife was helping me learn (and memorize) many of the Tang Dynasty poems.**
The spoken part of Chinese, however, had its own frustrations. While I was often complimented on my reading and never faulted for failures of comprehension, I found that spoken interactions were a lot more difficult and/or embarrassing. My wife was constantly correcting my pronunciation. Coworkers were constantly telling me that my grammar was weird, or altogether wrong. People on the street talked too fast, and I easily lost their meaning.
But I caught on eventually. And in the end, I was thankful for the way I was corrected. I think that if certain people had been more "polite" with me, if they had been more complimentary, I wouldn't have improved as fast as I did. As it was, the frustration of having to communicate clearly only added to my resolve, and it only made me want to get it right the next time.
Besides that, I enjoyed attending class at Tung Hai. My instructors were funny, the campus was nice, and I made a lot of new friends. I also gained a confidence that I didn't have before. I knew that I could learn Chinese, and I knew that it could be fun. Of course I realize that not everyone has had a similar experience - some of my classmates certainly didn't - but that's how it was for me.
As I sit here, writing about it now, I can remember so many other things from that time. Hanging out in the campus bookstore. Walking to class in the morning. A new red scooter I used to park on Jung Gang Road.*** People I used to know. Tests. So many things were new to me then, and everything was fascinating.
Ah, that pleasant year in Tung Hai. And now - so many years later - a coworker is telling me some of Taiwan's worst air pollution hovers directly above that stately campus. Even so, I'm sure there are now some other waiguoren(s) there, learning things that I now take for granted.
9. What's Going On 你最近怎麼樣? (February 2016)
So this week I was going to write about snakes (again). But since that involves a lot of research, and I'm really tired, I think I'll wait until next week to write it. Or maybe the week after. Or maybe I won't do it at all. Who knows? 原本這星期我還要再一次寫關於蛇的文章. 可是寫那種文章要參考很多本書和網站, 而我現在很累了, 所以我下星期再寫吧!. 還是下下星期! 也許我最後決定不再寫了. 誰知道?
And why am I tired? Mostly because I had only one day - Sunday - off last week, and I was really busy. The first week of every semester is always busier for me. By June my job is usually VERY easy, but in February there's more to do. 我怎麼那麼累呢? 大部分是因為上星期只放一天假. 而且開學的第一周我都比較忙. 二月要做的事情比較多, 六月的時候我就比較輕鬆.
Add to this the fact that I'm not quite (re)adjusted to our school schedule yet. I spent most of winter vacation waking up after 9 or 10, and waking up at 6:30 has been brutal. In a perfect world, everyone would be able to get out of bed whenever they feel like it. In a perfect world, there would be no alarm clocks. 加上我還不習慣學校的作息. 寒假時我都是9, 10點以後起床, 所以現在早上6:30起床是很困難的事情. 在完美的世界裡, 人人可以隨意幾點起床. 在完美的世界裡不會有鬧鐘.
In other "news," I'll be joining the Tainan Old Capital Marathon next month. This will be my third time. I haven't quite gotten enough training in, but I think I should do alright. I'm running 20 km a week now, and running it pretty fast besides. 其他的消息? 我下個月要參加台南的古都馬拉松. 這是我第三次參加. 我覺得我的訓練不夠, 但是應該可以表現得不錯. 我最近每周跑20公里, 也跑得比較快.
My only real obstacle is the number of people joining that race. Last time I checked, 14,000 people were signed up for the marathon, half marathon, 10 km and 5 km, and some of the roads through Tainan are very narrow. I'll probably spend a lot of that race waiting (impatiently) for other people to get out of my way. 我最大的問題就是參加比賽的選手人數. 我上次看的時候共有一萬四千個人要參加全馬, 半馬, 10公里, 跟5公里的比賽. 台南有些路很小. 很可能跑的時候會有很多人檔在我的前面.
Oh, and the half-marathon I'm joining also gives me the chance to enjoy that "PM2.5 air" that everyone's talking about. Air quality on the west coast of Taiwan is very low. 我要參加的半馬拉松也會讓我有機會享受到大家講的PM2.5空氣. 台灣西部的空氣品質很差.
Aside from the above, there's not much to say. The weather's getting warmer (thank God), I'm probably drinking too much coffee, and a three-day weekend is coming soon. Oh yeah! 除了上面寫的那些事情之外, 好像也沒什麼要說的了. 天氣越來越暖和, 我大概喝太多咖啡了, 三天連假也快到了. 不錯喔!
10. New (and Venomous) Friends 新 (有毒的) 朋友 (March 2016)
Welcome to Taitung! 歡迎來台東!
As you may know, Taitung County is one of the most scenic places in Taiwan. From pristine beaches, to mountain views, to aboriginal culture, Taitung really has it all! 你應該知道台東是全台灣風景最好的地方, 從乾淨的海灘, 廣大的山區, 到原住民文化, 台東什麼都有.
But do you know what Taitung also has in abundance? Yes, that's right - venomous snakes! 可是你知道台東還有什麼特色嗎? 沒錯, 台東也有很多有毒的蛇.
Yes, Taitung boasts more venomous snakes that just about any other part of Taiwan. From the common cobra to the umbrella snake, Taitung is blessed with many varieties of life-threatening reptiles, all eager to make your acquaintance. 是的! 台東應該是臺灣毒蛇最多的地方. 從眼鏡蛇到雨傘節, 台東很幸運地擁有很多致命的爬蟲類動物. 他們也很想跟你當朋友.
So come and enjoy the venomous snakes of Taitung. You'll make new friends, and the memories will last forever. 歡迎你來欣賞台東的毒蛇. 很多新朋友在等你. 牠們會帶給你一輩子的回憶.
Hi there! I'm the Hundred-Pace (Pit) Viper. I enjoy nature excursions and reading a good book. If you see me, please pick me up and give me a hug. I love to make new friends! 你好! 我是百步蛇. 我很喜歡戶外活動跟看書. 你如果看到我的話, 請抱抱我. 我超愛新朋友!*
What's up! I'm the Many-Banded Krait, also known as the Umbrella Snake. I like hanging out with friends and listening to music. 最近好嗎? 我是雨傘節. 我喜歡跟朋友在一起, 也喜歡聽音樂.
Hello. I'm the Chinese Cobra. I often hang out in drainage ditches. When not eating rodents or frightening farmers, I like to watch movies and sing karaoke. 你好. 我是眼鏡蛇. 我喜歡在水溝裡休息. 我不忙著吃老鼠或嚇農夫的時候, 我喜歡看電影或是唱卡拉ok.
Good morning. I'm Kraeplin's Cat Snake. I come out at night, and I really like to party. In my senior high school I was voted "most likely to bite people." 早安. 我是大頭蛇. 我都是晚上出來, 也很喜歡跟朋友一起玩. 我念高中的時候同學都覺得我畢業後一定最會咬人.
How are you? I'm the Mock Viper. I might not be as venomous as some of the other snakes here, but I can still make you sick if I'm in a bad mood! 你好嗎? 我是茶班蛇. 我不是毒性最強的, 可是我心情不好的時候一定會讓人不舒服!
Good to meet you. We are the sea snakes and sea kraits. We are VERY venomous. We are very shy when around people, but we also like to have fun! 很高興見到你. 我是海蛇. 我們非常毒的! 雖然我們看到人時很害羞, 可是我們也很會玩.**
Hey guys. I'm the Russells' Viper. I come out at night and in the day, so anytime you're in town let me know! 朋友們好. 我是鎖鍊蛇. 我白天跟晚上都會出來逛逛, 所以你在台東的時候一定要告訴我!
What's up. I'm the Pointed-Scaled Pit Viper, or Chinese Habu. I live all over Taiwan, but Taitung is one of my favorite vacation spots. It's a great place to explore! 嗨! 我是龜穀花. 每個縣市都可以見到我, 可是我特別喜歡在台東. 這是一個可以好好探索的地方!
How you doing? I'm called the Taiwan Alpine Pit Viper. I live in the high mountains, so let me know when you're out hiking or mountain climbing. Ah, that fresh mountain air! 你們好不好? 我叫菊池氏龜穀花. 我住在高山裡, 所以你爬山的時候一定要約我. 高山的空氣很新鮮!
Good to see you! They call me the Green Bamboo Viper. I'm one of the most commonly seen snakes in Taiwan, and I'll be waiting for you in the forest! 很高興跟你們見面! 他們叫我赤尾青竹絲. 我是台灣最常見的蛇中的其中之一. 我在森林等你來啊!
Oh, and the list above was taken from 台灣兩棲爬行類圖鑑 ("A Guide to Taiwan's Reptiles and Amphibians"). This book was published by Owl Publishing 貓頭鷹 in 2009. Shiang Kao-shr 向高世 wrote the section on snakes. 上面的蛇的資料都出自台灣兩棲爬行類圖鑑. 這本是貓頭鷹2009年出版的. 蛇的部分的作者是向高世.
Oh, and snakes were also discussed in the 布農族的百步蛇朋友 The Bunun Tribe's Friend: The Hundred Pacer, Snakes in Taitung 台東的蛇, and Wildlife in Taitung 台東野生動物 entries. Feel free to check those out if you have the time. 對了我也在布農族的百步蛇朋友 The Bunun Tribe's Friend: The Hundred Pacer, Snakes in Taitung 台東的蛇, 還有Wildlife in Taitung 台東野生動物這些文章討論過台東的蛇, 有興趣的讀者也歡迎參考一下.
The following list/timeline was taken from "100 Fortunate Things in Taiwan" 台灣幸福百事. This book was written by Chen Rao-jin 陳柔縉, and was published by Jiou Jing 究竟 in 2011.
This book does not include an entry for every year of Taiwan's long history. Even so, I think it offers a more fun and interesting take on how modern Taiwan came to be.*
台灣幸福百事 "100 Fortunate Things in Taiwan"
1874 - Taiwan's first Western wedding. The ceremony was performed by Reverend Mackay 馬偕牧師, for whom the hospitals are named.
1891 - Taiwan's first railway began operating. At this time there were six stations, all in north Taiwan.
1895 - Taiwan's first court of law was established during the interim period between Ching 清 sovereignty and the Japanese occupation.
1896 - Taiwan's first billiards competition. This game was brought to Taiwan by the Japanese.
1897 - Taiwan's first coffee shop opened in Taipei.
1898 - Taiwan's first phone network established. The first assigned number, "1," was for the Taipei County Hall 台北縣廳.
1899 - Taiwan's first city park was created in Yuan Shan 圓山 in Taipei.
1900 - The first four bicycles arrived in Taipei.
1901 - Taiwan's first public library opened in Danshui 淡水.
1902 - An X-ray machine was used for the first time in Taiwan.
1905 - Red bean bread was sold for the first time in Taiwan. Prior to this it had become very popular in Japan.
1906 - Electric fans became available for the first time.
1908 - Taiwan's first Western-style hotel, the Taiwan Railway Hotel 台灣鐵道旅館 opened its doors. This hotel sold its own brand of cola, and was equipped with one of Taiwan's first elevators. It was located where the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi 新光三越 department store now stands, right across from the Taipei Main Station 台北車站.
1910 - Shortbread cakes 長崎蛋糕 were sold in Taiwan for the first time.
1911 - Some of Taiwan's first graduates from foreign (Japanese) universities returned from abroad.
1912 - The first automobile arrived in Taiwan.
1913 - The first switchboard was used in Taiwan. At that time, there were only 999 phone numbers in all of Taipei.
1914 - A group of Hakka singers were taken to Tokyo, and several traditional songs were recorded. This was the first time Taiwanese music was put on record.
1915 - Taiwan produced its first vending machine.
1916 - Two British doctors brought the sport of soccer into Taiwan for the first time, and thereafter several teams were established.
1918 - The first golf course was built in Danshui 淡水.
1921 - Taiwan got its first swimming pool, located in a Taipei Y.M.C.A.
1922 - Hospitals in Taiwan began using a new "car style" 汽車式 ambulance.
1923 - The first underground pedestrian tunnel was completed in Ba Du Station 八堵火車站.
1924 - The first driving school was opened in Taichung 台中.
1925 - The first motion picture (V8) cameras appeared on the market.
1926 - The first electric refrigerators were sold.
1927 - Taiwan's first horse racing track was opened in Taipei.
1929 - Mickey Mouse began appearing on Taiwanese products. His likeness even appeared on a local beer!
1930 - The first neon signs began appearing on storefronts.
1931 - The first ballrooms were opened.
1932 - Taiwan's first department store opened in Taipei.
1933 - A building in Taipei was the first to use air-conditioning.
1935 - Taiwan held its first election, in which representatives of many cities, townships, and villages were elected.
1935 - The first televisions were sold.
1936 - The first airplane tickets were sold.
1946 - Automobiles were required by law to keep to the right side of the road.
1947 - The first I.D. card was issued.
1957 - The Taiwan Sugar Corporation 台糖 became the first Taiwanese company to buy a computer. The computer purchased was an IBM 1400, which was the size of a (very) large refrigerator and had less computing power than your cell phone.
1958 - The first crosswalk appeared in Taipei.
1959 - The first escalator was installed in Da Shin Department Store 大新百貨 in Kaohsiung 高雄.
1962 - The first cooking show appeared on Taiwanese television.
1964 - The Jung Shan Freeway 中山高速公路 was opened to traffic.
1967 - A cable car began operation in Wulai 烏來.
1968 - Taiwanese companies began producing instant noodles. The Wei Li 維力 Company was the first on the market.
1969 - The first supermarket opened.
1973 - Taiwanese credit card companies began issuing credit cards.
1977 - The Youth Convenience Store 青年商店, Taiwan's first convenience store, opened in Taipei. Taiwan's first 7-11 would open not long after. You can still visit this 7-11 on Chang An East Road 長安東路 First Section 一段 Lane 53 (53巷) in Taipei City.
1984 - McDonald's came to Taiwan. You can still visit Taiwan's first McDonald's on Min Sheng East Road 民生東路 Section 3 三段 in Taipei.
1996 - Taipei's first MRT line began operation.
2007 - Taiwan's High Speed Rail (HSR) 高鐵 began operation.
2016 - I thumb my way through a copy of "100 Fortunate Things in Taiwan," and type all of the above. Now it's history!
7. Bu Luo Wan 布洛灣 / Shan Yue Village 山月村 (February 2016)
Bu Luo Wan is inside Taroko National Park. It is located near the Central Cross-Island Highway, and it's about ten minutes from the Taroko Visitor's Center. 布洛灣在太魯閣國家公園裡面. 它靠近中橫公路. 從太魯閣遊客中心開車到布洛灣要10分鐘左右.
A winding road connects Bu Luo Wan to the highway below. This road is very steep, and tour buses make it a little dangerous. Fortunately there's not as much traffic on this road, and despite recent adverse weather it's still in good condition. 連接中橫和布洛灣的是一條彎曲的路. 這條路很陡, 遊覽車開在它上面顯得危險. 還好這條路上的車沒那麼多. 最近的天氣也沒有影響到這一段的路況.
There's a big parking lot at the top of the hill, and a another visitor's center lies next to the parking lot. Near the visitor's center is a small room with some exhibits, a theater which - when we visited - was not in use, and an unfinished concession area. 那條路的終點是停車場, 停車場旁邊還有一個遊客中心. 遊客中心旁邊有一個小展覽館, 一棟最近沒有使用的電影院, 還有一個還沒完成的餐廳跟紀念品店.
On the north side of the parking lot there's a short trail with a great view of the gorge below, and also another trail behind the unused theater. When we visited, this second trail was under repair, and judging by the weeds it's been out of use for a long time. 停車場旁邊有一條短短的步道. 那條步道的風景很棒. 電影院後面還有另一條步道, 可是我們在那裡的時候那條步道在整修. 好像很久沒用了.
Behind the visitor's center there is a long, straight driveway leading up to Shan Yue Village, the resort where we stayed. This resort is staffed by members of the Taroko Tribe, and it looks a lot like a movie set. It's not a cheap place to stay, but you won't find anywhere more scenic. 遊客中心後面有條又長又陡的路往山月村, 那是我們在那裡住的地方. 這個飯店的員工都是太魯閣族的, 那裡好像是電影裡的場景. 住這邊不便宜, 但是風景真是令人驚豔.
While we were there we slept a lot. It would rain, and the rain would make us sleepy, and we'd sleep, and we'd wake up when the rain stopped. ...and then it would start to rain again, and we'd get sleepy, and we'd go back to sleep. There are also performances of aboriginal music and dance in the evenings, and a restaurant that serves aboriginal food. 我們在那裡睡很多. 因為那裡的雨讓我們想睡覺, 下雨時我們睡大頭覺, 雨停我們就起來活動. ...然後又開始下雨, 我們就再睡一次. 晚上還有原住民的音樂會跟表演, 他們的餐廳提供原住民美食.
After our stay in Bu Luo Wan we drove out of the mountains, and back into Hualien City. As we were eating lunch I couldn't help but reflect on how extremely AWAKE I was. I can't say I did much in Bu Luo Wan, but it sure was restful. 我們離開山裡面的布洛灣後回去花蓮市. 在那邊吃午餐的時候, 我發現自己的精神非常好. 我在布洛灣時很優閒, 得到非常充分的休息.
8. Studying Chinese (February 2016)
Is it weird to get nostalgic about studying Chinese? I really don't know.
And it's not like I'm through learning Chinese, either. I learn new words all the time, and I'm always trying to improve my grammar. My Mandarin might be good for a waiguoren*, but I'm always trying to speak, read, and write it better.
So I guess when I say "studying" what I really mean is taking a class, having a textbook, writing homework, and all that stuff. I'm talking about being in school, and having a teacher.
When I started learning Chinese - more from desperation than any genuine desire to learn the language - my wife was my teacher. We held class in our living room, and she had me reading children's books. She taught me the sounds of the phonetic symbols next to each character, and I would do my best to imitate her pronunciation. It was really slow going, and I lost patience easily.
A few weeks later, my wife decided that she'd had enough of my foolishness, and she signed me up for a Chinese class at a local university. Tung Hai University was closest to where we lived, so that was the obvious choice.
Thus began a pleasant year of learning Chinese. I quickly found that practice with the phonetic characters paid dividends - especially since my instructors had no knowledge of pinyin or any desire to teach it. With their guidance I learned the phonetic characters much faster, and before long the children's books my wife had used began to seem easy.
I had Chinese class for (I think) two hours a day, and I studied at least two hours a night. I did this five days a week, for two semesters. As I learned more characters I was able to read things, and as I began to read things I wanted to learn more characters. Suddenly I wasn't surrounded by meaningless scrawls - I was surrounded by words - and knowing the meaning of these words proved extremely useful.
That, and it was also fun sitting around deciphering Doraemon or Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. It began to seem more like a game I was playing, this attempt to find out what I could understand and what I still needed to learn. I finished the first semester's Chinese textbook before the semester was even over, and before Chinese New Year my wife was helping me learn (and memorize) many of the Tang Dynasty poems.**
The spoken part of Chinese, however, had its own frustrations. While I was often complimented on my reading and never faulted for failures of comprehension, I found that spoken interactions were a lot more difficult and/or embarrassing. My wife was constantly correcting my pronunciation. Coworkers were constantly telling me that my grammar was weird, or altogether wrong. People on the street talked too fast, and I easily lost their meaning.
But I caught on eventually. And in the end, I was thankful for the way I was corrected. I think that if certain people had been more "polite" with me, if they had been more complimentary, I wouldn't have improved as fast as I did. As it was, the frustration of having to communicate clearly only added to my resolve, and it only made me want to get it right the next time.
Besides that, I enjoyed attending class at Tung Hai. My instructors were funny, the campus was nice, and I made a lot of new friends. I also gained a confidence that I didn't have before. I knew that I could learn Chinese, and I knew that it could be fun. Of course I realize that not everyone has had a similar experience - some of my classmates certainly didn't - but that's how it was for me.
As I sit here, writing about it now, I can remember so many other things from that time. Hanging out in the campus bookstore. Walking to class in the morning. A new red scooter I used to park on Jung Gang Road.*** People I used to know. Tests. So many things were new to me then, and everything was fascinating.
Ah, that pleasant year in Tung Hai. And now - so many years later - a coworker is telling me some of Taiwan's worst air pollution hovers directly above that stately campus. Even so, I'm sure there are now some other waiguoren(s) there, learning things that I now take for granted.
9. What's Going On 你最近怎麼樣? (February 2016)
So this week I was going to write about snakes (again). But since that involves a lot of research, and I'm really tired, I think I'll wait until next week to write it. Or maybe the week after. Or maybe I won't do it at all. Who knows? 原本這星期我還要再一次寫關於蛇的文章. 可是寫那種文章要參考很多本書和網站, 而我現在很累了, 所以我下星期再寫吧!. 還是下下星期! 也許我最後決定不再寫了. 誰知道?
And why am I tired? Mostly because I had only one day - Sunday - off last week, and I was really busy. The first week of every semester is always busier for me. By June my job is usually VERY easy, but in February there's more to do. 我怎麼那麼累呢? 大部分是因為上星期只放一天假. 而且開學的第一周我都比較忙. 二月要做的事情比較多, 六月的時候我就比較輕鬆.
Add to this the fact that I'm not quite (re)adjusted to our school schedule yet. I spent most of winter vacation waking up after 9 or 10, and waking up at 6:30 has been brutal. In a perfect world, everyone would be able to get out of bed whenever they feel like it. In a perfect world, there would be no alarm clocks. 加上我還不習慣學校的作息. 寒假時我都是9, 10點以後起床, 所以現在早上6:30起床是很困難的事情. 在完美的世界裡, 人人可以隨意幾點起床. 在完美的世界裡不會有鬧鐘.
In other "news," I'll be joining the Tainan Old Capital Marathon next month. This will be my third time. I haven't quite gotten enough training in, but I think I should do alright. I'm running 20 km a week now, and running it pretty fast besides. 其他的消息? 我下個月要參加台南的古都馬拉松. 這是我第三次參加. 我覺得我的訓練不夠, 但是應該可以表現得不錯. 我最近每周跑20公里, 也跑得比較快.
My only real obstacle is the number of people joining that race. Last time I checked, 14,000 people were signed up for the marathon, half marathon, 10 km and 5 km, and some of the roads through Tainan are very narrow. I'll probably spend a lot of that race waiting (impatiently) for other people to get out of my way. 我最大的問題就是參加比賽的選手人數. 我上次看的時候共有一萬四千個人要參加全馬, 半馬, 10公里, 跟5公里的比賽. 台南有些路很小. 很可能跑的時候會有很多人檔在我的前面.
Oh, and the half-marathon I'm joining also gives me the chance to enjoy that "PM2.5 air" that everyone's talking about. Air quality on the west coast of Taiwan is very low. 我要參加的半馬拉松也會讓我有機會享受到大家講的PM2.5空氣. 台灣西部的空氣品質很差.
Aside from the above, there's not much to say. The weather's getting warmer (thank God), I'm probably drinking too much coffee, and a three-day weekend is coming soon. Oh yeah! 除了上面寫的那些事情之外, 好像也沒什麼要說的了. 天氣越來越暖和, 我大概喝太多咖啡了, 三天連假也快到了. 不錯喔!
10. New (and Venomous) Friends 新 (有毒的) 朋友 (March 2016)
Welcome to Taitung! 歡迎來台東!
As you may know, Taitung County is one of the most scenic places in Taiwan. From pristine beaches, to mountain views, to aboriginal culture, Taitung really has it all! 你應該知道台東是全台灣風景最好的地方, 從乾淨的海灘, 廣大的山區, 到原住民文化, 台東什麼都有.
But do you know what Taitung also has in abundance? Yes, that's right - venomous snakes! 可是你知道台東還有什麼特色嗎? 沒錯, 台東也有很多有毒的蛇.
Yes, Taitung boasts more venomous snakes that just about any other part of Taiwan. From the common cobra to the umbrella snake, Taitung is blessed with many varieties of life-threatening reptiles, all eager to make your acquaintance. 是的! 台東應該是臺灣毒蛇最多的地方. 從眼鏡蛇到雨傘節, 台東很幸運地擁有很多致命的爬蟲類動物. 他們也很想跟你當朋友.
So come and enjoy the venomous snakes of Taitung. You'll make new friends, and the memories will last forever. 歡迎你來欣賞台東的毒蛇. 很多新朋友在等你. 牠們會帶給你一輩子的回憶.
Hi there! I'm the Hundred-Pace (Pit) Viper. I enjoy nature excursions and reading a good book. If you see me, please pick me up and give me a hug. I love to make new friends! 你好! 我是百步蛇. 我很喜歡戶外活動跟看書. 你如果看到我的話, 請抱抱我. 我超愛新朋友!*
What's up! I'm the Many-Banded Krait, also known as the Umbrella Snake. I like hanging out with friends and listening to music. 最近好嗎? 我是雨傘節. 我喜歡跟朋友在一起, 也喜歡聽音樂.
Hello. I'm the Chinese Cobra. I often hang out in drainage ditches. When not eating rodents or frightening farmers, I like to watch movies and sing karaoke. 你好. 我是眼鏡蛇. 我喜歡在水溝裡休息. 我不忙著吃老鼠或嚇農夫的時候, 我喜歡看電影或是唱卡拉ok.
Good morning. I'm Kraeplin's Cat Snake. I come out at night, and I really like to party. In my senior high school I was voted "most likely to bite people." 早安. 我是大頭蛇. 我都是晚上出來, 也很喜歡跟朋友一起玩. 我念高中的時候同學都覺得我畢業後一定最會咬人.
How are you? I'm the Mock Viper. I might not be as venomous as some of the other snakes here, but I can still make you sick if I'm in a bad mood! 你好嗎? 我是茶班蛇. 我不是毒性最強的, 可是我心情不好的時候一定會讓人不舒服!
Good to meet you. We are the sea snakes and sea kraits. We are VERY venomous. We are very shy when around people, but we also like to have fun! 很高興見到你. 我是海蛇. 我們非常毒的! 雖然我們看到人時很害羞, 可是我們也很會玩.**
Hey guys. I'm the Russells' Viper. I come out at night and in the day, so anytime you're in town let me know! 朋友們好. 我是鎖鍊蛇. 我白天跟晚上都會出來逛逛, 所以你在台東的時候一定要告訴我!
What's up. I'm the Pointed-Scaled Pit Viper, or Chinese Habu. I live all over Taiwan, but Taitung is one of my favorite vacation spots. It's a great place to explore! 嗨! 我是龜穀花. 每個縣市都可以見到我, 可是我特別喜歡在台東. 這是一個可以好好探索的地方!
How you doing? I'm called the Taiwan Alpine Pit Viper. I live in the high mountains, so let me know when you're out hiking or mountain climbing. Ah, that fresh mountain air! 你們好不好? 我叫菊池氏龜穀花. 我住在高山裡, 所以你爬山的時候一定要約我. 高山的空氣很新鮮!
Good to see you! They call me the Green Bamboo Viper. I'm one of the most commonly seen snakes in Taiwan, and I'll be waiting for you in the forest! 很高興跟你們見面! 他們叫我赤尾青竹絲. 我是台灣最常見的蛇中的其中之一. 我在森林等你來啊!
Oh, and the list above was taken from 台灣兩棲爬行類圖鑑 ("A Guide to Taiwan's Reptiles and Amphibians"). This book was published by Owl Publishing 貓頭鷹 in 2009. Shiang Kao-shr 向高世 wrote the section on snakes. 上面的蛇的資料都出自台灣兩棲爬行類圖鑑. 這本是貓頭鷹2009年出版的. 蛇的部分的作者是向高世.
Oh, and snakes were also discussed in the 布農族的百步蛇朋友 The Bunun Tribe's Friend: The Hundred Pacer, Snakes in Taitung 台東的蛇, and Wildlife in Taitung 台東野生動物 entries. Feel free to check those out if you have the time. 對了我也在布農族的百步蛇朋友 The Bunun Tribe's Friend: The Hundred Pacer, Snakes in Taitung 台東的蛇, 還有Wildlife in Taitung 台東野生動物這些文章討論過台東的蛇, 有興趣的讀者也歡迎參考一下.
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