41353930https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=1880DD89E5473C7CA Sweet Taste of the Countryside<IMG style="FLOAT: left" alt="A sweet taste of the countryside" title="A sweet taste of the countryside" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/puffed%20cake_1.jpg" width="234" height="361"/>"Ladies and gentlemen, I suggest that you cover your ears. There's going to be a loud bang!" An explosive sound is followed by rising steam and the heavy aroma of rice. Xie Zhenwei (謝振瑋) apologizes as he disperses the lingering cloud. Puffed rice cakes are a traditional snack that is popular in Taiwan, the southern part of mainland China, India, and Japan. They are still made using original cooking methods. First, the rice is roasted in a pressure cooker where its expansion is limited until the moment the cooker is opened. With a bang, the rice multiplies in size. "I warn people before the bang then apologize if anyone appears frightened," Xie says. "Despite these precautions, an upset passerby once yelled at me. I apologized again and offered him a rice cake. While his anger disappeared after the first bite, he told me to give a louder warning next time."This is the 10th year that Xie has driven his stall through the city streets. Whether at the height of summer, in the dead of winter, or under an umbrella in the rain, Xie presses on. If he burns himself on the pressure cooker, he pours water over the wound for relief. Earplugs are essential for muffling the loud "bangs," but Xie often forgets. There have been times when he has roamed the streets selling puffed rice cakes for a month without a single day of rest. Over the past decade, business has been good, though Xie sometimes longs for home and the life he led as a child.<IMG style="FLOAT: right" alt="The shapes and flavors of puffed rice cakes are constantly changing. Fumi Puffed Rice Cakes are available in more than 10 flavors, both salty and sweet, and puffed rice lollipops are also sold." title="The shapes and flavors of puffed rice cakes are constantly changing. Fumi Puffed Rice Cakes are available in more than 10 flavors, both salty and sweet, and puffed rice lollipops are also sold." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/puffed%20cake_2.jpg" width="371" height="266"/>Memories of Childhood on the Farm"Having been born into an agricultural family, my grandfather, uncles, and father were all farmers. I would join them in transplanting rice seedlings, patrolling and weeding the fields, and harvesting and transporting the rice. One winter when the fields lay fallow, the children gathered to dig a massive hole that was as wide as the outstretched arms of an adult and waist deep. This was turned into an earthen oven that supplied food for over 200 people from our extended family. Afterwards, we forgot to fill the hole. When the adults were preparing the fields the machinery they were using fell in."Moments such as these were a regular occurrence in the Changhua (彰化) countryside, but they didn't erase the images of Xie's elders toiling away in the fields. This was why Xie packed his bags at the age of 23 and moved to the city in search of opportunity. Xie had never lived outside Changhua and had even done his military service at the nearby Chenggong Ling (成功嶺) training center.Upon arriving in Taipei, Xie started as a realtor. While he no longer counted scarecrows among his colleagues, he himself began to feel like a scarecrow. After four years of the real estate grind, Xie decided that freedom was very important. About this time, a friend recommended making puffed rice cakes. Xie dove into this new venture headfirst. After learning to make the cakes, Xie purchased a modified motorcycle and hired a mechanic to add a platform, cooking equipment, a motor, and steel netting. When the stall was complete, Xie embarked on his new adventure.Although just a street-side vendor, Xie chose a name for his business, "Fumi Puffed Rice Cakes" (富米米香). He explains that, "Fumi means 'prosperous rice,' plus it's my cousin's name and I like the sound of it." Xie's family soon began to benefit from his good fortune. "Most farmers with limited marketing channels can only sell to wholesalers at low prices," Xie adds that, "Now, whenever the harvest is done, I ask my family to send a portion of their rice to Taipei. I pay above market price to help the farmers and in return I get a quality guarantee."<IMG style="FLOAT: left" alt="After pressing, the warm cakes will be cool and set. They are then cut into smaller pieces to be packaged and sold." title="After pressing, the warm cakes will be cool and set. They are then cut into smaller pieces to be packaged and sold." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/puffed%20cake_3.jpg" width="384" height="264"/>Improvements to Keep the Puffed Rice Cake Tradition AliveRice is a bridge between the city and countryside. As Xie reminisces on life in the farming village where he grew up, he remembers gathering around a similar stall as a child. He and his friends would keep their eyes fixed on the pressure cooker and spring into action when they heard the "bang." They would stick out their hands to catch the grains of rice that scattered and took great joy in picking up crumbs off the ground. Scenes such as this are rare nowadays due to hygiene concerns and improvements that have been made to pressure cookers. Puffed rice now drops into a closed net and other changes are apparent in terms of flavors, shapes, and packaging.Fumi Puffed Rice Cakes are available in over 10 flavors, from original white rice and brown rice to sweet flavors like peanut and sesame and salty flavors like mixed nuts. Xie even cooks black rice, glutinous rice, Job's tears, sorghum, buckwheat, and a mix of five grains. The shape of the cakes has changed based on customer recommendations. “Modern families are smaller. If we just made a big bag like in the past, they would never finish it. Plus, earlier thick cuts contributed to tooth injuries, which is why I make lollipop cakes that fit the mouth."Skill is also important in preparing the seasoning. While cooking the rice, Xie must bring a mixture of maltose and water to a boil then add ingredients such as sesame and nuts. The maltose is sufficient for slightly sweet flavors, though stronger flavors require either more salt or sugar. After about 10 minutes of cooking, the expanded rice is mixed with other ingredients. Evenly distributing the maltose holds the rice in place. This hot, soft mass is then placed on the prep table to be flattened with a roller. Since the rice sets within a minute, each step must be quick and precise.Some of the rice is packaged without being shaped or flavored. These healthy grains are suitable for mixing in milk or adding to lion's head meatballs. While cautious parents sometimes give Xie organic rice, which he uses to prepare rice cakes for their children, Xie is confident in the safety of his treats. He notes that, "Puffed rice cakes are very healthy. You can taste the ingredients, and the entire cooking process takes place in front of the customers, who then feel assured of food safety."To further enhance hygiene measures, Xie rents a first-floor apartment where he can park and wash his stall. After closing shop each night at 9 o'clock, Xie's first task, before counting the day's revenues or resting, is to wash all of his equipment. This daily routine provides an answer to a question that a customer once asked: "Why are other puffed rice cake stalls black and dirty, but yours shines?"<IMG style="FLOAT: right" alt="After the rice has expanded, maltose, mixed nuts, peanuts, and other ingredients are added. Each step must be quick and precise so that the process can be completed before the rice sets." title="After the rice has expanded, maltose, mixed nuts, peanuts, and other ingredients are added. Each step must be quick and precise so that the process can be completed before the rice sets." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/puffed%20cake_5.jpg" width="231" height="349"/>The Commitment of a Son Who Left HomeXie often drives his stall onto school campuses. One visit in particular evoked strong memories of his youth. Xie was invited to an elementary school in Bali (八里) to demonstrate how to make puffed rice cakes. Before he began, the students had to go to a farm beside the school to harvest and thresh rice. They then carried the golden grains to the school track to be laid out for drying. When the students were done, the school provided rice that was already dried to Xie. An ear-splitting "bang" was followed by the arrival of hot rice cakes. While observing the satisfied faces of the children as they ate the cakes, Xie thought of the saying "you reap what you sow."<IMG style="FLOAT: left" alt="Maltose, which is used to hold the rice in place, is first melted in boiling water then mixed with the expanded rice." title="Maltose, which is used to hold the rice in place, is first melted in boiling water then mixed with the expanded rice." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/puffed%20cake_4.jpg" width="380" height="261"/>The children's hard work reminded Xie of how his parents planted rice paddies and vegetable fields and raised chickens and ducks. Despite their many duties, they never complained. Xie is also content with his lot in life. "While what I'm doing is ordinary, being able to work and maintain my enthusiasm is enough." When Xie was in his early 20s, his parents didn't want him to leave home because they worried about the risks and wanted their children always at their side. But when Xie made it known that his mind was made up, rather than trying to persuade him to stay, his parents offered financial assistance. They never inquire about his earnings or tell him how much to send home or to switch jobs. Xie is deeply appreciative of their support."During the 10 years I've lived in Taipei, I can count on one hand the number of times my parents have come to visit. They are concerned about disrupting my work and causing me to spend extra money. The less they visit, the harder I work, to make sure that they no longer have to worry about supporting themselves." The success of Fumi Puffed Rice Cakes has led Xie to begin planning a shop, though this would mean further putting down roots in Taipei. Xie says that when he thinks of his family and farm, he contemplates driving his stall back home, making puffed rice cakes along the way to pay for travel expenses. Xie's commitment to his family and yearning for home are feelings commonly shared among those who have moved to Taipei from other areas of Taiwan. [][][][]Taipei City Government41353920https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=AF2FDA2E8B842CB6The Diabolo Spins Its Way from Ancient China to the Modern StageThe diabolo, or Chinese yo-yo, consists of an axle with a disk on either side, spinning on a string tied to two sticks that are held in the player’s hands. The term diabolo is a modern name derived from the Greek dia bolo, meaning “across throw.” However, the Chinese yo-yo, like the regular yo-yo, has origins in China that go back thousands of years. Many believe that the Chinese yoyo is as much a symbol of Taiwanese culture as the sky lantern or dragon boat. As such, looking at the history of the Chinese yo-yo is akin to examining the history of Taiwan itself.<IMG style="FLOAT: left" alt="diabolo big" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/diabolo%20big.jpg" width="405" height="273"/>The Chinese Yoyo: 4,000 Years of HistoryThe original Chinese yo-yo was known as kong zhu (空竹) or “hollow bamboo.” Unlike the modern diabolo, the wheels on either end were flat. The oldest one was found in Shanxi Province (山西省) in China, and dated back more than four millennia. The Chinese yo-yo’s shape was standardized in the Ming dynasty (明朝), but due to its long history, it has a number of different names, including kong zhong (空鐘) or “hollow bell,” since the grooves in the sides of its wheels make whistling noises when it is spun. Most Taiwanese refer to it as che ling (扯鈴).Throughout the majority of China’s history, the Chinese yo-yo was used in acrobatic performances. Highly skilled players tossed it to great heights, catching it behind their backs, passing it to other performers, and so on. These performances abided by rigid rules con- cer ning cos tumes , makeup, and movements that were in line with those of traditional opera and acrobatics. This form changed very little over the centuries. In the early 19th century, French and British travelers brought the Chinese yo-yo to Europe. The Europeans, who called it “devil on two sticks,” made several adaptations to the ancient toy. Some employed metal cups on either end, while others were made of wood. In Victorian times, British aristocrats developed a tennis-like game using the Chinese yo-yo, in which they wore dainty white outfits and adopted elegant poses as they tossed the yo-yo back and forth.In 1905, a Frenchman named Gustave Phillippart designed and patented the modern diabolo. His version had large cones on either side and was made of rubber, making it more durable than wooden and bamboo varieties, which broke easily. His design was reintroduced to China and Taiwan in the late 20th century, where it is now the standard. The diabolo fell out of fashion in Europe, but they have become extremely popular toys in China and Taiwan. The first Chinese yo-yos to enter Taiwan were of the original bamboo variety. They were brought over by groups such as the Li Tang-hua Acrobatics Troupe (李棠華雜耍技藝團) which fled to Taiwan with the KMT (Kuomintang, or Chinese Nationalist Party; 國民黨) in the late 1940s. Since then, diabolos have become an integral component of physical education classes for all public school students in Taiwan.<IMG style="FLOAT: right" alt="diabolo_1" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/diabolo_1.jpg" width="393" height="265"/>From Math Teacher to Professional Theater DirectorThe journey that would take Liu Lechun (劉樂群) from elementary school teacher to the director of Taiwan’s most mesmerizing diabolo performance troupe began out of the blue. In 1986, Liu had just graduated from college and was doing an internship at Taipei Municipal Zhong Zheng Elementary School (台北市中正國民小學). One day, the principle gave him a box of diabolos and told him he was the diabolo club leader. “I didn’t choose the diabolo, the diabolo chose me,” he now says.Liu’s lack of formal training freed him from the strict conventions of traditional diabolo playing. “Actually, I had always been a weirdo. In college, I joined the ballet club, studied music, and made strange drawings.” Accustomed to thinking outside of the box, Liu had incredibly high hopes for his student group, which he named Youth Diabolo Dance of Taipei. He envisioned transforming it from a bunch of kids playing with diabolos into a professional diabolo dance group. Liu’s dream gradually materialized. As the original group members grew older they became more experienced and their skills more refined. Liu invited teachers of dance and theatrics to complement his diabolo lessons. The group’s reputation grew, and in 1994 they performed at the Double Ten Day (雙十節) celebration at the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.According to Liu, his group’s true turning point came in 2002, when they were invited to perform at the Lincoln Center Arts Festival in New York City. Faced with the challenge of performing on a truly professional stage, it was the first time the group collaborated with a full range of theatre artists, including composers, costume designers, and makeup artists. Liu also hired the group’s first paid performers to lead the shows and guide the younger novices. In 2005, he quit teaching to focus all his energy on leading his diabolo dance troupe.The Diabolo Dance Theatre is BornTo commemorate the troupe’s transition, Liu Lechun christened the group the Diabolo Dance Theatre (舞鈴劇場). For their first major production, entitled The Game (嬉遊舞鈴), they were one of five groups to represent Taiwan at Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan. Lin Hwaimin (林懷民), whose legendary Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (雲門舞集) performed the day after the Diabolo Dance Theatre, was so impressed with Liu’s production that he later contacted him to arrange a collaboration. In order for Liu’s diabolo players to perform to Cloud Gate’s preferred classical music, the diabolo itself had to be modified. Liu invented a ball bearing system with reduced friction that allowed it to spin twice as fast and for longer periods of time to the slower music. Liu also invented diabolo wheels with a soft rubber exterior to prevent his younger students from getting injured when flying diabolos went astray.So inspired was Liu by Cloud Gate’s professionalism that it sparked in him a renewed commitment to revolutionizing the art of diabolo playing.<IMG style="FLOAT: left" alt="diabolo_2" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/diabolo_2.jpg" width="387" height="270"/>For the 2007 production Ocean Heart (海洋之心), Liu’s latest inventions, a diabolo inlaid with LED lights and a single sided monobolo were used. Many Taiwanese first encountered the Diabolo Dance Theatre at the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition, where they gave 212 consecutive performances. At the end of the expo, Liu rented the Butterfly Hall (舞蝶館) for another three months to perform Entrance (奇幻旅程), a carnival-like production that featured performers costumed as creatures emerging from an entranceway and prowling amongst the audience.“After working on a production for up to two years, then finally seeing it performed, it is like a child being born. However, I’m constantly thinking of ways to improve it, new elements that can be added.” These elements have included everything from laser beams and black lights to clowns on unicycles and roller skates.For Ocean Celebrations (海洋慶典), dancers in huge plastic balls, trapeze artists, live drummers, and singers were added to the mix, the latter singing in an invented language with phonetic elements from Taiwan’s aboriginal languages. The production has truly captivated audiences with its dazzling effects and daring stunts. In 2012, the Diabolo Dance Theatre performed Ocean Heart in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Paraguay. In September and October of this year, they will once again take Ocean Celebrations to Latin America, as well as to Las Vegas.Despite all the acrobatics, the diabolo remains the focal point of the show. For his next production, Infinity, Liu is taking diabolo performance back to its Chinese roots. For this, his most ambitious project to date, Liu is attaching digital sensors to the diabolos to record their paths and project them onto a screen. The incandescent trail created represents the continuous flow of qi (氣) through the four seasons. Until now, the Diabolo Dance Theatre has adhered to largely Western inspiration in its costumes and theatrics, with comical injections and circus-inspired flair. Viewers can expect Infinity to exude a more classical, meditative yin yang (陰陽) vibe, simultaneously avantgarde in its technology and classically Chinese in its thematic delivery.<IMG style="FLOAT: right" alt="diabolo_3" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/diabolo_3.jpg" width="387" height="265"/>Try the Diabolo for Yourself!After my discussion with Liu Lechu, I asked him to show me some basic diabolo steps. He shied away from my invitation, instead beckoning to his star performer, Ivy Yang (楊心怡) to show me the ropes. While mastering advanced diabolo moves requires years of practice (Yang, the group’s longest member, has been with the troupe for 21 years), the basic techniques can be picked up by anyone in a matter of minutes. On my first attempt tossing the diabolo, I pulled too hard. Shrieking in fear, I covered my head and dove aside as the diabolo flew into the air and then hit the floor with a thud. However, after a little guidance from Yang and a few more tries, I was able to successfully launch the diabolo and catch it. There is a real sense of satisfaction when you feel this ancient toy spinning rapidly under your control. The diabolo is a true gateway to 4,000 years of Chinese culture, so why don’t you give it a try? [][][][]Taipei City Government41353910https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=28C27DCA614D99BADragon Scale Binding: The Rebirth of an Ancient Bookbinding TechniqueIn November 2013 Taipei won the bid for the 2016 World Design Capital (WDC), owing in no small part to its masterfully created application book. The book is made use of a rare, ancient form of binding called dragon scale binding (龍鱗裝). To the Chinese, the binding of books is not simply a functional matter of stapling the pages together. Rather, it is considered an art form, called zhuangzheng (裝幀), the history of which is as ancient and multifaceted as the history of Chinese culture itself.<img width="356" height="243" style="FLOAT: left" alt="dragon scale_1" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/dragon scale_1.jpg" />A Brief History of Chinese BookbindingIn the Shang Dynasty (商朝), 1,700 years before the invention of paper, the first bodies of Chinese writing appeared. These were oracle bones used for divination, written on turtle shells and ox scapulae. Later, bamboo would be used as a medium for the first bound books. Since bamboo is not a flat material, it was cut into long, vertical strips. Each strip contained one column of carved text, and the strips were bound together with string and rolled up. The result was a book that was both sturdy and waterproof. The oldest surviving example dates from the 5th century BC.105 AD is traditionally cited as the date of the invention of paper. An official named Cai Lun (蔡倫) created a sheet for the court out of a mishmash of materials including morus skin, bast fibers, fishnets, and hemp. Papermaking quickly spread throughout China and Asia, and revolutionized Chinese culture. Along with the widespread use of paper came the need for new binding techniques. The first form of binding for paper books was scroll roller binding. Scrolls developed from the long, vertical silk banners that were hung on walls to display calligraphy in previous times. Paper strips with images and writing could now be pasted onto the fabric in handscrolls, which could be laid flat on a table and read section by section. The oldest printed book in the world, dating to 868 AD., was of this variety. Discovered in the Dunhuang Caves (敦煌石窟) in Gansu Province (甘肅省), the five-meter scroll was a copy of the Buddhist Diamond Sutra.Over time, the cumbersome rolling and unrolling of scrolls sparked new innovations in binding. The first new style to develop was folded sutra binding (經摺裝), also known as concertina <img width="420" height="277" style="FLOAT: right" alt="dragon scale_2" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/dragon scale_2.jpg" />binding, in which the scroll was folded accordion-style, and typically held between two blocks of wood. This allowed readers to quickly locate the desired section.The first instance of the Chinese book breaking away from the scroll format was found in butterfly binding (蝴蝶裝). Butterfly-bound books were made by folding sheets of paper in half. The folded edges could then be stacked together so that the edges formed a spine. The manner in which the pages opened resembled the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings, hence the descriptive name. A variant of this style, called tuipeng binding (推蓬裝), featured pages that turned vertically as opposed to horizontally. Due to their resilience and convenience of use, by the Song Dynasty (宋朝) (960~1279), butterfly books were the most common variety.The final phase in the development of Chinese book binding, called stitched thread binding (線裝) reached maturity and became the norm in the Ming Dynasty (明朝) (1368~1644). Improvements in xuan paper (宣紙) - making technology allowed for more detailed, multicolored printing. Sheets of paper were bound with white silk thread and placed within a cover made of stronger paper backed with silk. Oftentimes threaded books were placed within a box made of wood and covered with silk. While stitched thread binding has largely fallen out of use today in favor of the Western codex style, traditional scrolls and concertina binding techniques have survived to modern times.Dragon Scale Binding: A Long-Forgotten ArtOne curious development in the history of Chinese bookbinding is that of dragon scale binding, a binding method that was unusual in that it was a transitory step between scrolls and threaded binding, and as such it was quite short-lived. The style reached its heyday in the late Tang Dynasty (唐朝), but subsequently fell out of use. Because there are so few surviving examples, dragon scale binding retains a mysterious aura that has perplexed scholars for centuries. Also known as whirlwind binding (旋風裝), dragon scale binding was an early attempt to resolve the issue of the awkwardness of handling lengthy scrolls. A dragon scale-bound book is still a scroll, but contains pages that are pasted in by their edges. The pages were stacked, with the shortest page on top and longest page at the bottom. The book could then be rolled up like a scroll, but pages could be turned in the manner of future binding styles.Dragon-style binding was imperfect because the individual pages had a tendency to roll up on their own when the scroll was unraveled. However, the books were aesthetically stunning, and the textured surface of the pages resembled the skin of the auspicious dragon, giving the binding style its name. Like traditional scrolls, the books exuded an elegant beauty when rolled and tied with string.The most recent surviving dragon scale-bound book is a 1,000-year-old report by Wang Renxu (王仁煦), handcopied by his wife and master calligrapher Wu Cailuan (吳彩鸞). In 2010, a young master from the Fortune Blessing Studio (祐吉齋) in Beijing named Zhang Xiaodong (張曉棟) made the first dragon scale-bound book in a millennium. He later ascended the Western Hills (西山) in the outskirts of Beijing to present a second dragon scale book to his Buddhist master at the Dragon Springs Temple (龍泉寺).To catch a glimpse of a rare dragon bound book and admire the unique craftsmanship of Tang Dynasty artisans, try the National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院), where examples are occasionally on display.<img width="435" height="219" style="FLOAT: left" alt="dragon scale_4" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/dragon scale_4.jpg" />Dragon Scale Binding is Born in Taiwan With the 2016 World Design Capital ApplicationThe key to Taipei’s successful bid for the 2016 WDC was a five-volume application book presented in the dragon-scale style. Designed by Chen Junliang (陳俊良), the five scrolls signify the culmination of Taiwanese ingenuity and meticulousness. The choice of dragon scale binding harks back to a pivotal phase in the evolution of Chinese bookbinding, showcasing to the world the skills and prowess of Chinese artisans of the past and present. In order to execute the ancient style of binding, a skilled professional was required. Chen sought the assistance of Zhuang Jianjun (莊建俊), an expert in not one but three trades: restoration of paintings, traditional bookbinding, and framing. Zhuang has been in the industry for over 30 years, becoming proficient in a number of techniques, many of which are still passed down from master to apprentice and not taught in schools.Zhuang’s studio in Xinyi Road (信義路), called Tai Gu Zhai (太古齋), has been operating for 23 years. The shop does commissioned work for collectors of traditional Chinese art worldwide. Zhuang has trained numerous apprentices over the years, some of whom have gone on to set up their own shops specializing in traditional arts. Replicating an ancient dragon scale book from antiquity was no simple task. “There are no books or websites instructing how to make dragon scale books,” says Zhuang. “Few people beyond academic circles even know about them.” Zhuang’s only references were the examples displayed in the National Palace Museum. “I had to spend hours researching various framing materials and techniques, paying attention to every last detail.”Some modifications had to be made to produce the sleek outcome necessary to bedazzle the WDC judges. Unlike some ancient dragon scale books, the pages of his were equal in size and the edges pasted adjacent to one another. Instead of the traditional rice paper sheets, which have a tendency to roll up individually when the scroll is unraveled, a custom thermal paper was used. With vertical fibers, this type of paper provides a strong yet soft medium.Zhuang pasted the sheets onto three-layer silk scrolls that were laminated with white glue (from his own secret recipe), which contains a number of Chinese herbal ingredients including borneol and frankincense. According to Zhuang, these two special ingredients help increase the durability of the paper and increase its resistance to rotting. The rods around which the scrolls are wound as well as the fasteners that keep the tied strings in place after the scrolls are rolled are made of handsome black jade from Hualian County (花蓮縣) on Taiwan’s east coast.<img width="405" height="275" style="FLOAT: right" alt="dragon scale_3" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/dragon scale_3.jpg" />Once Zhuang pasted the pages to each of the five volumes, their individual cover images, carefully selected by the designers and representative of the contents of each book, took form: treasures from the National Palace Museum, calligraphy by Dong Yangzi (董陽孜), eslite Bookstore’s spatial blueprint, Jimmy Liao’s (幾米) illustrations, and a Taipei cityscape. The finished products were given a home in a finely crafted bamboo box with a black jade slider. When opened, the contents of the box are a veritable treasure to behold.Taipei’s application book for the 2016 WDC was a collaborative effort between some of Taipei’s top designers and artisans, but without Zhuang’s resourcefulness and expertise, the dragon scale binding might never have been executed with the style and precision that were pivotal in securing Taipei’s position as the next World Design Capital.2016 Word Design CapitalWebsite: http://wdc2016.taipei/en/home3/ Taipei 2016 World Design Capital bid video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNkVeVi3XQU[][][][]Taipei City Government41353900https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=C93F131922B3CD7ETake Delight in the Ancient Art of Kite Flying in Taipei<img width="365" height="195" style="FLOAT: left" alt="kite_1" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/kite_1.jpg" />You may already be aware that the Chinese are credited with the invention of gunpowder, noodles, and printed books. However, did you know that the kite also came into being in China? Kites have been tied to Chinese culture since the Zhou dynasty (周朝). Today, the city of Weifang (濰坊市) in Shandong Province (山東省) is considered the kite capital of the world, and is home to the 8,100-square-meter Weifang World Kite Museum (濰坊世界風箏博物館). The city has also hosted the annual International Kite Festival since 1984. This love of kite flying transferred to Taiwan long ago, and remains enormously popular. Most Taiwanese adults have fond childhood memories of learning how to make kites in school. Let's explore the roots of this liberating, ancient activity.Two-and-a-Half Millennia of Kite History <img width="257" height="293" style="FLOAT: right" alt="kite_2" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/kite_2.jpg" />Legend has it that the kite was invented when a Chinese farmer tied a string to his hat to prevent it from blowing away. According to more reliable historical records, in the 5th century BCE the philosopher and inventor Lu Ban (魯班) built a wooden bird capable of remaining in flight for three days; this is considered the prototype of the first kite. The fine silk for which ancient China was famous provided the perfect material for kites, and for the high-strength, tensile string needed to fly them. Bamboo, a highly resilient substance, also provided a strong yet lightweight frame. In early times, kites were primarily functional devices flown to send messages, communicate information on military operations, and conduct meteorological testing. In 200 BCE, during the Han dynasty (漢朝), General Han Xin (韓信) flew a kite over the wall of the city his soldiers were attacking in order to determine how long the tunnel he was about to dig under the walls would have to be. His calculations were correct, his tunnel a success, and his army was victorious.The first known human flight using a kite took place in 550 CE. At the time the court of the Eastern Wei (東魏) was occupied, and Huangtou (元黃頭) was placed in captivity and later flown against his will from the tower of Yecheng (鄴城). Around this time, kites made of paper also made their first appearance, though today the finest Chinese kites are still made of hand painted silk with a split golden bamboo frame. Cheap, mass-produced kites are generally made of printed polyester. From China, traders later exported kite technology to Korea, Japan, and across Asia to India. To this day, kite flying remains exceptionally popular in the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia and the Middle East, where kids engage in kite fighting, an activity featured in the Afghan novel and film adaptation of The Kite Runner . Stories of kites did not reach Europe until Marco Polo brought illustrations of dragon kites on military banners back from China in the 13th century. The Europeans regarded kites as mere curiosities and the stories had little impact on their culture. It was not until much later that great Western thinkers such as Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Graham Bell began to use kites in their experiments on the weather. The use of kites was instrumental in the research of Orville and Wilbur Wright. The world's first plane, flown by the brothers in 1903, was in fact a type of kite. In World War I, various European powers relied on the kite for enemy observation and signaling. After the use of airplanes became firmly established, kites were rendered obsolete and became more common for recreational purposes. Today, flying kites still brings ecstatic joy to children around the globe. <img width="367" height="235" style="FLOAT: left" alt="kite_3" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/kite_3.jpg" />Taiwan's Very Own Kite-Making Legend At the age of 10, Buteo Huang (黃景楨), flew his first kite with his brother. Watching it float in and out of the clouds on that fateful day sparked a lifelong obsession. He made his own kite using paper from old calendars and sticky rice glue. For most children, the main purpose of making a kite is to fly it. “But I was different from other kids,” explains Huang. “I was more interested in the design process than actually flying it.” Throughout high school, Huang created larger and increasingly intricate kites. Pushing the boundaries of kite making, he experimented with a wide assortment of materials including newspaper, aluminum foil, cotton, polyester, and colored cellophane. In college, Huang cons t ructed Pegasus , an enormous, flying white horse. “Only once it was taken to the mountains and unleashed in the sky, fluttering in its natural setting, was the piece truly complete.” In this manner, Huang (now calling himself Buteo, the Latin word for “hawk”) transformed the kite from an object for children's entertainment into a form of installationper formance art. That kites are merely a toy is a widespread belief that Huang would dedicate the rest of his life to destroying.Cutting-Edge Ideas Executed With a<img width="264" height="325" style="FLOAT: right" alt="kite_4" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/kite_4.jpg" />n Architect's Precision Majoring in architecture, Buteo went on to found an interior design business. After one of his kites won two awards at the 2002 Holland International Kite Festival, he decided to shut down his company and make kites full time. However, his education in architecture and design strongly impacted his approach to kite making. “Everything in the world has a function. The primary function of a kite is to fly. Every single one of my kites can fly.” Buteo also insists that every kite must be user-friendly. He often tests them out publicly, asking random passersby to try. Even his bulkiest kites can be disassembled in a matter of minutes and transported with ease. Buteo was determined to push kite making to an even higher level. Many consider his next move to be his most revolutionary: creating a kite series that was not only elegant but also conveyed a message of conservation. The collection was decorated with tree rings, making it a public statement about deforestation and the effects of human activities on the environment. Kites became a vehicle for transmitting Buteo's thoughts and concerns. Another piece, Chinese Crested Tern is a life-sized replica of a species of bird thought to be extinct until four pairs were rediscovered on Taiwan's Matsu Islands (馬祖列島) in 2000. According to Buteo, kite making requires the perfection of certain skills and techniques, but ideas are still what are most important. “Kites are an extension of my mind. By flying a kite, I can send my ideas into the sky for everybody to observe.” Many have described Nautilus as Buteo's greatest work. A large-scale replica of a red and white mollusk, it took him five years and three prototypes to get it airborne. However, Buteo does not regard it as his masterpiece. Instead, he chooses Dreams Come True, a series of shooting stars made of garbage bags. “As children we are told to make a wish when we see a shooting star, but we never have time to make the wish before the star disappears. This piece allows people ample time to make their wishes.” The kites make use of an innovative new technique in kite design developed by Buteo, one that has a simpler structure and requires no running or tugging to keep afloat. Over a Decade Under the International Spotlight In 2006, Buteo was invited to exhibit 307 of his kites at the Winter Garden in New York City's World Financial Center. The centerpiece of the exhibit was the Tao Canoe. This multi-oared vessel is a prominent symbol of the Tao tribe, a threatened culture that lives on Taiwan's Orchid Island (蘭嶼). Suspended in the building's atrium, the massive canoe was surrounded by flying fish, the focal point of the Tao's most important festival. During this annual tribal celebration, masterfully constructed canoes are hoisted into the air by men in white loincloths and taken to the sea to welcome the season of flying fish, which provide a major food source for the island's inhabitants.<img width="405" height="259" style="FLOAT: left" alt="kite_5" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/kite_5.jpg" />When asked whether he feels he has been successful in changing people's perceptions of the kite, Buteo used to reply with a firm “no.” Now he says “partially.” Besides the Winter Garden, he has also exhibited at the Principe Felipe Science Museum in Spain and the National Taiwan Museum (國立臺灣博物館) here at home. He has constant requests for custom designs and his kites have sold for as much as NT$350,000. It appears that at least some people are starting to accept kites as a viable medium of art. But Buteo feels he still has a lot of work to do with the general public. Buteo has finally achieved the recognition that he deserves as one of the world's greatest kite designers. His creations showcase the natural fauna and traditional culture of Taiwan, making him a national treasure. He has published a book introducing kites, and his current goal is to open a museum showcasing his work. Buteo also trains local schoolteachers in kite making and is working on his second book. Keep an eye out: starting next year, he will begin selling kites at key locations across Taiwan. <img width="424" height="239" style="FLOAT: right" alt="kite_6" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/kite_6.jpg" />Kite Flying in Taiwan's Windy Capital If you want to try your hand at kite flying, Taipei City is the perfect venue because it offers strong winds yearround. Taipei's extensive network of riverside parks offer the ideal setting. The National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is a favorite place to buy and fly kites, though they can also be purchased from stationery stores across the city. According to Buteo, rooftops in Taiwan also make great places to fly kites![][][][]Taipei City Government41353890https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=6FD70B9A35151ADCOne Set of Scissors, Infinite Designs--The Beauty of Paper-Cut Art<img width="274" height="316" style="FLOAT: left" alt="paper cut art_1" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/paper cut art_1.jpg" />In rural communities in early China, men tended the fields and women took care of such matters as making clothing, shoes, and headgear. During the Chinese New Year season households would come together in warm-spirited celebration, chatting about small matters and, often, creating paper-cut art – oxen in the Year of the Ox, horses in the Year of the Horse, auspicious characters such as fu (福; good fortune), shou (壽; longevity), and xi (喜; happiness). New art would be put up in wood-frame windows to replace the fading works from the year before, greeting the arriving year and seeking to attract luck and fortune as well. A layer of Tung oil would be spread on the paper-cuts used as window decorations to prevent them being ruined by the snow and cold wind and rains coming down from the north. With the passing of the years, a true paper-cut culture came into being.Designs Passed Down Through Countless GenerationsIn the old days, because printing was not widespread and the multicolor gift-box packaging so familiar today did not exist, paper-cut art was also used for weddings and on other felicitous occasions. The xi (囍) or “double happiness” character, as well as auspicious peonies, would be cut and pasted on a xi he (囍盒) or “doublehappiness box.” Decorations pasted on a mirror were called jing hua (鏡花) or “mirror flowers.” Commoners would use paper-cuts called zhutou hua (豬頭花) or “pig head flowers/designs” and zhutui hua (豬腿花) or “pig leg flowers/designs” to represent the real thing. Elsewhere, paper-cut designs were borrowed from the traditional embroidery designs on shoes called xie hua (鞋花) or “shoe flowers/designs,” and on dudou (肚兜), a type of undergarment covering a woman’s chest and abdomen. Each of these paper-cut patterns, passed down generation after generation from long ago to the present day, has its own meaning.“National Treasure” Paper-Cut Master – Li HuanzhangAn officially declared Taiwan “national treasure,” 90 year-old paper-cut master Li Huanzhang (李煥章) is a teacher who has long devoted himself to promotion of this land’s paper-cut cultural heritage. However, now in his tenth decade, his voice is strong and measured, and he is filled with energy. He teaches paper-cutting every Saturday morning at National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, and some of his students have been with him for over a decade. When this class ends at noon, he throws on his backpack and heads out with a spry step to teach another class over at Xingtian Temple.<img width="506" height="181" alt="paper cut art_3" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/paper cut art_3.jpg" />When he was young he attended normal school in his hometown in China’s Shandong Province (山東省). War threw the country into chaos, however, and he left for Taiwan to live in exile. He’s lived in Taipei for 60 years, and taught at Zhongzheng Elementary School (中正國小) for thirty of them. During that time he came to know an official from the Department of Education (教育局), who noticed his talent at paper-cut art, asked him to teach classes, and arranged budgeting. Li was thrilled to share all he knew and to pass on and promote the art skills he had learned in his homeland, taking up the cause with alacrity and educating other teachers from inside and outside his school about paper-art culture. These teachers passed on their knowledge of the traditional art form to many students.<img width="405" height="259" style="FLOAT: right" alt="paper cut art_2" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/paper cut art_2.jpg" />From Cutting Paper to Carving – From Paper to Silks and SatinsIn the past, paper-cutting was not considered a form of art. Instead, it was referred to merely as “using scissors to cut paper.” While gravers, a special type of cutting tool, have become universal in modern times, cutting has become carving, and designs have become more elaborate and varied. Among the designs that have become common are festival scenes, scenes from historical tales, nature scenes in the shanshui (山水) style, birds and flowers, fish and insects, Bei j ing-opera mas k s , historical figures – you name it. In the past Li has made papercut carvings of such Chinese classic stories as Dream of the Red Chamber (紅樓夢) , Water Margin (水滸傳), and Romance of the Western Chamber (西廂記), and once spent three years on a 5-meter-long work entitled Lives of the Holy Immortals (87神仙傳).Though an icon in the world of paper-cut art, Li remains a dedicated student. Always open to change and transformation, he is currently studying Chinese ink-and-wash paintings as well as traditional Chinese paintings, introducing their color concepts to papercut art’s color-dye techniques. In the past, in his search for new inspiration and subject matter he spent more than a decade at the National Palace Museum and National Central Library, gathering pictures and calligraphy samples from copies of ancient books as reference for his paper-cut work. He has even collected materials on Western modern art, such as Matisse’s Fauvism work. Li has a collection of over 10,000 copies of designs in his home, clear evidence of his willingness and ability to incorporate new ideas. He also looks to non-conventional materials, utilizing traditional rice paper and cotton paper for his art along with silks and satins, which are more durable and long lasting. Li’s unquenchable thirst for the new and innovative is clear.<img width="538" height="226" alt="paper cut art_4" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/paper cut art_4.jpg" />Mastery – Achieved Only After Countless FailuresUsing specialist paper-cut scissors from Japan, Li deftly creates 3D “spring” (春) characters, cherry blossoms, pineapples, national flags, national emblems, and myriad other patterns. He recalls his days in his hometown, hearing the cry of peddlers coming into his alley calling out “Knife sharpening! Scissors sharpening!”Neighbors would come out all along the street to give their old knives and scissors to the master worker to grind and sharpen.<img width="231" height="278" style="FLOAT: right" alt="paper cut art_5" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/paper cut art_5.jpg" />When students ask him how he has attained such a high level of skill, Li always replies: “Everyone always concentrates on the successes. They don’t look at the constant, relentless practice I’ve put in at home, and the countless failed works.” He sees paper-cutting as an art with its own culture, in which one cultivates one’s temperament to be able to enter a state of pure calm that allows intense thought concentration. There are low barriers to entry, and costs are low, but the gifts you present to family and friends earn you goodwill and high respect. These things provide strong encouragement for more people to try their hand at the form. Since Chinese New Year is arriving soon, we asked Master Li to demonstrate how to craft the character for “spring”, a common, auspicious seasonal decoration, so friends from overseas can experience the beauty of the papercut experience for themselves.<table width="350" border="1"> <tr> <th width="340" scope="col">Information</th> </tr> <tr> <td>Li Huanzhang Paper-Cutting Courses (Advance registration required; fee charged) Xinyi Community College Taipei City 臺北市信義社區大學 Time: Thurs 19:00~21:30 Tel: (02)8789-7316, ext. 102 (telephone registration) Website: www.xycc.org.tw (Chinese)</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="90">National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall 國父紀念館 Time: Sat 10:00~12:00 Tel: (02)2758-8008, ext. 715, 716 Website: www.yatsen.gov.tw (Chinese)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Hsing Tian Kong Library 財團法人台北行天宮附設玄空圖書館 Time: 13:40~15:40 Tel: (02)2713-6165, ext. 355 Website: www.lib.ht.org.tw/eng/index.html (Chinese)</td> </tr></table>[][][][]Taipei City Government41353880https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=CEDF4E2E8039738CSavoring the Aesthetics of Taipei's Humanistic Tea Arts<IMG width="213" height="320" style="FLOAT: right" alt="2012 Tea Arts_4" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/2012%20Tea%20Arts_4.jpg"/>In Chinese culture, tea is prized as the“drink of the soul”and is a medium of culture. Chinese tea art integrates the floral arts, ceramic arts, poetry, and calligraphy to forge a gorgeous, elegant and humanistic art of living. The venerable history of Chinese tea culture has imbued it with broad learning and profound expertise. As early as the eighth century, the Tang Dynasty produced the Classic of Tea (茶經) instructing how to properly brew and drink tea with critical appreciation, and literati developed the classic tea party still practiced today. In Taipei, spaces dedicated to the art of tea are an indispensible aspect of the city's sophisticated cultural life. Let's explore a few places where, while drinking tea with critical appreciation, you can experience Chinese tea culture for yourself.<IMG width="203" height="332" style="FLOAT: left" alt="2012 Tea Arts_2" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/2012%20Tea%20Arts_2.jpg"/>The Taipei Lecture HallTucked away up on the third floor of famed heritage building Zhongshan Hall (中山堂), the Taipei Lecture Hall (臺北書院) is a superb example of historic structure revitalization. In ancient China, a lecture hall or academy was a traditional multifunctional educational institution in which, among other functions, lectures were given, books collected, and the sages worshiped. The institution originated during the Tang era, and flourished into later Song times. Today's Taipei Lecture Hall adheres to ancient customs, with an emphasis on the finer aesthetics of life. The head of the lecture hall is Lin Kufang (林谷芳), a Zen master and musician. His title is shanzhang (山長), literally“mountain elder/superior,”or“master,”a term which came into usage for academy masters during the Song era. The academy draws equally on China's three great philosophical traditions—Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. It was founded on the basis of the Confucian promotion of learning, its spatial arrangement is infused with the natural philosophy of Daoism, and its curriculum draws on the mental contemplation of life and spirituality developed in Zen Buddhism. The hall imbued with a Zen-style ambience, a spare and simple space punctuated with works of floral art and suffused with the fragrance of tea that calms both body and mind.The Taipei Lecture Hall offers courses on“Calming the Body and Settling the Spirit”(安身立命之學), as well as courses on the tea arts, floral arts, calligraphy, and other topics related to life aesthetics. Also deserving mention is the hall's seasonal tea party, Chinese Tea and Music in Dialogue (茶與樂的對話), in which one tastes expertly brewed and presented teas of the season— spring, summer, autumn, winter—accompanied by music, drama, and dance performances that best match the character of the tea presented. Beyond presenting the opportunity to critically appreciate fine teas, this is a profound Chinese cultural experience; all you need to do is sign up.Whole Food Tea ExperienceThe English name of this teahouse is Whole Food Tea Experience. In Chinese it is Xiao Man (小慢). Xiao (小) means“small,”and man (慢) means“slow.”Though small, Xiao Man offers plenty of food (or rather moisture) for the soul:“small and slow, just like the culture found along the city's quiet lanes and alleys.”The man (which means“graceful”) in Hsieh Xiaoman (謝小曼), the owner's name, is different from that used for the teahouse, and sure enough even her smile is graceful and gentle. This was Hsieh's home as a youngster, and she grew up with its old black and white tiles. Calligraphy on the subject of tea, handmade, natural cotton clothing, and rustic hand-crafted ceramics are among the simple touches that create a warm, comfortable, and natural atmosphere.<IMG width="292" height="334" style="FLOAT: right" alt="2012 Tea Arts_3" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/2012%20Tea%20Arts_3.jpg"/>The“small and slow”teahouse invites guests to sit down and calm their soul while lingering over a cup of fine tea. Premium teas handpicked by farmers and hand-roasted by masters are selected. The teahouse also does duty as an art space, with regular exhibits of works by two Japanese ceramic artists, and periodic exhibits highlight other Japanese artists, featuring clothing made of natural materials, floral arts (ikebana), etc. From June 24th to July 8th, wooden tea utensils designed for Chinese teas by artist Ryuji Mitani are being showcased.The teahouse also offers a special“two teas, one dessert”simple tea-ceremony class. This is a perfect opportunity for a leisurely“small and slow”journey that you should not pass up, combining the tea ceremony and food made with the freshest seasonal ingredients.Wistaria Tea HouseWistaria Tea House (紫藤廬), on Xinsheng South Road (新生南路), was once the government-appointed home of David Chow (周德偉), a high official with the Ministry of Finance. Chow had studied in Europe, and was passionate about introducing Western liberal ideas to Taiwan. The residence became a key meeting venue for liberal-minded scholars in the 1950s, and in the 1970s served as a warm and welcoming second home for cultural figures and opposition political figures who supported the nascent Taiwan democracy movement. The politicos were referred to as dangwai (黨外), literally“outside the party,”the Kuomintang being the only legal party. In 1981 David Chow's youngest son, Chow Yu (周渝), changed the residence into a teahouse, choosing“Wistaria”for the name in honor of the three century-old Chinese wistaria vines in the grounds.Owner Chow has a passion for the cultural arts, and Wistaria Tea House was Taiwan's first cultural teahouse fashioned as an arts salon. Wistaria served as the launch pad for a number of celebrated native painters, and has staged a constant stream of arts and culture events, tea culture exchanges, and idea forums over the years. A detailed menu of teas has been prepared, in Chinese, English, and Japanese, and there's a tasty and tasteful range of tea-cuisine (foods with tea as an important ingredient). At wisteria, guests enjoy fine tea and fine food while relaxing in the unique atmosphere of this heritage site.One show you can catch, until June 3rd, is a display of tea utensils and painting and calligraphy works that Chow Yu has collected over the years. During the same period a number of old-style private-home tea parties will also be staged: this is a great opportunity for foreign visitors to experience what“old tea”(老茶) tastes like.<IMG width="241" height="332" style="FLOAT: left" alt="2012 Tea Arts_5" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/2012%20Tea%20Arts_5.jpg"/>Lost Train FoundThe English and Chinese names for this teahouse are different, but both are creations of beauty, each word carrying deep meaning. The English name, Lost Train Found, deliberately resembles the pronunciation of the characters used in the Chinese name, Long Cui Fang (櫳翠坊). Owner Cai Yizhe (蔡奕哲) explains the intended symbolism:“In this world of illusions, we can each lose our conscience, the foundation of our soul. This explains‘Lost.’We each constantly strive to reform ourselves; this is‘Train.’And in the end we recover the souls we have lost (' Found’).”Reservations are obligatory at the teahouse, as the owner is not always on the premises.Cai was originally an engineer. He now applies his scientific training to the tea arts, and only selects teas that reach his strict standards and requirements. The organic teas used must have both government CAS certification and non-government MOA recognition. No pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or herbicides are used on the tea bushes. Nor is the land used to grow the tea over-cultivated. Only traditional tea-production techniques are utilized, which keeps alkaloids to a minimum, and allows the epicatechin and caffeine in the leaf to combine fully and become tea saponin. The caffeine is thus eliminated, along with any potential harmful effects.<IMG width="353" height="255" style="FLOAT: right" alt="2012 Tea Arts_1" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/2012%20Tea%20Arts_1.jpg"/>Lush greenery greets visitors outside Lost Train Found, while inside guests are entertained with performances of ancient qin (琴) music from time to time. There are also small-scale exhibits showing the works of Taiwanese artists. At the moment you can enjoy photos of Taiwan's high mountains by Art Hueng (洪名炯).Fast-paced Taipei can be a tiring place, so why not take a break, walk into the quiet and elegant surroundings of one of these tea-arts spaces, and let the taste and fragrance of fine tea carry you away to a place of peace and contentment.<TABLE width="675" border="0"><TBODY><TR><TH colspan="2" scope="col"><DIV align="left">Information</DIV></TH></TR><TR><TD width="344">Taipei Lecture Hall 臺北書院 Add: 3F, 98 Yanping S. Rd. (延平南路 98號3樓) Tel: (02) 2311-2348 </TD><TD width="321">Wistaria Tea House 紫藤廬 Add: 1, Lane 16, Sec. 3, Xinsheng S. Rd.; near Heping E. Rd. (新生南路3段16巷1號; 近和平東路) Tel: (02) 2363-7375 </TD> </TR><TR><TD>Whole Food Tea Experience 小慢茶館 Add: 39, Lane 16, Taishun St. (泰順街16巷39號) Tel: (02) 2365-0017 </TD> <TD>Lost Train Found 櫳翠坊 Add: 6F, 23, Lane 124, Songjiang Rd. (松江路124巷23號6樓) Tel: (02) 2562-9542 (phone reservation required) </TD> </TR></TBODY></TABLE> [][][][]Department of Information Technology, Taipei City Government41353870https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=9A320742F1C48E46Taiwanese Opera--the People's Opera<IMG alt="Taiwanese Opera_2" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Taiwanese%20Opera_2.jpg" width="340" height="220"/><IMG alt="Taiwanese Opera_1" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Taiwanese%20Opera_1.jpg" width="340" height="220"/>Taiwanese opera is the form of traditional art closest to the hearts and lives of the local people. In imperial days, when Taiwan was primarily a rural farming society, watching Taiwanese opera was a key form of leisure entertainment, and an important element in temple fairs giving thanks to the gods. As Taiwan entered the modern world, for a time the form was seen as lacking refinement, but today it’s regardedas a major cultural asset, is taken as a serious art form, and has even made an entrance onto the international stage. Many with a fondness for its aesthetics now enroll in classes to study its singing, makeup, and other elements, and even hitting the stage to perform it, for their own entertainment.Traditional Opera Nurtured and Cultivated in the Taiwan SoilTaiwanese opera is a local theatrical form that evolved from the humming song that the farming folk of the Lanyang Plain (蘭陽平原) used to sing during their leisure time over a century ago. Later, small song-anddance troupes became popular; their shows, called “chegu opera” (車鼓戲), featured ever more elaborate costumes, postures, and background musical accompaniment. This led to the emergence of more developed troupes and shows, which became popular at temple-front parades honoring the gods within. Eventually, the full-blown Taiwanese opera form emerged. Since all singing and speaking was in Taiwanese, and the melodies and plots were familiar to all Taiwanese people, the form became popular throughout the land. More and more professional companies were born. From its inception, Taiwanese opera was a key activity in local culture. Change and transformation has been constant over the form’s century-plus of existence, as the form absorbed elements from other types of theater genres popular in Taiwan, such as Beiguan opera (北管戲), Nanguan opera (南管戲), Beijing opera (京劇), Luantan opera (亂彈戲), and Gaojia opera (高甲戲). Each aspect has been transformed, from the musical instruments, make-up and costumes, props and scenery to the dramatic gestures, postures and operatic singing style, music scores, and performance contexts. <IMG alt="Taiwanese Opera_3" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Taiwanese%20Opera_3.jpg" width="220" height="320"/><IMG alt="Taiwanese Opera_4" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Taiwanese%20Opera_4.jpg" width="300" height="300"/> Refinement has continued right down to the present day; what has never changed though is its intimacy, and popularity with the people, wherever it is performed: free shows on stages set up before temples,ticketed events in theaters, on television, in movies, and today on stage in modern theaters. Taiwanese opera is the dramatic genre, with the music and script, that best captures the beauty of the Taiwanese language and its emphasis on rhyme and antithesis.Populist Taiwanese opera has cultivated many fans and devotees. Famous local per formers such as Liao Chiungchih (廖瓊枝), Yang Lihua (楊麗花), and Sun Cuifeng (孫翠鳳) have huge fan followings. Liao Chiungchih, regarded as a national treasure, is chairperson of the Liao Chiung-Chih Taiwanese Opera Foundation for Culture and Education (廖瓊枝歌仔戲文教基金會). Many in the audience are especially fond of the performances on outdoor stages, and when the specialized troupes that move about staging such shows release details on where a play will be performed, these fans will be sure to come and see the performance. Taiwanese opera shows performed at large-scale facilities feature especially beautiful scenery and dazzling lighting effects, the actors don particularly splendid costumes, and the famous four performing techniques— “singing, dialogue, acting, and acrobatics” (唱、念、作、打) – are even more elaborately designed.A “National Treasure” Taiwan Entertainer – Liao ChiungchihLiao Chiungchih, 77 years old this year, lost both her parents when she was a young girl, and was raised by her grandmother. She found herself alone after her grandmother became sick and passed away, and at 14 entered studies with the famous Taiwanese opera troupe Gold Mountain Music Society (金山樂社). She excelled at crying, and came to be called “Taiwan’s First Kudan” (臺灣第一苦旦), meaning its greatest master of female-role melodrama. Winner of many an arts and legacy award, she is constantly busy giving opera-skill workshops and speeches. She also teaches at the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts (國立臺灣戲曲學院), the only educational institution in Taiwan with a Taiwanese opera program. <IMG alt="Taiwanese Opera_5" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Taiwanese%20Opera_5.jpg" width="260" height="340"/><IMG alt="Taiwanese Opera_6" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Taiwanese%20Opera_6.jpg" width="260" height="340"/> Studying Taiwanese opera has become popular all over Taiwan in recent years, and some universities have established Taiwanese opera clubs. Social education organizations and community colleges have opened classes. The Taipei Cultural Center (臺北市立社會教育館) and Dalongdong Bao’an Temple (大龍峒保安宮) have invited Liao to teach courses. Liao says that teaching opera to the general public is very different from teaching it to school students. There is an expression that goes “One minute on the stage, ten years of practice off the stage” (台上一分鐘，台下十年功), meaning that students must start by establishing a solid foundation, and must commit to years of study to complete their apprenticeship. But although the average class is just four months, an exhibition of what has been achieved during that time must be staged at the end, with students giving a performance. During each course there is only time enough to teach one play, so each student is assigned a role that they must specialize in, mastering the character’s lines, singing, postures and actions.A Primer on Taiwanese Opera<TABLE style=" FLOAT: left" cellpadding="10"> <TBODY><TR><TD bgcolor="#eeeeee">Information</TD></TR><TR><TD>Dadaocheng Theater 大稻埕戲苑 Add: 8-9F, 21, Sec. 1, Dihua St., in Yongle Market Tel: (02)2556-9101 Dalongdong Baoan Temple 大龍峒保安宮 Add: 61, Hami St. Tel: (02)2595-1676 Website: <A target="_nwMof" href="http://www.baoan.org.tw/ENGLISH/index.html">http://www.baoan.org.tw/ENGLISH/index.html</A> Zhongzheng Community College 中正社區大學 Add: 6, Sec. 1, Jinan Rd. Tel: (02)2327-8441 Website: <A target="_nwMof" href="http://www.zzcc.tp.edu.tw/" target="_nwMof">www.zzcc.tp.edu.tw</A> (Chinese)Datong Community College 大同社區大學 Add: 37-1, Chang’an W Rd. Tel: (02)2555-6008 Website: <A target="_nwMof" href="http://www.datong.org.tw/" target="_nwMof">www.datong.org.tw</A> (Chinese)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The main roles in Taiwanese opera are sheng (生), dan (旦), jing (淨), and chou (丑). Sheng denotes the male leads, the main types being laosheng (老生; older characters), xiaosheng (小生; younger characters), and wusheng (武生; martial characters). Dan refers to female leads, of which there are four types; xiaodan (小旦; younger females), laodan (老旦; older ladies), huadan (花旦; coquettes), and kudan (苦旦; sorrowful ladies). Jing are dignified, larger-than-life male historical figures of vivid personality such as Guan Gong (關公), Cao Cao (曹操), and Bao Gong (包公). Chou are comic figures. The makeup, costumes, poses and gestures, singing, lines, and props carried by each role are different. For example, the xiaosheng carries a folding fan, the xiaodan a round fan or floating fan, a handmaiden’s silk scarf or octagonal towel, etc. The xiaosheng and xiaodan are lead male and female roles, the former a handsome and refined character, the latter bright and delicate.Each staged Taiwanese opera has its strengths and its own individual style, and the soul of each is the storyline. A well-constructed script brings the audience along on a roller-coaster ride of emotional highs and lows. Up on the stage, the male and female leads are the natural point of focus, and in addition to enjoying the visual aspect of the performance, audiences pay close attention to the singing and postures of the xiaosheng and xiaodan. The thrilling interplay of instrumental and percussion music is also a highlight, especially when the wusheng is on stage showing off his martial-arts prowess, which will often bring repeated cheers from viewers. According to a Chinese expression, “The layman watches the smoke and mirrors, the adept identifies the tricks of the trade” (外行看熱鬧，內行看門道). To become an adept yourself, take in a few wonderful shows, and develop your taste for the beauty of Taiwanese opera.<IMG alt="Taiwanese Opera_7" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Taiwanese%20Opera_7.jpg" width="340" height="220"/><IMG alt="Taiwanese Opera_8" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Taiwanese%20Opera_8.jpg" width="249" height="340"/> [][][][]Department of Information Technology, Taipei City Government41353860https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=6CCFB6BAAD59BE4DThe Art of Seal Carving--Beauty in a Small Square<img width="300" height="200" style="FLOAT: left" alt="Seal Carving_4" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Seal Carving_4.jpg" />Seals (also known as chops) are carefully carved stone stamps used by the Chinese instead of a signature. Apart from being a convenient way to prove one's identity, however, each seal, however small, is also a representation of a person's deeper self-identity and status. Seal carving is a classic Chinese art form that can be traced back 3,700 years to the Shang Dynasty, its origins lying in the carving of dies used to create impressions on pottery, recording such information as the owner's family/clan emblem, name, official position, organization, or shop name. In more recent times other details such as birth date and age may be also be carved. Seals have also been created simply for personal collections, for use as marks by painting and calligraphy aficionados, and as permanent records of favorite maxims, aphorisms, and poetry. The range of fonts and lines seems to know no bounds, and the demands on the seal-maker in terms of time and skill great, placing the“craft”of sealcutting firmly in the realm of fine art. <img width="200" height="300" style="FLOAT: right" alt="Seal Carving_2" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Seal Carving_2.jpg" />During the Han Dynasty, seals came to be used to create protective marks on letters and large items being sent to others. In those days writing was done on bamboo or wood slips, and after they were fastened together with string, paste would be applied over the knot and an identification impression made with a seal. Because the area of the paste was limited and a seal had to be carried on one's person, it was small – just 1 or 2 centimeters wide, with a hole drilled through to allow it to be carried on a string or cord. When paper was invented, seals found a much wider range of uses, both seal and character size were expanded, and greater variations in font and structure emerged. During the Song and Yuan dynasties the literati developed a fascination with seal carving, and the aesthetics of the composition and script used were raised to a higher plane, elevating seal cutting to the status of an art form. Worlds of Beauty in Small Squares – Seal Carving Appreciation Chen Hongmian has been studying the art of seal carving for 38 years. Winner of a Sun Yat-sen Art and Literary Award for Creativity in Seal Carving, the top“Seal Cutting Academic Society Award for Young Artists”, and many other honors, his fame as an artist is widespread. Chen is founder of the Taiwan Seal Association and also author of a number of publications that promote the art of carving seals. To appreciate seal cutting as art, he says, there's no need to dwell on the meaning or interpretation of the text itself; rather, the aesthetics dwell within the line formation, arrangement, and unity of the whole that you find within the character cases. This allows a more natural intuition of the artistic conception – the message and mood the carver has sought to convey. Thus approach a work of calligraphy as any other work of art. <img width="240" height="240" style="FLOAT: left" alt="Seal Carving_1" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Seal Carving_1.jpg" />The main forms used for seal characters, says Chen, are the Oracle Bone Script, Bronze Script (used on bells and ceremonial cauldrons), Large Seal Script, and Small Seal Script. Some, though not many, use the Regular Script, Cursive Script, Semi-Cursive Script, and Clerical Script. Carving techniques are the Zhu Wen or Red Character style, meaning the seal is carved in relief, with imprints of character lines in red ink, and the Bai Wen or White Character style, with the characters incised and imprinted lines in white, with a red background. In terms of the classic yin/yang negative/positive dichotomy, the first style is yang carving, the second yin carving. The arrangement, the density and spacing, the lightness or heaviness of the structure, and the judicious leaving of blank areas heighten the effect of the impression. <img width="240" height="240" style="FLOAT: right" alt="Seal Carving_6" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Seal Carving_6.jpg" />Sometimes, to accommodate the allocation of character strokes, the stroke will be curved or elongated to attain harmony. A famous example of this is Wu Changshuo's“Yuan Ding Mo Xi”, carved on a piece of the renowned Shoushan stone, currently in mainland China's Zhejiang Provincial Museum. The character ding has only two strokes, and in a bold move to attain balance with the other three characters Wu used a huge dot to represent the character.“When appreciating such works,”says Chen,“see how the composition is rendered upright and foursquare, the cutting firm and confident, and inspect whether the juxtaposition of red and white displays a refined aesthetic sensibility.” Seal designs are not always limited to purely character s , however. For example, the Huaya or“Flower Signature”Seal, which became popular in the Yuan Dynasty, features the family name at the top and a flower or other artistic mark at the bottom, creating a unique identifier. Both the marks and the impressions come in many shapes – long, rounded, gourd-shaped, animal-shaped, and even more imaginative designs. Seals also feature auspicious animal symbols carved along the edges, among them the dragon, phoenix, turtle, and lin (a mythical animal resembling a deer). A device often used to heighten an impression's aesthetic appeal is to carve a horizontal or vertical line in the middle – or both, forming a cross – to form character domains. In the Han Dynasty a popular device (called the Bird and Worm Seal) used on private seals was to carve a bird head) at the beginning of a character or at the end, making the characters flow as though formed into a long dragon. In some cases fish shapes were substituted, the fish being another auspicious animal, symbolizing wealth and social position. <img width="300" height="200" style="FLOAT: left" alt="Seal Carving_5" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Seal Carving_5.jpg" />To get a better idea of this beautiful art form, pay a visit to the National Palace Museum to take in the permanent exhibition Sharing Treasures: A Special Exhibition of Antiquities Donated to the Museum, which features a superb selection of exquisite seals owned by famed historical figures, the seals serving as priceless witnesses to both their owners' and to China's history. Admire as well the different types of beautiful stones used and the sensual aesthetics of both the characters and the many scripts used to write them. Another fine idea is a trip to the Museum of Medical Humanities and the exhibition The World of Engravings and Poems, showing until March 31st, which revels in the art of the seal married with that of the classical poetry. Seal-Carving DIY <img width="240" height="240" style="FLOAT: right" alt="Seal Carving_3" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Seal Carving_3.jpg" />Most seal-carving experts are also highly skilled at calligraphy, masters of the various styles described above (such as regular and clerical script), and are also masters at both carving with and sharpening the seal-carver's most important tool, the knife. Another indispensable asset is development of a heightened sense of aesthetics. Chen teaches the art at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and National Taiwan Arts Education Center, and has taught many students who have not had a base in calligraphy, but who have nevertheless been able to carve beautiful works. Says the master:“With just a basic sense of beauty and a nimble hand, you too can create seal-carving art.” The basic tools needed (knife, seal stone, seal bed, and seal-character dictionary) are all available at numerous Taipei shops, including Hui Feng Tang, You Sheng Chang, Mei Yu Tan, and Jia Yi Meishushe. According to Chen,“Do not over-prepare; a basic flat knife will do. Select a pyrophyllite (also known as pencil stone) with a hardness of 2~2.5 degrees, a dedicated seal stone that is firm and solid, and a proper seal-engraving character dictionary. Adjust the character-size ratio, rub impressions of the characters on the seal surface, pick up the knife, and you are ready to begin sculpting your lines.” “Studying seal carving is not difficult,”says Chen,“but you must concentrate on perfecting each step before proceeding, and the only way to improve is through experience, with a teacher for guidance.”He also warns that once you seek to unearth this art's secrets, and they begin to reveal themselves to you, you'll fall in love and be hooked forever.<img width="200" height="300" style="FLOAT: left" alt="Seal Carving_7" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Seal Carving_7.jpg" /> <TABLE width="368" height="225" cellpadding="10" style=" FLOAT: left"> <TBODY><TR><TD width="359" bgcolor="#eeeeee">Information</TD> </TR><TR><TD> Where to Study Seal Carving in Taipei Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Add: 21, Zhongshan S. Rd. Tel: (02) 2343-1100, ext. 1125 Website: www.cksmh.gov.tw National Taiwan Arts Education Center Add: 47, Nanhai Rd. Tel: (02) 2311-0574, ext. 117 Website: www.arte.gov.tw Where to Buy Seal Carving Materials in Taipei Hui Feng Tang Add: 123, Sec. 1, Heping E. Rd. Tel: (02) 2321-1380 You Sheng Chang Add: 23, Sec. 1, Heping E. Rd. Tel: (02) 2341-7580 Mei Yu Tang Add: 142, Shida Rd. Tel: (02) 2369-2177 Jia Yi Meishushe Add: 83-1, Sec. 1, Heping E. Rd. Tel: (02) 2351-7733 Related Exhibitions Sharing Treasures: A Special Exhibition of Antiquities Donated to the Museum Venue: Gallery 303, National Palace Museum Add: 221, Sec. 2, Zhishan Rd. Tel: (02) 2821-2021 Hours: Open year-round, 08:30~18:30; hours extended to 20:30 Sat, free entry during extension Website: www.npm.gov.tw (Chinese) The World of Engravings and Poems Venue: Museum of Medical Humanities Add: 1, Sec. 1, Ren'ai Rd. Tel: (02) 2312-3456, ext. 88929 Hours: Until 3/31, Tues~Sun 09:30~16:30 (closed Mon and national holidays) Website: mmh.mc.ntu.edu.tw (Chinese) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> [][][][]Department of Information Technology, Taipei City Government41353850https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=B78B95ABD807AE88Taipei's Unique Coffee--Personality Blend<IMG style="FLOAT: left" alt="Coffee_6" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Coffee_6.jpg" width="331" height="199"/>The aroma of coffee sometimes seem to waft through streets and back alleys of this city, and the Taipei Coffee Festival has been staged for the past four years by the Taipei City Govt. Office of Commerce to promote the distinctive local coffee culture. For this year's event, the 2010 winner of the Creative Coffee Taipei Competition, Jian Jiacheng, has been invited back to present his winning Red Mountains entry, inspired by the colors of Yangmingshan in the autumn. A recipe that deliciously shows off the far-ranging powers of imagination this city possesses. His ingredients are tomato pulp, roselle, rose petal syrup, and dark charcoal roasted coffee. The result is a work of art of mixed reddish-orange, pink, deep, dark brown, with a pleasant lychee aroma wafting forth. <IMG style="FLOAT: right" alt="Coffee_2" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Coffee_2.jpg" width="180" height="245"/> You, wi th your tas te for new adventure and stimulations, will be very happy to know that there's a list of 16 Taipei cafes awaiting your arrival and tasting pleasure. We also know you have a taste for cafe latte art, so on Sep. 23 be sure to be on hand at the first-floor Shen Baozhen Hall in Taipei City Hall to watch the creme-de-la-creme of local latte artists in the Grand Latte Championship. Then, from Oct. 8 to 16, visit the EXPO Dome every day for this year's Taipei Shopping Fiesta —sorry to keep you so busy—to buy up all the premium coffee and nifty related merchandise you need to live well. We're also aware you're a fierce coffee gourmand as well as gourmet, so follow in the steps we take below for a tour of all the premium-personality city cafes you'll be hunting in the next little while…we promise. La Boheme Cafe – Where Coffee Is Made Art In the lanes and alleys across from the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei is a spot all locals know, in place over ten years—La Boheme Cafe. Once you've tried the Ristretto Cappuccino, you'll understand that not all low-caffeine coffees are insipid and taste-less. In fact, this one is richer and more full-bodied than most. The owner has taught many famous-name cafes the secret of his success: he uses two to three times the normal amount of coffee grind, and only uses the first flush, which not only preserves the full-body fragrance and finish of the coffee beans but also avoids the excessive flushing of the caffeine. <IMG style="FLOAT: left" alt="Coffee_1" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Coffee_1.jpg" width="240" height="240"/><IMG style="FLOAT: left" alt="Coffee_5" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Coffee_5.jpg" width="240" height="240"/>The owner takes great care in selecting the best organic beans from northern Italy, which is hand roasted to moderate acidity and ensures possession of the aroma and flavor of a robust wine. For the signature coffee, called Dolce Vita, hand-processed brown sugar is used. The result is a taste adventure that has addicted many, including a famous local writer renowned as a coffee addict, who drank it six straight years. The name "Dolce Vita" is a tribute to the Italian director Federico Fellini. On another taste-bud front, La Boheme's tiramisu is a customer favorite. Though small in size, each serving is substantial and filling, and the owner tells a story about how once a crew from Northwest Airlines praised it as "Exactly like the tiramisu we have in Milan!" La Boheme has provided many fine relaxing moments for many people, and now it's your turn, sipping on the latte creation the owner has made for you and listening to his beloved opera music. A-ONE Cafe – Looking at Old-Time Ximending A-ONE Cafe is a lesser-known gem nevertheless famous enough among old Taipei locals, standing quietly and contentedly in place for over 20 years. Its narrow hole-in-the-wall facade has undergone little alteration over the years, making many passersby think this is just a small take-out joint. Yet the 2nd and 3rd floors are surprisingly spacious, and there are even two private booths and a balcony lounge area. <IMG style="FLOAT: right" alt="Coffee_3" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Coffee_3.jpg" width="307" height="204"/>The signature drink here is the Cappuccino, with eight kinds of beans used, featuring a novel texture and giving off a hint of fruitiness and sweetness. This is a big hit with the district's office crowd, who roll in in the afternoon for their day's fix. Popular with foreign patrons is the heavy yet mellow Espresso, which many choose to drink it ice cold. The coffee is made fresh with rock sugar, ice cubes, and cream. Your drink is then vigorously shaken, not stirred, which locks in the coffee's robust fragrance. Another popular mix also has the Espresso as the base, with Sprite, lemon juice, and ice cubes added, with the mix stirred this time. Cool and refreshing with a hint of sourness, this is a wonderful summertime choice. Now imagine—you are on the second-level balcony, sipping on your java, leaning on the railing watching the crowds roll by, transporting yourself back to the old Ximending. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, would you agree? <TABLE style=" FLOAT: left" cellpadding="10"><TBODY><TR><TD bgcolor="#eeeeee">Information </TD></TR><TR><TD>Taipei Coffee Festival Grand Latte Championship Time: 9/23 09:00-15:00 Venue: Taipei City Hall, Central Courtyard / Shen Baozhen Hall Add: 1F, 1, City Hall Rd. Tel: (02) 2276-3558 2011 Taipei Shopping Fiesta Time: 10/8~10/16 10:00-18:00 Venue: MRT Yuanshan Station, outside Exit 1 / EXPO Dome Tel: 0800-552-688La Boheme Cafe Add: B1, 76, Chang'an W. Rd. Tel: (02) 2550-0421 A-ONE Cafe Add: 1, Lane 50, Xining S. Rd. Tel: (02) 2388-4371 Yemen Ding Add: 19 Kangding Rd. Tel: (02) 2361-6138 GEO Cafe Add: 87, Sec. 4, Dingzhou Rd. Tel: (02) 2935-3586 Roger Cafe Add: 151-1, Sec. 2, Keelung Rd. Tel: (02) 8732-1026</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Yemen Ding – Your Coffee Under Leafy Shade All around Taipei Cinema Park in Ximending, you'll see old buildings constructed during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945). You'll find the cafe Yemen Ding near the corner of Kangding Rd., where you'll find a tree-shaded quiet space with delicious aromas lazily wafting through. The majority of the coffee beans used here is sourced from organic producers located around Taiwan, and to help you better understand just how special this is, the cafe has developed a wonderful coffee-ecology garden with an impressive array of transplanted coffee trees from numerous areas and hybrid trees as well. There's even an old tree from the Japanese period, still standing tall, firm, and proud. In many commercial areas, shops like to introduce the special coffee beans produced in Taiwan's Meishan, Chiayi County. Tea was long grown here, and the coffee beans growing here has a faint hint of tea flavor as a result, making for quite a novel taste experience. The house's signature coffee, Golden Mandheling, is gentle and good-natured, giving off wisps of flower and berry, creating a slowly-changing canvas of tastes that you'll see other patrons lingering over, meditating. Be sure to try the house-made biscotti, loaded with a variety of Taiwan's famed fruits, and try what is a popular taste tango that features the aroma of the premium coffee and a selection of the delectably chewy dried pineapple, strawberry, mango, and other island fruits. At GEO Cafe, Sip on a Coffee, Send the Mind Traveling One of the main attractions of this spot is sitting along a tree-shaded avenue. Of course the smooth and mellow cafe is a lovely bonus, and all your worldly troubles will drift away. You forget the mundane thoughts and let them travel over the horizon. GEO cafe is located across from a branch of Taiwan Normal University, its owner a well-known coffee-and-travel aficionado. Each Friday night, a different travel enthusiast with an interesting story to tell is invited for a presentation and discussion, everyone immersed in the wonderful world of coffee interwoven with the wonder ful world of adventure. <IMG style="FLOAT: right" alt="Coffee_7" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Coffee_7.jpg" width="240" height="240"/><IMG style="FLOAT: right" alt="Coffee_4" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Coffee_4.jpg" width="327" height="175"/> The cafe makes a special latte with Hami melon that is rich in the fruit's aroma and taste. The silky fragrance of the cream used and the mellowness of the coffee add up to pure pleasure. The owner is an enthusiastic collector of mineral rocks, and you can guess what the main decorative theme is. Even the desserts are named after minerals—care for some Brimstone Ice Cream, or perhaps the Andecite Ice Cream. For the latter, which is in great demand, black sesame milk and chocolate shavings are used. If spongy brownies are added, the andesite treat becomes the Love of Lava treat, first choice and first GEO cafe love for many visiting sweethearts. Roger Cafe – Quiet, Quiet, and More Quiet If you are looking for that special hideaway place where you can just sit by yourself and be alone with your coffee, be happy, for it exists. Near the MRT Liuzhangli Station, Roger Cafe specializes in stirring up tranquility. Sit down, open your paper, book, or laptop, and wait for your breakfast. After eating, contemplate your day over a soothing cup of American brew. Spend just a while or spend much of the day—whenever it's time to go, your spirit will be refreshed and ready. The coffees here have the Arabica bean as their foundation, with a mixture of four other beans added to make the Roger signature brews, all aromatic and inviting. A layer of heavy and rich cream is added to the Espresso, creating an extra-mellow and memorable java journey. Another special mix is the Mon Cheri Coffee, which has strawberry syrup, milk, and coffee brought together to create a tri-color beauty, with chocolate powder added atop to make things even more perfect. It's lightly sweet, sultry and delicious, and—no surprise—loved by young women. Choosing some of the light foods offered, such as the waffle with ice cream, fresh fruits, and fresh cream, the bagel option, or the croissant choice, will make a coffee time of yummy memories that are much more memorable. [][][][]Taipei City Government41353840https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=024DC80ED675C8DETaipei's Confucian Dining<img height="286" width="206" style="FLOAT: left" alt="Confucian_1" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Confucian_1.jpg" />Taipei is home to one of the world's greatest kitchens, offering the very best of the many distinct regional cuisines from the Chinese world. In a bid to boost understanding of Confucianism and boost the tourism assets around the Taipei Confucius Temple, the city govt. has invited well-known local gourmet Zhu Zhenfan to design a series of 13 "Confucian dishes" based on the great Confucian worthies enshrined in the Confucius Temple, and on related information sources on food. The results: Wen Tianxiang Chicken, Kao Ting Double Delicacy, Hanlin Twice-Cooked Pork, Emperor & Ministers Congee, Guan City Chicken, and Yang Ming Vinegar Fish, among other creations. You'll now find them being crafted at local hotels, restaurants, eateries, roadside stands, and lunchbox purveyors, night market by Taipei Confucius Temple each bringing their own unique mix of culinary skills and ingredients to the recipes. Each dish will bring you a different taste experience, but all will bring you better understanding of the stories of the ancient sages.Uncle John – Jiangzhe Confucian Cuisine at Its Best <img height="193" width="273" style="FLOAT: right" alt="Confucian_2" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Confucian_2.jpg" />Specializing in Shanghai specialties, Uncle John has in the past offered feasts based on the Chinese literary classic Dream of the Red Chamber and the paintings of the great Chang Daichien. In complement to the Confucian spirit, the Jiangzhe approach is used in such dishes as Kao Ting Double Delicacy, named in honor of the famed Southern Song dynasty Confucian philosopher Zhu Xi (1130-1200 AD.) and the town of Kao Ting, where he set up a school in his later years. Zhu's purpose in eating was to keep mind, spirit, and physical vigor in optimal condition, and he insisted on amaranth every day. It is said to keep the mind clear and thoughts flowing, accompanied by a great variety of complementary foods.Uncle John's amaranth with "gold and silver" egg, literally amaranth with cubes of preserved and salted egg. The amaranth and small anchovy steamed dumplings, which also has mushrooms inside, are served as a "double bridge" tandem, providing a cool and warm texture contrast. Zhu Xi is one of the famed "12 Confucian philosophers", and is enshrined in the Taipei Confucius Temple's Dacheng Hall.Another dish, Wen Tianxiang Chicken, honors Wen Tianxiang, who lived during the latter phase of the Southern Song dynasty, 1236-1282 AD. While resisting China's Yuan Mongol invaders he was captured and placed in a dungeon, where he ate food provided by a kind old woman who visited and made a chicken dish in an earthenware bowl, adding water, wine, and edible oil to the meat. In the recreation of this recipe, Uncle John first flash-fries ginger slices in sesame oil in a wok, then adds garlic, and chili pepper, then finally adds diced oil-fried chicken leg and sautes until crispy. The whole is then placed in an earthenware pot and simmered, emerging as a treasure of heady aroma. Wen Tianxiang is enshrined in the Dacheng Hall East Side Building.<img height="304" width="242" style="FLOAT: left" alt="Confucian_5" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Confucian_5.jpg" />Hanlin Twice-Cooked Pork is a dish alluding to the presentation of a whole pig in sacrifice to Confucius during the Confucius Ceremony. The ancient custom is for young men to take portions of the pig home to eat after the ceremony. The custom in mainland China's Sichuan province is for the pork to be cooked again in a pot, giving rise to the name "twice-cooked pork". Uncle John uses three-layer marbled pork, adding dried beancurd, green pepper, and other items, and also introducing thick bean sauce, chili sauce, and sweet flour paste for seasoning, stir-frying the whole. This dish is a favorite wine/spirits accompanier. At Taipei Confucius Temple, the tablet for Confucius is enshrined in Dacheng Hall. Whether you try each of these Confucian dishes on its own or together as a feast, you are in for a truly delectable—and edifying—experience. Shin Yeh Restaurant – Time-Honored Taiwanese Meets Confucian Cuisine Its reputation built on classic Chinese rice porridge with side dishes, and a beloved upholder of age-old Taiwanese flavors, Shin Yeh now brings unique and flavorful "Confucian dishes with Taiwanese characteristics" to your table. Its Emperor and Ministers Congee honors the great Confucian sage Lu Xiufu, who lived 1237- 1279. Among his many renowned acts, Lu escorted the young Southern Song emperor—the last of the reign— to Zhangzhou in Fujian province, fleeing from the reign's northern enemies; along the way he stopped at a rich family's home to ask for food, and the owner, looking down on him as a beggar, merely tossed him meal leftovers meant for the family cat. This "recipe" with time evolved into the classic richingredient slow-heated porridge beloved by so many generations. In Shin Yeh's version, you'll find seven flavor enhancing treasures added, including shrimp, lean meat, celery, and taro, featuring a soup stock made with large soup bone and hen meat. Stir-fried shallot is also added, creating fragrant flavor bursts around what is essentially a mellow taro porridge. The Taipei Confucius Temple tablet for Lu Xiufu is enshrined in the Dacheng Hall West Side Building.Guan City Chicken is a sliced cold chicken dish. Free-range chicken is used, preserved in salt and rice wine, stewed in boiling water, sliced, and iced. The meat is wonderfully succulent and chewy, with all natural juices and the free-range chicken's stronger taste preserved. For the dish, Yang Huo Pork, which refers to the Spring and Autumn years (770-476 BC), the senior official Yang Huo wished to meet with Confucius, and to get him to come offered him a roasted pig. Confucius did not wish to meet him, and in fact went to his home to thank him when he found Yang was out. Unexpectedly, they met on the street afterward and engaged in serious conversation. Shin Yeh is famous for its soy-stewed meats, and introduces the juices from this method along with soy-stewed green bamboo shoots to this dish, creating a deliciously sweet and luscious aroma, texture, and taste. <img height="214" width="338" style="FLOAT: left" alt="Confucian_3" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Confucian_3.jpg" /><img height="214" width="338" style="FLOAT: left" alt="Confucian_6" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Confucian_6.jpg" />Xiao Lizi Seafood – When the Taiwan Table Meets the Confucian Table<img height="305" width="237" style="FLOAT: right" alt="Confucian_4" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/Confucian_4.jpg" />Xiao Lizi Seafood has long experience in banquet-style feasting, famed for fresh seafood and stir-fry virtuosity. There's no menu here, and no set recipes, and you mustmake reservations. The owner bases your meal on what's been bought fresh that day andon your budget. The house's Yang Ming Vinegar Fish honors the Ming Dynasty Confucian philosopherWang Shouren, also called Yang Ming,who lived 1472-1528. Known for his love of fish, the storygoes that one day a chef added“too much”vinegarto a fish dish yet Yang Ming found it delicious, and itthereafter became a Jiangxi province specialty.This eatery uses fresh bass, wraps it in flour, and oil-friesit until crisp outside, then spreads a combination ofonion, green pepper, sugar, vinegar, and other flavorenhancers over it. The Taipei Confucius Temple tablet forWang Shouren is in the Dacheng Hall West Side Building.Dalong Night Market – Confucian-Style Traditional Snacks Dalong Night Market, near Taipei Confucius Temple and neighboring Baoan Temple, offers many beloved traditional snack food treats—stinky tofu, fried noodles, mutton soup, and a host of sweets a mere short-list. Tourists come for the thrill of the night-time fun.The market's Fang Kuangroufan (Fang's Soy-stewed Pork Rice) once took home first prize in the Taipei Soy-Stewed Pork Rice Festival, and uses its signature fatty pork belly in its interpretation of Yang Huo Pork. The pork is three-layer marbled, and is first oilfried and then marinated for a lengthy time in the house soy-stew broth. A final touch is the addition of bamboo slivers cooked in soup bone stock, which adds a bit of zesty flair. Elsewhere in the market you can stop at Halu Rougeng (Halu Thick Meat Soup), where you can enjoy crispy pork-rib soup and an interpretation of Yang Huo Pork using its lean-meat thick soup. At A-Qiu Haixian (A-Qiu's Seafood), the sweet and sour pork ribs and the tilapia fish are used in interpretations of Yang Huo Pork and Yang Ming Vinegar Fish, respectively. All are delectable taste journeys you won't be able to savor anywhere else. <TABLE width="505" cellpadding="10"> <TBODY> <TR> <TD bgcolor="#eeeeee">Information</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD>Uncle John Add: 18 Hengyang Rd. Tel: (02) 2388-5880 Shin Yeh Add: 8F, 9 Songshou Rd. (A9 Building, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Xinyi New Life Square Tel: (02) 8786-1234 Xiao Lizi Seafood Add: 93 Hami St. Tel: (02) 2597-6619 Note: Reservations only Fang Kuangroufan Add: 255 Dalong St. Halu Rougeng Add: 294 Dalong St. A-Qiu's Seafood Add: 261 Dalong St. </TD> </TR> </TBODY></TABLE> [][][][]Taipei City Government41353830https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=4044CD691CB188E8The Dream Carnival--Passion and Bombast Hit the Streets<IMG height="400" width="300" style="FLOAT: right" alt="2011_Taipei Dream Carnival" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/2011_Taipei Dream Carnival.jpg" />Passionate samba, unrestrained African drumming and dancing, exotic Middle Eastern music and dance, and mystical Indian music and dance. One troupe after another passes by, and you can't help but move to the beat of the drums, and as each sumptuously festooned float rolls by and sky-high stilt walkers loom above the crowds, people cannot help but stand transfixed, grabbing for their cameras. This is the wonderful Dream Carnival, an annual big-bang party created from imagination by Xizhi's Dream Communit and Neihu Community College, bringing together the people from communities all around Taiwan and indigenous-village schools. It has become a sort of pilgrimage, with more than 10,000 now coming for the fun each year, throwing themselves into the grand street party with gusto. This year, it happens on Oct. 22, with the big kickoff outside Taipei City Hall. This is the 10th Dream Carnival, bigger than ever before. Talent will be coming from all around Taiwan and from much, much further away too—from Brazil, the US, England, France, and elsewhere—representing organizations and schools and also including over 20 individual artists from overseas. You'll witness a rollicking carnival parade bursting with wildly creative costumes, boisterous bands, and frolicking dance teams proudly displaying ethnic differences, all coming together in a boisterous and happy "fusion" gathering. As a much-anticipated bonus, a group from France's Carnaval de Nice, one of the world's three greatest carnivals, has been invited to come join in the Taiwan fun and engage in fruitful tourism and cultural interchange.<TABLE width="278" cellpadding="10" style=" FLOAT: left"> <TBODY><TR><TD width="284" bgcolor="#eeeeee">Information</TD> </TR><TR> <TD>Dream Carnival Parade: 10/22, 15:00 ~ 18:00 Route: C.K.S Square, CKS Memorial Hall → Zhongshan S. Rd. → Sec.1, Ren'ai Rd. → Ketagalan Blvd. Evening Party: 10/22, 18:00 ~ 20:00 (plaza before Taipei City Hall east entrance) Tel: (02) 2695-9393 Website: www.dreamcommunity.org.tw </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> Also, in keeping with the spirit of the carnival and demonstrating the passionate care felt for Taiwan's environment, community, and culture, artists are using discarded materials in innovative ways to magically transform junk into art, doing their part to promote the concepts of recycling and eco-protection, and using discussions on the artistic innovation process to convey to carnival participants and spectators the concerns they harbor in their hearts on the need to nurture Mother Earth.Ever wanted to be a reveller in a car nival parade instead of an onlooker? Here's your chance, for one and all are warmly invited to come join and contribute to the happiness. This carnival is no wild, aimless street party, no meaningless spoof or parody—it is the heartfelt gathering together of like-minded people who want to cry out to each other that we must do something, and now, to protect our natural world and our place in it. "Street art" is being used as the catalyst. This demonstration of Taipei's cultural vitality and diversity being used as a means to both bring joy to the streets andlight a fire under people's feet. [][][][]Department of Information Technology, Taipei City Government41353810https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=3994B8BB1F2382A3The 13th International Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony and Tea Culture Festival<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/20110624_01.jpg" alt="Tea-ceremony traditions vary in each country, in accordance with folk customs, aesthetic concepts,philosophy, and traditional handicraft arts." width="300" height="200" hspace="5" vspace="5" style="float:left;" >Care for a cuppa? Well, you've come to the right place. Wherever you go on this green island, there seems to be a place or two within easy sight that serves up the golden brew. Growing tea is a big business here, and the fragrance of Taiwan leaves are known and cherished by knowledgeable tea drinkers around the globe. The renowned“tea ceremony” is long-established and much savored here, with its fastidiousness about ritual, brewing technique, utensils used, character of each type of leaf and its season, and with the advent of this summer season, you are hereby cordially invited to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall for some good brew, fine fragrance, and equally fine talk.Taiwan is not only a key world producer of quality tea leaves, but also an important place in the world of tea culture. In 1989, the Lu-Yu Tea Culture Institute established Taipei's Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony , open to all comers regardless of nationality, race, or religion. The point of the initiative was simple— enjoying tea. Its brewing, its presentation etiquette, and its tasting,each embodying the harmonious spirit of tea arts, and modern Taiwan concepts concerning tea are being brought to the ceremony. The Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony is now an international event, with editions staged in Taiwan, China, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and as far as the United States.<h4>The Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony—Preserving Distinction, Promoting Culture</h4><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/20110624_02.jpg" alt="Tea-ceremony traditions vary in each country, in accordance with folk customs, aesthetic concepts,philosophy, and traditional handicraft arts." width="200" height="273" hspace="5" vspace="5" style="float:right;" >The event in each country follows that land's own national character, aesthetics, philosophical outlook, and traditional crafts, which together engender pleasingly distinctive tea art cultures. The Japanese, for example, inherited their tea culture from the literati of China's Song Dynasty, bringing the tea ceremony etiquette and the quest for the ultimate in refinement out from the temple and into the lives of commoners. Tea drinking became a cultural activity that crossed boundaries of social status. The master of the household prepares tea and dedicated snack foods to entertain guests, with both host and guests following highly ritualized etiquette and procedures.The practice of sitting down for tea also has a long history in Korea, where there are many forms of traditional tea, with up to hundreds of different ingredient used. These include different types of grain such as barley and corn, medicinal herbs, and fruits. In recent years in the US, in large part because of the Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony promotion, there has been a surge of interest in tea arts and the meditative joys brought in the act of brewing. In China, the tea ceremony is steeped in Confucian thoughts, emphasizing the concept of the beauty of the mean via harmonious reconciliation of the bitter, sweet,and sour. The Confucian tradition is also manifested in the emphasis on courteous hospitality toward guests,especially elders, and on a presentation of modesty and amiability while drinking.This year will see the 13th different International Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony and Tea Culture Festival , which is held every two years in different places. Taiwan was chosen as this year's host by the organizer in order to celebrate the centenary of the Republic of China, and the event will be spread over 6 days, from May 27 to June 1, letting people from around the world get an intimate look at this island's wonderful teas and its appealing tea culture.<h4>The Tea Party—Fulfilling Your Taste and Artistic Desires</h4><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/20110624_03.jpg" alt="Over a thousand people enjoying the brewing of tea in the grand CKS Memorial Hall plaza." width="300" height="247" hspace="5" vspace="5" style="float:left;" >The event will be divided into“active”and “quiet”sections. In the active component will be attractions such as the“Party of A Thousand Big Tea Party,”“Essay Presentations,”and“Tea Ceremony Performances”demonstrating the different approaches taken by peoples around the world.Experts from near and far will be present for the teavaganza,including from Japan, Korea, mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia, United States, Italy, and France, with the essence of their national cultures demonstrated in the tea ceremonies. In the quiet component, the focus will be on tea-related poetry, calligraphy, tea utensils, tea setting placement, etc.On each day of the event, there will be times for special brewings of tea by masters of the art, which will then be presented to visitors. Lovers of all things tea! There is only one place for you to be at this time this summer—at this international celebration with an army of like-minded new friends.<table width="100%" border="0"> <tr> <td>Information</td> </tr> <tr> <td>The 13th International Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony and Tea Culture Festival <ul> <li>Time: 5/27~6/1; 09:00~18:00 (Static Exhibition) 、5/28 10:00~12:00 (Party of A Thousand Big Tea Party)</li> <li> Venue: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall</li> <li> Add: 21 Zhongshan S. Rd. </li> <li> Tel: (02) 2343-1100, (02) 2331-6636</li> <li> Transportation: <ol> <li> Take MRT Danshui Line to MRT Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station.</li> <li> Take bus No. 15, 18, 20, 22, 37, 204, 208, 214,236, 248, 249, 251, 252, 261, 263, 270, 293, 297,621, 623, 630, 651, and buses on the Xinyi trunk line, to CKS Memorial Hall stop or to Nanmen Market .</li> </ol> </li> <li> Website: <a title="opened with new window" href="http://www.wu-wotea.com.tw" target="_blank">www.wu-wotea.com.tw</a></li> </ul> </td> </tr></table> [][][][]Taipei City Government41353820https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=8759CF26E70EA3BCEye of the Times - Centennial Images of Taiwan<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/20110624_04.jpg" alt="Juan Ijong's 1986 work People and the Land – Syuhai (Taidong County) (Taipei Fine Arts Museum collection)" width="400" height="274" hspace="5" vspace="5" style="float:left;">This year is the centenary of the founding of the Republic of China, a time for contemplation and remembrance of things past. As one of its contributions to the year-long celebration, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum has put together the photography exhibition Eye of the Times – Centennial Images of Taiwan , spanning 140 years of Taiwan's history. A collection of about 270 images trace the changes seen by the island's people over different time periods. Time starts to move with the visual records compiled by John Thomson, a Scottish Presbyterian minister who arrived on the island in 1871, and runs through the works of a total of 117 artists,with many of the vintage photos rarely if ever seen in public. This precious display of photographic treasures is co-curated by distinguished Taiwan photographer Chuang Ling and Chang Tsangsang. <img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/20110624_05.jpg" alt="In this exhibit the course and vitality of Taiwan's photography and video art can be traced over the past 100 years." width="300" height="222" hspace="5" vspace="5" style="float:right;">Moving on through the decades, we visit the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945) and a series of photos taken by Japanese anthropologists on Taiwan's native peoples and its society. We see the techniques used during the 20 years from the end of the Japanese rule through the beginning of the Nationalist rule, in which the portraiture methods of Japanese war correspondents come to the fore, giving birth to the“Genesis Period of Taiwan Photography.” We see riveting historical images of Taiwan youths called up for service in the Japanese military, and of a defeated Japan's soldiers and citizens selling their daily possessions on Taiwan's streets before being repatriated. In the “Documentary and Photoreportage” series of works, we see images captured in the 1970s under the shadow of martial law, and we see the results of the lifting of martial law in the later 1980s, with the relaxation of political party ban and news censorship.<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/20110624_06.jpg" alt="Lin Boliang's 1996 work Facing the Unknown Future Taipei Fine Arts Museum collection)" width="300" height="227" hspace="5" vspace="5" style="float:right;">As the“Art Photography” period hit the stage, the photographer hit the road, roaming far and wide and combining wide-ranging exploration with high aesthetics, such as in Yao Juichung's Recover Mainland China work. The camera is used to record wanderings far from home— Tiananmen in Beijing, the Great Wall—sneering at the official political culture of Taiwan before the 1970s and before, where the retaking of the mainland was declared the sole purpose of Taiwan society. In“Images of the Mind,” we see how the traditions and other special characteristics of Taiwan are defined by leading photographic artists,engendering deeply contemplated works such as Ko Si Chi's Night Lily and Guo Yingsheng's use of the Hakka people's colorful traditional floral fabrics as theme.<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/20110624_07.jpg" alt="From Chou Chinghui's 1990-1994 series Frozen in Time - Images of a Leper Colony; the owner of these hands is named Ye Maolu. (from the artist's personal collection)" width="300" height="237" hspace="5" vspace="5" style="float:left;">This exhibition is designed as a documentary record of the lives of Taiwan's common people, with a special highlight on its exploration of the“small worlds”of those who inhabit its numerous offshore islands. From Lin Wang , the famous Taipei Zoo elephant that almost everyone living in Taiwan know, to the great 921 Earthquake of 1999, and to the Typhoon Morakot flood disaster of 2009, young and old can revisit the strongest images of their lives as seen through the“eye of the times”—the lens of the photographer. The show provides much food for thought on the past 100-plus years of Taiwan, the island's present, and her possible futures.<table width="100%" border="0"> <tr> <td>Information</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Eye of the Times –Centennial Images of Taiwan <ul> <li>Time: Tue~Sun 09:30~17:30, extended hours on Sat to 20:30</li> <li> Venue: Taipei Fine Arts Museum </li> <li> Add: 181, Sec. 3, Zhongshan N. Rd.</li> <li> Tel: (02) 2595-7656</li> <li> Transportation: Bus options from other locations include No. 21, 40, 42, 126, 203, 208, 213, 218, 220, 247,260, 277, 279, 287, 308, 310, 612, and 677; get off at the Taipei Fine Arts museum stop .</li> <li> Website: <a title="opened with new wondow" href="http://www.tfam.museum" target="_blank">www.tfam.museum</a></li> </ul></td> </tr></table> [][][][]Taipei City Government41353800https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=8FCD4D2C1AE4BA78Chang Da-chien Painting Albums and Documents Exhibition<IMG height="216" alt="Scent of the Autumn-Chang Dai-ch'ien Painting Albums and Documents" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/2010_1027_en_09.jpg" width="400"/>Chang Dai-ch'ien was one of the greatest painters in modern China. Beyond an inheritance of the thousand-plus-year-old traditions of Chinese shanshui painting , his works embrace a global outlook. Productive throughout his long life, he brought the grace and beauty of Chinese painting and calligraphy to the attention of the international community. If you'd like to get to know this 20th-century master of water and ink, here's the news— from Sep. 18 through Oct. 31, Taipei's JXJ Books is staging a fine introductory exhibition,“Chang Dai-ch'ien Painting Albums and Documents”, at its gallery. <IMG style="FLOAT: right" height="216" alt="1. This exhibition is a showcase of more than 400 albums on Chang Dai-ch'ien published in mainland China, Taiwan, and overseas, along with near 100 related documents." hspace="5" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/2010_1027_en_09a.jpg" width="250" vspace="5"/>From his early years, Chang showed a proclivity for the elegant ink painting traditionally practiced by the literati. In later years, having spent time in the West, he created a unique fusion of Western abstract technique with Chinese shanshui painting, producing startlingly innovative shanshui scenes with splash-ink and splashed colors in what were abstract or semi-abstract tableaux. These mise-en-scenes achieved what at first seem an impossible, the seamless, logical blending of realism and impressionistic.In his forties, Chang went on a trek to take in the famed grottoes at mainland China's Dunhuang . The majestic Buddhist frescoes within had a tremendous impact on him, and he ended up staying on for three years to copy a selection of these masterpieces. His works thereafter were much more colorful, and he brought his visions to realize on far larger canvases.During this period, he embarked on a peregrination of the globe, seeking out many of the leading lights in the West's world of painting for an exchange of insights. One of his most talked about experiences was his meeting with Picasso in Paris in 1956. The two free-spirited artists quickly formed a friendship in which they exchanged finished works as well as their ideas on each other's compositions.<TABLE cellpadding="10"><TBODY><TR><TD bgcolor="#eeeeee">Chang Dai-ch'ien Residence </TD></TR><TR><TD>Chang Dai-ch'ien's many artistic achievements have brought him enduring international acclaim. In this self-created courtyard-style residence, the master's aesthetic concepts have everywhere been put into practice. This is a place of deep cultural and historical value. In 1983 Chang passed away and was interred in the gardens on what is called Plum Hillock (梅丘), and his family donated the residence to the government. The residence was declared an official heritage site in 2008. Add: 2, Lane 342, Sec. 2, Zhishan Rd. Tel: (02) 2881-2021, ext. 2594 Website: http://www.npm.gov.tw/exh96/dai-chien/en01.html</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Having traveled the world as well as throughout his native China, this rolling stone finally decided to come to rest in Taiwan, building his own home in the tranquil Waishuangxi area at the north of Taipei and christening it the Abode of Maya , an allusion to the mother of the Sakyamuni Buddha. He spent the remainder of his days here, and after his passing, his home became a memorial, formally called the Chang Dai-ch'ien Residence , managed by the nearby National Palace Museum.<IMG style="FLOAT: left" height="202" alt="2. An anthology of Chang's works from his later years (left),and an album of his paintings from a New York show (right)." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/2010_1027_en_09b.jpg" width="178"/>This exhibition will be a showcase of painting albums dedicated to Chang, with over 400 works created in and outside mainland China and Taiwan. Published from 1921 to 2009, they include early publications from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and also albums published in Germany, France, Brazil, Japan,and Korea. In addition, an intriguing collection of letters,calendars, posters, bookmarks, and other documents— almost 100 pieces in total—has been gathered.This autumn, a trip to the venerable JXJ Books, always heavy with the air of past times, will take you on an enlightening exploration to meet Mr. Chang Dai-ch'ien. In addition, you get to embark on the rewarding timetravel sojourn at all times offered in this space where the story of man and books is told. Among the many gems are out-of-print books from the 1960s, including books containing records and illustrations from Taiwan's Japanese colonial era, Chang's manuscripts and letters,and editions of mainland China literary works from the 1920s and 1930s. The ambiance is augmented with classic-style accouterments such as old-time Chinese “grandfather chairs”, early radios, and calligraphy tablets. Time spent digging for that precious old discontinued title you've long been searching for is, rest assured, time very well spent. [][][][]Taipei City Government41353790https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=32EA9D4E12592FC4Special Preview of the Flora Expo Pavilions<H3>Xinsheng Park Area, Dajia Riverside Park Area</H3>Models of Cutting-Edge Technology – Xinsheng's Three Custom-Built Green Pavilions. Xinsheng Park is divided into the“Dream”area of Xinsheng Park,“Tea”area of the Lin An-tai Historic House , and the Floral Tunnel . In the Dream area is the Pavilion of Angel Life, Pavilion of the Future, and Pavilion of Dreams, each a Diamond Level Candidate for Green Biulding Certification with the Ministry of the Interior. Each has a roof equipped with solar panels, bringing estimated energy-use savings of 50%. These structures draw water from the nearby Keelung River and recycle it, saving over 60% on the use of treated water.<IMG border="0" alt="Special Preview of the Flora Expo Pavilions" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/2010_1027_en_08a.jpg" width="540" height="120" usemap="#Map4"/> <MAP name="Map4"><AREA href="#" alt="3. At the Pavilion of Angel Life,“Art Is Life”is the theme, with the Art Foyer a showcase of international visual arts."/><AREA href="#" alt="2. Xinsheng Park's Aquatic Plant Area is a veritable Shangri-la that calms the soul."/><AREA href="#" alt="1. In the Video Theater in the Pavilion of Angel Life dynamic aerial photography is used to show off Formosa's many-splendored beauty."/></MAP>The Industrial Technology Research Insti tute handled the blueprints for the Pavilion of Dreams. The emphasis here i s on technology- rich sensory experiences. This is a grand space for the imaginative telling of stories, and the ITRI highlights cutting-edge hightech innovation in each hall—3D imagery, real-time interaction,and high sensitivity. The visitor first enters an interactive garden developed by renowned local illustrator Jimmy Liao based on his work How to Own a Corner , heading out on a virtual journey: you see a giant mechanical flower with the theme“Bloom”, hear hundreds of speakers as thin as paper regaling you with“The Sounds of Leaves” as you travel along a forest tunnel,and stand before an expansive 3D“naked eye”screen in the “Multiplicity” hall, moving in synchronized interaction with the countless plant species of Taiwan's rich biological world.<IMG style="FLOAT: left" hspace="5" alt="4. The Pavilion of Regimen has Healthy Living and Centennial Bonsai as its theme, displaying magnificent hundred-year-old trees and special potted landscapes." vspace="5" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/2010_1027_en_08f.jpg" width="400" height="209"/>The Pavilion of the Future and the Pavilion of Angel Life were part of a joint construction project, the two structures forming a unified shape resembling the wing of a butterfly. The Pavilion of Dreams, to one side, is appropriately in the shape of a chrysalis.Within the Pavilion of the Future is the“Rare Plants Area”, where you'll be able to enjoy stunning plants that have withstood the dramat ic changes of cl imate and environment of the past million years—the Taiwan cow-tail fir , Taitung cycas , Amentotaxus formosana , and Taiwan date palm are collectively known as “Taiwan's four great trees”. All the special environmental needs of the plants growing in the Rare Plants Area, along with the“Subtropical and Tropical Plants Area”,“Fleshy Plants Area”, and“Orchid and Fern Symbiosis Display Area” , are coordinated under the pavilion's advanced systems controlling temperature, humidity, and light intensity, augmented by the use of natural energy and light.The interior of the Pavilion of Angel Life is a fantasia of flowing water and flower landscapes, complemented by cutting-edge energy-saving and digital technology. On display are the myriad faces of Taiwan's high-mountain world of plant life and running water. The pavilion is managed by the local Angel Art Gallery , which has made“Art Is Life”the theme. The“Art Foyer” is a showcase of international visual arts, with high ceilings in the presentation. In the“Video Theater” dynamic aerial photography is used to show off the manysplendored beauty of Formosa. The“Living Wisdom Center” and“Living Art” section serve as a showcase for BIT (Brand in Taiwan) ingenuity, and the“Body-Mind-Spirit SPA” and“Chinese Courtyard Garden/ Aquatic Plant Area” evoke a veritable outdoor Shangri-la, calming the soul.<IMG border="0" alt="Special Preview of the Flora Expo Pavilions" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/2010_1027_en_08b.jpg" width="540" height="120" usemap="#Map3"/> <MAP name="Map3"><AREA href="#" alt="7. The Palace of Floral Teas is built around the refurbished Lin An-tai Historic House."/><AREA href="#" alt="5-6. The Multiplicity hall has 50 separate 3D“naked eye”screens that allow synchronized interaction with Taiwan's many special plant species."/></MAP>Pavilion of Regimen, Palace of Floral Teas,Cultivating Good Cheer and HealthThe Pavilion of Regimen has grown from an existing structure,the“Little White House”, and has Healthy Living and Centennial Bonsai as its theme. On display are hundred-year-old trees and special potted landscapes, with at least 350 bonsai on hand to mesmerize the beholder. There will also be bonsai classes held on the site, as well as introduction to medicinal plants and the use of aromatic herbs in the preparation of sweet desserts.The Palace of Floral Teas , located in the Tea area, is built around the refurbished Lin An-tai Historic House . Inside are primarily static visual displays, to be accompanied by many different types of cultural activities such as scheduled poetry recitals, Chinese painting and calligraphy,and demonstrations of the tea ceremony. Floral teas and fine foods will also be offered, and experts have been invited to give talks on the making of floral teas. Tea bonsai and bamboo will also be used in the creation of quiet,peaceful traditional Fujian-style gardens. A Floral Tunnel lined with a flowerframed pathway will connect the Fine Arts Park Area, Xinsheng Park Area, and Dajia Riverside Park Area, where you'll experience an ever-transforming flower show as you move along, in a multi-level space bedecked with flower globes,trees, and vines.<IMG border="0" alt="Special Preview of the Flora Expo Pavilions" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/2010_1027_en_08c.jpg" width="540" height="120" usemap="#Map2"/> <MAP name="Map2"><AREA href="#" alt="9. The lovely Lin An-tai Historic House is a classic Fujian-style courtyard residence built more than 200 years ago"/><AREA href="#" alt="8. The Pavilion of Regimen is built around the remodelled Little White House."/></MAP>Dajia Riverside Park,Co-Starring with NatureDajia Riverside Park features a more natural approach to the pavilions, meaning a design that deliberately seems uncoordinated. The Expo Arena spans three basketball courts, and sports a high ceiling design that shows no beams. This is the Flora Expo's largest performance space with 676 arts events are scheduled here. The Eco Theater is an open-concept theater in a horseshoe shape facing the Keelung River, normally used as a rest space for visitors when they are strolling the area and dropping by to admire the attractive water fountain—the Wish Fountain . On weekends and holidays, the setting will change dramatically,for on these days top-flight theatre will be presented.From this area you'll also be able to catch Flora Expo Blue Highway yacht tours, which will connect the expo areas, Raohe St. Night Market, and Miramar Entertainment Park .<IMG border="0" alt="Special Preview of the Flora Expo Pavilions" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/2010_1027_en_08d.jpg" width="393" height="120" usemap="#Map"/> <MAP name="Map"><AREA href="#" alt="11. The lovely digital water curtain that graces Dazhi Bridge at night."/><AREA href="#" alt="10. The Flora Expo Blue Highway yacht excursions,connecting the expo areas, can be caught at Dajia Riverside Park."/></MAP><TABLE cellpadding="10" align="center"><TBODY><TR><TD bgcolor="#eeeeee">Information</TD></TR><TR><TD>2010 Taipei Internat ional Flora ExpoTime: 2010/11/06-2011/4/25 Tel: 1999, dial (02) 2720-8889 if outside Taipei City</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> [][][][]Taipei City Government41353770https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=953FE981007A1073The Chinese Festival of Ghosts - Zhongyuan Festival<style type="text/css"></style> <img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/78_34_01.jpg" alt="The Chinese Festival of Chosts - Zhongyuan Festival" width="600" height="205" border="0" usemap="#MapMap" /> <map name="MapMap" id="MapMap"> <area shape="rect" coords="3,3,262,202" href="#" alt="During the Zhongyuan Festival public and private Pudu sacrificial rites are carried out in countless locations." /> <area shape="rect" coords="269,3,597,201" href="#" alt="A key Buddhist activity during the Zhongyuan Festival is the Ullambana Ceremony." /> </map> In the Chinese lunar calendar, the 15th day of the7th month marks the traditional Zhongyuan Festival, which most folk simply call the Ghost Festival. On this day the Gates of Hell are wide open andghosts arrive en masse in the mortal world, a time wheremany decide it is best not to go outside, thus avoiding“bumping into a ghost”. In Taiwan Ghost Month runs through the entire seventh lunar month, theGates of Hell open the entire time, with many traditionaltaboos in force, among them: don't get married, buya house, renovate, go on a trip, have an operation.Under no circumstances do you go swimming or standclose enough to water that you can stumble and fallin, for“water ghosts” lurk beneath, looking forsubstitute bodies so they may return to the mortal world.Ghost Festival – Caring for Lonely Ghosts According to tradition, the Gates of Hell areswung open on the first day of the seventh lunarmonth, ghosts visit the mortal world in number onthe fifteenth day, and the gates swung shut againon the last day. When the gates are opened, whatare called“lonely ghosts” come to visit themortal world; these are ghosts that do not havefamily carrying out rites for them, so members ofthe public will carry out what are called Pudu rites to give them succor. Those carrying outprivate rites will place tables outside their doors laden with such offerings as cooked dishes, cakes,and pastries. A single incense stick will be insertedinto each offering. The public rites, which are alsocalled the Zhongyuan Ceremony, arecarried out at local temples, generally staged byclans of specified surnames that have long lived ina neighborhood. In an effort to centralize the burning of ceremonialspirit money and reduce the amount of pollutioncaused, the city's Dept. of Civil Affairs, Dept. ofCultural Affairs, and Dept. of Environmental Protectioncooperate in the staging of consolidated ZhongyuanPudu activities at Huiji Temple inthe Zhishanyan neighborhood. From 2:30 pmin the afternoon on the first day of the seventh monthto the same time on the first day of the eighth month,hundred-year-old Pudu rites are faithfully carried outhere. The detailed Pudu regimen includes ceremonial“opening of the tomb gates,”decoration of waterlanterns, sacrificial offerings, and“closing of the tombgates.”The rites carried out at Taipei's Longshan Temple are heavy in tradition. Before Pudu is celebrated, alantern pole well over ten meters tall is erected beforethe temple and a traditional decorated lantern hungupon it. This serves as a beacon for lonely ghosts movingabout, which are often given the more peaceful name“good brothers”. There is also a water lantern rite to attract water ghosts. In many places a gupeng is also put up, a high canopy under which donorscompete to lay out the best feast foods for the otherworldlyvisitors. The banquet includes the traditional“five types ofmeat”—pork, chicken, duck, fish, and internal organsuch as pork liver or tripe—symbolizing all the animalsof the world. Also on the ghostly banquet table aresteamed rice, rice-based dishes, and other goodies.Pudu literally means“universal ferrying,”and in onesaying after the rites have been carried out and thesins of the ghosts expiated—the ghosts“ferried”tosalvation—mortal folk in the crowd are invited, often atthe sound of a gong, to take what foods they like. Thisis called qianggu, and those lucky enough toget their hands on some of the goodies will be blessedwith good fortune in the year to come.<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/78_34_02.jpg" alt="The Chinese Festival of Chosts - Zhongyuan Festival" width="600" height="194" border="0" usemap="#Map" /> <map name="Map" id="Map"> <area shape="rect" coords="3,4,281,191" href="#" alt="The release of water lanterns invites lonely water ghosts to come ashore for sacrificial offerings." /> <area shape="rect" coords="287,5,599,191" href="#" alt="The Pudu activities are suffused with the spirit of reverence for ancestors and of community fraternity." /> </map> Universal Ferrying for the Hungry Ghosts – A Manifestation of Love The wonderfully ornate Dalongdong Bao'an Temple has an especial ly wel l -at tendedUllambana Ceremony each year. In the morning, thereis a“Water Repentance Service”, withchanting of scripture and an enlightening talk froma Buddhist master that cleanses and purifies the soulof onlookers and instils an emotional calmness andtranquility. In the afternoon comes the“Feeding ofthe Hungry Ghosts”, with a grand feast laidout and the ghosts consuming the“essence”of thefoods. During the rites, a papier-mache likeness of thePudu Gong (Master Who Helps the Crossing) isset up, then cremated at ceremony's end to symbolizeits consummation. The folk-art traditions followed inthe creation of the icon have been handed down forcountless generations.Grand rites are also staged in celebrationof the Zhongyuan Festival over at GuanduTemple, north Taiwan's oldest templededicated to Mazu, the Goddess of theSea. The Pudu is nigh, and all those interestedin learning about and seeing live Taiwan's ageoldfolk traditions associated with the“universalferrying”have a key site close at hand. <table align="center" cellpadding="10" style=" float:center"> <tr> <td bgcolor="#EEEEEE">Information</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="http://www.lungshan.org.tw" target="_blank">Longshan Temple</a> <blockquote> Add: 211, Guangzhou St. Tel: (02)2302-5162 </blockquote> Huiji Temple <blockquote> Add: 26, Lane 326, Sec. 2, Zhicheng Rd. Tel: (02) 2831-5656 </blockquote> <a href="http://www.baoan.org.tw" target="_blank">Dalongdong Bao'an Temple</a> <blockquote> Add: 61, Hami St. Tel: (02)2595-1676 </blockquote> <a href="http://www.kuantu.org.tw" target="_blank">Guandu Temple</a> <blockquote> Add: 360, Zhixing Rd. Tel: (02) 2858-1281 </blockquote> </td> </tr></table>[][][][]Taipei City Government41353780https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=2C1241EED14DF590Seven Eve - The Chinese Valentine's Day<style type="text/css"></style> <img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/78_36_01.jpg" alt="Seven Eve - The Chinese Valentine's Day" width="200"" height="265" border="0" usemap="#Map" style="float:left;width="407 /> <map name="Map" id="Map"> <area shape="circle" coords="134,191,63" href="#" alt="The Old Man Under the Moon at XiaHai ChengHuang Temple is veryeffective, attracting many young singles to ask his help finding true love." /> <area shape="rect" coords="2,13,157,121" href="#" alt="At Zhaomingjing Temple's Wishing Pavilion, sweethearts hang wooden tablets with their wishes for love to find them." /> <area shape="rect" coords="12,120,70,180" href="#" alt="At Zhaomingjing Temple's Wishing Pavilion, sweethearts hang wooden tablets with their wishes for love to find them." /> </map> In West, Valentine's Day falls on the 14th day of the secondmonth, February. But in Chinese culture, the big dateis the seventh day of the seventh lunarmonth, and is customarily called Qi Xi or“Seventh Eve”, also translatedsimply as“Chinese Valentine's Day”and falls on the August 16 this year.According to ancient lore, long agoa mortal cowherd fell in love with animmortal maiden up in heaven known asthe“weaver girl.”Their love, however, was forbidden, andever since they have only been able to see each other once ayear, when the“Weaver Girl Star”, known as <img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/78_36_02.jpg" alt="Spend a romantic Seventh Eve with yoursweetheart." width="200" height="182" style="float:right;height=" alt6.="alt6." works="Works" created="created" during="during" the="the" hands-on="hands-on" paper-carving="Paper-Carving" colored="Colored" mirrors="Mirrors" aesthetic-experience="aesthetic-experience" activity268="activity268" />Vega inthe West, and the“Cowherd Star”, Altair, are highin the summer sky and look upon each other. Look upat the night sky on this day and you will feel the twobright twinkling lights seem to head toward eachother. Look close by and you'll espy a cluster ofpaler stars, said to be a great flock of magpieswho show pity on the star-crossed younghusband and wife and form a temporary bridgeto allow them to be together. On this day, drizzleis a common event and is said to be the tears ofthe lovers.The tradition lives on in Taiwan, and many activities are organized focusing on sweethearts on Qi Xi. Many couples head to what are colloquially called Lovers' Temples , asking the gods to bless andprotect their happiness.<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/78_36_03.jpg" alt="Married women will ask for Happiness Shoes from the City God's wife, requesting her help in ensuring bliss and harmony on the home front." width="200"" height="161" border="0" style="float:left;width="407 />Situated on a slope fronting massive Battleship Rock, the temple is formally known as Zhaomingjing Templeor Zhaoming Temple . Though enshrinedwithin is the Four-Faced Thousand Hand Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, who protects devotees'health, marriage, wisdom and wealth, the temple alsoonce displayed waxen statues of the Cowherd and theWeaver Girl as well as Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wen-jun, another couple famous in Chinese lore forhaving eloped. Hence the popular name Lovers' Temple.Beside is the Wishing Pond, in which you'll see sixlarge earthen bowls, each representing a different wish—romantic love, health, wealth, and so on. Besidethe pond is the Wishing Pavilion, on whichyou'll see inscribed characters declaring:“TrueLove No One Can See; False Love Heaven WillKnow”. Sweethearts hangup wooden tablets with their wishes here, or writethem on slips of paper that are then placed insidea Wishing Box beside the Guanyin icon.<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/78_36_04.jpg" alt="At Zhaomingjing Temple those seeking a happy match canalso light votive lamps."" width="200" height="200" style="float:right;height=" alt6.="alt6." works="Works" created="created" during="during" the="the" hands-on="hands-on" paper-carving="Paper-Carving" colored="Colored" mirrors="Mirrors" aesthetic-experience="aesthetic-experience" activity268="activity268" />On Dihua St. is the renowned XiaHaiChengHuang Temple, which is home toan icon of the Chinese Cupid, the Old Man Underthe Moon, known to be particularlyproficient. The old fellow leans on his cane, andholds a marriage registry in his hand. Singles comehere to ask the old one to bring true love to them,and each year about 6,000 couples on averagecome to give him cakes and other goodies inthanks for bringing them together. But the OldMan Under the Moon is not the only heavenlypersonage working on mortal relationships here;women come to ask the City God's wife to keeptheir husbands <img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/78_36_05.jpg" alt="Devotees also come to Longshan Temple's Old Man Under the Moon, throwing divining blocks and taking a red thread that may bring love." width="200"" height="264" border="0" style="float:left;width="407 />on the straight and narrow. TheCity God, just like an old-time mandarin official, isin charge of the administrative district around atemple, and everyone knows his wife has his ear.Ladies ask for pairs of Happiness Shoes forpeace and contentment on the home front . Over at the Longshan Temple in WanhuaDistrict, always busy and with great clouds of incensesmoke wafting about, you'll find what is popularlycalled the“'Rear Hall' Old Man Under the Moon”. This fellow is also famed for a high rate of effectiveness. You'll see devotees standing before him,silently communicating key personal info: date of birthand horoscope details, name, address, and the typeof person they'd like to meet. They ask the Old Man ifthey can take a red thread from his sleeve, then throwdivining blocks. If the two blocks come up with onerounded and one flat side up—three times in a row—you have shengjiao or a“divine answer,”meaning“yes.”Carry the threadwith you person andchances are highthat your true lovewill appear. <table align="center" cellpadding="10" style=" float:center"> <tr> <td bgcolor="#EEEEEE">Information</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Zhaomingjing Temple <blockquote> Add: 51, 53 Chongyang 7th Rd. Tel: (02)2894-1362 Hours: 08:00~17:00<a href="http://www.lungshan.org.tw" target="_blank"></a></blockquote> <a href="http://tpecitygod.org" target="_blank">Xiahai Chenghuang Temple</a> <blockquote> Add: 61, Sec. 1, Dihua St. Tel: (02) 2558-0346 Hours: 06:16~19:47 </blockquote> <a href="http://www.lungshan.org.tw" target="_blank">Longshan Temple</a> <blockquote> Add: 211 Guangzhou St. Tel: (02) 2302-5162 Hours: 06:00~22:20 </blockquote> </td> </tr></table>[][][][]Taipei City Government41353750https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=66A7BFF751FE6C54Memory of a Journey: The Magical Meanderings of the Artist<style type="text/css"></style><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_58_01.jpg" alt="Memory of a Journey: The Magical Meanderings of the Artist" width="598" height="305" border="0" usemap="#Map" /> <map name="Map" id="Map"> <area shape="rect" coords="2,0,410,301" href="#" alt="Wang Ya-hui's uses video to capture the memories and space-time continuum of childhood." /> <area shape="rect" coords="411,151,596,302" href="#" alt="Wang Ya-hui's uses video to capture the memories and space-time continuum of childhood." /> <area shape="rect" coords="415,4,596,149" href="#" alt="Viewing the travelogue works of oil painter Qiu Jian-ren is like stepping into a different time and space." /> </map> Since March the Taipei Fine Arts Museum has been running a new, top-flight show. It has chosen works from four selected artists to be its permanent collection, around the theme“Memory of a Journey”. In all works the artists approach scenes from the perspective of a traveler on a trip; the trips are trips down memory lane, of the life journeys and creative output of each. In looking at the works visitors can gaze deeply into the life, the soul, the creative process, andthe travel experiences of each artist.<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_58_03.jpg" alt="Memory of a Journey: The Magical Meanderings of the Artist" width="257"" height="399" border="0" usemap="#Map2" style="float:left; width="404 /><map name="Map2" id="Map2"> <area shape="rect" coords="43,3,239,223" href="#" alt="The oil paintings of Huang Ming-chang in his“Paris Attic—Illumination and Seeing Series”capture memories from his years as a student in Paris." /> <area shape="rect" coords="2,224,255,397" href="#" alt="Sitting among the red seats of an old theater and enjoying Tsai Ming-liang's short film It's a Dream draw the audience directly into the world of the director's youth." /></map>The Taiwan artists featured in the show are oil painters Huang Ming-chang and Qiu Jian-ren, video installation artist Wang Ya-hui, and renowned film director Tsai Ming-liang. The show is scheduled to run a full six months, until August 15th, giving the artists and their oeuvres plenty of exposure tothe public.The respective birthdates of these four artists spread from the 1950s through the 1980s, meaning markedly different backgrounds and life experience. Selected memories of their life journeys have been filtered through their familiar individual styles of artistic expression in ways that ensure the works resonate profoundly with the modern visitor, so passionate for the travel experiencethemselves.The 12 oil paintings of Huang Ming-chang are arranged under the theme“Paris Attic—Illumination and Seeing Series”. These capture his memories from his early years as a student in Paris. Huang is a realist painter, his style clear, crisp, precise, and in these works the doubts and uncertainties of a wanderer in a faraway land are vibrantly expressed. Painter Qiu Jian-ren, born in the 1980s, carries a digital camera around to capture those telling little vignettes from modern everyday life, transferring them to the world of paint with a heavy concentration of whites, blues, and shades of grey-black to deftly capture the feel of the aimless wanderer in the city and life tableaux we all find ourselves in. Wang Ya-hui's video-installation masterpieces create the experience of going on a guided tour of her childhood years and the places she lived in; visitors follow her steps as they travel through the time, space, and memory of another.<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_58_04.jpg" alt="Sitting among the red seats of an old theater and enjoying Tsai Ming-liang's short film It's a Dream draw the audience directly into the world of the director's youth." width="233"" height="149" border="0" style="float:right; width="206 /> The special draw of the“Memory of a Journey” attraction is the name Tsai Ming-liang, a film director acclaimed on the international scene. His film It's a Dream and an imaginative work of installation art are combined to evoke the artist's memories of his childhood in Malaysia. His 23-minute film is the first cinematic work added to the museum's permanent collection. The work of installation art replicates an old cinema, with old red chairs and old songs by Rebecca Pan. Screenings of the film are given inside.You'll indeed feel that It's a Dream while re-experiencing Tsai's childhood through his nostalgic artwork.Traveling through the worlds of the four“Memory of a Journey”artists featured is a trip through four distinctly different time periods. The transformations seen in the artworks capture the transformations experienced in four lives. The juxtaposition of the modern and the nostalgic will reverberate within the psyche of the viewer—you— stimulating a meditation on the space and time you now inhabit and the transformations running throughyour own existence.<table align="center" cellpadding="10" style=" float:center" > <tr> <td bgcolor="#EEEEEE">Information</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Memory of a Journey: Permanent Collection of TFAM <ul> <li>Venue: Taipei Fine Arts Museum</li> <li>Add: 181, Sec. 3, Zhongshan N. Rd.</li> <li>Tel: (02) 2595-7656</li> <li>Website: <a href="http://www.tfam.museum" target="_blank">www.tfam.museum</a></li> </ul></td> </tr></table>[][][][]Taipei City Government41353760https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=581C21921CFF94D1Timmy Yip's Magical New Orientatlism Stars in "Summer Revelry"<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_60_01.jpg" alt="Timmy Yip's Magical New Orientatlism Stars in """ width="222"" height="371" border="0" usemap="#Map" style="float:left; width="Summer Revelry404 /><map name="Map" id="Map"> <area shape="rect" coords="3,3,218,189" href="#" alt="Timmy Yip uses still photos, sculpture, and installation art in a peculiar aesthetic display that is strange and fantastical." /> <area shape="rect" coords="3,192,220,368" href="#" alt="In the installation artwork“Lili”lifeless inanimate models are used as mocking personifications of living humans." /></map>For many people in the West, initial exposure to theaesthetics of the mysterious East has come via TimmyYip. Yip won an Oscar for Best Art Direction forhis work on Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,responsible for both art and costume design. His visionbrought the dazzling aesthetics of the martial-artsworld to the Western eye. In addition to art directionon cinematic works, Yip also vents his creative spiritin such other media as the visual arts, installation art,and sculpture; he is a veritable Renaissance man ofthe contemporary arts world. Over the past few years,he has been traveling the world promoting his“NewOrientalism”concept, creating betterunderstanding of the beauty of Asian culture andaesthetics and the unlimited possibilities for creativeexpression which they possess.<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_60_02.jpg" alt="Timmy Yip uses still photos, sculpture, and installation art in a peculiar aesthetic display that is strange and fantastical." width="226"" height="214" style="float:right; width="206 />This summer Yip is staging“Summer Revelry” at MOCA Taipei to draw the interest of sightseers visiting the city to the rich aesthetic tapestry of the East. The show has four themes: still photos, moving pictures, sculpture, and installation art. With an artist's eye for depicting details and sense of the romantic, Yip documents the fine balance achieved in contemporary Chinese society between the march to the future and the affection for tradition. A light-hearted ambiance of joy and, yes, revelry will be key, the artist using a playful mix of sound, light, and image to create a summer event that stirs, entertains, and educates.In the still photo section, images are used to show the ephemeral border that separates illusion fromreality, presenting bizarre and striking aesthetic beauty.Yip documents places he has traveled to as artist andsightseer, using different perspectives to demonstratethe aesthetic sensibilities of different times and spaces.The moving pictures section focuses on Mother Naturefor creative inspiration;“rain”and“tree shade”are two natural phenomena that affect us at a deep,subliminal level, and Yip approaches these subjects withan artist's eye for observation within the framework ofthe traditional Asian shanshui (山水) frame of referencefor landscape. The sculpture section moves from naturalforms to the human form, the inspiration being the litheand delicate form of the Asian female. Deftly weldingtechnique that is aptly described as strange andfantastical, the Eastern aesthetic, in which emotion issuppressed and sublimated, is powerfully conveyed.Perhaps the most intriguing part of this exhibit is the section on installation art, which Yip has christened “Lili.”Two special ladies have been given the main roles in this work—two plastic models, bereft of soul and life. In reconfiguring their bodies, a singularly peculiar aesthetic is born. These inanimate figures are bereft of the gift of life, yet are meant to mimic, and even mock, living humans. In recent years Yip has often focused on the female body, using an abundance of red, which is loaded with symbolism in the East, as a platform for expression of his ideas regarding the absurdities and irrationality of life and the thirst for love and desire.<table align="center" cellpadding="10" style=" float:center" > <tr> <td bgcolor="#EEEEEE">Information</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Summer Revelry <blockquote> Time: Jun. 10 ~ Aug. 9 Venue: MOCA Taipei Add: 39, Chang'an W. Rd. Tel: (02) 2552-3721 Hours: Tues-Sun 10:00-18:00 (closed Mon) Website: <a href="http://www.mocataipei.org.tw" target="_blank">www.mocataipei.org.tw </a> </blockquote></td> </tr></table>[][][][]Taipei City Government41353720https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=915AFF943B83A089An Explosion of Flora Expo Originality<IMG style="FLOAT: left" border="0" alt="The special Flora Expo passenger cabins on EVA Air planes are festooned with Expo-theme decorative embellishments." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_16_01.jpg" width="216" height="149"/>If somehow you have missed all the hype to this point, here's a reminder that the muchanticipated 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo is just around the corner. The city government is hosting the gala, and this is the first time that Taiwan has been chosen as host site for an International Association of Horticultural Producers (IAHP) event—and just the seventh time for Asia. The fun will go on for six full months, starting on October 9 and opening to the general public on November 6.<IMG style="FLOAT: right" border="0" alt="An Explosion of Flora Expo Originality" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_16_022.jpg" width="235" height="524" usemap="#Map"/> <MAP id="Map" name="Map"> <AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="A variety of service products in the cabins are exclusive Expo-theme items." coords="4,3,231,154"/><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (second from right) and Evergreen Group Senior Vice Chairman Lin Shing-san (second from left) formally announce the lift-off of the EVA Air Flora Expo cabins." coords="4,158,232,334"/><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="Cute flower fairy EasyCard stickers." coords="5,333,129,494"/> <AREA href="#" shape="CIRCLE" alt="Gold and silver breastpins." coords="201,427,30"/><AREA href="#" shape="CIRCLE" alt="Gold and silver breastpins." coords="173,491,40"/></MAP>Great effort has been poured into the most colorful event possible, from the themes chosen to the facilities to the parade of activities. The distinctive main theme is“River, Flower, New Horizon”. There will be four main exposition areas, 14 exhibition halls, and over 70 hectares of outdoor sculpted gardens affording different vistas of the city—downtown, amidst parkland, at river's side—giving you great views into this city's gardens of delight and at the same time into this country's culture and high-tech achievements. The city government is joining forces with 20 other cities and counties to sing the praises of Taiwan's rich cultural tapestry during the Flora Expo, with a cavalcade of activities introducing the special character of each place and the unique goods and produce associated with each. Such happenings as Taoyuan Week and Tainan Week will make your visit a veritable Garden of Eden of fun and discovery.EVA Air“Flora Expo”Cabins – Gardens in the Sky Already, participants from 40 countries, 80 cities, and 126 organizations have signed up to come. To welcome them on their trip across land and sea to Ilha Formosa, the city government has teamed up with EVA Air to design an attractive series of 40 items for use in passenger cabins, such as paper cups and headrest covers that carry colorful Flora Expo promotional designs. Four cabins are decked out with the festive additions. Even the models of planes sold as souvenir items are redone in Flora Expo designs. And in June, EVA will start handing out the one million special Flora Expo boarding passes and luggage tags, giving passengers colorful little reminders of where they should be coming in autumn.<IMG style="FLOAT: left" border="0" alt="An Explosion of Flora Expo Originality" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_16_04.jpg" width="198" height="245" usemap="#Map2"/> <MAP id="Map2" name="Map2"><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="Flora Expo sports hat and Polo shirt." coords="5,3,195,121"/><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="Colorful flower fairy absorbent coasters." coords="4,125,195,242"/></MAP>The four decorated cabins are on EVA A330-200 aircraft, and you'll be able to book a seat on one right up until the end of the Expo next year. Right now, these bright “gardens in the sky” are being featured on routes to Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Seoul, Hong Kong, Nanjing, and Bangkok.Souvenir with Taiwanese Flavors A wide range of commemorative souvenir items has been designed for the Flora Expo, all created to hold both sentimental value and to serve a practical function. The Expo's mascots are pastelbright flower fairies, and you'll be able to buy postit and magnets, badges and breastpins, EasyCard stickers, Polo shirts and hats, and even absorbent coasters, all emblazoned with the sprightly little characters. There's also cute, spar kling flower fairy figurines made with eco-friendly glass, plus a collector series of Flora Expo plates and a series of mugs and coasters, all featuring gold foil, fine detail, and high-quality craftsmanship. <IMG style="FLOAT: right" border="0" alt="An Explosion of Flora Expo Originality" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_16_05.jpg" width="199" height="246" usemap="#Map3"/> <MAP id="Map3" name="Map3"><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="There are five different colored-glaze flower fairy figurines to choose from." coords="7,3,196,132"/><AREA shape="RECT" coords="9,136,195,241" href="#" alt="There are five different colored-glaze flower fairy figurines to choose from."/> </MAP>You can check out and buy all these offerings online, or you can head over to Taipei City Hall, where a special Flora Expo promotion area has been set up on the first floor. You'll also find promotional boutiques at the National Theater and National Concert Hall, National Taiwan Museum, Nangang Exhibition Hall, and Taiwan Handicraft Promotion Center where you can browse a selection of the coasters, T-shirts, and other souvenirs. The Expo organizers are also preparing other unique souvenir items that will be unveiled one by one as the opening date approaches, including splendid“Flower Fairy Fragrance Figurines” and a series of cups, flashlights, vases, and other wares designed and crafted by artists that work with bamboo. <IMG style="FLOAT: left" border="0" alt="An Explosion of Flora Expo Originality" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_16_06.jpg" width="274" height="187" usemap="#Map4"/> <MAP id="Map4" name="Map4"> <AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="2010 Flora Expo cool card designs." coords="3,3,138,187"/><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="Aborigine-created products: clothing adornments made with bark." coords="143,4,273,185"/> </MAP>The culture and history of each of Taiwan's many aboriginal tribes are unique, and the artifacts created by each people have their own distinctive personality. To join in on the Flora Expo celebrations the city's Indigenous Peoples Commission has staged the“Flower Power—Creative Aboriginal Product Design Competition”. All tribes submitted innovative designs using the flowers commonly seen in their home districts or flowers specially used in festivals, incorporating the tribe's distinctive traditional totems and myths. Among the flowers you'll see in the entries are lily, betel-nut flower, djulis flower, mountain litsea, Alishan thistle, dendrobium, and shell flower. <IMG style="FLOAT: right" border="0" alt="An Explosion of Flora Expo Originality" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_16_07.jpg" width="279" height="127" usemap="#Map5"/> <MAP id="Map5" name="Map5"><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="Aborigine-created products: gift–boxes featuring Rukai and north Paiwan totems." coords="2,11,88,125"/><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="Aborigine-created products: bronzeware items featuring traditional Paiwan design motifs." coords="89,27,186,124"/><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="Aborigine-created products: plates featuring the totems and patterns used in weaving by the island's tribe." coords="188,8,276,103"/></MAP>There were four entry categories: packaging, handicrafts, articles for daily use, and fashionable attire and accessories. You'll cer tainly see something qui te new and different in native artistic creation, whether it's handbags, clothing, stationery, plates, vases, nightlights, or a host of other uniquely“aboriginal” designs, with aesthetics that embrace both the chic and fashionable as well as the functional. The winning ent r ies have al ready gone into commercial production and will be on display, and for sale, starting in October during the Flora Expo at the Taipei Soccer Stadium in the“Aboriginal Theme Store”. They'll be accompanying a special series of 10 representative aboriginal souvenir items,the list including embroidered lovers' pouches, brooch sets, eye-motif coasters that capture the protective blessings of ancestral spirits, and incense-stick holders made from the slate traditionally used in village architecture. [][][][]Taipei City Government41353730https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=F829A7C073614DFCCulture and Aesthetics: Taipei as Seen By Ann Yu-chien<style type="text/css"></style><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_50_00.jpg" alt="Culture and Aesthetics: Taipei as Seen By Ann Yu-chien" width="600" height="389" border="0" /> <table style="float:left" class="blank" summary="編排圖片表格"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_50_01.jpg" alt= "Ann Yu-chien" width="170" height="231" hspace="5" vspace="5" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Ann Yu-chien <ul> <li>Licensed architect in Pennsylvania</li> <li>Shih Chien University Taipei Campus Planning Moderator</li> <li>Shih Chien University Dean of College of Design, Associate Prof. in Dept. of Architecture</li> </ul></td> </tr> </tbody></table>From the moment the visitor steps into the office of Ann Yu-chien, head of the College of Design at Shih Chien University, the phone never seems to stop ringing. Ann is like a troop commander, giving out a steady stream of orders. She is also a dancer, making her busymoments poised, stylish, and graceful.Asked about her view of the city in which she lives and works, Ann says that she sees Taipei as a natural beauty with no need to apply makeup for that beauty to shine, for it is already cultured and cultivated. There is much already to attract the interest of foreign travelers.“The people of Taipei have every reason to be filled with self-confidence,”she declares. As a lifetime Taipei hand, she laughingly says that her father was constantly in search of a quiet living environment, moving the family about the city eleven times. This gave her keen insight into the economic and working realities of each community, each possessing a well-defined character verydifferent from the others.She has enjoyed watching the slow evolutions of Yongkang St. as it changes with the moods and the desires of the times, today a crossroads of the world's offerings for the consumer both in terms of goods and foods. The snacks and light meals at Thanh Ky Vietnamese Restaurant and the soysauce-stewed meat with rice and classic side dishes at Da Lai Restaurant all demand repeated visits. Mooi is a quaint and entertaining vintage furniture store that specializes in sourcing modernist pieces from the 50s to 70s, allimported from Europe and individually handcrafted.Zhaoheding Antique Market brings youback to Taiwan, for period items sourced from aroundthe island. Ann's favorite way to end a Yongkang foray,she says, is to gather with friends at Ecole Café on Qingtian St. for a cup of gourmet coffee,good conversation, and a view of the communitygoing about its business. The folks she sees are commonfolk, the views commonplace, but the sum total of allshe sees and experiences in this little global village isextraordinary and priceless.Mention Nanmen Market and a merry twinkle comes to her eye. She loves to bring foreign professors visiting her university for an eye-opening cultural ramble here, and says there has never been a jaunt to the expansive, iconic traditional day market where the melting pot of hot foods and items sourced from near and far has not caused marvel. From the master of the knife neatly laying out cuts of dried salted fish, scales glistening silver and white, to the salted duck eggs, greenish in hue and lined up one by one, the ambiance of timeless traditions and practices is powerful.“To me, the green hue of the duck eggs is like that of a Song porcelain, a beauty that resembles the clear sky after rainfall,”says Ann. Taiwan's positionon the high seas has made it a crossroads of humanity,the evidence laid out in the fantastic bazaar of foodshere. What she loves most is that it is“real,” growingup naturally from the local culture, with no artificialpackaging for the tourist eye. <img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_50_02.jpg" alt="Culture and Aesthetics: Taipei as Seen By Ann Yu-chien" width="600" height="233" border="0" usemap="#Map" /><map name="Map" id="Map"> <area shape="rect" coords="1,0,196,231" href="#" alt="Toward the end of Yongkang St., Zhaoheding Antique Market is a wonderful place to hunt for that perfect Taiwan antique item." /> <area shape="rect" coords="201,2,398,232" href="#" alt="From Ann Yu-chien's iconoclastic aesthetic viewpoint, the green-hue duck eggs at Nanmen Market are like Song Dynasty porcelains." /> <area shape="rect" coords="403,4,597,231" href="#" alt="Bao'an Temple has a grandiose layout, exemplified by architectural craftsmanship and detail of the finest quality." /></map>If you're in need of a gift or souvenir items, says Ann, there's no better destination than the Jianguo Holiday Jade Market . It's a veritable Silk Road terminus for jade, with pieces of every variety and prices in every range. She takes visiting professors in the field of multimedia technology to explore the wonderful world of gadgetry at Guang Hua Digital Plaza, for this is veritable 3C hallowed ground. Trained as an architect, there's few better day-outings for Ann than touring the city's precious architectural jewels, which she very much enjoys showing off to foreign friends. Favorite sites are Taipei Confucius Temple, Bao'an Temple, and Longshan Temple — her most favorite being Bao'an because of the exquisiteartistry of its restoration work.While Ann Yu-chien is of the opinion that the people of Taipei have strong reason to be filled with a sense of pride and self-confidence, Ann herself is a source of pride for this city, one of the many elegant, graceful, and poised citizens that adds beauty and quality to the life of all here, in all she does.[][][][]Taipei City Government41353740https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=08D3B81FF7B1D33CPost-it Animation Creator: Liu Bang-yoo's Taipei Inspeiration Map<style type="text/css"></style><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_52_01.jpg" alt="Post-it Animation Creator: Liu Bang-yoo's Taipei Inspeiration Map" width="600" height="302" border="0" usemap="#Map" /> <map name="Map" id="Map"> <area shape="rect" coords="2,2,296,299" href="#" alt="The design of the eslite bookstore Xinyi outlet is the embodiment of a cultured space." /> <area shape="rect" coords="303,4,595,128" href="#" alt="The TNUA Café is a favorite place for Liu Bang-yao, an oasis of quiet where he can work out his creative thoughts." /> <area shape="rect" coords="301,131,597,299" href="#" alt="The outdoor platform at Love Me, Love Me Not restaurant is a great spot to look out over the twinkling lights of Taipei at night." /> </map> Originality is life itself!”proclaims Liu Bang-yao, creator of “Deadline,” the animated short film sensation. Made with thousands upon thousands of vivid Post-its, each one a“pixel,”Liu used stopmotion photography to animate his ever-changing frames posted on a classroom wall—over 6,000 in all— to tell the story of a young man's angst at an impending deadline, with colorful scenes of thunderstorms, monsters, and submarines playing through his Post-it“window.” Deadline was his final senior project at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD); to date the film has been viewed over three million times on YouTube, and made Time magazine's Top Ten Viral Videos 2009 lists. Ithas also been screened at film festivals around the globe.Liu is now studying in the Department of New Media Art at the Taipei National University of the Arts. Yet even though his resume of professional accomplishments remains a little light—he's just 25 this year—since his“Deadline”breakthroughhe has been asked by Microsoft to participate in the making of advertisements for its Bing search engine, andthe Shanghai branch of Converse has invited him to bepart of its artistic team for the firm's China phase of itsYou're It campaign.<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_52_02.jpg" alt="You can enjoy Liu Bang-yao's acclaimed short film“Deadline”Post-it Stop Motion on Youtube." width="600" height="321" border="0" /> How, pray tell, does he dig up what seems his endlesssupply of new ideas？Liu uses a motorcycle to scoot around the city, and loves to head over to the city's busy and stylish east side, a mecca for local youth where all that's hot and in vogue is found and anything obsolete is quickly discarded. A favorite ritual is to wander down the lanes and alleys to see what's new at the T-shirt outlets, checking the latest and best in patterns and color use concocted by bright young designers from Taiwan and the rest of the planet. He'll also wander the vast eslite bookstore flagship outlet in the Xinyi district, where he says he can easily spend the entire day checking out the titles and checking out the people. What most piques his interest are the newissues of magazines from around the world and the designer products, all loaded with fresh-from-the-ovennovel thinking; at this time, he says, he feels the pulse ofthe world coursing through his veins. From the peopleflowing by he picks up ideas from clothing and snippetsof conversation—“glimpses of humanity”that he thenbrings to his works and that, in turn, resonate with viewersand bring smiles of understanding.Another favorite place to go is a lovely scenic restaurant up high on Yangmingshan sporting the English name Love Me, Love Me Not, where he'll gather with friends to look out over the big broad vistas of luxuriant green, chit-chat about the stuff of life, and gather his friends' insights on his works. When feeling like solitude and tranquility, he visits the TNUA Café in his university's student center, where he'll take his notebook computer and quietly work out his thoughts, gazing peacefully out at the show of city lights and stars twinkling to life as the sun goes down and Taipei's nightstagecurtain is raised.“To me, the creative process starts with observing all the little things around you in your life,”says Liu.“Many of the things you are familiar with, but barely notice, are fountainheads of true novelty and originality.”The youthful and energetic Liu thus spends his days roving the city, always on the prowl for fresh inspiration and fresh artisticvistas—and, as his many fans have seen, finding it.<table class="blank" style="float:center" summary="編排圖片表格"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="278"><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_52_03.jpg" alt= "Liu Bang-yao" width="167" height="219" hspace="5" vspace="5" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Exhibitions and Awards <ul><li>25th International Short Film Festival Berlin, Finalist.</li> <li>2009 Nickelodeon Animation Festival, Student Award.</li> <li>Adobe Design Achievement Awards (ADAA), Animation category, Honorable Mention.</li> <li>Flip Animation Festival, Best Stop Motion Award</li> <li>San Diego Film Festival, Entrant.</li> <li>KT Creativity Awards, Special Jury Award, and MOCA Taipei show.</li> <li>Installation work created in Shanghai for Converse You're It campaign.</li> <li>Participation in Microsoft's Bing search engine advertising production .</li> </ul></td> </tr> </tbody></table>[][][][]Taipei City Government41353700https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=CEC46CEC20A56D1DTaipei Smiles: Expo 2010 Shanghai<IMG border="0" alt="The Taipei Pavilion uses the framework of an old factory building on the outside, melded with the concept of the dockyard, and plywood made from wood shavings to display the pavilion's eco-protection theme." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_4_01.jpg" width="600" height="470"/> Launched on May 1, Expo 2010 Shanghai is the first ever to have an explicitly urban theme. And Taipei as a leading international metropolis wouldn't miss it for the world!The Taipei Pavilion has“wireless broadband”and “resource sustainability”as its two core proposals. Taipei's success is shared to the world for the city has the most extensive public wireless-broadband network on the globe, plus its promotion of waste reduction and recycling is havaing splendid results. The Taipei exhibition facilities have been designed and constructed following the 3R approach—Reduce, Recycle, Reuse—and the World Expo's international selection committee was impressed enough that Taipei was the first city to have two proposals granted.Eco Taipei：Promoting Urban Sustainability Taipei implemented a system of“Per-Bag Trash Col lect ion Fee”in July 2000. Since then, city residents have been required to dispose of their non-recyclable waste in designated bags. The city government's incentive system—less waste means lower fees—has given residents greater motivation to separate their garbage.Taipei's residents have been working towards the total recycling of resources, the small efforts of individuals aggregating into an exceptional achievement for the city as a whole. In fact, Taipei's household-garbage volume fell from 2,970 metric tons per day in 2000 to just 1,009 metric tons per day in 2009, a 67％ decline. Over the same period, the volume of recycled materials grew from just 2.4％ of total waste to 45％.To maximize the recycled materials and achieve the“zero landfill”objective, Taipei has included everything with the potential for reuse in its “recyclable”category.For example, kitchen leftovers are fed to pigs or composted; bicycles, old furniture and other large items are repaired or refurbished by skilled teams at the city government's Department of Environmental Protection, then sold cheaply to residents who need them; sewer sludge is filtered and used as fill or in agriculture; and ash from the city's garbage incinerators is used by private companies as an additive when making concrete, surfacing roads, and backfilling pipe trenches. Taipei's success in reducing its volume of solid waste has eliminated the need for a planned third incinerator, contributing enormously to the city's environmental protection efforts. <IMG border="0" alt="Taipei Smiles: Expo 2010 Shanghai" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_4_02.jpg" width="600" height="475" usemap="#Map"/> <MAP id="Map" name="Map"><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="Recycle bins in convenience stores make ecoprotection easy and convenient." coords="0,0,264,174"/><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="Recycle bins in convenience stores make ecoprotection easy and convenient." coords="0,177,264,354"/><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="Recycle bins in convenience stores make ecoprotection easy and convenient." coords="267,206,464,475"/><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="Taipei's citizens follow a set time and location system for garbage collection." coords="268,0,596,200"/></MAP>Intelligent Taipei : Making Lives Better For the last ten years, Taipei has been endeavoring to remake itself into a new“CyberCity”by aggressively ins tal l ing wi reles s broadband communicat ions infrastructure and promoting e-Government initiatives. The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) recognized these efforts in 2006 when it named Taipei its“Intelligent Community of the Year.”The Taipei City Government began promoting Cyber City project in 1999, and completed implementation of the first two stages of the project within eight years. The goal of stage one (1999-2002) was to encourage residents to utilize online services“Frequent the Internet, Free Up the Road.”The stage involved building a network for city-government business and delivering citygovernment non-stop services online around the clock. Stage two (2003-2006), called“Digital City, Mobile Taipei,”involved building wireless networks in public areas of the city and schools, enhancing e-Government services, and improving residents' digital lives. In an effort to save energy and reduce carbon emissions, the Taipei City Government is actively encouraging res ident s to make use of publ ic transportation. Intelligent signs at bus stops, telephone hotlines, and cell phones enable residents to check on the current status of public vehicles, making it more pleasant and convenient to ride public transportation. Meanwhile, the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) provides automobile drivers with cell-phone-accessible information on the availability of parking spaces. To date, Taipei has issued more than 1.82 million EasyCards. These non-contact, rechargable prepaid cards integrate multiple functions that currently include payment of transit and parking fees. On April 1, they acquired the ability to make small purchases, meaning that cardholders will be able to use their EasyCards to pay for purchase at convenience stores, making it easier still for city residents to use one card for everything. <IMG border="0" alt="Taipei Smiles: Expo 2010 Shanghai" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_4_03.jpg" width="600" height="387" usemap="#Map2"/> <MAP id="Map2" name="Map2"><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="As part of the intelligent transportation system, your smart phones can be used to check e-maps." coords="313,3,598,211"/><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="Wireless broadband has made this city a seamless “office” for mobile workers." coords="-2,33,309,390"/></MAP>Three Major Theme Areas Highlighting the Charms of Taipei City to You The Taipei Pavilion is located in the Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA) of the Expo's Puxi Site. It features three large exhibit areas—“101 3D Theater”, “Theater of the Future”, and“Interactive Gallery”—where the wireless broadband and resource sustainability concepts are given form. At the 101 3D Theater the film Taipei．Life．Smile is shown. Created by internationally acclaimed Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien, eleven professional cameras and a high-definition 3D camera were used to finish the shoot, combining the two techniques with visual effects to craft an enticing three-dimensional work, which immerses the viewer into experiencing the vigorous daily life of Taipei. <IMG border="0" alt="Taipei Smiles: Expo 2010 Shanghai" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/77_4_04.jpg" width="639" height="309" usemap="#Map3"/> <MAP id="Map3" name="Map3"><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="In the A Story of Two Cities area word and picture are used to help visitors understand the historical connections between Shanghai and Taipei" coords="341,5,641,154"/><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="In the Theater of the Future you can view a scale model of Taipei Basin, with virtual imagery used to display the use of wireless broadband and resource sustainability." coords="1,113,306,309"/><AREA href="#" shape="RECT" alt="In the Interactive Gallery visitors can experience“firsthand” Taipei's natural ecology and world of the arts and humanities.”" coords="308,157,617,307"/></MAP>At the Interactive Gallery visitors can experience Taipei's natural ecology and its world of arts and humanities. There are five major themes: Eco Taipei, Discover Taipei, Lovely Taipei, A Story of Two Cities, and Taipei Smiles. With Eco Taipei, visitors use touch panels to travel upstream against the currents of time in order to understand the pollution remediation of the Danshui River. With Discover Taipei director Hou Hsiao-hsien introduces the many faces of Taipei via an excursion through her cultural and natural environments. With Lovely Taipei you are taken on a whirlwind tour of the city's most famous and beloved tourist sights, and there are even nifty services for photo taking and the sending of photo e-files. In the A Story of Two Cities area you see the stories of Taipei and Shanghai with their criss-crossing paths through the unfolding of time, told with word and picture, experiencing times of war and glory, times of vicissitudes and reform. Finally, in the Taipei Smiles area, the vitality and creativity of the city's denizens are placed front and center, with photos and messages displayed for the entire world to see the smile of these industrious people and the strength of the city. See you at the Taipei Pavilion during the World Expo, where we are proud to show you just what this city of vision and charisma is made of! <TABLE cellpadding="10" align="center"><TBODY><TR><TD bgcolor="#eeeeee">Information</TD></TR><TR><TD>Taipei Pavilion / Expo 2010 Shanghai <BLOCKQUOTE>Exhibition Period: May 1 ~ Oct. 31 Location: Expo in downtown Shanghai, both sides of Huangpu River, riverside area between Nanpu Bridge and Lupu Bridge; pavilion at Puxi Site, UBPA, B4-3 </BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> [][][][]Taipei City Government41353690https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=E511FF3D35FA3E37Love Paper Love Life Exhibition<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/76_60_01.jpg" alt="Playing relaxing gateball at very friendly prices." width="201"" height="502" border="0" usemap="#Map" style="float:left; width="404 /><map name="Map" id="Map"><area shape="rect" coords="3,1,192,273" href="#" alt="1. Ocean Series, by Kobayashi Junko" /><area shape="rect" coords="4,277,198,499" href="#" alt="2. Pineapple Fiber Lamp, by Li Meng-shu" /></map>In an era of universal passion for 3Dvisuals, and in an era with a passion forgreen friendliness,“paper”has decidedto leave the staid confines of the libraryand contribute itself to the aestheticsof our everyday lives. The SuHo MemorialPaper Culture Foundation is staging the Love Paper Love Life Exhibition exhibit to show off the wonderful possibilitiesof paper, inviting 10 artists and designers and an inventivepaper-product brand to make creative use of paper withproduct, space, installation, and architectural models. Youare to be taken away from the old 2D era of paper and intoa new mode of living!<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/76_60_2.jpg" alt="3. Gateball's basic equipment: sticks and balls" width="185"" height="519" border="0" usemap="#Map2" style="float:right; width="206 /><map name="Map2" id="Map2"><area shape="rect" coords="4,2,188,191" href="#" alt="3. Tree of Books, by biaugust CREATION OFFICE" /><area shape="rect" coords="6,194,187,371" href="#" alt="4. Aesthetic Chairs of Living, a 2F space created by Zhang Yongsheng and Xu Zhi-ping)" /><area shape="rect" coords="6,372,186,517" href="#" alt="5. Paper Curtain, created using paper and driftwood by Zhang Yong-sheng" /></map>With Love Paper Love Life Exhibition the SuHo Memorial Paper Museum is taking 20 years of knowledge and experience relating to friendly relations with people, nature, materials, the environment, and our Mother Earth and condensing them, introducing you to the aesthetics of paper in your life. A simple material you most likely take for granted, paper is rich in possibilities and can bring great beauty to everyday living. Flat paper can be magically transformed into the wonderful source of cascading light. Driftwood and fiber paper can be used to create ornate and auspicious pineapple-shaped hanging lanterns. These are both eco-friendly and stay“fresh” throughout the year. Even disposable paper cups and plates can be miraculously transformed into tasteful tableware suitable for feasting the most honored guests! <img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/76_60_3.jpg" alt="6. Works created during the hands-on Paper-Carving Colored Mirrors aesthetic-experience activity"" width="85" height="108" style="float:left;height=" alt6. Works created during the hands-on Paper-Carving Colored Mirrors aesthetic-experience activity268 />The show will feature all types of tableware made using non-wood pulp fiber, created by such well-known invited names as the Japanese artist Kobayashi Junko , eight well-known Taiwan artists including Li Meng-shu, and the famed Japanese paper-tableware brand Wasara. From now until April 22, in addition to the theme exhibits there will also be a series of activities on the theme of aesthetics ineveryday life, including a book exchange, sharing sessions,musical performances, and other attractions, along with aduo of aesthetic-experience DIY sessions,“Paper-CarvingColored Mirrors”on March 20 and“Notes onLife” on April 3. You'll be able to do such creativethings as use paper, papier-mâché, and colorings to moldand create your own mirror, and to hand-craft your ownspecial little notebook, lantern, vase, and other beauties withpractical everyday uses, re-recognizing the myriad faces ofpaper, that miracle material.Love Paper Love Life Exhibition emphasizes that“Playing with Paper” is in no way the monopoly of the artist, and via an called for“Image Submission Request”to show that great aesthetic pleasure can be derived from this simplest and purest of materials in all areas of our everyday life. Works by the prize-winners will be on display at the SuHo Memorial Paper Museum from March 13 to April 22.Let's head into the attractive aesthetic world of paper and bring the joy and happiness of this wondrous material into our lives!<table align="center" cellpadding="10" style=" float:center" > <tr> <td bgcolor="#EEEEEE">Information</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top">Love Paper Love Life Exhibition Time: Until Apr. 22 Venue: SuHo Memorial Paper Museum Hours:Mon-Sat 09:30~16:30 (closed on Sundays) Add: 68, Sec. 2, Chang'an E. Rd. Tel: (02) 2507-5535 Website: <a href="http://www.suhopaper.org.tw" target="_blank">www.suhopaper.org.tw</a> <blockquote> </blockquote> </td> </tr></table>[][][][]Taipei City Government41353670https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=D60E92ED467B3960The Confucius Gift Center: Confusianism with a Modern Twist<IMG alt="The Confucius Gift Center: Confusianism with a Modern Twist" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch73_p60_01.jpg" style="float:center;"/>The currents of Chinese culture run deep and broad, manifesting compelling power. When in Taipei, tourists from lands far away are always sure to make a pilgrimage to the Confucius Temple, a physical embodiment of profound philosophical thought. Tucked away in the attractive, sprawling complex, the eclectic Confucius Gift Shop presents you with nifty, clever memento items that innovatively incorporate Confucian motifs and symbolism. Bet you've never before seen a Confucius tumbler, a wooden prayer tablet orwhat is called an“All Pa coffee cup”. But here you will. The delight of old and new are ingeniously kneaded together in each distinctive item of merchandise. Foreign tourists have been smitten by them, and have been snapping them up.<table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style=" float:center"> <tr> <td ><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch73_p60_02.jpg" alt="1. Wooden tablets on which one's prayers are written are hot-selling items at the Confucius Temple, bought and hung up by local and foreign visitors alike." width="220" style="float:left;" /></td> <td rowspan="3" ><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch73_p60_05.jpg" alt="4. A plump and rounded Confucius tumbler carrying an ALL PASS sign" width="220" style="float:left;"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td ><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch73_p60_03.jpg" alt="2. A talisman which will bring high marks to the person who possesses it" width="220" style="float:left;"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td ><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch73_p60_04.jpg" alt="3. All Pa mug, the Happy Confucius book holder, a music student doll with a peach on its head and a dance student doll with a pear on its head—both fruits very auspicious—and books on Confucius in six languages" width="220" style="float:left;"/></td> </tr></table><table cellpadding="10" style=" float:right" ><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE">How to Pray for a Blessing</td></tr><tr><td><ol> <li> Write your name and your request on a wooden prayer card.</li> <li> Follow the temple's planned route for the“Prayer Ritual”; proceed first through the main portal, the Hong Gate, and walk toward the Li Gate. Pass through Li Gate, then the Ling Xing Gate and the Yi Gate, then enter the main hall, Dacheng (Great Success) Hall, to formally express one's greetings and make the request.</li> <li> With arms before the chest, one palm covering a fist, face the Confucian tablet, state your name, and respectfully place your request. With the single clanging of the prayer bell , the prayer ritual is completed.</li> <li> Take your card to the nearby Confucius Gift Center, where you can hang it up on the frames or wall space provided.</li></ol></td></tr></table>The new Confucius Gift Center is located on the first floor of Minglun (Clear Moral Relationship) Hall. By the entrance is a colorful and eye-catching display of Q-version Confucius-themed memento items, made by creative designers born in the 1980s or later(“Q-version”is a term denoting cute and youth-oriented designs.) Huang Xiu-zhen runs the show here, and advises us that in the past, expert craftsmen were brought in to the temple complex to repair the priceless koji pottery works that adorned the heritage complex.They hope that the luster of the Great Teacher's thought would shine far and wide, while passing on the glories of the Chinese historical culture. Today, novel and adventurous concepts are being fused with the ageold cultural and artistic traditions, breathing new life and vitality into what is a priceless inheritance.One of the popular expressions among local students right now is“ALL PASS,”meaning to pass all of the countless tests that seem to be thrown their way. This voguish term is used on the signboard carried by the cute, round-shaped“Confucius Tumbler,”which youcan knock down but which always gets right back up, symbolizing the never-give-up morale boost that Confucius brings to students. It is hoped that with dedication, students can succeed in getting into their dream school. Another treat is the similar“Happy Confucius” doll, holding an open book. There are also charming student dolls, with one musical version called“Little Peach,”and the other dancing version “Little Plum,”each with the respective fruit crowned on their heads. The music and dance represent key elements in the ancient worship rites performed by students on Teachers' Day to honor the Great Sage. There is also an old Chinese expression,“Peaches and plums all over the world”, meaning pupils/disciples are everywhere, said in honor of a great teacher. These clever new items bring a novel twist to these ancient words.In Taiwan, each June and July — the entrance exam season — students come in droves to the Confucius Temple to seek a blessing that will help them successfully get into their ideal school . The new wooden prayer cards have proven extremely popular with thesestudents and family members who come to pray on their behalf. You'll see racks and wall space that have been set up so devotees can hang up their cards. A smile will come to your face when you see the many cards put up in English, Japanese, Korean, and other languages by travelers from overseas who have also asked for special attention to their own fervently cherished dreams.<table cellpadding="10" style=" float:right" ><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE">Information</td></tr><tr><td>Confucius Gift Center Add: 1F, Minglun Hall, 275, Dalong St. Tel: (02) 2595-7522 Hours: Tues - Sat 08:30-18:30, Sun & national holidays 08:30-17:00 (closed Mon) Transportation: <ul> <li>MRT: Take the Danshui Line to Yuanshan Station, take Exit No. 2, walk for about 8 minutes</li> <li>Bus: </li></ul> <ol> <li> Dalongtong stop: No. 2, 41, 246, 288, 669, 215, 811, R33</li> <li> Kulun St. stop: No. 41, 215, 219, 246, 288, 669, 811, R33</li> </ol> </td></tr></table>There's more fun in the store. You may have a cup of“All Pa Vitality Coffee”, buy an “All Pa mug”, or browse through “Confucian Studies Painting and Calligraphy” in six languages—English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, and Japanese. You may as well take aleisurely, meditative stroll through the complex, perusing such architectural masterpieces as the Chongsheng (Revere the Sage) Shrine and Hongdao (Preach Doctrine) Shrine, classic examples of the superlative beauties of the south China style of temple architecture. Whether soaking in the superb classical architectural art or the ingenious and stylish commercial art of the many pleasant memento items, the essence of the Confucian world is captured for visitors from all lands to savor. You'll also have the added bonus of watching Taipei's All Pass cultural phenomenon in full play. [][][][]Taipei City Government41353680https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=C61783AD5D0DFAE8"Vision of the Future": Glories in Multiculturalism<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/75_56_01.jpg" alt="1. In the Grimm Brothers' Snow White, the Ballet Preljocaj from France, headed by Angelin Preljocaj, is bedecked in costumes by designer Jean Paul Gaultier." width="523" height="391" />Jointly staged by the National Theater and National Concert Hall, the very first edition of the Taiwan International Festival was in 2009. The theme was“Vision of the Future,”and the program was bursting with over a hundred shows in great variety showing off the beauties of theatre, music, dance, and interactive parents-and-kids stage shows. The event explored the infinite world of possibility that unfolds when modern arts are skilfully blended with the best of tradition.“Vision of the Future”remains a main theme for this year's gala, complemented by the sister theme“Diversity and Sustainability.”The curtain-raising performance will once again be the master of US visual artist Robert Wilson, who last year teamed with Taiwan's Beijing opera impresario Wei Hai-ming to bring Virginia Woolf's Orlando to the stage. This year Wilson has teamed up with the U Theatre troupe and Taiwanese opera diva Tang Meiyunto bring the tale of the seventh of Admiral Zheng He's epic sea adventures to the stage in 1433 - The Grand Voyage.Another treasure that stage-arts aficionados are looking forward to is the newest work by the celebrated Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, entitled Listening to the River , depicting the different and often violent temperaments of river waters. In the world premiere of Violett, Lila, PurPur, renowned international dance choreographer Lin Mei-hong , who hails from Taiwan's Yilan, works in concert with Germany's Tanztheater des Staatstheaters Darmstadt. And in the resplendent version of the Grimm Brothers' children's tale Snow White, the Ballet Preljocaj from France, headed by esteemed choreographer Angelin Preljocaj, is magnificently bedecked in costumes imagined by legendary fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier. <img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/75_56_02.jpg" alt="2. Spain's Sol Picó Dance Company will present Sirena a la Planca outdoors, using a moving stage and theatrical puppets to“perform”theecology of the seas." width="600" height="208" />Would you like to hear how a well-known film score sounds in a venue purpose-built for soaring symphonic stimulation? The National Symphony Orchestra and Taiwan National Chinese Orchestra come together for a heart-thumping performance of the Oscar-winning score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Remaining within the realm of music, the most exciting production of the year belongs to On the Road , which breaks the boundaries of artistic achievement, brought to you by the National Symphony Orchestra and Taiwan Color Music. This event also brings aboriginal folk ballads into the palace of classical music, with results that will set your mind racing.In the demanding arena of experimental theatre, three works are to be staged that will do much to encourage female stage per formers, part of the Magdalena Project, which seeks to discover and promote excellence among female artists: Emily Dickinson by Colombia' s Teat ro la Candelar ia,Salt by Odin Teatret of Denmark, and aninterpretation of the Greek legend in M.E.D.E.A.by legendary German artist Gilla Cremer.And the white-hot contemporary stagedirector Thomas Ostermeier brings to theTaipei stage a stimulating reinterpretation ofthat Shakespearean masterpiece of drama, Hamlet.The arts can be expressed in a resounding green voice, and Spain's Sol Picó Dance Company will be here to present its thoughtprovoking work Sirena a la Plancha outdoors, using a moving stage and theatrical puppets to“perform”the ecology of the seas. The acclaimed Formosa Aboriginal Song & Dance Troupe will stage Ilisin - Amis Harvest Festival Dances , presenting timehonored ceremonial songs and dances that, via research and vetting with elders, are pure in form and true to ancient tradition. And don't miss the English film/TV-score composer George Fenton as he leads the National Symphony Orchestra and Taipei Philharmonic Chorus in rousing renditions of The Blue Planet LIVE. Fenton won an Emmy Award for the score for The Blue Planet in 2001, and during the shows imagery from the majestic documentary series will play in the background on a giant screen.Vision of the Future is to be a celebration of the creative imagination staged by 250 artists from Taiwan and overseas, encompassing 15 shows, proudly presenting 6 world premieres and 6 Asia premieres. This will be the toast of the town and the hottest ticket in town in the cool months of February and March, a feast of the arts you should not, cannot possibly miss.<table width="1%" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"> <tr> <td ><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/75_56_03.jpg" alt="3. Violett, Lila, PurPur will be presented by Germany's Tanztheater des Staatstheaters Darmstadt, in Taiwan for the first time." width="320" height="200" /></td> <td ><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/75_56_04.jpg" alt="4. Renowned stage director Thomas Ostermeier will stage a uniquely creative reinterpretation of the Shakespeare masterpiece Hamlet." width="122" height="200" /></td> </tr></table><table align="center" cellpadding="10" style=" float:center"> <tr> <td bgcolor="#EEEEEE">Information</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2010 Taiwan International Festival – Visionof the Future 2010 Add: 12, Zhouzi St. Time: Feb. 19~Mar. 28 Venue: National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center Tel: (02) 3393-9888 Website: <a href="http://tif.ntch.edu.tw/home.php" target="_blank">tif.ntch.edu.tw/home.php</a> Ticket Information: <a href="http://www.artsticket.com.tw" target="_blank">www.artsticket.com.tw</a><a href="http://www.nhsports.com.tw" target="_blank"> </a></td> </tr></table>[][][][]Taipei City Government41353660https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=921AAA187877ADF4Burning Soul: Vincent van Gogh Exhibition<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/74_56_01.jpg" width="368" height="559" border="0" usemap="#Map" style="float:left;" alt="" /><map name="Map" id="Map"> <area shape="poly" coords="361,6" href="#" alt=""/><area shape="poly" coords="359,260" href="#" alt=""/><area shape="poly" coords="329,133" href="#" alt="" /><area shape="poly" coords="353,13" href="#" alt=""/><area shape="poly" coords="31,11" href="#" alt=""/><area shape="rect" coords="3,179,96,323" href="#" alt="2. The Van Gogh home, Holland's Groot-Zundert, where he was born,along with a view of the interior of the house." /><area shape="rect" coords="98,6,363,265" href="#" alt="1. The Van Gogh home, Holland's Groot-Zundert, where he was born,along with a view of the interior of the house." /><area shape="rect" coords="97,269,248,568" href="#" alt="3. Road with Cypress and Star , from Holland's Rijksmuseum Kroller-Mueller." /><area shape="rect" coords="253,269,365,400" href="#" alt="4. Japan's Pola Museum of Art has lent an oil from Van Gogh's later period, Flower Vase with Thistles." /><area shape="rect" coords="253,403,363,556" href="#" alt="5. Cypresses and Two Women, from the Rijksmuseum Kroller-Mueller." /></map>Last summer's Millet and His Time grand exhibition at theNational Museum of History (NMH) was like a tranquil rural idyll. Thisseason's Burning Soul: Vincent van Gogh Exhibition, bycontrast, is like a phantasmagorical test of the sensory faculties, a boldassault of impossibly vivid color and wild yet controlled brushstrokes. TheNMH has once again to bring this terrific exposition of artistic genius, torun from Dec. 11 to Mar. 28 next year. A total of 98 Van Gogh's works willbe on display, on loan primarily from two major collections known for theDutchman's pieces; Holland's Rijksmuseum Kroller-Mueller is contributing20 oil paintings, 18 charcoal sketches, and 59 watercolors, pastels, andother selections, and Japan's Pola Museum of Art has lent anoil painting from Van Gogh's later period, Flower Vase withThistles.Among the works to be displayed will be many famed paintings from Van Gogh's oeuvre, including Self-Portrait, Road with Cypress and Star, and Cypresses and Two Women. This will be the first time, and the most completed exhibition of Van Gogh's works anyone in the Chinese-speaking world has ever seen. The insurance coverage is a whopping NT$25 billion, a soaring new high for an art exhibition in this country and twice that paid for Millet and His Time, which caused such a sensation.During his lifetime Van Gogh was seen as a madman. He could barely afford three meals a day, and in his entire life sold just one of his paintings. Why was that on the 100th anniversary of his death, over six million people were willing to endure long lines in Amsterdam to view what are now seen as masterpieces? Van Gogh's unique life experience is perhaps the best answer. As a young man he determined to save the downtrodden of the world, the poor farm folk, laborers, and prostitutes. He threw himself into theological studies, and became a pastor in a mine, but things did not go well and he was dismissed from the church. Scorned and alone, he then decided his calling was to paint. Depicting the subjects of his passions, the weak and downtrodden, in his iconic bold and broad strokes, he explored their humility and desolation while revealing their inner core of persistence and fortitude.<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/74_56_02.jpg" alt="6. Self-Portrait, from the Rijksmuseum Kroller-Mueller." width="116" height="162" style="float:right;" />During his four years in Paris, van Gogh created over 30 self-portraits, intense green eyes staring out from an oft ashen face. In all he seems disturbed and anxious, lips pursed, brows knit. He painted Flower Vase with Thistles in 1890 when visiting a little village just north of Paris; it was just two months later that he shot himself to death. He seemed drawn to the plants struggling on this district's hardscrabble earth. In the painting the thistle grass reached out in bloom, insisting on existence. In his Roadwith Cypress and Tree his signature whirlpool sky is present, his bold,aggressive brushstrokes bringing out a sense of the prominence toan otherwise tranquil and serene rural scene. With Cypresses andTwo Women, a charcoal sketch, though the charcoal brings a softand gentle fuzziness to the tableau and the swirling lines of the treesseem to suggest the cypresses are spitting fire toward the heavens.In his short 37 years, van Gogh left behind a powerful testament tothe depths of human creativity that will last forever, his works—as theman in his life—showing no compromise, revealing the turmoil of aburning soul that still captures the imagination and stirs the spirit ofviewers over a century later.Because of the high number of expected visitors, there will be “advance online ticket sales”and“limited number of visitors per time slot.”restriction Entry to the show will be from 9 to 12 in the morning, with exits only (no entry) from noon to 1 pm, and then another round of entries from 1 pm to 5 pm, with exits only from 5 to 6. Added to this will be a third round of entry called the“Starry Night Period,” from 6 pm to 9 pm. This is being done to spare you long line-ups and crowded, unpleasant viewing inside. There will also be the final phase for advance ticket buying— from 11/1-12/10 buy for 2/1-3/28. For details, visit the official exhibit website at vangogh.<table align="center" cellpadding="10" style=" float:center" > <tr> <td bgcolor="#EEEEEE">Information</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top">Burning Soul: Vincent van Gogh Time: Dec. 11, 2009-Mar. 28, 2010 Venue: National Museum of History Add: 49, Nanhai Rd.beside Taipei Botanical Garden, across from Jianguo High School) Tel: (02)2746-3513 Ticket Information: For advance-ticket purchase, visit the ERA opening on Dec. 11, tickets in limited numbers can be purchased at the NMH exhibit entrance. Transportation: <ul> <li> Bus—To go to Botanical Garden stop, take No. 1, 204, 242, 624, 630, 907, Heping line buses. To go to Nanchang Rd. stop, take No. 3, 15, 18, 38, 227, 235, 241, 295, 662, 663. To go to Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation stop, take Zhongshan line buses. To go to Zhongzheng 2nd Police District Office stop, take 0 East, No. 243, 248, 262, 304 Chengde line, 304 Chongqing line.</li> <li>MRT—Go to CKS Memorial Hall Station, take Exit No. 1 or 2, walk along Nanhai Rd. approx. 10 minutes.</li> </ul> </td></tr></table>[][][][]Taipei City Government41353650https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=54C3E866634BCBAENifty Gift Items from the National Palace Museum: Rare Treasures for Everyday Life<IMG src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch73_p58_01.jpg" alt="1. Jadeite Cabbage with Insects coasters" width="200" style="float:right;"/>The National Palace Museum collects the essence of Chinese culture in physical form. Admirers from both near and across the Pacific come here to appreciate the best of artificial artwork. To bring the favorite iconic beauties closer to the everyday life, the NPM hasunveiled a whole series of creative theme merchandise that keeps up with the times by bringing a sparkling, modernistic luster to the works of the world-class collection. These items are novel, stylish, and trendy at the same time as they display the very essence of the Chinese historical and cultural tradition, such as the famous Jadeite Cabbage with Insects, and the celebrated calligrapher Wang Xizhi's poem and calligraphy“the Preface of the Orchid Pavilion . You can now carry the great treasures of Chinese art with you wherever you go while, at the same time, adding a splash of stylish and voguish NPM dash to your own inimitable style.<IMG alt="2. The National Palace Museum Fashionable Palace Doll series feature figurines from the vast panoply of Chinese dynasties." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch73_p58_02.jpg" style="float:center;"/>The hottest gift item on sale is perhaps the museum's most beloved and most iconic artwork, the Jadeite Cabbage with Insects. The work is paid homage to in some ingenious newfangled ways with items such as the Jadeite Cabbage with Insects Eco-Friendly Heat-Preserving Coasters, Jadeite Cabbage with Insects Mountain-Climbing Keyring Clip-On Pen, Jadeite Cabbage with Insects Magnet and Notepaper Set, Jadeite Cabbage with Insects 3D Businesscard Cases, and Jadeite Cabbage with Insects Ballpoint Pen. Here,art meets the practical, giving you the chance to bring “high art”aesthetics into your life.<IMG alt="3. Beloved concubine USB and FeFe mug" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch73_p58_03.jpg" style="float:center;"/><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style=" float:left"> <tr> <td ><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch73_p58_04.jpg" alt="4. A“Children at Play”doll" width="200" style="float:left;" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td ><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch73_p58_05.jpg" alt="5. Jadeite Cabbage with Insects golden decoration " width="200" style="float:left;"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td ><img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch73_p58_06.jpg" alt="6. iPhone 3G case from the Orchid Pavilion series" width="200" style="float:left;"/></td> </tr> <tr> </tr></table>Teenagers have especially developed quite a hankering for the characters in the Figurines of the NPM series, bringing tiny dolls to life using great personalities lifted from the museum's artworks, chronicling the various dynasties of Chinese imperial days. The cartoon-like images pay great attention to the details of dresses and other paraphernalia of each of these periods. Among the adorable toy-like creations are: Ching Dynasty – Kuang-Hsu Emperor's Consort Chin & Jadeite Cabbage with Insects; Yuan Dynasty - NobleLady & Chun Ware Pillow in the Shape of a Ju-i; Sung Dynasty - Su Shih & Cup in the Shape of a Lotus Leaf; Sung Dynasty - Emperor Hui-Tsung & Ju Ware Bowl in the Shape of a Lotus; and Tang Dynasty - Lady in Palace & Chun-lei Zither. Each figurine, large or small, depicts a classic character and tells the story of a specific era in China's long history—while being the cutest little thingsthat you must have.Want more spiffy items for the new NPM collection? Let's start with the famous consort Yang Gui-fei, from the Tang Dynasty, said to be one of the most comely women in all of Chinese history. Her delicate, lithe figure and phoenix eyes (single-edged eyelids)bring grace to such items as the lithe and curvy Fei- Fei Mug, cute Princess USB Flash Drive, buxom Fei- Fei Notebook, all of which exhibit sleek lines and a playful sense of aesthetics—just like the lady herself. A respectful nod is given to the Dragon-shaped JadePendant, a priceless mortuary artifact from a noble's tomb of the Warring States period, with the nifty Dragon Fingernail Bottle Opener—classic in shape and ultra-practical in use, a timeless treasure given new life and novel function. The Preface of the Orchid Pavilion, by China's greatest calligraphy master Wang Xi-zhi, is metamorphosed into enticingly artistic“outerwear”for 21st-century 3C products in the form of eco-friendly iPhone 3G pouch and a shopping bag. The beauty of the old is used to enhance the appeal of the new.<table cellpadding="10" style=" float:right" ><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE">Information</td></tr><tr><td>National Palace Museum Add: 221, Sec. 2, Zhishan Rd. Tel: (02) 2881-2021 Hours: 09:00-17:30; hours extended to 20:30 on Sat; open all year Website: <a href="http://www.npmeshop.com/" target="_blank" title="opened with new window.">www.npmeshop.com</a > Transportation: Take the MRT Danshui Line to Shilin Station, transfer to bus No. 255, 304, R30, S18, S19</td></tr></table>Both local and overseas visitors have taken a fancy to these highly creative items and stationery. Nowadays you don't have to be an emperor to“own”one of the great masterpieces from Chinese culture, nor do you have to visit the NPM every day to bring the artisticbeauties of the museum into your life. The lucky visitor from faraway can now first spend time in Taipei savoring the wonders of the museum, then take a precious piece of the museum back home with you! [][][][]Taipei City Government41353640https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=553E5FF56BE58FD3Fragrant Zongzi Marks Arrival of Dragon Boat Festival<IMG alt="1. Two Dragon Boat Festival traditions are racing dragon boats and wearing xiangbao." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch71_p16_01.jpg" style="float:left;" height="200"/>The Dragon Boat Festival is also called“Poet's Day”. It is one of the three festivals that have defined the rhythms of the year for Chinese folk since time immemorial, along with the Lunar New Year, which is also called the Spring Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Long ago, during the Warring States Period, great poet and statesman Qu Yuan was unjustly banished from the imperial court by a misled ruler. In protest against this injustice, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, he threw himself in China's Miluo River. To commemorate his loyalty and love for country and people, the Dragon Boat Festival arose.<IMG alt="2. Two Dragon Boat Festival traditions are racing dragon boats and wearing xiangbao." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch71_p16_02.jpg" style="float:right;" height="200"/>The ageless traditions associated with the Dragon Boat Festival are many and most interesting. It is said that after Qu Yuan disappeared, commoners frantically searched for his body with watercraft resembling today's dragon boats—origin of today's dragon-boat races. Clumps of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves were also tossed into the waters to feed the fish and shrimp to keep them from nibbling on the great mandarin's body. Who could have guessed this would become the main food treat used to celebrate the festival？<IMG alt="3. If at high noon, you can stand an egg upright, you are guaranteed good luck in the coming year." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch71_p16_03.jpg" style="float:left;" width="220" />On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, older citizens will also hang Chinese mugwort, calamus, and banyan branches on their door, tied in a bundle with auspicious red paper. Mugwort is a medicinal herb, effective at repelling insects. Sword-shaped calamus leaves symbolize the cutting away of ill fortune by magic treasure sword. Banyan wards off evil spirits. Some will hang up colorful depictions of Zhong Kui, the deity who captures and drives off evil demons and spirits. Adults will drink spirits made from realgar, a mineral, and children will wear what are called xiangbao, scented sachets which serve as talismans warding off evil, keeping kids safe and well. Finally, if you are able to stand an egg upright right at the stroke of noon on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, you are sure to have good luck in the next year.<h4>Taipei Zongzi Map</h4>While in Taipei, many foreign travelers and expatriates develop quite a taste for zongzi, especially during Dragon Boat Festival when they do as the locals do and down this traditional festival goody in quantity. As with all else in local traditional culture, there is great variety according to locality of zongzi origin; one simple division is Taiwan north and south, exhibiting marked differences in both taste and appearance. Taipei, you'll not be at all surprised, has many, many vendors selling the many, many types, making it easy for you to travel throughout the island—at least zongzi-wise—without leaving the city. <IMG alt="4. Wang-Ji Rouzong offers zongzi boiled in the southern Taiwan style." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch71_p17_01.jpg" height="170"/><IMG alt="6. Huzhou-style zongzi are long and pillar-like in shape, and come in two flavors, sweet and savory." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch71_p17_03.jpg" height="170"/><IMG alt="5. Daqiaotou Rouzong makes its zongzi in the northern Taiwan style, first frying and then steaming." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch71_p17_02.jpg" height="170"/>[][][][]Department of Information Technology, Taipei City Government41353600https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=F74C598B1B83F762Giving Expression to the “Oneness of Heaven and Man” Master Artist Yuyu Yang<img alt="Beyond being a repository for his many artworks, the Yuyu Yang Musuem also has teams dedicated to collecting the myriad written documents by and about him." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p53_01.jpg" style="float:left;" width="250"/>The design for the Yuyu Yang Museum was completed in 1992 by renowned Taiwan sculptor Yuyu Yang, who has since passed away. Today the facility is run by his eldest son, Yang Feng-chen, who has achieved his own fame as an artist impresario. At the museum, you can survey Yuyu Yang’s sterling body of artworks, and also see research groups working hard at compiling the key writings and essays he produced in his long life of productivity.<img alt="Beyond being a repository for his many artworks, the Yuyu Yang Musuem also has teams dedicated to collecting the myriad written documents by and about him." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p53_02.jpg" style="float:right;" width="250"/>He was a visionary and virtuoso who attended the prestigious Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1943, studying in the Department of Architecture. During his time there, he came under the wing of “the father of Japanese modern sculpture”, Fumio Asakura, absorbing his sense of landscape aesthetics. At the same time, the great Japanese architectural master of wood, Yoshida Isoya, had developed an intense interest in the lofty aesthetics of China’s Tang Dynasty architecture and was singing its praises, stimulating Yang’s lifelong passion for Chinese culture. In 1951, in the midst of Taiwan’s sweeping agricultural-reform program, he was appointed art editor at Fengnian (Bountiful Harvest) magazine. At that time, few, if any, in the agricultural community could read, so Yang used native woodblock prints and cartoons as vocabulary for communication, leaving behind a rich trove of rural-area portraits. In 1964, he launched himself on a three-year residency in Italy, allowing him a deep exploration of the aesthetic differences between East and West, and <img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p52_01.jpg" alt="Master Artist Yuyu Yang" width="220" style="float:left;"/>he reported, opening his eyes to the true meaning of the ancient Chinese philosophical concept of the “oneness of heaven and man”. After his return to Taiwan, he received an invitation from Hualien Marble Sculpture Co. and commenced a rich series of shanshui (landscape) works in stone. This marked a milestone for Taiwan’s art, for it was both the beginning of Yang’s work in stone sculpture and also the practice of public art on this land.As he grew older, Yang began to ponder the wonder of the phenomenon of our universe as he found himself increasingly absorbed with an existential yearning and sense of longing for his parents. Through his son Fengchen’s recollection, Yang headed off to Japan to represent Taiwan at the Japan’s Expo’70, in charge of creating the landscape sculpture fronting the Republic of China pavilion, titled “Advent of the Phoenix”. This was his first time working with the pavilion’s architect, Bei Yu-ming. “My father was a last-minute saviour in this case,” says Feng-chen. “He was given just 15 days to complete the piece. There wasn’t even time for any sketching. He requested the very best stainless steel that could be sourced in Japan, and used a big truck to fold the material into the shape of a phoenix craning its neck, folding the metal like paper as with origami. All the Japanese work crews on-site came over to stare, completely dumbfounded!” Today lucky art-lovers can still admire a smallerscale version of this masterpiece that beautifies the city in front of the Fubon Bank branch on Zhongshan N. Rd..<img alt="Beyond being a repository for his many artworks, the Yuyu Yang Musuem also has teams dedicated to collecting the myriad written documents by and about him." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p53_03.jpg" style="float:left;" width="220"/><table style=" float:right"><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE">Information</td></tr><tr><td>Yuyu Yang Museum Tel: (02) 2396-1966 Add: 1~3F, 31, Sec. 2, Chongqing S. Rd. Hours: Tues~Sun 11:00-17:00 (closed on Mon, national holidays) ※ Free admission Website: www.yuyuyang.org.tw (Chinese) </td></tr></table>In seeking to encapsulate the oeuvre produced by Yuyu Yang in his artistically fecund lifetime, you might say the works of his later years focused on the mystery of the cosmos constituted his “Heaven” period, the shanshui series of the summer of his life his “Earth” period, and the images of the countryside of his youthful days his “Man” period. This is the artistic conception of his work arrived at by his son Feng-chen after 10 years compiling his vast portfolio. The holistic whole of the triumvirate “Heaven, Earth, Man” is the very essence of the Chinese philosophical universe, and amply demonstrates the man’s confidence and pride in the Chinese cultural and aesthetic heritage.<img alt="The mythical phoenix was one of Yuyu Yang’s favorite subjects; “Soaring Phoenix,” a work in stainless steel created in 1986, is a quintessential piece." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p53_04.jpg" style="float:left;" height="180"/>In addition to its permanent exhibits and lectures, the Yuyu Yang Museum stages largescale exhibits locally and overseas to promote idea interchange, organizes traveling exhibits, and handles other worthy events. In future days, the museum will add a digital focus to its interior facilities and also progressively make them more interactive. After all, even without including the many treasures he collected in his travels to the world’s four corners, Yang still was the creator for more than 1,000 individual artworks, and even if the museum space was further expanded, it would still be far too small to show the rich trove of his productive life.[][][][]Department of Information Technology, Taipei City Government41353610https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=5A2101227D80BA82The Wonderful Auspicious Food Tastes of the Lunar New Year<img alt="1. A rounded or “perfect” pot of soup with chicken symbolizes the “perfection” of the reunited family encircling it. 2.“Eight treasures” mashed taro symbolizes a “full house of gold and jade.” 3. “Ten completions ten beauties” figuratively means “perfection in every way,” featuring numerous simple goodies stir-fried together." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p30_01.jpg" style="float:left" width="250"/>In Taiwan, the symbolism of the Lunar New Year’s Eve meal is extremely important. The entire family must be present to have a sense of perfection and unity, and whether young or old, the meal shall not begin until all are back at home. Beyond the sheer abundance of food choices and flavors, New Year foods also carries symbolic meanings asking for peace, tranquility, and general good fortune for the family. We now take you on a delectable journey through the world of Lunar New Year food-treat meanings and symbols to help you understand everything you see and eat when dining with a local family this Lunar New Year’s Eve.People with ancestry from the north of China have Lunar New Year's food customs somewhat different from those with ancestors from the south. One telltale emphasis of the former is on simpler, more unadorned foods. There is one dish translated literally as “ten perfections, ten beauties,” figuratively as “perfection in every way”. Numerous straightforward items are stir-fried together, including vermicelli and bean sprouts, coriander leaves, celery, Chinese cabbage, and other assorted vegetables chopped into thin slices. Soy sauce and sesame oil may be added when this dish serves as a cold dish. The family reunion is represented by the perfect circle of the hotpot, and hotpot is a favorite main meal on Lunar New Year’s Eve. Family members tightly surround the room-warming pot in their own circle, and a star hotpot ingredient is shizi tou or “lion’s heads,” large meatballs braised in soy sauce. These are joined in the delicious soup by taste treasures such as beancurd, fishballs, Chinese cabbage, and many other stars. All this may be preceded by a plate of assorted luwei, tender meats stewed in soy sauce, adding that much more sumptuous quality and quantity to the feasting. The meal is followed by auspicious bu bu gao deng or “step by step ever higher” dessert treats such as brown-sugar New Year sticky-rice cakes or red-bean New Year sticky-rice cakes. These New Year cakes are literally called “year cakes” or niangao; the gao is a homonym for the gao meaning “higher”, thus symbolizing “(every) year higher.” Another treasured sweet is “eight treasures with mashed taro”, symbolizing “full house of gold and jade”.<img alt="4. The characters for “fish” and “abundance” are homonyms, so fish always has a place at theLunar New Year table. 5. The shen in haishen or sea cucumber sounds like sheng for birth, so the eating invites many new family members." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p31_01.jpg" style="float:left" width="250"/>Most people with ancestors from the south do not eat hotpots, replacing it with a pot of soup with a sumptuous selection of various ingredients. Many like a thick, slow-boiled chicken soup containing bamboo fungus, mushroom, Chinese red dates, and other Chinese herbs. Something of especial interest is that Hakka and people with ancestors from China’s Fujian Province always make sure they eat some leaf mustard at the Lunar New Year. The reason is that a common name for this is “long-life vegetable” or changnian cai, and the chang shows up in changshou or “long life,” a common Lunar New Year blessing. The leaves must be eaten whole; i.e., don’t cut years off your longevity. In the sweets section, they also eat niangao; a favored type is luobo gao or Chinese-radish cake. A common alternative name for the radish is caitou, sounding like the caitou (good fortune) in the expression “facai haocaitou” or “get rich and good fortune.” Eating steamed sponge cake or fagao symbolizes the expression yilu fa or “prosperous all the way.” And finally, notice the roundedness of tangyuan or sweet glutinous rice balls and of zha yuzao or deepfried taro-and-jujube balls matches the “round/perfection” of the expression “perfect happiness”.In some places, the custom is to wrap dumplings on Lunar New Year’s Eve, to be eaten when the family arises next day on the year’s very first morning. The dumplings must be made extra round and plump to look like the gold ingots or yuanbao of imperial days. The sound yuan also appears for “round”, and in the related auspicious expression “caiyuan gungun”, or “wealth fountainhead boils up,” referring to the dumplings floating to the surface in the boiling pot. You’ll also see whole chickens, for in Taiwanese ji or chicken is a homonym for jia or family, and you “eat chicken to build up the family”, thus asking for blessing and prosperity in the year just arriving. Seafood is a guarantee on the Lunar New Year’s Eve table, and you’ll see that the whole fish served cannot be turned over and cannot be fully eaten. This is because the characters for “fish” and “surplus” are both pronounced yu, and the unfinished fish is thus a good portent referring to the expression nian nian you yu or “surplus for every year.” The sea cucumber also carries auspicious meaning, for it is pronounced haishen, the shen sounding like sheng or “give birth,” meaning the family is bound to have a new-born just around the bend.<img alt="6. LocalHakka and those with descent from south Fujian eat changnian cai or “year-round vegetable,” symbolizing long life. 7. Characters in niangao or New Year cake and fagao, a sponge cake, are homonyms for “higher”, symbolizing higher social status ." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p31_02.jpg" style="float:left" height="200"/>The traditional holiday period lasts from the 1st to the 15th of the first lunar month. On the 15th, the star food attraction is munching down yuanxiao, special New Year glutinous-rice dumplings. Northerners do what is called “shaking yuanxiao”, placing blobs of glutinous rice in a bamboo basket and shaking it until the round dumplings are formed. Add a bit of fermented glutinous rice, apricot, rose, and other extras and then boil—the sweet, delightful aroma will fill the room. Southerners for the most part rub their glutinous-rice dumplings into shape by hand and use sweet fillings, standards being yummy bean paste, sesame, and peanut paste. Savory versions are also popular, with minced pork the favorite ingredient. The Hakka, as always, approach their dumplings in unique fashion—an “exploding fragrance” soup stock cooked with fried onion, to which small glutinous-rice balls is added. The tender, slippery, chewy balls sliding past your palate creates a joyful feeling that is the perfect exclamation point for a wonderful time of year now brought to the perfect close.[][][][]Department of Information Technology, Taipei City Government41353620https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=7FA7BC1F6171F1FCCreator of the Main Theme Lantern for the Taiwan Lantern Festival Yang Feng-chen<IMG alt="1. The “Opening of Nature in Spring” theme lantern designed for the 1991 Taipei Lantern Festival, which won the top prize for design. 2. The 1996 Taipei Lantern Festival “One Heart, A Grand Enterprise” theme lantern, which won top prize; in it the “Fortune Mouse” brings happiness, calls for fine weather, general prosperity and safety. 3. The “Vigorous Horse Bringing Tranquility” theme lantern for the 2002 Taipei Lantern Festival, the Year of the Horse, shows the vigor and vitality of the animal and the year; it won top prize in an open public vote." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p58_01.jpg" style="float:left" width="350"/>Yang Feng-chen is the eldest son of the famed Taiwan sculptor Yuyu Yang. He is the head of the Sculpture Association of Taiwan and director of the Yuyu Yang Museum. Since 1978, when he began launching works in laser art, he has combined this type of art with creations in stainless steel and other materials to, on many occasions, create the spectacular main theme lantern for the annual official Taiwan Lantern Festival. Thus, Yang has been placed even higher in the pantheon of this land’s most influential citizens.Yang, without surprise, was deeply influenced by his celebrated father in his youth. He was taken on thrilling journeys across the artistic domains of earth art, landscape sculpture, optical sculpture, laser art, and other realms, and is the father of over 1,000 works carrying his name—running neck and neck with his own father. In pursuing his education, under his father’s guidance, he studied classical texts and Taiji and absorbed the concepts of “Learning from Nature” and the “Oneness of Heaven and Man”. The result in his public art is lines that are simple and elegant, powerfully expressing the boundless power of natural forces, his large-scale sculptures filling spaces with a sense of fluidity and movement.<IMG alt="Official Positions Currently Held President, Sculpture Association of Taiwan Director, Yuyu Yang Museum CEO, Yuyu Yang Foundation" src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p58_02.jpg" style="float:left" height="220"/>Among the many areas of artistic expression that he has mastered, optical sculpture and laser art are closest to his heart. He recalls that it was in 1978 that his dad imported some high-tech laser-lighting equipment from Japan, and from his first exposure he was hooked. He threw himself into two years of studying the possibilities of this art form, and at this point was already able to use transparencies to create three-dimensional imagery. “I’d even bring my transparencies to my dad while he was eating, or drag him over to the lab to look at my works, then listening intently to his advice and immediately incorporating them into my efforts on improving,” he remembers fondly. To Yang, laser technology and 3D photography are the same—you can see it but cannot touch it—and this is why he has thrown himself into exploring the world of “light” with such passion.<IMG alt="4. The “Meandering Squid,” which won top prize for Taiwan public art in 2004, is a work in stainless steel, inspired by the liberty, fluidity, and carefree existence of Taiwan’s giant squid." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p59_01.jpg" style="float:right" width="250"/>Yang worked hand-in-hand later with his father on many great large-scale works, and today shows the same character as his illustrious teacher in an openness to new influences and willingness to explore new possibilities. He believes in adapting himself according to “the time, the place, the materials”, and often places priority on using recycled materials as his creative source materials. At the invitation of Chiao Tung University, Yang brought together stainless steel with rope along with laser art, music, and other expressive elements to create an otherworldly original work—his very first lantern—that was one-of-a-kind on this earth. “The experience was wonderfully dreamlike,” he marvels. “Fascinating!” Next up was the still-talked-about “Flying Dragon in the Sky”, a large-scale theme lantern in 1990—the first one for Taipei’s Lantern Festival celebrations. It was his father’s baby, and Yang, the younger handled the stainless-steel elements. The hand-in-hand effort brought raves and much attention. The following year, younger Yang flew on his own, creating the iconic “Opening of Nature in Spring” and garnering great attention and acclaim, the work winning him first prize for best design. His own name was made and he’s never looked back.Yang has used an ingenious synthesis of stainless steel and laser art for his Taiwan Lantern Festival creations many times, giving birth to his classic artworks. Whether it’s his “San Yang Kai Tai”(Opening of Nature in Spring), “Jin Ma Kai Tai Pin” (Vigorous Horse Bringing Peacefulness), “Ji Yang Kang Tai” (Auspicious Goat, Good Health), “Ao Yue Long Xiang”(Leaping Carp and Flying Dragon), or other inspirations, all have captured first prize for theme-lantern design and been the key focus for a sea of flash bulbs. Though his talent in decorative-lantern creation seems unsurpassed, he hopes to someday achieve an even higher level with the unveiling of what he calls a “Transformers: Beast Wars” lantern, making it mobile so that it can be taken to places round the globe for display as a Made-in-Taiwan gift to the world.[][][][]Department of Information Technology, Taipei City Government41353630https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8988BC727AE3A8A3&s=E4C19D913B97B3ECZhang Wen and His “Formosa Fashion”<img src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p60_001.jpg" alt="Zhang Wen and His "Formosa Fashion"" width="200" style="float:right;"/>On the off chance that you haven’t kept a close eye on what’s new in Taiwan creative fashions, you can do no better than scooting to Formosa Fashion at the corner of Taipei’s Jinshan S. Rd. and Chaozhou St.. Though the shop front may not be large, the sharp-eyed merely need to pass through the portal to be dazzled by the mesmerizing display of goods that greets you. Whatever it is—for eating, drinking, using, wearing, or anything else—the everyday goods on display here are all strikingly rich in Taiwanese cultural flavor. The dark-tone walls and ceiling set off all else like colors, lines, dress, foods in vivid and hypercolorful contrast, emitting a certain cachet, a certain “Ambience of Taiwan”.<img alt="Director of Formosa fashion, Zhang Wen." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p60_01.jpg" style="float:left;" height="200"/>Zhang Wen is the person in charge, and the artistic director. Long a trend-setting creator of great repute in Taiwan’s popular culture, Zhang has long been a force in the island’s fashion industry. One day in Hong Kong, he stumbled across a happening called the “Homesick for Taiwan Show”, and was startled by how many attractive and praiseworthy items there were from various towns and regions in Taiwan, and how rich and distinguished the island’s cultural assets were. In 2000, he came to the decision to drop the work that had been bringing him admiration and renown in order to launch Formosa Fashion, immersing himself in native-soil culture and originality. In 2005, the first store was opened on Jinshan S. Rd.<img alt="Each and every of the myriad practical-use everyday items in the store is loaded with Taiwan cultural flavor." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p60_02.jpg" style="float:right;" height="200"/>Looking at Taipei, Zhang says he’s found an unfailing font of creative stimulation. Taipei is Taiwan’s convergence point and arbiter of fashion and trends, he says. How to best express the city’s distinctiveness and special charms—that is the key. He’s throwing himself into a series of creative endeavors to do just this; for example, defining and capturing the essence of the city’s venerable Dadaocheng community, the unique character of its tapestry of historical architecture, culture, pop fads and fashions, and its old-time tea sellers, fabric markets, and purveyors of traditional Chinese herbs. In the Beitou area, the abundant hot-springs, and original folk-style nakashi music are iconic in terms of both culture and history. The architecture of Longshan Temple and other local temples is amongst the world’s most brilliant, and the thriving local temple culture in turn a brilliant heritage. The list goes on and on, and when the tourists come to visit, Zhang asks, what can we give to them to take away? He seeks to take these “old stories of the Taipei people” and transform them into original, creative, iconic works capturing the symbolic essence—daily-use goods, stationery, souvenirs and keepsakes, etc. His visions will start to roll forth in the future, and you’ll be able to see them on proud display at Formosa Fashion.<img alt="1. Located on Jinshan S. Rd., Formosa Fashion’s dark-tone walls and ceiling set off the other interior elements in vivid and hyper-colorful contrast, emitting a certain “Taiwan sentiment” cachet." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p61_01.jpg" style="float:left;" height="250"/><img alt="2. An auspicious red envelope with Ox as theme specially designed for 2009. 3. A bag made of bamboo strips, inspired by the bamboo strips used in divination at the Xiahai City God Temple in Taipei’s Dadaocheng community. 4. During the Lunar New Year period, a special show with an Ox theme is being held." src="http://www-ws.gov.taipei/001/Upload/public/MMO/TCGENG/ch69_p61_02.jpg" style="float:left;" height="250"/><table style=" float:right"> <tr> <td bgcolor="#EEEEEE">Information</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Formosa Fashion Tel: (02) 3393-7362 Add: 169, Sec. 2, Jinshan S. Rd. Hours: Tues-Sun 14:00-21:00 (closed on Mon)</td> </tr></table>There are three or four special theme shows at Formosa Fashion each year. With the Year of the Ox about to “moo-ve” in, during the Lunar New Year period, a special show with an Ox theme is being held as “singing the praises of those that plowed our beloved land”. A series of great-value creations from 70-plus-years old amateur painters are now yours if you moo-ve fast: desk calendars, auspicious red envelopes, L folders, and a moo-velous stable of other attractive, added-value items. The notebook, for example, has both Chinese and English expressing the “spirit of the Ox Year.” Other clever goods available and especially appropriate for the Lunan New Year are papier-mache red-turtle cakes and longevity peaches, both very auspicious items and commonly seen in homes at this time, and perfect gift items for you to give others as a symbol of your friendship.Zhang Wen is now devoting his life to the promotion and fostering of authentic Taiwanese culture, synthesizing “old things” with new conceptions. The daily things in the daily lives of the island’s people are the “elements of Taiwan” that serve as the building blocks for Formosa Fashion in its quest to create a new aesthetic taste in Taiwan life.[][][][]Department of Information Technology, Taipei City Government