Month: September 2015

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Fugueijiao Lighthouse 富貴角燈塔 now open to the public!

Catherine Lee

Just 5 minutes on a bus up the road from here in Sanzhi 三芝 and then a 1 km walk, and there is the northern tip of Taiwan, and the famous Fugueijiao Lighthouse.  It’s round the promontory from the Fuji Fishing Harbour, and hidden behind the army camp, but the big news is that the lighthouse grounds are now open to the public.  All day every day except Mondays, and the whole world has turned up to check it all out! The lighthouse was built in 1896 by the Japanese – the first one built by them after they arrived … Continue reading Fugueijiao Lighthouse 富貴角燈塔 now open to the public!

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Taiwan’s Nationalist Party looks to be heading toward a historic defeat – LA Times

Catherine Lee

‘Imagine you’re a presidential campaign director. With just four months to go before election day, which of the following would you not want your candidate to post on Facebook?’ Source: Taiwan’s Nationalist Party looks to be heading toward a historic defeat – LA Times Continue reading Taiwan’s Nationalist Party looks to be heading toward a historic defeat – LA Times

Taiwan3 Comments

Teapot Mountain 茶壺山 and Banpingshan 半平山 (半屏山) Ridge

Catherine Lee

What a place!  In its heyday, Jinguashi 金瓜石 was a very major happening kind of place, a gold rush town up in the mountains above Keelung on Taiwan’s NE coast with one of the world’s largest gold and copper mines ~ over 600 km of tunnels in and under those hills. During the Japanese era (1895-1945), it became the largest copper mine in the Japanese empire. But by the 1970’s it was all gone, the gold rush all finished.  As with all mining towns, so here – a tragic history of hard labour and terrible working and living conditions. Worse too, as … Continue reading Teapot Mountain 茶壺山 and Banpingshan 半平山 (半屏山) Ridge

St. John's University, TaiwanLeave a comment

St. John’s University ~ New Academic Year 2015

Catherine Lee

Yes, starting tomorrow for ‘freshmen’ ~ 2 x 2 days of welcome activities for new students… Fortunately the sun is out, always makes a difference, and the campus is looking great! Praying for all the new students, their families, and all our staff and students as we prepare to start classes next Monday ~ the new academic year is starting up, YES! Continue reading St. John’s University ~ New Academic Year 2015

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Beauty of a Beast…

Catherine Lee

Thought you might to see what I found chilling today at St. John’s University ~ a Batocera rubus albofasciata, otherwise known as a Mango Longhorn Beetle ~ looks kinda handsome but turns out to be a pest, as it bores into trees and munches its way through them…. Turns out to be quite common in Taiwan, but if even one turns up in Europe, it’s a mega-crisis, with special monitoring in place….. Beauty ‘n the Beast? Here they’re combined in one ~ ah, the Beauty of a Beast! Continue reading Beauty of a Beast…

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Refugee and Migrant Crisis….

Catherine Lee

This summer’s News is dominated by tragic reports of thousands and thousands of refugees and migrants, mostly from Eritrea, Syria and Afghanistan, trying to cross the Mediterranean and get into Europe, and then those already in Europe trying to get to a place that will accept them. The best comment I have come across comes from Bishop Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham, Diocese of Oxford, writing from the UK and reflecting the overwhelming feeling of my Facebook News feed…. “..We started a war in the Middle East, radicalised Iraq (which was a largely secular state), caused a flood of refugees out into … Continue reading Refugee and Migrant Crisis….

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Yang-Ming Shan Mountains 陽明山 ~ you can never have too much of a good thing!

Catherine Lee

After weeks and weeks of rain, suddenly the most beautiful weather for the weekend ~ and the whole of Taipei spent yesterday on Yang-Ming Shan Mountains! Mega-long walk, 4:00am start from Sanzhi  三芝 via the graveyards – 5 hours to the top of Datun Shan 大屯山 (1092m), then 2-3 more hours to Qixing Shan 七星山 (1120m), finishing in a free foot-bath at the Lengshueikeng 冷水坑 Hot Springs and bus back at 2:00pm….. Typhoon damage on the roads and paths meant some are still closed, and vandalism to the summit pillar on Qixing Shan means that it is currently all wrapped up in plastic… … Continue reading Yang-Ming Shan Mountains 陽明山 ~ you can never have too much of a good thing!

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Hakka Week ~ Hakka Style!

Catherine Lee

Hakka week ~ so got ma Hakka shoes out! Wikipedia says that about 15% of Taiwan‘s 23 million people are of Hakka origin, with a worldwide population of about 80 million…. And that includes my good friends, Rev. and Mrs. Hsu, who live up the road in Shuang-Lien Elderly Care Home.  September 1 was Rev. Hsu’s 91st birthday.  The family had celebrated with them earlier in the summer, but they are such a lovely couple that we just had to celebrate this big day on the very day itself.  Rev. Hsu totally loves Japanese sashimi, a glass of Taiwan beer and … Continue reading Hakka Week ~ Hakka Style!