The world is in the middle of a devastating pandemic, the USA has had a terrible week with riots in the Capitol, the UK is in chaos with Brexit and lockdown. And meanwhile, in Taipei….. A Banksy Exhibition has just … Continue reading Meanwhile in Taipei…. Banksy Exhibition @ Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall
Yesterday was THE day! The weather forecast was sunny, warm and dry, it was a very rare free Saturday and the beautiful Yang-ming Shan Mountains above Taipei were calling. At 7:00 am, it was just light as I set off … Continue reading Above the Sea of Clouds: Taiwan’s Elections from afar…
My first ever visit to the Kinmen Islands – YES! Kinmen 金門 (aka Quemoy / Chinmen / Chin-men), one of Taiwan’s farthest-flung islands, is where the 823 Artillery Shell Bombardment 八二三炮戰 happened in 1958 as part of the Second Taiwan … Continue reading Kinmen 金門: Transforming War into Peace @ The Home of the Kinmen Artillery Shell Crosses!
Chiang Kai-Shek (CKS), ‘leader of the Republic of China between 1928 and 1975, first in mainland China until 1949 and then in exile in Taiwan’, arrived in Taiwan in 1949 with his wife, Soong Mei-Ling. A year later, they moved into their new home, the Shilin Official Residence 士林官邸 and stayed there until Chiang Kai-Shek’s death in 1975. Visitors were many and famous, including then US Vice-President Nixon in 1953, and President Eisenhower in 1960. This is the building today…. During the Japanese Colonial Era (1895-1945), the building was the location of the Shilin Horticultural Experimental Station, and surrounded, of course, … Continue reading Chiang Kai-Shek Official Residence 士林官邸 & Martyrs Shrine 忠烈祠 @ Shilin, Taipei
Ah, Green Island. What a place it is. For some in Taiwan it evokes memories of their youth and a taste of freedom as they rode motorcycles around the island enjoying the scenery. For others, it evokes terrible stories of … Continue reading Off to Green Island 綠島 Lyudao, Taitung, Taiwan with the Taiwan Episcopal Church 台灣聖公會2018年蒙恩得福家庭生活營!
Prepare to be seriously uncomfortable. This museum is not for the faint-hearted. It is gruesome, horrible, degrading, and yet strangely compelling; all at the same time. The fact that it exists at all is a testament to the vision and determination of some of those who were incarcerated there and who were prepared to work hard to ensure its success. It is a must-visit kind of place. But only with a must-be-prepared state of mind to listen, learn and reflect. For here, in this place, you will come face to face with what man’s inhumanity to man means in real … Continue reading Jingmei Human Rights Memorial and Cultural Park 景美人權文化園區, Taipei
All the latest news here…. Tsai Ing-wen is sworn in as president of Taiwan, the island’s first female leader, and calls for “positive dialogue” with China. Source: Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen sworn in as first female president – BBC News Continue reading Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen sworn in as first female president – BBC News
Early this morning and a huge inflatable Rev. George L. Mackay 馬偕博士 clutching a large molar was awaiting installation for tomorrow’s inauguration of Taiwan’s new president Tsai Ing-Wen 蔡英文 outside the Taiwan Presidential Palace in Taipei … Mackay was the first, and most famous early missionary in northern Taiwan, arriving in Tamsui 淡水 in 1872 from Canada ~ he started as a dentist and helped found the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) which has been at the forefront of Taiwan’s democracy movement, and actively supports the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan’s first ever female president, Tsai Ing-Wen … Continue reading Today’s must-see sights of Taipei!
Challenges facing Taiwan’s new president… Calls are mounting in Taiwan for the government to look into the White Terror, a dark period in its history when hundreds of dissidents were executed. Source: Taiwan Kuomintang: Revisiting the White Terror years – BBC News Continue reading Taiwan Kuomintang: Revisiting the White Terror years – BBC News
Catherine Lee 