Re-defining Taiwan and Taiwan's cultural and historical legacy has become a major endeavour in recent years. Taiwan's thinkers and politicians are busy trying to work out how best to unravel the reality from the propaganda a make a new sense of identity for the Taiwanese people.
Being from the UK I can identify strongly with this process and cultural shift. The UK and Taiwan are both islands and both have a long history of invasion and absorption of different cultures and peoples.
Rather than Taiwan seeing itself as a Chinese backwater, it is now seeing itself as a unique entity with a long and colourful history of cultural development leading to it becoming the first constitutional democracy in Asia, something that the Taiwanese now seem determined to maintain despite antagonisms from across the water.
Multiculturalism is at the heart of this new identity for Taiwan. Different from China's Han superiority "we won't hassle you, as long as you do as we say" approach to ethnic minority management within its own boundaries. Taiwan is learning to embrace all under one.
9 Sept 2007
8 Sept 2007
Out of hiding soon
The time is coming soon to come out of hiding and spend some time outside. As reported back in May the Summer is too hot here to venture outside for too long, but now the weather is starting to cool down.
My wife is starting a photographic course at the end of this month, and we'll be going out most weekends on shoots, so hopefully we'll have some nice pics to share and something interesting to write about.
We are not the only ones that hide indoors during the Summer so don't think us too weird, most of the adults I teach English to also hide away during the hot season, only venturing out because of necessity.
During these last few months I have basically been working six days a week and in my spare time brushing up on my Chinese and other stuff. Nothing much exciting has been happening, just the usual routine.
Anyway October should see some fresh and more interesting posts on this Blog, be back soon!
My wife is starting a photographic course at the end of this month, and we'll be going out most weekends on shoots, so hopefully we'll have some nice pics to share and something interesting to write about.
We are not the only ones that hide indoors during the Summer so don't think us too weird, most of the adults I teach English to also hide away during the hot season, only venturing out because of necessity.
During these last few months I have basically been working six days a week and in my spare time brushing up on my Chinese and other stuff. Nothing much exciting has been happening, just the usual routine.
Anyway October should see some fresh and more interesting posts on this Blog, be back soon!
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