tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83697641112055626562024-02-18T21:49:56.596-08:00A year in TainanDuncan Mountfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13166149369310446097noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8369764111205562656.post-40260506830094466012012-08-13T01:46:00.002-07:002012-08-13T17:14:34.671-07:00The University and the first explorations of Tainan<div class="MsoNormal">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:0 2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Times;
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;}
@page Section1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt;
mso-header-margin:35.4pt;
mso-footer-margin:35.4pt;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
--></style><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
University</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">I am now in
the University – Tainan National University of the Arts to provide its full
title.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The University is sited in
the countryside, which is both wonderful in terms of focus and peace, and a
little bit of a problem, as any desire to buy something or explore the city of
Tainan involves a journey by bus and then by train.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But transport is cheap, efficient, and the landscape around
the University contains many surprises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Of these more in the future, but first the University.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09gx83Jk0193BLAH7GXAN_PlKQ-kZkxpGouwKCZWncqXcRa0TfEKDG_R5vmwa4yKXaSn7Qvi7a9h3ppNPExVKlJAsRy5Q7FYZNAfMURb3LTp0dAebPwdwfXka82YBCGnF35aDpsJEFvk/s1600/IMG_0718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09gx83Jk0193BLAH7GXAN_PlKQ-kZkxpGouwKCZWncqXcRa0TfEKDG_R5vmwa4yKXaSn7Qvi7a9h3ppNPExVKlJAsRy5Q7FYZNAfMURb3LTp0dAebPwdwfXka82YBCGnF35aDpsJEFvk/s320/IMG_0718.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">The University at dusk</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">There is a
lake in the centre of the University grounds, and this becomes a canal between
the houses provided for the Visiting Professors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over this are a series of bridges, the one nearest to my
accommodation fairly unremarkable, but there are also three stone bridges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are rather beautiful, and they
date back to between the 13<sup>th</sup> and 16<sup>th</sup> century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crossing over one of these bridges is
to be transported from the contemporary surroundings of the University housing to
an unspecified time past, and the marks of many feet over the years, together
with the designs still visible carved into the stones, connect you to the users
and makers of these structures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They exert a fascination, and even though they are dislocated from their
original contexts, for each came from a different place, this in no way
diminishes their impact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Surrounded by the architecture of the University they stand out, but if
this is because of some intrinsic quality of their craftsmanship or merely a
result of their age I cannot ascertain.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTd300cYQo_kmn6mLfe3_s1Xyouk-spspS9-weY5O7EFyCyw9MiURic9fAcdhTXKKnfNBhxLMJTpKYkhnvYCbgfzL7p0II5uXdTZsCiu5f-kyAWZg6dMTFcaJkSbivw7hpg3W4ECcaVQU/s1600/IMG_0711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTd300cYQo_kmn6mLfe3_s1Xyouk-spspS9-weY5O7EFyCyw9MiURic9fAcdhTXKKnfNBhxLMJTpKYkhnvYCbgfzL7p0II5uXdTZsCiu5f-kyAWZg6dMTFcaJkSbivw7hpg3W4ECcaVQU/s320/IMG_0711.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYspnUqQbdH0A_Ai913r9XbNsagmvqTG1ESVG27EkkKweEWox4QHFQawNtUtjRcHAMQ6gwZVqcCsyVR7gIMc2B-EaqqNDS7eCvt-8MbaSYLiloHeY1ptRyqgINhXXYsx1CxrWPItxPy4k/s1600/IMG_0713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYspnUqQbdH0A_Ai913r9XbNsagmvqTG1ESVG27EkkKweEWox4QHFQawNtUtjRcHAMQ6gwZVqcCsyVR7gIMc2B-EaqqNDS7eCvt-8MbaSYLiloHeY1ptRyqgINhXXYsx1CxrWPItxPy4k/s320/IMG_0713.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingqmNfl7dY_kHcxLnYpHPQUGOm1HGi8MnFwbxZhn2-FA_Q2bYt732IiNV3gL0pJFFE29QkYny6U5pJuRxGJA3MS7Wg5tMrfztkd7ROXsTN0XyV-14zQP4dGnxfqYmGGNWuZuT6e8z7o4/s1600/IMG_0716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingqmNfl7dY_kHcxLnYpHPQUGOm1HGi8MnFwbxZhn2-FA_Q2bYt732IiNV3gL0pJFFE29QkYny6U5pJuRxGJA3MS7Wg5tMrfztkd7ROXsTN0XyV-14zQP4dGnxfqYmGGNWuZuT6e8z7o4/s320/IMG_0716.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">The three old bridges</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">My friend
had been invited to the opening of an exhibition celebrating the cafes and
small business that use – or re-use – the old buildings that still exist in
Tainan, and so I set off on my first unaccompanied trip to the City to meet her
and spend a day wandering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
the experience of the polished concrete and glass of both the High Speed Train
station and the MRT (Mass Rapid Transport – underground) in Taipei, the normal
rail stations, and the local trains, are a distinct contrast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once over the panic of ‘is this the
right train/ticket?’ I settled down to enjoy the local train journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It being 9 in the morning, the train
was of course crowded, mostly it seemed with students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unable to find a seat I stood in the
carriage entrance and read the official railway signs, with their wonderful use
of English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why the notices are
written in this literate style I do not know, it feels as if a BBC Home Service
announcer were asking you not to do something very politely, but no matter, for
I love them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope they are never
replaced by signs produced as the result of a report from a consultant, and
displaying all the feeling for sense and the accidentally poetical that the
rise of the managerial class has produced in the United Kingdom. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8WKSjTr7Iu-soDRYDBk9s31a2qKwKYQvtRADbjBhOQqEMrNvYvU0MyhD4-8CiKEwDlZO7zyhKTnF4gutBuEu5xHxMHvfkxuE8im-RjH5DHP6J3XeQg9nuHYmKU8ZBokvW-Rxc41ZIjQ/s1600/IMG_0737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8WKSjTr7Iu-soDRYDBk9s31a2qKwKYQvtRADbjBhOQqEMrNvYvU0MyhD4-8CiKEwDlZO7zyhKTnF4gutBuEu5xHxMHvfkxuE8im-RjH5DHP6J3XeQg9nuHYmKU8ZBokvW-Rxc41ZIjQ/s320/IMG_0737.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgJGlFyRpZCzza7Aajtdgq1q_n6wEATpK_z9pEktPXAaCW1kI6seK4aY_F15taQrB-INOTDwoW_55y-aHTHCqQ8JonMexA-LI6l-fK8VN7vmL_zX5LJKucRlhsATBxA6LrDa1fr2p8BA/s1600/IMG_0741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgJGlFyRpZCzza7Aajtdgq1q_n6wEATpK_z9pEktPXAaCW1kI6seK4aY_F15taQrB-INOTDwoW_55y-aHTHCqQ8JonMexA-LI6l-fK8VN7vmL_zX5LJKucRlhsATBxA6LrDa1fr2p8BA/s320/IMG_0741.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Shinhua Railway Station</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qRCDWX3SEEEjQN1c2R21EzA1RpzhT74jATgMIsH-wU7D0j_6EaLDwmGUIyTAHH9mEAuApzx37Zu6PiABqwSMWKp838jhOu_EBVdBDorMA-HBLAHK1gBOVyeKgxJckIarXueIuvbDFwk/s1600/IMG_0745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qRCDWX3SEEEjQN1c2R21EzA1RpzhT74jATgMIsH-wU7D0j_6EaLDwmGUIyTAHH9mEAuApzx37Zu6PiABqwSMWKp838jhOu_EBVdBDorMA-HBLAHK1gBOVyeKgxJckIarXueIuvbDFwk/s320/IMG_0745.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Carriage signs</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
exhibition opening took place in the grounds of a Meteorological Centre, and
speeches and music were accompanied by tea and Taiwanese snacks, which became
the theme of the day as we wandered the alleyways of Tainan discovering cafes
and hotels situated in old buildings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The way in which contemporary design was married to these old buildings
demonstrated a sensitivity to, and a love of, these buildings and their
histories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each business used
different strategies to bring these places back to life after neglect or
abandonment, and as with Dorm 1928 recycled materials and fittings were used in
imaginative ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe this is
something that is common to the Taiwanese sensibility, for on a subsequent
wander around Tainan I discovered a re-use of old doors to mark out a shop area
that echoed a similar use in a recent constructed hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far I have not fully explored all
the cafes on the list and detailed in the map from the exhibition, but I fully
intend to visit everyone of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Café culture here is taken seriously, and all of the independent cafes
are places where you can settled down with a series of notebooks, either of the
electronic or paper kind, a couple of volumes of philosophy, and compose
epistemological essays to your heart’s content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which seems to me a fairly good description of the height of
civilised living.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpPDRqtTyS4yfuwWynT8TepEhRKGJudFnqANJlQM3u6jtqCh254cigxtO8WUL1LUtsICZq6ABK9AUfgjGvHsgg35irpFqMk6IyJ11_Gl3QIR8YzNhfYMRT_z-JSs746kg1igsK-Nmy_g/s1600/IMG_0749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpPDRqtTyS4yfuwWynT8TepEhRKGJudFnqANJlQM3u6jtqCh254cigxtO8WUL1LUtsICZq6ABK9AUfgjGvHsgg35irpFqMk6IyJ11_Gl3QIR8YzNhfYMRT_z-JSs746kg1igsK-Nmy_g/s320/IMG_0749.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Café exterior, wooden structure on
top of existing old building</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB24U_zAGl7dszpf1QKltJaIzNjvKyaz6liSpxoEnodObbSMXbHeoL39g2xJB2IVrSduH-L3ZbLHVSASZZxAQDWFmoHykoxJzBhyFkJiF1lXgNEtI0SbEp-HRCAiePmtUm99MhunWGfsM/s1600/IMG_0770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB24U_zAGl7dszpf1QKltJaIzNjvKyaz6liSpxoEnodObbSMXbHeoL39g2xJB2IVrSduH-L3ZbLHVSASZZxAQDWFmoHykoxJzBhyFkJiF1lXgNEtI0SbEp-HRCAiePmtUm99MhunWGfsM/s320/IMG_0770.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Café interior</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSyWsMGPjITh0-TPnEzqZ-ZxyKk0Bg16b2DmC3eDY6IjWSQky1wnnT_a_sTS3vUsGFoXtRBfiw2SDmjSYREWTjzbLxyrReGO4RzYKCTmZ7C6WTrnN2FLkrmBOok4ZFyfTloh5SQ9rtLVQ/s1600/IMG_0750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSyWsMGPjITh0-TPnEzqZ-ZxyKk0Bg16b2DmC3eDY6IjWSQky1wnnT_a_sTS3vUsGFoXtRBfiw2SDmjSYREWTjzbLxyrReGO4RzYKCTmZ7C6WTrnN2FLkrmBOok4ZFyfTloh5SQ9rtLVQ/s320/IMG_0750.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Hotel interior with old window
frames used for space division</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">While
wandering down one of the alleys, this one running parallel to the course of an
old canal (now filled in) that brought goods into the city, and therefore with
buildings on either side that were workshop as well as accommodation, we found
a workshop where they were making shrines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the shed the work took place in was a rather
unlovely construction, similar to the type of standard industrial building that
can be found anywhere, the work that went on within had obviously not changed a
great deal for many years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An old
man was teaching two teenagers how to put a piece together, using simple
mortice and tenon joints, another was choosing wood for the poles to carry a
small shrine, and over all hung the resinous perfume of the wood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As someone who has made the occasional
‘thing’ with wood I have a great respect for craftsmen who work with this
material, and the skill being demonstrated in this workshop was a joy to
behold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I am still at the stage
of working out where to source materials for my own work, and planning for
future pieces (one of which may use an old cabinet as a starting point) this
place drew me, and made me wish to begin my own work as soon as possible.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheWb2U7RHB2mZkX02fmLup6LtG12RuvdIOyavrb26fmoUSuVnAuCBVFhQciVhMX8-SXUFuNGRVZSqC0JwApKyUnlnfvsU-G-AkXncVRqjYHBSrAhHwAtx6SR3OAP4DT-tEMEECRnHKD1s/s1600/IMG_0753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheWb2U7RHB2mZkX02fmLup6LtG12RuvdIOyavrb26fmoUSuVnAuCBVFhQciVhMX8-SXUFuNGRVZSqC0JwApKyUnlnfvsU-G-AkXncVRqjYHBSrAhHwAtx6SR3OAP4DT-tEMEECRnHKD1s/s320/IMG_0753.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Alley, Tainan</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgeh3GsLFbtOczBApMRvMnFUxRBEsbjBRP7ln-6WBxUAuRX9YwmIJrurmRMK_JdqAqsNI3qiuohkyzOMwPeducZ7yjEwxYUkCxTuc4S70JRuNdNfZuFeZYSggsH7LmS-Qe_cg0PPj9HR4/s1600/IMG_0761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgeh3GsLFbtOczBApMRvMnFUxRBEsbjBRP7ln-6WBxUAuRX9YwmIJrurmRMK_JdqAqsNI3qiuohkyzOMwPeducZ7yjEwxYUkCxTuc4S70JRuNdNfZuFeZYSggsH7LmS-Qe_cg0PPj9HR4/s320/IMG_0761.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Old building interior</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmHKs4k7Ra6yGKw9Zv8p_oreek3VTSMrZgym1SZqRB22Zk0AfcQ2NbiIeOQprJeOreH4GFi539yhgwq2Mx0nkfN-IdKFV-ldGPVE_Cu4FR3jU_yR8I3nAfwKTWKUiSwptHSgbrgRN44A/s1600/IMG_0781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmHKs4k7Ra6yGKw9Zv8p_oreek3VTSMrZgym1SZqRB22Zk0AfcQ2NbiIeOQprJeOreH4GFi539yhgwq2Mx0nkfN-IdKFV-ldGPVE_Cu4FR3jU_yR8I3nAfwKTWKUiSwptHSgbrgRN44A/s320/IMG_0781.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Café interior, Tainan</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTD9XvDTiAIb1dlU-0kK0kH6-ANQrKv3_TzvBaap5s4jD5FA1yQE48V17wbJz45Eyof-eTN8t86BNGQzjTD9hMPbANbrU72JKhS-NmKdrAMTnDiB7hsMaqSlybEfT_JRhNcU3iYA5jYGs/s1600/IMG_0777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTD9XvDTiAIb1dlU-0kK0kH6-ANQrKv3_TzvBaap5s4jD5FA1yQE48V17wbJz45Eyof-eTN8t86BNGQzjTD9hMPbANbrU72JKhS-NmKdrAMTnDiB7hsMaqSlybEfT_JRhNcU3iYA5jYGs/s320/IMG_0777.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Old doors used to mark out shop
space</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBV_i6EAp40LU7MDtUi_DhMvKK-xssc2NzIg6V79zdbgCI3WprqZ6UcJRT_ZnmQnNFYxjoMYlE1pxcUX8D7RSUPP4pjuylwwh1WYB8Ta48YG6Zc6IgKwiWiNPcBumwrEpDk4c-8sO_ac/s1600/IMG_0762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBV_i6EAp40LU7MDtUi_DhMvKK-xssc2NzIg6V79zdbgCI3WprqZ6UcJRT_ZnmQnNFYxjoMYlE1pxcUX8D7RSUPP4pjuylwwh1WYB8Ta48YG6Zc6IgKwiWiNPcBumwrEpDk4c-8sO_ac/s320/IMG_0762.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGzFH0urZWH8FUh1R1eDpar0gOIGVaRjfVx9_W_7mCcgeerzIIfQ97nk6b4TxmratxAz8JzEJBfkE_HwnmdIDdNvL7eBLRafCzxZj0-CHyHbuAntgFY45cqlWmQpifhvDUt0zkuPeEGk/s1600/IMG_0763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGzFH0urZWH8FUh1R1eDpar0gOIGVaRjfVx9_W_7mCcgeerzIIfQ97nk6b4TxmratxAz8JzEJBfkE_HwnmdIDdNvL7eBLRafCzxZj0-CHyHbuAntgFY45cqlWmQpifhvDUt0zkuPeEGk/s320/IMG_0763.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The interior of the shrine workshop </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">On my
second trip to Tainan I continued with the exploration of cafes, though this
was somewhat disrupted by the rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And when it rains in Taiwan, oh it rains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Opposite the café where I had my breakfast is the Confucius
Temple, and I explored this trying to understand the semiotics of the
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suspect I will need
guidance with this, so this time I just settled into being a tourist, and
enjoying the visual appeal, and the chance collision of temple and quotidian
modern architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I skirted
the border of the temple on the way to find another old building I saw what I
though was a bomb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this was
exactly what it was, a bomb on a plinth, placed as if it had just fallen from
the sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To add to the mystery of
this unexpected encounter the sign on the plinth confirmed that, yes, this was
a bomb, placed here by the Japanese, but no one was quite sure why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose that all records of the bomb’s
installation as a monument will have been destroyed following the Japanese
surrender and the subsequent arrival of the KMT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The uncertainty of this monument stays with me, both as a
symbol of the complicated history of Taiwan, and as a perfect example of the
unexpected that seems paradoxically commonplace in this country.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95Uh5k2mKW751OZ39iBwLSrXdW75sBzN90LMr4tb9R9WpkRgJdQRsQnxn5h4k8c-Lc8yusIx2uwch1xHet8Ru358a_w5HfkzBNkN76z-uKqKUnyhlX8SbK1ubjFdk47okEDQn54N3Mko/s1600/IMG_0783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95Uh5k2mKW751OZ39iBwLSrXdW75sBzN90LMr4tb9R9WpkRgJdQRsQnxn5h4k8c-Lc8yusIx2uwch1xHet8Ru358a_w5HfkzBNkN76z-uKqKUnyhlX8SbK1ubjFdk47okEDQn54N3Mko/s320/IMG_0783.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NFEM8toarGD7_-lGPwwZSX7_72AsbiNRuiMrfhWcJKy7NTvOhnTXYDJjkePSQ8vXVZHvd11oc_-oOgRJ1cJRsa6r_BfjGJWUUfGs5Vz0SYdRtLibdPZGJAzkq1E9KndmzEHessiWg_U/s1600/IMG_0785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NFEM8toarGD7_-lGPwwZSX7_72AsbiNRuiMrfhWcJKy7NTvOhnTXYDJjkePSQ8vXVZHvd11oc_-oOgRJ1cJRsa6r_BfjGJWUUfGs5Vz0SYdRtLibdPZGJAzkq1E9KndmzEHessiWg_U/s320/IMG_0785.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Bomb monument and sign, Tainan</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Duncan Mountfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13166149369310446097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8369764111205562656.post-43961442526816029142012-07-28T21:08:00.000-07:002012-07-28T21:08:29.617-07:00Arriving in Taiwan<div class="MsoNormal">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:0 2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Times;
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;}
@page Section1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt;
mso-header-margin:35.4pt;
mso-footer-margin:35.4pt;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style><span style="font-family: Arial;">The flight was delayed, the
train to Tainan I hoped to catch did not exist, and so I found myself in the
High Speed Rail Station wondering what to do as the young woman on the ticket
counter explained that the last train to Tainan had been over an hour ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To my surprise she then offered a
number of helpful suggestions, she phoned my friend to explain the situation,
and I ended up staying the first night in a Motel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, a proper Motel, just like the ones in countless
films.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the concrete, marble
and glass of the station this switch was reminiscent of a temporal leap from
hyper-modernity to 1960’s Americana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyBE_V10JbyuIem6cwW5bS1Rj10wsRgG5HA3u-7yLgIz1OcfrL9CsTCvFGVU2WYZKEG2HcdxyDoi_DJ-Bv_pejSQq5jrIgsuwRpUpwCxb-EfPF5ByVzb_ca7IrV31W4kZnZFc0IxvAZI/s1600/IMG_0676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyBE_V10JbyuIem6cwW5bS1Rj10wsRgG5HA3u-7yLgIz1OcfrL9CsTCvFGVU2WYZKEG2HcdxyDoi_DJ-Bv_pejSQq5jrIgsuwRpUpwCxb-EfPF5ByVzb_ca7IrV31W4kZnZFc0IxvAZI/s320/IMG_0676.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The journey to the Motel bordered on the surreal as the taxi driver, my
friend’s cousin, and my friend via telephone tried to work out the address and
we slowly drove around the empty roads.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">These areas surrounding
airports are intrinsically unsettling, with the numerous storage areas,
industrial units, wide empty roads, empty hotels, and lack of any sign of
habitation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was little
indication aside from the road signs as to the location of this place,
non-place, and I thought of the hinterland of Heathrow, of the areas of
industrial sheds and navigation beacons set in fields that surrounded Speke
Airport in Liverpool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Motel was at the edge of
the town and seemed to be for those driving long distances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, indeed, for those who wished to
drive to a place where they could be alone, for the term ‘motel’ can, I have
been told, have the same connotations as the Japanese ‘love hotel’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it is easy to see what those are
from the latter phrase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With that
in mind, I will leave you to speculate on the function of this chair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvH8LFbwuM-kY3kv1YWpWG-1dGhyphenhyphen0THUO5f1o9WO79U6RaU1dGCa09oYbPV6CyAY7g5gSYyF-UVIMqnaV3flGko292dhONRIrgmcKf4Jjqueq0X6a-kLvLHquvdZArleEQ7tbfmlUpqT4/s1600/IMG_0675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvH8LFbwuM-kY3kv1YWpWG-1dGhyphenhyphen0THUO5f1o9WO79U6RaU1dGCa09oYbPV6CyAY7g5gSYyF-UVIMqnaV3flGko292dhONRIrgmcKf4Jjqueq0X6a-kLvLHquvdZArleEQ7tbfmlUpqT4/s320/IMG_0675.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The journey to Tainan on the
High Speed Train was wonderful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
love these trains, their space and comfort, the sight of the landscape from
this speeding machine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love the
announcements in, I presume, Mandarin, Taiwanese, and a strange
American/English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We will now
make a brief stop at…..”, as if you will have 25 seconds to get off before the
train bullets out of the station, for nothing must stand in the way of the
speeding progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love the fact
that the trains arrive within a few seconds of the time stated, and that they
stop at exactly the right place marked on the platform for the carriage
door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of that running down
the platform laden with bags to find the door here.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7Ga_Oc8iE8GvL5hXc7tuHJUuswzZtKX7wR3r83hifJDTrsNxLuBI4eHd-O-DFptBoKKF15v3Ml7qrA7CIsI5rhCkHd0CosVTEbY9qYTO41VCBSxwM8FNWke1WiNE-haSf82QtjCM_1Q/s1600/IMG_0677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7Ga_Oc8iE8GvL5hXc7tuHJUuswzZtKX7wR3r83hifJDTrsNxLuBI4eHd-O-DFptBoKKF15v3Ml7qrA7CIsI5rhCkHd0CosVTEbY9qYTO41VCBSxwM8FNWke1WiNE-haSf82QtjCM_1Q/s320/IMG_0677.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESb11KYWFZN6B9RBvTXxELBvaeaU665PfDjs7J0BWocmYs_tRcNFQ_7vXkT4ulNKPyCtTtYBC1bdeqMa12hzMZJGmYGoBaLcB8TqYqS5k7tW6bTUscGqPEwscFgQb2IssfW8rMVkCuQ0/s1600/IMG_0678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESb11KYWFZN6B9RBvTXxELBvaeaU665PfDjs7J0BWocmYs_tRcNFQ_7vXkT4ulNKPyCtTtYBC1bdeqMa12hzMZJGmYGoBaLcB8TqYqS5k7tW6bTUscGqPEwscFgQb2IssfW8rMVkCuQ0/s320/IMG_0678.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And so to Dorm 1828, a newly
refurbished hostel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you ever
decide to explore the mountains of Taiwan, and Taiwan has some amazing
mountains so I have discovered, then come here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The place is comfortable, friendly, run by staff who know
everything about ‘extreme sports’, and with an interior décor that is
imaginative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a dedicated
non-sports person who hides in books of philosophy I was fascinated by the
experiences of the boss/owner, who, over a couple of bottles of the best beer I
have ever had, told me tales of climbing up ice walls, and then explained the
business model behind the enterprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For not only does she provide accommodation, and information, and guides
to the wilder areas of Taiwan, but she also searches out Taiwanese designs,
furniture predominantly, and by getting them used by the heavy hands of
wandering back-packers, tests their functionality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also has a very clear idea of quality, and we shared a
love of the ‘aesthetics of the everyday’, that is the quotidian beauty of the
conduit leading the power cables through the building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dorm 1828 will be changing its name,
but as I was told the new name at the end of the third bottle of beer, it has
temporarily disappeared.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhY2b50NAoW9LTQVO1E7-QH-lYxlcTmspJblzHDGPyrgxhOV90k11r5TUsnvef5uhFuWT3pP362ZzZbFA5aDVMM481mZKay_JdPm34IUgfng0O1hjiabvgZx7HVszG9elpv-PrIxIvS9Y/s1600/IMG_0689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhY2b50NAoW9LTQVO1E7-QH-lYxlcTmspJblzHDGPyrgxhOV90k11r5TUsnvef5uhFuWT3pP362ZzZbFA5aDVMM481mZKay_JdPm34IUgfng0O1hjiabvgZx7HVszG9elpv-PrIxIvS9Y/s320/IMG_0689.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-twC8ltIR5piBhtST_TDoCacWHkOGXEE7c4G3m8cwPp2HpFQBJ039EXN_QrBp48tl0t71TNKJqZyUgVYFFsK4UCc64w1q_kL_MlIJA1oLy2cAGAJ0lgWJMuJoFjA_7nvJ9sLsZTc7mVg/s1600/IMG_0692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-twC8ltIR5piBhtST_TDoCacWHkOGXEE7c4G3m8cwPp2HpFQBJ039EXN_QrBp48tl0t71TNKJqZyUgVYFFsK4UCc64w1q_kL_MlIJA1oLy2cAGAJ0lgWJMuJoFjA_7nvJ9sLsZTc7mVg/s320/IMG_0692.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGw-mJCW98xKYd9pEHAhJR1X6LfIDZEtLnJQaQkkvoyx9MXlr2Q7ya8VrZIx5v0zw-eDd7rZOBhnzar1t6YxifLgzOcb-1FnUCutJvALzMMIYSMdsCs8_QnvLuMLOgfH8G0sNzWk-a4uM/s1600/IMG_0694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGw-mJCW98xKYd9pEHAhJR1X6LfIDZEtLnJQaQkkvoyx9MXlr2Q7ya8VrZIx5v0zw-eDd7rZOBhnzar1t6YxifLgzOcb-1FnUCutJvALzMMIYSMdsCs8_QnvLuMLOgfH8G0sNzWk-a4uM/s320/IMG_0694.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaYdfpkOTOyjt9bh4FV7R1TZ8lR2961GIvSSfZ7nHCpYusYMc9kKZON1tQDGyhw3hyphenhyphen9j1pqo9v7rKPJMv08l4THV0YgEIehJslY1NeoZeD_5Et9cSi8S6fZX5GpPJB9rBrSYu_SL9Ad4/s1600/IMG_0697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaYdfpkOTOyjt9bh4FV7R1TZ8lR2961GIvSSfZ7nHCpYusYMc9kKZON1tQDGyhw3hyphenhyphen9j1pqo9v7rKPJMv08l4THV0YgEIehJslY1NeoZeD_5Et9cSi8S6fZX5GpPJB9rBrSYu_SL9Ad4/s320/IMG_0697.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11ltVHVfG-cR7lmHWxDvfC44cUn6kBtAzuzIzFXtOjvdtfuxYETPjX9m-0RqaA_e-ZgdxoOv3HEiAnRq9X4imfFgJrb5iRD__AamHCp9Pi_Q5PfFirwsJR0SzJBYekpiXI6RHRvj4RfI/s1600/IMG_0698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11ltVHVfG-cR7lmHWxDvfC44cUn6kBtAzuzIzFXtOjvdtfuxYETPjX9m-0RqaA_e-ZgdxoOv3HEiAnRq9X4imfFgJrb5iRD__AamHCp9Pi_Q5PfFirwsJR0SzJBYekpiXI6RHRvj4RfI/s320/IMG_0698.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Tainan has some of the best
cafes I have ever been in, and my friend informs me this is but the tip of an
iceberg of comfortable coffee places where one can sit and read and muse all
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One, which I have so far only
visited briefly, is next door to a second-hand bookstore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is of course very dangerous, as I
can see my store of books will begin to increase at every visit to the café.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which, incidentally, is owned by the
same person who owns the bookshop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In the cafes, as in the
hostel, there is the use of recycled furniture, old cabinets from shops and
houses, a variety of chairs and tables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This interests me, and I am not yet certain as to what to think of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My impression at the moment is that this
is a valuing of the past, of objects that speak of previous use and history,
that is a counterbalance to the hyper-modernity and industrialisation of the
cities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I write this in one of the
Houses for the Visiting Professors in the University.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Outside there is a long lake, and over it are five small
bridges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three of these bridges
date from the 13 century.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnJwVd1Z8mLGkJU9gM5hdM0rG8djpVI07fFLqK7Jn5x1Z_aoi5gT91P5zWEMFxKKWmsRmGDr0auOwcBc8Iuw1TODUlA9L9aRqvJxfPHGjBpzYRKN0Sq_WWuWs8jkTX3_p1jmHqX8fmuQ/s1600/IMG_0701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnJwVd1Z8mLGkJU9gM5hdM0rG8djpVI07fFLqK7Jn5x1Z_aoi5gT91P5zWEMFxKKWmsRmGDr0auOwcBc8Iuw1TODUlA9L9aRqvJxfPHGjBpzYRKN0Sq_WWuWs8jkTX3_p1jmHqX8fmuQ/s320/IMG_0701.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Duncan Mountfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13166149369310446097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8369764111205562656.post-36045347745686422242012-07-02T13:05:00.001-07:002012-07-02T13:45:55.059-07:00Packing my library<div style="font-family: inherit;">
2 July <br />
<br />
In twenty days I fly out to Tainan, and I am faced with a greater version of the problem that always overwhelms me before I travel anywhere. This is, exactly what books do I take? From the day I went to a second-hand bookshop in central Liverpool sometime in the 1960's and bought The Lost World by Conan Doyle I have been in love with books, and they are now an important source for my work and ideas. And so I am trying to decide which books will I need for the lectures, which books do I think will be in the University Library, and which books do I need from a personal perspective, the books that enable me to reflect upon myself. Overall this hang the twin problems of finance and shipping, what can I afford to ship? I know with certainty that I will unpack the boxes in a couple of months time and wonder why I chose that book, and where is the really important one I need for the work? </div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
Of course once I am in Taiwan I will begin to buy more books, and every trip back to the UK will also be an excuse to go book hunting, wandering through the second-hand places in Liverpool. Even in these days of the hegemony of Amazon nothing can replace the serendipity of the second-hand bookshop, and in Liverpool the same dealers still remain. I first strolled into these wonderful caves of volumes in 1985, and they are still there, with the same people greeting you as if you had just popped out to get a sandwich in one of the many new Tesco Express stores that litter the new shopping malls, rather than having returned after an absence of many years.</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But now I must return to the present problem, and am now finding the book boxes I only unpacked seven months ago. Ah, the life of the nomad. Time to read Walter Benjamin on Unpacking his Library.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDfopUn0bhrzti1Q8OQ_Cf5ZUE5h8HRWSJ0CRkBf32AcfRwfbupaA7OOTMAllAdQLxFIg6iz83urzMi7vVKWbW7I0yi3fEzKXkmPCKpPtTuj1LKvM91TyMCfroP98tTr3R0cm5J4nv9k/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDfopUn0bhrzti1Q8OQ_Cf5ZUE5h8HRWSJ0CRkBf32AcfRwfbupaA7OOTMAllAdQLxFIg6iz83urzMi7vVKWbW7I0yi3fEzKXkmPCKpPtTuj1LKvM91TyMCfroP98tTr3R0cm5J4nv9k/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Duncan Mountfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13166149369310446097noreply@blogger.com0