By Mary Weathers The Wild East As soon as I had secured myself a teaching position in Taipei, I decided to take a couple months off to tour the Island that is Taiwan. I needed to see more of the country; I had certainly not fallen head over heels in
Read moreaboriginal culture in Taiwan
Answering In A Quiet Place: Taiwan Singing Legend Kimbo
Kimbo and I were able to have an extended chat that afternoon; he agreed to allow me to interview him for The Wild East Magazine, about his experiences not only as an award-winning Aboriginal singer, but what led him to become an activist and leader in Taiwan’s democratic and human rights movement.
Kimbo was born in 1950 in Xinku, Taitung, “near a small harbor of the Amis tribe,” he said. His mother was Amis and father Baiwan. He lived there until he was 2 ½ years old, then moved again to the village Jialau, near Taimali, his “final home,” as he called it.
“Typhoon loves us,” he said, of the village that floods and is nearly wiped away every few years; the latest devastation took place during Typhoon Morakot last August.
Read moreThe healing hot springs of Chingchuan
By Barry Martinson I am floating in the steaming hot springs of the aboriginal mountain village of Chingchuan (清泉), an hour’s ride from the foothills of Chutung (竹東), not far from Hsinchu (新竹) City. Outside, the air is chilly. But once in the water, there is nothing but warmth. “Chingchuan”
Read moreCultural Survival on Taiwan’s Orchid Island
A Special Report on Taiwan By Linda Gail Arrigo, with Si Jilgilan (Huang Ching-Wen) and Si Maraos (Chung Chi-Fu) The indigenous people of Orchid Island, an island off the southeast coast of Taiwan, are a small but distinct group—cut off from their closest relatives in the Philippines— among Taiwan’s remaining
Read moreExpat Chat: Being Black in Taiwan
Andre Mangongo is a priest with the Catholic Church from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and has been in Taiwan four years. If you don’t speak Chinese, don’t know anything about the culture or language, it’s a shock, isn’t it? I’m sharing from the experience of 4 years. When you
Read moreTaiwan's Betel Nut Culture Deeply Engrained
Annual production value has fallen sharply in the past decade, but the fruit of the betel palm still ranks as the second largest cash crop for Taiwan farmers. BY TRISTA DI GENOVA Published in AmCham’s Topics Magazine After declining for years as health and environmental concerns cut into consumption, Taiwan’s
Read moreNTU student looks at faith in Taroko tribe
Steeped in ancient Balkan folk tales, Angel is also a third-year cultural anthropology undergraduate at NTU (National Taiwan University). He said in an exclusive interview with The China Post on Friday night that his early interest in Balkan folk tales led him to delve into his current research in “local cultures” in Taiwan.
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