Temples in Taiwan

My fieldwork is to observe a certain type of ritual which has been growing in Taiwan during the past decades. This issue could be complicated, and I sometimes get confused when realizing that the society seems to be more and more religious these days, which makes a ritual a routine in religious form, and thus it’s not easy to divide the secular and the sacred anymore. I sometimes watch TV at night and, oh, there are so many shows talking about spirits and ghosts! People even send photos or videos to the show and ask what the “strange figure” in the image means. Another popular type of show is to invite mediums to talk about politics, economics and gossips, and I feel kind of bad for the celebrity whom is analyzed there: he/she is absent but his/her personal information (including the parents’ and spouse’ detailed horoscope) is totally exposed!

There is a vague boundary between religions in Taiwan. The English term “to convert” doesn’t seem to exist in the society, since very often the Taiwanese say he/she believes in the Buddha, the Jade Emperor (and last month the journalists found someone who has been worshipping the statue of a politician for 20 years) at the same time. Last week for my fieldwork I visited a temple in Taipei, and got to see two young pop singers companied by their representatives asking the priest about their new album. I think the two singers are probably lay people and not disciples in strict sense; nonetheless it’s not surprising to see people go to the temple to ask about the future because temples have been one of the information sources in Taiwanese life.

To exclude any gods/ghosts is offensive to the supernatural world, and in addition to making someone feel guilty, the possible punishment brings anxiety. It is understandable why Christianity has difficulties being popular in Taiwan. People could have hard time to understand “why can’t I bow and send greetings to my ancestors while being a Christian?” Some Christians indeed upset the society, because they go to their hometown trying to destroy the ancestral tablets and claim that their families are heterodox by worshiping the idols.

Two weeks ago I went to Tainan- the historical city which might have the biggest number of temples in Taiwan- and on my way down to the south I saw a lot of temples and graveyards along the highway, or located in the center of the rice field. While taking photos, I can’t stop wondering how I should answer the question to my fieldwork: what is the meaning of the ritual for people in Taiwan?

Along the highway one can see the decorative roofs of the temples

The most beautiful temple I’ve ever visited in Taiwan: the Dragon Mountain Temple (Longshan Si) in Taipei

The Osmonds

I’ve been watching ET news in Montreal almost every day so got to know that the Osmonds are currently having their world tour. However I was not that impressed by their songs on TV, probably because I’m not familiar with them at all. Surprisingly on the day of my arrival in Taiwan my friend Amanda invited me to go to the Osmond’s show since she got a couple of tickets. I didn’t know they’d been in Taiwan! So, that’s what I did on the first night in Taipei: going to a show I’ve heard a lot in Canada!

The Taipei Arena

The show took place in the Taipei Arena, which is called Xiao Judan (small big egg, which means it is a smaller version of the Big Egg in Tokyo.) This is a new building in Taipei and I’ve never seen it while living here. A lot of people were waiting for getting into it when we got there, but most of them are men and women more than 60 years old! The waiting was a lot of fun though, because we saw many “elder” celebrities coming in to the arena, including the wealthiest CEO in Taiwan- Guo Taiming of Foxconn, a manufacturer of EMS/ODM- and his fiancée, and the paparazzi was running after them. Their romance has been hot news in the society, including the 24-year age difference and the fact that the girl is going to be a “princess”. In addition, Zhang Zhongmou –CEO of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company- and some “elder” pop stars showed up, too. I can’t stop wondering if Amanda and I could enjoy the songs as these “elder” people do?

Looking at the other side of the street from the Arena

The answer is no. Although the Osmonds really sang well, and their great sense of humour entertained everyone, we just didn’t love the songs. At the same time I was trying to take some photos but apparently it was banned. It seems that the rules are much stricter than Madonna’s shows; I still remember how “bold” people were by consistently taking photos of the queen in MSG!

Paparrazi running after the couple

Amanda and I decided to leave during the break. Then we went to a restaurant enjoying delicious rice soup and side dishes. I was actually very glad to experience the show, because it brought me back to my old crowded and exciting days in Taipei. And the Osmonds seem to be still with us in spite of the fact that they already left. Today it was exposed that the younger sister Marie lost her jewellery worth approximately 400,000 NT ($13,000) (suspected) in the Hyatt Hotel. But she is not sure if it had been already lost in Australia before Taiwan since she got a lot of luggage and didn’t check it frequently.

Back to Taipei

I’m originally from Taichung, the city in the central Taiwan. But this city has been a “cultural desert” for me and I’ve seldom enjoyed it. So I was super excited when getting the opportunity going to Taipei for work and studies at my 22.

I was very shy and timid when I just got to Taipei. I was like a country girl and people in Taipei seemed so aggressive but at the same time full of attractiveness. Luckily I got one good friend who is from the South and as curious about Taipei as I was. Therefore we explored the city together and had a lot of fun. I stayed in Taipei for 6 years and gradually became a “Taipei-centered” snob and always complained about other cities.

As the capital of Taiwan, Taipei gathers the most exciting things- political, economical, cultural, and of course consumerist- of Taiwan. The population is approximately 3 million and the weather is awful with too much humidity in both summer and winter. This city has been like a lot of big cities in the world, which means it often votes the politician against the will of other regions of the country (the bourgeoisie traitors!). Taipei has been the domain of KMT (the Nationalist Party), in spite of the fact that Taiwanese localism is currently prominent across the island.

Now I’m back to the city from Canada, and certainly not a “Taipei-centered” snob anymore. I’m looking at the city with different feelings; for example, why are there so many scooters on the road and make the environment noisy and polluted? Or, oh shop attendants are much more polite here! I’m like a tourist and found that the city has changed a lot, and am like going back to my 22 and start another exploration.

The Taipei Metro

Liberty Square

Formerly and better known as The Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall.
The name change was one of the results of democratization in Taiwan. Chiang Kai-Shek was the dictator of Taiwan from 1950 to the 1970's.

Pink! Pink! Pink!

Again, as some of my friends know, my favourite color is pink, and thus I’ve been collecting Hello Kitty stuff for many years. In Montreal I have to restrain myself as people in North America seem to be fond of neutral colors and styles, and a women in pink Hello Kitty dress walking on Ste. Catherine might look stupid. I still remember once a woman on “What Not To Wear” was totally in pink and then became the laugh stock of the two fashion experts. So although I was trying to use the Hello Kitty pen box and wear pink sandals at school I rarely show off pink stuff of mine.


Of course I wouldn’t wear everything in pink in Taiwan, but this island is so supportive to girlie style and I’m like swimming in the pink sea! Pink cosmetics, pink bath gel and body lotion, pink “facial oil removing” paper in heart shape, and even pink cigarettes! I finally liberated my desire for pink and enjoy the overwhelming power of pink in all kinds of stores.

Some psychologists claim that the color someone prefers could reveal his/her personality. If this is true, could we say that the distinct popularity of pink shows the difference of two cultures?

Rice burger

A video of me having a rice burger at Mos Burger in Taipei. Sorry about the background noises.

My new laptop

As some of my friends know, I’m a computer illiterate; no, I'd rather say that I’m a technology illiterate. Therefore I didn’t know how to use a digital camera until the beginning of this year when I went to Europe, and my IBM Thinkpad laptop has stayed with me for 7 years (so IBM is really good). Actually I like technology, and really appreciate its contribution to modern life, although sometimes I believe it has been misused to satisfy undisciplined desire of human kind. A lot of people have talked about the autonomy of technology, but we’re not that against it. The only reason I’m so behind of technology is laziness.

For my fieldwork in Taiwan I can’t be this lazy anymore. My supervisor has reminded me again and again: purchase good equipments and obtain as much important information as possible during the trip. It looks like I need at least a new laptop (my IBM is too exhausted and he prefers to stay in Canada), a camcorder, a digital camera and a voice recorder. I guess the most crucial one is the laptop. J (a lovely technology professional) has helped me search for it. Based on his suggestions, for the simple functions I need (typing, surfing the Internet, viewing photos, and watching Madonna’s music videos!), I chose white Toshiba Portégé M600 (this model is named something else in Canada). Again, I’m not very good at technology, so a nice and feminine color assists in the efficiency of working!

Thus, my dear friend Andy in Taiwan (another person who is much better at computer than me) purchased the laptop on my behalf and settled everything before my arrival in Taiwan. Look at this! I’ll use this laptop to work on my fieldwork and write about my life in Taiwan for you!