Events, events, events! A guide to March and April, plus scenes from Taitung
Tibetans in Taiwan march today; flash mob dance celebrating migrant and women's rights, also today; Ukraine Food Day; Samuel Moyn next week; plus, EAST GOES WEST book club
Hello, dear readers! Thanks to everyone who replied to our last missive about the “comical family psychodrama” at the book fair in Taipei. Other news: NPR’s digital story of Taiwanese Americans moving back to Taiwan featuring Michelle came out last week, and TaiwanPlus’s Divya Gopalan and her team investigated Taiwan’s lack of an asylum law, where Michelle describes Taiwan’s complicated and layered relationship to refugees. There’s an excellent five-minute excerpt on Hong Kong activist Terence Law, who describes police knocking on his door at 6 A.M and is now making a life in Taiwan as an exile.
If you’re in Taipei today, there are three cool events this afternoon: a Tibetan rights march to commemorate and protest the 65th anniversary of Chinese occupation (1:30 P.M.), Ukraine Food Day at Bar Fest (1 to 7 P.M.), and a Billion Rising March for migrant rights (at 1 P.M.) where there will be a flash mob dance. (Apologies for this late notice; we’re trying to be better about this!)
In the coming weeks, we’ll have interviews with Taiwanese experts on transitional justice and the death penalty. Stay tuned!
Scenes from Taitung
Our favorite place in Taiwan is the gorgeous eastern coast. Rocky beaches, rice paddies, crafts-filled night markets, a world-class museum of prehistoric and indigenous art, and monkeys galore—this region brims with life, history, and beauty.
Here’s a view of the rocky beach at Sanxiantai (三仙台), also called “Nuwalian” by the Amis people. The area is now a natural reserve because of the surrounding coral reefs and diverse tropical fish.
We fell in love with the heartbreakingly beautiful rice paddies of Chihshang, where the legendary Cloud Gate dance group has chosen to set its contemporary dance performances:
No longer baby P. is a devotee of night market games. Here she plays pinball with her very patient grandpa:
We stayed close to Chihpen and spotted a waterfall:
Formosan macaque sighting!
We visited the Taitung Museum of Prehistory, which highlights indigenous culture and history.
The museum devoted several rooms to the modern indigenous rights movement, collecting poignant video interviews with high school teachers in Taitung and archival footage from social movements. We particularly loved the collection of inscribed rocks from the Indigenous Ketagalan Movement Protest in 2017, where people demanded more official recognition of land, including privately owned land.
Samuel Moyn in Taiwan
After almost a year of planning, Professor Samuel Moyn—UNSW Sydney recently described him as “known for his challenging perspectives and boasting a cult following on the left”—is coming to Taiwan! Organized by Albert and two of his wonderful colleagues Oran Doyle (Institute of Law) and Charles Lee (also at the Institute of History and Philology), Prof. Moyn will give three talks from Monday until Wednesday. The talks on Monday and Wednesday will be at the Institute of Law; the talk on Tuesday will be at the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica. All are welcome!
More Events — roundup of March and April events.
This Friday, March 15th at 7 P.M. Peiru Ko, founder of Food Culture Collective, will speak with Mai Bach, founder of Ooh Cha Cha Restaurant, at the Lung Yingtai Foundation. The event will be in English.
This Friday, March 15th the wonderful musician Cissy Yu will be playing at Clash New Taipei at 8 P.M.
Until April 28th, the National Museum of Taiwan Literature in Tainan is hosting the exhibit "Shining Stars of Modernism: American and Taiwanese Literature," showcasing how Taiwanese writers of the 1960s were influenced by Western Modernism and how they adapted these influences to local contexts.
Throughout May, the Tao (Yami) indigenous community celebrates their Flying Fish Festival, commencing with Mivanwa, a ritual to pray for a bountiful harvest. During the festival, you can visit Lanyu (Orchid Island), but there are several taboos to keep in mind when you visit.
From March 9th to March 23rd, immerse yourself in the Neimen Song Jiang Battle Ritual in Kaohsiung. This martial arts performance intertwines popular religious beliefs and Daoist elements.
Embark on the annual Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage from March 14th to April 6th, covering over 400 kilometers. Mazu, revered as the Sea Goddess in Taiwanese culture, is honored through this traditional walk from Miaoli through Taichung, Changhua, and Yunlin. Register here.
Experience the Taiwan International Light Festival from March 16th to April 28th at the National Art Museum in Taichung. The organizers have chosen the theme themed around the post-pandemic era.
March 16th marks the NCCU Golden Melody Music Festival, hosted at Huashan1914 Park in Taipei. Enjoy performances by local indie bands, followed by an on-campus competition on April 27th and 28th.
Join the festivities of Eid-al-Fitr in Taipei on April 14th at Da’an Park. Open to all, this event welcomes non-Muslims to partake in the street market and cultural performances.
Our friend Michael Fahey alerted us to this art exhibit on post-war modernist artists at the National Museum of History.
Book Club: EAST GOES WEST
For March, we'll read the “first” Korean-American novel, Younghill Kang's EAST GOES WEST. (It also has a wonderful introduction by Alexander Chee.) This will take place Friday, March 29th at 7 PM EST / Saturday March 30th at 7 AM Taiwan time. For April, we'll read Abraham Verghese's THE COVENANT OF WATER. Reply to this email for the zoom link. All are welcome!
Wow, I wish I could partake in some of these events! It's also nice to see night market pinball machines are still around. I just caught up on the primer to transitional justice--I am really looking forward to the upcoming interviews in the series.