Modern
& Traditional
Taiwan is a
complex mixture of the modern and the traditional. Most of Taiwan’s
22 million inhabitants live in one of the large, crowded, bustling
cities of the western coast, complete with gridlocked traffic, cable
TV, and a McDonalds or KFC on seemingly every major street. The
pace of life can be hectic. Many households draw double incomes
from long hours at the office. Special vans shuttle children directly
from regular school to "cram schools" (bu shi ban)
for several additional hours of instruction in English, math, or
other subjects. All this activity and drive to succeed help make
Taiwan one of the greatest economic success stories of Asia and
one of the wealthiest countries in the region.
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Culture
& Values
 In
the midst of this bustle, most Taiwanese retain a strong sense of
traditional Chinese culture and values. Indeed, most observers agree
that traditional Chinese culture is better preserved in Taiwan than
in any other predominantly Chinese country, including Mainland China.
The powerful work and study ethic exhibited in the Taiwanese drive
to succeed is derived in large part from Confucian teaching. Even
more important is the value of loyalty to one’s family, though this
value may be expressed in ways unfamiliar to those outside Asia.
Perhaps the strongest expression of family loyalty, and the one
that creates the most consistent obstacle to the gospel of Christ
among the Taiwanese, is the duty pressed upon children to worship
and "provide for" their deceased parents and ancestors
by making regular offerings of incense, food, and paper money. Traditional
Chinese religion, a mixture of ancestor worship, folk-Buddhism,
Taoism, and animistic practices, is prevalent in Taiwan. Nearly
every street, it seems, has a temple—some large and expensively
furnished, others merely one-room storefronts, but all well frequented.
Taiwan has the highest density of temples per square kilometer in
the world, with temples dedicated to over 340 different gods.
(above text adapted from www.lonelyplanet.com)
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"Seventeen
Fascinating Facts about Taiwan"
by Will and Suzy Brown
- In
our city, we have to rake leaves into the street so three
huge gas-guzzling machines can come and take them away.
I guess burning the leaves causes too much pollution.
- Shopping
carts have seat belts. Some even have a special thing rigged
up so three kids can be pushed with just one cart and still
leave room for shopping. Wow!
- On
our toilet, there are two flushers: one is for "small"
and the other is for "big." I’m sure you can figure
it out! What an interesting way to save water.
- The
shower in our bathroom is not enclosed, nor is there any
way to hook up a shower curtain. Now how is one expected
to not get water all over the rest of the bathroom? I guess
that’s why bath mats are placed outside the bathroom door
- In
a very humid country, what does one do to keep the mirror
from fogging up? Plug in a mirror with a built-in heater,
that’s what! I think it’s a terrific invention!
- At
the local swimming pools everyone must wear a swim cap,
even the babies (and grown men) with no hair!
- There
are not many libraries in Taiwan. Most people read books
in bookstores. Some upscale bookstores even provide couches
for the comfort of their loitering guests!
- When
the first graders have cumulative testing three times a
year, the teachers will stamp onto the test papers the grading
scale and how many students got what score. It is easy for
us to see how early the pressure is put on Chinese children
to excel academically.
- Celebrating
birthdays as we grow older is less and less fun for most
of us. In Taiwan, I imagine it’s even less fun: on a special
senior birthday, such as at 60, 70, or 80, family members
gather and give you a most interesting gift—your burial
clothes.
- After
performing surgery in Taiwan, the surgeon takes the "part"
that
has just been removed and brings it out to show the family
members.
I assume it is to prove the operation was really done!
- When
the doctor gives our children medicine to take, he gives
a powder and a liquid. We have to mix it up and coax them
to take it. A spoonful of sugar does help the medicine go
down, but it sure is easier when it comes "all-in-one"!
- There
is a strange sight on some cars that carry the bride and
groom to the wedding service: a piece of raw pork tied to
the hood! Its meaning? To wish the couple the good fortune
of eating meat every day.
- Age
is very important in Taiwan culture. For example, a younger
co-worker must address an older co-worker with the phrase
"older sister/brother co-worker" even if the two
differ in age by only a few months, or even days. Even twins
are regarded in this manner, though they are only minutes
apart in age. For the rest of their lives they call each
other "older/younger brother/sister."
- The
calendar year for the Republic of China on Taiwan begins
with 1911 to commemorate the revolution that ended the Ching
Dynasty. That makes the expiration dates on food products
made in Taiwan quite confusing. If, say, in December of
2001, I pick up a package of cheese and the date on the
bottom is 12-14-90, I have to remember that the cheese really
isn’t 11 years old, but rather quite fresh.
- The
Chinese say that when a baby is born, he is already one
year old. Then on the first of January they add another
year, since the baby will really be one year older during
that year. So our son Andy, whose birthday is December 23,
was already two years old only a little more than one week
after he was born!
- After
the birth of the baby, the hospital staff asks the mother
if she wants to take the placenta home with her. The reason
is that some Chinese believe that burying the placenta will
keep the baby from being colicky.
- A helpful
hint from a Taiwan newspaper states: "During an earthquake,
grab a household item to put over your head, such as a pillow
or motorcycle helmet." How many of you can boast that
a motorcycle helmet is a household item!
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Chinese
New Year
from Bob and Pam Hamilton
 Imagine
people walking into one of the gaping mouths of an enormous, two-headed
lobster, then through its large sculpted tunnel-like body and out
the other mouth. Two men wait just outside the exit, holding a small
wooden chair by the legs and swaying it back and forth in mid-air
between them, as the people exiting from the lobster tunnel duck
and pass beneath it. This is what we recently saw in the main courtyard
of a large temple on the last day of Chinese New Year. Our Taiwanese
friend accompanying us told us that this ritual occurs only once
a year on this particular day. Passing through the giant lobster
(or was it a shrimp?) and under the chair is supposed to rid you
of bad luck and ensure good luck for the new year ahead.
In an adjacent
courtyard, a man holding a microphone promised worshipers that for
a small fee they could place incense sticks in a special urn and
receive a blessing from the gods (this particular temple housed
five god-idols). The scene reminded me of the Jerusalem temple in
Jesus’ day, where merchants hawked blemished animals at exorbitant
prices to Jews attempting to approach God. In each case, the temple
establishment promoted a deity (or deities, in the Taiwanese temple)
that could be manipulated into dispensing blessings.
Chinese New
Year celebrations are full of symbolism. The traditional New Year’s
Eve family dinner, for example, contains dishes symbolizing health,
wealth, and good fortune. Dishes with turnips are common because
the word for turnip sounds like the word for "good luck"
in some Chinese dialects. Similarly, the word for fish sounds the
same as the word for "surplus." Another important dish
is Chinese dumplings, which are similar in shape to ancient Chinese
gold and silver ingots. The chef typically hides a coin in one dumpling;
whoever ends up with the coin is supposed to become the luckiest
and most successful person in the year ahead (I suppose, that is,
if he doesn’t break a tooth on the coin!).
Also at Chinese
New Year, nearly everyone pastes bright red banners over the top
and sides of their doorposts or gates. In ancient China, these red
banners were believed to be one way of preventing a certain dreaded
New Year’s Eve monster from attacking and eating unsuspecting victims—particularly
children—in the house. Does this sound familiar? Think of the biblical
Passover. Today, most Taiwanese simply view the banners as yet another
way to ensure good luck for the new year.
The vast majority
of Taiwanese live under such delusions, regularly maneuvering to
ward off bad luck and obtain good luck by presenting offerings to
the family ancestors, burning incense and paper money at the local
temple, visiting fortune-tellers, eating special foods, or decorating
their doorposts. They do not know about the one true God, whose
grace can be neither merited nor bought.
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