Fili's World | A different look at Asia, China & Taiwan

Taipei’s Maokong Gondola : Traveling through clouds

Fili — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:58:00 PDT

Ever had the sensation you’re hanging up in the air between a sea of clouds? With the Maokong Gondola and the summer rainy cloudy weather you can experience just that. Though you won’t enjoy the scenic beauty of the Maokong tea plantations, you will feel like you’re flying through clouds all the way up to the top.

Although I’ve lived in Taiwan for quite a while, I was so far really unlucky with the Gondola. The first time I wanted to visit the Gondola, I followed the Lonely Planet time schedule and came in on a Monday only to find out it’s closed for maintenance on Mondays. Still, I decided to take the bus up to Chi-Nan Temple, the middle stop on the Maokong Gondola, and had a terrific time there.

Shortly after that time, the Gondola was shut down for a very long period due to some serious problems following a typhoon. It was only recently reopened and so I finally had the chance to go and take the gondola all the way to the top. It was a rainy day, with countless clouds surrounding the Muzha mountains.

And so… this is what my trip up looked like. I can only describe the experience as… magical.

Hot or cold, rain or sunshine, it’s worth a visit. If you’re not in a rush – don’t miss it.

Oh, and BTW – it’s unbelievably cheap for the tourist attraction that it is.

228 Peace Memorial Park-Museum & Formosa Betrayed

Fili — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:02:00 PDT

The 228 Peace Memorial Park just south of the Taipei Main Train Station area is a lovely little park, hosting two museums, several pagodas, ponds, & Chinese style gardens. The name of the park, as well as the 228 museum are set as a reminder to one of Taiwan’s darkest times, February 28th, 1947.

Wikipedia introduces the park:

228 Peace Memorial Park is a historic site located in the Zhongzheng district of Taipei, Taiwan. The park is home to the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum, housed at the site of a former radio station that operated under Japanese and Kuomintang rule. The park contains a number of memorials to victims of the 228 Incident of 1947, including the Taipei 228 Memorial that stands at the center of the park. The National Taiwan Museum stands at the park’s north entrance. The park also features a bandshell and exercise areas.

So what was the 228 incident?

The 228 Incident, also known as the 228 Massacre, was an anti-government uprising in Taiwan that began on February 27, 1947 and was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang (KMT) government. Estimates of the number of deaths vary from ten thousand to thirty thousand or more. The Incident marked the beginning of the Kuomintang’s White Terror period in Taiwan, in which thousands more Taiwanese vanished, were killed, or imprisoned. The number "228" refers to the day the massacre began: February 28, or 02-28.

I recommend browsing through the Formosa Betrayed book (PDF) from 1965. There is also a recently featured movie with the same name which I haven’t had the chance to see yet. Initially I thought it’s strange that there are so many online copies of the movie in Chinese VOD sites, but when you really think about it – why would the CCP hold back on the KMT violent crack-down on the local Taiwanese?

The main memorial statue…

Lovely Chinese pagodas and ponds…

Foot Massage path…

And people quietly practicing Chinese martial arts…

More from the blogosphere on the peace park, the 228 incident and the movie :

Safed–Local People-Yemenite Guy

Fili — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:49:00 PDT

One of the most interesting things about Safed are the local people who live there. You get all sorts of curious combinations of origins and accents, dressed up in traditional religious clothing reflecting their sects.

The one I liked the most – by far – was this Yemen guy who runs a hand-made type of pizza shop in one of the main streets of the old city. My sister, who is a tour guide and takes groups to Safed’s old city, has known him for a long time as a prominent tourist attraction. It’s not only how he’s dressed up and his charming personality, it’s also his passion for making his special pizza accompanied by Yemenite music, singing and lots of smiles.

Here, watch this next video of the guy and his craft…

I couldn’t get enough of this guy, so I shot him and his little place from all possible directions.

Cute, right?

Safed–World Capital of Spirituality

Fili — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:39:00 PDT

Welcome to Safed, the proclaimed “World Capital of Spirituality and Jewish Culture” were eager souls (like Madonna) come to absorb the holy word of Jewish spiritual teachings, like the Kabbalah.

The old city of Safed is a unique jewel. It’s been years since I last visited the place, and it’s a shame, since it’s beautiful, filled with stone buildings, art galleries, jewelry shops, old synagogues, and lovely coffee shops and restaurants.

A pleasure to slowly wonder around in…

Here’s a little on the city from their official website :

Welcome to the web-site of the ancient city of Safed (also spelled Safed, Zefat, Tsfat, Zfat, Safad, Safes, Safet, Tzfat, etc.). A rather small town located in Northern Israel, 900 meters (3200 feet) above sea level in the mountains of the Upper Galilee, it commands magnificent views east to the Golan, north to the Hermon and Lebanon, west to Mt. Meron and the Amud Valley, and south to Tiberias and the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee).

For a long time Safed has been a well kept secret, even to most Israelis. However, according to the great mystics of the past, Safed is to play an important role in the final redemption. The Meam Loez, in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, says that the Messiah will come from Safed on his way to Jerusalem. The Ari HaKodesh said that until the Third Temple is built, the Shechinah (God’s Manifest Presence) rests above Safed.

Its past is also rich and great. According to legend, Safed is where Shem and Ever, son and grandson of Noah, established their yeshiva where Jacob (Yaakov Avinu) studied for many years. According to other sources, the town was founded in 70AD. The city flourished in the 16th century, when many famous Jewish religious scholars and mystics moved to Safed following the Spanish Expulsion,, fleeing from the horrors of the Inquisition. Safed then became the spiritual center of the Jewish world, where Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) reached the peak of its influence. Kabbalists, such as Rabbi Yitzhak Luria (Ha-Ari HaKadosh) and Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz (author of Lecha Dodi) and Rabbi Yosef Karo (author of the Shulchan Aruch) just to name a few, made the city famous. It was here that the first printing press in the Middle East was set up, publishing in 1578 the first Hebrew book to be printed in Israel. At that time the town was also a thriving trade center.. However, Safed suffered terribly during the ensuing years due to earthquakes, plagues and Arab attacks. In modern times, the liberation of Safed was one of the most dramatic episodes in the 1948 War of Independence.

Safed is one of the four holy cities in Israel, together with Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias. The old part of town consists of narrow cobblestone alleys revealing artists’ galleries, medieval synagogues, private homes and small guest houses. Despite its small population (ca 27,000), Safed is once again making its mark on the map.

The view from the city down to the Galilee is gorgeous.

GuanXi and Social Capital : Importance and implications in business and the Internet

Safed–Old Synagogues : Ha-Ari & Yosef Caro

Fili — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:34:00 PDT

Safed in northern Israel is one of those ancient holy cities over 2000 years old where Jews have always lived and studied, even throughout the many years of recorded Jewish exile. The remaining old synagogues of Safed, dating back to the 15th and 16 centuries, were the heart of those Safed Jewish communities. Many of those structures still remain intact, hosting lively and active local services till this very day.

Walking through Safed, there were two with a special charm, from two different origins of religious Jews.

The Ashkenazi Ha-Ari Synagogue

From the Safed website :

The Ashkenazi Ari Synagogue was built in the sixteenth century on the northern fringes of the Sephardic neighborhood in the Old City of Safed. It was originally founded by Spanish exiles who had settled in Greece and then immigrated to Safed, earning it the name "Gerigos". Its congregation were Kabbalists, mostly followers of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero and they were joined in 1570 by Rabbi Isaac Luria (known by his acronym "Ari"). His custom was to pray in the synagogue on the Eve of Sabbath, proceeding from there with his disciples to a nearby field (Hakal Tapuchin) to welcome the Sabbath. It is said that it was during these sessions that popular Shabbat melody, Lecha Dodi, was created.

In the eighteenth century, with the arrival of a large group of Hasidim from Europe, the congregation changed and the HaAri Synagogue began to be called "the Ashkenazi Ari Synagogue." It was destroyed in the earthquake of 1837, and its reconstruction was completed in 1857, which in Hebrew numerology is equivalent to "and My Temple shalt thou revere" – the inscription in Hebrew that appears above the entrance.

The Yosef Caro Synagogue

From the Safed website :

This synagogue is named after Rabbi Joseph Caro, scholar and Kabbalist, author of the"Shulchan Aruch" (the codification of Jewish laws). It was built in the 16^th century as a large and magnificent synagogue and house of learning, using marble and carved stone. The building was destroyed in the 1759 earthquake but was later rebuilt in a more modest style. The Hassidim who came to Safed in 1777 began praying here, and also took part in its reconstruction after it was destroyed again in the Great Earthquake of 1837. Three men, headed by the Italian philanthropist Yitzhak Guetta, contributed jointly towards its rebuilding over a period of a decade. Yitzhak Guetta heard about the destruction of Safed while in Italy and decided to use his fortune to help rebuild the ruined city. If you look to the floor of this synagogue you will see an Italian marble floor imported from Italy by Guetta. Legend has it that Guetta used only half the budget he set aside for this structure’s reconstruction and that he buried the other half in the ground for when the messiah comes.

If you like to take the old city Safed synagogue tour, follow this map :

As you can see, there are quite a few of those all over the old city.

No related posts.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

Fili — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:34:00 PDT

The first time I visited Taipei, 5-6 years ago, I had no idea who Chiang Kai Shek was to Taiwan. I mean, I heard he was big shot mainland general who lost to the Communists, but the story of how he came to be Taiwan’s president-dictator and the local politics surrounding the Kuomintang were still unknown to me at the time.

The first day following my arrival in Taipei, I walked down from the Taipei Main Station, to the nearby museum, then to the peace-park with the no-English 228 museum and then down to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. I remember being very impressed. The whole complex is meant to overwhelm with the grand entrance, the large grounds, and the huge structures. I found the architecture fascinating and thought the whole place was quite beautiful.

The one thing that seemed odd to me at the time was the cult like worship of the former president. There are other places in the world where you can find huge statues of former presidents (Lincoln in Washington DC, for example), so I didn’t think much of it. Personally, I could never understand why people look up to politicians that way, but I accepted this as common practice anywhere in the world. The only thing that maybe puzzled me a bit was when the tour guide indicated that the president to follow was CKS’s son and that he led the construction of the place. The constant reference to Taiwan as the “Republic of China” was also quite confusing.

Fast forwarding a few years later – having lived in Taiwan for a while, the idea of such a memorial hall being dedicated to a notably controversial figure seemed questionable. When the then twice elected DPP declared that the memorial hall name would be changed to something about democracy, it made perfect sense to me. That seemed like a good way to bridge between past and present.

I now revisited after a while living away from Taiwan and the name has been restored to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall once again with the returning Kuomintang government. There seems to be a lot of emotions running regarding CKS and his place in history. While I do have an opinion about this issue, it matters little – the way I see it, this is for the Taiwanese to figure out on their own. Every time I think I get how my Taiwanese friends feel about the local politics, I hear something that completely throws me off, and so with time I realized that the best approach is merely to ask questions and keep my mouth shut while they figure out their answers. I promise you that if you do that without bias, you’re likely to be surprised with some of the answers.

Moving on, if you walk in the area surrounding the memorial hall you can find a few other interesting buildings.

Here’s one of the older gates of Taipei …

The Presidential Office…

BTW – Many of the Taipei schools around the memorial hall still have CKS statues greeting them at the entrance… I don’t remember seeing anything like that anywhere else.

Here’s more from the blogosphere :