Tungshih Forest Park

On Saturday the Bushman, his wife-to-be, and my family and I headed up to Tungshih Forest Park, north of the city of Tungshih in Taichung county. The made-in-Leningrad weather we've been having lately refused to go away, but at least it didn't rain.

The park itself has some nice hiking trails, an excellent play area for the kids, and a few photogenic spots. But at the price -- $250 for adults, $200 for kids -- it is definitely not worth it. There are plenty of hiking trails in the area where the kids can have fun and the adults enjoy themselves for nothing at all.

Lunch. The food was absolute dreck. This is definitely BYOB: Bring Your Own Barbecue.

The bees were busy...

....but the honey salesman was not.

There was a small farm implements "museum."

An important farm implement of the old pioneers was karaoke. After a hard day tilling the soil and fighting off aborigines, they could return home to drink and sing.

There were several experiments going on.

What would Taiwan be without the kitsch dinosaurs? Naturally, with cheerful disregard for copyrights, it is called" Jurassic Park."

A temple built next to a natural spring.

You can't ever have too many concrete dinosaurs.

The children's play area.

The forest trails are meh but the play equipment is excellent.

I took a few shots on the way home, as always.

A funeral home.

Route 129 passes through Tungshih and Hsinshe, where they grow mushrooms.

Leaving Tungshih the way we found it.

Looking down on the bridge we just crossed.

[Taiwan]
[Tungshih]
[Taichung]

Daily Links, March 12, 2007

Laowiseass, a reporter in Taiwan, muses insightfully on the Taiwan-China difference in reporter status

Anarchy in Taiwan follows up on the sad tale of Gil Lebria. He can sue, but nobody told him...

The Daily Bubble Tea visits the 2-28 memorial park. Pics galore. (Link updated).

Ilha Formosa offers more pics from the lantern festival in Taipei.

the leaky pen has a few thoughts on the name rectification campaign.

Daniel talks to himself about his future.

[Taiwan]

Lee Jye Expulsion Sticks in KMT Craws

Last week the KMT expelled the popular and widely respected, Lee Jye, currently serving in the DPP Administration under Chen Shui-bian as the defense minister. To recap, from the BBC,(Taipei Times), his membership was revoked because he had gone along with the DPP's campaign to remove the statues of Chiang Kai-shek from military institutions across the island...

Mr Lee had complied with a government order for statues of Mr Chiang to be removed from military premises.

The ruling DPP party says that the statues represent authoritarian rule and are not in keeping with democracy.

But the KMT says the government is trying to eradicate history and cut off Taiwan's Chinese heritage.

Yesterday the papers were reporting that sensible types within the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) were objecting to the expulsion of Lee for a variety of reasons (emphasis mine).

Some opposition Kuomintang legislators yesterday expressed their opposition to the expulsion of Defense Minister Lee Jye (李傑) from the party, commenting that the decision was silly as it would not stop the removal of Chiang statues and had created a "dictatorship image" of the KMT and excuses for the Democratic Progressive Party to challenge the opposition party.

The KMT Evaluation and Discipline Committee on Friday revoked Lee's party membership, accusing him of being an opportunist who disrespected the late KMT chairman and president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).

The KMT did not fiercely respond to the DPP government when it initiated the removal Chiang statues, but instead attributed the blame to Lee, KMT Legislator Lo Shih-hsiung (羅世雄) said, adding that this would lead people to think that the KMT is reverting to its authoritarian ways.

Another KMT Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) noted that Frank Wang (王事展) had been expelled from the KMT after he was indicted on fraud charges in the high-profile Rebar case, but said that the reasons for expelling Lee were not very convincing.

Huang suggested that the KMT should investigate whether there are other members who are also in agreement with the DPP government's "name rectification" policies and expel them as well, as the KMT should apply the same standards to everyone.

A source from the KMT said that Lee was expelled to satisfy a few party zealots, which is less important than attracting more neutral voters. The source also said that Lee should be responsible for his own actions and should be given other penalties in addition to his expulsion, as doing otherwise would violate the Principle of Proportionality.

Ever wonder why the DPP constantly hits on the identity issue? In addition to stroking its core Green supporters, pounding on identity issues makes the KMT do stupid, self-defeating things, like expelling a respected, competent, low-key politician who was mainly interested in serving his nation. The DPP is attacking the memory of Chiang Kai-shek, a core component of the mainlander political identity, and like a bull sparring with the red cape, the KMT responds by binding itself even more tightly to the dictator, who is widely despised on the island. This is a no-win situation for the KMT, and shows, once again, its central contradiction -- it is both a political party that must win elections, and the repository of a quasi-religious identity, and these two roles are often incompatible. Chalk one up for the DPP.

[Taiwan] [DPP] [Democracy] [KMT] [Chiang Kai-shek]

Nazi Party in Taiwan

Mini flap in Taiwan over a group of students who have formed a Nazi party in Taiwan:

Twenty university students yesterday founded an association with Adolf Hitler as its inspiration, and set themselves the goal of turning Taiwan into a Nazi country in a bid to show their extreme dissatisfaction with the continuous political squabbling that pervades life in Taiwanese society these days, according to local Chinese-language media reports.

The National Socialism Association presently has over 800 members on its books, most of whom are university or high-school students, according to information on the association's Web site.

One co-founder of the association, surnamed Hsu, announced plans to invite all members to hold a meeting next Saturday, explaining that supporters will be clearly told that the NSA aims to seize the reins of government.

"We will find a quiet place to discuss the association's future with our members earnestly," the 22-year-old Hsu was quoted as saying.

Hsu, who graduated from the political department of Soochow University last year, noted that she was so fed up with all the political wrangling between the ruling and opposition parties that she and several other followers of Nazi ideology decided to found the association.

My friend Dan Bloom sent me the link to the website: http://www.twnazi.org/. This looks more like parody than seriousness. Memoirs on a rainy day has additional comments.

UPDATE: Dan just emailed me to say this looks like it might be serious.

[Taiwan]

Coen Blaauw Profile

Taiwan News profiles my friend Coen Blaauw, one of the key workers for Taiwan in Washington, and one of the island's most devoted supporters. Coen has done wonders for Taiwan over the years. And, as I am anguished to note, he still apparently has all his hair too. It's just not fair.....

Despite its unwillingness to formally recognize Taiwan, the United States is Taiwan's best partner in the struggle to gain de jure independence, said Coen Blaauw, the executive director of Formosa Affairs Public Relations, in an interview with Taiwan News last week on Taiwan's lobbying effort in the United States.

FAPR is considered to be the most effective lobbying firm on Taiwan's behalf on Capitol Hill, said the Dutchman, whose group operates under the Formosan Affairs Public Association, one of the most active U.S.-based pro-Taiwan organizations.

Established in Los Angeles in 1982, FAPA is a non-profit, educational organization that aims to rally international support for Taiwan's right to establish an independent country and to protect the right to self-determination of Taiwan's people.

"The separation of power within the U.S. government makes it that anyone can step up to his or her congressmen or congresswoman and tell them whatever they want about Taiwan," he said, adding the very essence of citizen responsibility is the engine that keeps his organization running.

[Taiwan] [FAPA]