British Consul Reports at the Hand Over

I've been reading through the reports of the British consuls Perkins, Hopkins, Layard and Bonar covering 1895 and 1896. As you probably already know, 1895 was the year the Chinese government washed its hands of Taiwan, abandoning the island to Japan as one of the conditions of the Treaty of Shimoneseki. 

I'm going to put up a few points that amused me. No argument is being developed here; the items are random.

1. Japan pretty much introduced beer to Taiwan. Considering how ingrained beer is in Taiwanese culture (I guarantee it's the most consumed alcoholic beverage in Taiwan), you'd think it would have had a longer history. Writes B. Layard, the acting British Consul of 1895, to the Marquis of Salisbury: "The amount of beer imported reaches the value of 2,023 l., and that of wine and spirits, which may properly be mentioned here, to 2,921 l. [One hundred] l. of the former, and 226 l. worth of the latter only having been imported before June, 1895."

Henry Bonar, who took over for Layard, brings up beer again in a statistical run-down of shipping for the following year: "Taking the articles alphabetically, the import of beer has quadrupled itself, and is a large item at 9,597 l. Nearly all of it is German brewed beer. Japanese brewed-beers find no favor in this climate, and the light beers of German manufacture evidently are quite harmless."

To this day, light or yellow-colored beers are the most popular beer in Taiwan. Taiwan Beer, easily the top-selling beer in Taiwan, used to have an ale. Nobody bought it though. I've been told the reason for this was it reminded consumers of medicine. To me, Bonar's explanation seems more likely. BTW, the spike in beer sales in 1895 and 1896 can be attributed to the large influx of Japanese immigrants and not a sudden demand amongst Taiwanese people. Writes Layard:

"The Japanese population, whether from insufficiency of good spring water, or as a supposed antidote to the ill effects of the malarial climate, is consuming great quantities of alcoholic beverages, the average per head being, I am informed, three times as much as Japan proper."

Layard also talks about the connection of beer to the weather: "The favorite beers are of the lighter kinds, chiefly German, Lager, and Pilsener, imported from Hong Kong, the beer of Japanese manufacture, although cheaper to import, commanding little sale, as it will not keep in this climate." 

2. A lot has been made of how European powers used opium to gain control in China. Layard's 1896 report seems to suggest it was Chinese traders, not Europeans, who facilitated wide-scale abuse in Taiwan:

"The import of Persian opium [by European traders] has fallen from 1,880 cwts. in 1894 to 860 cwts. in 1895. It is not possible to give an estimate of the Chinese opium which has reached this island in junks, as it does not appear in the customs returns, but great quantities have without doubt been landed all along the coast.

Of late years the consumption of the foreign drug has been considerably curtailed [halved within a year of take over if we are to believe Japanese statistics], owing largely to the increased import of the native drug, which is much cheaper and is largely used for mixing with the foreign article. This trade has been steadily passing into the hands of the Chinese, and sales by foreign houses of late years have been of a much smaller extent than formerly."

To their credit, the Japanese did not criminalize drugs. Instead, they took a more practical approach, issuing licenses to the addicts they inherited but not to new applicants. They also created a monopoly which was, as monopolies tend to be, highly restrictive and yes, profitable. 

3. Getting away from merry-making, here's N. Perkins on the Paiwan, one of Taiwan's 23 aboriginal groups: "The former of these groups is scattered in small villages along the east coast of Formosa [the old name for Taiwan] from Pailam to South Cape [I'm guessing Pailam is Puli while South Cape could be Kenting]. Tradition describes them as descended from a ship-wrecked crew of white men who were allowed to intermarry with the tribe on the condition of their descendants becoming 'hewers of wood and drawers of water' for ever." 

This doesn't sound so outrageous to me. First of all, the coast of Taiwan was notorious for shipwrecks. There were few good harbors and the weather was stormy. Second, the Paiwan were (are?) a highly stratified society, with royalty, commoners and even, I think, slaves. Archeological discoveries in recent years are lending credence to aboriginal myths. Thus, many of us are less likely to roll our eyes when we hear something like this. 

New 228 Museum in Taipei

Taiwan Culture Hall, Japanese Colonial Era

White Terror Era (1949 -1987)

228 Museum, August 14, 2011

I finally found time to check out the new 228 museum, which is about a 15-minute walk from my place in Wanhua (萬華), Taiwan. The building it is in previously housed AIT offices, so I have actually been there many times. I used to make use of the library when I lived in Yonghe (永和), just over Chung Cheng (中正) Bridge. The door to library was in the back and fed right into the stacks. Thus, I never really appreciated the beauty of the building's interior. They've also pulled down the fence in the rear. Now that it's an open space, more of the exterior is visible from the street.

The museum has been roundly criticized for providing scant information on 228, for doing a gloss over. I think this will be evident to anyone who enters the main gallery on the ground floor. It dons paintings of fish, bamboo and the like. There is a mock vintage theater. The film playing on a loop highlights a Western-looking female circa the sixties spinning a couple of hula hoops whilst playing the trumpet. There is also a warning in the documents' room that cameras won't be tolerated. When I went upstairs, a volunteer usher dipped and weaved through the viewers to single me out and tell me, for some reason (like I couldn't figure out a "no cameras" sign as well as anyone else), that I could not take shots. I still don't really get why I, of all the people in the museum, suddenly became the focus of her attention.

There are some pretty cheesy hands-on exhibits too. You can sign your name on a ribbon and say something like "Go Taiwan!" (加油台彎!), and hang it up on a pole if you like, for example. The information on the history of the building is interesting though. During the Japanese era, it was the Taiwan Culture Hall, a place people could take in displays of local art. After the Japanese surrendered to the Americans to close out World War Two, the building became home to Taiwan's first provincial senate. This is the English take on what occurred, which I did photograph. The bracketed words are my comments: 

"On May 1, 1946, the First Senate of the Taiwan Province [no insight into how Taiwan came about to be a province or the legality of the process is brought forth] held its inauguration ceremony in this building. The chamber was located in the 2nd floor auditorium in the right (North) wing; it was a significant palace of democracy [oxymoron] in postwar Taiwan.

Shouldering the expectations of six million Taiwanese people, the Provincial Senators responded to the many problems that arose after the National Government's take over of Taiwan in a way that not only pointed to the core of the issues, but in a way that always [probably an overstatement -- let's go with "usually" here] accurately reflected public opinion and rigorously criticized the government. The eagerness reflected in their political reform touched the people's hearts [ a.) I wonder what this political reform entailed because I have never heard of it b.) I bet there were a lot of people simply asking, "what the f*&^ is going on?"]. After the 228 Incident [do you mean "massacre"], most of the Provincial Senators stood on the front line of reform [source?]. Consequently, they were arrested or killed, and this left the impression that Taiwan's talent was being destroyed by governmental violence. That was why the building was chosen as the 228 Incident National Memorial Hall."

I think the last sentiment is pretty much accepted by anyone who has looked into 228. It was a power grab. The incoming KMT bureaucracy needed Taiwanese professors, doctors and politicians whacked so they could fill these positions. Calling the killing of some 30,000 people an "Incident" is a downplaying of what happened. It reads like an act of whitewashing something horrific and a dereliction of a proper accounting of history. 

The Most Famous Restaurant in Monga

 周記肉粥店面 Restaurant, Monga

I've finally done it. I've located the best red fried meat (紅燒肉) joint in Taipei. And get this: it's just down the street from where I live. According to diners, this place is so good that Japanese people fly in just to sample their wares. The prices aren't even that outrageous; we had four bowls of congee (NT$60) and two plates of red fried meat (NT$160), for a grand total of NT$220. I guess I shouldn't be overly impressed with myself. It is after all famous. Plus my wife eats there pretty regularly when I am at work. 

For me, you judge a restaurant by its food, not service or decor. When was the last time you went to a restaurant because you heard the service was good? It's the food that matters. Actually, whenever I do go into a place that seems kind of fancy, I wonder what they're compensating for and how much extra I'm going to have to pay for the paint job and pictures on the wall. At 周記肉粥店面, I wasn't worrying about the service either. We had to ask about five times to get a second plate of red fried meat: http://lockerz.com/s/125272532. Check out the chipped plate it came on. This place is a dump, a wonderful dump. 

Two o'clock and the place is choked with customers

Sea Fishing in Taiwan

Our boat (right)

I just came back from an overnight fishing trip off the coast of Keelung, Taiwan. I thought I'd throw up a quickie because I had so much fun. Chris Jackson, over at Taiwan Angler, http://ow.ly/5Nmeb, will undoubtedly put a more detailed account up on his Web site some time in the next couple of days. He's the guy that keeps dragging me out to fish. It goes without saying that I had my reservations about this trip. Taiwan is in the middle of typhoon season. The Perfect Storm scenarios of being lost at sea had played through my head ever since I committed. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather than what we got last night though. The water wasn't choppy. A cool breeze settled in and gusted across the deck all night. It didn't even rain.

The expedition was set up by Edward Lee, who works for Jigging Master Taiwan. Edward organizes these kinds of trips on a regular basis. In fact, he's going out again tonight. He told me last month, he organized a two-day, one-night trip to Okinawa. Fluent in English (he went to high school in Texas as his dad owns a Chinese restaurant in a small town near Dallas), Edward has been using social media sites such as Facebook to reach out to people from different countries and get them signed up for trips. I'd say he does a good job. This guy can really fish too; he must have hauled in 40-plus fish last night. 

As with anything I do in Taiwan, there is usually a side-story and a couple of head-scratchers thrown in for good measure. After arriving at the boat in Keelung (see above pic), we were told to produce our ID. Forty-five minutes later, a couple of officers from the coast guard, dressed in bright orange, pulled up on a scooter. The leader had the group's ID stacked in his hand, and I noticed he was shifting Chris and my ARCs from the top of the pile to the bottom. Oh man, I thought. Are we going to have to fill out forms? No, it wasn't like that. The officer simply started calling out names, to which the people on the boat would raise their hands and reclaim their card. Nothing really came of the ominous shifting of our ARCs either. I'm guessing he was just trying to get his nerve up for a go at our names in English. I will say this: there could have been an extra ten people onboard for all he knew, but the officers weren't about to dwell on this point. They simply remounted and sped off.

Cracking open a cold one and breathing a sigh of relief, I said to Chris, "Seems we're not the only one who will be having a few tonight." On the other side of the boat, a group of girls, one in high heels no less, was getting into the mood, listening to Depeche Mode, drinking beer and taking shots at each other. "I bet they don't make it to eleven o'clock," I said, nodding. And, uh, I nailed that one. By eleven, all had crashed below. But credit to them -- not before doing a lot of fishing. We could hear a constant chorus of:

"Very beautiful!" and "How great you are!" Their men fished right up to the end this morning, which was much longer than the yuppie office types operating out of the stern or myself. Anyway, my final tally was seven sabre fish, two mackerel and two puffer fish. Chris was up in the high teens or maybe past 20. He also reeled in lots of sabre and makerel, three puffer (on the same line) and several bonita. It seems he saved his biggest catch for the end, a monster of a bonita that he hooked in the gills. I missed it on account of sleep. I'll leave off there.

Sunset Seen from the Taiwan Strait

A Report from the British Consul in Formosa, August 6th, 1881

The British Consul's signature 

I often write about Japan's colonization (1895-1945) of Taiwan on this blog. I did my M.A. thesis on a governmental process that took place during this era, so naturally an interest lingers. The idea that gets my attention is hardly an original one. It goes like this: Japan's arrival in 1895 was a good thing for Taiwan. Why? Well, Japan built up Taiwan's infrastructure. This included the establishment of useful railroads, roads, banks and hospitals. Japan modernized our agricultural practices and brought about a modern and systematic education system. Japan eradicated deadly diseases, such as malaria and cholera. Japan brought social order and democracy to this country. Finally, Japan stamped out much of the bureaucratic corruption plaguing Taiwan throughout its time under the Ching Dynasty (清朝). 

Of course the naysayers will say Japan built up Taiwan's infrastructure to more easily access and then rape the island of its resources. A Japanese education system was step one in indoctrinating the masses, deserted by China and thus left defenseless, to this cause. Sure, Taiwan produced a lot of food, but something like 90 percent of our agricultural exports went into Japanese bellies during the Japanese colonial era. The eradication of disease was a necessary course of action in maintaining a Japanese population on the island. And oh yeah, Taiwan had already tasted democracy (albeit for only ten days) before Japan put a halt to such shenanigans, installing one brutal governor after another for two and a half decades. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Taiwan basically got its first non-military governor in 1919 (there could have been a sole civilian in that time up for a cup of coffee -- I can't remember). For the first 24 years, notions such as crackdown and summary execution were not that unusual. We shouldn't forget that Japan led Taiwan into the Second World War. Over 200,000 men and women signed up or were conscripted / dragged into this fiasco. 30,000-plus of these individuals died, plus many more civilians in the nine months of air raids that ensued.

A few years back, I came across a ten set volume of books in the National Chengchi (政治) University Library called Taiwan: Political and Economic Reports: 1861 to 1960. For my money, this set of books is the best source of history for Taiwan for the late Ching Dynasty (清朝) and the following Japanese years. Taiwan: Political and Economic Reports: 1861 to 1960 is a collection of the letters written by the many British consuls posted in Danshui over this period of time. In the letters, we can find statistics on everything from the yearly sugar crops to how much coal was being dug out of the mines in Keelung. Then there are the reports on the daily goings-on around the country: current events, gossip and scandal, the weather, the price of food in the local market and so on. As all of this was confidential, the consuls didn't worry about whether they were going to get in trouble for speaking their minds. In other words, their letters were candid and often quite scathing, especially of their peers in Taiwan's bureaucracy. 

I'm going to post part of one the letters below because I think it is an excellent example of why the Japanese were good for Taiwan / the Ching Dynasty needed to go. I can't put it up in full because, even though this letter was written 130 years ago, it is still somehow under copyright. Penned on August 6th, 1881 by the British consul (I can't give you his name because I am unable to make out his signature), it underlines the incompetence of the Ching Dynasty (清朝) government when it came to dealing with crime. The consul's letter also brings to light corruption. I'm using word in a special way because I came away from my reading with the feeling officials in Taiwan in 1881 simply did not care if the island could be improved or not. It is as if these officials were completely indifferent to Taiwan. Is that not also a form of corruption if you are an official? 

This is the report, written by the British consul from his perch high above the Danshui Harbor on August 6th, 1881. BTW, I'll put my own comments in brackets:

Intelligence Report. Her Majesty's Consulate. Sir,  [Sir Thomas Francis Wade, K.C.B., Her Majesty's Minister, Peking] Since the date of the last Intelligence Report from this place [Danshui (淡水), Taiwan], May 7th, 1881, very little has occurred of sufficient importance to be recorded.

1. Political Summary. The Government Coal mines have been put under the management of a special official deputed by the Arsenal authorities at Foochow. This official came over to Kelung [old spelling] on the 16th May and took over charge of the mines on the 28th of that month. Since his arrival I have not had any complaint from British merchants of refusal on the part of the Mines' Authorities [now a capital a] to sell coals or obstruction from them in the way of buying from the private mines. The Chinese Government vessels, however, still have the monopoly of all the best coal from the Government mines. This coal is heaped up for them in the open air at Kelung, and no precaution is taken against accidents. What is amassed at the Pescadores [Penghu] and other places will not be of any use, I am told, after a few months' exposure to the atmosphere and the authorities do not seem to be acting wisely in not selling this coal at Kelung, or using it up at once in the Arsenal [This kind of long paragraph, which I love,  seems to have left English writing for the one or two sentence-ers of journalistic writing. No contractions either. I think they may not have been in use in English at this time.]

On the night of June 25th [1881] a serious robbery was committed from the premises of the Paymaster of the Government Coal mines. It seems that a large body of men, but accounts differ as to the number, armed and with their faces blackened made an attack on the paymaster's [small p] official residence for the purpose of securing a large amount of silver which had just been received from Foochow. The robbers apparently did not meet with much resistance, and they are reported to have succeeded in carrying off bout $3,000 in silver, and a quantity of miscellaneous articles. Two men have been arrested on suspicion, but the booty has not been recovered and the robbers are still at large. As the money was the property of the Government [will it be shared out equally among the officials that tipped off / arranged for the robbery?] the loss has to be made good, I am told, by the Paymaster [capitals again], the Kelung Ting [?] and the Tamsui Hsien [?].

2. Commercial. The Tea [capital t] market became very lively in the latter part of May and a steamer left the port for Amoy. This excitement, which lasted for about a month, was followed by a reaction, and for than a month past very little business has been done. The producers are holding out for large prices, the supply in Amoy has been very largely above the demand, and the Market in New York has not been good... [I'd like to put more up, but, like I said, these letters are still under copyright.]

3. Army and Navy. Copyright.

4. Relations with Chinese officials. I can only repeat the words of my last Report. Nothing has occurred to disturb the harmony which has hitherto existed between the Consul and the native [Taiwanese] officials.

5. Movements of Chinese officials. Concerned about the copyright: All rights reserved. Except for short passages used for criticism [plenty here], reviews or personal research and quotation, no part . . .

6. General. There's a pretty good description of a fire breaking out in Kelung: "It didn't extend very far, but did take out the property of a rich native, and accounted for $30,000 in damage [probably millions in today's reckoning]." There is also some sympathy for livestock on the part of the consul, who would just die on a whim: . . .  "an epidemic like cholera has broken out among the geese, ducks, and fowl. These poor creatures seem in ordinary health one moment and in another they are dead . . . "

My friend eyedoc over at The Battle of Fisherman's Wharf http://danshuihistory.blogspot.com/ told me he wants to get these hand-written letters typed up and out for people to read. As is, these ten volumes are out of print and are going for about US$5,000 on Amazon. I don't understand how he is going to proceed, especially considering the big fat healthy copyright that miraculously landed on these 130-year old letters in 1997. But eyedoc is a smart guy. Suggestions?

North Face's Face

The occasional person asks me why I blog. The main point is to put up posts about Taiwan's history, as I feel it is misrepresented at times as well as under-represented. There also seems to be an effort in the media to color Taiwan as something that is Chinese. I guess I am not the only person in Taiwan that finds this problematic. The reason I can't get on board is I come from the US, via Canada, and I don't see myself as Chinese in any way. There are a couple of other concepts that inspire me: 1.) I'm interested in writing about the local history of the places I visit in Taiwan. This could mean simply translating something a taxi driver has told me. Or maybe I'll hit the books to create something bigger. 2.) I'm deeply interested in amusing myself. The next tidbit falls into the latter category. I think I'll get my kicks running over something annoying with the hope of a personal resolution. I suppose I'm being petty, but here goes anyway. It's about the shitty customer service I received at a store called North Face. Ever heard of these guys? 

My wife, daughter and I were killing time and working up an appetite for dinner this afternoon in Gongguan (公館). We wandered into the North Face store on Roosevelt and I saw a satchel that was me. After asking for, and getting, the customary 10 percent discount on the fixed price (NT$3800 = US$125ish), I asked the salesman where the garbage can was. I had my daughter's empty yogurt bottle in my left and an equally light Asahi can in the right. I wanted to inspect the cool pockets of the satchel, try it on, etc., but couldn't because my hands were full. This is where the b.s. started. The salesman said: "We don't have a garbage can. You'll have to go out to the street to find one."

"How do you throw things away if you don't have a garbage?" I asked, looking around.

"Oh? Well, we don't provide this service for our customers," was the reply.

A couple moments later, after his words had sunk in and I had realized what I was dealing with, I said, "And I was just about to buy a bag from you." 

"I'm sorry. There is nothing I can do -- mei ban fa (沒辦法)!" Actually, the salesman just shrugged me off. He couldn't care less.

To make a long story short, I didn't get the bag. The salesman had made his point; he was King and we were pretty lucky to be admitted to his store. In Taipei, the store owner is quite often King. 

Monkey Business

I took this video on my iPhone near my office the other day, on the corner of Bade (八德) and Dunhua (敦化). There were some officials out directing traffic. When I asked them what was up, they ignored me. From what I can make of it, they were special forces practicing rappelling head-first down a Taipei building. The guy on the right (far side) was having a hard time of it too. He did a pretty mean face plant in going over the ledge. Then he froze for several moments before making his descent. Both guys made it in the end and seemed pretty exhilarated upon putting boots to solid ground.

*****
On a different note, I'm plugging a video made by a fantasy baseball compatriot. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/pcowsill#p/f/39/Y-IJkT5XCl0