Shopping for Scales in Taiwan

 

I took these shots of a scale shop near the Chiayi Night Market. The store has a lot of old fashioned scales. 

Inmates' Ingenuity vs. Officers' Vigilance

 

Prison Grounds

When we were in Chiayi (嘉義), Taiwan, last week, my family visited the Chiayi Old Prison. Established in 1919, the prison was originally called Chiayi Branch of Tainan Penitentiary. In 1945, in stride with the expulsion of the Japanese colonial government following WWII, the jail was relabeled Chiayi Prison. From 1924, Chiayi Branch of Tainan Penitentiary was known as the First Branch of the Third Prison. Thinking of the Japanese, the penitentiary system like so much of Taiwan's infrastructure was established by them. Prior to 1895, when the Japanese gained Taiwan from China, crimes were punished by torture (including crucifixion), corporal punishment, body parts' removal and what have you. Money it seems was not squandered on locking up criminals. I took this picture of a picture while I was at Chiayi Old Prison (below). 

Chiayi Prison was set up in a radial style typical of the 19 Century. With an observation tower in the middle, the buildings fan out like the spokes of a wheel. There is an exhibit dedicated to the constant maneuvering between the guards and inmates. The information placard called it: "Inmates' Ingenuity vs. Officers' Vigilance. The inmates wanted things they were banned from having. Contraband included drugs, cigarettes, alcohol and gambling devices. Drugs were smuggled in while alcohol was often brewed on the inside. Cigarette smoking was prohibited for all inmates in Taiwan until July 28,1993, when the Executive Yuan (Taiwan's congress) passed an amendment to Article 47 of the Prison Act. When the rules were changed, inmates were allowed to smoke after meals in designated areas. Rewards are still offered today for those who do not smoke or quit: better visitation rights and/or good grades for behavior records, which much figure in parole hearings. Prisoners cannot booze or chew betel nut. Porn is disallowed. 

I think the grounds at Chiayi Prison are nice. I took a picture (above top). Cell conditions were miserable.

Inmates were included in Taiwan's national health system (NHI) January, 1, 2013. According to the information provided, the tab is "borne by the state."

Heping Island and an Island on an Island, on an Island

 

I used my phone to take this shot yesterday at Heping Island (和平島), outside Keelung, Taiwan. Shufang and I came upon a sign. The sign indicated Spain controlled Heping first, then Holland. Holland never controlled any part of Taiwan. The Dutch East India Company, supported by mercenaries from all over Europe, landed here in 1624 with a charter from the Dutch government to earn and export, exploit and convert. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) expelled the Spaniards from Tamsui in 1640. Why the VOC would cross over to Heping Island, past boundaries that separated Chinese settlers from head-hunting aborigines as much as 250 years later is hard to fathom. 

The sign said the French captured Heping Island when the Sino-French War spilled into Taiwan in 1885. Over a dozen French POWs were beheaded on beachhead in the vicinity that year. Caves are punctured under beach cliffs (see above pic). The caves may have been occupied by Ryukyu fishermen, thought to have sailed off or melted into the local population once the Japanese arrived in 1895. The Japanese called the shores of Heping Island "Tatami Flats" as they resemble tatami mats placed side by side. 

A sign beside the trail also said the Japanese colonial era of Taiwan's history was a "Japanese Occupation." I looked up the difference between colonization and occupation. Seems they are different, and Taiwan was ceded to Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki (April 17, 1895): "Purpose and Intent" was the reply. "Colonization is usually driven by economic gain, territorial expansion, or the spread of culture and religion, often aiming to exploit resources and establish lasting influence over the local population." Done. The Japanese had the railroads built, hospitals and banks opened, schools and a university started, disease and squalor scrubbed out, livestock banished from livingrooms, the light let in. Learning Japanese is popular in Taiwan to this day. Japan is a major tourist destination of Taiwanese people. "Occupation, in contrast, is often motivated by strategic, political, or military reasons, such as securing a region." A foothold in Taiwan did not secure Asia or even Southeast Asia for Japan. Japanese airplanes did attack the American military at Clark Airbase in the Philippines the same day Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Japanese Zeroes flew from Tainan, 46 years after the Japanese arrived in Taiwan. Yes, Taiwan's shipping lanes are valuable now. In 1895, no Asian country had any meaningful shipping to speak of. Japan was just starting to build a navy. We have to remember Japan did not emerge from isolation until 1868 with the Meiji Restoration. When Japan tried to attack Taiwan six years later, Japan moved her forces on British steamships.  

I asked what a small island on a bigger island is called: an islet; meanwhile, an island in a river may be referred to as an ait or eyot. Holms are small islands near the coast. 

Raw tuna and barreleye fish. There is some raw salmon and wolffish on the other side of the boat. 

Afternoon in March

This shot showed up on my social media last month. According to FB, I took this photograph in March 2012, over 14 years ago. I remember taking this shot, representing apartment buildings and businesses, with Taipei 101 (Taipei's tallest building at the time) at the end of the hall. I was on Chungshiao East Road (忠孝東路) in the afternoon, outside the door of my daughter's preschool. I took Afternoon in March on a smartphone, an iPhone, I think. 

POW Taiwan

My wife and I have been scouting on Mondays, our day off from The Hammer. The plan is to first realize a place of historical significance. Then we go there and look at it. 

Shufang and I went to "Municipal Historic Site -- Remains of Taipei Prison Wall." In 1899, the Taipei Prison was constructed in the vicinity of what is now the Guting MRT Station by Taiwanese labor under the guidance of a Japanese colonial government. All that remains in 2026 is part of a wall (above). There are some markers, such as the following, planted under the advisement of a POW Taiwan group, I suppose: 

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On June 19, 1945, 14 Americans captured from a downed plane were executed in Taipei at this location. These soldiers were blamed for fighting Japan. Japan and the US were fighting WWII at the moment, and Taiwan was a colony of Japan and fighting alongside. In fact, 200,000 Taiwanese individuals served in the Imperial Japanese army with 30,000 losing their lives. I do not know what the civilian numbers were. My wife's great aunt died age 19 when the market she was in was hit from the air. Shufang's grandma, who lived to 100, told me about it.

How we behave toward each other during war has been a matter of concern for some time. From 70 to 85 million people were killed during WWII, but the general idea is there should be a vein of decency running through the murder and mayhem. We have established the Geneva Convention, reminding the world there are rules. Poisonous gases on the battlefield are prohibited. Killing with bullets and bombs are not. When an enemy surrenders, he/she needs to be fed, sheltered and protected. The execution of 14 American POWs at this prison in Taipei, Taiwan defies that spirit.

The Geneva Convention dates back to the 19th century. Japan, which provided Taiwan's government up until 1945, signed the Geneva Convention in 1929, more than a decade before her attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941). So, Japan agreed to this point regarding executing POWs: "The Geneva Convention prohibits the passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples." Japan did not ratify the Geneva Convention until 1949. I looked up "what is the difference between sign and ratify." I discovered:

"Signing a document expresses intent to agree, while ratification makes the agreement legally binding." For the latter, we are talking about it getting approved by a board, congress, parliament and so forth. I was talking about this with my history professor at NCCU in Taipei a long time ago. He figured Japan did not even read the Geneva Convention fully or at least with any sincerity. He figured Japan just wanted to sit at the table with what she perceived were the big boys -- the West.

The code of the warrior in Japan, the Bushido, stresses a samurai should not be taken alive. A warrior should fight to the death, as surrender means dishonor to oneself and one's family. This has turned into another excuse for not honoring one's word (see signing the Geneva Convention but ignoring it). Samurai law? Some three to four percent of American POWs taken by the Germans perished. Make that 40% taken by the Japanese (and the Taiwanese, who served in Japan's colonial system). One common line of defense for acting dishonorably while espousing honor is this: we did not regard them worthy of life, these POWs who did not fight to the death. 

Looking at atrocities committed on POWs around Taiwan during WWII, other things besides the Bushido way of the warrior crap could be considered. Taiwanese men often wanted to get into the Imperial Army as the pay was around three times the average. Taiwanese men could get in from 1931 and applicants were regularly rejected on merit. As Japan's numbers thinned, conscription came about. Even then, a meritocracy existed. The most useless, the stupidest and the least manageable could not make the regular ranks. They were often assigned as guards in jails around Taiwan instead.  

The Bushido was a concept of the elite. The people in power in Japan understood what it meant, had memorized the precepts. Maybe they truly understood its power and could make a case. Maybe they were brainwashed. Maybe they used the Bushido as a tactic to control the poor and uneducated who did the fighting and dying. One can liken option three to the "I Ain't no Senator's Son" complex of America, thank you for your service manipulation. Surrendered Japanese enlisted men normally ended up in POW camps in Australia and New Zealand. They probably could have cared less about the way of the warrior. They were drafted. They were the sons of farmers and fishermen. They could happily wait out a war learning how to make sandals, going to class and farming, getting out of the humidity, away from malaria. 

Luodong Forestry Culture Garden

My wife and I took the train from Taipei to Luodong last Monday. The Luodong Forestry Culture Garden ( 羅東林業文化園區) is about a ten-minute walk from the station. A logging community at the base of Taiping Mountain (太平山) was established, according to a guide, 31 years before 1945. 

There is a traditional home on exhibit, with a kitchen, bedroom, cooking utensils and information. The employees normally ate yams with a dash of rice -- rice was considered a treat. Once a month, fish and sake were distributed by the Japanese bosses. The Luodong Forestry Culture Garden opened up during the Japanese colonial era (1895 - 1945). A train station opened in 1926 for tourists. There used to be a gondola. I am not sure it still exists. 

I got a kick out of this exhibit. I imagine they were running out of stuff to display. Then a museum organizer noticed this yellow truck parked on the road. "Hey!" he shouted. "Drive that thing over here." They slapped a plaque at the front of it (below).

There is a night market within walking distance of the Luodong Forestry Garden. Google Maps has the open time at 15.00 daily. Not exactly. 

Taiwan August 5, 1884: The Langston Affair

 When I am interested in looking into Taiwan’s history, I might refer to the Political and Economic reports, written and sent to London or embassies by the British consuls stationed in Tamsui, Taiwan from 1861 to 1960. These letters were originally confidential, so their content could end up being quite candid. Consuls did not have to worry about politics or accidentally frenzying the public, being accused of being a bunch of foreigners meddling or whatever. The following is an account from 1884. The letter was sent to Beijing, to Sir Harry S. Parkes, and dated August 5, 1884. The sender’s surname might have been surnamed Gregory. The cursive is beautiful but at times hard to read.  I cannot make out the first name:

“Sir,” the consul writes after supposedly rushing back to Tamsui: “The state of affairs here is quiet, thus far. The distressing news of the Langston affair and consequent alarms, reached me at Takow on the 18^th Ultimo.” Takow is the old name for Kaohsiung. This is the first time I have heard of Langston. Gregory had come north overland. On the way, he met soldiers from Hunan in an inn he stayed at. Enquires were made to whether coastal defenses were in place and could hold. For what these coastal defenses were needed is not explained.

Gregory was told General Yang (楊在元) was on his way out. Imperial Commissioner Lew (留銘傳) was “expected to arrive here from the north of the island but has not come.” This is where the letter gets confusing. The consul wrote on the previous page: “I came up from Takow hither overland, sleeping in an inn.” Now he is meeting an “ordinary official” that afternoon in Anping on business relating to land. Gregory informs Beijing that Lew has ordered the discontinuance of train-bands. The arsenal steamer Fuk-po steamed into port July 21, 1884 from Amoy.

This letter was sent one day after the French Far East Fleet attacked Taiwan at Keelung. Another thing that gets my attention is the mention of Imperial Commissioner Lew (留銘傳). I suppose this explains the confusion. Gregory may have even been purposely vague on his whereabouts, just in case the letter fell into the wrong hands. He still had not gotten the lay of the land.

Some see Lew (normally spelled Liu now) as an important figure in Taiwan’s history. In 1885, Lew became Taiwan’s first provincial governor when the government in Beijing

separated the island from Fujian. He was the first locally based governor in Taiwan since the end of the Koxinga era which ended in 1683. Local politicians have likened themselves to Liu, see Ma Ying-jeou. He was appreciated for his modernity and honesty. He came over from China, so he was like a waishengren (外省人).  

I will put a picture of the handwriting. I should come back to Liu. I will later.