This post has been looong overdue, and I apologize that it has taken me so long to publish an update! The official Chinese classes of my study abroad program started two weeks ago, which has transformed my weekdays into the frantic routine of vocabulary cramming and sleep deprivation any reputable language boot-camp would create (I plan to expound on some of the stranger facts I've learned in class in a future post!). Due to the large time commitment involved, blog posts from here on may be sparser and fewer between.
Excuses aside, however, I am thrilled to share the next segment of my Taiwan travels, featuring my top three favorite excursions of the week prior to the start of formal classes!
#3: The National Palace Museum
The name of this attraction truly does justice to its regal atmosphere! Crossing the gate into this extravagant courtyard of teal-roofed towers, a Taiwan flag proudly flapping as its centerpiece, walking to the museum truly felt more akin to being escorted into an imperial court. Just check out the tremendous scale of this site!
Surely only the finest of treasures would be kept in such vast and refined architecture--and there certainly were! Little did I know, however, that some of the museum's most integral exhibits fused masterful craftsmanship with the bizarre! Take this stone baby pillow, for example.
Yes, you did not read incorrectly, I said stone baby pillow. Back in the imperial Chinese era, the typical bed structure strayed pretty far from what most modern people consider a proper bed. Rather than resting one's head on, say, feathers or some kind of squishable cloth, China's pillow of choice was a boxy stone or block of wood, occasionally with a gentle slope like this child's back. If you ask me, however, I'd almost take laying my head on a cement block over a preschooler's likeness. I can't help but feel a sort of ethical conflict when imagining ancient politicians retiring for the night atop the image of a sprawled toddler. I don't know, it's chubby, lethargic smile just gives me the creeps.
But the mildly perverted pillow was not the museum's true spotlight. No, the one exhibit that had a line of overpriced bookmarks and key chains dedicated to its legacy at the gift kiosk was none other than a jade statuette....of cabbage.
Behold, the Jade Cabbage, gem of Taiwan and poster child of inspirational artwork! This famous vegetable poser claims more fame from the story behind its creation than the intricacies of its carved leaves. You see, the jade procured to craft this cabbage head was, by societal standards, of poor grade. The colors of the stone were uneven with cracks and impurities embedded throughout the stone's veins. Rather than toss aside this essentially worthless jade block, however, the sculptor of this piece saw its impurities as the very strength his artistic vision needed. He chiseled the rock's fissures into realistic cabbage folds and used its color inconsistency to give his masterpiece the perfect cabbage gradient. The jade cabbage has since been used worldwide as a metaphor for embracing one's flaws and developing as an individual. It has even been cited in religious contexts, including a recent speech given at an LDS church conference. It's a quirky yet delightful cornerstone to the museum's archives of historical curios! The last few pictures are a few other favorite pieces I managed to get a feasible shot of with my phone:
I'm genuinely curious if the creator of this hilarious statue was using a dog as a reference, and if so, what that dog looked like in real life. The lower half of the body makes me think of a seal!
Though I couldn't see near as much as I wanted since my student group was tightly controlled by our supervising teacher, exploring the National Palace Museum was still a day to remember!
#2: The Maokong Mountainside
Rolling in at number two, my last Saturday before classes was spent navigating the Maokong mountains southeast of my university. The folksy feel of the rugged roads, tropical forest, and quaint tea houses was a refreshing contrast to the compact city life surrounding the student apartment complex. I first hiked up some mountain trails with part of the group (which they had not warned of beforehand, so I had no water and was wearing flip flops...but I made it!). I saw a few farms and burial shrines that made me feel I was prodding through a time capsule of Taiwan's earthy roots. It was worth the heat and dehydration!
After grabbing, like, a gallon of orange juice from the nearest vending machine when we returned, the teacher guiding my group brought us to a local tea house run by an old friend of hers. The family was very warm and treated us as part of their own clan (well, minus the relatives conspicuously taking videos of our foreign faces with their cell phones). Though I'm not a tea drinker, I was pleased to learn about the multi-step process of traditionally serving Chinese tea and help wrap tea leaf pouches. With substantial help from the hostess, I was able to wrap the pouches into a decent pyramid.
The tea house family had a myriad of instruments that they allowed the group to freely experiment with. When one of the boys grabbed the guitar, my roommate and a teacher sang a beautiful duet of an older Chinese ballad. In the front garden, one of the family members brought out bows and arrows to teach us archery. The last time I tried my hand at a bow and arrow, my aim was too atrocious to even hit the tarp behind the target board, so I was a little apprehensive. I gave an earnest attempt anyways, and given my previous track record, the shots were much better!
So here's my first image, where the idealism of the camera lense making me look like a cool-headed, precise ninja, and...
here's what I actually looked like the majority of the time. The face of a pro, I know.
Our trip to Maokong ended by riding a gondola back to the mountain base. Me and a few other classmates opted to ride one of the "crystal" gondolas, which meant our car had a transparent floor. I loved looking at the trees below, but some of my seatmates felt squeamish peering down. The sun set on the horizon as our cart whizzed by, ending a fulfilling afternoon.
#3: The Fisherman's Wharf and Lovers' Bridge of Tamsui
Anyone who knows me well enough, knows I have an especial love for the beach. From the therapeutic rhythm of the waves, to searching for seashells along the shoreline, to snacking on fresh seafood, there is little about coastal cities I dislike. So naturally, The northern port city of Tamsui earns number one on my top excursion highlights.
My group of classmates thoroughly enjoyed making fools of ourselves in a series of photo ops at Tamsui's famous 情人桥，or "Lovers' Bridge". The pearly bridge is indeed a picturesque and romantic site, and I've unofficially decided that, given the chance, I'd like to take my future husband here someday! But for the time being, I basked in glorious single-ness with my study buddies!
The impending sunset could not deter this photogenic bridge and boardwalk from boldly declaring itself. Color changing lights quickly switched on and spread enchanting cheer over the entire wharf!
In a resounding finale to my beach escapade, this feast for the eyes was followed by a true feast for the stomach at Tamsui's night market. Its special proximity to the ocean, combined with the remarkably cheap costs of living in Taiwan, scored me a bucket of fried crabs for only about 5 US dollars! One could say I was happy as a clam that night. Please don't call the pun police on me!
Though I have oodles of stories I'm dying to tell, my post will have to end here for now. Stay tuned for more excursion tales and tidbits on Chinese culture!
With Love,
The Mandarin Maniac