Cultural Taiwan

choi

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(A) Faiza Elmasry, American Journalist Returns to Taiwan to Meet Her Birth Family. VOA (English), May 9, 2009.
http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLife/2009-05-08-voa39.cfm
("It made her more appreciative of the opportunities her adoptive family [in America] had given her and more forgiving and understanding of her birth family" in Taiwan)

Note: Mei-Ling Hopgood, Lucky Girl: A Memoir (Apr. 28, 2009, which seems to be self published)

(B) Peter Enav, Taiwan art collection evokes tumultuous history. May 9, 2009.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5inT6U6qnArl3w9zJtrSp7rKxv3rwD982RB6O0

Note:
(a) Acacia tree 相思樹 (台灣原生種; "Taiwan Acacia" in English and "Acacia confusa Merr." as academic name--I do not know what "Merr." stands for.)
(b) Su Shih's Cold Food Observance 蘇軾 寒食帖
http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=122&catno=17

The text:

"自我來黃州，已過三寒食。年年欲惜春，春去不容惜。
今年又苦雨，兩月秋蕭瑟。臥聞海棠花，泥污燕支雪。
闇中偷負去，夜半真有力。何殊病少年（子點去），病起鬚已白。

"春江欲入戶，雨勢來不已。（雨點去）小屋如漁舟，濛濛水雲裏。
空庖煮寒菜，破 燒濕葦。那知是寒食，但見烏銜紙。
君門深九重，墳墓在萬里。也擬哭塗窮，死灰吹不起。

"右黃州寒食詩帖二首。

(c) Chinese inkstand: I found a photograph but I have not seen it before.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sftrajan/2881534966/in/set-72157607208103916/

A (Western) inkstand can be found in images.google.com.

(d) 前任台北故宮博物院副院長——莊尚嚴
http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/c22279851/article?mid=2840&prev=2842&next=2825
("莊嚴(1899-1980)，字尚嚴，号慕陵，出生于吉林省長春市。1920年入北京大學哲學系，1924年畢業;" "他的四子莊靈就于1938年11月出生在文物轉運途中的貴陽。1948年12月，莊嚴押運着南京分院的一批珍貴文物，乘國民黨海軍“中鼎号”駛往台灣."

My comment: In Taiwan his name is spelled Chuang Yan or Yan Chuang.   
  
(C) 台湾手记：美国之音记者杨晨发自台北.
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/Taipei_Diaries.cfm

(1) Quote from 在台湾过大年 dated Jan. 28, 2009:

"民众 * * * 有的想一赌马英九的风采，不过看来总统不好当，马英九那张曾经英俊的脸上皱纹纵横交错，布满沧桑。

"大年初一台北还有一个重要活动就是大陆赠送的大熊猫团团和圆圆正式亮相。按这里媒体的说法是正式见客。

"大年初一台北还有一个重要活动就是大陆赠送的大熊猫团团和圆圆正式亮相。按这里媒体的说法是正式见客。

"在台北动物园转转，看到了这只马来熊，它不断地用后腿站起来向众人挥手致意，可爱极了。

My comment:
(a) "正式见客" gives the connotation of whores in Taiwan--I do not know if the phrase has the same implication in China.
(b) Yes, the bear in the VOA report is 马来熊 Helarctos malayanus-- which is different from Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus), of which Formosan black bear (Ursus thibetanus formosanus Swinhoe) is a subspecies.

Christopher S. Fitzgerald and Paul R. Krausman, Helarctos malayanus. Mammalian Species, No. 696, pp. 1–5 (Jul. 5, 2002).
http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Biology/VHAYSSEN/msi/pdf/696_Helarctos_malayanus.pdf
("Helarctos malayanus (Fig. 1) differs from other ursids, particularly Ursus thibetanus": "Ears are shorter, narrower, and simpler" for the former)

Compare external appearance of various bears in
Animal Photo Album
http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/list.php?qry=Ursus malayanus

(2) 我的“海角七号”之旅 dated Feb. 12, 2009.
("在高雄受到朋友的母亲-薛妈妈热情接待。在台湾，称呼别人的母亲不叫阿姨，伯母，要叫张妈妈，李妈妈，王妈妈等等......。")

My comment:
(a) In Taiwan I was reluctant to call my parents father or mother. Naturally I would not call any other person with that, either. However, I thought that tradition came form China--I mean, it ca not be from Japan.
(b) I was born and raised in City of Kaohsiung. But I have not heard of 打狗英国领事馆; do not know where it is.

(3) 台南：历史古迹最多的城市. Mar. 20, 2009.

Note: 林爽文事件
http://zh.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=林爽文事件&variant=zh-tw

(4) 台湾的小吃. March 30, 2009.
("居然还有土耳其人卖的地道的土耳其冰淇淋")

Dondurma
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dondurma
("In English it specifically refers to Turkish ice cream. It is made of goat milk using traditional methods. ")

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