As we here at WoWasis found when we visited Taiwan, English books on Chiang Kai-shek are damned hard to find. Chiang isn’t a very popular figure in many Taiwanese circles, which is why, as a bookstore clerk explained to us, books on Chiang would be found in the “China,” rather than the “Taiwan” section of […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Culture & History' Category
WoWasis book review: Judith Heimann’s The Airmen and the Headhunters (Borneo)
Judith M. Heimann’s The Airmen and the Headhunters: A True Story of Lost Soldiers, Heroic Tribesmen, and the Unlikeliest Rescue of World War II (2007, ISBN 978-0-15-101434-7) is more than just an adventure story, encompassing many fascinating anthropological elements of the Dayak culture of Borneo. It starts off slowly, but becomes a real page-turner as […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘A New History of Taiwan’ by Hung Chien-Chau
Noted Taiwan newspaperman Hung Chien-Chau (also known by his English name, Joe Hung) has admirably faced up to the daunting task of writing a history of his country in A New History of Taiwan (2011, ISBN 978-986-86637-3-2), an updated edition of his 368 page book of 2000. Hung is a veteran journalist who serves as […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis explores Taiwan’s rich indigenous aboriginal culture
Taiwan’s presence in the high technology world has given it an aura of modernity that somewhat masks the fact that it has an extraordinary richness and diversity of aboriginal peoples. These diverse tribes are all part of the Austronesian language group, which spans an incredible distance, from Madagascar to Easter Island, and Taiwan to New […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Taipei’s Baoan and Confucius Temples
Two of Taipei’s finest temples are adjacent to each other, and offer a nice contrast in architectural styles and bearing. Both the Baoan and Confucius temples are located a short cab ride from the Yuanshan MRT station. The Baoan temple is the more ornate of the two, dedicated to Baosheng Dadi, the god of medicine. […]
Read the rest of this entry »Apartment Asian Massage Parlors (AAMP) in North America: how masseuses create a home in a motel
In earlier posts, WoWasis described the nuances of the AAMP (Apartment Asian Massage Parlor) scene in North America, and defined a list of commonly used AAMP acronyms. Although a number of these women live and work out of their own apartments, many do not. So how do they instantly create a homey environment in a […]
Read the rest of this entry »Why WoWasis considers visiting Australia
Here at WoWasis, we’ve met tons of friendly Aussies the world over. We love their cynical sense of humor, and this questionnaire ended up in our mailbox, and we don’t know the source. So take a look at the map, read the questions and answers, and book your flight! Q: Does it ever get windy in […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Taiwan’s Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines in Taipei
The Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines is located one block away from Taipei’s National Palace Museum, and is a must for visitors wishing to learn more about Taiwan’s indigenous aboriginal peoples, which include the Amis, Atayal, Bunun, Kavalan, Paiwan, Puyuma, Rukai, Saisiyat, Sakizaya, Sediq, Thao, Truku (Taroko), Tsou, and Yami (Tao) tribes. It was […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Taiwan’s Aboriginal Peoples’ photo book
Visitors to Taiwan are often surprised by the richness of her aboriginal culture, but finding books in English describing the richness and variety of these cultures can be daunting. Taiwan’s Aboriginal Peoples (2002, ISBN 957-01-2744-9), with photographs and text by Wang Wei-chang, and English translation by Phillip Newell, is a lavishly photographed, bi-lingual, large-format book […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Taiwan’s National Museum of Prehistory in Taitung
Although it’s not the easiest place to find (see our GPS coordinates below), we here at WoWasis think the National Museum of Prehistory in the southeastern Taiwanese city of Taitung is definitely worth a visit in you’re in the area. The building itself is gorgeous, designed by noted architect Michael Graves, and the displays are […]
Read the rest of this entry »
