艾红的 dispatches

Chinoiserie

This photo was taken at a restaurant near National Taiwan Normal University. The restaurant, as you can see, is decorated like Shanghai from the early 1900's. It is so beautiful. The artwork is all reproductions of advertisements from the period - for cigarettes, milk, etc. The furniture clearly reflects what was a colonial presence in the city at the time with a French concession, Portuguese, American, British, and so on. Black Jazz musicians were brought to the city to play in the clubs.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Eastern Taiwan Travels

Taroko National Park. A Formosan macaque sits on the handrail after stealing guavas from the monks' garden.

At the monastery in Taroko National Park. So many aspects of Chinese art and poetry came together after spending time in this amazing landscape. It looks just like a Chinese landscape painting! Water, mountains, mist....

Platform of the Three Immortals and the Eight Arched Bridge.

Another view of the Platform - actually an island.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Random Oddities

Before I leave Taipei, I'm posting about some unrelated oddities I experienced during the summer.

1. The trippy, glow in the dark, black-lighted temple decoration.

2. Wheelchair accessible motor scooter!

3. I don't know what to call this, but I feel sorry for this dog. The dog is inside the shopping mall, in a stroller, on a blanket, wearing doggie-clothes, wearing a doggie-visor, has a neck support pillow, and is being forced to listen to monks chanting sutras playing on the cassette recorder attached to the stroller by a bungee cord. Um, yeah.

4. I don't think this brand name would fly in English speaking countries - "Sweet Camel: Jeans for aggressive woman" - I just don't know what to say about this...?! I tracked down a pair of the jeans made by this label, and they are tight.