Home Again

Our final entry to the blog. We are home, unpacked, back on our feet after jet lag. The trip isn't just a memory at this point - my head is still full of the sights, tastes, sounds, smells, people. It seems over crowded at times - we met so many people. But slowly we are getting back into the swing of our quiet life in Owen Sound.
The most interesting experience from the trip for me was to travel half way around the world, be immersed in a culture that is drastically different than ours, a language we don't understand at all, food we didn't recognize and find a very familiar, common bond in meeting with fellow Presbyterians. So much was familiar, and yet the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church has and continues to undergo so much political struggle as they fight for freedom for their land. It was very powerful to see the strength of the people and how much they would risk to fight for that freedom. Church and politics, church and education, church and health care are all intertwined in Taiwan. Very different from Canada.
We hope to share more stories and pictures as our paths cross.
Anne

Peace on the Sacred Way - and Disappointment

When Scott and I started planning this trip we were only going to Taiwan, and realizing we most likely would never be in this part of the world again, we looked into the one other thing that we really wanted to see - The Great Wall of China. We aren't much for joining tours so when we started looking into it we were doubtful we would find one we were interested in. Then we stumbled across a website that talked about hiking and sleeping on the Great Wall. Now, I know that wouldn't be a draw for alot of people, hiking for hours and rolling out a mat and sleeping on an old wall, but that was what we were looking for! To be at a place on the wall where most tourists wouldn't be, to be there for sunrise an sunset, to be with a very small group. It was perfect. The website said they had English guides and there was even a write-up/review from the Toronto Star. We had to go!
So we were ready bright and early for our guide Tommy to pick us up. It was a rainy morning, but we were hopeful it would clear up as the day went on, and as we left the smog of Beijing maybe the sun would shine. Part of the tour was also the Sacred Way, Ming Tombs and a visit to the Olympic site.






We started out with the Olympic site, which was only of mild interest to Scott and I. We took a few pictures in the rain and headed out of town for the Sacred Way.












The Sacred Way is the path that leads to the Ming Tombs, where the Emporer would start their journey to the tombs when they died. Constructed in 1540, during the Ming Dynasty, the Sacred way is a road lined with lifesize stone statues. These statues are 12 human figures (including the general, civil officials and meritorious officials) and 24 animals which are lion, camel, elephant, xiezhi (a mythological unicorn), qilin (one of the four "divine animals, the other three are dragon, phoenix and tortoise), and horse. There are 4 of each of these animals: two standing and two squatting with different meanings. Lion symbolizes awesome solemnity because of their ferocity. Camel and elephant are meant to suggest the vastness of the territory controlled by the court, because they are dependable transport in desert and tropics. Xiezhi was put there to keep evil spirits away, because it was believed to possess the sixth sense to tell right and wrong. If two men fight, a xiezhi would gore the wicked one. Qilin, an auspicious symbol, was placed on two sides. Horse, as the emperor's mount, is absolutely indispensable. It is said that these animals are supposed to change guard at midnight.
After being in Beijing, a city of 17 million people, chaos on the roads, noise, the Sacred Way was tranquil.
And that is where my journey to the Great Wall began and ended. During the morning I could feel the start of a bladder infection brewing, and I spent a few hours telling myself I would be ok because we are only gone overnight and I could get medicine the next day. By lunch I knew that wasn't possible. It was agony trying to make the decision of what to do next, but I think we made the right decision. Scott decided to go on, and the tour company was wonderful, they called another drive to come and get me and drive me back to the hotel. We knew the English speaking staff at the hotel would be able to help me. They sent me to the English speaking hospital in Beijing, another terrifying cab ride to the other side of the city. I met with a Canadian doctor and $150 later had the antibiotics I needed. Thankful I had a safe, warm place to recover while Scott was away I headed back to the hotel. Such a disappointment, things don't always turn out the way you planned when you travel.
Anne

The Great Wall of China

Now I can say that I have walked on The Great Wall of China. Not nearly so extensive and extreme a walk like El Camino de Santiago de Compestela - but a very significant experience just the same. China was a mixed experience. I have to say it is one of the great tragedies of humanity that they decided to put The Great Wall of China in China. Anywhere else and it would be a really neat experience but it is hard to say that the wall is worth the hassle of putting up with Beijing - a city that just does not work. I won't go into a lot of detail about Beijing, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven except in my journal. They were pleasant sites but the agony of getting to them detracted a lot from our enjoyment of them.

But the wall.

We stopped off at the Beijing Olympic site and the Ming Tombs on the way to Jinshanling - about 2 hours driving from Beijing. Jinshanling is relatively lesser known than the more popular Badaling site for walking the wall - it's more remote but you can get even more remote still if you want. Our wall group included me, a couple from San Diego and Tommy the bi-lingual guide. In Jinshanling we shared tea with a family that was introduced to us simply as "local farmer." Following tea "local farmer" took us up a path and then some steps that brought us up onto the Great Wall. From here we hiked for about 2 or 3 kilometers to a watchtower and we waited here until sunset taking pictures and marveling at the mountains and the stretches of the wall disappearing and reappearing to the horizon both east and west.

After the sun went down "local farmer" took us back to his place for one of those meals of semi-identifiable edibles - and much more than we needed. A few others of the local people joined in. There was an introduction to "Chinese Wine" - throat burner - 46% alcohol. The laughing, talking, drinking and singing crossed the languages. "Local Farmer Wife" showed up after dinner to offer us some souvenirs and books to purchase. I bought a coffee-table book of local pictures of the wall because I felt she deserved more than whatever the tour company was offering for her hospitality and food.

After dark "local farmer" took us back up the wall by another path to another watchtower where the six of us spent the night. The stars were out but I could see a cloud bank coming in from the west so I opted to sleep inside the tower with the guide and "local farmer" while the Americans slept out on the wall. Surprisingly, from this tower you still here traffic from the freeway about 10 km away and there was some sort of party going on at a hotel back in Jinshanling about 3 km away but all these noises were gone by 10:00 PM and I had a great night's sleep. I SLEPT ON THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA - WOW.

In the morning we were up at about 5:45 - much to the guide's and "local farmer's" dismay. They said they were used to groups that sleep til about 8 or 9 in the morning but we seemed too "gung-ho." The cloud bank and mist had settled in so there was no sunrise but jeese-louise I was waking up on The Great Wall of China. And that's not all - the American woman manages a Starbucks in San Diego and she had brought along a package of their new "Via" instant coffee product. I walked on The Great Wall of China - I slept on the Great Wall of China - I had Starbucks coffee on The Great Wall of China.

Everyone else were faster hikers than me. This happened in Spain also. What I get from my slow way of walking is that everybody is on ahead and I get to enjoy the walk by myself. For much of our morning walk I was all alone on The Great Wall of China. Often I would realize that I was the only human visible to myself and this was on one of the greatest human accomplishments of history. I had The Great Wall of China all to myself. The wall went up and down over the mountains and I went up and down over the wall - sometimes a very well restored and maintained structure and sometimes a crumbling pile of bricks and sandy mortar or even just remaining packed clay. It is fitting that some parts of the wall are lost to time because, after all, the thing is really, really old. Nothing lasts forever.

We hiked from 7:00 - 11:00 and covered about 10 km to the village of Simitai. We shared another over-supplied lunch of semi-identifiable edibles and then a van ride back to Beijing. There is a bit of story about why Anne was not on this walk but I'll let her tell that.

Scott

Back on line

Just a quick note to let you know why we haven't been posting this past week. Our blog was blocked by China's firewall, I guess anything about Taiwan can't get through, so we couldn't access the blog.
We are now in Korea, waiting for our last flight...Toronto!
We had alot of adventures in China...things don't always turn out the way you planned. We will tell more stories on the blog soon!
Anne

More Canada in Taiwan

Today we made the trip out to Tamsui to visit Louise Gamble at the Tam Kang High School. Loiuse is a member of my church doing work at the high school here. As we walked up the hillside from the metro station we passed by a huge head monument to Dr. George Mackay and then along a narrow passage to the church he established and the clinic he operated out of. This whole part of Tamsui is very reverent of Rev. Dr. Mackay and his story with them. Dr. Mackay was a missionary of the Presbyterian Church in Canada sent to Taiwan in the late 1800's. Once we entered the Tam Kang school grounds we had a very pleasant day of visiting. As we are Canadian, they seem to treat us with extraordinary respect - I think they think we are more important than we really are.

Louise met us at the gate and started to give us a tour but we were soon met by the principal, Albert Yao, who insisted we join him and about seven other international teachers for lunch at a near-by restaurant. These were all teachers of English from places like Australia, South Africa, and USA. We went to a spot that served Italian style spaghetti. Back at the school Albert and Louise gave us a royal tour of the grounds and of their museum. Their collection includes many original articles of G.L. Mackay and of his son, George William Mackay, who is actually the founder of the school. I was impressed that despite the turbulant times for the school during Japanese occupation and KMT oppression they are willing to include the leaders of the school in those times in their museum and records. Many institutions attempt to deny those embarassing times of their history.

Take a good look at the orchids behind us in this photo.

The school teaches about 2,500 students. It has pool larger than the YMCA Owen Sound. In one corner of the school grounds is the cemetery for Mackay, his wife and few other members of his family. All the students seem to like showing off to us visitors so I would occasionally pop my head in a classroom to take a picture - probably causing mayhem for the teacher but hey - it's fun for the kids. This school also takes its rugby team very seriously.

Louise described her work to us and showed us her living quarters in the new building. As well as teaching at the school she is working at transcribing the writings and letters of G.L. Mackey into an electronic format to have them compiled in one place. The originals are held by the United Church of Canada but they have made photocopies available to her. Some of the pages are incredibly challenging in their smudges and missing words. I do not envy this work.

It was a wonderful visit with an Owen Sounder on the other side of the world. We ended with tea and waffles in the campus coffee shop joined again by Albert just before he had to conduct an interview with another prospective teacher for their English program. Louise brought out a bottle of maple syrup from the Gamble Maple Syrup producers of Chatsworth, Ontario - a little bit more of Canada in Taiwan. We parted again at the front gate and went back to the metro station by way of the harbour. Then on to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial - but that's another story.

The CKS Memorial is an overblown egotistical testament. Anne thinks he's compensating for something - whatever that means.

Supper was "third-world." For $80 NT (about $3.75 CDN) we both got fed at a storefront buffet of semi-identifiable edibles and ate at a roadside table surounded by the traffic of trucks, buses, scooters, bikes and humanity and chaos. Yum

Scott

Another church - another story

After a day of sight-seeing (The National Palace Museum)(Mostly stuff that Chiang Kai-shek stole from the Forbidden City as he ran out in 1947) we went out for dinner with Sidney and Sherry to wish Sidney a happy birthday. After dinner Sherry took us to another church a short bus ride away. You know that scene in Harry Potter when the Night Bus changes dimensions to squeeze between two other London double-decker buses? I actually saw that happen from my viewpoint in the front seat of this bus. There is no possible way it could have made that squeeze between the two opposing taxis without somehow transporting into another dimension.

Anyway, we got to Gi-kong Presbyterian Church on a back street somewhere in Taipei. On Dec. 13th, 1979, Yi-hsiung Lin, a lawyer in Taipei was arrested and charged with sedition for speaking out against the government. During his incarceration his house was under constant survelance by the government securty forces but that did not prevent someone from entering the home and murdering his mother and two daughters and severly injuring another daughter. This tragedy took place on Feb. 28th, an historic date for the Taiwanese people.

At Easter, 1982 the house was consecrated as Gi-kong Presbyterian Church. The living room is now a sanctuary. The basement, where the bodies were found is now the Sunday School room. The piano the girls practiced on sits beside the chancel. Out of this tragedy the word of God has found a way to reach out in forgiveness and proclaim the love of God.

We met with the pastor, Rev. Daniel Yin-Er Cheng who speaks excellent English and is seen in this photo with Sherry, Anne and me.

To be humbled

The best word I can think of for yesterday is humbling. We started out with a nice visit with the Yu Shan Seminary staff and then headed out south of Hualien to a village called Honglin. We visited the home of Yu-chhan Chang. Her family story is a big legend among the Taiwanese and let me tell a bit of it here.

In 1947 the Chiang Kai-shek powers had occupied Taiwan filling a vacuum left by the retreating Japanese at the end of WW2. Although the western powers supported Chaing, it was a brutal time for the Taiwanese. In this village of Honglin was a doctor and his family. His two eldest sons also served as doctors and were well respected. They hosted the Chinese brass for a dinner at their home - I guess hoping to dispell some of the anxiety between the locals and the occupiers. After the dinner, some Chinese army people returned and dragged off the docter (Chhi-lang Chang) and the two eldest sons (Ko-jen and Chang-jen). They were tortured and murdered.

In the morning the doctor's wife (Chin-tsu Chan) looked for the bodies but the Chinese authorities would not help. Some sympathetic soldiers did give her clues, though, and she found her family, cleaned the bodies and buried them in a grave behind her house. The two sons were married, one widow was pregnant and there were five other children in the family. Chin-tsu raised a memorial over the grave and it is seen in this picture. At the time, the wording she used on the memorial were very provocative and dangerous, but she was obviously a strong and brave woman.

Around the grave she planted a grove of beetlenut trees and with the income from this crop she supported her remaining family. She died in 1982 and was buried beside the others. The woman who met us, Yu-Chhan is the widow of one of the sons and she continues on in the house alone to this day. She maintains the grave and the grove and the gardens around it. She had us into the house where she showed us pictures of the family and some art work that Chhi-lang Chang had done before his death.

The site has become a shrine - a testament to the spirit of an oppressed people. We could only feel humbled as we stood at the grave with Yu-Chhan. The meaning of faith, nationhood, identity, family, loyalty, community is shaped in dramatic ways for many people of the world. The faith of these Taiwanese is so strong and foundational compared to the easy religion and faith of Canada. I can only express humility in the presence of such history.

The widows were very careful not to talk about this experience to the younger children for many, many years. There was great fear about what may happen to them if they talked about it in front of the wrong people. The children do remember, however, waking up some nights and hearing the women singing, praying, and crying. It was not until they were adults that they could understand their family story.

Upon Chin-tsu's death her second youngest son wrote an elegy, the first verse is:

Oh, backed by stately mountains green,

Where stand the wooden houses old.

By night sing bugs the music keen;

Sweet stories are sung, but not told.

Yu-Chhan is seen in this picture closest to the stone on the left side. From left to right you see Anne, Scott, Sidney, Yu-Chhan, Carys Humphries, Doreen Thomas & Haydn Thomas (Wales).

The other visits that day were nice, but they don't have lasting memory to me after the time with Yu-Chhan.

Scott