Taiwan in Six Cities and Six Days, Travel Note 2: Entering the Dragon of Lotus Pond in Zuoying, Kaohsiung

The Dragon and Tiger Pagodas on Lotus Pond

The Taiwan High Speed Rail stops at the foot of Mount Panping in Zuoying District, southern part of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan’s second largest city locate in the southwestern part.

Zuoying is a quiet, leafy suburban district, surrounded by mountains and facing the Taiwan Strait. It is known as a home to military personnel and their families, and their villages as well as a military veterans museum have become tourist attractions. But there are many other sites of interest such as heritage and archaeological sites, food stops, temples and shrines, and natural parks. The Zuoying Cultural Bus Tour, which starts at the train station, affords visitors a survey of the district’s cultural heritage.

 Near the train station is the man-made Lotus Pond or Lake, between Mount Guei or Turtle Mountain and Mount Panping or Half-Screen Mountain. We made a stop to visit the large pagodas.

            Lotus Pond, which often blooms with lotuses, thus the name, was completed in 1951. It became one of the sites of some World Games 2009 events such canoe polo, water skiing and dragon boat racing. Until now, many people enjoy water sports on the sprawling pond. But it is mostly a place for relaxation and contemplation. Parks and walkways fringed the pond. One side, especially along Liantan Road, is dotted with temples and restaurants.

            One is the elaborate Ciji Temple, dedicated to Bao Sheng Da Di, or the Emperor of Well-Being, a god of medicine in Chinese folk religion and Taoism popularly in Fujian in China and Taiwan. The temple is said to be originally built in 1719 at Feng Shan and then moved to Zuoying, renovating it in 1960. Another temple is the impressive Qiming Temple, built in 1909 and rebuilt in 1970s, dedicated to Guang Di.

            More popular to tourists are the pagodas and pavilions, rising from almost in the middle of the lake. Across Ciji Temple are the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas. They are actually extensions of the temple, built in 1976 under the orders of Bao Sheng himself, some believe.

The Dragon and Tiger Pagodas are two towers, one for the Tiger and the other Dragon. Built with traditional Chinese architectural elements, the seven-storey towers can be garish, with bright colors and folksy decorations. Zigzagging walkways lead you to them from the shore. Large statues of a tiger and a dragon stand at each tower. One is advised to enter the dragon’s mouth and exit at the lion’s mouth. This way, one turns bad luck into good luck.

            Inside the bodies of the mythical animals, the walls are painted with Buddhist and Taoist characters and scenes, such as China’s 24 most obedient sons, the twelve Magi, the Jade Emperor’s thirty palaces, Confucius, and scenes of heaven and hell. After passing through the dragon, one can go up the towers for a panoramic view of the lake and the mountains, and feel the breeze.

            About 700 meters north of the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, the Spring and Autumn Pavilions, built in 1953, stand across Qiming Temple. The gaudy pavilions, dedicated to Guandi, the god of war, are two octagonal, four-storey pagodas with a giant dragon, with teal-colored scales and yellow fins, slithering at their feet. Atop the dragon is a statue of Guanyin, commonly known as the goddess of mercy. If local lore is to be believed, the dragon and the statue of Guanyin were later added. According to legend, Guanyin appeared among the clouds riding on a dragon, and believers commemorated the event by installing depictions of it between the pagodas.

One can also enter the dragon’s hollow body, its walls painted with scenes from Buddhist and Taoist stories and beliefs.

They can be interesting small journeys, entering the bodies of mythical animals and then climbing the towers with the landscape of water and mountains revealing itself to you as if you’re being formed or reformed and then birthed, near the clouds.

The high-speed rail station

Inside one of the coaches of the Taiwan High Speed Rail

Arriving at Taiwan High Speed Rail's Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung City

The man-made Lotus Pond in Zuoying

The view from the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas

The Spring and Autumn Pavilion

Inside the dragon of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion

The Qiming Court Temple facing the Lotus Pond

The Ciji Temple

Taiwan in Six Cities and Six Days, Travel Note 1: Totally Taiwan

A part of the beautiful, sprawling metropolis that is Taipei

It is a small nation, a little island really. But its name has reverberated throughout my childhood and until today. Taiwan floats like a fallen fruit on China Sea in East Asia, gigantic China to its west and to its south numerous islands grouped as the Philippines. The nation is a giant in several ways—in manufacturing and in industrial economy—but it is more than that as I discovered in a few visits, learning its culture bit by bit and even most deliciously through its panoply of dishes, and contemplating on its beautiful landscapes.

            Taiwan is very Chinese, mostly Han, as much as it is also other cultures—Western and indigenous. It is very cosmopolitan as well as very rustic. It is very modern but also steeped in traditions.

            Many travelers enter Taiwan through its international airport in Taoyuan City in the northernmost part and travel about forty kilometres east to the capital Taipei. I love Taipei. As I approached the city on bus, I saw it from afar a sprawling cluster of gleaming buildings. I also saw its fringes and fingers crawling into the mountainsides and forests, not menacingly but almost tenderly as if to clasp them. At many points, the city meets and melds beautifully with forests and mountains. A clear river rushes into the city, silver like the glass buildings. In the city, I love the wide sidewalks and the tree-lined streets, and the food, both inventive and traditional, that makes the streets redolent. At night and in the markets, food is more attractive and beguiling than the shiniest toys or gadgets.

            From Taipei, we would go south to Kaohsiung City. Going around Taiwan is very convenient. We went on the Taiwan High Speed Rail that runs about 350 kilometers, traversing the running central region, from north to south. From Taipei, it takes only about an hour to go to Kaohsiung. There are views of fields and forests, and in between there are stations like airport terminals.

            From Kaohsiung, we made our way back to Taipei, stopping at major cities—Tainan, Taichung, New Taipei, Taoyuan—and visiting temples old and new, the night markets with its riot of colors and aromas, the restaurants that revealed to be gastronomic wonderlands, lakes as well as malls, and meeting friendly and interesting people. Every street had its story. The body ached but the spirit nourished. It will take a lifetime or two to know Taiwan, but we took in as much as we can, and the experiences we collected always bloom brightly in the gardens of our memories. 

NB: Taiwan Expo 2017 is being held from September 29 to October 1, 2017, at SMX Convention Center Manila, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, organized by the Taiwan Association in the Philippines, a social and civic group of Taiwanese businessmen in the Philippines led by its president Allan Lin and honorary president Seimo Huang, and Taiwan External Trade Development Council. 

Trips to Taiwan can be arranged by Jeron Travel and Tours (www.jerontravel.com) with office at 727 VM Tower, Roxas Boulevard corner Airport Road, Pasay City. Call (+63 2) 854-1813. 

A floating garden on Sun Moon Lake

Delightful seafood at the Liuhe Night Market in Sinsing, Kaohsiung

Fields along the route of the high-speed rail

Qiming Court in Zuoying, Kaohsiung

The iconic Taipei 101 tower in Taipei, once the tallest structure in the world

The Tawain High Speed Rail arrives in Zuoying, Kaohsiung

Vibrant Xi Men Ding area in Taipei City

Green Technology, Internet of Things and More from Taiwan

A view of Taipei City, Taiwan

Rapid industrialization and increase in human population in recent years have negatively impacted the environment. But with the advancement of technology, the campaign for environmental protection and conservation has also intensified, leading to an increased awareness. More and more businesses are committing to “greener” practices, leading to the emergence of “green” technology and industry, bringing about inventions and technological enhancements aim at minimizing harmful effects on the environment.

Taiwan, the East Asian country, has been known for many advances in technology, but the island nation has managed to retain much of its natural environment. Unknown to many, Taiwan has a robust green industry. Taiwan has made big strides in the development and use of “green” technology. Taiwanese companies have been devising systems and technologies on renewable energy, energy storage, energy savings, environmental protection, recycling, low-carbon transportation, wood-based biomass, green building, etc. Currently, Taiwan is a leading exporter of PV cells, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and bicycles.

Nine of these Taiwanese companies are Neo Solar Power, Eterbright, Biomax Technology, Asia Pacific Fuel Cell Technologies, Everlight Electronics, Chang Hong Energy Technology, Spring Pool Glass, Multiply Energy and UWin Nanotech.

They were showcased by the Green Trade Project Office (GTPO), the international trade promotions arm of the Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs, in its Green Industry Company Visits from July 18 to 20 in Taipei to show how the country can provide environmental solutions.

Green Companies

Neo Solar Power (NSP) is one of Taiwan’s and the world’s leading solar cell and module manufacturer. The company is aiming to expand globally to become a vertically-integrated full service solar company. NSP currently makes solar cells, bifacial cells, mono-crystalline cells and multi-crystalline cells.

Eterbright Solar Corp. specializes in research, development and manufacturing of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film PV modules, and its products are widely used in roof-type solar energy systems and large-scale power plants. While its solar panels, which are touted to be durable and cadmium-free, are installed on roofs for home uses, Eterbright also presents innovative ideas such as a solar panel that doubles as a picnic table with an outlet for things such as an electric stove.

Biomax Technology is into agricultural products and services. It also produces biomass, a source of green energy which can be used in industrial boilers and household stoves.

Asia Pacific Fuel Cell Technologies is dedicated to the research and development of proton exchange membrane fuel cells and low pressure hydrogen storage systems, which can used for light vehicles such as scooters and golf carts.

Everlight Electronics manufactures LEDs and LED products such as lamps, lighting components, lighting modules, digital displays, opto-couplers and infrared components for various applications.

Chang Hong Energy Technology is a manufacturer of lithium iron phosphate oxide (LFPO) cell, the key component in power supply and energy storage system.

Spring Pool Glass Industrial Co. is Taiwan’s leading glass collecting and recycling company. Some of the glass they collected they make into green building materials such as the lightweight, fireproof and even soundproof blocks.

Multiply Energy Co. is dedicated to recycling used diapers as well as low-cost water filters.

UWin Nanotech is into reel-to-reel gold plating process design, nano-materials, eco-tech metal stripper, eco-tech equipment, electroplating additives, specialty chemicals, plating apparatuses and precious metal analysis.

Taiwan Expo 2017

These are some of the Taiwanese companies featured at the Green Technology Pavilion, organized by GTPO, at the Taiwan Expo 2017, from September 29 to October 1, 2017, at SMX Convention Center Manila, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.

Spearheaded by the Taiwan Association in the Philippines, a social and civic group of Taiwanese businessmen in the Philippines led by its president Allan Lin and honorary president Seimo Huang, Taiwan Expo 2017 brings together well-known Taiwanese companies to introduce their latest products for the first time in the Philippines.

Organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (Taitra), a non-profit trade promotion organization in Taiwan, the Taiwan Expo will have eight themed pavilions covering education, agriculture, tourism, culture, technology and green energy.

The Study in Taiwan Pavilion will showcase Taiwan’s top universities and their offerings, while Culture and Tourism aims to attract visitors with travel packages and tourism products. Health and Lifestyle will feature medical services, food and other lifestyle products, while Inno-Tech will include green technology. Agriculture Tech features the country’s advances in agriculture and fisheries, while City Marketing showcases Taiwan’s six metropolitan areas—Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung. General Support will have banks and insurance companies to entice potential investors in Taiwan, while the Taiwan Association Philippines will display Taiwanese investments in the Philippines.

Aside from the pavilions, there will be two forums—one on fishery and food packaging and another on the Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for everyday living.

The Internet of Things Forum

The Taiwan Internet of Things (IoT) Solutions for Smart Living Forum, on September 30, will be of great interest to many Filipinos. IoT is a huge network of things connected through the Internet, said to revolutionize businesses, governments, and consumers. Representatives from some of Taiwan’s tech brands will be speaking about their cutting-edge IoT solutions.

For example, Vivotek will showcase its latest stereo network camera, the SC8131, which generates data by tracking numbers of people and their flow paths. Business owners can leverage this information for operational decisions such as improving store layouts and product promotions. Another application refining smart retail is the Acer Being Signage. This aids retailers in the entire digital marketing process, from consultation to operation. It also provides software that uses a cloud-based video analytics solution for creating, delivering and monitoring digital campaigns.

Using mixed reality technology and calculation camera image positioning technology, Main Orthop aedic Biotechnology Co. Ltd. has created precursory medical glasses that enhance accuracy and shorten surgery time for the medical industry. They will talk about their hi-tech wearable glasses designed to enhance surgeons’ performance and simplify orthopedic procedures. This technology will become a key tool for significant advances in surgery.

The Ropali-Teco Corp. will highlight advances that provide access to electronic vehicles, and enhance user experience by customizing local tricycles and jeepneys with their safety, efficiency, and ecological features. The electronic vehicles utilize a 2.3 kilowatt electric motor and have a 20 percent  climbing capacity for sloping paths. This is a good start for public vehicles to decrease fuel consumption and create safer travel for passengers.

Trade Partners

Taiwan and the Philippines have been engaged in economic relationship for many years. The Philippines is Taiwan’s tenth biggest trade partner and the eighth biggest export market in 2016.

“We look forward to enhancing awareness and importance of the expo by carrying out a series of side activities including industry cooperation meetings, forums, cultural performances, etc. It is expected that the expo will be a significant platform to promote mutual beneficial partnerships,” Taitra stated.

The Taiwan Expo is one of the efforts of Taiwan’s current administration’s New Southbound Policy, aimed at building and strengthening bilateral ties with nations south of Taiwan, including the Philippines.

Spring Pool Glass Industrial Company's construction blocks made from recycled glass

Asia Pacific Fuel Cell Technologies' hydrogen generator

Chang Hong's portable solar power storage case

Eterbright Solar Corporation's solar panels that double as a table

Multiply Energy Company 's recycled diapers

Neo Solar Power's solar cells

UWin Nanotech's metal stripper

Acer will showcase its innovative solutions

Musical for Millennials: PETA’s 'A Game of Trolls' Sings About the Dark Truth About Martial Law

During the campaign of long-time mayor of Davao City Rodrigo Duterte to become president of Philippines in 2016, perhaps the most powerful tool employed by his supporters was social media. Rumor has it that an army of online trolls were employed to extol Duterte, as well as attack his critics. When he became president, social media became a promotional machine and a weapon, targeting dissenting voices and praising his controversial policies and pronouncements, often in the most vicious ways including the fabrication of fake news. One of Duterte’s most controversial actions is his support for the family of and his admiration for the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, shrugging off the horrendous human rights violations committed during martial law. He also did not keep secret his inclination towards martial rule. This led to the secretive burial of the former president at the Libingan ng mga Bayani with full military honors on November 18, 2016, despite protests, as well as a blatant disregard for the truth and a flippant attitude towards martial law atrocities, promoted by online trolls and echoed and believed by supporters, many of them millennials, who pooh-poohed the abuses on human rights and see this episode, though comparatively a recent one, as a dusty and negligible piece of history, if they weren’t totally ignorant of it. The online trolls also went as far to further the mission of rehabilitating the image of Marcos. 

Many Filipinos were alarmed by this turn of events, among them artists who protest this atrocious revision of history through art. One of the notable works to come out recently is the stage musical A Game of Trolls by the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), which is currently celebrating its 50th year and was recently honored with a Ramon Magsaysay Award.

A Game of Trolls is affirmation of the artist-teacher group’s continuous commitment of using theater for social change and justice. PETA has been known for advancing progressive theater, as well as a breeding ground of many of the country’s respected theater and film artists. It has struggled for freedom of expression and has led in many cultural protests during the Marcos dictatorship.

In her message, current PETA executive director Beng Santos-Cabangon said, “Why tell the story of martial law? As artists, we in PETA remain steadfast in our mission to use the arts to reflect peoples’ stories and examine our history, so we can find meaning in chaos, make sense of our realities and have vision amidst doubt and cynicism. Why the need to remember? Because it is in remembering that we understand. With understanding, we care. And when we care, we stand firm, we march and shout, ‘Never again!’” 

She further said, “This play is PETA’s humble contribution to the ongoing effort of sharing and forging a dialog and understanding about our country’s martial law history. It is also a call to action — to make our young people learn and understand that the freedom they enjoy today was fought with the blood and tears of their elders.” 

In this endeavor, PETA is supported by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, ensuring the accuracy of historical details, as well as advocacy groups Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation, Dakila and Active Vista.

Leni Velasco, Active Vista’s executive director, explained, “By co-presenting A Game of Trolls and initiating various creative endeavors as artist-activists and cultural educators, we hope that the present generation may be encouraged to seek the truth amidst the varying narratives circulated that are meant to deceive and misinform our people; sow disunity in our country; and mislead our nation towards the path to genuine change.” 

On the other hand, Dakila executive director Micheline Rama commented, “The most effective antidote against historical revisionism, false heroes, fake news, apathy and misinformation has always been education through the arts—real compelling stories of the human struggles presented through creative forms—film, music, visuals and theater.” 

A Game of Trolls, written by Liza Magtoto and directed by PETA artistic director Maribel Legarda with music by Vincent de Jesus, revolves around Hector (Myke Solomon), a young man who works as an online troll defending and spreading fake news in support of martial law, showing total indifference and ignorance about that era’s ugly truths. He is also indifferent to his own mother, harboring a grudge because of her past absences and ignorant of her past as an activist and a victim of torture during martial law. Heck has a group of friends, members of a band led by activist-leaning Cons (Gold Villar-Lim), who becomes Heck’s love interest. 

Heck is visited by “ghosts” of real martial law victims including doctor Bobby de la Paz, writer Emannuel Lacaba, student-activist Ed Jopson, Kalinga leader Macli-ing Dulag, and nun Sister Mariani Dimaranan, all telling him their stories during the martial law period. The stories are told seriously, as well as in popular entertainment formats to attract the play’s main target, the millennials. The play also incorporates rap and hip-hop, as well as digital graphics projected on the backdrop to be more appealing for the younger audience. The images of the play also include very recent images, such as extrajudicial killings, the burying of the truth, and strongman tendencies, drawing frightening parallels. 

But with careful research, A Game of Trolls remains factual, resisting the tendency to sugar-coat the horrors perpetrated by the Marcos regime, and the story serves as the emotional core, enabling the presentation of a vital history lesson in an engaging manner as well as of a cautionary tale that tells us that condonement and even tolerance of or silence on something as evil as this will affect us all.

       

A Game of Trolls is onstage the whole month of September at the PETA Theater Center, No. 5 Eymard Drive, New Manila, Quezon City. For tickets, contact TicketWorld at telephone number (632) 891-9999, log on to Ticketworld.com.ph, or visit www.petatheater.com/agameoftrolls.

Connections, Crossroads and Convergence: Festival Celebrates Cultures of the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia

Sining Kandidilimudan Ensemble of MSU Maguindanao performs an excerpt of Maharadia Lawana

The ikat dyeing technique for hand-woven textiles is practiced by several ethnic groups not only in the Philippines, but also in some countries in Southeast Asia. Also, there are similar stories that are being retold within the region, such as the different versions of the epic Ramayana, an influence from India. The commonality in traditional culture and heritage is more evident in an area in Southeast Asia that includes the countries the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia.  

These shared heritage and traditions, as well as the diversity of cultures, will be highlighted by the very first Budayaw: The BIMP-EAGA Festival of Culture and the Arts, which will be held from September 20 to 24, 2017, in General Santos City. The festival will include different activities and events such as lectures, workshops, performances, exhibits, tours and others. 

“Budayaw, as festival of cultures, showcases the links of our diverse cultures within the equator surrounded by or attached to the Sulu and Sulawesi Seas, a very ruch area of natural resources, but at the same time very blessed with diversity of cultures, which historically have been linked together since the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth century,” explained Nestor Horfilla, a theater veteran and cultural worker, who serves as the festival director.

Before the current political boundaries, the peoples of what are now the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia have been in contact with each other since the olden times. Although the main purpose was trade, they were also influencing each other’s cultures.

Aside from geographical proximity, the during links among the four nations became the basis of the establishment of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), a cooperation to bolster socio-economic developemnt in the region with a shared strategy, about 20 years ago.

The BIMP-EAGA originally focuses on areas of tourism, environment, connectivity and transportation, and food production. In November 2015, the socio-cultural aspect and education pillar was officially added as an area of focus. 

“Twenty years of economic cooperation in the BIMP-EAGA led to the realization that culture, indeed, is a vital element in sustainable development of the four countries in the equator,” said Horfilla.

The Budayaw Festival is the first major cultural project of the BIMP-EAGA.

The Philippines was chosen to host the first festival, whose name was coined from two words—budaya, Malay for “culture,” and dayaw, a word in several Philippine languages that means “bounty” or “praise”—and which will be held every two years among the four countries. 

As the official Philippine representative in the BIMP-EAGA Socio-Cultural Development Working Group, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) spearheads the holding of the festival, providing about P10 million in funding, in collaboration with different agencies and institutions including the Mindanao Development Authority, Department of Tourism Region XII, the city government of General Santos, the provincial government of Sarangani, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the Philippine Information Agency.

The Budayaw Festival is a chance to showcase the cultural richness of Mindanao and Palawan, the islands that are part of BIMP-EAGA. It will feature traditional arts, crafts and practices.

One notable event is the exhibit on ikat-dyeing technique, which has been used by many Mindanao groups such as the T’boli and the Blaan on their hand weaving. A specially designed pavilion will serve as a shared domain of invited master weavers, who will conduct a demonstration on the age-old practice.

Another traditional art to be highlighted in the festival is indigenous music with performances using native musical instruments such as gongs, bamboo instruments and string instruments. These instruments are also shared heritage of the four countries.

Performances of traditional dances, such as the pangalay of the Tausug, kab-apir-apir of the Meranaw and T’boli dances from the Philippines, are also included. 

Contemporary artistic creations will share the spotlight with traditional heritage. The BIMP-EAGA artists, for example, will display their works at the “Under One Sky” exhibit. Choral groups will be invited to perform. There will be performances of contemporary dances.

Notable is a grand theatrical production of six Mindanao theater groups. The Sining Kambayoka Ensemble of Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City; Sining Kandidilimudan Ensemble of MSU in Maguindanao; Kabpapagariya Ensemble of MSU in General Santos City; Kaliwat Performing Artists Collective of Davao City; Kagay-an Performing Arts Troupe of Cagayan de Oro City; and Tambuli Cultural Troupe of Tawi-Tawi will converge for a collaborative dramatic adaptation of Maharadia Lawana. Each group were given to an episode of the Meranaw prose folk narrative version of the Ramayana to be adapted for the stage.

To make the Budayaw experience more immersive, there will be special tour packages for the visiting guests and tourists to explore the richness of Mindanao culture, as well as its touristic destinations.

A series of colloquiums will tackle cultural exchanges and the safeguarding cultural diversity. According to Horfilla, they will try to gather experiences and proposals to craft strategies to enhance cultural exchanges among the BIMP-EAGA member countries, and these will be submitted to different cultural ministries “so that they will open more windows for cultural exchange for artists.”  

Most of the Budayaw events will be held at the major malls of General Santos City including SM City General Santos, Gaisano Mall, Veranza Mall and KCC Mall, where there will plenty of foot traffic.

“Roots of tradition and routes of development in culture are the key issues that we would like to highlight in the Budayaw Festival,” said Horfilla. “We also want to emphasize the right of people to appreciate different cultures.

While showcasing the diversity of creative expressions of BIMP-EAGA cultural masters and artists, the Budayaw Festival is hoped to raise awareness and foster appreciation for the cultures and arts of the region, thus engendering understanding and solidarity among the peoples of the BIMP-EAGA.

Kabpapagariya Ensemble of MSU General Santos City performs an excerpt of Maharadia Lawana

Traditional attires and weaving are featured at the festival

 Blaan children performing traditional dance