The Taipei International Book Exhibition opened yesterday. I visited the exhibition today at the Taipei World Trade Centre to see what was new this year. This year’s special guest exhibitor is France. Francophones will be sure to enjoy the large range of French literature on display. There is also a selection of French films screening every day.

One of the new things on display this year is e-readers. I was curious to have a look at them and get some idea of how they look and operate. The one pictured above is the BenQ nReader K60 which was on sale for NT$8,990. It is operated via buttons and also a touchscreen. Books can be downloaded via wi-fi. Several other e-readers were on display including Greenbook, the Amazon Kindle and iRex.

Publishers are also looking at new ways to deliver e-books. One interesting system I saw used 7-11’s ibon system to deliver mini books to mobile phones. BenQ has partnered with eBookTaiwan to sell e-books. Greenbook also has an online bookstore.

The Far East Book Company has a good selection of dictionaries and Chinese-language learning materials. The best selection of English-language books are available from B.K. Norton and Bookman whose displays are next door to each other in TWTC Hall One.

The book exhibition continues until Monday 1 February at the Taipei World Trade Centre. Entry is NT$100 and half-price after 6:00pm during the extended opening hours over the weekend.

• 2009 Taipei Book Exhibition
• At the book fair
• Some books about Taiwan
• 2008 Taipei Book Fair
• Taipei Book Fair

              

I saw the short film Msgamil: Once Upon a Time (泰雅千年) while visiting Smangus in August last year. I then saw Through Thousands Years* (走過千年) at the Ethnographic Film Festival. Msgamil is a short film produced by Chen Wen-bin (陳文彬) about the historical migration of the Atayal. Through Thousands Years, by the Atayal director Pilin Yabu, documents the process of the making of Msgamil.

I recently visited Taichung to talk with Dr Lin Yih-ren (林益仁) at Providence University (靜宜大學). Dr Lin very kindly gave me DVDs of both films and also two books about the production of the films. The books, titled Words from Yaba (Chinese: Yaba的訪; Atayal: Kay na yaba), are both bi-lingual with one edition in Chinese and Atayal and the other in English and Atayal. The text is beautifully illustrated by Wang Yong-cheng (王永成) and also includes photos from the making of the films.

The book takes the form of a series of letters written by Pilin Yabu to his children while in the process of making the documentary. The letters convey lessons about the gaga, the moral code of the Atayal that is inherited from the elders. These lessons teach about many important aspects of Atayal culture such as weaving, hunting and the meaning of facial tattoos.

The most important lessons though come from placing these lessons in a contemporary context surrounding the making of a film in an Atayal community. By placing the wisdom of the gaga within the context of contemporary events it shows how the culture adapts to changing circumstances. The letters from a father to his children also shows how the gaga is actively transmitted to the next generation.

The documentary reveals that there was a lot of conflict in the film making process. This is discussed in some more detail in the book. The book ends with contributions from six experts discussing Pilin Yabu’s documentary and the controversy involved in the production of the film. There is an emphasis on learning lessons from this rather than placing the blame on any individual.

Words from Yaba is a unique window into the contemporary world of the Atayal. Its multi-lingual format and two related films combine to make an important and accessible body of work for multiple audiences.

The books and DVDs are published by the Shei-Pa National Park (雪霸國家公園). They are available from the Government Publications Bookstore (國家書 松江門市) in Taipei and Wu-nan Culture Enterprise (五南文化廣場) in Taichung. They can also be purchased online at www.govbooks.com.tw.

*This is the English title that was used in the film festival. The English title on the DVD is The Moment Run Through.

• On reading Chinese
• Taiwan romance novel
• Book review: ABC Chinese-English Dictionary
• Some books about Taiwan
• The little red book

              

Austronesian Taiwan: Linguistics, History, Ethnology, Prehistory

The new edition was edited by Dr David Blundell, my thesis advisor at NCCU, with assistance from Chris Anderson and the people at SMC Books. I also played a small role in the editing process.

Austronesian Taiwan is a wonderful collection of papers on the Austronesian speaking peoples of Formosa. It is a great reference for anyone who would like to learn more about the rich culture and history of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples. The book gives many insights into the value of Austronesian languages and their associated cultures as  living heritage and as a cultural resource for Taiwan and the world.

The connections between Taiwan and the Austronesian dispersal through the Indian and Pacific Oceans are explored in Peter Bellwood’s chapter “Formosan Prehistory and Austronesian Dispersal”. A more contemporary perspective is found in Chris Anderson’s essay on the Amis Folklore Great Singers of Malan. It is a fascinating look at how the group formed in response to the unauthorised use of samples of Amis singers by Enigma in their hit song “Return to Innocence”. It shows the complex interactions that took place in the context of globalisation when the group from Malan performed on the international stage. The book also contains essays on linguistic studies, archaeology and looks at Japanese studies of Formosa.

The final chapter by David Blundell has been updated to include more information about developments of the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI). Another reflection of the influence of the internet is the list of internet resources (which also includes this blog) in an appendix.

The book is available in a soft cover version for NT$560 (15% discount for students) through SMC Books (南天書局) and the Shung Ye Museum. It may also be available through some other outlets including the NCCU bookshop.

• Out of Formosa
• German magazine about Taiwan
• Another Lonely Planet
• Links 5 May 2008
• Completed my Master’s, now in Taichung

              

In The Perils of Protest, Teresa Wright makes a comparative study of the 1989 student protests in Beijing and the March 1990 Wild Lily Student Movement in Taipei. She examines in detail the organisational and decision making behaviour of the students. The actions taken by the students in Beijing and Taipei had many similarities including the launching of hunger strikes and separation of students from non-students during protests.

At the time both the KMT and CCP were in the midst of factional struggles for power. In China the reform-minded Zhao Ziyang (趙紫陽) was then the likely successor to Deng Xiaoping. However, Zhao’s reform plans met with opposition from the conservative Premier Li Peng (李鵬). In Taiwan Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) became the President following the death of Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) in 1988. Under the constitution Lee had to stand for reelection by the National Assembly in March 1990. This was the cause of a power struggle between the mainstream faction of Lee and the non-mainstream faction, consisting of “mainlanders”.

The student movements that developed in both countries had the potential to promote genuine political reform. In Taiwan the Wild Lily Movement demanded the re-election of the National Assembly and convening a National Affairs Conference to discuss direct elections for the President. President Lee met with the students and agreed to their demands leading to the Wild Lily protest ending peacefully.

In Beijing the protests met with an increasingly hardline response from the government that culminated in the tragedy of the Tian’anmen Square Massacre. While Taiwan developed into a democracy, China has remained strictly authoritarian. 20 years on there seems even less hope for democracy in China than there was in 1989. One can only imagine what might have been if the brave students in Tian’anmen Square had sparked reform instead of meeting with a brutal crackdown.

* * * * *

In Taipei there will be an event to commemorate the Tian’anmen Square Massacre at 7pm on Wednesday 4 June at the park opposite Watson’s in Shi-Da Road.

Representatives of Taiwanese civil society groups have released a joint statement (中文) saying:

On the twentieth anniversary of June 4th, we call on all sectors of Taiwanese society to express our firm commitment to the pursuit of democracy and human rights, to support the prosecution of those responsible for June 4th, and to push for democracy in China.

The DPP have also issued a statement (中文).

• Shorts at the Taipei Film Festival
• Taiwan has a huge problem
• End of the last semester at NCCU
• World moving towards abolition of the death penalty: Hood
• Discovering the Taipei Artist Village

              

The Taipei International Book Exhibition (台北國際書展) is now on at the Taipei World Trade Centre. It opened for the trade yesterday and to the public today. The exhibition features a huge range of books from Taiwanese and international publishers.

This year’s international guest of honour is Thailand. In addition to having books on display there are also Thai cooking demonstrations and Thai language lessons. There are many other countries represented at the Book Show with Japan, the USA, France and Germany being very prominent.

The French section includes an exhibition of photography titled “100 x FRANCE”. There is also a book design competition featuring books from Taiwan, China, Japan and Korea. If you are interested in movies check out the Movie Pavilion which is screening 14 films and documentaries. For music lovers Lin Sheng-xiang (林生祥) and Ken Ohtake will perform on Saturday.

The No. 2 exhibition hall was host to manga (comics) and was buzzing with activity. There were huge queues to get into many of the stalls where many of the books were on sale at a discount. The No. 3 hall features children’s books.

The Book Exhibition continues until Monday. There are extended opening hours from 10am to 10pm on Friday to Sunday. Tickets are only $50 for entry after 6pm.

• Books and e-readers at the Taipei Book Exhibition
• Taipei Book Fair
• At the book fair
• 2008 Taipei Book Fair
• Another 228 museum

              

The author first became interested in the bridal photos while a language student in Taipei in the early 1990s and researched the book while on a Fulbright scholarship.

Most people in Taiwan will have at least some familiarity with the wedding photo industry. For those that have been married then that understanding may be quite intimate from having had wedding photos taken of themselves. For others then there would at least be a passing familiarity through seeing friend’s photos or watching couples being photographed in parks or other locations. No matter what the readers level of familiarity with the subject this book will reveal new insights.

Many Taiwanese people will claim that the wedding photos are a long time tradition, although the roots of this tradition only extend back to the late 1970s and early 1980s. Prior to that time marriage was simply recorded with two or three simple photos for documentary purposes. The development of the wedding photo industry was a result of Taiwan’s rapid economic development. The rapid changes in Taiwanese society also brought about changes in the role of women and traditions surrounding marriage that are explored in the book.

The book also looks at the making of photos and what the images reflect. Although the groom usually appears alongside the bride the bride is central and the entire process reflects an idealisation of the women. She is often portrayed in poses where she dominates the male. The author suggests that this represents a last chance to capture her freedom and beauty before she becomes burdened by marriage and family life.

Some people note that often the bride is barely recognisable in the photos. It gives every woman a chance to be like a model and also to realise that much of a model’s beauty is simply constructed through the makeup and photography process. It is not something unattainable and something that every women can have for at least a moment.

Bridal photography is a uniquely Taiwanese phenomenom but it has now been exported to China and Southeast Asia. A common question in the book is to what extent the bridal photography reflects globalisation versus local traditions. It is actually a complex mix and the re-exporting of the industry from Taiwan reflects this. It is an interpretation of “Western culture” adapted to Taiwan’s local traditions and then packaged for a pan-Asian market.

Framing the Bride is first rate ethnography and gives many insights into contemporary Taiwanese life.

*purchase Framing the Bride from Amazon.com. You can also browse the contents at Google Books.

• Taiwan romance novel
• Some books about Taiwan
• A Tibetan in Taiwan
• 2009 Taipei Book Exhibition
• Book review: Song of Orchid Island

              

Democracy’s Dharma studies four religious groups in Taiwan. Three of them are Buddhist: Fo Guang Shan (佛光山), Tzu Chi (慈濟) and Dharma Drum Mountain (法鼓山). The other is the Taoist group of Xingtian Temple (行天宮). It is based on the thesis that these groups have contributed to the development of democracy and civil society in Taiwan. Robert Green has reviewed the book in the July 2008 Taiwan Review.

The Foreigner: A Novel is the debut novel of Francie Lin. She lived in Taiwan in 2001-2002 on a Fulbright Fellowship. It has got some very positive reviews. I have earlier noted Columbia University Press’s series of translations of Modern Chinese Literature from Taiwan including A Thousand Moons on a Thousand Rivers. However, there are actually very few original works of fiction in English that are set in Taiwan.

Here is the synopsis from the publisher’s website:

Emerson Chang is a mild mannered bachelor on the cusp of forty, a financial analyst in a neatly pressed suit, a child of Taiwanese immigrants who doesn’t speak a word of Chinese, and, well, a virgin. His only real family is his mother, whose subtle manipulations have kept him close–all in the name of preserving an obscure idea of family and culture.

But when his mother suddenly dies, Emerson sets out for Taipei to scatter her ashes, and to convey a surprising inheritance to his younger brother, Little P. Now enmeshed in the Taiwanese criminal underworld, Little P seems to be running some very shady business out of his uncle’s karaoke bar, and he conceals a secret–a crime that has not only severed him from his family, but may have annihilated his conscience. Hoping to appease both the living and the dead, Emerson isn’t about to give up the inheritance until he uncovers Little P’s past, and saves what is left of his family.

The Foreigner is a darkly comic tale of crime and contrition, and a riveting story about what it means to be a foreigner–even in one’s own family.

The final book in this short list is Humanity At Stake by Abraham Young. The book is based on a discussion about the status of Taiwan between a Chinese, Taiwanese and a Taiwanese American. It got a very positive review from Michael Turton and also a good review by Bradley Winterton in the Taipei Times. Winterton wrote, “This is an admirable book. If ignorance about Taiwan is as extensive in the US as the author claims it is, then the sheer accessibility of this little publication is greatly to its advantage.”

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon.com affilliate links.

• Reading about Taiwanese History
• Some books about Taiwan
• Learning to read Chinese
• At the book fair
• 2009 Taipei Book Exhibition

              

After visiting the Taipei Book Fair on Thursday (14 February) I returned on Saturday to attend Tony and Maureen Wheeler's presentation "Once While Travelling." Tony talked about his experiences travelling and building up the Lonely Planet business with his wife Maureen.

All this is discussed in his book Once While Travelling which has now been published in Chinese (title: 當我們旅行) for the Taiwanese market. He also talked about his new book Bad Lands which has also been released in a Chinese translation (title: 險惡之旅). These are two of the Lonely Planet titles that have now been published in Chinese-language editions for Taiwan. The other eight titles are travel guides to various countries. 

A long Q&A session followed the talk and I asked Tony and Maureen how many times they had visited Taiwan. Tony replied that even though Lonely Planet Taiwan was in its seventh edition, more than twenty years since it was first published, this was his first visit to Taiwan. However, after the Book Fair he planned to stay in Taiwan to do some travelling. Tony has written about a day by day account of his travels around Taiwan on his blog. 

• Day 1 – Taipei to Chiayi
• Day 2 – The Forest Train to Alishan
• Day 3 – Tainan & the Big Rat
• Day 4 – Across the Island to the East Coast
• Day 5 – The East Coast & the Taroko Gorge

(If there are any more updates to Tony's blog I will add the links)

• 2008 Taipei Book Fair
• Taiwan on Lonely Planet TV
• Another Lonely Planet
• Taiwan’s new Rough Guide
• Links 15 October 2007

              

The Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE) is now on at the Taipei World Trade Centre. The theme of last year's exhibition was Russia and this year it is Australia. The exhibition is a major event for Asian publishers and there is a huge range of books on display. 

I was keen to see Tony Wheeler and lo and behold minutes after entering the hall I saw him being interviewed along with his wife Maureen at the Australian Pavillion. Other Australian authors attending the event include Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, and illustrator Shaun Tan.

Lonely Planet now publishes Chinese-language editions of some of its guidebooks. I am sure Tony and Maureen Wheeler's visit to Taiwan will help raise the company's profile here.  

Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) is pictured above in the Textbox. He is doing a rap in Hoklo Taiwanese (when he is not rapping he serves as the Minister for the GIO). This innovation (the Textbox not Shieh's rapping) was bought to Taipei from the Frankfurt Book Fair. It allows readers to get up close to an author. The author is in a glass box while the audience listens in via headphones. 

I only bought one book at the exhibition and it was a great bargain. It is at the bottom left-hand corner of the photo above. It is called 省錢環島遊 or Money Saving Guide Around Taiwan and cost just NT$100. It recommends lots of free and cheap things to do around Taiwan with maps and descriptions.  

Hall 2 of the TWTC is dedicated to anime and manga (comics or graphic novels). It was very lively with plenty of people buying up the latest manga. Hall 3 is for children's books. There is plenty to see and do there. 

The exhibition continues at the Taipei World Trade Centre until Monday 18 February. More information is available at the Taipei International Book Exhibition website.  

*more photos in the 2008 Taipei Book Fair photoset at flickr.  

• Tony Wheeler in Taiwan
• 2009 Taipei Book Exhibition
• Taipei Book Fair
• At the book fair
• A Tibetan in Taiwan

              

The seventh edition was written by Robert Kelly and Joshua Samuel Brown, both long term residents of Taiwan. Robert Kelly also contributed to the sixth edition and Joshua is the author of Vignettes of Taiwan.  

Lonely Planet didn't just stick a new cover on an old book. The seventh edition has been extensively updated and includes some new places. The east coast section has been expanded with details of many of the interesting places between Taidong and Hualian as well as the expected coverage of these two cities. There is also more detailed coverage of Taiwan's islands. 

There are always a few places that will get left out of any guide book. Nanzhuang and Taipingshan were two that I thought were notable for their omission. However, I don't think this is such a bad thing. It still leaves a few interesting places for the traveller to discover and adds an element of surprise. There are also a number of places listed in the book that I had never heard of but am certainly curious to visit. The Danayigu Ecological Park is one. I suggest you read the book if you want to find out more. 

The coverage of hiking is great and there a range of hikes covered from easy walks that take a few hours to multi-day expeditions. I like the writing style of the with its many interesting little anecdotes.

There are plenty of maps, as is the standard for Lonely Planet guides. The map keys have place names written in English/Pinyin as well as Chinese characters. Names in the text also have pinyin with tone marks which should be useful for getting the pronunciation right. 

Overall, this is an excellent guide that would serve any traveller in Taiwan very well.

*purchase Lonely Planet Taiwan from Amazon.com

#also posted at Taiwanderful.  

• Taiwan on Lonely Planet TV
• Tony Wheeler in Taiwan
• Taiwan’s new Rough Guide
• 2008 Taipei Book Fair
• Links 15 October 2007