Death, Nature and Confucius

Hey everyone! 好久不见了！That means long time no see (although I guess long time no write would be more appropriate in this case)! It's another Monday here in Taipei which means that you all get to read another of my posts about Taiwanese culture! Even more exciting is the fact that I am actually going to talk about the permeation of Confucian teachings into Taiwanese culture! Woooo Confucius!

See? Beauty!

Before I do any of that, however, let me brief you all on the happenings of this past weekend! I almost died several times. While...sort of. We went on an excursion to Easter Taiwan this weekend and stayed in Hua Lien and Yi Lan, but the ride to those places was treacherous and bumpy and beautiful all at the same time. For example, while driving up hill on a narrow mountain road, our tour bus (roughly the size of a regular double decker bus) was passed by a small white Yaris. Keep in mind, there's only only lane for each direction on this road and we're going somewhere between 55mph and 80mph. Oh, there were also cheerful signs that warned of rock slides littered along the route as well! If you're interested I'm attaching a video at the bottom of my blog that has my death wish and an introduction of a few of my classmates recorded in it for your viewing pleasure. But besides that, we also visited one of the most beautiful agricultural spots I've ever been to!

So nature! So amazing!

 It was up in the mountains of Hua Lian, it was called Toucheng Farm and if there's one thing to take away from the place, it's “DIY” or “Do it yourself”. YOLO had nothing on DIY in this place. We went on a hike through the mountains where we fed water buffalo and picked kumquats (all of which we did ourselves...with a little coaching), then stopped to make our own t-shirts or bags with leaves that we had collected from the forest. If that wasn't enough, we also made sky lanterns in small groups and put our own designs on them and everything! I felt like a strong independent American who didn't need any help from people who spoke better Chinese than me, and it was a lot of fun! The next day we went to the Taroko Gorge National Park, and even though we couldn't visit the Gorge itself, the scenery around it was breath-taking. This weekend, though full of danger and flashbacks of my life, was probably one of my most favorite weekends here in Taiwan.

Through out these last few weeks, through the weekend excursions and the interactions that I've had with Taiwanese people, both in and out side of class, I've been able to see how people act towards each other, towards foreigners and towards their country. Through these observations, I have definitely been able to see signs of lingering Confucian values. Confucius has a saying, for instance, that goes “what a pleasure when friends visit from afar” which translates to getting joy when people come from far away just to visit you. The Taiwanese people that I've met definitely have that joy when it comes to foreigners who have come here to study Chinese and learn about their culture. Most peoples' eyes light up whenever I use Chinese to speak to them, and there's no shortage of “Your Chinese is so good” or “你说的很好啊 (You speak very well)!” There's just something meaningful to them about someone taking the time to learn how to communicate with them in their native tongue that I feel as though most people in America take for granted.

On the other hand, there are also signs of a decline in Confucian values that I've also noticed. Nowadays most students in Taiwan aren't necessarily looking to get jobs in their field of study when they graduate; they just want something that pays well. As a result, many young women are taking jobs as housekeepers instead of pursuing a career because the pay is so good and the job is currently in demand. This phenomenon is a stark contrast to the Confucian philosophy of getting an education and using it to better your community and the government. Instead, young people dream more of opening up their own food shops where they sell bubble tea or dumplings rather than becoming government officials in order to aid in the struggle for Taiwan's independence or reunification with China. 

Despite the internal struggle to maintain some of its Confucian values, Taiwan is a country full of people who cherish every bit of their tradition and culture. A people who are proud to entertain anyone who has an interest in that culture, and a people who are proud to call themselves Taiwanese. Until next time, folks, when I wrap up my time here in Taiwan with my final blogpost on celebrations in Taiwan!

Peace and Love,

Akeel (埃克利)

'Till next time!