Back to the motherland

It's been over 20 years since I've been to Taiwan, where my parents and ancestors came from. My parents didn't really emphasize the history/culture/politics of the country growing up, so I only heard about some of the differences between Taiwanese and Chinese culture in passing at church or among a few friends who had a lot more nationalistic pride than I did.

It's been quite fascinating to read the Lonely Planet guide and see the cultural and political history of this country, ranging from the aboriginal tribes, the first immigrants from the mainland, Japanese occupation, the group that came over with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek, the military dictatorship, and then the ongoing tensions with China and recent political and economic reforms. I've come to understand a little bit more why some of my friends and relatives identify themselves so fervently as Taiwanese, why the elders at my Taiwanese church are opposed to removing "Taiwanese" from the name of our church... it really does come down to a deep-seated identity issue.

I'll be there for a week starting tomorrow with Shally, meeting up with relatives that I either haven't seen in 20 years (aunts and uncles) or have never met (cousins), hanging out with some friends and other cousins, and doing a little bit of sightseeing. I'll see about updating every so often over the next week.

Oh yeah, I hear the food's pretty good too.