Just Another Taipei Weekend
One of the reasons that I chose to move to Taipei after living in Beijing for ten years was the energetic vibe I got from the city that shows itself in organic community gatherings. Whether for young or old, there’s something in Taipei on any given day. It’s hard to explain to someone the feeling one gets after a decade in Beijing where even registered gatherings can be called off at a moment’s notice for no apparent reason by the powers-that-be. Taipei, of course, is not a perfect city; however, it is alive and full of smells, tastes, sounds, sights, and experiences on any given day. Let’s go through this past Halloween weekend for an example to see what was happening in the city.
Friday Night: Blue Note Jazz
Founded in 1974, I only recently discovered Blue NoteTaipei recently when I went to watch my friend play. Located just across the street from the Taipei Power Building metro station, it’s two floors up from another bar I know well, Oldie Goodie. This bar was the first home of Formosa Improv Group (FIG) where we started to get our foothold in the improv scene in Taipei to hold workshops and shows. Being a jazz fan, I regret not having looked up towards the fourth floor of the same building to realise that the Blue Note was also there. Friday night we went to watch a jazz quartet consisting of tenor sax, drums, bass, and piano. Obviously attended by jazz lovers and regulars, the lead saxophonist invited up guests on the stage to sit in on numbers. Prices were 480 TWD including one drink.
Saturday Afternoon: CraftCon Asia 2020
My good friend and fellow improviser once mentioned to me that American mid in their 30s to 40s love craft beer and cast-iron skillets. I can’t say much about cast-iron skillets at this point since I don’t own one myself, but I do enjoy a frothy craft beer. I learned about the Craftcon Asia after getting a forwarded e-mail from my niece who lived in Taipei with us for 3 months a couple of years ago. With over 40 different breweries attending and more than 300 beers from all over the world, I didn’t want to miss this event. I was not disappointed with the beers, and also enjoyed handmade Mexican tacos as well as Venezuelan arepas. As for the beers themselves, I tried mostly beers that were brewed in and around the Taipei area, as well as some beer from the nearby city of Hsinchu 新竹。
I should mention that on our way to the metro station to go to the craftcon from our house, we passed through the Little Tree Market, a 2nd hand pop-up flea market with hand-me-down items for babies, infants, toddlers, and young children. With goods ranging from strollers to toys to clothes, the sales men and women at this market were the actual previous owners (with their parents), and although we didn’t have time to peruse all the goods it was fascinating to watch the 6–10 year olds handling money as they sold their old Anpanman-themed trucks and dinosaur pattern clothes to another happy parent or child. Please keep in mind that both the Craftcon and the Little Tree Market were happening simultaneously, while at another part of the city the largest LGBT Pride Parade in Asia was also marching through the streets on a beautiful Halloween day.
Saturday Evening: Fine Arts Museum
Sometimes when things are so close, you just take them for granted. In the same park where the Little Tree Market was taking place, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum also lies just adjacent. As this wonderful museum is less than a 10 minutes walk from our place, there’s always somewhat of a mindset of “oh, I can go there anytime.” Exhibits do end, however, and there was one exhibit that I really wanted to see that was ending on the 1st of November which featured photographs from renowned French photographer, Henri-Cartier Bresson. The exhibit featured his photographs taken during the years 1948–1949, and then in 1958 to document what China looked like one decade after Communist rule. The exhibit was incredibly from the everyday perspectives that he photographed as he was able to capture a country coming out of Civil War. While the Nationalist forces were fleeing to Taiwan and the Communists were setting up their new power base, the lives of common people went on.
Sunday Afternoon: Guandu International Nature Arts Festival
After a morning breakfast of chargrilled toasted sandwiches from a hidden restaurant in our neighborhood we just discovered called Fong Sheng Hao 豐盛好 we would try to make our way out to Guandu to attend the International Nature Arts Festival. Again, we would have to keep our eyes, hearts, and stomachs focused on our objective as there were sure to be distractions between our apartment and the metro station. There was the Little Tree Market to pass through, and after that we came upon the 14th International Bodhi Culinary Competition and Taiwan Vegetarian Festival. Although I had no idea that this festival even existed, there was no time to contemplate stopping. We had a clear goal in mind, and it was Guandu.
After taking the metro to Guandu and making our way to the park, I was greeted by my fellow volunteers who I had attended volunteer training with. Each year the Guandu International Nature Arts Festival has a different theme, and this year’s theme was “seek” or 覓. After arriving, visitors were given the task to find certain exhibits hidden in the nature park and collect stamps. Should a visitor collect all the stamps, they would be rewarded with a piece of memorabilia from the festival itself. Everywhere we looked there were families taking part in DIY art activities that all used natural components collected from the park such as leaves, brush, shells, etc. With artists from Taiwan, Malaysia, and Russia taking part, the festival capped off an artist residency period with the opening ceremony on the first of November. Each of the artists gave sessions at the DIY areas and those who took part in the workshop were also able to feel part of the process. One piece that particularly impressed me was a large bamboo fish that was half submerged in the nearby pond and half on land. Inside the bamboo fish were painted cobblestones that had only just been painted that afternoon by families who joined in the artist-led workshop. The exhibits will all remain at Guandu as they blend in with Nature. Make sure to take time for a visit and seek out the art hidden amongst the trees.
Sunday Evening: Tamsui 淡水
As Guandu is only 3 stops from the end of the red line, we decided to end the weekend by heading out to the last stop, Tamsui 淡水。This is where the Tamsui River flows into the sea, and many people (including us) like to head there to enjoy the local seafood stalls and sunset. The crowds were out on this comfortable Fall evening to enjoy the Sun descending into the ocean. Walking along the water, looking for a place to enjoy our Sunday evening dinner, I had to wonder what adventures led these other visitors to Tamsui at the tail end of a Sunday. With so much to do in the city, it’s impossible to do everything. Everyone needs to make choices, and all these choices eventually lead us to another sunset, whether or not we see that sunset with our eyes. But we are all part of something, and Taipei makes me feel part of something wonderful. I feel and know I am part of this community. We are all part of this city, and we can all find our place, however we may make our choices, alive and vibrant at the end of an Autumn day.
