Four in the morning...

Woke up at around 4am this morning, and could not sleep any more. The wind howled like a typhoon is approaching, but it was just a mild gust of wind from the mountains. Since our house is on the top floor, with no buildings nearby, we feel the full force of the wind. It sounded terrifying in bed, as if someone was moving around the house, trying to sneak in through every window, door and crack...so I got up and went to the garden on the floor and looked around. Sparrows, swallows and other birds had already gathered for the morning singing contest. Those quick and sound enough are rewarded with insects hiding in the bushes and flowers in the garden. Butterflies danced between the green leaves of rosemary, spring onions, tangerine bushes and bamboo. I watched, as the sun rose over the Yanming Mountains close by.

Lay in bed a while, but still was awake. Then, when mum woke we went together to have breakfast at 6am. I had spring-onion pastry (蔥油餅), bread bun（漫頭）, fresh soya milk(豆漿). This was not the only breakfast shop. It seemed like every street corner, every alleyway there is someone selling breakfast, from tradition Taiwanese breakfasts like the ones we had, to foreign breakfasts, like sandwiches and toast.

I walked around a bit more as mum went to work. I was the only one my age dressed in a T-shirt, shorts and sandals . Everyone else was in uniform and carrying their heavy schoolbags. A small group of Japanese and probably American high-school students were also on their way to school, all dressed casually. Seeing expats here in Taipei is not uncommon, especially near where I live. When the Japanese colonised Formosa towards the end of the 19th century, they discovered that mountains near here have special healing and curing powers. Hot springs from the half-dead volcanoes near-by bubble to the ground, at temperatures hot enough to boil eggs (something I used to enjoy as a child). Sulphur fumes, smoke and clouds often shroud the mountains with mist and rain, like a beautiful and ever-changing landscape painting. Nearby, the Tamshui (淡水 ' plain water' ) River meanders between mountains inwards from the Taiwan Strait. Even today, the area is a popular retreat for tourists during the day, for tea-drinkers and young ocouples at night. Places ' with moutain, with water' (有山有水), are treasured by many to live in, as it has good feng-shui (風水)...in other words, a good balance between forces of nature and the elements, and is supposed to be good for health and prosperity.
So many Japanese and foreigners settled here, and are still here. The former British consulate is also not too far from here. Legend goes, this area (Tienmu) got its name when a foreign explorer set foot here centuries ago. He asked a farmer in the field what this place is. The famrmer said: tia mou! (聽沒! I don't understand! in Taiwanese).

In the park, old men and women gathered around stereos to practice Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and Falun Gong. Especially the latter is worth mentioning. Anywhere in China, or in front of Chinese embassies in any country, or even in front of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, practicing Falun Gong is an invitation to arrest. The arms of tyranny extend far and wide; so much so even democratic countries cower to the will of Beijing. The yellow T-shirts Falun Gong practitioners wear, their banners calling for ‘Truth, Compassion, Forebearance’ (真善忍), their tranquil meditative methods are supposed to be seen as a threat to social stability. Not in Taiwan. This so-called ‘evil cult’, as labeled by the Communist regime, thrives here. In fact, some daring practitioners even started a lawsuit against ex-Chinese president Jiang Zemin for his orders to mass detain, imprison and torture thousands of Falun Gong members. Unfortunately the case was thrown out of the High Court, for lack of jurisdiction.

I walked around our neighbourhood, passing by a traditional market, already bustling with people at seven-thirty. I seemed to be the youngest and tallest of them all. Many vendors put up cardboard signs saying ‘Made in Taiwan’ (台灣製). I think the reason may be because of the flood of Chinese goods swamping the market (just as everywhere), many of which are considered of substandard. What’s more, the rising local consciousness and Taiwanese identity has turned many toward taking pride in produces and products from this island. Certainly, the political tensions and China’s constant threats to invade the island do not help build a positive image of the giant neighbour.


The TV news just confirmed a small typhoon is forming off the coast of Guam, and may strike Taiwan in a few days. Typhoons （颱風 'terrace' wind）feed on the sea and can grow to become huge super-storms stretching 600km in diameter, with winds up to 300km/hr. They only 'grow' in tropical places, and being exactly on the Tropic of Cancer, this island is often battered by stormy weather in the summer. Recently, the BBC's Nicholas Upton produced a wildlife documentary called ' Typhoon Island'. The crew braved three typhoons, earthquakes and SARS to capture the unique scenery and animals and plants on the island. This mix of natural beauty with danger is a strange, but enchanting combination.

It will be the first typhoon this summer, but the first of how many I wonder.