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Here are some pictures taken on an
afternoon stroll
around the small southern Taiwan town of Taliao. Prosaic,
uninteresting,
ugly, relentlessly working class and dull, Taliao could be almost any
small
town on the plain south of Taichung. Back to Teaching English in Taiwan Home Page |
 The
mountains tower
over Taliao.... |
 The
crowded streets
of Taliao. Just because it is small, doesn't mean that vehicle and
population
densities are low. |
 A
pleasant cul-de-sac.
In contrast to the dirt and noise outside, it is quiet and clean. |
 Numerous
little alleys
knit the side roads together. Traditional-style housing on the right. |
 It is
easy to see how
urbanized this "rural" small town really is. The utter lack of planning
has resulted in cramped, ugly, living conditions, with cars parked
everywhere.
The lack of sidewalks forces foot traffic, scooters, bicycles, and cars
to use the same space. As the woman in front attests, helmet laws
are ignored in small towns. |
 Every
town has a fascinating
old temple. |
 A local
buffet restaurant
readies for the evening traffic. |
 A Chinese
medicine
store. Don't be fooled by the wooden cabinets; that's part of the decor
to give it an authentic ancient feel. This one is quite new. |
 Identical
apartment
blocks, tiled for maximum hideousness, tower over the
neighborhood. |
 A
"military village."
When the Nationalists left the mainland, hundreds of thousands of
troops
came with them. The government settled them on land seized from wealthy
landowners to create military villages all over the island. Every small
town has one. The purpose was to provide housing for the army, and
create
blocs of die-hard ruling party supporters in local areas. Since the
army
was composed largely of illiterate peasants, the result was that these
soldiers were largely left out of the economic miracle, and forced into
permanent living on government handouts, sinecures, petty crime, and
gangsterism.
No demographic group has been more harshly shafted by the KMT regime
than
the old soldiers, and no group has been more enthusiastically
supportive
of the former ruling party. |
 Hundreds
of tiny homes
for the soldiers were shoehorned onto the land. |
 Many old
soldiers remain,
elderly and poor. Some who have made money have returned to China, but
China has changed so vastly, and they often come back to Taiwan
complaining
that their relatives are greedy for money and don't care about
them. |
 Outside,
on the one
main street of Taliao, noise and color define the world. |
 Yes,
every small town
has one. |
 Small
towns are replete
with neighborhoods like this. Note the barred windows. You can't leave
your house unlocked here. |
 Taliao is
strong out
for several kilometers along the main road. Once you leave the
developments
on either side, you're back in the rice fields and factories that
constitute
the classic Taiwan scene. |
 There's
no transition
zone between town and field; the two abut each other. |
 Many
locals supplement
their income with gardens. |
 As
children play in
the park, some jackass next door decides that the air in Taiwan is not
polluted enough. |
 A
development. Neighborhoods
like this are clean and quiet. |
 Another
development.
Without a front yard or sidewalks, all activities, from perambulating
the
kids to conducting funerals, takes place in the street. Note the utter
lack of garbage on the street, in contrast to the world outside.
Taiwanese
cheerfully litter, but not in their own spaces. |
 Urban
gardens. Taiwanese
are fanatic gardeners. |
 A family
of stray dogs
enjoys some quality time together. |
 A shop
displays the
local conception of fashion. |
 Evening
activities... |
 Humans
everywhere find
junk irresistable. |
 As
evening approaches,
the traffic does not abate. |
 A common
shop, found
in every town, making aluminum bars for windows and doors to keep out
thieves. |
 A betel
nut seller
and customer have a chat. |
 Collecting
recyclables
for a little extra income. |
 A family
operates a
small business selling steamed buns on the street. |
 No road
is so small
that it can't take herds of buses. |
 Fruit and
vegetable
sellers line the road to the evening market. |
 The
evening market
is the most crowded place in Taliao. |
 A fruit
vendor in the
evening market. |
 A drinks
vendor, who
knows me, mixes me a freebie while we chat. |
 Taiwan's
incredible
ability to simply vomit up people is shown in this picture. Even a
market
in a small town is packed almost beyond belief. |
 A
clothing emporium. |
 A
steakhouse. |
 The
interior of the
steakhouse, just the right note of kitsch. One almost expects the steak
to be served on velvet paintings.... |
 Taliao
lights up. At
night Taiwan's cities, even the small town, are lit with restless
energy. |
 A cram
school. This
one teaches Chinese, math, and other subjects. Not all cram schools
offer
English classes. |
 Let's
hope these guys
are never used. |
 Hapo
Computer English
School, a typical English cram school. |
 A local
drinks chain
serves an early evening customer. |
 With no
real greenspace,
the schools serve as community parks in the evening. |
 Jordan's
English School,
a common and reputable local chain. |
 A small
drinks stand. |
 Finding
something good
to eat at the local convenience store. |
 |
 |
| This shot was taken on a normal day. "Small" does not mean "clean." Taliao is almost always like this. | This shot was taken from roughly the same spot on a rare clear day after several days of rain. |
Hope you enjoyed our tour!
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