Thank you for tuning in to our class blog. Our trip to Taiwan was truly an exciting and rare opportunity. I feel I learned about Taiwan with a depth that could only be gleaned from a trip like this. Each step of the way Prof. Wu made sure that we understand the significance of each place in the context of Taiwanese history and culture.
One aspect of Taiwan that is fascinating to me is the influence of Japanese culture. As a student who has previously studied Mandarin in Mainland China, it was like a form of culture shock. Because the Japanese government has never formally apologized for Nanjing Massacre and other events of WWII, in addition to other tensions, Mainland China (at least on a surface level) is wary and resentful of Japan in many ways. Taiwan however, having been cut off from the Mainland in terms of communication and political experience, its long history as a Japanese colony, and Modern trade relations, seems to display its Japanese cultural heritage openly and with pride.
I would say the peak experience of our trip for me was our visit to a very traditional tea house in the mountains outside of Taipei. This was the rarest of opportunities, as this place is normally quite expensive by Taiwanese standards and is usually booked up months in advance. (For this experience we owe our thanks to 吴老师 and especially to 张老师，who also accompanied us earlier that day to the Wisteria Tea House for a lesson in traditional tea ceremonies.) Not only were we able to sample tea, but we heard the most beautiful traditional tea ceremony music and saw a brief opera performance from The Peony Pavilion.
Afterward we enjoyed a delicious meal of healthy, local foods meant to complement our tea. The tea house is part of the “养身” movement in Taiwan, encouraging Taiwanese people to live life with health, and balance.
吴老师 Prof. Wu explained to us how the traditional Japanese architecture of the tea house, rarely found in Mainland China, is actually derived from China's Tang Dynasty- the point at which immigrants arrived in Japan from China and settled there. Due to political upheaval as well as the difficulty of maintaining these wood and paper based buildings over such a long period, this Tang style architecture can for the most part only be found in Japan today.
The traditional tea house is of this style- tatami style mats, low tables and paper shade windows. We also spoke to the waitstaff, who not only live at the tea house but are also practicing Buddhists. This tea house actively preserves traditional Chinese tea culture, although the style would seem Japanese to a viewer not versed in ancient Chinese history.
To be in the fresh air of the mountains, to hear the rush of the streams, the rain, and the breeze outside, while savoring the aroma of the tea, was an experience I will never forget. Taiwan has so much more to offer than just to city of Taipei. It is fascinating that the fast-paced economic development in Taiwan, which has created one of the most modern cities in the world, seems to also have provided avenues to actively preserve some of China's most ancient and complex cultural traditions.
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