"He is not a God. He is just a human. He had his fair share of mistakes and successes" - Remarked our guide Tony about Chiang Kai Shek, when I asked about the criticisms exhibited against him in the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial hall and museum in Taipei.
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| Chiang Kai Shek with Gandhiji |
For long I had wondered how two regions separated by a narrow strait , has common cultural ancestries could evolve into totally different systems. Chiang Kai Shek Memorial hall was the answer to that. It is hard to imagine some museums inside China criticizing Mao /Deng so openly. Given all the openness of Japan and sporadic apologies of some politicians, they are yet to acknowledge publicly about its atrocities in Nanking and elsewhere during the war. Chiang Kai Shek museum describes his role in defeating Japan in WWII as well as details on how his actions in the post-war Taiwan contributed to the murder of many citizens.
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| Criticisms against Chiang Kai Shek in his memorial hall |
Tony continued.. " In Taiwan we follow three tenets for democracy.. 1. Party is always below law, 2. Freedom to criticize anyone 3. No matter how good you are, you only have two terms to rule " . This is in sharp contrast to what's there in China.
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| Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall |
It is indeed an economic miracle that a country with practically very little mineral wealth developed into a global economic powerhouse in such a short period of time following the war. Chiang Kai Shek memorial museum threw light into that as well. Three economic policies - Land reforms which involved redistribution into small parcels, Compulsory education which improved the human capital, focus on improving women employment - were the cornerstones of it. Particularly, pro-women employment policies resulted in formation of many village based MSME's and improved the household savings rate. This boosted secondary and tertiary industries in state.
China's sustained diplomatic isolation campaigns prevented Taiwan from entering into trade agreements with many countries, thereby limiting its reach of consumer based industries. Hence, quite a lot of firms in Taiwan like TSMC ( the global leader in semiconductor fabs ) focus on B2B sector.
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| Din Tai Fung Cuisine |
Taiwan is roughly the size of Kerala , quite mountainous (70% of area ) vis-a-vis Kerala (54%) . Long tunnels through mountains have developed Taiwan road network extensively - Something that I wish to see in Kerala.
Fresh water rivers in abundance has been a catalyst to the semi conductor industry as well. Population is cramped into a few urban clusters like Taipei, Kaohsiung , Taichung, Tainan & Hsinchu. Taipei is an urban marvel with the iconic Taipei 101 tower being the main landmark. State of the art urban transit systems and urban parks give a very comfortable life-style to the citizens. Standard of education is quite high.
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| Queen's head volcanic formation at Yehliu Geo Park |
Another unique thing about Taipei is the presence of 7-11 convenience stores in every corner of the the city. Apparently, after Seoul, Taipei has the highest concentration of 7-11 stores. This is perhaps in stark contrast with the evolving retail landscape in India, which is dominated by large supermarkets in malls. I think the urban transit systems is the major reason for the evolution of the same. If you live in a city where you have to drive for anything and everything, chances of you splitting up your regular grocery purchase in multiple visits to small neighborhood stores are limited. You would rather do a bulk shopping in a mall where you can park and shop in one go. Given the extensive MRT & bus system in Taipei which most people rely on, buying things from 7-11 stores whenever you walk home from MRT seem to be the most logical thing. It was indeed a heartening sight to see small kids aged about 7 - 9 years going to school in MRT's without the supervision of anyone. Indeed, Taipei reaffirmed by belief that efficient mass rapid transport systems are the way to reinvent urban life in India.
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| Taroko Gorge |
We took day trips from Taipei to these places
- Beitou & Yangmighshan National Park - A mini Yellow-Stone as per travelers who have been to both places. Sulphur fumes coming out of dormant volcanos and hotsprings make it a unique eco-system unlike what is seen elsewhere
- Taroko Gorge - World's largest marble gorge. About couple of hours drive from Taipei, this is also an ecological marvel with many geologic formations and stunning views.
- Yehliu National Park - Again unique volcanic formations
- Jiufen - An ancient goldmine town made famous by movies of Japanese director Miyazaki. Quite similar to many European ancient villages . Reminded me of Hallstatt, though not that beautiful
All these places require long walks and hikes. Infact, Taiwan is known as a hikers paradise.
A few tips to travelers
- If you have Indian passport, and have a US / Schengen visa, you can get an online entry permit
- Unlike typical tourist destinations, there are not many currency exchange houses in cities. You can change currencies in airport / banks ( they work only during regular office hours ) / Taipei 101. Taiwan does not seem to have focused much on tourism as a sector
- Special Thanks to Shitha for helping us with many suggestions and also taking us into Din Tai Fung - the famous Taiwanese Michellin star restaurant.
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