Week 456 · Quarantine · Chiang Kai-shek Memorial · Taipei 101 · Taiwan History
My first trip to Taiwan. They still had a quarantine on entry for COVID — 3 days at a hotel. I could have a long dissertation complaining about the bureaucracy of the process, but at the end of the day, I chose to go at this time, so no whining. Ended up 3 days quarantine in the hotel, 4 days work and/or hotel, and a Saturday off — all in the rain.
Masks are required 100% of the time outside of my hotel, even walking in the street. The quarantine was manageable — I figured out Uber Eats and loaded up. That is "one" Chicken McNugget. Pretty good. MCD in 30 countries now. I didn't visit the top of Taipei 101 on my Saturday off as it was rainy and foggy — it was visible from my room, which had to be enough.
3 days quarantine in the hotel. One of the daily forms I had to complete — along with temperature readings and COVID tests. I awoke in the middle of my second night to a significant earthquake. Pretty disconcerting when you are in a hotel room on a high floor.
Figured out Uber Eats and loaded up. That is "one" Chicken McNugget. Pretty good. MCD in 30 countries now.
While in quarantine, I watched some videos on Taiwanese history — it is very similar to South Korea. Semi-autonomous up until the early 1900s. Then occupied by Japan until 1945 — brutally, just like Korea. Then after some years of consolidation, settled into a non-democracy under martial law. Then in the 1980s started a true transition to democracy and economic growth.
What I didn't fully understand and learned more during my day off Saturday at a museum: before the Japanese occupied in the early 1900s, Taiwan was under Chinese influence but not fully part of China. From 1945–1949, Taiwan actually had some autonomy as a province of China. But in 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek lost to the communists and moved the Republic of China government (and a couple of million refugees) to exile in Taiwan, it adopted the full history of China pre-1949. Walking through the National Palace Museum, almost every exhibit was related to mainland China history like the Ming and Qing Dynasty — very little to the history of the island of Taiwan.
Taiwan (officially the Republic of China) has been governed separately from the People's Republic of China since 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government retreated there after losing the Chinese Civil War. Taiwan is not formally recognised as a sovereign state by most countries due to pressure from the PRC, yet operates as a fully functioning democracy with its own military, currency, and government. Taiwan produces approximately 90% of the world's most advanced semiconductors through TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) — making it one of the most strategically significant places on Earth. The Taiwan Strait crisis and question of reunification remains one of the most closely watched geopolitical flashpoints globally, though as noted, this is discussed more in the US than in Taiwan itself.
Taipei is similar to Seoul — large and modern and pretty much rebuilt since the 1950s, although smaller at only about 7 million people in the metro area. Denser than any city in the US except for Manhattan. One difference from Seoul: Taipei was quieter. The night market I went to was basically like a county fair with a lot of food trucks and very family friendly.
I ended up spending more time at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial than I originally planned — interesting how they kept the memorial somewhat intact from when Chiang Kai-shek lived in the 1970s, showing only the positives. They added new exhibits which did show the oppression during the period of martial law right beside the original exhibits.
"Another similarity to South Korea — the daily attitude towards China: they are not worried at all. The conflict is probably discussed more in the USA than in Taiwan."