Today I went exploring with Ben, Michael, and Peter -- the other ISU students on exchange here. We went to Da'an, the older town center, where there are a lot of monuments and government buildings. It was pretty cloudy and grey and not very good for pictures. First we visited the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, recently renamed to the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall. To get to the hall, you first walk up 89 steps, one step for each year of his life, and enter through massive copper doors. A bronze statue Chang Kai-shek, perhaps 30 feet high, sits in the hall and looks over the central square. I am not sure, but I think he looks toward the mainland, the land that he was unable to return to. The current government is not very favorable toward Chang Kai-shek, and currently there is a "Wind of Freedom" exhibit in the hall. To draw attention to the abuses of the Strongman's regime, the exhibit had pictures of prodemocracy marches and a memorial to the 2-28 Massacre. I don't know much of the history, but Taiwan seems divided on how to view their former leader.
It was dark when we left the memorial, so we decided to walk up to one of the main shopping districts. We wandered around past shops selling silks and clothing and all kinds of things. Not much memoriable happened, except that I tried Bubble Tea for the first time. If you are ever in Taiwan, you should try Bubble Tea. The tea is good made up of black tea, milk, and honey, but the bubbles are the best part. The bubbles are black tapioca balls and you suck them up with the tea through wide straws. Delicious!
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