The Tribes of Taiwan

Sarj sent me several photos of his trips to Sun Moon Lake. Today I'm posting the shots he took of the aborigines who live in that region.

I really don't know anything about these folks, except for what I've read, but I believe that they're probably from the Thao Tribe. Sarj says that the gentleman wearing the tie in the first two photos is the tribal chief and this website has a postcard image of him wearing traditional dress (click on the small image to enlarge it).





For a very fascinating history of the tribes of Taiwan, go to this website.

I'm always fascinated by claims of land ownership around the world because it really depends on which baseline one wishes to pick, doesn't it? Today the People's Republic of China refers to Taiwan as a "renegade province" of the PRC, when in fact it has never actually had ownership of the land. Han Chinese began emigrating to Taiwan sometime in the 1600s, but (as far as I know anyway) it was never a province of mainland China.

The ancestors of the native people shown in these photographs probably have a more legitimate claim to Taiwan because they arrived there as early as 6000 years ago. But as the above link points out: "Archeological findings indicate that Taiwan had been inhabited by other people before the current aborigines came. However, little is known about them, particularly when and why they disappeared."

So even the "native" people of Taiwan weren't the first to reside there. It all depends on where you want to draw that line to claim ownership.

Chop!

Still More Postcards

Three more early 1960s postcards from Sarj. Once again, I've included the descriptions on the reverse above each photo.

The Presidential Mansion, Taipei. On October 10th, Chinese National Day, the President of the Republic of China may review spectacular parade and pageantry colors. The new tradition has become one of the tourist highlights.

Yangmingshan Park, in the northern suburb of Taipei. A most popular scenic spot

during the cherry blossom and azalea season in the spring.

Taipei is modernizing herself everyday. This is one of the administrative centers right under the newly-built overpass at Chungshan and Chungshen Roads, two main thoroughfares.

More Postcards

More postcards from the early 1960s contributed by Sarj. (The writing on some of the cards was contributed by his kids.) I'll post more of these tomorrow.

The descriptions printed on the reverse side of the cards is shown above each image.

"Sun Moon Lake in Central Taiwan" and "Confucius Temple, Taipei, Taiwan"

The Golden Dragon Lobby. The Grand Hotel, Taipei.

Taipei. A part of the northern city with Yuan-shan (the Round Hill),

The Grand Hotel, Tansui (the Light Water), the Kiddie Playground,

and the Zoo in view.

The Final Days

Back in November, I wrote some articles about the events leading up to the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Taiwan. Much of my information for that series came from a declassified document that I received through a Freedom of Information Act request to PACOM.

In one of those pieces, I asked for comments from anyone who was in Taiwan during the withdrawal. I received one or two comments, but none from military folks who were there during the final weeks. I recently received a second-hand account of how, for some American families, the withdrawal was complete chaos. I was told that many of them took only what would fit into suitcases and they left their household goods behind, locking the doors to their homes and leaving. I'm wondering what the reaction was from Taiwanese neighbors, friends and fellow-workers during what must have been a difficult period for all concerned.

It's been several months since I asked for comments so I'd like to throw another request out there. If you were in Taiwan during 1979 when all this was happening, and you'd be willing to share your experiences with the rest of us, please post your comments or email me directly.

Hotel Postcards

The hotels in Taipei used to sell little packets of postcards. I don't remember what they cost, but I'm sure it wasn't very much.

Sarj sent me these photos of one such assortment along with the envelope they came in. He purchased these at the First Hotel, the same place where he experienced the earthquake that he described here in May. He says that the center photo is the hotel, of course; the one in the lower right is the lobby and the other three are the different restaurants in the place.

By the way, the First Hotel is still there and you can read about it at this website. It's not exactly a luxury hotel by today's standards, but it doesn't sound too bad. Well...except for that water leaking through the ceiling thing that one reviewer talked about.

Currency

When I was at USTDC, the exchange rate for US dollars to New Taiwan (NT) dollars was forty to one. I think today's rate is about thirty to one. The local currency at that time was as shown above.

If you were buying anything on base, you used US dollars. If you bought anything off-base, you were supposed to use only NT, though some merchants would offer you a better deal on some items if you agreed to pay in US dollars...or so I heard anyway.
I remember cashing my paycheck and asking for a stack of NT notes to pay my rent at the hostel every month, with a little bit extra for routine expenses like the houseboy, taxis and local shopping. It was just one of those rituals that most everyone did on payday.

American military people stationed around the world today still go through the same process every month, except that there's direct-deposit and now they have ATMs that spit out both US and local currencies.

Navy Commissary

I seldom shopped at the commissary in the HSA compound because I lived in the hostel and rarely prepared food. I had a refrigerator, an electric coffee pot and a small toaster oven in my room but the oven didn't get much use. I remember preparing frozen dinners from time to time but not often.

Am I correct in thinking that lunch meat could be purchased at the commissary but it was always frozen?

What about dairy products? I was never much of a milk drinker but I remember that on Okinawa back in the 1960s, they sold something called "recombined milk" that tasted like...well, let's just say that it didn't taste much like milk.

I wonder how much food went directly from this place to Taiwanese homes in the surrounding area? I'm not picking on the locals, by the way; I've seen the same thing happen at Air Force bases in the States. It ticked me off then also.

Goodbye Taipei

Back in the 1970s there was a columnist for the Army Times Publishing Company (Army, Air Force and Navy Times) by the name of Fred Reed. A former marine, Fred always wrote exactly what was on his mind and pulled no punches in the process. I remember that he was especially supportive of enlisted folks and sometimes critical of their leaders.

He and the Times occasionally crossed swords and they eventually agreed to go their separate ways, but not before he wrote an excellent piece about his return visit to Taipei in 1977, entitled "Goodbye Taipei." I remember reading this article when it was published, about three years after my departure from TDC, and it brought back a lot of memories. You may not agree with all of his observations, but I think you'll find that, overall, it captures the essence of life for the American servicemen in Taipei during that period -- both good and bad.

Fred is still around, by the way. He now lives with his wife and daughter in Mexico where he pretty much enjoys life and still writes an occasional rant about whatever's bugging him, whenever the mood strikes. You can visit his "Fred On Everything" website here and subscribe to it if you like.

He still doesn't pull any punches.

Navy Exchange

Les Duffin has sent several photos from a publication called Taiwan Report - Taipei Edition, which was a booklet mailed to service people who were being assigned to USTDC and elsewhere in the Taipei area. I remember this particular edition very clearly because it was the 1973-1974 version, the period when I was there.

I'll be posting a number of photographs and other things from this booklet in the weeks ahead.

One of the busiest spots in the HSA east compound was the Navy Exchange. Army guys always called it the PX (Post Exchange) and we Air Force guys called it the BX (Base Exchange), but it was the same type of department store that you'll find at military installations all over the world. Here you could buy clothing, shoes, cameras, radios, televisions, records (you do remember records, don't you?), books, magazines and hundreds of other items.

I think there was a small building just to the right of the Exchange where you purchased major appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners. These were rationed to discourage black marketing, but you were allowed to sell them before you returned to the States. I think most guys had an agreement with someone to purchase the items almost as soon as they bought them, with the actual transfer taking place when they left.

If I remember correctly, there was another small shop to the right of the major appliance place where they sold things like custom desk nameplates. I had one made with a metal plate that had dragon designs around my name and I used it for many years, before finally tossing it a couple of years ago.