- Speaker #0
Hello and welcome to this second episode of Keep Your Wing Podcast. We continue our exploration of Taiwan, but this time we will talk about the lottery and how it works, as well as some bad habits that are hard to shake. I'm particularly thinking about spitting in the street, burping and even farting. I will also talk to you about the relationship between Taiwan and China, as well as my first date with a divorced woman. Let's go ! Keep Your WIngs Le Podcast, Chapter 2 : A tumultuous relationship. Fourth day. I wake up and get out of my spaceship to continue my exploration of Taipei. After wandering around for a few hours, I decide to return to the hostel. But first, I take a little detour to 7-Eleven, this oh so precious store, which remains open at all hours of day and night. I grab an apple and a bottle of water before heading to the checkout. I then collect the ticket, which I take care to keep carefully in my pocket. In 1951, the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of China decided to establish a lottery which it will manage. Each cash register prints the same receipt, wherever you are in Taiwan and whatever the business. On these, a succession of eight figures can bring it up to 2 million Taiwan dollars, approximately 56 000 euros. And this is to prevent stores from not declaring all of their income. A very effective way because the population wishing to potentially have a winning ticket when going shopping will only favor stores which print this famous lottery ticket for them. Fraudulent brands and businesses are then abandoned in favor of those which give tickets to their customers. As a result, tax revenue increases for the government. Once inside the hostel, I noticed that it is desperately empty. Only a few Taiwanese are gathered together, noisily sipping their noodle soup. A cliché that has a lot of teeth, I must admit, but which is not the most surprising. On the way back, I was disturbed in my thoughts by hearing a llama-like scream of clearing, fordering on vomiting. As I turned around, an old gentleman expelled a hot hoister onto the sidewalk, a few inches from my shoes. I instinctively put it down to rudeness and laziness, but it really is a habit rooted in morals. First of all... The great politicians were not shy about spitting, including Mao Tse-Tung, and even had a porcelain vase to accommodate their secretion. What was admitted to them was therefore accepted by the population. Furthermore, among the philosophical concepts specific to traditional Chinese medicine, one should not keep anything inside one's body. According to it, it was not recommended and could be harmful. By paying attention to my surroundings, I found that this rule applied anywhere. Restaurants, subways, stores and even pharmacies. And of course by extension, the sniffles, burps and farts and disconcerts. Customs that are repugnant to young people are truly part of the daily life of older Taiwanese and by extension Chinese people as well. Numerous campaigns have been launched to encourage them to stop spitting in the street, but this custom is hard to resist. Tired of staring at my too quiet hostel, I wonder, hmm, how can you get in touch with the Taiwanese when they don't speak English? And especially when my level of Chinese is far too low to get by. I had to find another way and also feel the hint of loneliness that was starting to invade me. I decided to use Tinder, in particular to check the rumor Asians love white guys, but also to try to find out more about life here. Very quickly, the matches start to make my phone bug. Without wasting time, I chat with Mary, 39 years old, rather ordinary, neither too beautiful nor too ugly, and who speaks decent English. We first exchange a few small talk.
- Speaker #1
What are you doing here? On holiday?
- Speaker #0
I have a working holiday visa.
- Speaker #1
Ah, a working visa Where are you from then? Japan? Korea?
- Speaker #0
No, no, Belgium. Belgique if you prefer.
- Speaker #1
Oh, China
- Speaker #0
Indeed, Belgium sounds like Beijing for many locals, and they often confuse the English name of Belgium. No, no, Belgium. Um, next to France?
- Speaker #1
Oh, so far. Is everything going well so far on your trip?
- Speaker #0
A little too much rain, but I heard it will get better. Suddenly, as I was about to take the first step, Mary took me by surprise by asking me out on a date.
- Speaker #1
Tomorrow it will be better. Do you have plans for tonight? Let me see who you are.
- Speaker #0
Yeah, why not after all? This could be nice. We didn't set our date to grab a bite to eat at the start of the evening. The night is hot and humid. I mean literally, the mercury is over 30 degrees but it's floating like never before. My makeshift umbrella bought a few days earlier at the local supermarket is acting out on me, convincing in all directions before turning violently. It's in the pouring rain that I arrive at my date. Fortunately, ridicule doesn't kill me and my interlocutor is even more embarrassed than I. We walk to the restaurant where I had eaten on the first day. Instinctively, Marie points out the dishes to me and explains their composition. I feel a little less lost with her support. Despite the appetizing visual appearance, I now know that filthy tripe and hoofhole are hidden in this mass of sauce. We sit down and start our meal.
- Speaker #1
Do you like Taiwanese food?
- Speaker #0
Yeah, it's pretty good, but I haven't had time to discover everything yet.
- Speaker #1
It's very good, you will see.
- Speaker #0
I feel... spied on. I mean, it's normal to observe each other on a first date, but I detect in Mary a sort of excitement, embarrassment mixed with envy. I wonder concretely what drives her. Is it a simple skin color, a racial appearance that is enough to put her in this state? As the minutes pass, I realize that the topic of conversation are moving faster and faster. And Mary doesn't seem to have an exciting life, and I see a glimmer of envy and, at the same time defetism in her eyes? Is Taipé a great city in the evening?
- Speaker #1
I don't know. I don't live in the center.
- Speaker #0
You never go out with friends?
- Speaker #1
Before, yes. Now, it's no longer my age. I'm too old for that.
- Speaker #0
Why do you say that? Age is just a number. It doesn't determine your state of mind.
- Speaker #1
Ha You think so? It's true that when I see what you do, when you are already 29, it's weird.
- Speaker #0
And what do you mean by that?
- Speaker #1
Shouldn't you be married, have children? But that's what we're supposed to do, right?
- Speaker #0
Supposed to do? Why should I if I don't feel the need?
- Speaker #1
We can't always choose everything. We have to respect certain rules. Well, that's what I was told.
- Speaker #0
I remained silent for a moment, watching Mary. Everything became clear in my mind. Too long accustomed to following and pleasing others, she almost forgot to think about herself. It's as if she discovered that she possessed the power to choose and make her own decision. For my part, when I start doing a psychological analysis about my date, it never bodes well.
- Speaker #1
I got divorced recently.
- Speaker #0
The conversation then takes an unexpected turn and Mary suddenly bursts into tears. We decide to leave the restaurant and walk so she can regain her senses. The minutes pass and I have the impression that she's a little better. However, she always remains very discreet, very modest. I then decide to cheer her up by asking questions about Taiwan, to show my interest in her country and its culture. I then try to start the conversation in Chinese. Wo shuo yi dian ha nyu?
- Speaker #1
Zhong wen,
- Speaker #0
retorts Mary, visibly annoyed, which means Chinese language.
- Speaker #1
Zhong wen, we say Zhong wen. Ha nyu is for the Chinese.
- Speaker #0
She repeats angrily.
- Speaker #1
Here we are in Taiwan, we are not in China.
- Speaker #0
Sorry, I replied shyly. I didn't know that word was used. My Chinese teacher told me to use Hanyu.
- Speaker #1
It was probably Chinese. Can't believe it. Taiwan is a real country. We are free here. Social networks are not banned. We have our own government, our institution. We are tired of China belittling us and not considering us as a real country. Ask every Taiwanese person you meet, They will all tell you the same thing.
- Speaker #0
I am... Stunned, Mari so feverish and so shy had just launched into a plea in favor of Taiwan. The flame that had been extinguished for a long time had just been rekindled in the depth of her eyes. I now felt the passion that animated her. Our meeting ends with a beer for me and a grape of cider for Mari. We decide to set up a meeting later, kinda like an opportunity for her to come to her senses and clean up her life a little. The next day, I decide to go to Sun Yat-sen Memorial. A building built and erected in honor of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, considered the father of the nation. Well, at least for the Chinese. All the young Taiwanese people I spoke to during my trip, including Mary, laughed at my face, believing that Dr. Sun was anything but a fondling father in their eyes. In order to see things a little more clearly, I delve into Sun Yat-sen's past. In 1866, he was born into a peasant family from southern China. It is under the leadership of the British advanced colonizer that the young man evolves. His education was in Hawaii and Hong Kong, and Sun Yat-sen then grew up with political ideals influenced by the West. At 29 years old, the young man already loudly declared his opposition to the imperial system as well as to the Qing dynasty, of which three emperors will succeed one another and bring about an era of unprecedented prosperity, accompanied by an exceptional demographic boom. Sun Yat-sen, followed by other young people eager for revolution, attempted an uprising which failed. Forced to take shelter, the young man was forced into exile, first in the United States, then in Great Britain, before finally settling in Japan. He ended up founding a party with nationalist tendencies, the ancestor of the Kuomintang, KMT, which would later be led by Chiang Kai-shek, also an important figure. I will come back to him later. The philosophy which constitutes the basis of his party lies on three pillars, which he defines as the principle of the people. Independence, sovereignty, and well-being. It was in 1911 that luck smiled on him, an uprising allowed the fall of the Chinese empire, and his return propelled him as a provisional president. The following year, he proclaimed the republic, but gave his place to General Yuan Shikai. However, conflicts reappeared, forcing Sun Yat-sen to go into exile again. In 1920, while in Shanghai, he became particularly interested in the revolution in Russia. He then decided to contact the emerging Communist Party. His KMT party also received aid from the USSR. However, five years later, Sun Yat-sen lost his life, forever abandoning his dream of national unity. It is mainly because of the age difference of Taiwanese people that opinions differ on this subject. The older generation has a more respectful attitude and honors the memory of Dr. Sun. whose portrait also adorns the wall of many schools. It recognizes its desire and ambition to create a united and strong China. The younger generation, for their part, believes that its involvement in the formation of the KMT is unacceptable in view of the February 28 massacre, known as 2.28. In 1947, well after the death of Sun Yat-sen, the KMT decided to silence an anti-government party. In total, 10,000 Taiwanese, including civilians, were killed by members of the Nationalist Party. The start of the conflict came after the arrest of a street vendor. Her cigarettes sold under the counter did no matter to an officer who worked for the Tobacco Monopoly office. Shortly after, a passerby shot and killed in the street ignited the incident. Rebellions broke out first in Taipei before spreading throughout Taiwan, formerly called Formosa, meaning beautiful. The weeks that followed were accompanied by bloody reaction against the population. We know that there were mass graves, bodies thrown into the sea. That's why we use the word massacre. The troops from China began to shoot, to imprison, to execute, said researcher Huang Chenghi, constitutional lawyer at Academia Sinica in Taipei. and also president of the NGO Truth and Reconciliation for Taiwan. That's what he told the newspaper Le Monde in February 2017. It is this particular event well-known to the younger generation which arouses so much disgust and hatred towards Sun Yat-sen. It is also not surprising that this theme concerning Sino-Taiwanese relations is a subject that many locals avoid in the presence of people from mainland China. Indeed, the latter believe that there is only one China and... That tests obviously include Taiwan. Tension still persists between the two friend enemies since China wishes to reign at the island people in order to show the world its power and not to discredit the single party. However, China cannot afford to act by force in order to avoid a blunder. Taiwan, for its part, is trying to ensure its independence but cannot claim it loudly because that would simply be unacceptable in the eyes of China. However, the idea of a Republic of Taiwan already resonates loud and clear in everyone's head. This is also the case for Fiona, 26 years old, with shorter length hair and born in Taiwan. Just like Mari, I met her on Tinder. Her profile already appeals to me. Fiona, 26 years old, language teacher, 15 kilometers from me.
- Speaker #2
I can walk a lot, and you?
- Speaker #0
As for the photo accompanying her profile, they seem to present her different points of interest. One with a Taiwanese flag, another with a close-up of her face, one with friends, and the last mainly framing her plunging neckline. I decided to jump at the opportunity, now knowing a little more about the political situation. I was really eager to discuss it with someone who felt concerned by the subject. And yeah, okay, maybe Fiona Jenner's press probably influenced my final judgment. Do you want to walk with me?
- Speaker #2
Of course, but not tonight. I'm quite tired.
- Speaker #0
Same. Plus, it's raining way too much.
- Speaker #2
That's true. And it will get better quickly. Where are you from?
- Speaker #0
After an exchange of small talk, I suggested a trek near Elephant Mountain, located in Xiangshan, still in the Xinyi district. We decide to meet the following week. Finger crossed that Fiona is as involved in politics as she claims to be on her profile.