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Mazu’s Carrier and More from Jhubei Mazu Parade

Joshua — Mon, 28 May 2012 06:53:18 +0000

This man was at the Jhubei Mazu Temple parade last November, which I posted lots of photos from after the event. I’ve decided to go ahead and post a few more, as I have neglected quite a few decent shots from that day.

If you ever end up following one of these groups, it’s best to make sure you have water, a mask, and earplugs. Trust me.

Filed under: taiwan Tagged: 17-70mm, 35mm, chinese, cultural, d5000, documentary, festival, jhubei, mazu, nikkor, nikon, parade, photography, religion, taiwan, taiwanese

Visiting Yingge (鶯歌)

Joshua — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:47:28 +0000

This is a short post from Yingge, a town near Sanxia, which I’ve posted from before. I recently returned for a second visit and stopped this time in Yingge, a town known for its creation of ceramics. It’s a bit of a touristy area with cobblestone roads and pedestrian-only zones.

Above: a mounted policewoman in Yingge. This is a rare sight in Taiwan – I rarely see horses on the island.

Filed under: taiwan Tagged: chinese, cultural, culture, d5000, 鶯歌, nikkor, nikon, photography, taiwan, taiwanese, travel, yingge

Falun Gong Demonstration, Jhubei

Joshua — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:08:39 +0000

Last Saturday, I was sitting inside my apartment when I heard a marching band go by. Looking out to see what it was, I saw people exercising in the street and a costumed drum group. Soon enough, I saw the familiar expression “Fa Lun Da Fa Hao” (法輪大法好) or “Fa Lun Da Fa is Good” – a message often repeated in Taiwan where this “new religious movement” is free from persecution, unlike in mainland China where practitioners of this blend of Buddhism, Taoism, and exercise have been tortured, imprisoned, and killed. Also known as Fa Lun Gong (法輪功), the movement itself is very peaceful and lacks any real controversy on the surface. While there are claims of wrongdoing made by the Chinese Communist Party, it seems that the group’s exponential growth in the 90′s is what most concerned the communist government.

While I did not follow the parade very far, I did catch all of it as it went through central Jhubei being protected by the Taiwanese police. This was not a political demonstration primarily, although there were some politically-oriented signs. Instead, it simply seemed like a way to show off what the movement is about. I was welcomed by some of the people following and covering the march as they answered any questions I had with a great deal of respect and excitement that I would be interested in their march.

Above: a set of banners proclaiming that the next group would be an exercise team (seen on top).

Above: this banner states the fact that in 1999, Falun Gong had more members than the Chinese Communist Party. 1999 was the first major year of crackdowns against the movement in mainland China.

Above: a policeman watches as the parade goes by. Religious and political freedoms are heavily protected in Taiwan, and seeing this is gratifying.

I have to say that as China grows and becomes a world power, it has to deal with the fights it wants and the fights it needs. It will be interesting to see how and if Taiwan influences China in the coming years as we see the two countries creating economic ties. While one can always hope for more freedom anywhere in the world, it’s important to keep these things in mind as we as Western countries decide who to deal with when it comes to international politics.

Filed under: taiwan Tagged: 35mm, china, cultural, d5000, da, demonstration, fa, gong, good, hao, international, lun, mainland, nikkor, nikon, persecution, photography, political, prime, relations, religious, 法輪功, 法輪大法好

Visit to 古奇峰 (Guqifeng), Hsinchu

Joshua — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:39:29 +0000

Guqifeng, which translates to “ancient peaks,” is sort of hard to describe. Its most obvious mark is a huge statue of Guang Gong, the god of war. In addition, a statue garden and museum are also on the grounds and provide viewers a sometimes fascinating and sometimes – somewhat strange – view of various statues, historical artifacts, and religious symbols.

Starting off is the Guang Gong statue, easily seen throughout the mountaintop area:

This shrine of the Hindu god Brahma in the Thai style was interesting, especially after I visited Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine last summer. I saw these in a few other temples in the area, indicating that the deity is popular locally.

One of the interesting parts about Guqifeng is the large collection of statues from around the world. Here’s a copy of one of the famed Terra Cotta warriors, something that wasn’t too out of place…

…and some statues of who I think is Guan Yin. Two copies with awkward smiles…

…and a Buddha in the woods also made sense…

…but once I saw Beethoven’s bust and some other European items, I knew there would be quite a bit of diversity with the selection…

…and then a mythical beast of some sorts? I have been in Taiwan long enough to have never recognized this in Chinese mythology/religion. I have no clue what it is.

Some statues weren’t taken care of very well or just fell into disrepair. I guess this can be expected.

At any rate, I had a great time exploring this site. It’s located in a slightly hard to find spot but can be found through Google Maps. In the next few days, I’ll be posting more from another trip – this time to Sanxia, Taipei again.

Filed under: taiwan Tagged: 35mm, cultural, d5000, gong, guan, Guqifeng, hsinchu, nikkor, nikon, photography, religion, taiwan, 古奇峰

Walking Over the Fire (Single Shot)

Joshua — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:24:41 +0000

This shot was taken last December, when I attended a very traditional Chinese wedding and took photos of the event after being asked by the couple. I posted one photo after the event, and refrained from posting more without the couple’s permission. I actually was OK to post a few shots all along, but am just now getting around to it months later.

The shot below became my favorite of the event in terms of a sort of “documentary” style. Since I’m no wedding photographer, I was simply trying to capture cultural concepts I didn’t understand – OH, and get pictures for the couple :) What is happening below is the leading of the bride by a “good luck woman,” a woman who must have certain roles and usually comes from a family with many children, a living husband, etc. The bride is walking over a fire on her way into the groom’s house, which offers a sort of purification before she enters.

The day itself was spent running back and forth between the houses of each family as dowries were paid and ceremonies were followed. Many firecrackers went off, and the entire event was a bit fascinating to see first-hand.

Filed under: taiwan Tagged: bride, chinese, cultural, d5000, fire, groom, house, luck, nikon, photography, taiwan, taiwanese, tradition, wedding

Around Jhubei

Joshua — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 16:17:58 +0000

I guess these are quickly turning into monthly posts, but at least I’m posting something! These are from Jhubei over the past month.

The side to this building looked a bit like… the Polish flag!

Filed under: taiwan Tagged: asia, city, cultural, d5000, jhubei, nikkor, nikon, photography, street, taiwan

Random Recent Shots

Joshua — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:23:41 +0000

These shots are from the past month – as you might see from the lack of updates lately, I haven’t been out much partially due to the cruddy weather. However, with Spring’s arrival, the clear days are increasing as the temperature does too and I’ve been taking more shots this past weekend.

These are from Sinfong and Jhubei.

Filed under: taiwan Tagged: 35mm, cultural, d5000, hsinfong, jhubei, lens, nikkor, nikon, photography, prime, sinfeng, sinfong, street, taiwan

Single Shot: Oyster Farming

Joshua — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 05:30:43 +0000

This is a bit more abstract than my usual style, but shows an oyster farm not too far from Chiayi, or 嘉義, in southern Taiwan.

Filed under: taiwan Tagged: 70-300mm, abstract, black, chiayi, d5000, nikkor, nikon, photography, taiwan, white

Single Shot: Temple Procession, Tainan

Joshua — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 03:47:01 +0000

Last weekend in Tainan, I happened across a temple procession for a god I’m unfamiliar with taking place in an alley near the Confucius Temple. It was like most other processions: loud and full of energy. I found the 18mm end of my lens to be pretty useful here as well as the amazing light-bending abilities of RAW format due to the huge dynamic range present.

Filed under: taiwan Tagged: 18-55mm, 18mm, angle, chinese, cultural, d5000, nikkor, nikon, photography, tainan, taiwanese, wide

Tainan’s Confucius Temple

Joshua — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:22:01 +0000

Last weekend, I visited Tainan, a city in the south known for its arts and cultural scenes. A main center of attraction for tourists is the Confucius Temple, a type of temple that exists in many cities throughout Taiwan and is certainly more minimalist in its style and the activities going on compared to its Taoist counterparts.

While there were crowds at this huge temple, I was able to get some people-free pictures (minus some folks in the first shot, which couldn’t be avoided) and had a beautiful day to get it done. It was a bit challenging when dealing with exposures with light this bright, but I was able to compensate between manual modes, using RAW, and the wonders of Lightroom.

Above: a side building outside of the main complex.

Above: the main building. Notice the simplicity of design and the lack of huge crowds compared to other temples.

Filed under: taiwan2010