CoT – Page 8 – Sue The Wordsmith

Lansing Chen – Devoted Educator Teaching the Ancient Japanese Art of Ikebana

CoT / 2017, Author : Sue Babcock, Centered on Taipei, Community / March 17, 2017

Lansing Chen, a devoted practitioner and teacher of ikebana, the ancient Japanese art of flower arrangement, has nurtured her passion for over three decades. Inspired by her mother’s love for flora, Lansing’s journey began in junior high when a visiting Japanese ikebana artist would carefully select materials from their garden for stunning arrangements throughout their home. Years later, fate led Lansing to a fabric shop in Taipei, where she discovered a teacher who shared her excitement for floral design. As Lansing made her first arrangement with leftover flowers, her dream of delving deeper into the art of ikebana started to blossom.

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Eva Salazar-Liu – Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology

CoT / 2017, Author : Sue Babcock, Centered on Taipei, Community, People / March 15, 2017

Dr. Eva Salazar-Liu, a member of the Center’s counseling team since 1987, focused on cross-cultural issues and relationships. Her expertise included counseling on cross-cultural adjustment and conflict resolution. She emphasized self-reflection and open dialogue, listening to clients’ perspectives and creating culturally-sensitive interventions. Beyond counseling, she engaged in community work, provided pro bono assistance to overseas

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Alice Ballard – A Lady of Community Service and Compassion

CoT / 2017, Author : Sue Babcock, Centered on Taipei, Community, People / March 15, 2017

Alice Ballard, a beacon of compassion and community service, has dedicated thirteen years as a Volunteer Prison Visitor at Taipei Prison, offering support to foreign prisoners. Her legendary efforts include encouragement, humor, recruiting volunteers, and providing books, making a profound impact on incarcerated lives. Taiwan salutes Alice.

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Up, Up and Away

CoT / 2017, Author : Pai Su-Yu, Centered on Taipei, Culture / February 15, 2017

Kite season in Taiwan usually gets underway at the beginning of April. However, with all the mild, sunny days that Taipei has been having so far this winter, people are heading to open spaces such as the plaza adjoining the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, to fly kites. On a recent visit there, friends and I counted five kites flying high in the sky. They were magnificent to watch as they danced and bobbed in the gusts of wind.

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Ringing in the Year of the Fire Rooster

CoT / 2017, Author : Sue Babcock, Centered on Taipei, Culture / February 15, 2017

There’s something invigorating about celebrating Lunar New Year in Taiwan. Perhaps it’s the steady buildup of enthusiasm and expectation as the eve of the New Year approaches and that the long preparation list of traditional things-to-do has been completed.

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Felix Hsieh : Advocate for the homeless in Taiwan

CoT / 2016, 2017, Author : Sue Babcock, Centered on Taipei, Community / December 16, 2016

Felix Hsieh: Advocate for the homeless in Taiwan. With 21 years of experience, he collaborates with NGOs and individuals to enhance service delivery for the homeless. Renowned as a leading citizen photo-journalist for PeoPo, he captures the lives of the homeless, raising public awareness and challenging government and community leaders. (Please click or tap on

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Pei Pei Tang : Environment advocate and community builder

CoT / 2016, 2017, Author : Pai Su-Yu, Centered on Taipei, Community / December 16, 2016

Pei Pei Tang: Environment advocate and community builder. Passionate about protecting Taiwan’s natural areas, she leads “clean-up Taiwan” projects, engaging friends and strangers to tackle beach trash and raise awareness of ocean pollution. Responding to storms, she clears blocked roadways for safe travel. Generous supporter of Community Services Center’s mission to connect local and international

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Community and the Contemporary Arts : Haohaus

CoT / 2016, Arts, Author : Sue Babcock, Centered on Taipei / November 15, 2016

Taipei’s eclectic approach to presenting contemporary art makes it a city worth watching. For gallery goers, Taipei is a treasure trove of spaces run by artists that have taken up residence in reclaimed abandoned historic sites, factories or run-down buildings, turning them into avant-garde galleries or community artist villages.

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The Samyama Gallery – a Treasure Chest for Fine Indonesian Textiles

CoT / 2016, Arts, Author : Sue Babcock, Centered on Taipei, Culture / September 5, 2016

In a quiet, remote village in southeastern Bali, far from the beaten tourist paths, is the village of Tenganan, a community of indigenous weavers. It is here that the ancient technique of double ikat weaving is found, one of Indonesia’s rarest forms of textile weaving. (Please click or tap on any thumbnail to view it

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The Good Brothers

CoT / 2016, Author : Pai Su-Yu, Centered on Taipei, Culture / August 15, 2016

Each year in Taiwan, as the first day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar draws near, ghosts are on everyone’s mid. For it is on this day that the gates of Hell are opened and hordes of hungry ghosts rush forth to eat, drink and collect “ghost money” from the living.

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