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.
Alice Ballard – A Lady of Community Service and Compassion Read More »
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.
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.
Ringing in the Year of the Fire Rooster Read More »
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
Felix Hsieh : Advocate for the homeless in Taiwan Read More »
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
Pei Pei Tang : Environment advocate and community builder Read More »
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.
Community and the Contemporary Arts : Haohaus Read More »
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
The Samyama Gallery – a Treasure Chest for Fine Indonesian Textiles Read More »
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.
There are many legends associated with the zodiac dragon, the mightiest of all the zodiac mythical creatures. Dragons have long been associated with Chinese history and culture, where they are the symbols of good fortune and auspicious power. The classic dragon has the head of an ox, adeer’s antlers, the mane of a horse, the body of a snake, the claws of an eagle and the tail of a fish.
It is not uncommon for community members to experience reactions to grief and respond with anger after an incident of community violence and loss. Most people will normally experience loss on a number of levels. Their loss can be the physical loss of a friend, the loss of feeling safe within one’s environment, or the
Community and Grief Read More »
