Rangaku: end of decade (1)
There’s a river called 浊水溪 (Zhúoshǔi Xī; Dirty Water Stream) in Tapioca Island that divides it into two halves. I’ve never been to the Southern half until this year, where I have to visit the jungles and kampungs in that area.
Still remember that blood-spilling China Studies project last year, and that series of maps I made myself? Well now since I have been to more places, I can show off them here once more:
Orange means 路过, Green means I’ve been there done that, Blue means… 汗颜啊, must go there some day!
Well it was an achievement, since the 浊水溪 has always been a division (source of friction, rather) among the Tapioca people. People in the North speak Mandarin, hold wedding dinners in restaurants and hotels, and are richer, more urbanised, and are pro-Redland. People in South speak Hokkien, hold dinners at kampung CCs or roadside/void decks, and are poor, country bumpkins and hate Redland.
For a man from Redland like me to stay in the South for 3 weeks is already a feat, moreover mingling with the locals everyday and watching 庙会 歌台 and 布袋戏 with them without quarrelling at all.
Still remember that blood-spilling China Studies project last year, and that series of maps I made myself? Well now since I have been to more places, I can show off them here once more:
Orange means 路过, Green means I’ve been there done that, Blue means… 汗颜啊, must go there some day!
Well it was an achievement, since the 浊水溪 has always been a division (source of friction, rather) among the Tapioca people. People in the North speak Mandarin, hold wedding dinners in restaurants and hotels, and are richer, more urbanised, and are pro-Redland. People in South speak Hokkien, hold dinners at kampung CCs or roadside/void decks, and are poor, country bumpkins and hate Redland.
For a man from Redland like me to stay in the South for 3 weeks is already a feat, moreover mingling with the locals everyday and watching 庙会 歌台 and 布袋戏 with them without quarrelling at all.
[Rangaku (蘭學 in Japanese kanji), is a body of knowledge developed by the Japanese through their contacts wth the Dutch (蘭 in Japanese) during their period of national isolation in the 17th to 19th centuries under the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Since the year is ending soon, and I realised I have achieved many things this year than any other year. Keep the life going.]
