My Fulbright Year in Taiwan

We visited the National Center for the Traditional Arts 傳藝中心. It’s a showcase for traditional Chinese handcrafts, set up like an old Chinese city.

Walking around the shops was tiring. Ian and my Dad rested on seats carved in the Aboriginal style.

There’s a lot of hands-on stuff to do there, including traditional toys. Stacy and Evan liked the two-person shoes:

Ian showed off his skills at throwing a top:

In addition to crafts, the performing arts are also featured at the Center. We saw an opera dramatization of the Journey to the West 西遊記:

Also at the Center is a house belonging to a scholar who lived during the Qing dynasty.

Every time I visit a place in Taiwan, I’m reminded about how much I don’t know about Chinese culture and history. I always learn a lot, but there’s just so much to learn. For example, there used to be a separate number writing system for business accounting. Who knew? (in my defense, Stacy didn’t know this either. But still..)

We walked a LOT that day. And were very tired at the end of the day. But it was great.