American Jazz in Taichung

“It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
-- Henry David Thoreau, American writer and naturalist

Even after a decade of living in Asia with all the “life experience” and seemingly endless information we’ve collected about Asian life over the years (both out of necessity and curiosity), we still find ourselves open to, even anticipating, the new and unexpected experiences that jolt our senses into high awareness and cause us to sit up and “see” again. And that’s what’s happening to us here in Taichung this week!

Describing the “feel” of a new Asian city can be challenging to most Westerners – the understandable reaction is to immediately focus on the overwhelming crowds, the unfamiliar food and the poor air quality (all of which certainly warrant discussion.) But for me, after living here for so long, it’s much more about the nuances of a place, the senses that are evoked and the initial impressions that are made.

It’s usually several days before I can assimilate the newness and organize my thoughts, and even then, especially here in Asia, the on-going challenge is first grasping and then conveying the cultural aspects of any new situation. So for today, in describing Taichung, I’ll stick to my immediate and first impressions and rely upon those to get me started in describing this vibrant and energetic city.

While Taichung is distinctly “Chinese,” and Mandarin is the national language (albeit spoken with a strong dialect), the city is host to citizens from all over the world and its economy caters to international businesses of all sizes. Our hotel is in a part of town called “little Europe” which, to me, is a unique combination of China, Europe - and parts of Southern California!

There’s a clear foreign influence in this part of town with many Western faces, countless outdoor cafes and restaurants, winding narrow streets and fenced courtyards with enclosed gardens. Most people understand English, and there’s plenty of familiar international food and lots of American-like shops that cater easily to an expat community – there’s even a famous Boston bootmaker’s shop on one of the side streets nearby.

On initial observation, it occurs to me that this part of Taichung is perhaps what most Americans think of when they refer to China – the people here are clearly Chinese, but have been influenced far more by the West than citizens of Mainland China - there’s a familiarity in how they dress, what they eat, how they interact with each other. And, without getting too “esoteric,” there’s a sense of freedom here that’s familiar - there’s no impression that people are watchful, careful or “looking over their shoulders.”

Today I’m sitting in an outdoor pedestrian mall much like you’d find in any urban center in the US. There are people having lunch, drinking iced tea, glued to cell phones or chatting and enjoying the breezy afternoon. The mall is lined with a combination of Western and Taiwanese shops and, like everywhere in this part of town, there are several tall leafy trees providing shade on a warm afternoon. And because this is Asia, there are young girls walking with umbrellas to avoid the sun, and there’s a guy smoking at the next table.

But the thing that’s most amazing and wonderful to me on this beautiful afternoon is that from the café right nearby the familiar strains of Wynton Marsalis are wafting out across the courtyard. If I stop to think about the incongruity of it, the moment would lose its wonder. So I’ll leave you with this photo and my initial impressions of a very new Taiwan experience today: a beautiful sun-dappled courtyard, chattering shoppers enjoying a lunchtime stroll, the smell of traditional Chinese food wafting in the air, and the breeze blowing through the trees carrying the sounds of American jazz in Taichung.