Kai, see
www.2010taipeiexpo.twThe Floral Expo last until late Apr 2011. Still have plenty of time.
All my pictures already processed. I just need to upload and write the comments.
Hang, one of my school mates in university was from the family that found or owned Samsonite (the luggage brand.) He is Chinese from Taiwan, but sometimes spoke to his parents in Japanese. I was told that the older generation, especially those who prospered under Japanese rules, still can speak Japanese. For the very young generation, the attraction is the Japanese pop culture. On the street of Taipei, you can see many language schools advertising classes in American English and Japanese.
The reason I made a note about the Japanese influence is because I heard Japanese in many shops, and upscale restaurants, and in a pro-independence protest in the Palace Museum.
I think overall the influence of traditional Chinese culture is still much stronger. In fact, as I commented on the 大江大海 book, Taiwan may have preserved more traditional Chinese culture than the mainland China.
BTW I am kind of surprised that I was not the only one who had never been to Taiwan until recently.
Go visit during the Chinese New Year.
