This is part 2 of a 3-part series on my 48 hour trip to Taichung, Taiwan, my mom's hometown.
Stop 3: 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan
On September 21, 1999, one of the biggest earthquakes this century to hit Taiwan struck in the middle of the night. My mom just happened to be visiting Taiwan during that time. She was in Taichung at home when the violent shaking began. She quickly ran to hide under a doorframe. Suddenly, a violent rumble caused the electricity to go out. Their front gate, which was operated by electricity, was closed. She braced herself under the doorframe. The earthquake went on for 45 minutes before it finally quieted down.
And then . . . The aftershocks began. My mom was stuck indoors that entire night. It wasn't until morning, when a relative came by, that they were able to open the gate and let her out.
In 1999 I had just started working as a research chemist. I distinctly remember hearing the news and being worried sick about my mom. I was so relieved to find out that my relatives were all OK. Not everyone was.
During this trip, my uncle took me to the 921 Earthquake Museum in Taichung. It’s located at a school that had collapsed during the earthquake. My uncle said it was a good thing that the earthquake happened at night when none of the kids were in school. Otherwise, it may have been much, much worse.
“God really cares about Taiwan” said my Uncle.
The government decided to keep the collapsed school as is, and build a museum around it. To this day, you can still see the remains of the school.
It's a bit unbelievable to see how much the ground rose up in certain places, like the school track in the below photo.
I learned a lot about earthquakes, and it’s a bit crazy to see how an earthquake can really violently change the landscape so quickly in such a short amount of time. The land cracked open in some places, rose up about a meter in others. Bridges broke in half, weaker buildings collapsed, and neatly planted rows of tea leaves became zig zag rows after the plates underneath permanently shifted . . . .
At the end, we experienced an earthquake simulation that emulated what the 921 (September 21) earthquake may have felt like. For me, the simulation brought me back to 1999 as I imagined my mom bracing herself under the doorframe, just waiting for the shakes to stop.
Stop 4: Guang Fu New Village 光復新站
The 921 Museum is located pretty close to Guang Fu New Village, so a lot of people will visit both on the same day. Guang Fu Village was the first new village created in Taiwan after World War II. This particular area was built for families of civil servants.
Now it's a creative arts and cultural hub, filled with boutiques and small businesses selling handcrafted goods, artisanal foods, coffee, and more.
We met an Aboriginal guy named Chamak who is a singer, artist, and coffee shop owner! He was so kind, giving us free samples of his housemade lemonade ("lemons were picked from my backyard!") and trying to speak multiple languages with us.
We also visited a shop called Maluda Awi 余美玲 selling a particular type of woven fabric made from the Seediq Aboriginal Tribe (賽德克族). We met Maluda Awi herself, who left her career in the city after the 9/21 earthquake to re-invest in her roots, learning the craft of the Seediq people. There are fewer and fewer people who have the patience to learn the craft, yet Maluda continues to spend her time teaching the next generation this difficult, painstaking craft. She established the Taiwan Indigenous Weaving Development Association in 2008 and regularly holds workshops and teaches classes.
The fabrics are gorgeous, and I bought a small woven bag as a memento of our visit.
Toujiang Fan 頭獎飯
We randomly found this “hole-in-the-wall” traditional Taiwanese eatery because we were hungry. Turns out the food was quite nice (and very, very reasonably priced). The braised pork hoc was amazing, as was the braised pork over rice (滷肉飯）. The side dishes (USD$1 each) were fine, and the soups were simple yet heartwarming and “hit the spot” satisfying.
Dinner
For dinner, we explored Fengchia Night Market, which deserves a post of its own! Coming up next! For a teaser, below is a video I made of our visit there two years ago.
Up next, dinner at Fengchia Night Market!
