Continuing a bit from yesterday, something at this traditional house made me think of a story from China. Many years back I went on a trip to China with two friends. In Beijing we of course went to the forbidden city (called "purple city" in Chinese, don't ask me why). For some lucky or unlucky reason, I was given the english audio guide and tasked with listening to it and telling my two friends any interesting info about what was being told to me.
At one point I had a very uncomfortable reaction and they asked me what was going on. It was because in the back area of the "city" was a small gazebo on top of an artificial hill. In this gazebo once a year a few of the high officials would meet to decide who the newest concubines for that year would be. In itself this is not such a big deal, but I reacted because of the tone of the audio guide, it was said so nonchalantly and painted the picture that these guys were choosing humans the same as if they were choosing what to eat for dinner that day.
Anyway, this gazebo at the traditional home I visited here in Taiwan, reminded me of that one over in the forbidden city in China. It also made me think that as it becomes harder and harder to get out and take pictures, perhaps I will start to speak more about things from my travels around Asia over the years.
But before I go, a few more tidbits about this traditional home. From what I can gather, it actually was in a different part of the city, and when it was going to be destroyed, people protested and eventually it was decided to take it apart and move it to it's current location. Why bother? cause the place it was is a very valuable area in the city, and the place it is now, is just next to a public park.
Also where it used to be, it was next to a mountain and it was said that the people who lived here would like to go hiking in that mountain. So since it was moved to where it is now, an area with no mountains, they built a kind of fake mountain inside one corner of the complex. It looks and feels like thunder mountain railroad at disney world, just minus the roller coaster going through it.
