Chinese Democracy
Dave Says:
What remains the most fascinating contradiction in Asia is what some travel writers refer to as “the old and the new” but what I prefer to call “superstition and capitalism”.
Taipei is a booming metropolis. Home to the world’s tallest building, its technological achievement reflected in all the one hundred and one floors of Taipei 101. It stands not only as the capital of Taiwan but as the capital in capitalism. Yet, next to the headquarters of the world’s technology producers (take a look at the underside of the device you’re reading this on) you may well find a Chinese herbalist, a temple or maybe a small shrine. One oddity we’ve taken great pleasure in observing is a daily ritual practiced by many shops both large and small. Everyday they drag a table onto the sidewalk and onto the table they place food. In a small garbage can next to the table they scrunch up then light newspaper. It looks to us as if a rather low-rent BBQ is about to commence and when the employees gather round I’m certain smores are sure to follow. But this isn’t the staff lunchroom, it’s time to offer the gods food and cold hard cash in return for health and, of course, handsome profit margins on that afternoon’s takings. They burn money too but this isn’t real money, it’s ghost money and this looks to me to be a ghost religion too – it’s less devotional and more pragmatic than what we in the west are used to. It appears to be a pure business transaction. The fake money combined with the bad food isn’t going to earn anyone any favors from up on high unless they trying to catch the attention of a rather chubby Chinese god with a weakness for Pringles and Pocky. These are token gestures not devotional sacrifices. After the ceremony, the food is consumed by the staff (apparently it’s rude to re-gift) and someone is elected to sweep the burnt chards of newspaper from the store front and from the stock hanging outside. We even saw this ritual being performed in front of a sizable consumer electronics store. It seems ironic that in this flat screened, broadband accessed nation, wealth and prosperity can only be achieved by lighting a small bonfire on a city sidewalk and burning some stinky incense.
On the subject of stinky, a very popular dish here is called Stinky Tofu. Sometimes food translations are lost from Chinese to English but in this case the translation is quite accurate in both lexicographical and olfactory terms. It STINKS! It also tastes as much like it smells although the smell was so overpowering I couldn’t exactly say what it tasted like. As always, we will do a separate food and beverage report but I just had to get that off my chest and out of my nose.
Back to superstition and capitalism. There is no superstition where Taipei 101 is concerned. The world’s tallest building is at great pains to point out that no sidewalk bonfires were in anyway utilized in its construction. China wants the tallest record so badly that 101 may not be the superlative by the time you read this, the honor may have moved to Shanghai. Whatever the Chinese want they get except, it appears for a smooth passage for the Olympic torch. I digress. I wonder if the 101 has a fourth floor? The hotel we stayed in the other night was distinctly missing its fourth floor. The elevator went from 3 to 5 and another hotel elected to number its floors 1,2,3,D. Four is the number of death and not even the Taipei Hilton could give its fourth floor rooms away lest you go to sleep – permanently. I think this is one of those Spinal Tap “This one goes to eleven” moments though because surely the grim reaper is smart enough to realize a building with four floors must have a fourth floor even if it’s called the fifth. But then, we must never let superstition/religion get in the way of earning a NT$ or two no matter which faith you follow.
When we hit mainland China I suspect we’ll see more of this or perhaps the contradiction won’t be so great. Taiwan is a hot-rock of progress, consumerism and technology. Everything you could possibly want in life is here but you may have to pray a little harder to get it.
May 3rd, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Interesting…it does seem to me that if a god is powerful enough to control whether you make money or not, it should be powerful enough to know whether you have a fourth floor. Maybe that god is of the southern attitude that says “you can say any mean thing you want about someone as long as you end it with “bless her heart”? ie, as long as you go through the motions??? LOL
May 3rd, 2008 at 7:53 pm
what makes you think western religion is any differentfrom the simulacra of reverence that passes for devotion there? this is an interesting conversation – great post – these kind are my favorite because beliefs and faith are so easily miscommunicated even while we presume we know what we *mean* when we say words to each other like god, sacrifice, love and life.
something tells me these rituals all have something in common in terms of their plasticinity.
is that a word or did i just make that up?
either way, safe journey – always look forward to reading more!
: )
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