2007年（其實是2006年底），我開始和我的語言交換搭檔Noah一連串的採訪工作。對我來講，這反而是另外一場在台北與台灣各地進行的田野工作，雖然沒有一致性的目標，卻讓我對於整個台灣漢人文化有了更深刻的認識。在這裡，把過去一年和Noah合作的報導和大家分享。


Last year (2007), I started to cooperate a feature reporter, Noah Buchan, working in Taipei Times, an English language newspaper in Taiwan.


He helps me to improve my English and I help his job, especially for feature stories.

In 2007, we dealt with some interesting issues associated with Taiwanese traditional religious culture and indigenous people’s culture.

I want to share these feature stories with you. And I hope that these stories will help you know Taiwan more.

You can hit the following links for different stories.


Dem bones, dem bones/ 撿骨師
The practice of ’picking up the bones’ and second burial has a long history, but the growing popularity of cremation has made it a dying art.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2006/09/17/2003328096

Doing the month/ 坐月子
`Zuoyuezi, ’ the traditional one-month rest mothers take after giving birth is now working its way onto nursing curriculums.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2006/11/12/2003336078

Put your feet up/ 腳底按摩
Shedding their traditional look, massage parlors in Taipei are going upmarket as they incorporate new incentives into their packages to entice new customers.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2007/01/14/2003344831/print

When destiny yields up its mysteries/ 算命
Fortune-tellers are doing a brisk trade in the run up to the Lunar New Year, and many are now catering specifically to the country’s economic elite
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2007/01/21/2003345782/print

What’s in a name?/ 改名字與姓名學
Names are believed to influence career prospects, presidential elections and marriage prospects, and if the chips are down, ther’s always the option of picking a new one.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2007/02/11/2003348637

Reinventing the past/ 排灣族琉璃珠
The glass bead market in Taiwan is booming, boosted by consumers who are interested in Aboriginal culture and indigenous people who are confident in the value of their handicrafts.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2007/05/06/2003359786

Taiwan time travelers/ 排灣族部落尋根
Aboriginal tribes are seeking to learn more about their history and cultural identities through scouring the country’s jungles for ancient settlements.
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2007/04/22/2003357799

Up in smoke/ 鬼月紙錢
Taipei City Government is teaming up with temples to reduce the amount of mock paper money burned during Ghost Month. Old traditions, however, die hard.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2007/09/02/2003376960

Going to ’hell’/ 下地獄吧！ 觀落陰
At the Temple of Joyful Beneficence, Taiwanese use a ritual called ’guanlingshu’ to visit their deceased relatives in the hope of influencing their future.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2007/07/01/2003367697


Money, houses and cars to burn / 紙紮
Long burned as offerings at Taiwanese funerals, paper homes are getting an upgrade.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2007/11/25/2003389548

過去一年所處理的議題多集中在台灣漢人民間傳統風俗以及少數的台灣原住民議題。其中，漢人傳統民間風俗的部分，因為採訪的地點都集中在台北市，可以清楚感受到都市化、現代化與全球化對台灣風俗所帶來的影響。舉例來講，鬼月紙錢的焚燒，就因為環保概念的抬頭，政府開始集中紙錢至焚化爐焚燒，以達到控制空氣污染的效果。 紙紮的故事裡更可以看出，民眾對於往生後理想居住空間的想像，早已非傳統住屋形式，而是希望住在具有現代感、像觀光景點一樣的空間裡。

期待2008，能夠順利出國，更期待在2008年出國前，和Noah一起完成更多精彩的報導。


There are two main categories in these articles. One is Taiwanese traditional custom, the other one is the aboriginal culture.

Because the main research field is Taipei, the articles associated with Taiwanese traditional custom show that these customs are influenced by urbanization, modernization and globalization.

For exapmle, People’s habit of burbuning of paper money is influenced by the idea of environmental protection. Taipei city government actively collect paper money to burn for controling air pollution

Secondly, in the story of paper house (紙紮), people imagine that , after their death,they want to live in a house with modernized style or looking like a international resort than live in a traditional house in the spiritis world.

Before studying overseas, I hope that I can have more chane to do more fieldwork with my friend and show readers more good articles.