2025年9月20日 星期六

Jiading (Qieding) District, Kaohsiung City 高雄市茄萣區


Is it "Jiading" or "Qieding?"  All I can tell you is that the local signs aren't much help.  The road sign near Hunei announces your arrival in "Jiading District," while the sign in front of the wetland names it "Qieding."  I'm assuming most of the people who live there just refer to it by its Taiwanese name, and that they don't bother much about whatever English spellings are on local signage. 茄萣區的地名有兩個英文拼法 ，  湖內邊界的路牌用Jiading，可是濕地公園用的是Qieding 。 那邊的人大概用台語的名稱 ， 不在意它的英文名字 。

Whatever it's called, "Jiading" is north of Yongan in Kaohsiung and south of South District in Tainan.  It's in the northwestern corner of Kaohsiung City, about an hour north of downtown Kaohsiung by car. 不管茄萣正確的英文名字是什麼 ， 它位於高雄市永安區的北部 、台南市南區的南部 、高雄市的西北角 ，離高雄市區開車一小時左右 。

According to the last census, 28,783 people live in Jiading. 上次的人口統計顯示茄萣的人口是28,783人 。


The Qieding (or is it "Jiading?") Wetland Park is north of the port.  Despite its being in Kaohsiung this is one of the quietest areas I've been to in Taiwan.  According to the signage the black-faced spoonbill, the northern pintail, the purple heron, the tundra bean goose, the common kingfisher, the plain prinia, the eurasian wigeon, the whiskered tern and the northern shoveler can all be found here at different times of year. 茄萣濕地公園在漁港的北邊 。  這一邊屬於高雄， 是我在臺灣到過的幽靜的地方之一 。  公園裡的展示板說這裡可以看到黑面琵鷺 、 尖尾鴨 、 紫鷺 、 凍原豆雁 、 翠鳥 、 褐頭鷦鶯 、 赤頸鴨 、 黑腹燕鷗還有琵嘴鴨 。  牠們各自在不同的季節來茄萣 。


It's MUCH better than the bird watching area in nearby Yongan District.  If you're into birds I'd encourage you to not bother with the place in Yongan and come directly here instead. 這個濕地公園比附近永安濕地公園好很多 ，  喜歡賞鳥的讀者去茄萣就夠了吧 ?








Xingda Fishing Port is located in the southwest corner of Jiading.  It's a sleepy little place, and it's nice around sunset. 興達漁港在茄萣的東南角 ，  這是個悠閒的小漁港， 黃昏的時候海景不錯 。




Lover's Wharf is on the other side of the port.  I didn't bother with it during this trip.  It was too hot, and I visited many times back when my mother-in-law lived in Luzhu. 情人碼頭在漁港的另外一邊 ，  這一次太陽太大了我不想過去 ，  我岳母住路竹的時候我已經去過好幾次 。


There are a few restaurants on the port and also a fish market.  I didn't eat at any restaurants while I was there, but the oyster omelet I had in the fish market was good. 漁港裡有些餐廳跟魚市場 ，  我沒在那邊的餐廳吃飯 ， 我在魚市場裡吃的蚵仔煎滿好吃的。 


West of the fishing port is the Taiwan Strait.  Some of the trees along this section of the coast are impressive, even if the coast, fortified against erosion, doesn't offer much in the way of recreational opportunities. 漁港在台灣海峽上 。  這一段海岸的樹有的很美 ， 可惜防侵蝕的消波塊沙灘比較沒有觀光價值 。


The oceanside parks here are similar to what you'll find in South District, further north.  Does anyone come down here to surf?  It seems possible. 這裡的海岸公園都很像在台南市南區的北邊看到的，  有人來茄萣衝浪嗎 ?  好像可以喔 ...


And this is the northwest corner of the district, right across the Er Run River from Tainan City.  Not exactly paradise, but (again) it is nice around sunset. 這是茄萣區的西北角 ， 位於台南市二仁溪的另外一邊 。  這個地方不是很自然 ， 可是黃昏時的景色不錯 。

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Coastal Kaohsiung, North to South 高雄海岸:

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2025年9月12日 星期五

(Im)Permanence


Last month I finally got my APRC.

This fact might be surprising to those who've known me for a while, considering that I first moved to Taiwan in 1999, and that aside from three years spent in the States I've lived here continuously since that year.

Long story short, it was easier just to renew my marriage visa every 1-3 years.  Around the end of June or July every school year we were always in a hurry to get to the States, and it was just easier to fill out a form and renew the marriage visa as opposed to going "all in" and getting the APRC.

This "APRC," I should add, is the Alien Permanent Resident Certificate.  Foreign residents can apply for one if they've lived here long enough, and have all the required paperwork.  In my case it was the paperwork that always tripped me up, given that you have to submit a lot of photocopies to the Bureau of Immigration.  I could have gotten that paperwork in order long ago, but I was both lazy and in a hurry to be gone.

What blew my mind about this process was looking down at my new card and not finding an expiration date.  I've been operating within a one- to three-year "immigration window" for so many years, and now, suddenly, I have a card without an expiration date.  It's a very odd feeling, knowing that I only need to return to the immigration office if I want to update my picture or if I renew my U.S. passport.  Otherwise I'm free as a bird, able to ignore that office at will.

After picking up my newly minted APRC I thanked the office staff profusely, half afraid they'd change their minds and take it back.  Afterward I stepped outside and stood in the parking lot for a while, wondering why everything around me looked different.  I suppose I was feeling a sudden sense of ownership over, or perhaps a sense of belonging to, this place.  Everything around me looked exactly the same, but different.

Some of those reading this entry might be able to relate.  I'm not, after all, the first expat I know to get an APRC.  I am in fact one of the last.  Most of my longer-term expat friends got their APRCs years ago, and they were often puzzled why I waited so long to get mine.  I guess I like to take things at my own pace.  Besides, forms and government offices make me nervous.

Alien Permanent Resident.  It has a ring to it, you know?  Feels almost like a new lease on life, or an old mode of existence somehow made new.  True, I'm still not a citizen, And true, I still can't vote, but I do feel more a part of Taiwan, even though I'm not a Taiwanese passport holder.

Why no passport, you ask?  Why no citizenship?  To many fellow expats the answer to these two questions will be obvious, but to many of my Taiwanese friends and coworkers it's not so clear.  I'm often asked by Taiwanese people if I can vote, primarily because they conflate having an APRC (or even an ARC) with having a passport and being a citizen.  I do my best to explain the situation, though the nuances are hard to pin down.

By way of brief explanation, in order to gain a Taiwanese passport I'd have to give up my American passport, and doing so is not a matter to be taken lightly.  Giving up your American passport entails a period of statelessness while your Taiwanese passport is approved, and this period of statelessness can involve serious inconveniences if the approval process takes a long time.

There's also the matter of visiting my home country as a foreign national, which is something I'm unwilling to do at this point.  Even with Trump as President I still like being an American, and I hope that I can be proud of being so again.  Will I ever move back there?  Probably not, but I'd rather remain an American just the same.  I might be the father of two Taiwanese citizens, and I might be the husband of another, but I'd prefer to retain my American citizenship regardless.  It's just part of who I am.

There's also Taiwan's own status to consider.  Barring the willingness to "man the barricades" and potentially go down with the ship, I don't think I have any call to claim citizenship in this country, especially when Taiwan often questions its own status with regard to China.  Taiwan's uncertainty in relation to its own identity isn't likely to be dispelled anytime soon, and in the absence of a national consensus (thanks, KMT), forsaking one's own citizenship for the sake of becoming fully Taiwanese seems a risky proposition.  I can't say I haven't considered it, but at the present time I don't think it's for me.

Dual citizenship?  Sure, but that's not an option right now.

All of which leaves me, the permanently resident foreigner, happy to finally have an APRC, and happy to still be living in Taiwan.  I don't know how you feel about this island, but it's given me a great deal, and I can only hope that I'll have more chances to give back to it in the future.

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2025年9月5日 星期五

Tainan in the News 台南的新聞 (North 北) 8

There are 37 Districts in Tainan City.  These districts are divided into North Tainan and South Tainan, or those "north of the [Dzengwen] river" and those "south of the [Dzengwen] river."  The districts of North Tainan are further grouped into the Xinying Area, the Beimen Area and the Dzengwen Area.  The districts of South Tainan are further grouped into the Fucheng Area, the Xinfeng Area and the Xinhua Area. 台南市分為37個區 ， 這37個地區分成曾文溪北部的北台南跟曾文溪南部的南台南 。 北台南又分為新營地區 、北門地區跟曾文地區 ； 南台南又分為府城地區 、 新豐地區跟新化地區 。



1a. No recent news out of Xinying.



2a. Someone in Yanshui won around 6 million NT in the lottery.  Hopefully they remembered to go collect their winnings. 今彩539頭獎一晚開出4注  每人分得600萬 !  2注來自新北市



3a. A van full of people filming a travel show crashed into a utility pole near Liouying Junior High.  Five of them were injured. 台南柳營廂型車自撞  實境旅遊節目據組人員5傷

3b. The Tainan City Government recently installed an air filtration system at Chongxi Elementary School.  AI-powered "smart monitoring" has also been implemented in and around the school.  Local air pollution from the Liuke Science and Technology Park continues to be a problem in this area. 台南柳科長年飄異味  市府稽查改善空品



4a. A small car drove off of Highway 85 and struck an obstruction on the roadside.  This vehicle caught fire soon after.  Two of the passengers in this vehicle were later rushed to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. 台南後壁自小客車自撞起火 !  2人受傷送醫

4b. Classes and work were cancelled in Houbi due to heavy rains. 豪大雨狂炸 !  台南市府宣布了後壁區今停班停課



5a. Residents of Baihe and nearby areas are, according to this article at least, feeling "forgotten" by the Tainan City Government.  Baihe and other northern districts were once part of Tainan County and were later incorporated into Tainan City.  The residents interviewed in this article don't feel that being part of Tainan City represents an improvement in living standards there.  Business is slow and government services in the district could be improved. 台南縣市合併10年城鄉差拒更大  溪北居民苦笑 : 我們被遺忘了 (1)



6a. No recent news out of Dongshan.



7a. No recent news out of Jiali.


8a. Homes damaged by Typhoon Danas are still being repaired in and around Shuejia District.  The first of several sponsored repair jobs was completed, and an 88 year old disabled man was able to return to his previously rain-damaged house. 前進指揮所媒合中鼎幫助修繕  台南首戶88歲長者 "回家"



9a. No recent news out of Beimen.



10a. A music festival is being held in Jiangjun.  This article introduces both the festival and nearby tourist sites. 2025台南夏日音樂節 "將軍吼"  活動內容 , 表演卡司 , 周邊景點美食一次看 !

10b. A local dance troupe performed a dance interpretation of local coastal areas. 台南將軍區展演 "以海之名"  居民共創舞蹈劇場敘說土地故事


11a. No recent news out of Qigu.



12a. No recent news out of Xigang.


13a. Police in Tainan have set up 17 speed checkpoints, 6 of which are in Madou. 騎開車飛快的小心了 !  台南4行政區這17路段下周起測速

13b. The pomelo crop in Madou is down by 80% as a result of recent heavy rains. 颱風 , 豪雨接連重創  今年文旦減產3成5



14a. No recent news out of Guantian.


15a. No recent news out of Lioujia.



16a. No recent news out of Danei.


17a. No recent news out of Xiaying.


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1. I can see their point, but Baihe is very far from downtown Tainan.  It's actually closer to downtown Jiayi.  They could definitely be getting more from their city government, but I think that in this instance stronger community organizations are key.  The City Government can help them promote their crops and tourist sites, it can also help them build roads, but with geography being such a factor I think they're going to have to help themselves more.  Any potential infrastructure projects in the area will take a long time to get off the ground.
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