A press conference was held recently to promote books introducing the city of Taipei. The Taipei City Government, which hosted the event, had especially invited some long-term resident foreigners to express their views and discuss the various reasons that made them fall in love with Taipei.
As these guests spoke with fervor and assurance, I learned that Taipei's charm and glamor in the eyes of these foreigners are, just as I had expected, rather different from the positive things that we identify in the city. From their insights, perhaps we can once again find ways to turn Taipei into a charming capital city.
With regard to Taipei's development in the past few years, the foreigners focused on the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system. They praised the system for its convenience but apparently had no impression of other development projects.
They also praised Taipei's night life. The city's night markets, pubs and even the 24-hour convenience stores are just a few places that the Westerners think fantastic. The stalls in the night markets, in their eyes, contribute to an alfresco, street carnival atmosphere. The pubs are the best spots to "fish" for girlfriends. The MRT, then, is their tour train to the carnival city.
As far as the question of why the city government invited the foreigners to comment on Taipei is concerned, the officials probably believed that foreigners might provide a more objective view.
On the other hand, city officials may have been haunted by a natural feeling of inferiority that instils the constant feeling that foreign cities must be better than ours. When foreigners praise and admire our city, they may have thought, we can be sure that Taipei has become an international city.
As I have mentioned, the foreigners, regrettably, showed no interest in development projects, with the exception of the MRT. Rather, they were fascinated by the night-market vendors, the dance clubs and the sex industry, which the city government has been trying to weed out for many years. This can be explained by the appeal of the exotic but it would also seem to remind us of something more.
Perhaps we have been wrong in our approach to urban development in the past, so that the things we are ashamed of have become the glory and splendor of our city. Perhaps there are flaws in our urban values, so that the development projects we are proud of have been unable to win favor with foreigners. Perhaps our urban planning has no long-term, creative vision behind it and that undermines our ability to attract foreign visitors.
In light of the praise and admiration of these foreign residents, there should always be room for our residents and officials to reflect.
Lee Ching-chih is the chairman of Architecture Department at Shih Chien University.
Translated by Grace Shaw
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