When Lin Li-li(林莉莉) retired as a dentist at the age of 45 more than two
years ago, she was resolved to devote her second career to the true passion
of her life - music. Now, CD Cafe, the realization of her dream, has become
one of the very few places in Taipei where music lovers can spend many a
delightful hour in the company of good music as well as good coffee.
What's even better is that you can pick your own music, as the place not
only provides listening stations but welcomes customers to try out any CD
they like. "For music lovers, this is very important because we easily waste
huge amounts of money on wrongly-chosen CDs," Lin said.
"Because I also love coffee, I think it's greatly enjoyable to have good
coffee while listening to music I like," Lin added. That is why CD Cafe's
coffee menu is as colorful as that of any professional coffee house. The
slightly sour Mandheling-Brazil is a customer's favorite. Priced between
NT$90 to NT$120, the drinks, including many kinds of flavored teas, are a
good companion to bagels and sandwiches the cafe also provides.
Located at 41 Tungfeng St in Taipei (台北市東豐街41號), the promotion-free
cafe has remained little known outside its neighborhood. However, it has
potential to become a popular hangout. Just listen to the latest chill-out
records the helpful clerk contantly plays while savoring the carefully
brewed Italian coffee, though a strange combination this may seem. CD Cafe
is open from 11:30am to 9:00pm, and closed on Mondays.
A series of dramatic news items dropped last month that shed light on Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attitudes towards three candidates for last year’s presidential election: Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), Terry Gou (郭台銘), founder of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). It also revealed deep blue support for Ko and Gou from inside the KMT, how they interacted with the CCP and alleged election interference involving NT$100 million (US$3.05 million) or more raised by the
A white horse stark against a black beach. A family pushes a car through floodwaters in Chiayi County. People play on a beach in Pingtung County, as a nuclear power plant looms in the background. These are just some of the powerful images on display as part of Shen Chao-liang’s (沈昭良) Drifting (Overture) exhibition, currently on display at AKI Gallery in Taipei. For the first time in Shen’s decorated career, his photography seeks to speak to broader, multi-layered issues within the fabric of Taiwanese society. The photographs look towards history, national identity, ecological changes and more to create a collection of images
At a funeral in rural Changhua County, musicians wearing pleated mini-skirts and go-go boots march around a coffin to the beat of the 1980s hit I Hate Myself for Loving You. The performance in a rural farming community is a modern mash-up of ancient Chinese funeral rites and folk traditions, with saxophones, rock music and daring outfits. Da Zhong (大眾) women’s group is part of a long tradition of funeral marching bands performing in mostly rural areas of Taiwan for families wanting to give their loved ones an upbeat send-off. The band was composed mainly of men when it started 50
While riding a scooter along the northeast coast in Yilan County a few years ago, I was alarmed to see a building in the distance that appeared to have fallen over, as if toppled by an earthquake. As I got closer, I realized this was intentional. The architects had made this building appear to be jutting out of the Earth, much like a mountain that was forced upward by tectonic activity. This was the Lanyang Museum (蘭陽博物館), which tells the story of Yilan, both its natural environment and cultural heritage. The museum is worth a visit, if only just to get a