Sophie Laplace’s romance with Taiwan began when she arrived in the country about five years ago in pursuit of her lifelong passion — martial arts.
Growing up in Paris, Laplace has always been interested in quan (拳, Chinese-style boxing) even though her parents considered boxing “too violent.”
“I forgot how I became fond of quan. I probably developed this interest after watching it on TV and thought it was really cool,” she said in fluent Mandarin during an interview with the Taipei Times on Friday.
Laplace recalled that as a child, she had watched numerous movies starring martial arts legend Bruce Lee (李小龍), and later watched films by martial arts movie star Jet Li (李連杰).
Her passion for this style of kung fu, characterized by extended hand and leg movement, began to grow at the age of 16.
“I love martial arts, but I prefer Chinese martial arts because I feel more comfortable when practicing its routines,” she said.
“[When doing other styles like] boxing and Thai boxing, it is very easy to get injured because you have to fight your opponent and it hurts. They are usually not as concerned about human body structure as Chinese martial arts is,” she said.
She had spent two years learning the Yang-style taichiquan (楊氏太極拳) — a style of hand and leg stretch movement created by Yang Fu-kuei (楊福魁) in the 19th century — taekwondo and a little boxing when she was in Paris.
But she was eager to find out more about the art of quan after the lessons in Paris.
That was when the idea of coming to Taiwan crossed her mind.
Finding that many martial arts masters had moved to Taiwan from China after the Cultural Revolution, Laplace decided to follow the footsteps of these masters.
The first place she visited in Taipei in pursuit of the masters was Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, where she met a National Taiwan University (NTU) student who invited Laplace to join the university’s Quan Xiu Club (拳修社).
Having practiced for four years with the club, Laplace, currently a sophomore at NTU’s Department of Forestry and Resource Conservation, was recently elected president of the club.
The election made her the first international student to head the club and one of the very few NTU club presidents who are not Taiwanese nationals.
As president of the club, Laplace leads club members in practicing routines of different styles of quan at their weekly gatherings.
“For newcomers, I lead them in practicing basics, while old members practice Taizu Fist (太祖拳), baguazhang (八卦掌) and taijiquan,” Laplace said.
Laplace, who said she was particularly fond of taijiquan and baguazhang, often performs the routines alone or in groups during NTU’s school anniversary.
“But I’m still not good enough,” she said.
Having lived in Taiwan since the fall of 2004, Laplace’s passion for martial arts has now escalated into a desire to call it her permanent home.
Laplace, 25, said she planned to apply for naturalization within a month because she was afraid she might be forced to leave Taiwan after graduation.
“I would feel more relieved [if I had Taiwanese citizenship] because I would not be driven out of here if anything like war happens,” Laplace said.
Her decision to change nationality also had something to do with her love for the food, weather, scenery and people of Taiwan.
“My favorite is moon cakes. During the last Autumn Festival, I ate 80 moon cakes in two weeks,” she said.
She also finds the greenery in the country enchanting.
“The shades of green [of Taiwan’s trees] is very different from those in France. Trees in France are usually grayish, while trees in Taiwan tend to flourish because of the humidity,” she said.
Although she still stands out as an international student, Laplace blends in with her Taiwanese peers very well.
Like many Taiwanese youths, she is crazy about the albums of Jay Chou (周杰倫), Angela Chang (張韶涵), Alan Ko (柯有綸), Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) and A-mei (張惠妹).
“I’m very used to life in Taiwan. There’s nothing bad about Taiwan,” she said.
“[I want to live in Taiwan] for the rest of my life,” she said.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV