San Mao -- The Famous writer in Taiwan

San Mao was the famous writer in Taiwan. She was born in Chongqing, Southwest China on March 26, 1943. In 1948, San Mao moved with her parents to Taiwan and enrollen in 1st Grade.

There were many restrictions in Taiwan's school, therefore, San Mao hoped to grow up as soon as possible. In the meantime, she found an interest in literary masterpieces. Also, she was exposed to world-famous literary works such as The Count of Monte Cristo, Don Quixote de la Mancha, and Gone with the Wind working by famous Chinese writers like Lu Xun, Ba Jin, Lao She, and Yu Dafu.

When she was 19, San Mao published her first work in Taiwan. Then, she enrolled in the philosophy department of the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan. In her 20s,San Mao moved to Madrid, Spain and enrolled in the University of Madrid. After finish study in Madrid, San Mao moved to Germany and studied German language for 16 hours a day. In nine months period, she was managed to teach German language.

In 1976, San Mao pnblished her fictionalized-antobiographical titled The Stories of the Sahara.

In 1991, San Mao died in a hospital in Taipei at the age of 48 by hanging herself.

Palces to visit in Taiwan

Taipei is Taiwan capital, it is the economic, political, and cultural center of Taiwan. The most famous building in Taipei is Taipei 101, also known as the Taipei Financial Center. This building had a grand opening in Jan 2005. Taipei 101 is 508 meters high and was the tallest landmark skyscraper in the world.





In addition, there are still many attraction on the city outskirt, a smaller city like Tamsui or Danshui has it own historical attractions that are appealing to many people. Tamsui is located near the outlet of the Tamsui (Danshui) River into the Taiwan Strait. Tamsui Old Stree and waterfront is one of the Tamsui city attraction. It located side by side of the Tamsui River as a pedestrian shopping zone. Tamsui Old Street provides many restaurant, arcades, and stores that sell traditional handicrafts.

The religion of Buddhism

Sidhartha Gutama is the founder of Buddhism, he came from accient India. Sidhartha was born in 624BC in Lumbini, he was a royal prince in his early life. When he was 29 years old, he left the palace and followed a spiritual life of meditation in the forest. After six years of meditation, he achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, India. Then, Sidhartha was known as "Buddha" which means "awaken one" or "the enlightened one."

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy compassing of a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings of Buddha. In addition, there are five fundamental concepts in Buddhism.The five concepts are training rules in order to live a better life in which one is happy, without worries, and can meditate well:

1. Refrain from killing other forms of life and have a non-violence towards sentient life forms, or ahimsā

2. Refrain from stealing from other

3. Refrain from sensual pleasure and sexual misconduct

4. Refrain from lying and speaking the truth always

5. Refrain from drinking alcohol and taking drugs because it leads to ones loss of mindfulness

Also, Buddha realized that karma which is the law of cause and effect govern people's lives. Karma refers to those actions of body, speech, and mind that cause a consequence or result . Additionally, Buddhist also believe in Rebirth, in which known as a process of human go through a cycle of lifetimes as one of many possible forms of life.

Each rebirth takes place within one of the five realms according to Theravadins, or six according to other schools. These are further subdivion into 31 forms of existence:

1. Naraka beings: those who live in one of many Narakas (Hells).

2. Preta: beings share some space with humans, but they are invisible to most people; an important being in this is the hungry ghost.

3. Animals: they share space with humans, but are considered another type of life

4. Human beings : are form of the realms of rebirth in which acheives Nirvana is possible

5. Asuras: is translated as lower deities, demons, titans, antigods; they are not recognized by Theravāda (Mahavihara) tradition as a separate realm

6. Devas including Brahmas: they are translated as gods, deities, spirits, angels, or left untranslated higher beings.

Wesak Day

Wesak is the holiest day in Buddhism, it is an annual holiday observed traditionally practicing by Buddhists in South Asian and South East Asian countries like Nepal, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Indonesia and India. Wesak Day is celebrate on the 15th day (full moon) of the 4th Lunar Month.On this day, Buddhist celebrate the birth, the Enlightenment, and the death of the Buddha. The celebration begins much before dawn when Buddhists gather in Buddhist temples for worship. The celebration is done with prayers, chants, offerings and giving alms. The Buddhist eat a vegetarian diet prior to the festival in order to cleanse and purify themselves. Some of the temple even organize a procession with some well decorated float for the purpose of sending blessing to all the people around the area.

Languages of Taiwan

Mandarin has been the official language of Taiwan since the late 1940s. However, there are many different ethnic groups in Taiwan which are still using their own language on a daily basis. For example, Hokkien, usually known as Taiwanese is spoken by Hoklo and many other people. On the other hand, Hakka people speak the Hakka language. Also, the Formosan languages are the native languages of the aboriginal tribes of Taiwan.

The Language Introduction

In China, people use Hanyupinyin to learn Mandarin. Unlike China, Taiwanese use Zhuyin Fuhao that is known as "Symbols for Annotating Sounds" to learn Mandarin. The Zhuyin Fuhao is the national phonetic system in Taiwan. The system is very useful for people to learn, read, and write in Mandarin.

Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ) is the first four letters of this Chinese phonemic alphabet (bo po mo fo) of the national phonetic system. This system uses 37 special symbols to represent the Mandarin sounds: 21 consonants and 16 vowels. Each symbol represents a group of sounds without much ambiguity. The phonenic symbol is a pronunciation guide for each Chinese character and an index system in dictionary. Students learn Mandarin by using ruby characters annotation provided next to the Chinese characters, from times to times, the annotation is reduced until remaining the character itself. Therefore, students can learn the new characters by using this method.


Useful Expression for Tourist

Yes = shr 是

No = bu shr 不是

Thank you = shie shie 謝謝

Thank you very much = fei chang gan shie / hen gan shie 非常感謝 / 很感謝

You're welcome = bu yung shie 不客氣

Please = ching 請

Excuse me = duei bu chi 對不起

Hello = ni hau 你好

Goodbye = tzai jian 再見

Good morning = tzau an 早安

Good afternoon = wu an 午安

Good evening = wan shang hau 晚上好

Good night = wan an 晚安

Do you speak ... = ni huei jiang ... ma? 你會講...嗎？

English = ying yu 英語

I = wo 我

We = wo men 我們

You (singular, familiar) = ni 你

You (singular, formal) = nin 您

You (plural) = ni men 你們

He/She = ta 他 / 她

They = ta men 他們

Where is the bath room? = shi shou jian tzai na li? 洗手間在哪裡?

How are you? = ni hau ma? 你好嗎？

Bread = mian bau 麵包

Coffee = ka fei 咖啡

Tea = cha 茶

Juice = guo jr 果汁

Water = shuei 水

Beer = pi jiou 啤酒

Wine = jiou 紅酒

Meat = rou 肉

Beef = niou rou 牛肉

Pork = ju rou 豬肉

Fish = yu 魚

Vegetable = shu tsai 蔬菜

Fruit = shuei guo 水果

Salad = sha la 沙拉

Dessert = dian shin 點心


Chinese Characters Pinyin Comparative Table (click to enlarge image)

Flag of Taiwan

Taiwan Flag is red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays.

The Three Principles of the People are represent on the Taiwan flag, blue representing democracy, red representing nationalism, and white representing people's livehood.

Taiwan geography

Taiwan is located in eastern Asia. The islands are bordering with the East China Sea, the Philippine Sea, the South China Sea, and the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan is north of the Philippines and of the southeastern coast of China. It is slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined.

Taiwan has marine tropical climate. From January through March, the northern area of Taiwan has a rainy season. However, from June through September, the whole country experiences hot, humid weather. On the other hand, during the winter months, the middle and southern area of Taiwan do not have an extended monsoon season. Typhoons and earthquakes are common natural hazards in the country.

In 2010, Taiwan population was estimated at 23 million. The population of Han Chinese ethinicity is about 98%. Almost 86% residents are descendants of Chinese immigrants known as the "native Taiwanese." The majority of residents recognize standard Mandarin as the national language.

Food of Vatican City

Daily Food

Italian dishes is the major food style in Vatican City. Just like any other Italian, residents of Vatican City consider their food the best around the world. The well known daily foods in Vatican are pasta, panini sandwiches, and pizzas.

Pasta is general consume by Vatican, its have many way to prepare. Pasta in Vatican are serve with different sources like pesto, carbonara, or olive oil. Vegetable and seafood are always eaten together with pasta to form a balance meal.




Panini Sandwiches is a commom food in Vatican City. These sandwiches are make with Italian bread. The breads are stuff with mozzarella, tomatoes, prosciutto, fresh basil, roasted red peppers, and any ingrediant ones likes. The bread then brush with olive oil and press between the hot plates for crispy crust and hot filling. Sandwiches are cut into a giant triangle of white-bread sandwiches with the crust cut off before serve.



Pizzas are daily food in most of the European contry. The large and round pizzas in Vatican City are make by using the Italian method. Pizzas usually topped with tomatoes sauce, olive, cheese, mushroom, and any other ingredients based on ones favorite. Most of the pizzas are baked in the wood-burning oven to add a unique frangrant into the crust and filling.





Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions in Vatican City

On New Year Eve, residents of Vatican City will prepare the meal of Seven Fish. This dish included eels, conch, squid, and other seafood. Seven dishes need to be prepared for this celebration and its consist the meaning of good luck for the new year. Seven Fishes means the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church and the seven days of creation. On the other hand, seven is a number of perfection in Biblical numerology.



Also, lamb is always a traditional dish on the table for Easter celebration. Besides, Easter Pies are another festival food that filled with eggs, meat, cheese, and other possible ingredents.