Launching the Missile

Dispatches

On of the many ways of tracing the changes in Asia over the past thirty years is to trace the differing role of foreigners. There used to be three: soldier, businessman, missionary. As export economies began heating up, the demand for English teachers made places like South Korea, Japan, and especially Taiwan hotspots for backpackers looking to restore their coffers, liberal arts majors looking to buy a little time, and all manner of curious passers-by. Now the variety is incredible. Intermarriage is extremely common, multiple English language publications exist in several major cities in East Asia, and the variety of opportunities is greater.

When I lived in Taipei, I always hoped that it would be remembered as the next Paris, expat-wise. I hoped that there would be a literary culture and discussion and fun along the lines of Movable Feast. It didn't quite work out that way, but I still think it's possible. Asian literacy rates (including English literacy) are very high, especially in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. One can find twenty-four hour bookstores, cafes, cheap eats, all manner of cultural events (which, thank god, no longer have to display a unitary "tradition" but can showcase all manner of voices).

The Korean movie wave is but one of the ways life has become more textured. Ralf Potts is right that the awakening of a generation of Asian artists is having as profound an effect as the technological and economic changes of the past thirty years. The world of expats is not the best way to capture those changes, but it is one of the most accessible for Slate's readers. If he can even excavate a few choice anecdotes, this series should be a fun ride.



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Quick story: It took decades for Taipei to build a subway. In the interim, traffic was insane and walking on sidewalks impossible: everything was a bottleneck of motorscooters and murderous busses. A Dutch friend was living in town when Mainland China launched a missile over the island. He got a call from a news service in his home country. It woke him up:

Newscaster "How are things out your window?

Friend (groggy) "Oh, pretty chaotic"

Newscaster: "Is there panic in the streets?"

Friend: "Well, you always have to be careful."

Newscaster: "Can you get off the island?"

And so forth. It was thus, according to my friends story, that some hack publication in the Netherlands described a normal Taipei rush hour as the breakdown of social control.

Not far from the truth, actually.