Friday, October 22, 2004

The amazing power of martial arts


A group of young Shaolin monks perform in Wuhan, China.
photo: AFP

Taiwan Martial Arts Festival
at The Taipei Youth Activity Center (青少年育樂中心 Y17), 17 Renai Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei (北市仁愛路二段17號).
The center is open from 10am to 9pm, except for Oct. 31, when it will close at 6pm.

Thursday, October 21, 2004

New technologies in ancient rituals


photo: AP
A devotee of the Shrine of Jui Tui has his tongue pierced with a power drill as he walks in a procession for a vegetarian celebration yesterday in downtown Phuket, Thailand. Ritual vegetarianism in Phuket traces it roots back to the early 1800s. The festival begins on the first evening of the ninth lunar month and lasts for nine days. Participants in the festival perform acts of body piercing as a means of shifting evil spirits from individuals onto themselves, in addition to not eating meat.

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

The road to home


Green Tea* Pickers return home after a hard workday at the tea plantations on Ali Shan Mountain’s slopes.


* - Green Tea is considered one of the most healthy beverages by the World Health Organization.
Checkout more on green tea here.


“In 2001, the World Health Organization determined that men and women of Japan enjoyed the longest "Healthy Life Expectancy" in the world. Scientists have long associated this longevity with, in part, the Japanese people's regular consumption (often over 10 cups a day) of tea. Researchers at the Saitama Cancer Center Research Institute reported in 2000 that people who drank more than ten cups a day of tea experienced significantly better heart and immune system health than those who drank under three cups a day. Green tea is known to contain the highest concentration of health-promoting antioxidants.”

Green Tea Increases Energy Expenditure in Weight Loss StudyResearchers found that daily administration of green tea extract was more effective than caffeine in stimulating thermogenesis (generation of heat). Green Tea containing 50mg caffeine and 90mg epigallocatechin galllate (a catechin) taken 3 times daily was shown to increase daily energy expenditure by 4.5% compared with the placebo, according to the study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.”

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Viagem ao coracao da Formosa

O mundo e’ duma diversidade incrivel, sendo esta sua caracteristica uma das razoes de haver tanta beleza.
Ha uma semanas atras estava nos Estados Unidos, num mundo bem ‘a maneira do seculo XXI. Este fim de semana, estive no coracao da Formosa, num mundo bem ‘a maneira dos nossos antepassados! A enorme distancia que separa as duas realidades nao se mede em kilometros, mas tempo e talvez em valores humanos!
Fui convidado por uns amigos que conheci em Marco passado, nas montanhas ) Ali Shan , a visitar a sua aldeia, Liga (le-se Lija).

“With an elevation of 2,480 meters above sea level, Mount Ali boasts many attractions, including the narrow-gauged railroad that winds its way to the top, the sunrise and sunset views from the peak over a sea of clouds, and its lush forests and beautiful cherry blossoms.”


Estes amigos fazem parte de uma das 10 tribos de natives de Taiwan, os Tsou:

“The Tsou tribe is located in the area around Mt. Ali in central Taiwan and has about 6,000 members. Due to differences in the translation of its name, this group is sometimes known as the Tsao. The social organization of the Tsou is rigidly patriarchal, and women are clearly subordinate to men within the society. The most important tribal ceremony is the "Victory Rite", which involves the renovation of the tribal meeting hall, as well as an elaborate process of inviting, entertaining and seeing off the holy spirits. Of particular note are the complex song and dance arrangements. The hunting and leather-tanning activities of the Tsou men are strongly reflected in the material culture of the tribe.”

Poderam ler mais sobre esta tribo, consultar estes sites:
Tsou Tribe 1
Tribes of Taiwan
Tsou Tribe 2
Tsou Tribe 3
Architectura Tsou
Tsou Tribe 4
Tsou Tribe 5
Tsou songs
Tsou Clothing


Encravada, numa encosta das montanhas Ali Shan, a aldeia Liga tem cerca de 300 habitantes pertencentes ‘a tribo Tsou. Liga situa-se nas montanhas Ali, provincia de Chiayi, bem no interior e parte central da ilha de Taiwan.


Uma aldeia entre as nuvens, onde a “kuba”, ocupa o espaco central.
The typical Tsou house has rounded corners and a dome-shaped thatched roof which extends almost to the mud floor. The men's meeting huts, or kuba, serve as religious, political, and masculinity training centers. Enemy heads and a box of implements for igniting fires are kept there; women are not allowed in a kuba.


A mercearia com produtos quase todos de nao 1as necessidades, ja que a caca, pesca e agricultura continuam a fornecer o principal sustento da aldeia.


Rostos dos Tsuo – a humildade, hospitalidade e simpatia sao constantes. Os tracos fisicos sao muito comuns em Liga, onde toda a gente e’ parente de toda a gente. Como curiosidade, irmaos sao todos os filhos dos mesmos pais e tambem de todos os tios. Aqui os primos tambem sao irmaos!


Para alem do ar puro das montanhas, respira-se por toda a parte um ar sereno e pacifico. Todos parecem ser amigos de todos e todos se dao bem com todos, independentemente da sua especie.


A preparacao das refeicoes pode ainda ser feita de modos muito tradicionais e envolve tarefas ja esquecidas por muitos, nos tempos de hoje:
Escolher o animal, pedir-lhe desculpa antes de o matar; rachar a lenha para a fogueira, fazer o assado e finalmete a refeicao esta pronta (tempo necessario: cerca de 3 horas).
Em Liga, o tempo corre devagar, nao ha relogios a empurrar o tempo com o tic-tac, nem ha grande coisa para fazer, a vida e’ simples e saboreia-se devarinho sem pressas.

A paisagem e’ por si dramatica mas apenas provoca serenidade:


Apesar de alguma modernizacao ter chegado a esta aldeia isolada por uma vastidao de verde tropical e terrenos acidentados, esta tribo, preserva a maioria das suas tradicoes e o seu modo de vida continua intrisicamente ligado ‘a natureza e ao respeito por ela.


Assim a caca continua a ser uma fonte importante na subsistencia da aldeia. Fui convidado para uma manha de caca, a que para mim se transformou num passeio ao coracao da Formosa.


E’ incrivel ver de perto a vegetacao que cobre estas encostas, uma verdadeira selva tropical:






Um Fim de semana inesquecivel, num sitio que parece parado no tempo e onde o tempo nao corre, com pessoas incriveis que sabem bem de onde vieram e que nao esqueceram ainda o que fazem aqui!