Brian Q. Webb
Like Dasi Old Street in Taoyuan, Minquan Old Street in Sanxia was born in the early part of the 20th century. Like Daxi, it came out of being strategically located on a commercially-trafficked river. Unlike Dasi, as roads and rails replaced the rivers used to transport goods and reduced the commercial importance of such market hubs, Minquan Old Street didn’t really re-invent itself in any manner. It’s buildings and shops still appear as they would have decades ago in the time of our grand-and-great-grandparents.
One thing that I’ve discovered about Taiwan, especially outside of Taipei, is that people want you to know how they make things. Be it a food stall in a local night market, a piano factory in Taoyuan, or a bakery in the Sanxia district of New Taipei City (formerly Sanxia city).
This week brings you more street photos of Taipei, mostly from the Core Pacific City mall (a.k.a. Living Mall) because I took my kids there a couple of days in a row. By the way, Cars 2 is no where near as good as Cars but I did love the Japan set pieces.
On to the photos.
This week’s Photojazz Five interviewee is one of the good guys. No, he doesn’t wear underwear outside of a brightly-colored unitard and sport a cape (although he should), but he does have a selfless heart. Through his administration at PhotoMalaysia and with 35 years of experience in his utility belt (next to thebatarangs), he mentors other photographers in his community, both through authoring articles and actual, physical tutoring. Along with another administrator at PhotoMalaysia, he conducts regular “Photosafari Experiences” (PMPE), which consist of a couple of in-classroom days followed by one-to-three weeks of hands-on shooting in exotic Asian locales.
Oh, and he’s a good street photographer, too.
This week’s featured street photos from Taipei are a pleasant mix of feeding hungry ghosts, umbrella, tofu, and a health dose of militarism. It’s just another typical week in the big city.
By day, 35-year old Asli Gönen is a civil servant working for Anadolu University. By night (and during the day when she’s not serving in civic fashion) she’s talking candid photos in the country where East literally meets West, Turkey.
And she’s the subject of this week’s Photojazz Five interview.
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