Xinhai 100 in Taipei

Taipei, where I am this week, naturally proved the best spot to pitch up in to see the start of 2011 – the hundredth anniversary of the Chinese republican revolution (Xinhai) in 1911, given that it is the Republic. The fireworks at new year are usually pretty spectacular and I usually get a good view from a rooftop in the elevated Tianmu district – but this year’s fireworks were exceptional with a special (and amazing) display specifically to celebrate the anniversary of the Republic. Along with the now traditional grand display at the Taipei 101 building and smaller explosions across the city Taipei is a good fireworks town. I’m sure the People’s Republic had a lot of fireworks too but I’m not standing out in the cold for even five minutes to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Communist Party!!

Xinhai is problematic for Peking for a whole host of obvious and not so obvious reasons (which I’ll hash up in future posts I expect as the year progresses) but is a bigger deal in Taiwan where there are obvious political reasons to celebrate and, there’s no getting away from it, the citizenry’s knowledge of the events of 1911 and Chinese history in general is obviously greater, more nuanced and more debated than in China where history is official state policy and not really up for public debate.

Anyway, back to Taipei – the Taipei Times this morning claims 800,000 people at the 101 – which seems a little inflationary to me (Hong Kong reported 400,000 at there display, London 250,000, so just shy of a million in a country of 23 million and a capital city of 3 million is a bit ambitious). Still, a great display and the words “100 ROC” were displayed on the top of the building at the end of the display.

Anyway, you can see Taipei ushering in the 100th anniversary of the ROC here.

Great Peking Picnic Penguin Cover

I do like a classic Penguin cover and here’s one for Anne Bridge’s Peking Picnic. Bridge’s books were actually pretty racy for the times, invariably dealing with the fast set and other foreigners in Peking and northern China before the Second World War. Affairs, gossip, frustrated lusts and yearnings all lurk beneath the surface in Peking Picnic – the book won an award from the Atlantic Monthly and she went on to publish several others – The Ginger Griffin is another worth reading.

Anyway, those sleek Penguin lines, the classic orange banding, the typeface and the logo caught my eye and seemed worth a swift post.