Excerpts from Letters to Mom in italics.
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The Taiwanese economy was infused with American aid and booming in the 1960's. The miracles of capitalism and Free China were to be trumpeted and contrasted with the economic debacles under the minutely planned economy dictated by Communist China. In Taipei, mid-rise hotels and other modern buildings were commonplace and springing up everywhere. Yet, heavy construction equipment such as cranes and forklifts were not to be seen. It still made more sense to employ abundant, cheap labor armed with economical hand tools.
Steve mesmerized, watched an apartment building being constructed. A latticework of scaffolding encased the outer shell as the building took form and grew taller. A never-ending queue of determined ant-like coolies streamed up and around the scaffolding and down the other side. One way traffic only. Each worker held a single pole over his or her shoulder balancing a bucket of wet cement or else bricks on each end of the pole. Wearing sandals, some barefoot, they shuffled along almost in unison with a slight hitch, bent forward under the back- breaking loads.
20 September 1965
Things are about normal today although we do have a "change of command" inspection in an hour - on my day off. Offhand I believe if you add thirteen hours to your time you will have local Taipei time. [He was correct: GMT + 0800 equals Taipei time.] The weather is sunny and evenings a little cool, one could wear a sports coat and be comfortable. Downtown off this mountain it's always a few degrees warmer.
I am enclosing a letter of appreciation I got from Zweibrücken. I would like you to return it to me and not show it around or talk about it. It's not classified itself but it hints at what I do and shouldn't be public knowledge. Please don't show it to the neighbors, etc. I just thought it would be nice to let YOU know.
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Chinese is getting tough and if I don't slow down n start studying, I won't make it. If you pronounce a word, the same word, with a different tone or stress it will change the meaning. Very complicated. Can't think of anything else. Thanks for Shiner's clippings - can't seem to find very much way over here. The chaplain (damn clergy) even stopped sale of "Playboy" magazine at the exchange. Sigh Gin, that's the way Auf Wiedersehen sounds in Mandarin Chinese.
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A big holiday, sort of like the Fourth of July, is celebrated on October 10th and is known as Double Ten Day. The holiday commemorates the activities of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and his passion to overthrow the Manchu Dynasty to establish the Republic of China. Sun successfully accomplished this revolution on October 10, 1911. It is celebrated in a big way. CiCi and Steve took a pedicab as close as they could get to the area of the Presidential Palace and hoofed the remainder to partake of the pageantry and the genuine air of excitement. Kids, banners, firecrackers, dragon-dancers, bands, parades of flag waving children, military and more military, gongs, cymbals and symbols -- a National Day celebration -- all occurring on a huge square in front of the Presidential Palace. Presumably, it was or might have been modeled on Peking's Tiananmen Square. And like the Fourth of July, the weather for Double Ten Day was very hot!