Some musings on Urban Taiwanese Architecture

"When the Guomingdang (KMT) first arrived, they believed that they were ultimately going back (to China), so it was a transitory period that probably made Taipei that haphazard place that it is today. Taiwan is still a very transitory country. The mentality is, "we're going to send our kids abroad, then we're going to move out"... There are too many variables that don't allow for a sense of pride of place..."
- Phillip Huang, EG magazine editor

"The traditional Taiwanese home - made of red brick and built around a courtyard in the Northern Chinese style (si he yuan) is deeply inappropriate for the subtropical climate. The Chinese style remained the same because it was a symbol of the power structure - that was more important than comfort. The more you move away from the centre of Chinese culture, the more interesting the architecture becomes..."
- Roan Ching-Yueh
Associate Professor of Architecture at Shih Chien University