Shan Ding Lu

Since my first stay in Taiwan in 1989 I have returned every two to three years.

Upon return there is always a flood of sensations, a mix between the familiar and the foreign as you accustom yourself with your past experiences here and the long absence.

After a week or so the foreign becomes familiar again and you start to notice those things that have changed since your last visit. On one occasion it was the discovery of bubble tea, another was the arrival of scantly clad betel nut sellers. Sadly, another was the absence of those sellers as they were pushed out from Koahsiung county.

On this most recent return it took a while to notice any immediate change in the landscape. But there is one and it is quite insidious, it is the proliferation of the CCD security camera.

They are everywhere. It has become a game of “spot the camera” when you are out; high up a power pole, under an awning, across the street from a house, every corner of a shop.

There are 5 to be found at the front of this appartment block.

The neighbors have them to keep watch for the postman.

Temples install them to watch the spirts come and go. Two to be found here.

Even the countryside have them. To watch the grass growing no doubt.

It seems strange to me that people here feel they need to video so much of the public space.

Tags: Around Da Liao, Video Cameras // 1 Comment »