Heard an interesting thing on the radio today. The North Gate of Taipei (北門) or Beimen – that little arch surrounded by roads near the central post office – was formerly used for officials to pass through, while ordinary people entered the city through the south gate – this is why the gate is called “承恩門” as 承恩 translates to “to receive the benevolence or favor [of the monarch or emperor].” Another interesting point he mentioned is that normally city gates face in one of the four points of the compass  – but the front of the north gate of Taipei, instead faces towards the highest point in Taipei – Qixing (七星) mountain in Yangmingshan (陽明山).

The guy who provided the information hosts historical running tours of the city. Sounds like a blast!

OK, so Mayor of Taipei Ko Wen-je (柯文哲)  has chosen a rather unfortunate title for his book 《白色的力量》，which translates literally to “White Power.” He’s not advocating white power in a racial sense, but rather he’s talking about taking the medical style (white coats) of diagnosis and extending it to politics. Hope it doesn’t get an awkward English translation at any point.