A dinner date that had been planned for 12 years allowed me to climb to the top of New Taipei City and witness the Banqiao Rebellion

"The New Taipei City Government Building has an observation deck. You must go and see it. You can see the entire Banqiao and a giant bamboo shoot from there."

"Bamboo shoots?"

"It's a Christmas tree, a Christmas tree. After the Loop MRT was built, Banqiao started a series of Christmas activities in October every year. It was so packed that it was known as the 'Banqiao Chaos' ." The Airbnb host was pregnant. En said.

Human observer in BnB

In the early morning, Banqiao, it was raining. The rain is so foggy and rainy in Taipei that it is dense but not wet, making it miserable and confusing.

It was only around six o'clock when I lazily climbed out of bed. The morning light filtered in through the curtains. The interior and exterior were uniformly brown and gray, with low contrast. The roof tiles are low and old, with creases from the Republic of China, telephone poles from the Japanese occupation, and a cat lying on the roof is missing. There is an IG photographer who often takes photos of the living room at home. The brown and gray tones are low and rich, elegant and quiet. I can't always adjust his colors. I think it is a characteristic of Taipei's light quality.

The landlord, Wynn, got up earlier than me. After I freshened up, I took a deep sleep. Wynn had already cooked the children’s breakfast and introduced me to the breakfast restaurant: “Do you want Taiwanese food? Or brunch?”

"Banqiao's brunch seems to be quite famous. But today I want to eat sesame seed fried dough sticks. I think this is a Taiwanese specialty."

My former colleague Miaoji returned to Taiwan temporarily and asked me to have lunch in Banqiao. We had several dates over ten years ago, but it was always just a side trip. This time she returned to Taiwan unplanned, and I also went north unplanned. Unexpectedly, I booked hotels, hotels, and motels for a week, and every hotel was full. I thought about it and looked for Airbnb. I chose a room that happened to be in Banqiao. The price was slightly beyond my budget. The landlord Wynn left a message and said: "You should understand that the landlord lives here together." Is this the concept of a shared house? I struggled a bit, we just lived together, not slept together, it was fine. Anyway, there was no other room, so I booked it.

After work, I took a bus from Taipei Railway Station to Banqiao. I thought it was indeed Taipei. The bus leaves every ten minutes and reaches Banqiao in twenty minutes. Five minutes later, he arrived at Yonghe Doujiu. He had short curly hair, a small goatee, and black T-shirt slippers. He led me into the alley and climbed six flights of stairs. The surrounding houses are estimated to be forty or fifty years old. The layout is like that in "American Girl" with a small terrace, a large living room, and a deep room, full of traces of time.

Stepping onto the terrace, you will find a spacious home with hotel-level decoration. The hall is divided into the main living room and dining room. One side of the dining room is the fitness room and music practice room, and the other side is the guest room. The guest room has a King Size double bed, a bathtub bathroom, a ceiling-mounted LED TV, and a ceiling-to-ceiling wardrobe. It is rare that there are no plants on the terrace. Taiwanese people like to plant a lot of plants on the terrace. There is only one washing machine in Wynn's house. The bathroom is outside the guest room, and there is another door on the opposite side, which should be another guest room. If a family stays, four people, two rooms are just right.

"The towels beside the bed can be used. My wife prepared the small cakes in case you were hungry." Wynn introduced the room equipment and led me back to the dining room. I eat my moose burger and he goes into his anthropological observation mode.

Wynn claims to be an anthropology researcher who likes to observe humans, meet new friends, and chat. In the process of exchanging messages on Airbnb, his words were delicate and gentle, exactly like the tone of a man talking to a girl. After chatting, I found that he was very proficient in the SOP for receiving guests and chatting. It had only been a little more than seven months since he became an Airbnb host.

"My first customer is an American overseas Chinese, a retired music teacher. She was born in mainland China, and her family immigrated to the United States when she was a child. Her family are all musicians. It was her first time in Taiwan. She was my first five-star review. .”

Airbnb is now Wynn’s main business…well, chatting is his main business? Men like Wynn are very common in Taiwan. They seem to be unemployed, but they can always bring different people to their homes and earn income while chatting.

Senior Sister Pingfan's mother works outside the home to support the family, her father never leaves the house and knows some wrestling skills. The number of guests at home is not directly proportional to the economic output. The father of the former landlady was similar. I heard that he had magical powers. The bureau chief, local dignitaries often visited his home, and they drank Biluochun and other high-quality teas for free, which were given to him by others.

Taiwanese women are very receptive to this type of partner who "doesn't have a serious job." They work quietly to support the family and let the man "play freely." In Hong Kong, if you try to go home without taking any money for a month, women will kick you out of the house to do whatever you want.

Of course Wynn and I didn't talk about this. I mainly talked about my experience of studying and working in Taiwan, and he talked about his life experience in Banqiao. Since the opening of the high-speed rail and MRT, Banqiao has become the core area of ​​New Taipei City, with housing prices increasing tenfold. Public transportation is also becoming more and more convenient, with frequent routes and frequent flights. From the edge of the city to a new city center, moving to Banqiao may be a good choice.

"My colleagues said that Banqiao's housing prices are high and it needs good planning because it is where civil servants live." I recalled what my colleague Miaoji told me many years ago.

"What logic?" Wynn said with a smile, "Then have you ever thought about moving to the north? If you don't have transportation, the north will be much more convenient."

A dinner date that has been arranged for 12 years

"No! If you move south, your salary will decrease. If you move to the north of Taoyuan, you will be cut directly. You will be cut directly." My colleague Miaoji heard that I really like the life in Banqiao, which is between a metropolitan city and the edge of the city. Circle, as a Banqiao native, she firmly opposed it.

My colleague Miaoji studied and grew up in Banqiao and came to work in Hong Kong more than ten years ago. We met in the editorial department that year. Since then, I have said at least once a year that I would go back to Banqiao with her and let her lead me around her familiar living environment. It took 12 years for this agreement to be realized. We had lunch at the original vegetarian restaurant upstairs at the Banqiao Farmers Association. She took stock of the affairs of the past few days: going back to the south to visit her family, going to the household registration office to process household registration, going to the bank to handle business, going to the guild office to inquire about pensions, and going to the health insurance Department……

"The food in the north is refreshing, but the food in Tainan is sweet and salty, and your mouth will become sour after eating it." I am used to the relatively independent life in Hong Kong, but when I returned to Taiwan for a short time, I was entangled with a lot of annoying personnel matters. In Hong Kong, you have your own time after work; back in Taiwan, you watch your parents "play tricks" every day after work. This teacher wants to ask her to volunteer, and the senior blames her for not letting him invite her to dinner and for not following other people's wishes. Mom immediately received a call. Your daughter doesn’t even know her anymore. She won’t even make an appointment when she comes back to Taiwan...

"You ask me if I am willing to stay in the editorial office all the time? I am also very depressed. However, Hong Kong is a Western society that values ​​individuals and freedom. I have my own time and can do whatever I want."

"That's just because in Taiwan, you're not far enough away from people who know you well." I smiled bitterly.

With Miaoji's qualifications, he will probably only be able to work in the book publishing industry after returning to Taiwan. The salary level on the human resources website is simply impossible to survive in Taipei. In addition, as far as I know, the overtime situation in Taiwan's publishing industry is much more exaggerated than in Hong Kong. I have seen a colleague who is a mother and brushes her teeth in the company bathroom every morning. During the summer vacation, the company opened a special room and hired nannies to take care of her children. My mother works in an office from 8 to 9. Colleagues praised the company for its good benefits, which enabled her to work overtime without any worries. Her sincerity scared me away from submitting my resume.

Whether or not to return to Taiwan depends on many factors. My family is in Taiwan, and Miaoji will come back one day. The job in Hong Kong is not permanent, and it is unlikely that I will survive until retirement. Time passes year by year, age increases year by year, and opportunities seem to decrease year by year. Sometimes life is so paradoxical. If you step out, it may not be beautiful and bright. If you stay, you will be relatively stable even if you stay.

If you have nothing important to do, go to Banqiao

Banqiao has always been on my pocket list. The only place north of Taoyuan that I have a good impression of is Banqiao. Four years ago, I went to Taipei to watch Xiaoying’s election. I made a special trip to Banqiao, which is the home of my schoolmate Qianyu. I asked her where to go shopping and eat in Banqiao. She said, “Huh? I don’t know. I always eat what my mother cooks.” As a result, I knew two people from Banqiao, but neither of them were familiar with Banqiao.

It was the same low pressure four years ago, with cloudy skies and thick clouds, but the atmosphere was relatively leisurely. A breakfast shop tucked away in an alley. It is said that the clerk is a former clerk of a chain bookstore and holds reading meetings every week. Not far from the turn is a park of medium size and old buildings reborn, which is very suitable for taking portraits. The inconspicuous buildings on the street are, upon closer inspection, local government agencies. Not far ahead, there is a narrow sloped corner, which is the residence of the Banqiao Lin family, the richest man in the past.

The old and new houses are scattered and narrow, the streets are messy and unexpected, and around a corner there is a legendary figure hiding in the big city. After the turbulent days, he now runs a breakfast shop and a small bookstore, using his own way to live life. I like this neighborhood and this kind of Taiwan.

On the high-speed train, I sent Wynn a few photos to thank him for his introduction and hospitality. Suddenly I thought that I would go to Taipei next time and arrange a simple interview with him and take a few photos. The theme would be people who run B&Bs. Do it as soon as possible while it’s still fresh.

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