2025年11月1日 星期六

在溫哥華十天,看見多元文化的日常

六月初,我在溫哥華住了十天。這座被海灣、雪山與森林包圍的城市,像是一座沉靜的交響樂場,每個角落傳來不同文化的旋律,卻不衝突、不喧嘩,只是靜靜存在著。



我記得那天在 Queen Elizabeth Park 用餐。那家叫 Season in the Park 的餐廳,環繞著綠意與花香,城市與山景交疊成畫。坐在窗邊喝咖啡時,我聽見隔壁桌是日語、左邊是旁遮普語、服務生對我說英文,還主動遞上中文菜單。這種自然流動的語言與族裔切換,讓我不禁想:原來,多元文化也可以如此不費力地被日常化。



幾天後,我在卑詩博物館旁,走進一場 First Nations 原住民族的集會。那是一場沒有主持人、沒有表演設計的文化聚會,族人圍著鼓,唱著祖靈的歌,年輕女孩穿著手工裙擺起舞。不是節慶,不是觀光,是活著的文化。人們安靜地坐在地上聽他們說話,台上長者開場的第一句是:「我們現在所在的,是未曾割讓的原住民族領地。」

這句話的分量,我久久難以忘懷。

加拿大早在 1971 年就通過了全球第一部「多元文化政策」,不只是接納移民,更是承認每一種文化的主體性與貢獻。不論你是來自越南、伊朗、菲律賓,還是華人移民的第三代,只要你願意參與,你就有權保留自己的文化,也能擁有完整的公民身份。

這樣的制度與日常,讓我對照回台灣——一個我深愛、也深知其複雜族群構成的島嶼。我們也有原住民族,也有多族裔的新住民,也曾歷經多波移民與政權更替。我們是否也能如溫哥華一般,讓「多元」不是特例,而是常態;不是政策裡的理想,而是生活裡的風景?

在溫哥華的十天,我沒有奔波行程,只是緩緩地與空氣、語言與人互動。這裡的優雅不是裝飾性的美,而是源自於尊重的秩序與文化自信。我想把這樣的體驗帶回台灣,重新思考我們的公共空間、教育制度、甚至日常對話裡,是否能讓更多族群被聽見、被看見。

在溫哥華,文化不只是回憶,而是一種進行式的存在。













2025年10月31日 星期五

西西里之行:時間的島


西西里之行:時間的島
Sicily: The Island of Time — Reflections from a Technological Island
旅程從 Palermo 開始。
阿拉伯的拱門、諾曼的城牆、西班牙式的陽台交疊在一起,
歷史在每條巷子裡重複低語。
我住在港邊,看見貨船與古堡並存,
那種「時間並未過去,只是改變了形狀」的感覺,
讓我第一次真正理解什麼叫文明的層次。
Arab arches, Norman walls, Spanish balconies —
each page layered with conquest and survival.
From the port, I watched ships move past crumbling fortresses,
and realized that in Sicily, time does not pass; it accumulates.
Here, history is not memory — it is atmosphere.

這座城市像一本被翻得太多次的舊書,

The journey began in Palermo, a city that feels like an old book read too many times.



往南是 Agrigento
我住在 Triskéles B&B,陽台外是山丘與海的交界。
晨光落在希臘神廟的多立克柱上,我靜靜地望著,
想像兩千五百年前的航海者在此登岸。
或許文明並不是在某一刻誕生的,
而是在無數日出之中慢慢發酵。
Further south, in Agrigento, I stayed at Triskéles B&B.
From the balcony, I could see the Valley of the Temples below,
and the Mediterranean shimmering beyond.
At sunrise, the columns of the ancient temples turned gold.
I sat quietly, imagining sailors arriving here 2,500 years ago.
Perhaps civilization was never born in a single moment —
it fermented slowly, in the light and air of places like this.



離開 Agrigento,我經過 Enna 與 Calascibetta
站在風口,我想起 Castelmola——那座懸於 Taormina 之上的天空之城。
那裡的居民懂得與世界保持距離的智慧:
不是逃避,而是為了在變動中守住自己。
I saw hilltop towns rising from the mist like fortresses in the clouds.
People once lived here for safety, but also to be closer to the gods.
In Castelmola, perched above Taormina, I understood something profound —
to live apart from the world is not to escape it,
but to protect one’s rhythm from being consumed by it.

這些山城像雲上的堡壘,古人為了安全、為了與神更近,選擇住在高處。

Passing through Enna and Calascibetta,





而 Cefalù 是另一種美。
午後陽光照著石板路,貓趴在門前打盹,老人坐在教堂前聊天。
這座海邊小鎮,比 Palermo 更乾淨,也更有秩序。
他們的生活緩慢卻不懶散,那是從時間深處提煉出的節奏——
懂得生活,也懂得等待。
Then came Cefalù, the most quietly perfect of the towns.
The streets were clean, the pace unhurried.
Elders talked outside churches, cats slept in the shade.
Life there seemed slow, yet deeply intentional —
a rhythm refined by centuries of sunlight and sea air.




在 Catania,火山 Etna 在遠方雲霧中若隱若現。
不同的是,台灣以驚人的速度奔向未來,
而西西里則與時間並行。
一個追求創新,一個守護記憶。
然而,兩者都在嘗試回答同一個問題:
人類該如何在現代中,保有生活的美學?
From the Greek theater overlooking the coast, I thought of Taiwan —
two islands, both facing the sea.
Sicily moves with time; Taiwan races ahead of it.
One preserves memory, the other manufactures the future.
Yet both are asking the same question:
How should humanity live in the age of progress?




我想,也許台灣可以從西西里學習——
如何讓科技之外仍有文化與詩意的空間。
正如西西里人所展示的,
文明的力量不只在建設,更在理解時間、尊重生活。
to balance innovation with introspection,
to make room for culture and beauty amid the speed of change.
Sicily teaches that civilization is not measured by motion,
but by depth — by how we inhabit time.

旅程結束時,我明白:
它提醒我:真正的進步,不是跑得快,而是走得深。
當台灣在 AI 時代繼續向前,
願我們也能像西西里那樣——
讓時間成為朋友,讓文明有呼吸。
Sicily is not an island to see; it is an island to understand.
True progress is not about speed but about depth.
As Taiwan continues forward in the age of AI,
may we, too, learn to make time our companion
and let civilization breathe.

從希臘劇場望向海岸,我想到台灣——同樣是島,同樣面對海。

In Catania, Mount Etna loomed above the city, wrapped in clouds.

學習如何在進步中不失溫度,

Perhaps Taiwan can learn from Sicily —


西西里不是用來「看」的島,而是用來「理解」的島。

As my journey ended, I realized:










2025年7月6日 星期日

山村晨騎,遇見台灣下一個文明篇章


今天早上只是想騎車上山喝杯咖啡,沒想到這趟短程旅途,卻讓我深深感受到台灣正在發生的變化。
在距離台積電總部不到十公里的山村,首先遇見清大江安世教授與夫人美惠。兩位早已在大山背居住十多年,遠離喧囂,卻為張教授的研究與人生思考帶來安定與能量。他們熱情請我喝一瓶手工啤酒——這啤酒可是由台積電退休的莊副總釀製的。他將科技人的精密精神,轉化為生活美學與精釀文化,讓人感動。
上到咖啡店,老闆吳先生沒給我咖啡,卻又倒上一杯生啤酒;接著遇到多年來一直在山上賣菜的婦人,她的笑容依舊親切。最後到樂善堂見老朋友——他抱怨生意差,因為台灣人現在都出國玩了。我提醒他:「你的對手已是國際,但機會也在這裡。」只要把水粄、蛋糕這些在地風味,轉化為有記憶點、有設計感的體驗,就能吸引在地與國際的目光。
下山前,在廟前遇見老友,替他拍下一張山村的優雅身影。這一日的騎乘,不只是風景,而是一段文明旅程。
🌿 我們正看見一個轉變的世代——那些曾打造全球科技高峰的 Baby Boomer,如今帶著他們的智慧與資源,回到土地,投入文化、生活、美學。他們用行動證明:台灣的主場,不只是在晶圓廠裡,更是在山林田野中,發酵出一種能讓世界感動的生活方式。





From Silicon Precision to Cultural Legacy:
A Morning Ride Through Taiwan’s New Chapter

This morning, I set out on a simple bike ride into the hills just ten kilometers from TSMC’s global headquarters. What I found along the way was far more profound: a glimpse into how Taiwan’s Baby Boomer generation—who helped build the world’s tech infrastructure—is now quietly crafting the next chapter of Taiwan’s contribution to global civilization.
In a small mountain village, I ran into Professor An-Shi Chang from National Tsing Hua University and his wife, who have lived here for over a decade. For him, this rural retreat offers clarity, grounding, and the energy to pursue meaningful research. They invited me to share a beer—one not just any brew, but a craft beer made by a retired TSMC Vice President, who has transformed the company's spirit of precision engineering into a culture of artisanal brewing.
At a mountaintop café, the owner greeted me not with coffee, but with another glass of freshly poured craft beer. Down the road, I passed a vegetable vendor I’ve known since my youth—still rooted in the same soil, still smiling with the grace only age and nature can bestow.
I later stopped by a local café struggling as Taiwanese travelers head abroad. I reminded the owner: in today’s world, your competition is global, but so is your opportunity. Build on Taiwan’s unique strengths. Combine local treats like shui ban(steamed rice cakes) with refined experiences. Turn authenticity into innovation, and your customers—local and international—will return not just for coffee, but for meaning.
Before heading downhill, I took a photo of an old friend in front of the village temple. His quiet presence, the timeless backdrop—it all speaks to the elegance and resilience of Taiwan’s rural soul.
💡 In Taiwan today, we are witnessing a powerful shift: Baby Boomers who once powered the rise of the global tech economy are now bringing their experience, wealth, and worldview back into Taiwan’s cultural and lifestyle industries. They are helping reshape what it means to live well—not just in comfort, but in contribution.
📍This is Taiwan’s new innovation frontier. Not just semiconductors, but a way of life that merges local identity with global relevance.