Taiwan has always been known as a tight community. In the new age, it is

easy to attribute that closeness to the physical closeness on the small island. But

looking into the history of Taiwan, I learn of the struggle and joys found even

within the country’s simple beginnings that tied people together. Mr. Wu’s story

tells of the very people that fled to Taiwan in protest to a cause they believed in.

This was the generation of people who built the foundations of Taiwan. While Mr. Wu did not himself fight this war, he was the first generation to be born and

raised in a new Taiwan post-Chinese Civil War. Despite the rise in prosperity the

city has seen since then, some of Hsinchu’s largest attractions are the cheap

vendor foods and traditional markets that crowd the streets and alleys. The

Hsinchu as Mr. Wu knew growing up still exists. His story highlights the old

Hsinchu – a haven for cheap food, a close-knit community, and a place that can

appreciate the basic joys of a simple life.