Years ago I read a paper* about politics and architecture in Taipei which pointed out (among other things) the ways in which architecture and writing play out in the urban landscape. Mark at Pinyin News has used Google Earth to show exactly how these buildings look from the sky. (Which is the only way to “read” them!) Very useful for anyone who wants to teach that article or talk about Taiwanese national identity.
Allen, Joseph R. 2000. Reading Taipei: Cultural Traces in a Cityscape. Harvard Studies on Taiwan: Papers of the Taiwan Studies Workshop* Vol. 3
UPDATE: Thanks Michael and Mark for the link!
{architecture, japan, langauge, nationalism, taiwan, 建築, 台灣, 日本, 語言}
