Between Smiles and Silence

#2025-1230C

Except for the first and the last images, the photographs on this page are not “animal photography.”

So what are they, then?

Are they worth preserving?

Anything that is not an animal must belong to either scenery or people. As for the scenery: while walking uphill, we came upon houses that looked as though they had stepped straight out of The Lord of the Rings—Hobbit homes, complete with round windows.

As for the people, we happened to meet a family from Singapore—Mr. Zheng, his wife, and their daughter. After exchanging greetings and a brief conversation, we learned that they were originally from mainland China. Mr. Zheng’s ancestral home is in Henan Province, while his wife’s family comes from Jiangxi. They told us that obtaining permission to travel to Taiwan had not been easy.

Indeed, given the current situation across the Taiwan Strait, the atmosphere feels tense. Even today (Tuesday, December 30), the Chinese People’s Liberation Army is conducting the so-called “Justice Mission—2025” military exercise, encircling Taiwan…

“How precious peace is,” I said to Mr. Zheng, “and yet, at times, peace seems especially hard to come by.”

At that moment, our exchange was accompanied by warm, mutual smiles. Still, inwardly, I could not help but feel a quiet heaviness. Even now, all I can do is pray in silence, asking the Lord to watch over us. Beyond earnest prayer, I have no other choice.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  蘇卡達象龜 (Sulcata Tortoise)     (2025)

2)  月崖灣親子農場     (2025)

3)  墾夢莊園（新光兆豐農場）     (2023)

月崖灣親子農場

#2025-1230B

月崖灣親子農場

(Moon Cliff Bay Family Farm)

Located at No. 179, Yanliao Village, 

Shoufeng Township, Hualien County

Jean and I visited Moon Cliff Bay Family Farm this morning.

We were delighted to see so many animals there, most of which were unfamiliar to us—for example, the sheep known as the Valais Blacknose (瓦萊黑鼻羊), the Aldabra giant tortoise (亞達伯拉象龜), the African spurred tortoise (also called the Sulcata tortoise, 蘇卡達象龜), and the largest living rodent, the capybara (水豚 / 百斤大老鼠 / 卡皮巴拉 /卡比巴拉).

All of these animals were incredibly cute and very friendly toward people, almost like well-tamed pets. We fed them with fresh grass provided by the farm, and the cost of the grass was already included in the entrance ticket.

As you can see, we truly had a wonderful and enjoyable time during our visit today.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  蘇卡達象龜 (Sulcata Tortoise)     (2025)

2)  Between Smiles and Silence     (2025)

3)  蒙恩得福家庭生活營 (Day Three: B)     (2017)

4)  Flying Cow Ranch (飛牛牧場)     (2013)

蘇卡達象龜 (Sulcata Tortoise)

#20251230A

Haojiu meiyou chuyou le. Jintian, women linshi-qiyi kaizhe chezi, yanzhe Dong Hai'an xingshi — yibian xinshang chechuan wai de fengjing, yibian liaotian, huigu zhexie rizi zai Hualian "longstay" de diandiandidi.

Zhongyu, women laidao le wei zai Shoufengxiang de "Yue Yai Wan Qinzi Nongchang" (月崖灣親子農場). Geng ling ren jingya de shi: Women jianzheng le Sukata xianggui (Sulcata Tortoise) de dongwu xingwei: Shi, se, xing ye!

Note: For further discussion, see 《孟子・告子上》, in which the idiomatic expression “shi, se, xing ye” appears.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  月崖灣親子農場     (2025)

2)  Between Smiles and Silence     (2025)

3)  這一季，又見獨角仙     (2025)

平安夜 @ 花蓮聖路加堂

#2025-1224

It has been five months since Jean and I came to Hualien for an extended stay (see #2025-0724). This evening, we were delighted to join the Christmas Eve service at St. Luke’s Church once again.

During the service, the saxophone team led by Mr. Ah La (阿拉老師) and Brother Yang Jie (楊傑弟兄) presented a special musical offering—a Christmas Suite (聖誕組曲). While Brother Yang played the trumpet, several others performed on saxophones, and I was invited to join them on the viola. After the suite, Mr. Ah La went on to play the well-known song You Raise Me Up (〈你鼓舞了我〉).

Below is a video clip capturing part of the performance.

下面附上聖誕組曲的影音片段，歡迎欣賞。

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  聖路加堂 聖誕音樂會     (2022)

2)  [影音檔] Taking Part in the Party     (2022)

3)  平安夜禮拜 (Christmas Eve)     (2023)

4)  Christmas Eve Service (聖誕夜)     (2024)