I think the most striking thing in the photograph is...me. I stick out somewhat when I go to Taiwan. More so, I think, than the monk in the orange robe, who is conducting the opening ceremonies for the funeral. Beside him are two women "assistants," who will perform chants while he recites the ceremonial verses. I don't believe that the women are full nuns because their heads aren't shaved. In any case, women's participation in religion in Taiwan is very strong. The island is unique in its high percentage of female clergy. Of the ordained monks and nuns in Taiwan, an estimated 75% are women according to this article and others. There are many historic and cultural reasons why this is so, which is touched on in the article.

I don't consider myself particularly tall (I'm about 5'10''). That might be an average height in the west, and today there are many people in Taiwan, especially younger people, who are just as tall as I am. However, over there I am still a bit of an anomaly, and everyone asks me if (or they just assume) I play basketball. This is especially true when I'm with my extended family, who are all quite short. I tower over everybody.

Behind us are yet more eulogy letters. There wasn't nearly enough room to display every one we received, so most of them were hung with only name of the sender showing. This was all due to the efforts of the calligraphy association. You can also see more bouquets over near the wall.