Foreign residents in Taiwan are facing discrimination and limited access to disability benefits, sparking a campaign by activists and non-profit organizations for equal rights and recognition. In July, publicly funded media service TaiwanPlus aired a four-minute news feature that moved viewers to tears, judging by reactions on Twitter (now X). The feature, headlined “Foreigners in…
Daniel Rios is one of the few foreign nationals to have completed the baiyue – a list of mountains in Taiwan that many hikers dream of summitting. PHOTOS BY DANIEL RIOS A sea of clouds – or yunhai (雲海) – is the striking phenomenon of a uniform cloud layer viewed from above, resembling a contoured ocean…
Lukang, which once served as an important trading port for Taiwan, now sees tourists flocking to enjoy traditional fare and historic sites. STORY AND PHOTOS BY DINAH GARDNER Its name may mean deer harbor (鹿港), but today Lukang (sometimes rendered Lugang) is more a city of birds. In the shifting hours when day becomes night…
Recent years have seen a surge in high-quality pasta restaurants offering diners a taste of authentic Italian cuisine. STORY AND PHOTOS BY DINAH GARDNER When Chiara Colognola arrived in Taipei 11 years ago as an exchange student, she quickly started missing the food of her home country. So when a local friend invited her for…
A guide to the differences among the many dishes confusingly all referred to as “dumplings” in English and some practical advice on how to rate a dumpling restaurant. STORY & PHOTOS BY DINAH GARDNER Served in a bamboo basket or piled up on a plate, dumplings are a staple favorite in Taiwan. They can be…
With an intriguing history and rich culture, Taipei’s Roosevelt Road hosts many more interesting attractions than first meet the eye. This story begins in a bookstore. The sky is overcast, but a soft glow from the overhead lights inside SMC Publishing (南天書局), a Taiwan-focused academic bookshop in Taipei’s university district of Gongguan, creates a comfortable…
A recently completed paved path connecting coastal bike routes in Hsinchu and Miaoli allows both casual and committed cyclists to enjoy a diversity of natural scenery and manmade phenomena, although parts of the trail could use some refurbishing. It’s not the most auspicious start to a trip. My bus driver inexplicably ushers me off one…
An emerging business model in Taipei leverages the high demand for food delivery, the power of big data analytics, and the agility and reduced overheads associated with cutting out the dine-in portion of the restaurant. The rapid growth of these ghost kitchens has raised concerns about their environmental and social impact, however. This must be…
Long devoid of options for authentic Latin cuisine, Taipei in recent years has seen the emergence of several restaurants serving up delicious fare from all over the Americas. With Central and South American countries accounting for more than half of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies (even taking into account Nicaragua’s surprise departure last month), you’d be forgiven…
The launch of Taiwan+ in late August attracted the attention of many observers, some of whom praised the platform for its sharply produced and well-reported content. Yet concerns remain over whether a state-funded media outlet can be a truly objective source of news and information on Taiwan. Britain has the BBC; the U.S. has NPR,…
