Engrossed by the scenery, the lively streets, and the delicious food in front of them, visitors to Taiwan are unlikely to notice that the calendars hanging on restaurant and shop walls bear two sets of dates. Taiwan’s companies, schools, and government offices follow the Western (Gregorian) calendar, but what is called the farmer’s or lunar…
Like Asia’s other “tiger economies,” Taiwan’s post-war history has been characterized by rapid modernization. Where oxcarts and bicycles once trundled along, cars and motorcycles now zip by. Concrete has replaced wood. Instead of traditional clothing, 21st-century Taiwanese dress much like their counterparts in Tokyo or New York. That said, glimpses of pre-1945 Taiwan are not…
Taiwan is a multiethnic country, and nowhere is this truer than in the northwestern counties of Hsinchu and Miaoli. This region is home to less than 7% of Taiwan’s 23.2 million people, but includes five ethnic groups, not counting the Southeast Asians, Westerners, and Indians who have moved here for marriage, or to work in…
Most international flights to Taiwan land at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, 28 kilometers due west of Taipei. But for those who want to see a more laidback and traditional side of Taiwan, or explore strongholds of indigenous culture, arriving via the southern city of Kaohsiung is another option to consider. As recently as the late…
Taiwan is known throughout the world for its cutting-edge tech industries and the vibrancy of its democracy. Among birdwatchers and butterfly aficionados, it is famed for harboring fabulous biodiversity. But few people realize that, for its size, it can claim to be the world’s most mountainous island. Taiwan is only slightly larger than the U.S….
Taiwan’s striking natural beauty is never far from its lively streets. Although 23.4 million people live on its 36,191 square kilometers (an area equal to Maryland plus Rhode Island), three quarters of Taiwan’s population live in just one eighth of the land area. This is why Taiwan has bustling cities, yet also stunningly wild mountain…
In recent years, the Taiwan Lantern Festival has included displays of modern and traditional performing arts, sensational pyrotechnics, and lanterns of unimaginable size and beauty. Each year, the event is held in a different part of Taiwan. The 2016 Taiwan Lantern festival will be celebrated in the plaza in front of the Taoyuan High-Speed Railway…
Like several other places located on the Asia-Pacific “Ring of Fire,” Taiwan’s landscape was shaped by tectonic forces and volcanic activity. Yangmingshan National Park, which overlooks Taipei, includes volcanoes that last erupted 20,000 years ago, and fumaroles that continue to belch steam. Across the Danshui River stands Mount Guanyin, a 616-meter-high extinct volcano named after…
In recent years, the Taiwanese have rediscovered their love of cycling. After several decades during which many people traded in their bikes for the nimble motor scooters that dominate city streets, getting around by pedal-power is once again in vogue. There are at least four reasons for this development. The first is that since two-day…
In North America, Japan, and much of Europe, October is when the tourist season begins to wind down. Jackets and scarves come out of storage, crowds thin, and souvenir vendors begin to disappear. If anything, the opposite is true in Taiwan. The island’s climate is a major reason; the final quarter of each year is…
