In search of the simple life, I found in Hualien an environment more complex – and fragile – than I had ever imagined. One day in the midsummer of 2011, I found myself directing a 15-ton truck full of the junk of a partial lifetime through narrow and unmarked roads amid the rice fields of…
Taiwan appears to be heading in an interesting slow life direction, emphasizing quality of life, the environment and self-realization. There was a rumble of thunder and the rain started gushing down. There would be no reprieve for an hour or so … that was for sure. But what better place to be stuck than Huashan1914…
Outwardly, the Hakka people are indistinguishable from other Han Chinese. Yet, Hakka culture differs significantly from that of the dominant Hoklo population. The origins of the Hakka are somewhat in dispute among scholars but are believed to be traceable to 33 purely Hakka villages in northern China. The group migrated southward over the centuries, settling…
Taiwan’s “first herb garden” has been reborn. Kunlun has never looked better to visitors in search of a break from the city’s stresses. Photos by Kunlun Health Village and Jules Quartly Far, far away from cubicle land is a magical place that brims with nature and has wide-angle views of both Hsinchu and Taoyuan counties….
Take a ride on the Pingxi Railway Line, with stops at stations along the way, to learn what the scenic Keelung River Valley has to offer. Photos by Chris Stowers The boom days of King Coal and the gold rushes in northeastern Taiwan have drifted off into legend, but modern travelers on the Pingxi Railway…
A guided tour off-the-beaten-path in old Tamsui. The historic town of Tamsui (sometimes spelled Danshui), which stretches along the northeastern shore of the Tamsui River, is taking on a new on life from efforts to preserve its past while creating new opportunities for tourism and cultural development. With a little planning, a visitor can escape…
Recreational boating sets sail in Taiwan, but will a lack of infrastructure and skyrocketing fees send it into rough waters? Canadian Marc-Andre Lefebvre and American Chris Carney are polar opposites when it comes to skippering a sailboat. While both are highly experienced sailors and boat owners, as well as longtime friends and Taiwan residents, Lefebvre’s…
STORY AND PHOTOS BY JANE RICKARDS Fortuntellers in Taiwan use such methods as numeric calculations based on one’s name, date of birth, or grains of rice; face or palm reading – or even birds playing pick-up sticks. On a dustry sidewalk near an old Taoist temple in suburban Banqiao, a man sites behind a red-clothed…
