Treat yourself to a walking – and eating – tour through one of Taipei’s oldest districts. Photos by CHRIS STOWERS In one Taipei’s oldest neighborhoods – the Wanhua district in the southwestern portion of the city – one can experience foods, drinks, and aromas that reflect both traditional and modern Taipei. The area, formerly known…
Dedicated owners from around the world opening restaurants in Hualien are enlivening the culinary scene in this east coast city. Hualien is justly famous for the glories of Taroko Gorge and the magnificence of the coast that looks across the Pacific Ocean, attractions that bring tourists here from all over Taiwan and overseas. It is…
Proposed legislation would require religious foundations to establish internal financial auditing systems. Earlier this year, the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, Taiwan’s largest and arguably most revered charity organization due to its efficient response at times of natural disasters, quite unexpectedly found itself under heavy attack by the domestic media and netizens over the…
Tainan (the place name simply means “south Taiwan”) is already well known to tourists because of its fabulous temples, fascinating fortresses, and delicious street food. When the summer rains cease and daytime temperatures sink from the 30-plus degrees Celsius (86-plus degrees Fahrenheit) that characterize its hot season, Taiwan enters what many consider to be the…
A 12-year-old boy took an expensive tumble at a Taipei art exhibition on August 23, smashing a fist-sized hole through a US$1.5 million, 350-year-old Paolo Porpora painting entitled “Flowers” while trying to break his fall. The exhibition, “The Face of Leonardo, Images of a Genius,” held at Huashan 1914 Creative Park, featured over 50 authentic…
A festival of one kind or another is going on every day of the year in Taiwan. Some are meticulously organized and heavily promoted. Others – for instance, the raucous rites accompanying the birthdays of minor deities – are entirely local and receive little publicity. To spread the word about Taiwan’s rich and diverse festival…
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…
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…
The Cloud Gate Dance Troupe, considered among the world’s top contemporary dance troupes, inaugurated a new theater on April 19, nearly seven years after a fire destroyed its original home. The new site, located in the Tamsui District of New Taipei City, will not only showcase Cloud Gate productions but also works by young artists,…
A scaffolding collapse on the site of acclaimed director Martin Scorsese’s new film, Silence, claimed the life of one worker and sent two more to the hospital with serious injuries. The accident happened at the Chinese Culture and Movie Center on January 29 when a ceiling collapsed onto contractors hired to reinforce an existing structure…
