Said to have once been the drink of choice for royalty, Dongfang Meiren has become one of Taiwan’s most sought-after teas. The fruity oolong’s origins can be traced to the Hakka township of Beipu, Hsinchu County. There is a faint sputter as Gin Lan pours a stream of boiling water onto the dry tea leaves…
In terms of economics and population, Taoyuan has become one of Taiwan’s key municipalities. Improved transportation infrastructure has reduced commuting time to central Taipei, about 27 kilometers away, attracting an influx of families. Major projects like the Taoyuan Aerotropolis are helping this bastion of manufacturing reinvent itself. Taoyuan is the location of Taiwan’s principal international…
Southwestern Taiwan is a strong-hold of traditional Taiwanese culture. Many people in this region still speak “Minnanhua,” the local Chinese dialect also known as Taiwanese, in preference to Mandarin. Yet at the same time, the southwest has a corridor of Hakka settlements stretching nearly 50 kilometers from north to south. Taiwanese society is a multiethnic…
The north-central county may not be on most tourist itineraries, but it contains a number of worthwhile attractions. For Taiwanese eager to explore their country, Miaoli is synonymous with Hakka culture and charming towns in the foothills. But for international tourists, the county is largely unknown territory. Even those foreign travelers who devote a day…
In November last year, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je added a new term to Taiwanese Mandarin: “Miaolization” (苗栗化). Commenting on the tendency of some local government leaders to borrow heavily, Ko said several cities and counties were in danger of ending up in straits as dire as those of Miaoli County. The previous month, just after…
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…
