The onetime place of exile has become a tourist magnet. Like Alcatraz in the San Francisco area, Taiwan’s Green Island was for decades synonymous with the loss of freedom. Unlike Alcatraz, however, it offers much more than penal history. Many visitors to Green Island stay a night or two to escape to a more pristine…
The archipelago of Matsu, which lies more than 90 nautical miles northwest of Taiwan’s main island but less than 10 nautical miles from the Chinese mainland, is attracting growing interest from tourists looking to explore its relatively remote islands and learn about its history and culture. Within the archipelago, one place of particular interest is…
The most popular beverage in the world is made to perfection in Taiwan, from bubble teas at roadside vendors to the most expensive high-mountain choice grade oolong. The playbill for a Broadway production in the early 1900s pictures a waiter serving a gentleman and two impeccably attired ladies in some undefined but leafy and upscale…
The stress is being placed on quality service and Taiwanese culture. The last decade has been full of ups and downs for Taiwan’s hospitality industry. Initially driven by a surge in Chinese tourism thanks to president Ma Ying-jeou’s strengthening of cross-Strait ties in 2008, the following years saw the construction of hundreds of new hotels…
Two writers’ perspective on a Sun Moon Lake holiday marked by a peculiar mingling of love and death. By Joshua Samuel Brown The sound of gongs and chanting were already pronounced as we turned the corner and approached our hotel at the alley’s end. Though we’d come to Sun Moon Lake for its legendary peace…
View the plants and creatures of the deep on an undersea adventure at one of Taiwan’s many splendid diving spots. An island nation surrounded by the bounty of the Pacific Ocean, Taiwan doesn’t merit a mention in the world’s top 100 diving lists. This omission comes despite Taiwan’s considerable natural advantages, diverse array of fish…
The chirping of birds amid trees and ponds may not be what first comes to mind when one thinks of Taipei, but thanks to extensive private and public efforts city residents can enjoy a number of oases of nature and serenity. A good way to discover some of the best parks in Taipei is to…
Kenting’s tourist arrivals have plunged amidst complaints about service quality, prices, and litter. Kenting is the closest Taiwan gets to a tropical Arcadia. The small seaside town lies in a secluded peninsula near the island’s southernmost point, about 200 kilometers south of the Tropic of Cancer. White-sand beaches abound. The sun blazes, coloring the temperate…
The former British Crown Colony offers much more to visitors than just shopping and dim sum. As I prepared for my first Hong Kong visit in October 2005, I asked my ESL students in Taipei for advice on how I should spend my time there. Most of them had been to Hong Kong at least…
Pick a day with nice weather and treat yourself to a walking tour of one of the city’s most diverse and appealing neighborhoods. Offering a diverse mix of sights, sounds, and flavors, the area near the Yuanshan (圓山) MRT Station, which is sometimes referred to as the “Confucius Temple Historic District,” has become one of…
