If you have no more than a week to explore Taiwan, and no burning desire to spend an hour on a train or a bus, it makes sense to stay close to Taipei. The capital and its hinterlands are full of places of interest. Whether you have a passion for architecture, culture, ecology, or food,…
The majority of Taiwan’s 23.7 million people live in busy cities like Greater Taipei and Kaohsiung. Of the many more rural areas that make up the rest of the island, one of the most bucolic is Yunlin County in the central-western lowlands. The Yunlin County government is located in Douliu City, and the county’s High-Speed…
Taipei has its attractions as a site for international events, but it needs a fresh mindset to win business in the ultra-competitive Asia market. Arriving at Taoyuan Airport, travelers normally pass through immigration, customs, and the baggage claim smoothly. But upon entering the arrivals area of Taipei’s primary international airport, the experience gets bumpier for…
Both economic and political considerations are behind the move to reduce the island’s dependence on visitors from China. Taiwan is aiming to attract more Muslim visitors from Southeast Asia in a bid to diversify its flagging tourism market, which has suffered from overdependence on China. Once the source of 40% of Taiwan’s 10 million annual…
Although market demand is flat, additional new hotels continue to be constructed. A thousand new hotel rooms have been added in Taipei during 2018 – and many more new hotel projects are in the pipeline both in the capital city and around the island. Unfortunately, they are coming onto the market just as the growth…
In Western Europe, one of the most intriguing cultural developments of the past three decades has been the Slow Movement. What began as a reaction to the spread of fast-food restaurants grew into the global Slow Food Movement. Proponents of slow lifestyles have since applied similar philosophies to almost every facet of human existence. Living…
Taiwan’s major cities are remarkable centers of industriousness. People work long hours, yet many also fit in early morning sessions of tai chi in a park near their home, not to mention evening visits to the local night market for snacks. For many visitors, the 24/7 urban energy is part of Taiwan’s appeal. Other Taiwan…
According to many history books, the Chinese Civil War ended in May 1950 with the Communist capture of Hainan Island. By then, Chiang Kai-shek and his Chinese Nationalist (KMT) government had relocated to Taipei, and the world was beginning to refer to Taiwan as “Free China.” For Nationalist soldiers stationed on several islands within artillery…
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…
