2020: The Year of Mountain Tourism
January 6th, 2020
For its size, Taiwan is one of the most mountainous countries in the world. Nearly one-third of the island is a kilometre or more above sea level, while a tenth is above 2,500 m (a statistic where Taiwan matches Alpine Switzerland). No fewer than 258 named peaks top 3,000 m — a stunning total, given […]
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Taiwan In Colours: Red
December 26th, 2019
In many Western countries, red is associated with Christmas because it dominates Santa’s outfit. In Taiwan, red is also the colour of festiveness. In societies which draw most of their traditions from China, it represents good fortune and happiness. Nowadays, most Taiwanese brides wear lacy white dresses, but in the past the traditional wedding garment […]
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Waterbird Wonderland: Taiwan’s Unique Natural Wonders, Part 3
December 15th, 2019
It’s not just humans who find Taiwan’s cooler months exceptionally comfortable. Between October and April, millions of migrating birds reach the island via the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, drawn by plentiful food and lowland temperatures that seldom dip below 12 degrees Celsius. One of the most interesting avian visitors is the endangered Black-faced spoonbill, of which […]
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The Purple Butterfly Valley: Taiwan’s Unique Natural Wonders, Part 2
November 16th, 2019
Between now and next March, a mountainous district in Greater Kaohsiung will justify its alternative name. Maolin is also known as ‘the Purple Butterfly Valley’ because late each autumn hundreds of thousands of lepidopterans migrate from the colder northern half of Taiwan to this perennially sunny corner of the island. For some of the butterflies, […]
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The Formosan Landlocked Salmon: Taiwan’s Unique Natural Wonders, Part 1
November 5th, 2019
Just over 100 years ago, Japanese scientist Oshima Masamitsu, writing in an obscure agricultural bulletin, revealed to the world the existence of a remarkable fish. Oncorhynchus formosanus, commonly called the Formosan landlocked salmon, isn’t the only salmon species in the world that never ventures to the sea. But, confined to a small corner of Taiwan’s […]
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New Guidebook: Taiwan: The Bradt Travel Guide (3rd edition)
October 26th, 2019
The third edition of Bradt’s guide to the beguiling island of Taiwan, written by yours truly, is now available from online and bricks-and-mortar bookshops in the UK, US and several other countries. Few destinations are as fast-changing as Taiwan. Moreover, the island’s government has been investing heavily in tourist facilities. Consequently, every part of this […]
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Taiwan In Colours: Green
October 5th, 2019
As soon as you leave Taiwan’s cities, you’ll see plenty of green. The island straddles the Tropic of Cancer, and seldom lacks for sunshine or precipitation. Plots of land which are neither built on nor cultivated are soon taken over by grasses and weeds, then bushes and eventually fast-growing trees. Since the 1970s agriculture has […]
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An Interview with Life of Taiwan Founder Mark Pemberton
September 18th, 2019
Mark Pemberton, Life of Taiwan’s founder and managing director, was recently interviewed by a local English-language newspaper, Taipei Times (‘Expats play key role in boosting Taiwan’s tourism’, September 10, 2019). For reasons of space, the article didn’t include all of the original interview, which we now present here in its entirety: Of the 11.07 million […]
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Jason Cole Mager: An American Artist Inspired by Taiwan
August 29th, 2019
Back in 2012, when Jason Cole Mager began renting a spare bedroom in his home in New York to tourists, he had no idea the decision would eventually bring him to Taipei. ‘If you’re ever feeling apathetic about your surroundings, open your home to travellers. Their enthusiasm for what you’ve been ignoring will remind you […]
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Taiwan in Colours: Blue
July 4th, 2019
Taroko Gorge, perhaps Taiwan’s finest natural attraction, is one of those places where Mother Nature avails herself of almost every hue on her palette. The layers of marble, schist and gneiss range from near-pure white to dark grey. There are creamy browns, near silvers and even diluted golds. But at the bottom of this breathtaking […]
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Island of Trees: Taiwan’s Magnificent Woodlands
June 20th, 2019
Here’s a statistic that astounds many who’ve never visited Taiwan: About 58% of the main island is covered by trees or bamboo, with stands of hardwoods accounting for more than half of this area. That’s a higher percentage than in the US, Canada, or Brazil. The figure for the UK is a mere 12%. This […]
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Came for the Movies, Returned for the Cuisine: An Interview with Food Writer Matt Gross
May 30th, 2019
Acclaimed Taiwanese directors like Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang can take credit for more than award-winning movies like as The Puppetmaster and Yi Yi: A One and a Two. Back in the early 1990s, their films inspired in one American a profound curiosity about Taiwan which has turned into an ongoing love affair with the […]
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