Highlights of Indigenous Taiwan, Part 3
August 31st, 2017
For Part 3, we’re going to the far south of the island. Alishan is the best known indigenous township in Taiwan’s southern half, but certainly not the only tribal district worth visiting.
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Highlights of Indigenous Taiwan, Part 2
August 24th, 2017
For Part 2, we’re travelling to the eastern counties of Hualien and Taitung.
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Highlights of Indigenous Taiwan, Part 1
August 18th, 2017
Let’s start our roundup of Taiwan’s most fascinating aboriginal destinations with the indigenous enclave nearest Taipei, Wulai.
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Taiwan’s First Punk Novel?
June 19th, 2017
Recognizing that the ‘economic miracle’ based on manufacturing has run its course, Taiwan’s government is trying to boost the island’s cultural and creative industries.
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Adore Pork? You’ll Love Taiwan
May 14th, 2017
Taiwan has been called a ‘hog island’ and for good reason. In places like Pingtung County, the density of pig farms far exceeds that of anywhere in North America or Europe. Because local consumers prefer fresh to frozen meat, the sight of swine being trucked to market isn’t unusual. As recently as the late 1960s […]
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The Taiwanese Hamburger Goes Global
February 15th, 2017
What English-speakers often call a ‘Taiwanese hamburger’ is known to Taiwanese people as guabao or ho-ka-ti (‘tiger bites pig’ in local dialect). This hearty snack of dark brown meat inside a snow-white steamed bun is near the top of many visitors’ ‘must-eat’ lists. Like several other Taiwanese dishes, the local hamburger doesn’t just give culinary […]
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South Taiwan’s Hakka Strongholds, Part 2
December 9th, 2016
These days, Taiwan is one of the safest places in the world for tourists and expatriates. But it wasn’t always so peaceful. Uprising were frequent, while settlers battled indigenous people for control of the best land. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Taiwan was rocked by a series of rebellions, and because there […]
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South Taiwan’s Hakka Strongholds, Part 1
December 3rd, 2016
Taiwan’s southern half is a stronghold of Taiwanese Holo culture, and it’s where you’ll find the ancient former capital, Tainan, as well as Kaohsiung, a modern city. At the same time, the south has intriguing pockets of Hakka culture and tradition. The Hakka are Taiwan’s largest ethnic minority. For the last several decades, Taiwan’s demographics […]
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Shopping for tradition in Taiwan
November 2nd, 2016
International brands are every bit as popular in Taiwan as they are in the West, yet wander around any of Taiwan’s cities and you’re sure to come across photogenic shops selling products which hark back to an era before mass marketing and containerisation. In many old neighbourhoods there are businesses which specialise in rice. In […]
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Nick Kembel: Taiwan Tea-loving Writer
October 6th, 2016
Nick Kembel, author of Taiwan In The Eyes of A Foreigner, is a Canadian writer/photographer who blogs about Taiwan at nickkembel.com. He lives in New Taipei City, and was interviewed in June 2016. Life of Taiwan: You first arrived in Taiwan in 2008. Did you have any particular expectations about the island? Nick Kembel: A […]
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Christmas in Taiwan
September 29th, 2016
Fewer than one in 20 Taiwanese is Christian, yet the religion is accepted as part of mainstream society thanks in large part to the medical and educational work done by Western missionaries since the 1860s. Several of the country’s high schools and universities were established by missionaries, as were a number of major hospitals. The […]
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Global Felines and the Cats of Taiwan
September 19th, 2016
Global Felines was launched in July 2015 by Jill Henley-Su, a freelance translator/photographer and cat lover living in Taipei. “When I started my freelancing career, I spent some time traveling around. At the end of every trip, I usually found there were more photos of cats than of anything else. That’s when I decided to […]
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