24 Hours in Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s Maritime Metropolis
March 31st, 2023
You’ve spent several days revelling in the natural splendour of Taiwan’s unspoiled east or you’ve just finished exploring Tainan, the island’s historic former capital, and now you have a whole day in Kaohsiung before your fly out from this southern metropolis. Unlike Taroko Gorge and Taipei 101, Kaohsiung doesn’t have much of an international profile. […]
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Taiwan is Surrounded by Undersea Beauty: Scuba Photographer Wesley Oosthuizen
March 23rd, 2023
‘There’s so much to love about Taiwan. The mountains here are incredible, but I’m definitely more drawn to the ocean’, says Wesley Oosthuizen, a South African who’s made his home here for almost two decades. Wesley first travelled to Taiwan to teach English before leaving and then returning to work as a video editor. When […]
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Why You Should Choose Train Travel in Taiwan
November 14th, 2021
Deciding on a mode of transport in a chosen travel destination is a more important decision than you might first think. In Taiwan, planes, boats, private vehicles, and bicycles are all highly feasible ways of exploring the island. Depending on your travel style and length of trip, all have their benefits and tradeoffs. But have […]
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A Rising Destination: History of Taiwan Tourism
September 27th, 2021
Taiwan has long been a place familiar to business travelers, but only in the past decade or so have people in Europe and North America begun thinking of this dynamic East Asian island as a vacation spot. The first effort to attract foreign tourists to Taiwan was made more than a century ago. During the […]
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Taiwan in 100 Books
November 2nd, 2020
Hoping to visit Taiwan when the pandemic eventually ends, and thinking of reading up on the island in the meantime? There’s no shortage of English-language books about this East Asia country. In fact, there are so many you may not know where to start. Since moving to Taiwan from his native New Zealand in the […]
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Taiwan’s Delectable Dumplings
June 17th, 2020
Taiwan offers the adventurous gourmet a mouthwatering range of dumplings. They come boiled, fried and steamed. Some are filled with pork, others shrimp paste, vegetables or even soup. The surrounding carbohydrate is often a thin skin or dough — but it may be glutinous rice. Life of Taiwan clients often ask to try the renowned […]
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Nature in a Nutshell: Taiwan’s Botanical Gardens
February 28th, 2020
Not every nature-lover coming to Taiwan has time to immerse themselves in the mountainous interior. For those who can’t spare more than half a day away from the big city — or who prefer carefully-managed ecosystems to true wilderness — botanical gardens are excellent places to understand why Taiwan has been called a ‘biodiversity hot-spot’. […]
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Despite Coronavirus, Taiwan Remains Safe and Healthy (Updated April 8)
February 8th, 2020
Taiwan’s front-line medical staff, epidemiologists and policy-makers have been doing sterling work containing the outbreak. Everyone I’ve spoken with – citizens, residents and visitors – greatly appreciates the efforts being made to keep us safe. – Mark Pemberton, Life of Taiwan founder and managing director Life of Taiwan is ready to resume normal operations as […]
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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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