Taiwan’s Rivers
May 22nd, 2017
Taiwan is very mountainous and gets plenty of rain, so it’s no surprise the island is cleaved with short, fast rivers. The longest waterway is the 186 km-long Zhuoshui (the name means ‘turbid water’). Only four other rivers are more than 100 km in length. For centuries these waterways hindered north-south journeys. Few permanent bridges […]
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Visiting Taiwan in Spring, Part 2
March 6th, 2017
Tainan and Lugang are often described as Taiwan’s foremost ‘bastions of tradition’, and both are well worth visiting. However, if work or family commitments keep you close to Taipei during the spring, it’s still possible to immerse yourself in the customs and rites that dominated this society before its recent industrialisation. The best place to […]
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Visiting Taiwan in Spring, Part 1
March 2nd, 2017
Springtime visitors to Taiwan are guaranteed both warm, sunny weather and a number of lively festivals. In Taipei, daytime temperatures are typically 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit) in March. By the following month, it’s already 23 to 29 degrees Celsius (73 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit) in Kaohsiung. It’s no wonder city parks and the […]
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Visiting Taiwan in the Autumn
September 1st, 2016
“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile…” wrote William Cullen Bryant. The 19th-century American poet never visited Taiwan, but his words are just as true for East Asia’s most alluring island as they are for the New England he knew and loved. The main reason is, of course, the weather. In October and November it’s dependably […]
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