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THE LIFE OF TAIWAN
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TAIWAN CUISINE
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TAIWAN FESTIVAL
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TAIWAN TOURISM
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IN DEX
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THE LIFE OF TAIWAN Rugged tropical forests, towering sea cliffs, and vast volcanic vistas are just where your Taiwanese journey begins. Taiwan is an island where traditions and heritage fuse with innovation and energy. Where turbulent histories paved way for a powerful future. And we’re the travel company that gets you to the beating heart of the nation, her people. If it’s the incredible landscapes that bring you to our island, it’ll be the unmatched hospitality of the Taiwanese people that will mean you’ll never want to leave.
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TAIWAN LOCATION 5
Taiwan’s relatively small size makes gaining a Taiwan is in East Asia, 573 km southwest of the Japanese island of Okinawa and 345 km (214 miles) north of the Philippines. The People’s Republic of China (PRC), which considers Taiwan part of its territory even though it has never controlled the island, lies to the west. Taiwan is in the Northern Hemisphere; the Tropic of Cancer crosses the island 207 km south of Taipeiand 88 km north of Kaohsiung. By air, Taiwan is just over an hour from Hong Kong, four hours from Singapore, around thirteen and a half hours from Los Angeles.
Some 394 km long and 144 km wide, Taiwan’s shape has been compared to both a tobacco leaf and a sweet potato. The western half of Taiwan is well-watered and mostly flat, and thus suitable for farming, although agriculture is no longer an important part of the economy. The Republic of China, the country that governs Taiwan and some minor islands close to the coast of the PRC, covers 36,191 km2. The main island, Taiwan, accounts for all but a tiny part of the country’s land area. It’s slightly bigger than the US state of Maryland and around half the size of Scotland.
Taiwan’s population is aging rapidly. As recently as the 1960s, most families had five or more children. Taiwan is now said to have the lowest birth rate in the world, around 0.9 to 1.07 children per couple, far below replacement rate. Some predict the island’s total population will begin falling within three decades.
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POPULATION Taiwan’s population of 23.2 million is concentrated in the western lowlands, with the main cities of Taipei,Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung accounting for over 15 million people, More people live in the north than the south, and the population of the western half outnumbers that of the east by over ten to one. Taiwan’s human population is much more diverse than you might think when you step off the airplane. Many Taiwanese have mixed ancestry because intermarriage was common in the 17th and 18th centuries and has become very common again recently.
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TAIWANESE The Hoklo people About three quarters of Taiwan’s population think of themselves as ‘ordinary Taiwanese’, meaning they’re neither aboriginal, Hakka, nor mainlander. The ancestors of Taiwan’s Hoklo population migrated to the island from Fujian – the mainland Chinese province nearest Taiwan – sometime between the early 1600s and the Japanese takeover in 1895. Most of them speak Taiwanese (a language very similar to Minnanhua in Fujian), and many reject the idea that Taiwan is part of China, even though they recognise they are of Han Chinese descent.
The Haka people Hakka people, who are found throughout the Chinese mainland and southeast Asia, began settling in Taiwan in the early 18th century. This Han Chinese ethnic group has its own language and customs, preserved despite numerous scatterings and migrations over the past 1,600 years. Particular deities in the Chinese folk pantheon are regarded as Hakka gods. And unlike Hoklo families, Hakka parents never bound the feet of their daughters. Taiwan’s three million Hakka people are concentrated in the northwest and in a few towns in the far south, because by the time they arrived on the island, the best farming land had been taken by Hoklo settlers.
Mainland Chinese and their descendants Between 10 percent and 15 percent of the ROC population is considered to be ‘mainlanders’. This includes a great many people born in Taiwan, as in traditional Chinese thinking a person’s ancestry comes from his or her father. Accordingly, many ROC citizens who have a Taiwanese mother and who’ve never visited the People’s Republic of China are thought of as ‘mainlanders’.
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Military men were barred from marrying while in the army, so many took much younger Hoklo wives when they retired after the age of 40, even if they’d had a family on the Chinese mainland.
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CingJing Farm , Datong Village The green pastures have become a place for the little sheep to play with joy.
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CLIMATE Taiwan’s hot springs Taiwan’s position on the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ brings it one very tangible benefit – an abundance of hot springs. At more than 120 locations around Taiwan, mineral-enriched waters warmed by the Earth’s geothermal heat bubble to the surface. For sheer variety, these soothing spas are astounding. In terms of temperature, mineral content or setting, no two are alike. In many the temperature exceeds 45 degrees Celsius, so visitors shouldn’t fully immerse themselves right away, but rather acclimatise by scooping water and pouring it over themselves, then slowly lowering themselves in. First-timers are often surprised to learn that after indulging in a hot spring, they shouldn’t shower before dressing, but rather let their skin benefit from the trace quantities of sulphur, sodium carbonate and other minerals in the water.
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TAIWAN CUISINE
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The combination of slowly braised beef with a tangle of slurpable noodles seems so fundamental, it’s hard to believe any one culture can lay claim to it. It is, however, considered the national dish of Taiwan (though its origins are Chinese), and given a distinctly Taiwanese spin with the addition of pickled mustard greens and the signature five spice powder of star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel seeds. 15
Taiwan hosts the Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival every year, where the soup in which wheat noodles swim along with tender beef shanks, beef tendons, and greens in a hearty stock that’s been slowly simmering with beef bones for days is consumed by the gallon. Lay’s even sells a Red Braised Beef Noodle Soup potato chip flavor inside 7-Elevens across the Taiwan island.
BEEF NOODLE SOUP
Every restaurant has its own closely guarded secret recipe, with variations in broth, noodle size, and meat quality. (One shop in Taipei charges a whopping $10,000 TWD, or about $325 USD, for a bowl with well-marbled cuts from the U.S. and Australia.) But most Taiwanese have their eighborhood go-to, where a bowl normally costs no more than $185 TWD ($6 USD).
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GUA BAO TAIWANESE HAMBURGER Taiwanese-American chef and TV personality Eddie Huang created a cult following around the pork belly buns he serves at New York’s Baohaus, but he’s not dishing out anything his Taiwanese ancestors haven’t known about for centuries. Gua bao, often translated as “Taiwanese hamburger,” is a northern Taiwanese specialty, and features puffy mantou steamed buns that are generously stuffed with slabs of sweet, fatty pork belly that’s been braised in a mixture of a rice wine, soy sauce, and Chinese five-spice powder, and topped with crushed peanuts, pickled mustard greens, and cilantro
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FRIED CHICKEN Fried chicken, which can be said to be “the devil’s delicacy of the people”, has been placed in a new position in the snack world. The taste of spicy fried chicken changed from sprinkled with improved chili powder to sprinkle with five-spice powder, seaweed powder, mustard powder etc..., Honey fried chicken marinated in honey, with cheese inside.
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Charcoal grilled chicken grilled cheese is also different from the traditional way of frying. There is also fried chicken emphasizing the super large size, change to fried chicken thighs, etc. . When eating, you can move and feel full, quickly occupying streets and alleys and night market spots, is the most popular snack in Taiwan Country.
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PEARL MILK TEA When it comes to fried chicken, it is indispensable to have pearl milk tea, fried chicken served with pearl milk tea, which can be said to be a classic fusion dish. Bubble milk tea not only has a beautiful appearance with layers, powder (pearl) plus milk tea flavor, at the same time enjoying liquid water, can chew pearl round balls,
creating a taste experience completely new! Due to its special taste, so it is loved and responded by a large number of consumers, has become one of the most representative drinks of Taiwan, in recent years, has been popular from Taiwan to Thailand. East Asian countries, Europe, America, even the Middle East or Europe America etc…
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TAIWAN FESTIVAL Taiwan holidays fall on specific days of the year though different cities throw different celebrations. Exciting national events occur all the time so no matter when you visit, there’s bound to be some something to celebrate. While most Taiwan holidays are linked to traditional and religious practices, they also incorporate themes like togetherness, happiness and love. With any luck, you will be in Taiwan for one of these once in a lifetime events.
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CHINESE NEW YEAR The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is celebrated from the first to the fifth day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Literally, Chinese people refer to this festival as “passing the year,” which means shooing out the old and welcoming the new; it is considered the most important Chinese holiday of the year. There are a number of related customs and traditions that go along with the festival. Normally, on the 23rd or 24th day of the last month of the Chinese lunar calendar, people sacrifice to the Hearth God and send him off on his annual journey to Heaven; this signals the start of the Chinese New Year holidays. Taiwan’s most important festival, Chinese New Year, happens near the beginning of the calendar year and lasts for a week. Traditionally, people try to “turn over new leaves” by paying off debt, cleaning their home and buying new clothes. Huge feasts and sacrifices to the gods also take place with firecrackers.
Dihua Street Lunar New Year Shopping Area
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SKY LANTERN FESTIVAL The Lantern Festival, also called Shangyuan Festival, is a Chinese traditional festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar Chinese calendar. Usually falling in February or early March on the Gregorian calendar, it marks the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations.
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During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns. In ancient times, the lanterns were fairly simple, and only the emperor and noblemen had large ornate ones. In modern times, lanterns have been embellished with many complex designs.
For example, lanterns are now often made in the shape of animals. The lanterns can symbolize the people letting go of their past selves and getting new ones, which they will let go of the next year. The lanterns are almost always red to symbolize good fortune.
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TEMPLE PARADES Even if you never set foot in a Taiwanese temple, you’re bound to come across folk-religion parades. These are traffic-stopping events in more than one sense, not only do the crowds of performers and devotees often block the thoroughfare, but the noise and colour are sure to make you pause, watch and take lots of photographs. A typical inspection parade begins and ends at a temple, and involves transporting an effigy in a palanquin. This may be a wooden sedan chair, or even an ornate wheeled buggy equipped with flashing LEDs and loudspeakers. The god is preceded by men and woman carrying banners and placards or playing gongs, pipes and huge drums. Frequent stops are made to bless individual businesses or households.
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SPINNING TOPS Giant spinning tops are a unique part of temple festival celebrations in Daxi District of northern Taiwan’s Taoyuan City. Spinning tops are at the center of Daxi District’s cultural heritage. Once a common childhood toy, spinning tops have long since fallen out of favor.
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TAIWAN TOURISM The beautiful island nation of Taiwan is gradually becoming a tourist destination “ten thousand people love” that anyone wants to set foot in once. Taiwan’s tourist attractions not only possess beautiful landscapes, charming and poetic landscapes, but also attract tourists by the bustling and nostalgic cities and diverse and stylish cuisine. rich. If you are wondering where to go on this beautiful island, let us help you through the sharing of “beautiful forget the way home” Taiwan tourist destinations.
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KAOHSIUNG Not only is the largest port city in Taiwan, Kaohsiung is also one of the most popular tourist attractions in Taiwan. Besides the natural beauty that nature offers such as Yan Lieu mountain range or island flag, Kaohsiung also attracts visitors by a series of beautiful, unique and strange architectural works. The most prominent can be mentioned is the 85-storey Tuntex Sky - the economic symbol of Kaohsiung is a place that visitors cannot ignore. Next, go to Lotus Lake - an artificial lake complex with dozens of pagodas, pavilions and many pagodas dating back more than 200 years. In particular, Dragon and Tiger Pagodas are two 7-storey pagodas protected by dragon and tiger statues. Interestingly, to enter the temple, visitors have to go through the dragon’s mouth and through the tiger’s mouth to get out. In addition, Kaohsiung also owns one of the most beautiful subway stations in the world, MRT Formosa Boulevard located in the city center. A very special thing that makes Kaohsiung Soul always on the list of Taiwan tourist destinations worth visiting is the vibrant and bustling nightlife. When night falls, it is time for Kaohsiung to put on a new, shimmering and fanciful shirt. At this time, the soul of Kaohsiung is almost entirely located in the night markets, where delicious food and people find each other, converging on a long road.
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TAIPEI Jiufen ancient village. With a location close to the busy and bustling streets of Taipei, Jiufen ancient village will bring tourists to a world of old fairy tales.Not only that, the appearance of this fairy village is also a dot, an impressive highlight in the beauty of the whole Taipei area. It is also here that you will be able to see firsthand the glory of the Taiwanese people decades ago clearly reproduced.
Shifen old town. Shifen old street is also an interesting place for you to learn about ancient cultures with a Chinese-style space of lovely red lanterns hanging on both sides of the road.Coming here, you will be released into a peaceful old village scene and forget all the chaos of daily life. So, when traveling to Taiwan, you should not miss this destination!
Chiang Kai-shek memorial hall. In recent years, this memorial is very popular among young tourists because it is one of the indispensable check-in points when traveling in Taipei. Chiang Kaishek memorial square is extremely prestigious. strict, large and majestic but there is no shortage of beautiful backgrounds for you to take selfies, take pictures or record videos, ...vv
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TAICHUNG
Wuling Farm. Wuling Farm (Wu Lang) is located in an alpine valley in Taichung. The seasons here are clear, so the nature is very diverse, spring, summer, autumn, winter, and the landscape are very typical. Every spring, this tourist destination in Taichung becomes a gathering place for many people. For those who want to see cherry blossoms, take the best photos to save spring. But it is not only in the spring that Wuling becomes beautiful. Autumn here is also beautiful, equally brilliant with a picture of a maple forest filled with red and yellow leaves.
Fengjia night market. This place is a must stop for every tourist coming from the north and south of Taiwan. A variety of items are sold here along with bustling activities. The market road is long and deep to every corner for visitors to freely choose to explore and shop. This market offers a large amount of cooked food in the middle of the night. The octopus meat is tied into a ball shape, “loaded with baked potatoes”, sticky rice sausage rolls, crepes, oyster fried chicken, sweet taro soup and super high ice cream. 39
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Gaomei Wetland The most attractive thing about Gaomei Wetland is the scenery in the sunset. It is said that if visiting Taichung it is a must to visit the swamp on a clear afternoon. When you take off your shoes and soak your feet in the wetlands, it’s a natural feeling of relaxation. With windmills in the background, extraordinary wetland views and sunsets of the Gaomei Swamp. For movies, music videos, pictures for magazines. This place is known for being the destination of many movies.
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Anping old town. Tainan Old Town is famous for Anping Old Street. This is the oldest street among the old streets in Tainan, home to many ancient Dutch fortresses, still intact architecturally to this day. Coming to Anping Old Town, in addition to visiting the ancient fortress architecture, visitors can also visit many pagodas and temples in the surrounding area. The temple architecture here is considered quite sacred, so every year, many tourists come here to pray and visit.
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TAINAN Tainan Taiwan is one of the places where the old street corners over time bring a great allure to domestic and foreign tourists. Tainan is one of the earliest developed cities in Taiwan and here you will feel a very romantic Taiwan. Here you can see many old streets, hundred-yearold houses and the whole city with a vintage vibe, nostalgia and peaceful space.
Chimei museum Chimei Museum is a private museum established in 1992 by Mei Chi Corporation in Rende District. The museum’s collection is divided into five categories: Western Art (including painting, sculpture, decorative arts and furniture period); Musical instrument; Natural history; Weapons and armor; Antiquities and artifacts. The museum is known for the largest violin collection in the world and is home to an important collection of ancient weapons, Western paintings and sculptures.
Nankunshen temple. The entire temple area consists of monumental buildings and spacious garden landscape with lots of delicate decorations and exquisite handcrafted turns. Nankunshen Temple took nearly half a century to build and used 2,200 KG of gold ( $15 million) for all the gold ornaments and sculptures. This golden building consists of a monument about 6.6 m wide and 2.0 m high, weighing 405 kg all pure gold.