Travel in Taiwan (No.46, 2011 7/8)

78

No. 46, 2011

/

HISTORY

Religious Festivals

Celebrating the Birthdays of Local Deities

THE BEST ROUTES

Following the Pacific Coast from Taitung to Hualien

In Search of the Old in Taichung

FOOD JOURNEY

All about Amazing Bamboo Taiwan Food Festival I Wan Jan Puppet Theater Night Scenery of Taipei & Kaohsiung Paper Making DIY

The Official Bimonthly English Magazine of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau.

I S B N :1817 7 9 6 4 Website: ht tp: //t aiwan. net .t w

Welcome to Taiwan!

Dear Traveler, High summer is here and subtropical Taiwan’s summer-holidays heat has settled in for a stay, so in this issue, our focus is “cool Taiwan” and all the cool things you can get up to.

In our Feature section we set out on explorations of the religious world of the Taiwan people, presenting you with lists and background on what we feel would be the most interesting religious celebrations for you to experience. In one article we cover festivals that celebrate the birthdays of gods, in another non-birthday festivals. We also give you suggestions on where you can go for a meditation retreat, religious items you might buy as keepsakes and gif ts, and where to eat.

Our sojourn into the traditional side of the local lifestyle continues with a visit to an acclaimed arts troupe, I Wan Jan Puppet Theater, which has a long and illustrious history, and a visit to a f ine museum dedicated to Taiwan’s most famous puppeteer, the Li Tien-lu Hand Puppet Historical Museum.

In our Best Routes section we head to the Pacif ic coast to keep catching cooling breezes with a slow, windows-down driving tour of Highway No. 11 on the east coast, visiting scenic areas where Mother Nature’s artistic side is on glorious display, an ocean park with cooling water-based f un, cool and shady cafés, attractive getaway B&Bs, and other attractions.

In Taiwan life, bamboo f ulf ills many practical f unctions, from use as the material in the table you sit at to use as a food you sit down to eat. A visit to Zhushan (Bamboo Mountain) and Bamboo Culture Park, in the mountains of central Taiwan, brings you the double-cooling treat of high-mountain air and shady bamboo groves, along with a refreshing and wide-ranging menu of educational activities with bamboo the center of attention.

When the sun goes down each day, cooler air drif ts in, and Taiwan’s cities come alive with twinkling lights. We have two articles for you with suggestions on the best spots to enjoy the nighttime scenery in the island’s two biggest cities, Taipei and Kaohsiung.

It’s our great pleasure to have you here in Taiwan visiting all the places we ourselves know so well and care for so deeply. Have a wonderf ul, f ulf illing stay.

Janice Seh-Jen Lai Director General Tourism Bureau, MOTC, R.O.C.

CONTENTS

July ~ August 2011

8

50 ,

Publisher Janice Seh-Jen Lai Editing Consultants

Producer Vision Int l Publ. Co., Ltd. Address Rm. 5, 10F, 2 Fuxing N. Rd., Taipei, 104 Taiwan

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Tel: 886-2-2711-5403 Fax: 886-2-2721-2790 E-mail: vision@tit.com.tw General Manager Wendy L. C. Yen Deputy General Manager Frank K. Yen Editor in Chief Johannes Twellmann English Editors Rick Charette, Richard Saunders DIR. OF PLANNING & EDITING J oe Lee MANAGING EDITOR Sunny Su Editors Aska Chi, Aysel Then, Min-Jing Yin, Vivian Liu, Gemma Cheng ick Charette, Stuart Dawson, David Bratt, Mark Contributors R Caltonhill, Joe Henley, Richard Saunders, Christine Harris PHOTOGRAPHERS Sunny Su, Maggie Song, Aska Chi, Bobby Wu ART DIRECTOR Sting Chen Designers Daemon Lee, Maggie Song, Rinka Lin, Karen Pan Administrative Dept Hui-chun Tsai, Nai-jen Liu, Xiou Mieng Jiang incent Lin, Pamela Leu, Stacy Cai, Mamie Yang, Paul Advertising Dept V H. Chang 886-2-2721-5412 Advertising Hotline +

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台 灣 觀 光 雙 月 刊 Travel in Taiwan Bimonthly July/August Issue, 2011 www.tit.com.tw/vision/index.htm Copyright © 2011 Tourism Bureau. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form without written permission is prohibited.

Where you can pick up a copy of Travel in Taiwan Abroad

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Read the online version of Travel in Taiwan at www.zinio.com . Log in and search for "Travel in Taiwan". Or visit www.tit.com.tw/ vision/index.htm Street Parade at Taipei's Baoan Temple (Photo by Maggie Song)

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This magazine is printed on FSC certified paper. Any product with the FSC logo on it comes from a forest that has been responsibly maintained and harvested in a sustainable manner.

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46

30 FEATURE

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LEARNING EXPERIENCE 36 Making Paper

— Learning about Papermaking at SuHo

Memorial Paper Museum

Religion — Main — Eat — Stay — Buy

Celebrating the Birthdays of Local Deities Eating Vegetarian, Eating Healthy A Retreat at a Buddhist Monastery Religious Souvenir

FOOD JOURNEY

38 “Without Bamboo, Life is Vulgar”

16 Religion

— Five Religious Happenings You Don’t Want to Miss

1 Publisher's Note 23 Upcoming Festivals

and Events 4 News & Events around Taiwan 6 Concerts, Exhibitions, and Happenings 45 Peculiar Taiwan

HISTORY

LET’S EAT!

43 Eating Like a Panda

— Savoring Bamboo in Zhushan

L ET’S GO OUT TONIGHT!

My Photo Tour

46 Twinkling Lights

18 Time Travel in Taichung 28 Kaohsiung at Night — A Nostalgia and History Tour

— Learning about an Amazingly Useful Plant at the Center of Taiwan

— Modern and Romantic City Scenery

— The Best Spots to Enjoy Taipei’s Nighttime Scenery

FESTIVAL 24

Fine

Food Islandwide

— Specialties of Cities and Counties Highlighted During the Taiwan Food Festival

THE BEST ROUTES

30 Pacific Ocean All the Way — Following the Scenic East Coast on Highway 11

ON STAGE/ OFF STAGE

50 Keeping It in the Family

— I Wan Jan Puppet Theater

3

Travel in Taiwan

WHAT'S UP

Flora Expo Venues Reopen

News & Events around Taiwan Ferns and Fern Allies of Taiwan The average eco-tourist visiting Taiwan might first think of heading to the woods in search of birds, butterflies, and blooms, and he or she will certainly not be disappointed. Staying a bit longer and looking a bit deeper into the wonders of this island’s natural environment, however, will reveal treasures on a much grander scale, among them the ubiquitous ferns. Ralf Knapp, a German who has lived in Taiwan for 12 years, has brought the detail of his exhausting research together in a comprehensive reference book about the more than 700 species of fern found in Taiwan, with all entries accompanied by professional illustrations. “Ferns and Fern Allies of Taiwan” (YuanLiou Publ. Co.; 1064 pages, NT$3,000) is a mustread for anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the world of ferns thriving in subtropical Taiwan. More info at http://fernsandfernalliesoftaiwan.blogspot.com

Books

The half-year-long Taipei International Flora Exhibition closed in late April this year, leaving many Exhibitions visitors asking what will happen to the rich trove of parks and pavilions. After undergoing extensive remodeling some of the most popular venues, including the Pavilion of Future and the Pavilion of Dreams, are scheduled for reopening this month. The exhibitions at the pavilions will remain the same, and each visitor will be charged an entry fee of NT$100 at each pavilion. A combo ticket for all pavilions will be available at NT$150. In addition to the original Flora Expo displays, visitors to the Pavilion of Future will also have the chance (starting in September) to see the Taipei Pavilion of the Shanghai World Expo, which was shipped from mainland China after the end of the World Expo there.

Hollywood Actor Honeymoons in Taiwan American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director Rob Schneider is known for the rather unusual roles he has played over the years, including a “manCelebrities whore” in “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo” and a “half-man-half-animal” figure in “The Animal.” He recently made another rather unusual choice – at least for a Hollywood star – when picking his honeymoon destination. After marrying beautiful Mexican TV producer Patricia Azarcoya Arce he spent a week in Taiwan indulging in the local cuisine, visiting the National Palace Museum and Taipei 101, and going on a shopping spree.

New Bus Service between Jiufen and Fulong Travel Service

Smart Mobile Phone Guides to Lugang

Foreign visitors can now make use of a special service provided by the town of Lugang. At the Southern District Visitor Center (110, Zhanglu Rd., Sec. 8, Lugang Township/ 鹿港鎮彰鹿路八段 110 號 ) you can rent one of 30 mobile phones that give you access to a wide range of useful information for touring this old town, including route maps, souvenir shops, dining options, and much more.

Transport

Good news for self-help travelers planning to visit the old mining towns of Jiufen and Jinguashi in northern Taiwan and then move on to the beach resort of Fulong on the northeast coast! A new bus service now connects the two areas, making travel much more convenient. Buses leave Ruifang Railway Station every hour between 9 am and 4 pm, making stops at Jiufen, Jinguashi, Bitou Cape, Longdong, and Fulong. Day tickets are available at NT$50.

New Landmark Hotel in Danshui Located close Hotels to Fisherman’s Wharf, one of the most popular tourist sites in Danshui, a port town north of Taipei City, the newest hotel of the Fullon Hotels & Resorts chain (www. fullon-hotels.com) has 198 rooms and is shaped like an ocean liner. Its most striking feature is a 108-meter-tall tower that can accommodate 80 visitors at a time, offering a breathtaking 360-degree view of the area that includes the Danshui River estuary, the town of Danshui, as well as a swath of Taipei and many of the mountains of northern Taiwan in the far distance.

New Bikeway on the North Coast The network of dediTransport cated bikeways around Taiwan has been expanded yet a bit further with the addition of the Sanzhi-Ximen route close to the northernmost tip of the island. This part of the coast is especially popular during the summer months, with large numbers of visitors drawn to the whitesand beaches and scenic rock formations. For more information about the area, visit www.northguan-nsa.gov.tw.

Travel Tip When planning to get around on your own in the greater Taipei area, buying a stored-value EasyCard, available at any MRT station, is highly recommended. The card is more than just your ticket to the metro network. It can also be used to take all public buses in Taipei City and New Taipei City, plus a number of intercity buses; to take commuter trains between Taipei City, Hsinchu, Keelung, and Ruifang; to take the Maokong Gondola; to rent bicycles at public bike-rental kiosks; to take the Blue Highway river cruises; and to make payments at convenience stores (where you can also add value to the card) and at other selected stores and restaurants. More info at www.tscc.com. tw/english/index.asp

Tell us what you think!

We, the producers of Travel in Taiwan, wish to improve our magazine with each issue and give you the best possible help when planning – or carrying out – your next trip to Taiwan. Tell us what you think by filling out our short online questionnaire at www.tit. com.tw/survey/travelintaiwan.html. Senders of the first ten completed questionnaires for each issue will receive three free issues of Travel in Taiwan. Thank you very much for your feedback!

Japanese Explorer Paddles to Orchid Island Yoshiharu Sekino, a Japanese explorer, travel writer, photographer, and anthropologist who recently paddled a small boat over open sea tracing the route on which he believes his ancestors sailed from Indonesia to Japan, made a stop at Lanyu (Orchid Island), southeast of Taiwan’s main island. Sekino believes that his forefathers share a blood relationship with the Yami (Tao), the indigenous tribe living on Lanyu, who are believed to have taken the same route as the Japanese to cross the sea between the Philippines and Lanyu.

History

?

Do You Know Taiwan?

If

you know the answers to the following

questions, you are most likely an experienced Taiwan traveler. If you don’t know the

answers, you can find them within the pages of this issue

of Travel in Taiwan.

1.

2.

3.

Baoan Temple in Taipei is one of Taiwan’s most important and magnificent temples. To which deity is the temple dedicated: the Goddess of Mercy, the God of Medicine, Confucius?

(Find the answer on page 10)

Bamboo grows in many parts of Taiwan. Which town is known as the island’s center for bamboo cultivation: Zhushan, Yingge, or Meinong?

(Find the answer on page 39)

Xiaoyeliu is a stretch of coast with bizarre rock formations. Where is it: near Taitung in southeastern Taiwan, on the northeast coast, or on the north coast? (Find the answer on page 32)

5

Travel in Taiwan Travel in Taiwan

CULTURE SCENE

Concerts, Exhibitions, and Happenings Taiwan has a diverse cultural scene, with art venues ranging from international-caliber concert halls and theaters to makeshift stages on temple plazas. Among Taiwan’s museums is the world-famous National Palace Museum as well as many smaller museums dedicated to different art forms and aspects of Taiwanese culture. Here is a brief selection of upcoming happenings. For more information, please visit the websites of the listed venues.

6/11 ~ 9/12

National Palace Museum

Alphonse Mucha – Art Nouveau & Utopia 慕夏大展─新藝術•烏托 邦

Czech artist Alphonse Mucha (1860~1939) is known as the father of Art Nouveau and one of the fathers of modern advertising.

Many of his famous works feature an iconic image (often an attractive woman) and engaging details and symbolism, creating a striking visual effect and an accessible message. While this is commonly used by graphic designers today, it was a revolutionary approach in Mucha’s time. This exhibition at the National Palace Museum introduces his early works as an illustrator in Paris, artworks in the socalled “le style Mucha,” the artist’s contributions to the Paris World Exhibition in 1900, creations inspired by spiritualism, Mucha’s ambitious project “The Slav Epic,” and his last project, a triptych, “The Age of Reason,” “The Age of Wisdom,” and “The Age of Love.” For more info about the exhibition, visit www.muchaart.com.tw.

6/25 ~ 8/7

Taipei Fine Arts Museum

Chou Chu Wang: I Am a Naughty Boy 周珠旺─我是囝仔王

In his black-and-white depictions of boys, young award-winning local artist Chou Chu Wang reveals children’s love of mischief and provocation. Devil’s horns on the top of the boys’ heads are symbolic of the naughtiness that is often part of growing up. Apart from paintings, the exhibition also includes three-dimensional imagery, animation, and installation art, showing the versatility of the artist.

8/20 ~ 9/9

National Concert Hall

Summer Jazz─夏日爵士派對

Grammy-award winning jazz musicians will be descending on Taipei during this year’s Summer Jazz series. First up is brilliant pianist Michel Camilo, who flavors his tunes with Afro-Caribbean rhythms and jazz harmonies. Next comes Terence Blanchard, one of the most influential jazz musicians and film-score masters of his generation. Chicago-born jazz legend Ramsey Lewis, a composer and pianist known as “the great performer,” follows, and last but not least are the Yellowjackets, an all-star ensemble that is one of the globe’s most acclaimed and influential jazz groups.

6/12 ~ 9/23

National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

Quest for Immortality, Treasures of Ancient Egypt 木乃伊傳奇─埃及古文明特展

A mummified prince, son of the famous Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II (1303~1213 BC), is the highlight of this exhibition, on a two-year tour of Asia with Taipei as its first stop.

Visitors can get a close look at a pharaoh’s burial chamber and hundreds of historical relics from Egypt. The exhibition features several mummies, some of them unwrapped, including children and adults, members of the royal family and commoners. This is a great opportunity to learn more about ancient culture and the history of mankind.

6/4 ~ 8/14

National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

Celebration by Marc Chagall 生日快樂─夏卡爾的愛與美

Jewish-Russian artist Marc Chagall (1887~1985) is well-known for his lively, large-scale renderings of Russian village life, influenced by Jewish folklore, and his illustrations of folktales and Bible stories. His works are rich in color, romance, and poetic fantasy. The exhibition “Celebration by Marc Chagall” features paintings representing Chagall’s passion for love, family, and his country, with flying birds, loving couples, flower bouquets, circus performers, and brides among his favored motifs.

4/23 ~ 9/25

National Taiwan Science Education Center

Body Worlds & The Cycle of Life 全新人體奧妙─生命循環特展

Venues

Taipei International Convention Center（台北國際會議中心）

Taipei

( 台北市信義 路五段一 號 )

Taipei Zhongshan Hall （台北中山堂）

More than 26 million people have seen the bodies prepared by Gunther von Hagens, a German anatomist who invented “plastination,” a technique for preserving biological tissue specimens. Since 1996, when he first started to display specially prepared corpses and body parts to the public, his series of “Body Worlds” exhibitions have been highly controversial, with religious organizations objecting to the showing of human remains and the German media questioning the origin of the bodies. Despite the controversy, “Body Worlds” has been a huge worldwide success and is widely regarded as a worthy and justifiable educational exhibition series, showing the human body in ways never before seen. For more info, visit www.bodyworlds.com.tw.

Add: 98, Yanping S. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市延平南 路 9 8 號 )

Nearest MRT Station: Ximen

Taipei International Convention Center （台北國際會議中心）

Add: 1, Xinyi Rd., Sec.5, Taipei City ( 台北市信義 路五段 1 號 )

Tel: (02) 2725-5200, ext. 3517, 3518 www.ticc.com.tw/ Nearest MRT Station: Taipei City Hall

National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall（國立中正紀念堂） Add: 21 Zhongshan S. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市中山南 路 21 號 )

Tel: (02) 2343-1100~3 www.cksmh.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: CKS Memorial Hall

National Concert Hall（國家音樂聽） National Theater（國家戲劇院） Add: 21-1 Zhongshan S. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市中山南 路 21-1 號 )

National Museum of History

9/18

Masterpieces from Musée National Picasso – Paris 世紀大師畢卡索特展

Probably the best-known painter and sculptor of the 20th century, Pablo Ruiz Picasso (1881~1973) doesn’t need much of an introduction. He started, together with other artists, an avant-garde movement known as Cubism, which revolutionized modern art in Europe in the early 20th century. This exhibition of masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso in Paris consists of 62 artworks and a selection of 50 photographic records, presenting an overview of Picasso's life and career demonstrated through selective masterpieces of his oil paintings, photographs, sculptures, and prints.

Tel: (02) 3393-9888 www.ntch.edu.tw Nearest MRT Station: CKS Memorial Hall

National Museum of History （國立歷史博物館）

Add: 49 Nanhai Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市 南 海路 4 9 號 )

Tel: (02) 2361-0270 www.nmh.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: CKS Memorial Hall

National Palace Museum （國立故宮博物院）

Add: 221 Zhishan Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei City ( 台北市至 善路 2 段 2 21 號 )

Tel: (02) 2881-2021 www.npm.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: Shilin

National Taiwan Museum （國立臺灣博物館）

Add: 2 Xiangyang Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市 襄 陽 路二號 )

Tel: (02) 2382-2566 www.ntm.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: NTU Hospital

Add: 1 Xinyi Rd., Sec. 5, Taipei City Tel: (02) 2725-5200 ext. 3000. 3151~52 www.ticc.com.tw Nearest MRT Station: Taipei City Hall

Taipei Fine Arts Museum （台北市立美術館）

Add: 181 Zhongshan N. Rd., Sec. 3, Taipei City ( 台北市中山北 路 3 段 181 號 )

Tel: (02) 2595-7656 www.tfam.museum Nearest MRT Station: Yuanshan

Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei（台北當代藝術館） Add: 39 Chang-an W. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市長 安 西 路 3 9 號 )

Tel: (02) 2552-3720 www.mocataipei.org.tw Nearest MRT Station: Zhongshan

National Taiwan Science Education Center（台灣科學教育館） Add: 189 Shishang Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市 士商路 189 號 ) Tel: (02) 6610-1234 www.ntsec.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: Shilin

Taichung Taichung Zhongshan Hall（台中中山堂） Add: 98 Xueshi Rd., Taichung City ( 台中市學士路 9 8 號 )

Tel: (04) 2230-3100 www.tccgc.gov.tw

National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts（國立台灣美術館） Add: 2 Wuquan W. Rd., Sec. 1, Taichung City ( 台中市五權 西 路 一段 2 號 )

Tel: (04) 2372-3552 www.ntmofa.gov.tw/Tainan

Tainan Tainan City Cultural Center （台南市立文化中心）

Add: 332 Zhonghua E. Rd., Sec. 3, Tainan City ( 台南 市中華東 路 3 段 332 號 )

Tel: (06) 269-2864 www.tmcc.gov.tw

Kaohsiung

Novel Hall（新舞臺）

Kaohsiung City Chungcheng Cultural Center（高雄市立中正文化中心）

Add: 3 Songshou Rd., Taipei City

Add: 67 Wufu 1st Rd., Kaohsiung City

( 台北市松 壽路 3 號 )

( 高 雄 市五福 一路 67 號 )

Tel: (02) 2722-4302 www.novelhall.org.tw Nearest MRT Station: Taipei City Hall

Tel: (07) 222-5136 ext. 8908, 8909, 8910 www.khcc.gov.tw (Chinese only) Nearest KMRT Station: Cultural Center

National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts（高雄市立美術館）

（國立國父紀念館）

Add: 80 Meishuguan Rd., Kaohsiung City

Add: 505 Ren-ai Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City

( 高 雄 市美 術館 路 8 0 號 )

( 台北市仁 愛 路 四 段 5 0 5 號 )

Tel: (07) 555-0331 www.kmfa.gov.tw Nearest KMRT Station: Aozihdi Station

Tel: (02) 2758-8008 www.yatsen.gov.tw/english Nearest MRT Station: Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

Taipei Arena（台北小巨蛋）

Kaohsiung Museum of History （高雄市立歷史博物館）

Add: 2 Nanjing E. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City

Add: 272 Zhongzheng 4th Rd., Kaohsiung City

( 台北市 南 京 東 路 4 段 2 號 )

( 高 雄 市中正四 路 27 2 號 )

Tel: (02) 2577-3500 www.taipeiarena.com.tw Nearest MRT Station: Nanjing E. Rd.

Tel: (07) 531-2560 http://163.32.121.205/ Nearest KMRT Station: City Council

7

Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

Celebrating the Birthdays of Local Deities Thrilling Visual Tapestries at Temple Birthday Events

Large crowds, lots of noise and smoke from firecrackers, street parades with funny looking characters moving in strange ways, icons of deities carried around in elaborate sedan chairs – the birthdays of local gods are celebrated in great fashion at Taiwan’s temples. By Rick Charette

8

Travel in Taiwan

Drum performance during the birthday celebrations for Baosheng Dadi at Taipei’s Baoan Temple

Photo / Wen-Jen Fan

RELIGION

9

Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

Crowded temple in Taichung during Mazu’s birthday celebration

The Mazu palanquin is carried over believers during the Mazu Pilgrimage

10

Travel in Taiwan

Photos / Bobby Wu, Vision Int'l

In

This happened in Fu jian, where the ancestors of most of your f irst days on Taiwan your impression will Taiwan’s people came f rom. The result is numerous Qingshui most likely be that the local society is vibrantly, Zushi temples here, and birthday celebrations are raucous aggressively modern – streets f illed with shiny new cars, affairs, perhaps most thrilling in Sanxia, near Taipei. gleaming buildings towering over you, fashion-savv y Worshippers f lood the temple bearing offerings and pedestrians wielding mobile phones, and swank department lighting incense. In the forecourt, amid thick smoke and stores, boutiques, and cafés everywhere. f irecracker blasts, appear giant human puppets – gods However, stay a little longer, venture down and minions – and elaborate decorated f loats. Dangki, neighborhood streets and alleys, and you’ll see that deeptrance mediums, perform actions that transf ix. The biggest rooted traditions continue to f lower, it being nothing out draw, however, is the annual competition to of the normal for a woman in a smart Amid thick smoke and present the heaviest sacrif icial pig, prepared business ensemble to leave work for the firecracker blasts appear and offered to the god as tribute, blown to day and stop off at a temple to pray for giant human puppets and breathtaking proportions with air compressors. blessings f rom a god she knows to be elaborate decorated f loats Af ter the ceremony a huge feast is held, all particularly powerf ul and responsive. visitors welcome.

This f lowering of tradition manifests itself in countless The birthday of Baosheng Dadi (15th day, 3rd lunar ways beyond this. Here we aid in your trip planning by month) is celebrated with the greatest pomp and creativity concentrating on visual spectacle – the most riveting at Taipei’s Dalongdong Baoan Temple along with the birthday celebrations staged at temples for some of the Baosheng Cultural Festival. The temple is one of Taiwan’s most powerf ul, venerated, and beloved Chinese deities. most important and magnif icent, awarded a UNESCO AsiaThe birthday of the Divine Progenitor falls on the Pacif ic Heritage Award for Cultural Preservation in 2003. f irst lunar month’s sixth day. “Divine Progenitor” is the “Baosheng Dadi” is commonly translated as God of Medicine, most common translation for Qingshui Zushi, but Ancestral but Great Emperor Who Preserves Life is more accurate.

Master of Qingshui is more accurate. One story is that he This festival spans two months, with myriad activities. was a Song Dynasty monk the gods favored with a miracle The most colorf ul are a f ireworks show, a massive day-long – rice issuing f rom Qingshui Yan, “Pure Water Crag,” which neighborhood parade with gods arriving in sedan chairs to he gave to honest working folk.

RELIGION

MORE

Temple parade performers are a common sight during temple festivals

throngs of otherworldly minions/protectors, marching visit the birthday god, lion dancing, traditional music/ bands, lion dancers, and devotees. Over one million line opera shows, martial-arts battle-array formations, stiltwalker shows, outsized f igures bedecked in auspicious bread the route seeking her blessing, touching her palanquin and – the most powerf ul blessing – laying under it as she rolls which believers madly scramble to grab, and ritual passes. Her movements are even GPS-tracked on the off icial f ire-walking – the last perhaps most anticipated. You’ll notice these things happen before the central portal, so the website of the two-month-long, attraction-rich Taichung County Mazu International Festival (mazu. taichung.gov.tw). main god can watch; this is true at all temple festivals, A thunderous temple-fair party sends her off, and another for entertainment is put on for the god’s enjoyment, only welcomes her back. indirectly for ours.

“City God” is a title, not an individual; each urban Mazu, the Maternal Ancestor, is Goddess of the Sea. Like locality has a City God temple, and each the other gods discussed here, she’s based Over one million line the City God is a separate f igure, like an on an historical f igure around which pilgrimage route seeking Mazu’s old-time imperial off icial responsible legend has grown (from the Song Dynasty). blessing, touching her palanquin, for that area. Many are respected local The formal titles we’ve seen here, such as Maternal Ancestor and Divine Progenitor, and laying under it as she passes historical f igures, now deif ied. Thus, different temples have different birthday dates. (All this were granted by emperors, promoting gods just as they is also true of the Earth God, who handles rural areas.) promoted off icials.

The birthday of the City God (many Earth Gods are Taiwan, an island nation, venerates Mazu like no other throughly urbanized) at Xiahai City God Temple is on the deity (except for the Earth God), worshiping her at the 5th month’s 13th day. The area bursts with activity around most temples. The period around the birthday of Mazu this time with a two-week-plus festival marathon of rites, (23rd day, 3rd month) sees large-scale celebrations in many performances, and activities. locations – most famous the Da jia Mazu Pilgrimage. Da jia’s The temple is small, so the gilded image is placed before Zhenlan Temple is Taiwan’s most famous Mazu shrine; the Da jia goddess celebrates with a pre-birthday visit to “sister” the main portal to greet well-wishers. There are many opera performances for him, f lag-performing arrays, martialMazu temples in central/southern Taiwan, traveling over arts battle arrays, lion dances, traditional beiguan music, 300 km on an eight-day round-trip journey joined by

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FEATURE

{ENGLisH & CHINESE}

Baosheng Cultural Festival 保生文化祭 保生大帝 Baosheng Dadi

beiguan

北管 城隍爺 大甲媽祖 遶境進香 Dalongdong Baoan Temple 大龍峒保安宮 童乩 dangki 過火 guohuo 青山王 King of Qingshan 媽祖 Mazu 青山宮 Qingshan Temple 清水巗 Qingshui Yan 清水祖師 ( 廟 ) Qingshui Zushi (Temple) 三峽 Sanxia 臺中市大甲媽祖 Taichung City Mazu 國際觀光文化節 International Festival 台北霞海城隍 Taipei Xiahai City God Temple Cultural Festival 文化季 台北霞海城隍廟 Xiahai City God Temple 鎮瀾宮 Zhenlan Temple

City God Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage

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Travel in Taiwan

are three days of lavish parades, with people lining streets in the thousands, and homes/businesses setting out sacrif icial offerings. The f irst two days have night patrols, an unusual thing.

Firecrackers blast constantly. On their return deities guohuo or “jump the f ire” before the temple, which dispels lurking evil. Believers do the same, bringing peace. During all parades “illumination cakes,” which keep a person safe, are handed out, which keep a person safe.

All neighbo rhood temples join in the celebrations, adding to the festive revelry.

Finding More Info A ppe t i t e w he t f or mor e b i r t hd a y f es t i v a l a d v en t u r e? I f l ook i ng f or more infor mat ion, perhaps your best star t ing point is the Ta iwan Tour ism Bureau website (eng.taiwan.net.tw). Click “Festivals” on the webpage’s lef t side.

Those who love a book in hand should get Mark Caltonhill’s Private Prayers and Public Parades, sold at the Taipei City Hall lobby bookstore/souvenir shop and at ma jor local bookstore-chain outlets.

Temple-Visit Don’ts 1/ Don’t enter the temple by the central portal; use the smaller doors on either side. This central portal is reserved for the use of the temple’s gods. In any event, this portal is generally closed or blocked.

2/ Most temple doorways have a threshold, some as high as one foot. Step over them, not on. They block ghosts, who cannot lif t their feet.

3/ All statues are sacred, so do not touch.

4/ Though a Chinese temple has far more bustle than a church, mosque, or synagogue, the same rules of solemnity apply: Dress modestly, don’t speak loudly, don’t call attention to yourself.

Photos / Bobby Wu

drum teams, street-parade processions of deities coming to visit, and raucous all-night community-inspection parades by the City God himself just before his birthday. Thousands press in to touch his palanquin, seeking his blessing. The festival ends with a theatrical performance extolling his accomplishments over the past year.

This is one of Taipei’s biggest, liveliest – and loudest – celebrations.

The birthday of the King of Qingshan is on the 10th month’s 22nd day. This deity is based on a wise and honorable general who lived in China’s Fu jian area during the Three Kingdoms period. Today he dispenses justice and dispels pestilence. Birthday celebrations at Qingshan Temple are the biggest event of the year in Taipei’s Wanhua District, the city’s oldest, when it seems the whole community comes out.

The event lasts four days. There

EAT

Eating Vegetarian, Eating Healthy A Difference? As Local Restaurants Go, Indeed

By Rick Charette

Many of Taiwan’s Buddhists are vegetarians

Photos / Maggie Song

In

Taiwan many restaurants serve people who do not want to eat meat, either for religious or for health reasons (their own physical health and the health of Mother Earth).

And the simplest way to classif y such restaurants follows this natural division – vegetarian (religious) and health.

We’ll use a popular chain called Easy House Vegetarian Cuisine to explain. Despite the “vegetarian” usage, Easy House classif ies itself as a health restaurant. Vegetarian restaurants are of ten places of simple décor, religious chanting plays in the background, many are buffets and you pay by weight, oils are used in the cooking, and for religious reasons such strongly f lavored items as garlic, leek, and onion (said to excite the passions) are avoided.

Health restaurants such as Easy House of ten have sophisticated décor, upscale, personalized service, and

Typical healthful dishes served at Easy House

set-menu offerings, and Easy House plays soothing modern mood music.

A cosmopolitan clientele seeking a healthier lifestyle and wanting to dress up and go out for a tasty meal is targeted. The Easy House menu ranges the world, moving f rom dishes

Easy House classi fies itsel f as a health restaurant with a cosmopolitan clientele seeking a healthier li f est yle based on Italian angel hair pasta and truff les to milk and banana (the last in a delicious four-item health drink), each entrée showing creative “Chinese characteristics.” Water is used to cook, not oils, and unlike pure-vegetarian eateries, garlic and, as we’ve seen, milk are used – clearly indicated on the menu. The clientele at Easy House is 70% health-conscious, 10% pure vegetarian, and 70% female.

Many

health restaurants are organic, but Easy House is not, awaiting greater consolidation of local organic standards and instead stressing f reshness and quality and working closely with suppliers.

There are 19 entrees offered, and af ter considerable taste-testing (there’s an outlet near my home) I especially recommend the Taiwanese Five-Color Chestnut Fry, the various chestnuts sof t, spongy, or meaty-chew y and the sauce orange-f lavored, and the Milky Vegetable Hot Pot, the milkbroth not heav y, Brazilian mushrooms highlighted.

EAsY HOUsE VEGETARiAN CUisiNE ( 寬心園 ) A dd : 51 , Alley 4 , Lane 345 , Ren ’ai Rd., Sec. 4 , Taipei City ( 台北市仁愛 路 四 段 345 巷 4 弄 51號 ) Tel : (02 ) 2721- 8326 Websi t e : w w w.ea syhouse.com.tw (Chinese)

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STAY

A Retreat at a Buddhist Monastery

Golden Buddha statues at Fo Guang Shan; dormitory building (lef t)

Light of Buddha Mountain

By Rick Charette

speaking visitors.

Fo Guang Shan, or “Light of Buddha Mountain,” is Taiwan’s largest residents on the island will at Buddhist monastery and the main times hear their local f riends and site of one of its highest-prof ile acquaintances speaking of time taken religious organizations, which has a off work for religious pilgrimages and worldwide presence. The complex, in retreats, today still common features the east of Kaohsiung City in the hills of Taiwan life. If you’re looking for overlooking the plains, a deeper glimpse into Why not head off for a is renowned for such local religious life peaceful, soulfulfilling, stunning sights as a than what a few hours and uniquel y insightful stay 36-meter-tall Amitabha at a temple watching at a Buddhist monastery? statue surrounded by devotees at prayer or 480 smaller statues and a hall with watching festival rites and activities almost 15,000 wall-mounted Buddha can bring, why not do as the locals f igurines. do and head off for a peacef ul, soulThe monastery runs a selection of f ulf illing, and uniquely insightf ul meditation retreats for lay persons stay at a Buddhist monastery?

– one-day, weekend, and f ive-day Time at Fo Guang Shan is strongly programs. Graduates of these may recommended, a prime reason being then sign up for the 49-day retreat. its ability to accommodate English-

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Travel in Taiwan

There are other specialized offerings as well, such as chanting and calligraphy retreats. The meditation retreats feature daily chanting and calligraphy as well. The monastery will also customize a visit.

There is straightforward vegetarian fare and 5:30 am wakeups, and your room, though small, has both a TV and air-conditioning. Note that this is a popular tourist destination and there are English tours; so call a few days in advance to be sure of guide availability and special activities.

Tours are two hours and f ree, with donations appreciated.

FO GUANG sHAN MONAsTERY (佛光山 )

153, Xingtian Rd., Xingtian Village, Da shu District, Kaohsiung City ( 高 雄 市大 樹區 興田 村興田 路 153 號 ) Tel : (07 ) 656 -1921 , ext. 6205 Websi t e : w w w.fgs.org.tw A dd :

Photos / Bobby Wu

Expatriate

BUY

Religious Souvenirs

Laughing Buddha sculpture

Unusual Mementoes of Very Unusual Experiences

By Rick Charette

Protective fengshui mirror

Exposure

Photos / Maggie Song

Prayer beads

Buddhist implement shops are places of great myster y and discover y, overflowing with treasure

to Taiwan’s vibrant religious life will present you with many colorf ul images to carry around in your album of memories, but why not go a step f urther and buy your own version of one of the religious implements you have seen? Perhaps the single best place to browse shops stocking the items used in temple and home worship is Xiyuan Road, Sec. 1, along the west side of Taipei’s Longshan Temple.

Commonly called “Buddhist Implement Street” in Chinese, there’s a cluster of 20 shops, most in the business for generations, many long run by the same family – the oldest shop, Longshan Buddhist Implement Shop, opened in 1895 at No. 142/144.

The f un is in the browsing, so don’t f ret that you’re not always sure what you’re looking at. My father-in-law built our neighborhood temple and helps manage it, and my mother-in-law does most related buying for our extended clan, so I’ve tagged along on quite a few buying trips here but still f ind these shops places of great mystery and discovery, overf lowing with treasure.

In general, each emphasizes Buddhist or Daoist paraphernalia and items for

either home or temple. Your task is simple: choose whatever will be the most aesthetically pleasing artwork addition for your home.

Items run f rom small to very large, simple to intricate, a few hundred NT dollars to tens of thousands. Among the works that now grace my home and those of family and friends: a beautif ul embroidered altar cloth with mythical Chinese characters that my Mom shows all her new, unsuspecting guests (NT$3,000; start around NT$500); wellcraf ted wooden prayer beads in the shape of Buddha heads (NT$1,200; start at a few hundred); wooden divination blocks (NT$400); a protective fengshui mirror with sword and lion design, the mirror f rightening away ghosts wanting to visit your home (NT$500; start at about NT$200); numerous small wooden statues of Guanyin and Milefo, the Laughing Buddha – rub his belly and good fortune will come (each NT$1,000~2,000; start at NT$500). {ENGLisH & CHINESE}

Buddhist Implement Street 佛具街 觀音 Guanyin 龍山佛具店 Longshan Buddhist Implement Shop 龍山寺 Longshan Temple 彌勒佛 Milefo 西園路 Xiyuan Road

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Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

Five Religious Happenings You Don’t Want to Miss

Sacrifice to the Short Spirits

On page 8 we explored the world of birthday celebrations for local deities. In this article this writer presents to you non-birthday religious events so bursting with color and unique character that – as I did for each – you’ll feel when witnessing the action that you’ll surely never see anything like this again, anywhere else. And you’ll be right. By Rick Charette

Grappling with the Ghosts at Toucheng

Donggang Burning of the King Boat

Photos / Vision Int' l, Wen-Jen Fan

Keelung Ghost Festival

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Travel in Taiwan

RELIGION

These

are my Top Five. Your own Top Five list awaits creation, so read on and, when done, head out that door.

(burnings are now conducted onshore to prevent misery f loating ashore in other communities). Onlookers pray for peace.

Keelung Ghost Festival

Sacrifice to the Short Spirits

Each year during the 7th lunar month, Ghost Month, the Gates of Hell are opened and all hell breaks loose, spirits of the deceased going on vacation, wandering our mortal realm. Those without family to make sacrif ices to them may cause trouble, and thus individual and collective rites are performed to appease them. The main date of the Keelung festival is the evening of the 14th, with the national broadcast of a ceremonial gate-opening at a Laodagong Temple tower housing f uneral urns, followed by a splendid raucous parade through the streets (esp. the harbor area). Floats bear family names, organized around f ishing clans, reference to imperial-day f ighting among Han Chinese and reconciliation af terwards. The f loats wend their way to Badouzi harbor, where the elaborate f loat-top lanterns are taken down, set af lame, and guided out to sea; the blazes guide water ghosts ashore. The f ull 7th month is f illed with much other spectacle – evil-dispelling f ireworks, traditional-arts performances, kids’ shows, acrobatics, and much else besides.

Grappling with the Ghosts at Toucheng During Ghost Month, another amazing sight can be witnessed in Yilan County’s Toucheng Township. Called “grappling with the ghosts,” this is the county’s most popular Ghost Month event, and attracts many tourists f rom outlying areas. In the main event, attended by thousands, teams of young daredevils who seemingly believe they are immortal try to climb greased 12-metertall poles and then even taller “f lag towers” made of latticed bamboo to seize pinnacle prizes. Winners gain great prestige and also guaranteed good fortune.

Donggang Burning of the King Boat The ornate Donglong (Eastern Dragon) Temple, by the sea in the southwest f ishing port of Donggang, is site for the town’s week-long Burning of the King Boat festival, largest and most elaborate of its kind in Taiwan. The kings or plague gods, called Wangye, have been worshipped for centuries as protectors against pestilence and disease.

This festival, f illed with the parading of Wangye images and elaborate large-scale temple activities, happens every three years in the ninth lunar month, October/November, and elsewhere at other times. A nearly f ull-size mock-up of a junk is constructed and placed atop a mountain of spirit money. Plague gods are put aboard, and the vessel is heaped high with sacrif icial offerings ranging f rom foods to replica TVs and replica fancy cars. Af ter elaborate Daoist ceremonies on the last day, in the middle of the night, the boat is set alight and ceremonially sent to sea to carry pestilence away

The Saisiyat, among Taiwan’s smallest indigenous tribes, stage this event every two years (on the 15th day of the 10th lunar month; Oct/Nov), with an especially elaborate version every 10 years, the last of these in 2006. Called “pas-ta’ai”, the ceremonies appease the souls of a darkskin pygmy tribe said to have taught the Saisiyat to farm, sing, and dance long ago. Relations became strained, the “short people” becoming demanding and bullying, and af ter massacring them the Saisiyat became fearf ul of vengef ul spirits returning.

The main rituals span four days and three nights, the most elaborate at Xiangtian (Facing Heaven) Lake in Miaoli County’s Nanzhuang Township. The spirits are ceremonially invited, then entertained with feasting and visually/ aurally colorf ul dance circles, with dancers wearing chimes and bells. Visitors are invited to form their own circles.

Shamans conduct prayers and exorcisms. On the last day at sun-up come repentance rituals, then young braves leap at a ceremonial tree, throw snatched pieces to the east to bid the spirits farewell, and offer a thundering ritual dance.

Hsinchu County Yimin Cultural Festival Hilly Hsinchu County has a heav y concentration of Hakka people, who are culturally distinct f rom their fellow Han Chinese. This festival happens each August, centered around famous Fangliao Baozhong Yimin Temple. “Yimin” means “righteous people” – militia who gave their lives defending Hakka territory in imperial days, now revered as gods. There are riveting sacrif icial offerings, Hakka opera, Hakka food bazaars, martial-arts displays, and perhaps the most bizarre spectacle, the sacrif icial “divine pigs” display. The pigs are fattened to monstrous size and then, literally, f lattened for display; the biggest bring owners a year’s luck. {ENGLisH & CHINESE}

Badouzi Donggang Donggang Burning of the King Boat Donglong Temple Fangliao Baozhong Yimin Temple Ghost Month Grappling with the Ghosts at Toucheng Hsinchu County Yimin Cultural Festival Keelung Ghost Festival Laodagong Temple Nanzhuang Township Saisiyat Sacrifice to the Short Spirits Toucheng Township Wangye Xiangtian Lake

八斗子 東港 東港王船祭 東隆宮 枋寮褒忠義民廟 鬼月 頭城搶孤 新竹縣義民文化祭 雞籠中元祭 老大公廟 南庄鄉 賽夏族 矮靈祭 頭城鎮 王爺 向天湖

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Travel in Taiwan

HISTORY

Time Travel in Taichung A Nostalgia and History Tour Whether you’re into old architecture, antiques, period fashion, classic art, or the golden age of the film industry, Taichung has plenty of places to stoke the history buff’s passion for the past. Here are a few highlights awaiting personal exploration in this fascinating and history-rich central Taiwan city. By Joe Henley

Photos / Maggie Song

Luce Chapel, one of Taichung’s most f amous landmarks

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Travel in Taiwan

TAICHUNG Luce Chapel

Inside Luce Chapel

staying for over four decades – the father of famed publisher Henry R. Luce.

Tunghai Art Street Not far from Tunghai University is Tunghai Art Street which, despite the singular name, is actually a collection of streets and narrow alleys f illed with art galleries, craf t shops, clothing stores, antique distributors, pet shops, and bookstores. There is also a number of secondhand bookshops, where you might stumble upon untold numbers of literary treasures.

Though Tunghai Art Street only dates back to the 1980s, it nevertheless has a strong connection to yesteryear.

For those looking for a literal taste of

historic Taiwan, there are shops selling old-style Taiwanese candies and other confections that are displayed alongside traditional Taiwanese hand puppets and pop-culture items from decades past.

In several antique shops, pictures of old-time pop idols and movie starlets sit alongside corporate collectibles, Buddha f igures, old clay pillows, religious sculptures, jade f igurines, and pendulum clocks.

Other stores specialize in antique furniture, selling handmade wooden chairs, 60-year-old cabinets from Tainan made from the wood of the pomelo tree, 50-year-old Japanese-style bookcases, and 40-year-old radios still in working order, along with ceramics, f latware,

Photos / Maggie Song

Long a focal point of the bucolic Tunghai University campus, the Luce Chapel, completed in 1963, stands in the middle of a sprawling park on the university grounds, its tapered walls covered by glazed diamond-shaped tiles that gleam during the daylight hours.

Designed by renowned architect I. M. Pei, whose notable buildings include the Louvre Pyramid in Paris and Hong Kong’s Bank of China Tower, the church sits on an irregular hexagonal base, and the structure itself rises into a triangular, tent-like form. The interior walls feature thick, diamond-shaped coffers that diminish in size toward the ceiling.

Floor-to-ceiling windows at the entrance and behind the altar ensure a steady f low of natural light. The chapel is regularly f illed with the faithf ul for the Sunday morning service – with seating for 500 – and their hymns ring out across the park.

The sturdy design is both beautif ul and practical, with concrete ribs that thicken as they descend along the church’s curved surfaces, providing reinforcement against earthquake damage. The church was named in honor of Reverend Henry W. Luce, an American missionary who went to China in the late 19th century to spread the gospel and wound up

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Travel in Taiwan

HISTORY 2 1. Laughtea Teahouse 3. Exhibit at Fun Sound Station 5. Old bicycle at Tunghai Art Street

2. Art installation at Stock 20 4. Fun Sound Station, in a heritage building 6. Art object at Stock 20

11

6 4

4

3

6

Photos / Maggie Song

5

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Travel in Taiwan

TAICHUNG ice-cream scoops, and most any other household item you can name.

Fun Sound Station Built in 1935, the building of the Fun Sound Station was once home to the third radio station in Taiwan.

Building and bureau were built and run by the colonial Japanese government, then taken over by the Kuomintang administration in 1949. Today the building houses a broadcasting museum, an exhibition space, and an interiordesign business called Macro Maison, which oversees the whole operation.

The exhibition space features a rotating array of handicraf ts, fashions, and lifestyle items made by local businesses and craf tspeople. During a recent exhibition, handbags made by grandmothers from Nantou County, who lost their jobs on betel-nut farms when the area was devastated by the 9/21 earthquake of 1999, were on display alongside handmade jewelry and aromatherapy products. In an adjacent wing is a modest exhibit from the radio industry’s heyday, with items such as phonographs, tube amps, reel-to-reel machines, and cassette players – i.e., the broadcasting museum.

The rear of the Fun Sound Station is where Macro Maison peddles its wares, including furniture, building materials, fabrics, teak lighting f ixtures, and ash bookshelves, tables, and desks. All

products are made in Taiwan, and the company’s unique sense of style has won it a host of large local clients, including Starbucks, Mr. Donut, and Cold Stone Creamery. Guided tours are available in Chinese, and though the guides are modest about their English abilities, this writer received a full tour of the facilities in competent English.

Guests can sit around antique tables surrounded by furnishings from mainland China, some of which, such as the shelves, are over a hundred years old Laughtea Teahouse More evidence of Taiwan’s colonial past can be found at Laughtea Teahouse, a teahouse in a Japanese-style residence that was actually the childhood home of its owner, Dr. Wu Hao-chi. The home was built in 1924, and still looks much as it did back then, with partitioned rooms separated by elegant sliding doors made of wood and rice paper, a Zen garden, and lush vegetation outside the windows, making the complex seem like an ancient green sanctuary hidden away from its urban surroundings.

Guests can sit around antique tables surrounded by furnishings from mainland China, some of which, such as the shelves, are over a hundred years old, or can choose to be served in the

traditional Japanese way as they sit on tatami mats on the f loor. Whichever you choose, you are embraced by the hospitable, warm atmosphere.

Houses such as this are a rarity these days in Taiwan, making them all the more valuable. From the 1960s through the 1980s Taiwan’s economy grew quickly, and many Taiwanese favored knocking down older homes in favor of more modern constructions. But Dr. Wu, who worked with the Department of Health, wanted to keep the history of his city and country alive, and in keeping with his deep love of tea culture, converted his home into a teahouse in 1988. In addition to serving various kinds of tea and set meals, Laughtea Teahouse also hosts musical and traditional Taiwanese hand-puppet performances.

Stock 20 Once the warehouses where goods to be shipped out of Taichung Railway Station were stored, located just a stone’s throw away from the

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Travel in Taiwan

HISTORY railroad tracks, Stock 20 is now a converted space where Taichung’s artistic community thrives. Several of the warehouses, which were built back in 1917 and are still in their original state, now provide space for artists in residence to work on dance performances, installation-art pieces, paintings, or works in whatever other medium they decide on, and one has been set aside exclusively for student artists. Another of the warehouses has been converted into a performance space for bands, theater troupes, or other performing artists.

Exhibitions by invited artists are staged in the main building at the far end of the complex, featuring sculptures, paintings, and other artworks. Meanwhile, an old railway car adjacent to the main entrance has been set aside for the various workshops that are staged periodically at Stock 20. In the middle of it all sits the Glass House, built on the former site of a warehouse that was destroyed during the 9/21 earthquake. Guests who climb to the top of the Glass House are rewarded with a panoramic view of the train station and the surrounding area, providing one with a basic idea of how a sprawling metropolis grew around this district.

Banana New Paradise Perhaps the best way to end a day in historic Taichung is to enjoy a meal surrounded by countless items from Taiwan’s past. Banana New Paradise is a restaurant set up to resemble an

old Taichung neighborhood and buildings that once surrounded the Taichung Railway Station in the earlyto-mid 20th century. Tables sit beside replicas of an old camera shop, a general store, a dentist’s off ice, a barber shop, and a department store, and are surrounded by old vehicles such as taxis, motorcycles, and even a few creaking bicycles.

The walls are completely covered in memorabilia, with old pictures salvaged from family homes and donated by local families. Some patrons have even been surprised to see old family photos from their childhood when perusing the walls on a visit to the establishment.

The centerpiece of the restaurant is a replica of an old movie theater, complete with props from f ilms that were shot in Taichung, once regarded as the “Hollywood of Taiwan,” and a gargantuan and longretired movie projector. Original and reprinted movie posters line the walls upstairs, where private rooms can be booked for family/group meals.

The cuisine is a mix of traditional Taiwanese and Chinese dishes along with some modern creations, and it’s well worth looking around while waiting for your meal to arrive to get a feel for what it was like to live in Taichung in years gone by.

Banana New Paradise

{ENGLisH & CHINESE}

Glass House Luce Chapel Nantou County Tunghai Art Street Wu Hao-chin

玻璃屋 路思義教堂 南投縣 東海國際藝術街 吳浩欽

FUN sOUND sTATiON (台中放送局 ) ADD: 1, Diantai St., North District,

LAUGHTEA TEAHOUsE ( 悲歡歲月人文茶館 )

TUNGHAi ART sTREET ( 東海國際藝術街 )

ADD: 29, Daquan St., Taichung City

Taichung City (台中市北區電台街 1 號 ) TEL: (04) 2225 - 0515

(台中市大全街 29 號) TEL: (04) 2371-1984

Longjing District (Take buses 75, 83, and 146 from Taichung Station) TEL: (04) 2635 -2411 (Longjing District Office)

sTOCK 20 (20 號倉庫 )

BANANA NEW PARADisE (香蕉新樂園茶飯館 )

ADD: 181, Taichungggang Rd., Sec. 3

ADD: 6 -1, Lane 37, Fuxing Rd., Sec.

4, Taichung City (台中市復興路四段 37 巷 6 -1號 ) TEL: (04) 2220 - 9972 WEBsiTE: www.stock 20.com.tw

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Travel in Taiwan

ADD: 111, Shuangshi Rd., Sec. 2, Taichung City (台中市雙十路二段 111 號 ) TEL: (04) 2234 - 5402 WEBsiTE: www.vernaldew.com

LOCATiON: Area around Yishu St. and Guoji St. in

LUCE CHAPEL ( 路思義教堂) (台中港路3段181號) （Take buses 75, 83, and 146 from Taichung Railway Station） TEL: (04) 2359- 0121

UPCOMING Festivals and Events from July to September 2011 MAY 7 ~ JUL 31

JUN 29 ~ AUG 31

Yangmingshan Butterfly Festival 陽明山蝴蝶季

Taiwan International Hot Air Balloon Festival 台灣熱氣球嘉年華

Yangmingshan National Park, on the north side of Taipei City, is home to more than 170 species of butterfly, making it a great destination for nature lovers. During this festival you’ll have the chance to go on guided tours and learn all about these beautiful insects.

Location: Yangmingshan National Park ( 陽明山國家公園 ) Tel: (02) 2861-3601 ext. 802 Website: www.ymsnp.gov.tw

Flying hot-air balloons is something of a novelty in Taiwan, and this year marks the first time this international festival is being staged. A number of teams from abroad and Taiwan will show off their colorful balloons, taking to the skies high above Taitung County.

Location: Gaotai, Luye Township, Taitung County ( 台東縣鹿野鄉高台 ) Tel: (089) 346-119 Website: tour.taitung.gov.tw

JUL 2 ~ AUG 28 Taipei Aqua Friendly Festival 台北親水節 A great way to cool off during the hot summer is a splash in the Taipei Water Park, venue of the annual Taipei Aqua Friendly Festival. Besides having fun in the pools and on the waterslides, you can also visit the adjacent Museum of Drinking Water.

Location: (Taipei Water Park) 1, Siyuan St., Taipei City ( 台北自來水園區 - 台北市思源街 1 號 ) Tel: (02) 8369-5104 Website: www.twd.gov.tw

JUL 10 ~ AUG 7

JUL 9 ~ AUG 21

南投火車好多節

International Children's Folklore & Folkgame Festival, Yilan

The Jiji Branch Line in central Taiwan’s Nantou County is at the center of this annual festival, with railway stations all along the line serving as venues. Seeing restored and still-running old steam locomotives built in the 1930s is one of the many highlights of the festival.

Location: Plaza in front of Zhuoshui Railway Station, Mingjian Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣名間鄉濁水火車站前 ) Tel: (049) 2732-116 ext. 150 Website: www. mjnm.gov.tw

Families are drawn to this festival in the search for summer fun. There’s a large playground area offering kids all sorts of water-based games and cultural activities where the focus is both on having fun and on learning a thing or two about traditional games and folklore.

Location: Dongshan River Water Park, Yilan County ( 宜蘭縣冬山河親水公園 ) Tel: (03) 932-2440 ext. 372-3 Website: www.folkgame.org.tw

Nantou Railway Festival

宜蘭國際童玩藝術節

For more information on upcoming festivals and events visit the website of the Tourism Bureau at http://eng.taiwan.net.tw and click on “Festivals” or call the 24-hour toll-free Travel Information Hotline at 0800-011765.

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FESTIVAL

FINE FOOD ISLANDWIDE Specialties of Cities and Counties Highlighted During the Taiwan Food Festival By Christine Harris

PINGLIN BAO-CHUNG TEA FESTIVAL 坪林包種茶節

Pinglin is a key tea-cultivation area in northern Taiwan, especially famous for its Baozhong tea. Visitors can taste this fragrant tea and try a variety of dishes made with tea leaf or tea oil.

PLACE: Pinglin Old Street (坪林老街) and Pinglin Tea Museum (茶葉博物館) in Pinglin District (坪林區), New Taipei City MONTH: December CONTACT: Pinglin District Office (坪林區公所) TEL: (02) 2665-7251 WEBSITE: www.pinglin.ntpc.gov.tw (Chinese) PERSIMMON FESTIVAL

A tour of Taiwan wouldn’t be complete without trying the many different specialty foods available in all island regions, big and small.

To facilitate travelers’ culinary experience, the nationwide Taiwan Food Festival was launched earlier this year, combining 22 local food-related festivals held at different times of the year, one in each of Taiwan’s cities and counties.

柿餅文化節

The persimmons of Hsinchu’s Xinpu Township are avidly consumed fresh, and also avidly consumed in sun-dried form as “persimmon cakes,” a delicious sweet treat that is the perfect snack when drinking tea.

PLACE: Xinpu Township (新埔鎮), Hsinchu County MONTH: September ~ October CONTACT: Hsinchu County Government (新竹縣政府) TEL: (03) 333-4933

On

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Travel in Taiwan

Taipei Taoyuan Photos / Vision Int'l

the festival’s official website (http://theme.taiwan.net. tw/taiwanfood/index.html) you are presented with a large map of Taiwan showing all the festivals that are part of the Taiwan Food Festival, and detailed information on each of them (at present only in Chinese).

If you plan to visit Taiwan this year, find out which festivals take place during the time of your visit. A multitude of specialty food and local produce offers, along with rich cultural programs, will be available to you.

Following is a list of all events for the second half of 2011.

Note that the dates of some were not set at the time of writing.

Please contact the organizer for further information.

Miaoli

Hsinchu

FOOD SHIMEN FRESH FISH TOURISM FESTIVAL 石門活魚觀光節

TAIPEI INTERNATIONAL NEW ROW MIAN FESTIVAL

HAKKA BANZAI FESTIVAL 苗栗客家粄仔節

臺北國際牛肉麵節

Shimen Reservoir is one of Taiwan’s largest, and is a popular destination for weekend outings. While there, be sure to try the reservoir’s freshwater fish, served in myriad ways in restaurants close by.

PLACE: Shimen Reservoir (石門水庫), Taoyuan County MONTH: September CONTACT: Taoyuan County Government (桃園縣政府) TEL: (03) 333-4933

Beef noodles are among Taipei’s most representative foods, with hundreds of restaurants specializing in different varieties of this simple yet wonderfully savory and hearty treat. During the festival many chefs will present their newest creations.

PLACE: Expo Dome, Yuanshan Park (圓山公園爭艷館), Taipei City MONTH: November CONTACT: Taipei City Office of Commerce (臺北市商業處) TEL: (02) 2720-8889 ext. 6507

This festival introduces you to the specialties of the Hakka people living in Miaoli County, including a wide range of ricebased cakes, noodles, and pastries.

PLACE: Miaoli City (苗栗市) MONTH: November ~ December CONTACT: Miaoli County Government (苗栗縣政府) TEL: (037) 352-961 WEBSITE: miaolitravel.net/

HSINCHU CITY RICE NOODLE NANFANGAO MACKEREL FESTIVAL 南方澳鯖魚節

Nanfangao in Yilan County is the largest fishing port on Taiwan’s east coast. Mackerel makes up a large portion of the annual catch, and the freshest samples can be tasted at many harborside restaurants.

PLACE: Nanfangao Fishing Harbor (南方澳漁 港), Suao Township (蘇澳鎮), Yilan County MONTH: One or two days in September~October CONTACT: Yilan County Fisheries Management Office (宜蘭縣漁業管理所) TEL: (03) 925-2257; Suao Fishermen’s Association (蘇澳區漁會); (03) 996-2108

& MEAT BALL FESTIVAL 新竹市米粉摃丸節

One of the most popular things to do when in Hsinchu is visit the night market adjacent to the City God Temple to try the city ’s two most famous specialties, rice noodles and meatball soup.

PLACE: Hsinchu City (新竹市) MONTH: October 14 ~ 16 CONTACT: Hsinchu County Government (新竹縣政府) TEL: (03) 521-6121 ext. 257

KEELUNG SQUID FESTIVAL 基隆鎖管季

During the Squid Festival, visitors to the northern harbor city of Keelung can not only sample delicious seafood cuisine centered on squid, but also go on exciting squid-fishing tours.

PLACE: Bisha Fishing Harbor (碧砂漁港), Keelung City MONTH: June ~ August CONTACT: Keelung City Government (基隆市政府) TEL: (02) 2422-5800 WEBSITE: www.klcg.gov.tw

Keelung

Yilan

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Taichung

FESTIVAL

Changhua

Nantou

Hualien

ALISHAN TEA FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL 阿里山茶鄉驚豔-茶飲食節

Alishan is a must-visit destination for any visitor exploring Taiwan. After taking in breathtaking scenery and walking amidst pristine forest, sit down for a delightful cup of high-mountain tea.

PLACE: Southern & Northern Tea Cultivation Areas on Alishan (嘉義縣阿里山茶之南 北道) MONTH: September CONTACT: Chiayi County Government (嘉義縣政府) TEL: (05) 370-3550 WEBSITE: www.tbocc.gov.tw

Yunlin

Chiayi

Tainan Taitung Kaohsiung Pingtung Pingtung

SOUTH

TAIWAN COFFEE FESTIVAL 臺灣咖啡節

While Taiwan is known as a major tea producer, it also has quality coffee cultivation.

Gukeng in Yunlin County is the county’s, and island’s, main coffee-growing center, and the best place for trying locally grown coffee beans.

PLACE: Huashan, Gukeng Township (古坑鄉華山), Yunlin County MONTH: November ~ December CONTACT: Yunlin County Government (雲林縣政府) TEL: (05) 533-6104 WEBSITE: tour.yunlin.gov.tw BEEF AND BEER FESTIVAL 臺南市清燙牛肉啤酒節

筍 鮮 茶 香．南 投 極 美 節

The Nantou County townships of Zhushan and Lugu are best known for bamboo and tea, respectively. For this festival local restaurants specially prepare innovative dishes combining bamboo shoots and tea.

PLACE: Zhushan Township and Lugu Township (竹山鎮 鹿谷鄉), Nantou County MONTH: October CONTACT: Nantou County Government (南投縣政府) TEL: (049) 224-3971 WEBSITE: travel.nantou.gov.tw

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Travel in Taiwan

CHICKEN RICE FESTIVAL 雞肉飯節

A bowl of rice, shredded chicken on top – the most representative dish of Chiayi City in southern Taiwan makes for a simple yet nevertheless mouthwatering and filling meal.

PLACE: Chiayi City (嘉義市) MONTH: April ~ December CONTACT: Chiayi City Government (嘉義市政府) TEL: (05) 216-7168

Tainan County is a major producer of beef in Taiwan, and Tainan City is therefore an excellent place to taste fresh locally produced beef. Taiwan Beer brewed at the local Shanhua Brewery is the perfect accompanying drink.

PLACE: TTL Shanhua Brewery, Shanhua District (臺灣菸酒股份有限公司善化啤酒廠), Tainan City MONTH: October ~ November CONTACT: Tainan City Government (臺南市政府) TEL: (06) 637-2338 WEBSITE: www.tainan.gov.tw

Photos / Vision Int'l

BAMBOO SHOOT AND TEA FESTIVAL

FOOD GROUPER CULTURAL FESTIVAL 澎湖石斑文化季

Penghu is a popular destination for summer tours. While visiting the islands you can explore old fishing villages, go on trips to coastal oyster and fish farms, and indulge in fresh seafood of infinite variety.

SUNFISH FESTIVAL 曼波魚節

PLACE: Caiyuan Village, Erkan Village, Qitou Village (菜園村,二崁村,岐頭村),Penghu MONTH: August ~ October CONTACT: Penghu County Government (澎湖縣政府) TEL: (06) 926-2620 WEBSITE: www.penghu.gov.tw

Giant sunfish reach the eastern coast of Taiwan by following the Kuroshio Current.

This fish is a delicacy in Taiwan, and is prepared in myriad ways by seafood chefs in Hualien.

PLACE: Xincheng Township (新城鄉), Hualien County MONTH: July ~ August CONTACT: Hualien County Government (花蓮縣政府) TEL: (03) 822-7171 ext. 524 / (03) 823-0751

OLD WINE AND RED CHANGHUA BA-WAN FESTIVAL

EAST COAST SAILFISH FESTIVAL

YEAST FOOD FESTIVAL

彰化肉圓節

東海岸旗魚季

老酒紅糟美食節

The specialty travelers should try when visiting Changhua is “ba-wan,” a translucentdough skin filled with a savory stuffing (most often minced pork, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms), and served with a sweet and savory sauce.

Sailfish season in Taitung starts in November. Fishermen catch the fish using a traditional harpoon method. During the festival, tours to scenic spots and seafood restaurants are offered.

Matsu is famous for its “old wine,” made with glutinous rice and red yeast. The red yeast is also used in a variety of dishes, which are placed at the center of diners’ tables during this festival.

PLACE: Seaside Park, Chenggong Township (成功鎮海濱公園), Taitung County MONTH: November CONTACT: Taitung County Government (台東縣政府) TEL: (089) 326-141 ext. 516 WEBSITE: www.taichung.gov.tw

PLACE: Nangan Township (南竿鄉), Lienchiang County (Matsu) MONTH: August CONTACT: Lienchiang County Government (連江縣政府) TEL: (0836) 25-131 WEBSITE: www.matsu.gov.tw

PLACE: Changhua City (彰化市) MONTH: November ~ December CONTACT: Changhua County Government (彰化縣政府) TEL: (04) 728-7488 WEBSITE: www.chcg.gov.tw

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Travel in Taiwan

MY PHOTO TOUR

Kaohsiung at Night

Modern and Romantic City Scenery

With

the Love River f lowing right through its center, the southern harbor city of Kaohsiung is a romantic city indeed. This is especially true in the evening, when the river and its bridges, the harbor, and many of the modern high-rises beside them are colorfully illuminated.

A good vantage point to see the city is the Former British Consulate overlooking the harbor, but if you want to see Kaohsiung from even greater heights, the Tuntex Sky Tower, the city’s tallest building, offers breathtaking bird’s-eye views. To take in the scenery at the water’s level, a Love River boat cruise is among the most romantic options.

Light installation

Lov

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r e Riv e

NRQZGHA

Travel in Taiwan

NIGHTVIEW Kaohsiung in the evening

Taking in the evening scener y

-r ound Merr y -go

am at the Dre

Mall

Dream Mall Ferris wheel

Photos / Bobby Wu, Vision int'l, Daemon Lee

Mode rn de par tm ent s tor e

SUWXNO g sk yline K aohsiun

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Travel in Taiwan

THE BEST ROUTES

Pacific Ocean All the Way Following the Scenic East Coast on Highway 11 Hugging the east coast for just over 150 kilometers between the city of Hualien in the north and Taitung in the south, Provincial Highway No. 11 offers wonderful views of Taiwan’s Pacific coastline and the opportunity to explore one of the least developed – and most beautiful – areas of the island.

By David Bratt

Ocean, mountains, paddy fields – eastern Taiwan at its best

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Photo / Aska Chi

HIGHWAY 11

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THE BEST ROUTES ROUTE

If

there’s any road in Taiwan begging to be tripped, it’s Highway 11. With mountains on its west side for much of its length and lovely seashore on its east, the route runs through some of the loveliest countryside in Taiwan. But it’s not just the scenery that makes this stretch of road so appealing. It’s more the combination of the diverse landscape, the great seafood, and the warm and friendly people you’ll meet that makes Highway 11 such a great choice for a leisurely sojourn.

Of course, beginning a trip on Highway 11 requires getting there in the f irst place, which for this writer entailed a fourand-a-half-hour train ride from Taipei to Taitung (TaipeiHualien three hours). Upon disembarking in Taitung, stop f irst at the station’s information center to pick up a map of the region. Af ter renting a car (or motor scooter) at the railway station (see the “Logistics” section at the end of the article), follow the signs east through town and take the on-ramp onto the highway to begin your journey.

As many of the attractions along Highway 11 showcase the area’s unique geology, a good f irst stop is the Xiaoyeliu scenic area f ive minutes north of Taitung. The visitor center here features a helpful video introduction (in both English and Chinese) on the tectonic processes responsible for the east coast’s geological makeup. There’s also a neat display on the tofu, mushroom, and honeycomb rock that dominates the Xiaoyeliu shoreline. While combining these ingredients in a recipe would certainly make for a strange meal, as rock formations they contrast in a visually dynamic way that photo and geology buffs will admire.

To balance out the beginning of your trip with some cultural exploration, continue north 20 minutes to the town of Dulan. Over the past few years, the sugar-manufacturing complex that once served as Dulan’s industrial core has been slowly transformed into Tofu, mushroom, and a lively arts center, with honeycomb rock dominates galleries and shops selling the shore at Xiaoyeliu indigenous, Han Chinese, and Western artwork. There are also weekly concerts on Saturday nights at the Dulan Café, and sometimes in the factory itself.

If you can’t make it to Dulan on the weekend, at least stop in to browse the shops and try one of the many types of uniquef lavor popsicles (durian fruit in ice form, anyone?).

While there is a variety of inexpensive B&Bs in this area (one good choice is Zoology, a B&B/activity center/restaurant by the sea about ten minutes south of Dulan), should you be in the mood for something more upscale look no further than Grace House, a vacation villa 50 minutes north of Dulan.

Included in the rental fee (anywhere from NT$19,965/night for one person to NT$40,465/night for a group of eight) is a delicious breakfast, dinner, and af ternoon tea; wonderful views of the ocean from rooms suffused with the scent of camphor oil; and a chance to experience f irst-hand the height of Taiwanese hospitality. The owner Domo, who has lived in the area his

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Travel in Taiwan

WHAT’S SEEN ON THE WAY FOLLOWING COASTAL HIGHWAY 11 There were many amazing things seen on this road-trip. Here are some of the highlights!

Majestic Keelung Mountain

Exploring tiny coves at Shitiping Boat-shaped church at Changbin Rock formations at Yeliu

HIGHWAY 11 Seaside garden at Grace House

Moon Cave near Shitiping Coastal road in Taitung

Photos / Aska Chi, Vision int'l

Clif f House

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Travel in Taiwan

THE BEST ROUTES ROUTE f loor of the building. The cut of sailf ish we tried had a great texture and taste, while the sushi platter was equally fresh N and tantalizing. If you have time and a strong stomach Farglory Ocean Park and are in the area around 3pm, you might also head down to the harbor (ask the staff for directions) to see Mr. Li in action as he and scores of other residents and shop owners bid on the daily catch of f ish strewn about on the docks.

If the sight of a f ishing harbor doesn’t pique your curiosity, head north 10 minutes from Chenggong and check 9 Fengbin out Sanxiantai, a small island connected to the coast via a distinctive dragon-shaped pedestrian bridge. Sanxiantai, Shitping which means Terrace of the Three Immortals, features three huge rocks supposedly resembling three of the immortals of traditional Daoist lore. Be forewarned, though: according to Chinese tradition, visit anything having to do with the immortals with your signif icant other and heartbreak is soon to follow. One immortal, having been spurned himself, delights in ending relationships between mortals.

During the one-hour drive north from Sanxiantai to the Sanxiantai Shitiping scenic area, prepare yourself for some serious rock Chenggong scrambling. Shitiping is particularly fun to explore because 11 of the series of tiny coves that have formed among the large boulders by the ocean’s edge. Chasing af ter the crabs that scurry away from each of the waves that crash onshore is Dulan a blast, but don’t go too close to the raised shoreline here – the water is deep and the waves are powerful.

Xiaoyeliu Scenic Area Drive 15 minutes further up the road and, af ter passing Taitung the town of Fengbin, on the right you’ll notice a tall structure topped with a windmill standing near a cliff. This whole life, is enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge of is the aptly-named Cliff House, which is the perfect place the area and will happily include guests in the morning bike to spend the second night on your trip up Highway 11 (rooms rides and beach walks that he takes with his two-year-old go for NT$2,600/night on weekdays and NT$3,200 on holidays son. and weekends). Run by a former railway worker from Taipei, And don’t forget the villa’s spa services! At Shitiping, prepare his wife, and their two daughters, this B&B has If you do make the wise choice to get a several rooms newly redecorated in light, airy colors. yourself for some morning massage (not included in the rental Each room has a private balcony perfect for soaking serious rock scrambling price), try to have Mr. Kawten as your in the soothing sound of the ocean and enjoying masseur. Aside from giving a mean foot rub, Mr. Kawten is great views of the surrounding countryside and night sky. also happy to teach customers a song or two sung by the There’s a home-away-from-home intimacy to Cliff House that Amis people native to the area. makes it a delightful place to stay. north, consider making the north towards Hualien on the town of Chenggong your f inal stretch of Highway 11, allow next stop. While the town itself is not a tourist draw, it’s yourself time to wander through the f ields and rice paddies worth a stop because of Chenggong Sailfish, a family-run that cover the area starting f ive minutes or so north of Cliff sushi joint/coffee shop. The model ship and harpoon and the House. The f ields offer up spectacular views of the coast and wholesale f ish-selling business on the f irst f loor all hint cliffs here, and a chance to observe the hard work that goes at how closely connected this enterprise is to the nearby into running a Taiwan farm. Look closely at the pools of f ishing harbor and the ocean beyond. Indeed, Mr. Li Baowater in the rice paddies and you’ll see entire ecosystems of shan, the owner of Chenggong Sailf ish, recalls with nostalgia interdependent plants, insects, and tadpoles. his time harpooning f ish on the open seas. “Nowadays,” If you still have time and energy and want to see some he muses, “the closest that I get is picking up f ish at the larger aquatic creatures, consider a stop at the Farglory harbor every af ternoon.” You’ll appreciate Mr. Li’s eye for a Ocean Park 20 minutes south of Hualien. While it’s not good f ish when you head up to the restaurant on the second quite Sea World, the park offers a variety of rides suitable

Hualien

Continuing

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Travel in Taiwan

Heading

for all ages but particularly fun for kids. You can also see a dolphin show or get kissed by a sea lion (if you don’t mind the creatures being taken out of their natural habitats and turned into performers for humans). There’s also a museum on the aquatic life of the east coast that has some neat displays.

You’ll likely feel a twinge of disappointment when you see the signs for Hualien that indicate the end of the road is near. But you can take comfort in the fact that the sites described above comprise only a fraction of the diversity and beauty of the east coast, and that Highway 11 will always be waiting for your return.

While the staff at CarPlus (the shop I rented from) speak passable English, and renting a car as a foreign guest in Taiwan is pretty straightforward, there are a few things you should be aware of: If you’ll be in Taiwan less than 30 days, you’ll need to produce the international driver’s license you acquired in your home country and your passport. If you’re planning a longer stay, you will also need the Taiwan DMV to either approve your driving credentials or issue Logistics for Renting a Car:

you a local license.

Prices range from NT$2,000/day for a compact to NT$5,000 for a van.

For an additional NT$1,500 you can do as I did--rent the car in Taitung at the southern end of Highway 11 and return it at the northern end in Hualien, or vice versa if you’re heading north to south.

Foreign renters are required to leave an authorization to bill their credit card for whatever incidental expenses (tickets, f ines, etc.) they might incur during the rental period.

{ENGLisH & CHINESE}

Amis people/tribe Chenggong Dulan Fengbin Lin Bao-shan Sanxiantai Shitiping Xiaoyeliu

阿美族 成功 都蘭 豐濱 林寶山 三仙台 石梯坪 小野柳

GRACE HOUSE ( 八嗡嗡) Tel: (089) 841-878 Add: 16-2, Fengtian Rd., Chenggong Town-

ship, Taitung County (台東縣成功鎮豐田路 16-2號) website: www.gracehouse.com.tw (Chinese)

DULAN CAFE (都蘭糖廠咖啡 ) Tel: (089) 530-060 Add: 61, Dulan Village, Donghe Township,

Taitung County (台東縣東河鄉都蘭村61號)

CHENGGONG SAiLFiSH ( 成功旗魚 ) Tel: (089) 854-899 Add: 65-1, Datong Rd., Chenggong Town-

CARPLUS (格上租車 ) Tel: (089) 227-979 Add: 602, Lane 101, Yanwan Rd., Taitung City, Taitung County (台東縣台東市岩灣路 101巷602號)

FARGLORY OCEAN PARK ( 花蓮遠雄 海洋公園 ) Tel: (03) 812-3199 Add: 189 Fude, Yanliao Village, Shoufeng

Township, Hualien County (花蓮縣壽豐鄉鹽 寮村福德189號) website: www.farglory-oceanpark.com.tw

ship, Taitung County (台東縣成功鎮大同路 65-1號)

CLiFF HOUSE ( 崖上民宿 ) ZOOLOGY ( 寄居蟹空間 ) Tel: 0926-464-567 Add: 191, Yuchang, Beinan Township,

Taitung County (台東縣卑南鄉漁場191號)

Tel: (03) 871-1222 Add: 211, Xinshe Village, Fengbin Town-

ship, Hualien County (花蓮縣豐濱鄉新社村 211號) website: www.cliffhouse.tw (Chinese)

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Making Paper

Learning about Papermaking at Taipei’s SuHo Memorial Paper Museum

Even in today’s electronic age, where people increasingly retrieve information via screens and books are often read with the help of e-reading devices, paper remains an indispensible daily-use item. Yet though we use it every day we seldom give much thought to its origin or how it is made. Papermaking has come a long way since it was invented in China more than 2,000 years ago, but the basic principle has stayed the same regardless of the scale on which it is done. If you want to make some yourself, one sheet at a time, head to the SuHo Memorial Paper Museum for some hands-on-experience! By Kurt Weidner

Pape rmak ing, work as w in el the m g area o n the earned i useu n the top f m, is proc loor es in f a of ct a s h o w s . Fr i e n d ve ed u s how ly teache r y simp le r Om it is i (歐米 done . )

3

1

Step 4

Then we used a simple wire screen in a wooden frame to carefully scoop out the fibers floating in the water. After the water drained through the screen, a thin mat of fibers remained on it. At this stage you can add various small elements to make your paper more attractive, such as tiny leaves.

2

4 5

Step 1

To make paper, you first need pulp, which is derived by soaking tree bark and tree stems in water and then using a shredding device (displayed on the first floor) to obtain a mixture of fine fibers.

Color dye can be added; we chose to make our paper red. Our pulp also contained 20% recycled paper, shredded into fine pieces. These paper bits appear as colorful dots in the finished paper.

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Travel in Taiwan

Step 3

We added the pulp to the water in a large container in the center of the working area, and gave the mix a stir.

There was a striking resemblance to miso soup.

We then placed the frame, with the fiber mat facing down, on a few layered sheets of special absorbing paper. With a cloth we applied pressure on the screen to squeeze out the moisture.

Photo / Sunny Su

Step 2

Step 5

PAPERMAKING About SuHo Memorial Paper Museum Located in downtown Taipei, the SuHo Memorial Paper Museum was established in 1995 by the children of a paper-industry entrepreneur to fulf ill the dreams of their father to keep traditional techniques alive. The museum is easily overlooked, because it is in a very narrow building squeezed between larger off ice buildings. Inside, however, it is surprisingly spacious. Over four f loors the museum introduces visitors to all aspects of papermaking, with an emphasis on educational activities. You can learn about the history of paper, conservation of paper relics, innovation in paper art, the use of paper in daily life, traditional papermaking processes, restoration of damaged and old paper, and creative uses for waste paper. The museum also frequently showcases the work of paper artists.

SUHO MEMORIAL PAPER MUSEUM (樹火紀念紙博物館 ) ADD: 68, Chang ’an E. Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei City (台北市長安東路二段68號 ) TEL: (02) 2507-5539 FEES: Museum NT$100, Museum + DIY Papermaking NT$180 WEB: www.suhopaper.org.tw How to get there: Take the MRT Bannan (Blue) Line to Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station, leave the station by Exit 4 and follow Songjiang Rd. to Chang’an Rd. (a walk of about 10 minutes); or take the MRT Luzhou (Orange) Line to Songjiang Nanjing Station, leave the station by Exit 4 and follow Songjiang Rd. to Chang’an Rd. (a walk of about 5 minutes).

6 7 Step 6

We lifted up the screen, leaving the fiber mat/sheet on the absorbing paper, placed some more sheets of absorbing paper on top of that, and then used our hands to pat out more moisture.

Step 7

For the final step the fiber sheet, which was still far from being completely dry, was taken to a drying device on the first floor. A few minutes in this dryer and the paper was dry and flat, ready to take home.

Attached to each sheet of paper is a “Papermaking Golden Award” certificate with your name on it, as proof that you have completed the first step in becoming a master papermaker.

The full process doesn’t take more than half an hour, and though admittedly very simple it is nevertheless, especially for kids, a fun experience with some educational value. The museum offers this kind of DIY experience Mon. to Sat., at 10 am and 11 am as well as 2 pm and 3 pm. Each sheet of selfmade paper is priced NT$80. Teacher Omi explains the process in English if needed.

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FOOD JOURNEY

Photo / Sunny Su

Harvesting the shoots of edible bamboo

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“Without Bamboo, Life is Vulgar” Learning about an Amazingly Useful Plant at the Center of Taiwan When the Taipei Zoo acquired the pandas Tuantuan and Yuanyuan in 2008, it was faced with the problem of sourcing food for the notoriously fussy eaters. Not only do pandas live primarily on a diet of bamboo, but they eat only certain species, and only certain parts of those species.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the zoo contacted “Bamboo Mountain.”

By Mark Caltonhill

Zhushan

(lit. “Bamboo Mountain”) Township, located almost at the geographic center of Taiwan in southwest Nantou County, is home to the Bamboo Production Cooperative, which now sends 25kg of f reshly cut, two-year-old mainstem golden striped bamboo to the zoo every Monday morning, and another 25kg on Fridays.

But Zhushan is not just a nutritional paradise for hungry blackand-white bears. It is also a good destination for visitors wishing to understand the many f unctions bamboo serves for Taiwan’s human residents. They can even eat a dish or two of it as well.

Photos / Sunny Su

With over 100 species of bamboo growing on site and DIY courses for young and old, the Bamboo Culture Park is a good place to learn about bamboo With over 100 species of bamboo growing on site, DIY courses for young and old, and explanations covering everything f rom ancient skills used in bamboo horticulture to the latest developments in bamboo charcoal health products, the cooperative’s Bamboo Culture Park is a good place to start learning. And yes, there is also a restaurant selling bamboo-related dishes.

Entrance is NT$80 for adults and NT$30 for children. DIY courses range f rom NT$50 for a bamboo f rog and NT$100 for a hand-held windmill to NT$150 to learn how to cook steamed bamboo and baozi (buns with/without meat f illing) or make a bamboo bonsai. Snacks range f rom NT$50 for bamboo-tube rice to NT$200 for a set meal.

Alternatively, visitors can sign up for an overnight stay with two half-day itineraries that include DIY courses, hiking uphill to cultivate and collect bamboo shoots, and trips to local handicraf t factories, as well as dinner and breakfast. Pickup is f rom the nearby

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FOOD JOURNEY Ji ji Railway Station, and accommodation is in 2- to 8-person rooms in which the beds, f loors, chairs, curtains, and decorations are all made of bamboo. Prices are around NT$1,200 per person on weekdays, NT$1,800 on weekends/ holidays. park’s general manager, Chen Ching-f u, recalls growing up in Zhushan: “The hills really were literally covered in bamboo. Back then, 70 percent of the township’s population of 60,000 was employed in growing, harvesting, transporting, treating, manufacturing, or selling bamboo or bamboo products.”

Today, although swathes of hillside are still covered in bamboo, most are not. Wild-growing forest has taken back untilled land, and higher-value cash crops such as tea, f ruit, and betel nut compete for farmers’ attention.

Chen acknowledges that the “bamboo mountains” of yesteryear did not represent the area’s original appearance and that bamboo was introduced as a cash crop in the early 20th century, largely in response to Japanese colonial government inf luence. Indeed, it was the Japanese who gave the township its name; hitherto it had been known as Lin Qi Village, af ter the man who brought the land under Han Chinese cultivation in the 17th century.

Chen enthusiastically introduces the botany, geography, history, and economics of bamboo using samples growing at the culture park. Thorny bamboo, for example, is well suited for use as scaffolding, not because of the thorns which give it its name, but because it grows broad and strong. The long but f lexible sections of makino bamboo, on the other hand, are ideal for making the carrying poles which porters used in days gone by to carry their goods and hawkers to haul their wares around the streets. Hedge bamboo is neither very tall nor very dense, and is therefore good for protecting homes from wind while allowing sunlight through. Pear bamboo grows more densely, so it was used in earlier times to create defensive walls around settlements. Soft strips of cane taken from long-branch bamboo are used for weaving baskets, hats, and even clothing; black bamboo (“purple bamboo”) is used for f lutes; and the denser wood of makino and moso bamboo is the best for making charcoal.

A great many species of bamboo growing in the park have no utilitarian function, but are popular simply for their beauty or other striking features. These include yellow and green striped stems, closely packed nodes, square stems, large seeds, and so forth.

And, needless to say, Taiwan’s gastronomes have had centuries to discover the tastiest varieties: giant timber bamboo is widespread because of its long growing season, though large-f lowered giant bamboo (a.k.a. sweet bamboo) is preferred for its sweet shoots, makino bamboo is chosen for its softer stems, and moso bamboo is also popular (see “Let’s Eat” on p. 43).

Bamboo grove

Many species of bamboo growing in the park have no utilitarian function, but are popular for their beaut y or other striking f eatures

Bamboo shoots

Guest room of Bamboo Culture Park

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Photo / Maggie Song, Sunny Su

The

BAMBOO

A

glance around any local hotel room, restaurant, or temple will reveal a wide range of objects made of bamboo. Calligraphy brushes ( 筆 ), chopsticks ( 筷 ), toothpicks ( 牙籤 ), Cantonese-style dim sum steamers ( 籠 ), baskets ( 籃 ), fences ( 籬 ), divination blocks ( 筊 ), and divination strips ( 籤 ) all have bamboo as material and, like the above-mentioned carrying poles ( 竿 ) and f lutes ( 笛 ), are written with the bamboo radical ( ), under which they are classif ied.

In fact, a look through the hundreds of such characters in a dictionary reveals countless other roles f illed by bamboo in former times, particularly before the invention of plastics. Examples include the abacus ( 算盤 ), f ish traps ( 魚簍 ), the eaves of houses ( 簷 ), curtains ( 簾 ), hairpins ( 簪 ), talismans ( 符 ), raf ts ( 筏 ), and even lunch boxes ( 籩 ). Indeed, before the invention of paper, bamboo’s contribution to writing wasn’t limited to brushes but also included the strips ( 簡 ) on which words were written and the “books” ( 籍 ) formed by binding these together. Today this old-time role remains captured in such writing-related words as “to sign one’s name”( 簽 ) and “to reply” ( 答 ). of ten wears a typical Taiwanese farmer’s hat called a douli ( 斗笠 ), and visitors to the park’s shop might even be fortunate enough to see his

Chen

Farmer Chen in his bamboo grove

85-year-old mother demonstrating the ancient handicraf t by which this type of hat and other items are woven.

The general manager and his staff lead tours of local factories and handicraf t centers where ear picks, toys, chopsticks, spoons, walking sticks, tea pots, cups, trays, fans, pillows, baskets, tables and chairs, f lutes and xylophones, and countless other objects are made.

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FOOD JOURNEY

Of particular importance are the three factories making bamboo swords for practitioners of kendo, the Japanese martial art. This, Chen explains, keeps the bamboo industry alive in Zhushan. The bottom 1.5 meters of only the best bamboo is used for these expensive made-forexport weapons; the rest of this bamboo, and the less perfect canes, are used for just about everything else. No part is wasted. Without kendo, “bamboo mountain” would become “tea and betel mountain,” he says.

Returning to the park, Chen points out a traditional bamboo bridge and a bamboo waterwheel used to irrigate the f ields. In days past, local youths had to learn the skills needed to construct them before they could marry, but now the structures are made of metal, as bamboo rots quickly if continually soaked in water and these days there is an insuff icient number of young men in Zhushan willing to keep the skills alive.

As sunset falls over Zhushan’s bamboo groves, Chen says that his dream, and the mission of the Bamboo Culture Park, is to keep bamboo handicraf ts and bamboo products alive, “so that Zhushan might once again be covered in bamboo as it was in my childhood.”

As the 11th-century poet Su Dongpo ( 蘇東坡 ) said, “Without bamboo, life is vulgar.”

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Kendo swords made in Zhushan

A good place to learn about bamboo close to Taipei is the Wugu Green Bamboo Community located on the slopes of Mt. Guanyin. The establishment offers DIY courses and introductions to bamboo farming.

WUGU GREEN BAMBOO COMMUNiTY ( 五股綠竹社區 )

ADD: 25, Lingyun Rd., Sec. 3, Wugu District, New Taipei City ( 新北市五股區凌雲路三段 25 號 ) TEL: (02) 2291-2697, 2291-2812

BAMBOO CULTURE PARK ( 青竹文化園區 )

ADD: 31, Fuzhou Lane, Fuzhou Village, Zhushan Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣竹山鎮富州里富州巷 31號 ) TEL: (049) 262-3928, 0910 -377- 898 WEBSITE: www.bamboo.org.tw

{ENGLisH & CHINESE}

Bamboo Production Cooperative

baozi Chen Ching-fu Jiji Lin Qi Village Mt. Guanyin Zhushan

BAMBOO VARIETIES 青竹生產 合作社 包子 陳靖賦 集集 林圯埔 觀音山 竹山

giant timber bamboo black bamboo giant bamboo golden striped bamboo hedge bamboo long-branch bamboo makino bamboo pear bamboo moso bamboo thorny bamboo

綠竹 紫竹 麻竹 金絲竹 蓬萊竹 長枝竹 桂竹 梨果竹 孟宗竹 刺竹

Photo / Maggie Song, Sunny Su

Weaving bamboo hats

BAMBOO Bamboo charcoal flavored douhua at the garden restaurant of Bamboo Culture Park

Eating Like a Panda Savoring Bamboo in Zhushan Although not as exotic as Japanese puffer fish sashimi – nor nearly as dangerous – many of the thousand-plus species of bamboo worldwide do contain toxins. Nevertheless, once disarmed through steaming, boiling, or stewing, most can be safely eaten, and offer a culinary experience not familiar to many visitors from abroad.

By Mark Caltonhill

Dishes made with bamboo at Biyao Mountain Community

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LET'S EAT!

The

main species consumed in Taiwan include giant timber bamboo, makino bamboo, sweet bamboo, and moso bamboo. The main parts of the plant eaten are the immature underground shoots – which turn bitter once they break clear of the soil, hence farmers’ practice of banking up earth around the base of the plant – as well as sof t young stems. The leaves are used to wrap zongzi (sticky-rice tamales), especially at the Dragon Boat Festival on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month.

The park also offers a DIY course in making bamboo-f lavored baozi (steamed buns with/without meat f illing). Naturally, the restaurant’s chopsticks, trays, bowls, cups, tables, and chairs are all made of Zhushan bamboo. those unable to make the trip f rom Taipei to central Taiwan, the slopes of Mt. Guanyin in the Wugu and Bali districts of New Taipei City are also covered with bamboo groves. Area restaurants offer a range of bamboo dishes, along with

For

Preparing“bamboo tube rice ”

garlic, chili, basil, and ginger in a soy sauce/sesame oil/rice wine sauce.

Another unusual main dish is “bamboo jerky with pork,” made with strips of sun-dried bamboo.

For dessert the restaurant offers “bamboo and f ruit rolls,” a pleasant combination of f ruit and vegetable f ried in a thin f lour skin and served cool. All this is f inally washed down with chicken and bamboo soup. While the menu is more suitable for groups of diners, Biyao also has a two-person option for NT$980.

Mt. Guanyin is a beautif ul location to walk off such a banquet, with f ine views over the Danshui River, the town of Danshui across the river, and Taipei in the far distance.

BiYAO MOUNTAiN COMMUNiTY ( 碧瑤山莊 )

112 Lingyun Rd., Sec. 3, Wugu District, New Taipei City 新北市五股區凌雲路三段 ( 112號 ) Tel: (02) 2291-1507 GETTING THERE: Take the Orange 20 bus from MRT Luzhou Station to the terminal station on Mt. Guanyin Add:

{ENGLisH & CHINESE} “bamboo and fruit rolls” “bamboo jerky with pork” “bamboo-tube rice”

giant timber bamboo Bali

The garden restaurant at the Bamboo Culture Park in Zhushan Township, Nantou County (see page 38), sells various items f lavored with bamboo charcoal, which is claimed to have health benef its. These include noodles, dumplings, ice cream, and douhua, a blancmange-like dessert made with sof t tofu.

For their main dish in the NT$200 set menu, customers can choose either the noodles or dumplings, or “bambootube rice,” a mixture of rice, vegetables, and meat slowly cooked in sections of bamboo over an open f lame. Side dishes include vegetables and stewed bamboo shoots, plus locally produced seasonal fruit such as tomato and guava.

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local specialties such as f ree-range chicken.

Biyao Mountain Community, a restaurant inside a 150-year-old farmhouse beside Lingyun Temple on Mt. Guanyin, is popular with hikers and epicureans alike. A bamboorich meal begins with bamboo-shoot “salad,” consisting of lumps of boiled shoot served chilled and eaten af ter dipping into mayonnaise. This is the most common bamboo dish throughout Taiwan.

Biyao’s house special is “three cups bamboo shoots,” in which similar pieces of shoot replace the more common chicken in “three cups chicken,” slow-cooked with mushroom,

baozi douhua makino bamboo moso bamboo Lingyun Temple Mt. Guanyin sweet bamboo “three cups bamboo shoots” Wugu

zongzi

竹筍水果捲 筍乾扣肉 竹筒飯 綠竹 八里 包子 豆花 桂竹 孟宗竹 凌雲寺 觀音山 麻竹 三杯竹筍 五股 粽子

Entrance to Biyao Mountain Coomunity

Photo / Maggie Song, Sunny Su

Guestroom of Bamboo Culture Park

Peculiar Taiwan

Taiwan“Xiaojie” Experts in Avoiding Tanned Skin

The

By Rick Charette

West’s fair-skinned ladies want tanned skin. Taiwan xiao jie (Taiwan ladies) want lighter skin. What gives?

In the East, the traditional idea has been that the darker the skin the more menial the labor likely done. And

of course, the less sun you see the less wrinkling and aging your skin suffers. The ideal in the East is skin as soft and supple “as (soft) tofu,” and xiao jie go to great lengths to preserve their youthfulness. Ladies working fields cover up head to toe – often in pretty pastels – with just their twinkling eyes showing. On wedding days xiao jie have faces done up tofu-white like geisha girls; i.e., “perfect” skin.

So if on the street on a hot summer day and a city lady goes zooming by on a scooter covered so thoroughly that only her eyeballs are exposed, no, she’s not just robbed a bank and the cops are not right behind the two of you. She’s preserving her supple beauty, and though you’ll never see it, she’s immensely proud that her skin is so much lighter and younger-looking than that of

Photos / Maggie Song

her peers.

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LET'S GO OUT TONIGHT!

Twinkling Lights The Best Spots to Enjoy Taipei’s Nighttime Scenery The skyline of Taipei, whilst not as famous as those of many other capital cities, is just as mesmerizing. This is especially true at night when the energetic, bustling, 24-hour nature of this city can be seen in its neon lights, high-rise buildings, and the never-ending flow of traffic. By Stuart Dawson

The

Taipei Basin is surrounded by mountains, and there are literally hundreds of places where visitors can go to enjoy some fresh air and get a big-picture view of Taipei. Getting to these spots isn’t a problem either, with buses, hiking trails, and even a cable car among the variety of transport options.

Taipei at night seen from Yangminghan near Chinese Culture University

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Photo / Vision Int'l

NIGHT SCENERY

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LET'S GO OUT TONIGHT!

Taipei 101 seen from Four Beasts Mountain

Four Beasts Mountain

There are many must-dos for visitors to Taipei, and if there’s a single must-do hike it is the one up and across an interconnected group of small mountains just south of Taipei 101 that is known collectively as Four Beasts Mountain.

The four mountains are named after four different animals – Tiger, Lion, Panther, and Elephant – the last being the most famous among photography buffs for its unparalleled views of Taipei 101. On almost any fine-weather evening you’ll see groups of people crowding around the giant boulders just below the peak of Elephant Mountain vying for the best spots. On New Year’s Eve, when a mesmerizing fireworks show erupts and seems to envelop the giant skyscraper, many hike up here early in the morning and spend the whole day camped out to ensure they get the best view of the fireworks extravaganza at midnight.

Taipei 101 is the most prominent building seen from Four Beasts Mountain. However, on a clear day it’s surprising just how many of the city’s landmarks are visible. The Grand Hotel, the Ferris wheel atop Miramar Entertainment Park, the Yangmingshan massif, and even the meandering Danshui River in the far distance, on its way to the sea, are easily spotted.

What makes hiking Four Beasts Mountain especially attractive is its proximity to downtown Taipei. The trails are paved and trailheads easy to find, and there are map boards everywhere. All of the trailheads can be accessed after short trips from MRT stations (Taipei City Hall, Yongchun, Houshanpi) on the Bannan (Blue) Line, and many of the routes have lighting, providing a safe way to reach some of the best evening views of Taipei.

The residents of Taipei are incredibly fortunate to have a national park sitting right on their doorstep. A 30-minute drive is all it takes to reach Yangmingshan National Park from downtown Taipei; the park takes up the higher reaches of the Yangmingshan massif. There are a number of mountains in the park, and the highest, Seven Star Mountain, is almost as tall as Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK, giving those willing to make the hike to its peak great views at daytime and during the night.

Yangmingshan owes it’s origins to volcanic activity, and even though the volcanoes have long been dormant, evidence of this violent past can still be seen today. The hike to the top of Seven Star Mountain begins at Xiaoyoukeng, a huge fumarole gouged into the side of the mountain. Bright-yellow sulfur and hot jets of steam pour out of the rocks and fill the air with a pungent rotten-egg smell. It’s an incredible sight, and an exciting beginning to this short hike.

From Xiaoyoukeng it takes around an hour to reach the top of Seven Star Mountain. There are no trees at the top to shelter hikers from the elements. However, this also means there are incredible, unrestricted views of Taipei and the northern coast.

The weather in this part of Taiwan is often uncooperative, and hikers may need to wait a number of days in order to get a clear evening. Grab the opportunity when it comes – the scenery at night is fabulous and well worth the effort! Just be sure to bring a f lashlight and some warm clothes during the colder months, and raingear should the clouds roll in.

Muzha Tourist Tea Plantations

If hiking is not your thing, there are still a number of places to visit without having to stretch your legs too much. The picturesque hillside tea-growing area of Maokong is very easy to get to; your choices are car, bus, or the popular Maokong Gondola.

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Photos / Stuart Dawson

Seven Star Mountain

NIGHT SCENERY Tea cultivation has a long tradition in Maokong, and both superior leaf and production techniques were encouraged during the Japanese colonial period (1895~1945). Iron Goddess tea and Baozhong tea (both kinds are Oolongs) were introduced to Maokong from mainland China, and are now the best-known teas grown in the area.

Within a stone’s throw of the plantation-area gondola station are dozens of lovely rustic teahouses where visitors can try the local tea and delicious tea cuisine. Sitting out on the wooden deck of a hillside teahouse, with its expansive views of the city, has to be one the best ways to enjoy Taipei’s nighttime scenery.

Anyone heading up to Maokong should also make time to stop off at the attractive Zhinan Temple. There are superb views from the temple grounds, which are usually very peaceful and quiet in the evenings.

More Inspiring Places Taipei 101 Observatory Formerly the tallest building in the world (that accolade now belongs to the Bur j Dubai), Taipei 101 has some great views of the city it towers over. Take the elevator, which travels at an ear-popping 36.7mph, to the main observatory on the 89th f loor and then walk up two more f loors to the outdoor observatory for the best, if slightly vertigo-inducing, nighttime views.

Miramar Ferris Wheel This 70m-tall ferris wheel sits on top of Miramar Entertainment Park, and is the perfect place to take that special someone for a romantic evening. The ride, a single turn, takes around 20 minutes and at the highest point you see plenty of the city’s sights, including Dajia Riverside Park down below. {ENGLisH & CHINESE}

Baozhong tea Chinese Culture University Dajia Riverside Park Elephant Mountain Four Beasts Mountain He Xian-gu Iron Goddess tea Lu Dong-bin Maokong

Mountains around Taipei of fer great views of the city

包種茶 中國文化大學 大佳河濱公園 象山 四獸山 何仙姑 鐵觀音 呂洞賓 貓空

Maokong Gondola Miramar Ferris Wheel Muzha Seven Star Mountain Tiger Mountain Xiaoyoukeng Yangmingshan Zhinan Temple

貓空纜車 美麗華摩天輪 木柵 七星山 虎山 小油坑 陽明山 指南宮

ON STAGE / OFF STAGE

Scene of “ The Journey to the West” per formed by I Wan Jan Puppet Theater

Keeping It in the Family:

I Wan Jan Puppet Theater 50

Travel in Taiwan

Photo / Maggie Song

PUPPET THEATER

A gilded wooden theater stands in front of row upon row of bright-red molded plastic stools, under the enormous entrance porch of Taipei’s historic Zhongshan Hall, and at first glance its ornately carved extravagance seems oddly out of place in this informal setting, outside the big front doors of one of Taipei’s original spaces formally dedicated to the performing arts. But this is the perfect setting for the evocatively Chinese art form called Taiwanese puppet theater or budaixi, an art form for the masses, like Taiwanese opera, which it resembles in several ways. By Richard Saunders

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ON STAGE / OFF STAGE

Every

one of the stools is soon claimed, and late arrivals are forced to stand as a thunderous tattoo, thrashed out on cymbals and drums, signals the start of the performance by I Wan Jan Puppet Theater troupe with a violence that has several of the many young children in the audience throwing their hands up to their ears. Af ter a few minutes the heaven-storming percussion stops, leaving our ears ringing. The remainder of the ten-piece ensemble of Chinese instruments strikes up, and behind the curtains of the little theater the puppet master is glimpsed – a boy of just f if teen.

This early-starter is f rom the fourth generation of the Li family’s I Wan Jan troupe to master this

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traditional Taiwanese art form, and the great grandson of the most famous Taiwanese puppet master of them all, Li Tien-lu. Li founded I Wan Jan Puppet Theater exactly eighty years ago, in 1931, and in the intervening decades it’s gone on to become the most acclaimed budaixi troupe in Taiwan. Li worked tirelessly during his long life to promote the art form, teaching new puppet masters, giving performances in far-f lung places such as the USA, France, and Japan, winning many prizes for his work, and even taking the title role in famed Taiwan director Hou Hsiao-hsien’s f ilm T he Puppetmaster (based on Li’s own story), which won a Jury Prize at Cannes in 1993. Master Li died in 1998, but his descendants continue to run I Wan Jan, giving numerous performances in Taiwan and touring abroad several times each year – Mexico is on the performance agenda for 2011. origins of budaixi can be traced back to China’s Fu jian province in the early 17th

The

century. The art was brought to Taiwan

by Fu jianese immigrants, gradually developing during the succeeding three centuries into the several forms practiced in Taiwan today. According to one of the troupe’s members, Lin Yung-chih, performances of budaixi are far more common in Taiwan nowadays than in mainland China, with troupes developing new, less traditional styles, including extremely popular made-forTV puppet productions aimed at the younger market, chock-f ull of action sequences and special effects.

Lin explains the attraction of budaixi: “Its charm lies in the f igure images of the puppets, the skill of the puppeteer, and the combination of the stage set, music, and voices together,” going on to say that “Like close-up magic, it makes strict demands of the main puppeteer. There is one main puppeteer and three assistants, who are responsible for all characters in

Photos / Maggie Song

The young puppet master brings life to each puppet via tiny movements of his fingers, showing off his skill through several intricately choreographed sword fights

PUPPET THEATER the play, even though 20 (puppets] may appear.”

For all its continuing popularity with audiences in Taiwan, however, f inding and training new troupe members has been challenging. Lee Chiun-kuang, executive secretary of Li Tien-lu Hand Puppet Historical Museum, points out that it takes at least three years to train a new puppeteer and with up to 20 puppets to maneuver during each show and about 10 shows in the troupe’s repertory, there’s a lot to learn. In 1984, I Wan Jan launched a new initiative, introducing the art form to elementary-school children around Taiwan, hoping to instill an early interest in the form and recruit some young new talent to swell the troupe’s numbers, which range in age f rom a tender nine years old to over 50. its performance today, I Wan Jan has chosen a short extract f rom a well-loved Chinese classic, Journey to the West (perhaps most familiar in the Western world as a result of its incarnation as a popular TV series called Monkey). This is apparently one of the more elaborate pieces in the troupe’s repertoire, requiring the puppet master and his three assistants to handle (and give voice to) 20 characters, including several animals. As the production starts, a cloud of atmospheric smoke drif ts off the stage, and the f irst f igures appear.

The hollow head and hands of the glove puppets (into which the puppeteer inserts his f ingers) are carved f rom wood, while the body is made of cloth, the clothing worn of ten elaborately embroidered. Our young puppet master brings life to each puppet via tiny movements of his f ingers, showing off his skill through several intricately choreographed sword f ights and, in one especially impressive moment, having one of the characters daintily pick up a tiny, long-spouted teapot just a couple of centimeters tall and pour himself a drink. Real water

For

pours f rom the tiny spout, and not a drop misses the tiny target.

As well as bringing lifelike movements to the various puppets in the performance, the puppet master gives most of them their voice as well.

The language is Taiwanese, although for their performances in foreign countries the troupe has developed a silent form with the story told purely through the movements of the puppets, a method that was inspired, says Lee Chiun-kuang, by French mime artist Marcel Marceau. For these dialogue-f ree foreign performances, he continues, the troupe performs both adapted traditional pieces and more unusual repertoire, including I Wan Jan’s own version of Shakespeare’s Henry IV! the performance f inishes the puppeteers emerge f rom behind the stage, and af ter accepting our applause take out a handf ul of glove puppets and let the eager children have a go themselves. It’s a good opportunity to get a close-up look at the beautif ullymade puppets. Lee points out that the over 300 puppets used in the troupe’s performances will have a lifespan of many decades, but hundreds of older and more valuable puppets and other possessions have been put away for safekeeping. Seeing these involves a drive up to the Li Tien-lu Hand Puppet Historical Museum, hidden away on a quiet residential road outside the town of Sanzhi on the north coast of Taiwan, an hour f rom Taipei.

The museum occupies a twostory house, which f rom the outside looks just like the other Westernstyle, semi-detached residences along this quiet lane. Step inside the f ront door, however, and a beautif ul gilded puppet theater, just like the one used by the troupe for performances, ushers the visitor into a different world. The f irst f loor is given over to handson exhibits of the hand-puppeteer’s craf t. Visitors are welcome to try out the drums and other traditional musical instruments that are part of a

When

budaixi performance, paint and clothe their own hand puppet (for a small fee), and even give their own puppet performance in a second small theater.

A small auditorium lined with redvelvet drapes lies hidden away at the rear of the building, and is opened up once a month (usually on the weekend) for performances.

Heading up the stairwell to the second f loor, the face of Li Tienlu himself smiles at you – a ghostly hologram. The rooms beyond are devoted mainly to displays of Li’s magnif icent collection of old puppets, musical instruments, embroidered clothes, and other tools of the puppet master’s art. The best pieces in the master’s collection are kept here, permanently locked away behind plate glass, where the life-like quality and beautif ully caught expressions of many of the puppet heads, and the elaborate attention to detail in the embroidery on some of the tiny costumes, can be examined.

While Li Tien-lu’s beautif ul collection shows the subtle, artistic side of this uniquely Taiwanese form of entertainment, his descendants continue to ensure the traditions are kept alive, to the delight of crowds of Taiwanese and a few foreigners too. I Wan Jan’s traditional brand of budaixi may be an art form enjoyed by the masses, but the skill on display during its performances makes this one form of popular art that can be equally appreciated by those with a more “discerning” taste as well.

Li TiEN-LU HAND PUPPET HisTORiCAL MUsEUM ( 李天祿布袋文物館 ) Add :

26, Zhibo Rd., Sanzhi District, New Taipei City ( 新北市三芝區芝柏路 26 號 ) Tel: (02) 2636 - 9174, 8635 -3917 Website : ltlpuppet.pixnet.net/blog (Chinese) {ENGLisH & CHINESE}

budaixi Hou Hsiao-hsien

Journey to the West I Wan Jan Puppet Theater Li Tien-lu Sanzhi

The Puppetmaster Zhongshan Hall

布袋戲 侯孝賢 西遊記 亦宛然掌中劇團 李天祿 三芝 戲夢人生 中山堂

53

Travel in Taiwan

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HOTEL INFORMATION

HOTEL INFORMATION

Hotels of Taiwan

V

THE GRAND HOTEL 圓山大飯店

Taipei 台北

GLORIA PRINCE HOTEL TAIPEI 華 泰 王 子大 飯 店

Taipei 台北

COSMOS HOTEL 天成大飯店

Taipei 台 北

ROYAL BIZ TAIPEI 金來商旅

Taipei 台 北

HOTEL ÉCLAT

怡 亨 酒 店 Taipei 台 北

isitors to Taiwan have a wide range of choice when it comes to accommodation. From five-star luxury hotels that meet the

highest international standards, to affordable business hotels, to hotspring and beach resort hotels, to privately-run homestays located in the countryside there is a place to stay that satisfies every traveler’s needs.

What all hotels of Taiwan — small and big, expensive and affordable —

NO. OF ROOMS: 487 (Suites: 57) ROOM RATES:

Single/DBL NT$ 5,700 – 11,000

Suite NT$ 15,000 – 28,000 DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, French, Spanish, and Japanese

have in common is that serve and hospitality are always of the highest

RESTAURANTS: Western, Cantonese, Northern China Style Dumplings, tea house, coffee shop

standards. The room rates in the following list have been checked for

SPECIAL FEATURES: Grand Ballroom, conference rooms for 399 people, 10 breakout rooms, business center, fitness center, sauna, Olympic-size swimming pool, tennis courts, billiards

each hotel, but are subject to change without notice. Room rates at the

NO. OF ROOMS: 220 ROOM RATES: Deluxe / Single / Twin & Double NT$ 7,800~8,500

Suite NT$ 9,500~20,000 DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, English, Japanese

NO. OF ROOMS: 226 ROOM RATES: Superior Single

Deluxe Single

Superior Twin

Deluxe Triple

Deluxe Twin

Deluxe Suite Family Triple Room

RESTAURANTS: La Fontaine (Western), Chiou Hwa (Chinese)

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese,

SPECIAL FEATURES: Coffee Shop, Fitness Center, Business Center, laundry service, meeting and banquet facilities, non-smoking floor, parking lot, airport transfer service

Cantonese, Taiwanese snacks, Jiangzhe cuisine, Gelato Café, coffee shop

Japanese, English, Cantonese

RESTAURANTS: Shanghainese,

SPECIAL FEATURES: Conference rooms,

flower shop, barber shop, souvenir shop, parking area

hotels apply.

PACIFIC BUSINESS CENTER

Taipei 台北

NO. OF ROOMS: 93 rooms, 28 offices, 4 meeting rooms ROOM RATES:

Superior Room NT$ 5,600+10% Executive Room NT$ 6,000+10%

Junior Room NT$ 6,800+10% Excellency Room NT$ 7,800+10%

Premium Suite NT$ 8,800+10% GENERAL MANAGER: Te Yao DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, English SPECIAL FEATURES: Free wireless acess, VIP lounge, private meeting rooms and secretarial services, private office rental services, high-speed ADSL broadband Internet, non-smoking floors, safety deposit box, laundry service, limousine service, airport transportation, basement parking, gym

THE REGENT TAIPEI 台北晶華酒店

Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 538 ROOM RATES:

Superior Room Deluxe Room Junior Suite Corner Suite Residence Elite Suite

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

12,000 13,000 20,500 30,500 17,000 24,500

English, Japanese, Chinese

RESTAURANTS:

Szechuan & Cantonese Cuisine, Japanese Cuisine, Steak House & Teppanyaki, Lounge Bar, Buffet, Café

SPECIAL FEATURES: Executive business

center, fitness center, sauna, rooftop swimming pool, SPA, ballroom and convention facilities, parking, laundry service, 24-hour room service, wireless Internet, airport transportation service

MIRAMAR GARDEN TAIPEI

美 麗 信 花 園 酒 店 Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 203 ROOM RATES:

Deluxe Room

Business Room Executive Deluxe Room

Boss Suite

Premier Suite

SPECIAL FEATURES: Full-amenity meeting rooms, gym, business center, airport limousine service, laundry service, free mechanized parking lot, tour arrangements, currency exchange, close to the MRT system and major commercial and tourist sites.

www.gloriahotel.com

www.cosmos-hotel.com.tw

台北花園大酒店

GENERAL MANAGER: Linda Chu DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Japanese, Mandarin, Taiwanese, Cantonese RESTAURANTS: Rain Forest Café, Garden Terrace, Lounge 81

Tel: 02.2397.9399 Fa x: 02.2397.1399 Res. Hotline: 02.2396.9321 E-mail:rsvn@royalbiz.com.tw service@royalbiz.com.tw

www.grand-hotel.org

NO. OF ROOMS: 241 ROOM RATES: NT$ 7,000 NT$ 8,000 NT$ 9,000 NT$ 13,000 NT$ 18,000

71, Sec. 1, Jinshan S. Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 100

Fax: 02.2581.5811, 2568-2924

Superior Room Premier Room Deluxe Room Junior Suite Garden Suite

Taipei 台 北

Tel: 02.2581.8111

HOTEL SENSE 伸適商旅

Taipei 台北

(All rates are subject to 10% service charge)

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

Japanese, English, Chinese

RESTAURANTS: La Fusion Restaurant,

La Fusion Bakery, Hanazono Japanese Restaurant, La Fusion Bar, La Fusion Deli

SPECIAL FEATURES:

SPECIAL FEATURES:Business center, Pyramid Club - luxury executive floor, multifunctional room, Internet service, 32-inch LCD TV, garden terrace, bar, fitness club, outdoor pool, sauna, spa, aromatherapy, car park

Fitness Center, Business Center, Conference & Dining Facilities; (Rooms Facilities) 32” LCD TV/Pay Broadband Internet Access/ Multi Channel Satellite TV with Domestic and Foreign Programming/En-suite Shower and Bath/TOTO Washlet

83 Civic Boulevard, Sec. 3, Taipei City, 104 104台北市市民大道三段8 3號

1, Zhonghua Rd. Sec. 2, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 10065

41 Chung Shan (Zhongshan) N. Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei City, 104

110 台北市 信義 區 光復 南 路 49 5 號 11樓

104台北市中山北路二段41號

Tel: 02.8780.8000 Fax: 02.8780.5000 E-mail: pbc.taipei@msa.hinet.net

Tel: 02.2523.8000 Fax: 02.2523.2828

Tel: 02.8772.8800 Fax: 02.8772.1010 E-mail: info@miramargarden.com.tw

Tel: 886.2.2314.6611 Fa x: 886.2.2314.5511 E-mail: fo@taipeigarden.com.tw

www.businesscenter.com.tw

www.grandformosa.com.tw

www.miramargarden.com.tw

www.taipeigarden.com.tw

10 0 6 5台北市中正 區中 華路二 段 1號

ROOM RATES:

Superior Room

Business Room

Deluxe Room Executive Deluxe Room

Executive Suite

Sense Suite

SUNWORLD DYNASTY HOTEL TAIPEI

Taipei 台 北

王朝大酒店

NO. OF ROOMS: 738 ROOM RATES: Deluxe Room NT$ 7,700

NO. OF ROOMS: 79 NT$ 7,000 NT$ 8,000 NT$ 9,000 NT$ 10,000 NT$ 16,000

11F, 495 Guangfu S. Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City 110

Travel in Taiwan

RESTAURANTS: Lobby Lounge (Western and Chinese buffet breakfast)

(MRT Taipei Main Station, Exit 3) 100台北市忠孝西路一段4 3號 (台北捷運總 站3號出口)

Tel: 886.2.2886.8888 Fax: 886.2.2885.2885

TAIPEI GARDEN HOTEL

369 Lin-sen (Linsen) N. Rd., Taipei City, 104 104台北市林森北路3 69號

Tel: 02.2361.7856 Fa x: 02.2311.8921 Reser vation Hotline: 02.2311.8901 Reser vation Fa x: 02.2311.8902 E-mail: cosmos@cosmos-hotel.com.tw

10 4 61台北市中山北 路 四段1號

54

NO. OF ROOMS: 48 ROOM RATES:

Standard Room NT$ 6,000+10%

Deluxe Room NT$ 6,500+10%

Superior Suite NT$ 7,500+10% DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Chinese, Japanese,

43, Chunghsiao (Zhongxiao) W. Rd., Sec. 1, Taipei City, 100

1 Chung shan N. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City, 10461 R.O.C

太平洋商務中心

NT$ 3,200 ~ 3,500 NT$ 4,000 ~ 5,000 NT$ 4,000 NT$ 4,500 NT$ 4,800 ~ 5,000 NT$ 7,000 ~ 10,000 NT$ 4,300

NT$ 7,500 NT$ 8,500 NT$ 9,500 NT$ 9,000 NT$ 10,000 NT$ 15,000

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Chinese, Japanese RESTAURANTS: Sen Salon Restaurant SPECIAL FEATURES: Business center, fitness center, meeting rooms, Club House with luxury furniture and advanced media facilities for private meetings and gatherings, wood-floored open-air Sky Garden, parking tower, close to the MRT system near Zhongshan Elemen tary school MRT station and key commercial and entertainment districts.

Premier Room Junior Suite Deluxe Suite Executive Suite

NT$ 8,200 NT$ 9,200 NT$ 11,500 NT$ 17,500

EXECUTIVE CLUB FLOOR

Deluxe Room Premier Room Deluxe Suite Executive Suite

NT$ 9,000 NT$ 9,500 NT$ 15,000 NT$ 21,000

www.royalbiz.com.tw

TAIPEI GALA HOTEL

慶 泰 大 飯 店 Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 160 ROOM RATES:

Single Room NT$ Deluxe Single Room NT$ Deluxe Twin Room NT$ Suite Room NT$

4,200 4,600 5,000 6,600

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

English, Japanese, Chinese

RESTAURANTS: Golden Ear Restaurant

RESTAURANTS: Le Parc Café, Magnolia Court,

SPECIAL FEATURES: Business Center,

SPECIAL FEATURES: 738 large-size guest

rooms with high ceilings, incl. 42 suites.

Grand lobby entrance with magnificent atrium.

Outdoor swimming pool heated during winter.

Fully equipped gym, fitness center, sauna, and aerobics room. Fully equipped business center.

Hi-speed broadband Internet access. Safety deposit box. Express laundry service. Limousine service, airport pick-up. State-ofthe-art audiovisual equipment.

Deluxe Room Grand Deluxe Room Premier Room Premier 9 Éclat Suite

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

12,000 12,500 13,000 15,000 35,000

(All rates are inclusive of 5% VAT and subject to 10% service charge)

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

English, Taiwanese, Chinese, Japanese, Cantonese,

RESTAURANTS: Ming Yuen, Éclat Lounge, George Bar

SPECIAL FEATURES: Member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World; strategically located in the most fashionable and prestigious district of Taipei; offers guests great convenience for business and entertainment; Wi-Fi connectivity and in-room business facilities; variety of meeting rooms providing the ideal venue for professional meetings, corporate functions, and social gatherings.

370, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd., Da-an District, Taipei City 106 106 台北市敦化南路一段370號

Tel: 02.2784.8888 Fax: 02.2784.7888 Res. Hotline: 02.2784.8118

www.eclathotels.com

SAN WANT RESIDENCES TAIPEI

台 北 神 旺 商 務 酒 店 Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 81 ROOM RATES:

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Canton Palace

ROOM RATES:

10 0 台北市中正 區 金 山南 路 一段71號

(Western semi buffet); Golden Pot (Chinese Cuisine)

Chinese, Japanese, English

NO. OF ROOMS: 60

meeting rooms, airport transfer service, parking lot, laundry service, free Internet access, LCD TV, DVD player, personal safety box, mini bar, private bathroom with separate shower & bath tub, hair dryer

186 Songjiang Rd., Taipei City,104

Studio Room Park View Room

Deluxe Suite Park View Suite

Penthouse

NT$ 8,000~ 9,000 NT$ 8,800~ 9,800 NT$ 12,600~ 13,600 NT$ 20,000~ 21,000 NT$ 50,000

D ESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

English, Japanese, Chinese

RESTAURANTS: Dining Lounge (Buffet Breakfast & Shanghai Cuisine)

SPECIAL FEATURES: A Member of Small

Luxury Hotels of the World, Showcase of Contemporary Taiwanese Art Collections, Personal Secretarial Assistance, All Day Free Coffee and Snack at the Lounge, Fitness Center, Free Wireless Internet Access in Guestrooms and Public Areas, Free Rental of Business Cell Phone, Complimentary 24-hour Shoeshine Service, 37” LCD TV, Pants Presser & Suit Rack, Multi-Functional Fax/Jet Printer, Sunken Bathtub

104台北市松江路18 6號

477, Linsen N. Rd., Zhongshan District, Taipei City 104 104台北市中山區林森北路477號

100 Dun Hua North Road, Taipei Taiwan R.O.C.

Tel: 02.7743.1000 Fax: 02.7743.1100

Tel: 02.2719.7199 Fa x: 02.2545.9288 E-mail: bc@sunworlddynasty.com.tw

Tel: 02.2541.5511 Fax: 02.2531.3831 Reservation Hotline: 02.2541.6888 E-mail: galahtl@ms18.hinet.net

www.hotelsense.com.tw

www.sunworlddynasty.com

www.galahotel.com.tw

台北市敦化北路100號

Exit 1 of MRT Xingtian Temple Station on the Luzhou Line.

128 Nanjing East Rd., Sec. 1, Taipei City, 104 104台北市南京東路一段128號

Tel: 02.2511.5185 Fax: 02.2511.1585 E-mail: reservation@swresidences.com

www.swresidences.com

55

Travel in Taiwan

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HOTEL INFORMATION FUSHIN HOTEL 富信大 飯 店

Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 88 ROOM RATES: S tandard Double Room NT$ 6,000 Deluxe Double Room NT$ 6,500~6,700 Superior Twin Room NT$ 6,500~6,700

Deluxe Triple Room NT$ 7,500 Deluxe Family Room NT$ 8,000

Business Suite NT$ 9,000~9,200

Premier Twin Suite NT$ 15,000 ( Prices above including 15% Service Charge )

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

IMPERIAL HOTEL TAIPEI

TAIPEI FULLERTON – FU-XING SOUTH

NO. OF ROOMS: 288 ROOM RATES:

NO. OF ROOMS: 100

台 北 華 國 大 飯 店 Taipei 台 北

Superior Room

Premier Room

Deluxe Room C lub Deluxe Room

Suite

Imperial Suite

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

8,000 8,500 9,000 10,000 13,000 ~16,000 28,000

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

English, Japanese, Chinese

English, Chinese, Japanese, Cantonese

RESTAURANTS:Cantonese, Steakhouse, Bar ,

RESTAURANTS: Chinese and Western buffet

T (T Cube)Bar & Restaurant, T (T Square )

breakfast, Café One

SPECIAL FEATURES: Welcome fruit basket,

newspaper, gym, free parking, free self-help laundry, business center, free cable and wireless Internet access, free pick-up service within city limits

HOTEL INFORMATION

3

2

1

Toyko In Dining Bar, T (One )Thai Bistro, 24Hour Room Service

SPECIAL FEATURES: Banquet and Convention Facilities ,Business Center ,Fitness Center, Club Floors, MRT Transfer Service ,Parking Lot

台 北 馥 敦 - 復 南 館 Taipei 台 北

ROOM RATES:

Superior Room Executive Room Deluxe Room Junior Suite Fullerton Room VIP Suite Presidential Suite

TAIPEI LEADER HOTEL 立德台大尊賢會 館

NO. OF ROOMS: 72 ROOM RATES: NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

5,500 5,900 6,200 6,800 7,100 8,100 19,000

(above rates not including 10% service charge; for discount offers, please call hotel or visit our website)

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

English, Japanese, Chinese

SPECIAL FEATURES: Close to Taipei 101 commercial area; 1 minute on foot to MRT Daan Station; free coffee and handmade cookies in lobby; free wireless Internet access; gym; sauna; business center; valet parking; complimentary Chinese/Western buffet breakfast; welcome fruit basket and mineral water.

Superior Single

Superior Twin

Deluxe Single

Leader Suite Executive Suite

Taipei 台 北

NT$ 5,500+10% NT$ 6,000+10% NT$ 6,000+10% NT$ 10,000+10% NT$ 15,000+10%

(Rooms on sale starting at NT$3,200)

Café 83 Fusion Restaurant, City View Lounge, Multi- Functional Meeting Rooms, Gym, Sauna. , Multi- Function Shower, Multi- Function Shower Room with, Massage Function (Suite) , 32”TV/DVD Player, ADSL Modem, Fax Machine Rental

83, Roosevelt Rd. Sec. 4, Da’an District, Taipei City 10673

41, Sec. 2, Fuxing S. Rd., Taipei City 106 (near junction with Xinyi Rd.)

台北市民權東路六段123巷3 4 弄1號

Tel: 02.2791.5678 Fa x: 02.2796.2311 E-mail: rsvn@fushin-hotel.com.tw

Tel: 02.2596.5111 Fax: 02.2592.7506 E-mail: taipei@imperialhotel.com.tw

Tel: 02.2703.1234 Fax: 02.2705.6161 E-mail: service2@taipeifullerton.com.tw

Tel: 886.2.8369.2858 E-mail: ntu@leaderhotel.com

www.fushin-hotel.com.tw

www.imperialhotel.com.tw

www.taipeifullerton.com.tw

www.leaderhotel.com.tw

雲 品 酒 店 Sun Moon Lake 日 月 潭

CHATEAU DE CHINE HOTEL 花蓮翰品酒店

Hualien 花 蓮

3,900 4,100 4,500 5,600 6,800

(All rates are subject to 10% service charge)

RESTAURANT: Breakfast Lounge

1 0 6 台 北 市 復 興 南 路 2 段 4 1 號( 信 義 路 口 )

FLEUR DE CHINE HOTEL

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

SPECIAL FEATURES:

104台北市林森北路 600號

Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 90 ROOM RATES: Business Single Room Deluxe Single Room

Deluxe Twin Room

Business Suite

Deluxe Suite

Tainan 台南

Japanese, English, Chinese

600 Lin Shen North Rd., Taipei City,104

君品酒店

成大會館

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Chinese, Japanese

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

1, Alley 34, Lane 123, Sec. 6, Minquan E. Rd., Taipei City

PALAIS DE CHINE HOTEL

ZENDA SUITES

10673台北市大安區羅斯福路四段8 3號

ALISHAN HOUSE 阿里山賓館

SPECIAL FEATURES: Located in the center of the city, spacious rooms with wide views, 24H self-service business center, free Internet access, gym, multifunctional meeting and banquet rooms, coin laundry, free indoor parking, Tainan Railway Station and shuttle-bus stop for High Speed Rail close by, beside major university campus with century-old trees and jogging opportunity.

KING’S TOWN HOTEL 京城大飯店

Superior Room

Deluxe Room

Family Twin Room E xecutive Superior Room Executive Deluxe Room

Junior Suite

Executive Suite

La Rose Suite

Charles V Suite

NT$ 11,000 NT$ 12,500 NT$ 14,500 NT$ 15,000 NT$ 16,500 NT$ 18,000 NT$ 21,000 NT$ 100,000 NT$ 150,000

(All rates are subject to 10% service charge)

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English,Chinese, Japanese RESTAURANTS: La Rotisserie, Le Palais, Le Thé, Le Bar SPECIAL FEATURES:Gym, business center, ballroom and function rooms, VIP salon, wireless internet, gift shop, room service, E-butler service, airport transportation service, located in an area of the city with heritage sites and tourist attractions.

NO. OF ROOMS: 211 ROOM RATES:

NO. OF ROOMS: 211 ROOM RATES:

Mountain View King Room NT$ 13,000~14,000 Mountain View Two Queen Room NT$ 13,000~14,000

Zen Mountain View Room NT$ 13,000~14,000

Lake View King Room NT$ 15,000~16,000

Lake View Two Queen Room NT$ 15,000~16,000

Washiki Lake View Room NT$ 15,000~16,000

Governor Lake View Suite NT$ 20,000~21,000

Royal Lake View Suite NT$ 25,000

Summit Lake View Suite NT$ 120,000

Penthouse Suite NT$ 150,000 (All rates are subject to 10% service charge)

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, English, Japanese RESTAURANT:Chinese food, buffet, teppanyaki, afternoon tea, lobby lounge, rooftop restaurant

SPECIAL FEATURES:Banquet and conference facility, VIP lounge, boutique, wireless internet, e-butler, laundry service, room service, parking, SPA, hotspring, play ground, swimming pool, gym, HSR transportation service, out circular concourse, trail hiking, etc.

No.3, Sec. 1, Chengde Rd., Taipei City 10351

No.23, Zhongzheng Rd., Sun Moon Lake, Yuchi Township, Nantou County 55546

10 3 51台北市承德 路 一段 三號

5 5 5 4 6 南 投 縣 魚 池 鄉日月潭中正 路2 3 號

Tel: 02.2181.9999 Fax: 02.2181.9988

Tel: 049.285.6788 Fax: 049.285.6600

www.palaisdechinehotel.com

56

Travel in Taiwan

www.fleurdechinehotel.com

Superior Single Room Superior Twin Room Superior Triple Room Superior Family Room Deluxe Family Room Deluxe Suite Room Executive Suite Room

NT$ 4,800 NT$ 5,400 NT$ 6,000 NT$ 6,600 NT$ 7,800 NT$ 8,800 NT$ 16,800

(All rates are subject to 10% service charge)

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Taiwanese, Chinese, Japanese

RESTAURANTS: Western buffet-style, Chinese SPECIAL FEATURES: Multifunctional banquet and meeting facilities, business center, male and female saunas, rental facilities for cars and bicycles, lounge bar, children’s games room, fitness center, chess room, outdoor swimming pool, green eco-pond, free transport to railway station and airport.

ROOM RATES:

Scenery Suite NT$ 6,600 Honey Suite NT$ 6,600 Fragrant Suite NT$ 8,600 Superior Suite NT$ 9,500 VIP Suite NT$ 12,000

(Prices above not including 10% Service Charge)

GENERAL MANAGER: Mr. Jen-Shing Chen DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

Chinese, English, Japanese

RESTAURANTS: Chinese, Café, Courtyard SPECIAL FEATURES:

Broadband Internet access in guestrooms, business center, Souvenir Shop, Gazebo, 1950’s dance hall, foot massage

16 Sianglin Village, Alishan Township, Chiayi County, 605 No.2, Yongxing Rd., Hualien City, Hualien County 97060 97060花蓮市永興路2號

Tel: 03.823.5388 Fax: 03.822.1185

hualien.chateaudechine.com

605嘉義縣阿里山鄉香林村16號 ALISHAN Tel: 05.267.9811 Fax: 05.267.9596 TAIPEI Tel: 02.2563.5259 Fax: 02.2536.5563

E-mail: service@alishanhouse.com.tw

www.alishanhouse.com.tw

花 蓮 藍 天 麗 池 飯 店 Hualien 花 蓮

NO. OF ROOMS: 153

ROOM RATES:

ROOM RATES:

Business Single Room NT$

Deluxe Single Room NT$

Business Twin Room NT$

Family Twin Room NT$

2,640 3,080 3,080 4,400

( Prices above including 10% Service Charge )

Superior Room Classic Room Deluxe Room Theme Room Azure Suite

NT$ 3,800 NT$ 4,600 NT$ 6,800 NT$ 6,800 NT$ 12,000

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, English, Japanese

Chinese, English, Japanese

RESTAURANTS:Taiwanese/Hakka cuisine,

RESTAURANTS:Chinese and Western style

brunch, Western cuisine

food, delicious buffet, cold dishes, fruit, and salad bar

SPECIAL FEATURES:Guestrooms with floor-

SPECIAL FEATURES:Business center, nonsmoking floors, wireless Internet access, 32” LCD TVs, newspaper, free parking, tourist map, currency exchange

HUALIEN CITY CLASSIC RESORT HOTEL 花蓮 經 典假日飯 店

Hualien 花 蓮

NO. OF ROOMS: 79

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

to-ceiling windows, views of Pacific Ocean or Central Mountain Range, multifunctional public space, Azure Club, gym, pet hotel, KTV, board game and computer game room, located in Hualien City center, close to snack food and shopping streets

ROOM RATES:

Standard Room Superior Twin Superior Triple Superior Double Twin Superior Suite Classic Suite

NT$ 4,000 NT$ 4,200 NT$ 4,800 NT$ 5,600 NT$ 6,000 NT$ 10,000

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, English, Japanese

RESTAURANTS:Chinese, Western, and International cuisine, afternoon tea

SPECIAL FEATURES:1/2F public area with

unlimited Internet access, broadband Internet access in guestrooms, notebooks available at meeting room, free self-help coffee and tea, free parking, central location (5-min. walk to railway station), pick-up service, projector and screen available at conference room, newspapers and magazines, LCD screen TV-sets

Tel: 06.275.8999 Fax: 06.209.3567

362 Jiuru (Chiu Ju) 2nd Rd., Sanmin District, Kaohsiung City, 80745 8 0 74 5 高 雄 市 三 民 區 九 如 二 路 3 6 2 號 Tel: 07.311.9906 Fax: 07.311.9591 E-mail: ksthotel@ms33.hinet.net

www.zendasuites.com.tw

590 Zhongzheng Rd., Hualien City, 970 970 花蓮市中正路590號 Tel: 03.833.6686 Fax: 03.3.832.3569

139 Guolian 5th Rd., Hualien City, 970 970 花蓮市國聯五路139號 Tel: 03.835.9966 Fax: 03.835.9977 Reservation: 03.833.6066 E-mail: service@classichotel.com.tw

www.kingstown-hotel.com.tw

www.azurehotel.com.tw

www.classichotel.com.tw

2, Daxue Rd., Tainan City 701 台南市大學路2號

Chiayi 嘉 義

NO. OF ROOMS: 35

AZURE HOTEL

NO. OF ROOMS: 150

Edison Travel Service specializes in Taiwan tours and offers cheaper hotel room rates and car rental services with drivers .

Edison welcomes contact with other travel services around the world.

NO. OF ROOMS: 286 ROOM RATES:

Kaohsiung 高雄

ISSN:18177964

GPN:2009305475

200 NTD

Participants of the annual Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage BACK

Religious objects used during traditional ceremonies

Funny looking characters are part most religious processions in Taiwan

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Inside Qingshui Chaoxing Temple, an important temple dedicated to Mazu

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The ritual fire-walking is part of the Baosheng Dadi birthday celebrations

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Praying in front of religious icons with burning joss sticks in hand is a common sight in local temples

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fireworks over Taipei’s Baoan Temple during the Baosheng Dadi birthday celebrations

Incense burner inside Baoan Temple

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