The Head of a Tiger but the Tail of a Rat

Taiwan Panorama

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Hung I-nan

December 1990

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Just the Right Light:

Lighting Tainan’s Historic Streetscape

A light comes on at the flick of a switch. Making it reveal a building’s character and a city’s stories is much harder. Coinciding with the “Tainan 400” commemorations marking the city’s 400th anniversary in 2024, this city layered with history began asking what it should look like after dark.......

Taiwan in Time and Light

Fifty Years Through Taiwan Panorama’s Lens

Have you seen that delightful photograph of a statue of the Baishatun Mazu (goddess of the sea) being carried into a convenience store? Or a statue of the Virgin Mary riding in a sedan chair in a crowded religious procession? At Taiwan Panorama 50 Through Photography—Taiwan in Focus, which is ......

Lighting Tainan After Dark:

Reading a Historic City Anew Through Light

Every city has its own light, reflecting something of its character. Paris at night calls romance to mind; Tokyo’s lights suggest technology and the future; New York’s feel modern and exuberant. What about Tainan?......

Taiwan’s Wildest Volleyball Tournament

The “Uncle A-Toh Cup” in Erlin, Changhua

A volleyball sails over a net and a moment later, a player dives headlong into muddy water. When they get up, they are so caked in mud that you can hardly tell what color their clothes were. The spectators burst out laughing, then clap and cheer. On September 19, some rice paddies in Erlin Tow......

Trending Articles

Malodorous but Delicious —

The Secrets Behind Stinky Tofu

“Stinky tofu,” known in Chinese as chou doufu, is compared by some to blue cheese. It has been reported on by international media like the BBC and CNN, and a number of eateries that offer it have earned Michelin Bib Gourmand recommendations. It has even attracted a Japanese expert in fermentat......

Douhua:

A Not-So-Simple Sweet Treat

Douhua, usually translated as “tofu pudding” or “soybean pudding,” is a widely available and highly popular street-food sweet treat in Taiwan, though it has also been served to foreign dignitaries at state banquets. It looks like a simple dish, but Taiwanese are very particular about their dou......

Herb of the Immortals:

The Story of Xiancao

In Taiwan, don’t be alarmed if you’re offered a glass of a dark liquid. Gruesome as it may look, this murky drink will not upset your bowels, nor is it meant to test your courage. This is actually grass jelly tea, made from xiancao, a.k.a. Chinese mesona (Platostoma palustre). In summer, you h......

Water in Taiwan’s Folk Rituals and Culture

The Han Chinese were originally a continental farming people, but a few centuries ago pioneers among them ventured across the “Black Ditch” of the Taiwan Strait to live on a mountainous island surrounded by ocean, with fast-flowing rivers that were prone to flooding. All across Taiwan, a uniqu......