The Tree of Life

Created by artist Yang Shih-yi, The Tree of Life stands in the middle of the Qingkunshen Fan-shaped Salt Field in Tainan’s Jiangjun District. The pure white structure rises above the sea on one of the saltern’s crisscrossing embankments. It looks breathtakingly beautiful when seen from above.......

Readers’ Photos

Hakka Culture and Aesthetics

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Readers’ Photos:

Images of Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples

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Central Fountain, Chiayi

The Central Fountain in Chiayi City is an important local landmark. In its center stands a bronze statue of baseball pitcher Wu Ming-chieh (1911–1983) made by sculptor Pu Hao-ming, symbolizing the cohesive spirit of Taiwan. At night the colorful lights of the fountain and the traffic flowing a......

Learning Huayu in Taiwan

—A Journey of Boundless Possibilities

Lukas Engström is a Swedish national based in Taiwan. Shortly after he started to learn Mandarin Chinese here, he visited a soft drinks bar to buy a cup of pearl milk tea. While in the queue, he kept repeating to himself the Chinese phrases he had to say to the staff. When at last he gave the ......

Soothing Taiwan’s Sweet Tooth

Stories of Local Pastries

Rivaling Willy Wonka’s legendary chocolate bars, and laden with even more stories than Marcel Proust’s madeleine cakes, Taiwanese pastries continue to satisfy our sweet tooth. With their origins in traditional Chinese confectionery, they are made with local ingredients rich in cultural meaning......

A New Trend in Medical Tourism

—Healthcare and Health Maintenance in Taiwan

Hospitals in Taiwan possess high-end medical technology and equipment, and Taiwan is a world leader in certain specialties, including liver transplantation and reproductive medicine. Institutions here provide very cost-effective healthcare services and have a competitive advantage against the ......

The Taiwanese Camino:

Mazu Pilgrimages

The activities that take place in Taiwan each March to celebrate the goddess Mazu are the island’s most boisterous folk culture events. For seven to nine days and nights, people follow Mazu—Taiwan’s “number-one goddess”—on pilgrimages and “tours of inspection.” Walking in these processions pro......