Building Bridges to Tradition—Dadaocheng Theater

Through its commitment to selecting the best and most promising performers, Dadaocheng ­Theater is creating a platform for authors, performers, and audiences to communicate. Here, young actors are trained in the art of Taiwanese Opera, preparing for the day they finally take the stage and begi......

Youth Take on Big Roles in Taiwanese Opera

The nature of an opera troupe determines the sort of people who choose to stay on with the group. A public-sector opera troupe enables young performers of Taiwanese Opera to hone their skills. And more importantly, it affords them chances to get up on stage, which makes them feel like they’ve ......

GuoGuang Opera Company Turns 20

To mark the 20th anniversary of its founding, the Guo­Guang Opera Company for a period of almost two months beginning in July will be putting on a series of 16 romance-themed operatic performances at the ­Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. All of the pieces are classics, including Legend of the Wh......

Not Just Clowning Around: Red-Nosed “Doctors” Brighten Up Taiwan’s Hospitals

As we welcome 2016, which moments of happiness, sadness, and regret from the previous year linger in your mind? The modern Theatre de la Sardine’s “Dr. Red Nose” program, which launched in 2015, surely created many memorable moments. The program sends smiling “doctors”—actually clowns wearing ......

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......

Tradition and Innovation:

The Protean Power of Instant Noodles

Who invented instant noodles? In Taiwan, we come across the forerunner of instant noodles, the world’s first instant noodles with sauce packets containing sumptuous chunks of meat, as well as those featuring distinctively local recipes that make use of Chinese medicinal herbs and huadiao, a cl......

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 ......