Mosaic Taiwan 2016 Deepening Ties with the US and Canada

Mosaic Taiwan 2016, an international youth leadership program, was launched with great fanfare on 6 June to welcome 30 outstanding youth leaders from the United States and Canada to the island. The program schedule included political and economic seminars, cultural and other visits, and exchan......

Thirty Steps to Kenya

Many children in the Mt. Elgon region of the African country of Kenya must walk barefoot for between two and four hours to attend school. This protracted journey on the area’s rocky dirt roads is not just tiring and painful, but fraught with danger. Without shoes, the students can fall victim ......

Diplomat in the Vanguard: Commemorating Yang Hsi-kun

It’s the end of one year and the beginning of another, time to take stock and express gratitude. In this spirit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Central Library, and the Central News Agency jointly organized “A Retrospective Exhibition on H.E. Ambassador Yang Hsi-kun” to commemor......

Sowing the Seeds of International Friendship

Understanding and falling in love with Taiwan in only three weeks. Thirty elite students from top universities in the United States and Canada participated in Mosaic Taiwan 2015, held for the second year by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) from June 15 to July 3. Through attending lectur......

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......