In 1624 the Dutch East India Company built Fort Zeelandia in what is today Tainan’s Anping District, marking the start of the city’s 400-year history. This year, the Tainan City Government is celebrating the anniversary with a series of events on the theme of “Tainan, where you belong.” Our Cover Story this month reports on this long history with articles on Tainan’s historical, archaeological, and architectural legacies and its connections with the world at large.
Subtropical Taiwan has 46 plant species in the beech family (Fagaceae), 11 of which are endemic to Taiwan. Hsu Chun-kai, chief of the Lienhuachih Research Center of the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, tells us about the high diversity of Taiwan’s Fagaceae plants. Let’s go exploring with forest experts and discover a different side of Taiwan.
Taiwanese cross-disciplinary research into vaccines and snake antivenoms is creating powerful lifesaving tools for the world. The National Health Research Institutes have thus far signed collaboration agreements with four organizations in three countries to develop snake venom rapid screening tests adapted to local needs, and are using bioengineering to overcome the disadvantages of collecting venom from live snakes. Such work has put Taiwan’s antivenom research on the world map.
Another group with an international presence is Taiwan’s team for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. We will bring you a series of articles on our athletes, sports technology, and the Cultural Olympiad, to help you understand Taiwan’s hard work in preparation for the games, as you admire our leading sportsmen and women in action.
In this issue we also have a story on David Steinke, representative at the Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei. Having lived in many countries, what are his impressions of Taiwan? What are the similarities between Czech and Taiwanese culture? Check out his remarks.
Taiwan consistently ranks among the top non-OIC destinations in the Global Muslim Travel Index produced by CrescentRating and Mastercard. This month we report on how Taiwan’s Muslim-friendly hotels, tourist attractions, and restaurants are enriching the experiences of Muslim visitors.
This year the Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area Headquarters in Central Taiwan worked with Magical Mushrooms Tribe leisure farm to put on its first halal gift and souvenir market for Eid al-Fitr, inviting 41 halal-certified food producers from Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, and Changhua to set up stalls and celebrate Eid with the Muslim community.
The theme of our Readers’ Photos feature this month is “Chill Out: Taiwan’s Iced Treats and Cooling Beverages.” In the heat of summer, why not try out one of the refreshing treats recommended by readers—they are some of life’s simplest but finest pleasures.
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