Beautiful Undersea Taiwan

—Telling Stories Through Shipwrecks

Producer Tim Lee, who won three Golden Bell Awards for his series 30 Meters Under­water, in 2023 filmed Taiwan’s first ever documentary on the ecology of shipwrecks. While doing so, he discovered a previously unknown wreck in the waters off Penghu. “When I started to ascend from a depth of 40 ......

Innovation and Fusion:

The “Exotics” of Taiwanese Cuisine

In The History of Eating in Taiwan (2021), Ang Kaim and Tsao Ming-chung list Wenzhou wontons, Sichuan beef noodles, and Mongolian barbecue among authentically Taiwanese dishes that appear to have come from abroad. Cooked in unfamiliar ways, and evoking overseas places in their names, they are ......

Happy Hiking! Taiwan

–Japan Friendship Trails

“Do you think they are adequate?” This question was solicitously posed to both parties by Chou Sheng-hsin, chief executive director of the Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association, which is acting as “matchmaker” for the Taiwan–Japan “friendship trails.” “They are gorgeous!” Officials from 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......

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......