Intellectual Art

Huang Ou-po’s Visions of Taiwan

“We might say that a man could not move even ten feet without seeing some kind of beauty, provided he has the eyes to see it. Even if this world had been but a barren desert, there still would have been beauty.” —Andrew Loomis, The Eye of the Painter (1961)   Born and bred in Chiayi, Taiwan, H......

Translating Taiwan

Meetings with Literary Translators

Statistics from the National Central Library show that over 50,000 books were published in Taiwan during 2022, of which 70% were by local authors. Considering its population size, it is no exaggeration to say that Taiwan boasts one of the liveliest publishing scenes in the world. Such stunning......

Colorful History:

Restoring Fragments of Taiwan’s Past

The invention of photography enabled people to record images of their times. However, 80 years ago it was standard practice to take photos in black and white, which makes them feel more remote to people who look at them today. In Taiwan there is a group of people who are earnestly researching ......

A New Medium for Old Crafts

Taiwanese Stop-Motion Animation

“Stop-motion animation links animated film with live-action film,” explains stop-­motion animator Huang Yun-sian. More lifelike than 2D animation, but more amenable to flights of fancy than live-action cine­ma­tography, stop-motion lends itself to artistry and experimentation. But the techniqu......

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 ......