Taiwan Panorama has traced the development of Catholicism in Taiwan and portrayed moving stories of love and care that cross national borders.For example, the late Father Gian Carlo Michelini arrived in Taiwan in 1964. He took the Lan Yang Dancers, which he had founded, onto the international stage. It became the first performing arts troupe in the world to dance before the pope. He was also a major force behind the Yilan International Children’s Folklore and Folkgame Festival.

Australian cloud-computing expert Tom Fifield began his connection with Taiwan through a global high-energy physics project that frequently brought him to Academia Sinica for meetings. Obtaining a Taiwan national ID card meant that he had to complete one year of military service. “Taiwan is my base,” he said happily. “I’m very happy to have a year to give back to Taiwan.”

Every year in the third lunar month, Mazu fervor sweeps Taiwan. Yet more than a century ago, the Virgin Mary—a holy figure from the West—also became part of Taiwan’s local procession traditions. At the Wanchin Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Wanjin Village, Wanluan Township, Pingtung County, her image is carried in a palanquin to bless the people.

The paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera), common in Taiwan, is an important clue to the connection between Taiwan and Austronesian peoples. The species found on Pacific islands is not native there; it was carried from place to place as people migrated. (Courtesy of Chung Kuo-fang)

Before the Games began, a song from the Amis of Taitung had already been heard across more than 190 countries represented in the International Olympic Committee.The stirring melody and powerful vocals in an Olympic promotional video came from the Amis of Taitung, Taiwan. On the day of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics opening ceremony, “Song of Joy” became the theme of a joint harvest festival in Taitung City, with Amis singer Difang and his wife Igay leading the performance.

The national treasure known as the Zoo-anthropomorphic Jade Earring, associated with the Beinan culture, represents the pinnacle of jade craftsmanship at the time. Material analysis of jade artifacts from archaeological sites in Southeast Asia has also shown that some were made from raw material originating in Taiwan. This means that Taiwan jade was already crossing the seas to Southeast Asia thousands of years ago as part of long-distance exchange networks.

After the Vietnam War ended, Taiwan operated a Vietnamese refugee camp in Jiangmei Village, Baisha Township, Penghu County, from 1978 to 1988.Group after group of Vietnamese refugees risked their lives escaping Communist rule in Vietnam by boat. After enduring tremendous hardship, they finally received shelter and care from the government of the Republic of China.

At 11 p.m. on May 16, 2018, Gongtian Temple in Tongxiao, Miaoli County, bustled with activity as the annual Baishatun Mazu pilgrimage prepared to depart. Each year’s pilgrimage follows no fixed route. Baishatun Mazu sometimes stops at a supermarket and sometimes visits a school.