Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the world-class bridge was included by CNN in its 2025 list of great buildings “set to shape the world.” It has transformed transportation routes in northern Taiwan and redrawn the skyline at the mouth of the Tamsui River.To preserve Tamsui’s long-celebrated sunset vista, the Danjiang Bridge stands out among Taiwan’s major public works as a rare project that placed landscape aesthetics at the heart of its design.

At an elevation of 3,858 meters, the 82-year-old Yushan Weather Station is Taiwan’s highest-elevation government office. Since the station was established in 1943, generations of staff have kept watch there year-round, observing the weather day after day and writing Taiwan’s weather diary. (Photo by Xie Xintian)

Typhoon Morakot devastated Indigenous communities in Taiwan’s mountain regions. On the eve of the disaster’s second anniversary, a joyful ceremony marked the completion of 118 permanent homes at the Shenmu Community site in Jiadongjiao, Nantou City, welcoming displaced residents into their new homes. With support and assistance from across society, they gradually began to heal and find hope again.

“A major disaster scene is like a battlefield.” As disasters grow increasingly complex, responding to them is like confronting a formidable enemy. Rescue personnel capabilities and equipment are crucial to success.When a disaster reaches overwhelming proportions, the armed forces are mobilized, serving as Taiwan’s final line of defense in disaster relief.

An albatross dies after swallowing plastic adrift at sea. A stranded seal’s stomach is found packed with plastic bags. A sea turtle that should be gliding freely through the water instead dies entangled in a fishing net. Scene after scene of marine life dying needlessly shows the severe environmental price exacted by momentary human convenience.

Tree pruning is like firefighting: physically demanding work that requires total concentration. Arborists who can “read” trees climb high on ropes to assess growth from different perspectives, then prune, care for, and evaluate risks to the trees. In the everyday coexistence of cities and trees, they also invite us to rethink the relationship between people and nature.

At a time when Taiwan was facing a COVID-19 outbreak and urgently needed vaccines, three US senators from both parties—Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Chris Coons (D-DE)—arrived on June 6, 2021, aboard a US Air Force C-17 transport aircraft, which landed safely at Taipei Songshan Airport at 7:29 a.m.It was the first US military C-17 to land in Taiwan, making the visit especially significant. Immediately after disembarking, Senator Duckworth announced that the United States would donate 750,000 vaccine doses to Taiwan. (Photo by Chang Liang-i)

Moderate Typhoon Morakot dumped 2,855 millimeters of rain in four days. This unprecedented deluge coincided with high tide downstream, preventing floodwaters from receding and ultimately causing a major disaster.

In the Age of Discovery, when Portuguese explorers saw Taiwan from their ships, they exclaimed “ilha formosa,” meaning “beautiful island.” And in the preface to his General History of Taiwan, written nearly 100 years ago, Lien Heng described Taiwan as “a beautiful island in a swirling sea. (Photo by Kyo Liu)