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Spring in Grand Courtyard

The Renovation of a Historic Building

Good things spring from altruistic deeds. Kuo Su-jen, chairwoman of both Rich Development Co. and the Kuo Mu Sheng Foundation, has devoted herself passionately to the renovation of old houses, in order to renew their faded splendor. It was a new construction project that unexpectedly led Kuo t......

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DoGoodHouse

Doing Good Things

Cars whiz past Tiaoshi in New Taipei City’s Jinshan District, on the coastal highway linking Jinshan with Danshui. Beside the road, a desert-­colored, anthill-shaped home draws the eye. Viewed from above, the unusual structure looks a bit like a sea turtle crouched near the shore. Neither cafe......

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The World’s First “Quiet” Trail:

Cueifong Lake Circular Trail

T he last few years have introduced the public to a new way to appreciate Taiwan’s rich and varied terrain. The hard work of government and private organizations has brought Taiwan its first nationally recognized “silent mountain trail”: the Cueifong Lake Circular Trail on Taipingshan. In 2020......

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Saving the Sea

Wang Ming-hsiang and His Squid Birthing Suites

While many people make a living from the sea, there are few who speak out on its behalf. Many people know how to exploit the sea, but don’t understand the problems of overfishing and marine trash that are making the once beauti­ful oceans a scene of devastation. Wang Ming-hsiang loves the sea ......

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The Black-Faced Spoonbill's Second Home

Mankind’s connection with the sea allows the concepts of conservation of natural resources, preservation of human culture and history, and sustainable lifestyles to find a perfect interpretation in Tai­jiang National Park. Let us really think about the value of this place, how to carry forward......

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Saving Taiwan’s Crow Butterflies

“Thousands of crow butterflies Flap their resilient wings In a three-day aerial parade Undulating forward across hill and dale.” —Tseng Kuei-hai, “Wintertime Festival of the Crow Butterflies”......

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Life Is a Picnic—Picnicking Maven Lulu Ye

Picnics evoke a spontaneous, natural lifestyle. Yet it’s possible to jazz up a simple and easy picnic and turn it into a fashionable and elegant party. Picnic maven Lulu Ye uses her creativity and aesthetic sensibility to elevate picnics through a variety of conceptual twists. Let’s follow her......

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Multicultural Hengchun Peninsula

Cycling Provincial Highway 26

Taiwan Provincial Highway 26 is a coastal road that circumnavigates the Hengchun Peninsula. Cycling along it, on one side you see the bright blue sky merging into the ocean, while on the other there are towering green mountain ridges. When you ride into small towns and wander around, it feels ......

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Good Food, Good Places: Picnicking in Taiwan

Aside from the scenery, the most important component of picnicking is the food. There are three keys to picnic food: It’s got to be easy to carry, easy to share, and hard to spoil. It’s no wonder, then, that common picnic foods include salads, fruit, breads, and so forth. Yet with a little tho......

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Balancing Productivity and the Environment:Biodiversity Indicators in Rice Paddies

May 22 once again marked the International Day for Biological Diversity, the annual commemoration of the signing of the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity on that day in 1992. Each year, this day serves as an alarm clock, once again waking us up to the importance of living toge......

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Smiling Sister Mary

A Lifetime Dedicated to Disabled Children

“Not all of us can do great things,” said Mother Teresa of Calcutta. “But we can do small things with great love.” Sister Mary O Losa Anuna of the Philippines has been in Taiwan for nearly 30 years, looking after countless children with severe physical and mental disabilities—feeding them, cha......

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A Playground Revolution

Restoring Children's Right to Play

“One gains strength upon becoming a mother.” The fortitude of the mothers in the advocacy group “Taiwan Parks & Playgrounds for Children by Children” bears witness to the truth of this Chinese idiom. “Our children inspired us to gain expertise and fight for their right to play.” These women ha......

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Wanjin's Madonna Procession

An Integrated Religious-Cultural Event

Celebrations and processions honoring the birth of the goddess Mazu sweep across Taiwan during the third lunar month of every year. But Mazu is not the only divine figure feted in Taiwan. In fact, local Catholics also hold an annual deity procession in honor of the Virgin Mary, a custom that o......

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Daniel Gruber: Beach Cleaning Ambassador

Travelers to Taiwan often plan their visits around a circuit of the island, but an American named Daniel Gruber has added a unique twist to his tour: Gruber has been traveling the island cleaning trash from its beaches since 2013. When news of his activities first began circulating online, it ......

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Re-created Historic Sites

Capture Keelung’s Stormy History

Waves are their sky, and trawler deck their land. Not nigh is the sea that fishermen survey, but distant.                        —Zeng Yuanyao, “Railroad Alley Days”......

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Traditional Grocery Stores

A Window on a More Personal Age

Corner grocery stores once played an important role in the everyday lives of people in Taiwan. Today they are the last vestiges of vanishing traditional society. They arose to meet the needs of local communities, and place a high value on serving those communities. Their wares included cigaret......

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Frozen Desserts with Local Fruit

Penghu Cactus Ice and Yujing Mango Ice

Many travelers make pilgrimages to certain locations just to enjoy a bowl of shaved ice, ice cream, or sorbet made with locally produced fruit. Each and every mouthful offers a fresh taste. Local people are very proud of their frozen desserts, which are an integral part of the history of small......

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Walk in Taiwan

Showcasing a Culturally Self-Confident Nation

How do you pronounce the word for “tea” in your culture? Is it more like “cha,” or more like “tea”? James Shih, a guide for “Walk in Taiwan,” likes to use this question as an entry point when explain­ing to foreign visitors how tea culture spread from China to other lands around the world. If ......

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A Feast of Gratitude: Farmers’ Markets Thank Their Customers

As visitors stroll along the banks of the Xin­dian River at Bi­tan, the nearby farmers’ market hangs out lights that shine warmly through the deepening darkness. Meanwhile, some of the farmers who were hawking produce from their stands just half an hour earlier are busy cooking, while others h......

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Experiencing Slow Travel on the South Link Train Line

They came to capture images of trains against the backdrop of the blue ocean at the mouth of the Jiajinlin River in Taitung County’s Dawu Township or at Duoliang in Taimali Township. All last year train buffs headed to locations along the South Link Line in Taitung and Pingtung to snap images ......