From Minimal to Infinite:

Artist Lee Zai-qian

At not yet 5 a.m. it is still dark, but 98-year-old Lee Zai-qian is already up and about. He drives to the coast of Jinshan District, New Taipei City, to watch the sunrise. “This is when the vital energy of heaven and earth is at its fullest.” He sketches and takes photographs. When the sunl......

Literature’s Compound Eyes:

Wu Ming-yi

Having previously won the Prix du Livre Insulaire and been longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize, Wu Ming-yi has this year received the prestigious National Award for Arts.......

Water from Heaven:

The Caoshan Waterway System and the Sapphire Spring

Water is precious, and we should keep in mind that it is hard to come by. But to get to know its sources is no easy matter. However, the Caoshan Waterway System, close to the Tianmu area of Taipei’s Shilin District, has been open to the public since 2020. Its facilities, dating back more than ......

Daxi’s Other New Year

A Century-Old Festival That Brings the Whole Town Together

Many cities around the world have a festival that comes to represent them: Kyoto has the Gion Matsuri and Munich has Oktoberfest. What makes these celebrations memorable is not simply the spectacle, but the way an entire city takes part. Daxi District in Taoyuan has a similar festival of its o......

Five Decades of Photos on Taiwan’s Democratic Development

.......

The Twilight Years of Taiwan’s Sugar Railways: The World’s Most Extraordinary Industrial Railway

In their heyday, Taiwan’s sugar railways formed one of the world’s most extraordinary narrow-gauge industrial railway systems. Their tracks crisscrossed southern and central Taiwan, stretching more than 3,000 kilometers—longer than the national railway network itself. At a time when sugar was ......

Featured Story

Illuminating the Spirit of Our Time: The National Award for Arts

This month we tell the stories of the seven winners of the 24th National Awards for Arts. These individuals have spent their lives pursuing their ideals and telling Taiwan’s stories to the world in many different ways.......

Featured Story

Here’s to a Free and Democratic Taiwan! 30 Years of Direct Presidential Elections

Taiwan held its first direct presidential election in 1996. Thirty years on, we invite readers to experience Taiwan’s now-­familiar electoral culture anew through culture and aesthetics. Japanese scholars Yoshiyuki Oga­sa­wara and Masahito Wa­ta­nabe have both described Taiwan’s elections as g......

Featured Story

Prime Produce: Local Ingredients Reimagined

This month we visit farmers across Taiwan who are revitalizing traditional produce into brands that are taking the market by storm, in a movement that is a microcosm of the transformation and upgrading of industries islandwide.......

Featured Story

Sustainable Taiwan

Facing climate change and limited resources, progress toward “net-zero transition” has become a key indicator of national and corporate competitiveness. This month we take you across Taiwan to visit sites of “green resilience” and see our island’s astonishingly innovative solutions.......

Featured Story

Rural Renaissance: From Rustic Fare to Fine Local Dining

While everyone is pursuing exquisite dishes made by internationally famous chefs, have you ever stopped to try the delicious flavors of Taiwan’s rural cuisine? In this month’s Cover Story, we explore the revolution in “new local tastes” brought about by members of the “Tian Mama” certified eat......

Featured Story

Landscapes and Lifestyles

What is this “Taiwan” that we take for granted? We have long been used to viewing the ocean through car windows or exploring the mountains via artificially built trails. However, in this month’s Cover Story, we have tried to turn our attention in bolder directions. When one’s perspective chang......