Travel in Taiwan (No.47, 2011 9/10)

910

No. 47, 2011

/

FOOD JOURNEY

The Kingdom of Mango

THE BEST ROUTES

Yangmingshan Day Trip

HISTORY

Traditional Hakka Town Meinong Confucius Ceremony Nighttime Dining in Taipei Toy-Making DIY

Indigenous Culture

The Sediq and Other Tribes of Central Taiwan The Official Bimonthly English Magazine of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau.

I S B N :1817 7 9 6 4 Website: ht tp: //t aiwan. net .t w

Welcome to Taiwan!

Dear Traveler, It’s September, summer has lef t, autumn is now up, and Taiwan is cooling down. It’s now safe to get away from your air-conditioners, and time to head down the highways and byways you’ll be reading about in just a moment.

In our Feature section this issue we head up into the cool air of the central mountains to explore facets of local indigenous culture. Our destination is Ren’ai Township, and we introduce historical sites, museum facilities, monuments, and other places that will help you understand the life of the local people and key events in this island’s history – sometimes turbulent, always fascinating. Staying with the history theme, in another article on the rural Meinong area we delve into the history of Taiwan’s Hakka minority and the great pride they take in their thriving traditions.

Moving over to our Best Routes section, you’ll f ind yourself again amidst the cooling mists and breezes of Taiwan’s mountain-getaway spots, this time in the far north and within Taipei’s borders, along a “best route” we’ve mapped out for you through Yangmingshan National Park and the Beitou District. You’ll be hiking trails, visiting f umaroles, and soaking in hot-spring waters – the makings of the perfect early-autumn outing.

“When in (place travel destination here), do as the locals do.” If it’s Taiwan, it’s Saturday night, and it’s between 8 and 10 pm, this means there’s a very good chance you’ll be watching “Variety Big Brother,” a long-running and hugely popular variety show. In our On Stage /Of f Stage department we take a closer look at the production of this show and watch Taiwan entertainment icon “Brother Fei” in action during a taping session.

Among the other aspects of Taiwan life we have decided to highlight for you in the pages to come are the ins and outs of the production of mangoes in the south’s Yujing District, a basin area largely encircled by mountains and called Taiwan’s “kingdom of the mango,” and, assuming you’re still hungry for more on local food, an urban trek searching out the myriad midnight snacking options available in Taipei.

It is our pleasure having you here in Taiwan. We wish you cool autumn breezes, happy outings, and fond memories.

Janice Seh-Jen Lai Director General Tourism Bureau, MOTC, R.O.C.

CONTENTS

Sep ~ Oct 2011

8

18 ,

Publisher Janice Seh-Jen Lai Editing Consultants

Producer Vision Int l Publ. Co., Ltd. Address Rm. 5, 10F, 2 Fuxing N. Rd., Taipei, 104 Taiwan

David W. J. Hsieh, Wayne Hsi-Lin Liu

Tel: 886-2-2711-5403 Fax: 886-2-2721-2790 E-mail: vision@tit.com.tw General Manager Wendy L. C. Yen Deputy General Manager Frank K. Yen Editor in Chief Johannes Twellmann English Editors Rick Charette, Richard Saunders DIRECTOR OF PLANNING & EDITING DEPT Joe Lee MANAGING EDITOR Sunny Su EDITORS Aska Chi, Aysel Then, Ming-Jing Yin, Vivian Liu, Gemma Cheng CONTRIBUTORS C heryl Robbins, Owain Mckimm, Rick Charette, Joe Henley, Phil Dawson, Kurt Weidner PHOTOGRAPHERS Sunny Su, Maggie Song, Bobby Wu ART DIRECTOR Sting Chen DESIGNERS Ivy Chen, Maggie Song, Rinka Lin, Karen Pan Administrative Dept Hui-chun Tsai, Nai-jen Liu, Xiou Mieng Jiang Advertising Hotline + 886-2-2721-5412

Publishing Organization

Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications Address

9F, 290 Zhongxiao E. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei, 104, Taiwan Tel: 886-2-2717-3737 Fax: 886-2-2771-7036 E-mail: tbroc@tbroc.gov.tw Website: http://taiwan.net.tw

台 灣 觀 光 雙 月 刊 Travel in Taiwan Bimonthly September/October, 2011 www.tit.com.tw/vision/index.htm Copyright © 2011 Tourism Bureau. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form without written permission is prohibited.

Where you can pick up a copy of Travel in Taiwan Abroad

Offices of the Tourism Bureau in Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Frankfurt; Taiwan Representative Offices; Overseas Offices of the Ministry of Economic Affairs; Overseas Offices of the Central News Agency; onboard China Airlines, EVA Air and other selected international airways; selected travel agencies in Asia, North America, and Europe; and other organizations In Taiwan

Tourism Bureau Visitor Center; Tourism Bureau; Taiwan Visitors Association; foreign representative offices in Taiwan, Tourism Bureau service counters at Taiwan Taoyuan Int’l Airport and Kaohsiung Int’l Airport, major tourist hotels; Taipei World Trade Center; VIP lounges of international airlines; major tourist spots in Taipei; visitor centers of cities and counties around Taiwan; offices of national scenic area administrations; public libraries

ONLINE

Read the online version of Travel in Taiwan at www.zinio.com . Log in and search for "Travel in Taiwan". Or visit www.tit.com.tw/ vision/index.htm Scene from "Seediq Bale," a new movie about the indigenous Sediq Tribe and the Wushe Incident (photo courtesy of ARS Film Productions) This magazine is printed on FSC certified paper. Any product with the FSC logo on it comes from a forest that has been responsibly maintained and harvested in a sustainable manner.

16

42

34 FEATURE

8

FOOD JOURNEY 34

Following the Footsteps of “Seediq Bale” in Ren’ai Township Indigenous Cuisine in the Heart of a Big City Camping, Hot Springs, Panoramic Views & Indigenous Culture Ren’ai Township’s National Treasure

16 Indigenous Culture

— Finding Out about Fruit Production in Southern Taiwan

Indigenous Culture — Main — Eat — Stay — Buy

Yujing, Kingdom of the Mango

LET’S EAT 38

Mango Feasting

— Eating Your Way through Yujing District

— Five Great Places to Experience Indigenous Culture

1 Publisher’s Note 27 Peculiar Taiwan 4 News & Events around Taiwan 52 Festivals and Events 6 Concerts, Exhibitions, and Happenings

on stage/off stage MY PHOTO TOUR 18 Show Time!

— Behind the Scenes at “Variety Big Brother”

NOSTALGIA 22

Time

— Past and Present in Bucolic Harmony

Spent in Meinong

28

Light Painting in Leofoo

— Adding Fun to a Fun-Filled Time at One of Taiwan’s Best Theme Parks

LET’S GO OUT TONIGHT 30 A Real Taste of Taiwan

— Eating after Midnight in Taipei

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

40 From Noodle Maker to Toy Maker

— Putting Discarded Plastic Bottles to New Use

THE BEST ROUTES

42 Taipei’s Own National Park — Stunning Scenery and Pristine Nature Close to Taipei’s Center

FESTIVAL

48 Confucius Day — Getting Ready for the Traditional Ceremony to Honor the Great Sage

3

Travel in Taiwan

WHAT'S UP

Restaurants Receive Halal Certification

NEWS & EVENTS AROUND TAIWAN Scenic Spots

Glass-Floor Waterfall Skywalk

Walking on a glass floor suspended high above the ground has an irresistible appeal to thrill-seekers and strikes fear in those afraid of heights. Opened this July, the Xiao Wulai Skywalk in Fuxing Township, Taoyuan County is Taiwan’s first such transparent walk. A remarkable engineering feet costing NT$8 million to construct, the skywalk presents visitors with breathtaking views from high above the Xiao Wulai Waterfall. To make access to the somewhat remote Xiao Wulai Scenic Area more convenient, the Taoyuan County Government provides a shuttle-bus service from several towns in the county, including nearby Daxi. For more on traveling in Taoyuan, visit travel-taoyuan. tycg.gov.tw.

Tourist Info

In an effort to make travel in Taiwan Restaurants more convenient for Islamic visitors, the government has, for the first time, issued certificates to restaurants offering Halal food, allowing Muslims to easily identify those restaurants adhering to the strict Islamic rules for preparing food.

In total, 14 restaurants have received the certificate. A list of all Halal restaurants in Taiwan can be found on the website of the Chinese Muslim Association at www.cmainroc.org.tw.

New Online Source for Travel Information: Taiwan eBook

“Time for Taiwan – My Beautiful Island” Tourism-promotion videos are often highlight reels of the most scenic spots, the most thrilling activities, and the most delicious foods available in a country. The Film producers of a film recently released by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau have chosen a quite different approach. The 17-minute film “Time for Taiwan – My Beautiful Island” focuses on the emotions of travelers visiting Taiwan, following a backpacker, three young women from Japan, a family of four, and an elderly couple during their respective discovery tours of Taiwan. The film, shot by director Johnason Lo, will whet the appetite of any traveler who loves those little encounters that make traveling such a great experience, revealing the warmth and hospitality of the local people. The film, on YouTube at www.youtube.com/ user/TheTbroc, provides a great glimpse of what to expect from a trip to Taiwan.

“Taipei Day and Night”

Users of smartphones and tablet computers now have a new and comprehensive Taiwan tourguide option. The Taiwan eBook, which can be downloaded for free from Apple’s iTunes Store and App Store, offers information about ecological tours, bicycle tours, urban highlights, arts, and culture, and is presented by local TV-show host Dennis Nieh. A total of 101 scenic sites and 20 recommended itineraries are explained in this guide, which can also be read free of cost at www. go2taiwan.net/eBook_05032011/book_swf.html.

Another travel guide on Taipei has been added to the travel section of local bookstores, and this Book one stands out. It’s a bilingual guide published

by Taipei City’s Department of Cultural Affairs, co-written by Yang Li-ling (Chinese) and Jeff Miller (English), who have created two different, independent parts. The English part is not the translation of the Chinese, but Miller’s (a long-time resident of Taiwan) own perspective on the city, while Yang presents Taipei through the eyes of seven local celebrities. As the title of the book indicates, it offers suggestions for having fun in the city at all times of the day, with segments for “in the early morning,” “at noon,” “in the afternoon,” “in the evening,” and “into the night.” The 280-page book is priced NT$360, and can be found in major bookstores around Taiwan.

Tourism Earnings Up 28% in 2010 According to the results of a survey about the consumer behavior of visitors to Taiwan in 2010, earnings from tourism grew by 28% for the year to reach US$8.7 billion in total. The 5.56 million visitors in 2010 spent an average of US$222 per day, with Japanese visitors spending the most (US$284) and, not far behind, visitors from mainland China (US$245). Among the places most visited, according to the survey, were night markets (visited by 77% of those surveyed), Taipei 101 (59%), and the National Palace Museum (54%). Jiufen and Sun Moon Lake were named most often as bestliked places. Most of the surveyed responded that they were satisfied with their overall Taiwan travel experience (93%) and that they would consider visiting again (95%).

Tourism

Transport

Jiji Branch Line & Bus to Sun Moon Lake

After being shut down for more than a year for improvement work, the Jiji Branch Line in Nantou County was reopened this July. The line connects the main railway line following the western coast of Taiwan with the small town of Checheng, close to the geographic center of the island. With the reopening of this popular railway line, a tour-bus service between Checheng and nearby scenic Sun Moon Lake has been revived as well, allowing convenient access to one of Taiwan’s premier tourist destinations. There are 10 bus services daily, with one-way tickets priced NT$60 (NT$100 for all-day tickets).

Tourist Info

New Visitor Center at Taoyuan HSR Station

Though a majority of visitors to Taiwan arrive on the island at Taiwan Taoyuan Int’l Airport, Taoyuan County itself is not high on the list of must-visit areas. This is unfortunate, because tourists are indeed missing out when passing through Taoyuan without stopping while on their way to other destinations.

Getting off the train at Taoyuan High Speed Rail Station to find out more about this interesting county at the brand-new visitor (“i”) center is highly recommended. You’ll be presented with myriad information about scenic spots and convenient travel options to start your journey to this lesser-known part of the island. Website of Taiwan HSR: www.thsrc.com.tw

Tell us what you think!

We, the producers of Travel in Taiwan, wish to improve our magazine with each issue and give you the best possible help when planning – or carrying out – your next trip to Taiwan. Tell us what you think by filling out our short online questionnaire at www.tit. com.tw/survey/travelintaiwan.html. Senders of the first ten completed questionnaires in each issue will receive three free issues of Travel in Taiwan. Thank you very much for your feedback.

Do You Know Taiwan?

If

you know the answers to the following questions, you are most likely an experienced Taiwan traveler. If you don’t know the

answers, you can find them within the pages of this issue

of Travel in Taiwan.

1.

The Wushe Incident was a conflict between the Japanese and: Hakka people, Kuomintang troops, indigenous people?

(Find the answer on page 10)

2.

The district of Yujing in Tainan is best known for which fruit: mango, lychee, guava?

(Find the answer on page 34)

3.

September 28 is the birthday of: Confucius, Sun Yat-sen, Mazu? (Find the answer on page 48)

5

Travel in Taiwan Travel in Taiwan

CULTURE SCENE

7/25 ~ 2012 6/30 2011

Concerts, Exhibitions, and Happenings Taiwan has a diverse cultural scene, with art venues ranging from international-caliber concert halls and theaters to makeshift stages on temple plazas. Among Taiwan’s museums is the world-famous National Palace Museum as well as many smaller museums dedicated to different art forms and aspects of Taiwanese culture. Here is a brief selection of upcoming happenings. For more information, please visit the websites of the listed venues.

Taipei International Convention Center

9/10

Alessandro Safina 2011 Taiwan Concert 義大利歌神-沙費納 2011 台灣演唱會

From early childhood on, Italian tenor Alessandro Safina has been in love with music, in particular opera.

After studying at the prestigious Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Cherubini in Florence, he began singing leading parts in famous operas on stages around Europe. In the ’90s he was discovered by Italian pianist/composer Romano Musumarra; the two musicians teamed up and produced Safina’s first album in 1999. Over the last decade he has become an international star, known for his unique style combining opera with modern-day pop music. He has been performing all over the world in recent years, but focusing on concerts in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union in 2010/11.

Future Museum of the NPM at Taiwan Taoyuan Int’l Airport

3D NPM 3D故宮

Visiting the Future Museum of the National Palace Museum (NPM), located at Taiwan Taoyuan Int'l. Airport (4F, Departures Hall, Terminal 2), is a great way for travelers to spend time when waiting for a flight. The museum uses state-of-the art technologies in presenting the vast trove of treasures collected by the NPM. With the help of advanced 3D and virtual-reality technology, the museum now goes a step further, bringing visitors the amazing interactive experience of immersion in the world of ancient arts. One highlight is the “Magic Crystal Ball,” an apparatus that allows you to – virtually – hold the NPM’s best-known treasures in your hands and turn them around.

7/8 ~ 12/4

National Museum of Natural Science

Siraya – The Connection between the Past and Present 西拉雅 歷史與當代的連結特展

Taiwan’s 13th national scenic area is named after the Siraya, an indigenous group that used to live on the coastal plains of southwestern Taiwan but was for the most part assimilated into Han Chinese culture over the last two centuries. Though the Siraya have not been officially recognized as one of Taiwan’s indigenous tribes, there are many people with Siraya roots who have been working to preserve their tribe’s cultural characteristics. This very informative exhibition introduces visitors to this lesser-known Taiwan native people, giving insight into their distinctive cultural traits and history.

Taipei Arena, K-Arena (Kaohsiung)

9/17 ~ 10/2

Cheer Chen – A Piece of Summer II World Tour Concert 陳綺貞2011夏季練習曲_世界巡迴演唱會

Cheer Chen is a hugely popular Taiwanese singer who mostly sings in Mandarin Chinese and writes most of her own music and lyrics. Her earlier work is more folk-oriented, generally using acoustic guitar accompaniment, but much of her more recent music is rock-based. Her songs are generally straightforward and melodic, and she has a pure, youthful-sounding voice. During her concert tour this year she has been performing in Taiwan and abroad, including concerts in Beijing, Singapore, Macau, and Melbourne. The concert in Kaohsiung will be the finale of her tour.

9/30 ~ 10/2

National Theater

Ballet Nacional de España – Dualia + La Leyenda 西班牙國家舞團 佛朗明哥傳奇

Ballet Nacional de España is one of Spain’s foremost dance ensembles, having performed in some of the world’s most renowned theaters and having received some of the highest accolades, including the Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes, awarded to artistic director Jose Antonio in 2005 by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. For the troupe’s Taipei appearance two of its most successful works will be performed, “Dualia” and “La Leyenda.” Both pieces feature passionate flamenco dancing. While “Dualia” explores the sensuality of looks and caresses through movement and music, “La Leyenda” is a tribute to famous flamenco star Carmen Amaya, portraying scenes from her life.

10/6 ~ 2/6

Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

Lisa Ono 2011 Live in Taiwan 小野麗莎 微笑 輕快 Bossa Nova 2011演唱會

Lisa Ono is one of the best Japanese interpreters of contemporary bossa nova.

Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1962, she moved to Japan at the age of 10, but has spent half of each year since in Rio de Janeiro. After her debut as a professional bossa nova singer in 1989, she became an ambassador for Brazilian popular music in Japan. With her natural voice, rhythmic guitar playing, and charming smile, she’s been very successful in making Brazilian music popular in Japan and other countries around the world.

8/27 ~ 11/27

Taipei Fine Arts Museum

Super Contemporary – Designed in London 倫敦超當代設計展

The whole world will be watching London in 2012, when the city hosts the 30th Summer Olympic Games. A traveling exhibition curated by the Design Museum in London, Super Contemporary shows that not only England’s athletes, but also its designers, perform at top international level. The exhibition features works by 15 London-based designers who were asked to respond to problems faced in urban living. Their works reflect their observations of the city’s rich culture and human landscapes. On display are objects, installations, and architectural models, as well as documentations of design proposals, influential historical figures, and events. The close relationship between the designers and the city they live in is apparent throughout the exhibition, and visitors are presented with some startlingly unique perspectives of London.

Venues

Taipei International Convention Center（台北國際會議中心）

Taipei

( 台北市信義 路五段一 號 )

Taipei Zhongshan Hall （台北中山堂）

Add: 98, Yanping S. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市延平南 路 9 8 號 )

Nearest MRT Station: Ximen

Taipei International Convention Center （台北國際會議中心）

Add: 1, Xinyi Rd., Sec.5, Taipei City ( 台北市信義 路五段 1 號 )

Tel: (02) 2725-5200, ext. 3517, 3518 www.ticc.com.tw/ Nearest MRT Station: Taipei City Hall

National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall（國立中正紀念堂） Add: 21 Zhongshan S. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市中山南 路 21 號 )

Tel: (02) 2343-1100~3 www.cksmh.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: CKS Memorial Hall

National Concert Hall（國家音樂聽） National Theater（國家戲劇院） Add: 21-1 Zhongshan S. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市中山南 路 21-1 號 )

Tel: (02) 3393-9888 www.ntch.edu.tw Nearest MRT Station: CKS Memorial Hall

National Museum of History （國立歷史博物館）

Add: 49 Nanhai Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市 南 海路 4 9 號 )

Tel: (02) 2361-0270 www.nmh.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: CKS Memorial Hall

National Palace Museum （國立故宮博物院）

Add: 221 Zhishan Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei City ( 台北市至 善路 2 段 2 21 號 )

Tel: (02) 2881-2021 www.npm.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: Shilin

National Taiwan Museum （國立臺灣博物館）

Add: 2 Xiangyang Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市 襄 陽 路二號 )

Tel: (02) 2382-2566 www.ntm.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: NTU Hospital

Add: 1 Xinyi Rd., Sec. 5, Taipei City Tel: (02) 2725-5200 ext. 3000. 3151~52 www.ticc.com.tw Nearest MRT Station: Taipei City Hall

Taipei Fine Arts Museum （台北市立美術館）

Add: 181 Zhongshan N. Rd., Sec. 3, Taipei City ( 台北市中山北 路 3 段 181 號 )

Tel: (02) 2595-7656 www.tfam.museum Nearest MRT Station: Yuanshan

Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei（台北當代藝術館） Add: 39 Chang-an W. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市長 安 西 路 3 9 號 )

Tel: (02) 2552-3720 www.mocataipei.org.tw Nearest MRT Station: Zhongshan

National Taiwan Science Education Center（台灣科學教育館） Add: 189 Shishang Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市 士商路 189 號 ) Tel: (02) 6610-1234 www.ntsec.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: Shilin

Taichung Taichung Zhongshan Hall（台中中山堂） Add: 98 Xueshi Rd., Taichung City ( 台中市學士路 9 8 號 )

Tel: (04) 2230-3100 www.tccgc.gov.tw

National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts（國立台灣美術館） Add: 2 Wuquan W. Rd., Sec. 1, Taichung City ( 台中市五權 西 路 一段 2 號 )

Tel: (04) 2372-3552 www.ntmofa.gov.tw

Tainan Tainan City Cultural Center （台南市立文化中心）

Add: 332 Zhonghua E. Rd., Sec. 3, Tainan City ( 台南 市中華東 路 3 段 332 號 )

Tel: (06) 269-2864 www.tmcc.gov.tw

Kaohsiung

Novel Hall（新舞臺）

Kaohsiung City Chungcheng Cultural Center（高雄市立中正文化中心）

Add: 3 Songshou Rd., Taipei City

Add: 67 Wufu 1st Rd., Kaohsiung City

( 台北市松 壽路 3 號 )

( 高 雄 市五福 一路 67 號 )

Tel: (02) 2722-4302 www.novelhall.org.tw Nearest MRT Station: Taipei City Hall

Tel: (07) 222-5136 ext. 8908, 8909, 8910 www.khcc.gov.tw (Chinese only) Nearest KMRT Station: Cultural Center

National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts（高雄市立美術館）

（國立國父紀念館）

Add: 80 Meishuguan Rd., Kaohsiung City

Add: 505 Ren-ai Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City

( 高 雄 市美 術館 路 8 0 號 )

( 台北市仁 愛 路 四 段 5 0 5 號 )

Tel: (07) 555-0331 www.kmfa.gov.tw Nearest KMRT Station: Aozihdi Station

Tel: (02) 2758-8008 www.yatsen.gov.tw/english Nearest MRT Station: Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

Taipei Arena（台北小巨蛋）

Kaohsiung Museum of History （高雄市立歷史博物館）

Add: 2 Nanjing E. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City

Add: 272 Zhongzheng 4th Rd., Kaohsiung City

( 台北市 南 京 東 路 4 段 2 號 )

( 高 雄 市中正四 路 27 2 號 )

Tel: (02) 2577-3500 www.taipeiarena.com.tw Nearest MRT Station: Nanjing E. Rd.

Tel: (07) 531-2560 http://163.32.121.205/ Nearest KMRT Station: City Council

7

Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

8

Travel in Taiwan

INDIGENOUS CULTURE Warriors of the Sediq Tribe crossing a mountain river; scene from the film “Seediq Bale”

Following the Footsteps of “Seediq Bale” in Ren’ai Township Seen on a map, Ren’ai Township in central Taiwan’s Nantou County looks deceivingly small and compact. But, as someone who has traveled here extensively, I assure you an in-depth exploration of its history, indigenous culture, and mountain forests requires several days at minimum. This township is famed for its spectacular displays of cherry blossoms in early spring and brilliant red maple leaves in fall, and is home to members of the indigenous Atayal, Sediq, and Bunun tribes.

Photo/ ARS Film Production

By Cher yl Robbins

MORE

9

Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

1

2

1. Scene from the film “Seediq Bale” 2. In the past, women of the Sediq Tribe had facial tattoos 3. Old Sediq village reconstructed for the film “Seediq Bale”

3

no matter whether they believe in the rising sun or in the discussion of Ren’ai Township’s history must include rainbow bridge, they both share a belief in the same sky. references to the Wushe Incident. Numerous movies have As this is an important story for Taiwan’s indigenous been made about this event. The newest and most anticipated people, Wei cast actors from the Sediq, Atayal, and Truku is “Seediq Bale” (www.seediqbalethemovie.com), the f irst epic tribes, both professional and non-professional, in the numerous f ilm about Taiwan’s indigenous history, written and directed indigenous roles. Much of the dialogue in this

by Wei Te-sheng. Wei shot to fame in 2008 movie is in the Sediq language, with subtitles with the release of “Cape No. 7,” which The Sediq and the in Chinese and English. Wei is convinced that became the third-highest grossing f ilm in Japanese fought each “Seediq Bale” will have international appeal, Taiwan history. other over their beliefs, as struggles for freedom have taken place in though both shared a many places over many periods of history, and “Seediq Bale” is set to be released in belief in the same sky the f ilm thus highlights a universal concept. two parts, “The Rising Sun Flag” and “The Rainbow Bridge,” on September 9 and 30 “Seediq Bale” was f ilmed in several locations, including the this year, respectively. The former refers to the military f lag mountainous areas of northern and eastern Taiwan. The movie of Japan and the latter to a belief among the Sediq that af ter set used to f ilm scenes of Wushe in 1930 is located in New death one can be reunited with the tribe’s ancestral spirits Taipei City’s Linkou District. Following the shooting, the New by crossing a rainbow bridge. These are keys to the message of Taipei City government has been carrying out renovations and the movie – Wei depicts the Sediq and the Japanese f ighting will open it to the public this September. each other over their fundamental beliefs, but forgetting that

10

Travel in Taiwan

Photos / ARS Film Production, Maggie Song

A

INDIGENOUS CULTURE

1

2

3

1. On the set of “Seediq Bale” 2. Statue marking the Old Mahepo Battlefield 3. Yunlong Bridge between Wushe and Lushan

A

good starting point in your exploration of this historical event and Ren’ai Township is the Mona Rudao Memorial Park, located in Wushe along Provincial Highway No. 14, near the Ren’ai Township Administrative Off ice. Towards the end of the f ighting with the Japanese, Mona Rudao committed suicide while hiding in a cave, ref using to be taken prisoner.

Many years later he was laid to rest in this memorial park, the entrance of which is marked by an elegant white gateway.

Continue along No. 14 to the Lushan Hot Springs. Take the road that leads uphill, past the hot-spring resorts, and follow the signs to the Old Mahepo Battlefield. It is claimed that this is where the f ighting continued with the Japanese once the Sediq warriors retreated f rom Wushe. However, locals say that the actual battlef ield is several kilometers away in the adjacent forest and is nearly impossible to reach even on foot. Today, the Lushan area is a place to soak up the tranquil mountain scenery and to soak in relaxing hot-spring waters.

Between Wushe and the Lushan Hot Springs, you will pass the Sediq village of Chunyang, which is also blessed with natural hot springs and inspiring mountain scenery,

as well as the bright-red Yunlong Bridge. Sculptures of Sediq warriors in traditional clothing decorate both ends. Standing inconspicuously next to this landmark are the remains of one end of an older version of the bridge. Mona Rudao destroyed this bridge to keep the Japanese f rom entering what is today the Lushan Community and punishing its residents for their participation in the resistance.

The best way to get around Ren’ai Township is using your own vehicle. The Nantou Bus Transportation Co. offers bus services to many, but not all, parts of Ren’ai Township, and services are not f requent. Having your own transportation allows you to take in a larger number of sights, as some are located off of Provincial Highway No. 14 and some off of Provincial Highway 21. For example, along Nantou County Road No. 80, via Provincial Highway No. 21, is the Qingliu Community of Huzhu Village. This is the site for the closing scenes of the Wushe Incident. The more than 200 survivors, members of Mona Rudao’s family and his supporters, were brought here by the Japanese, where the conf luence of the Meiyuan and Beigang rivers forms an islet – in other words, a natural prison.

Inspiring mountain scenery seen from Chunyang Village

11

Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

2

1

3

1. At Huisun Forest Recreation Area 2. Demonstrations of Sediq traditional weaving are provided at Qingliu Community 3. Sediq women are skillful weavers

The Lushan area is today a place to soak up the tranquil mountain scenery and to soak in the relaxing hot-spring waters

If your thirst for historical knowledge has been quenched and you would like to experience more of the natural beauty of this township, continue along Nantou County Road No. 80 to the end, about a 10-minute drive f rom the Qingliu Community. This will bring you to the Huisun Forest Recreation Area, where you can hike forest trails, take a nap in a hammock suspended between towering trees, and splash around in the crystal-clear waters of a stepped waterfall.

There is much more to explore of Ren’ai Township’s history, culture, and natural beauty than can be explained in a few pages of a magazine. As only a few areas of the township have been developed for tourism, this is the perfect place for those seeking to get off the beaten path and discover the stories and sights that make Taiwan so unique.

12

Travel in Taiwan

REN'AI TOWNSHIP ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE (仁愛鄉公所 )

Tel: ( 049 ) 280 - 3973 Website: www.renai.gov.tw QINGLIU COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION ( 清流社區發展協會 )

Tel: ( 049 ) 294 - 1923 , 294 - 1085 or 294 - 1058 HUISUN FOREST RECREATION AREA ( 惠蓀林場 )

Tel: ( 049 ) 294 - 2001 ~ 3 Website: http://huisun.nchu.edu.tw NANTOU BUS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY ( 南投客運 )

Tel: ( 049 ) 298 - 4031 (Puli Bus Station) Website: www.ntbus.com.tw ENGLISH & CHINESE

Atayal Tribe Beigang River Bunun Tribe Chunyang Huisun Forest Recreation Area Huzhu Village Linkou District Lushan Hot Springs Mahepo Community Meiyuan River Mona Rudao Mona Rudao Memorial Park Old Mahepo Battlefield Qingliu Community Ren ' ai Township Sediq Tribe Seediq Bale The Rainbow Bridge The Rising Sun Flag Truku Tribe Wei Te-sheng Wushe Wushe Incident Wushe Incident Aftermath Museum Yunlong Bridge

泰雅族 北港溪 布農族 春陽 惠蓀林場 互助村 林口區 廬山溫泉 馬赫坡社 眉原溪 莫那魯道 莫那魯道紀念公園 馬赫坡古戰場 清流社區 仁愛鄉 賽德克族 賽德克 · 巴萊 彩虹橋 太陽旗 太魯閣族 魏德聖 霧社 霧社事件 餘生紀念文物館 雲龍橋

Photos/ Maggie Song

Today, the Qingliu Community is connected to the outside world by a bridge, and for a time a tourism boon was enjoyed due to an inf low of government subsidies. The Wushe Incident Af termath Museum, weaving workshops, and a traditional Sediq watchtower were constructed. However, the subsidies have since dried up and only one homestay and one workshop remain. The museum, which can still be visited with advance reservation (contact the Qingliu Community Development Association), includes a large number of historical photographs f rom the period of the Wushe Incident and descriptions of what conditions were like for the survivors. Tours in Chinese are led by the community residents themselves. On the day that Travel in Taiwan visited, one of our guides was a granddaughter of Mona Rudao.

In addition, the women of the village have formed a group to provide demonstrations of Sediq traditional weaving techniques, also with advance reservation.

EAT

Gulu Gulu Indigenous Cuisine in the Heart of a Big City

By Cher yl Robbins

Selection of Gulu Gulu’s meat dishes

Located

a block away f rom the entrance to one of Taichung City’s ma jor attractions, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Gulu Gulu Music Restaurant exudes – inside and outside – the spirit of simplicity and hospitality found in Taiwan’s indigenous villages.

The most popular selections at the restaurant are the meat dishes. Examples are the stone-grilled pork and spring chicken. Another favorite is “warrior tof u,” a tof u f ried until crispy outside and mixed with salty egg. For vegetarians, a very tasty vegetable and millet casserole is also available.

The menu includes set meals that come with ah vai as an appetizer. Ah vai is a mix Gulu Gulu was opened by Jang of millet and meat wrapped and steamed in Kn Jang (Chinese name: Qiu Jinleaves, and is a modif ication ming), who is f rom the At Gulu Gulu, people of a traditional Paiwan Paiwan Tribe. He notes dish. This is followed by that, traditionally, come for the food but soup and a choice of entrée. indigenous cuisine stay for the fun Set meals range in price incorporated few spices f rom NT$380 to NT$520. Qiu is also open to and the natural f lavors were allowed requests to put together a special menu for to come through. Before ref rigeration small groups; the advantage to this method became common, meat, such as that is that it is possible to sample a wider of the wild boar, and grains, such variety of dishes. as millet, were heavily fermented.

These were complemented with what On most nights there are live music could be gathered f resh, such as wild performances, and it is of ten Qiu himself greens. Although modif ied to appeal who takes the stage. He likes to interact to the modern palate, the cuisine with his audience, asking for requests and served at the restaurant is inspired even inviting people to sing with him. At by the food Qiu grew up eating in Gulu Gulu, people come for the food but his village in Taitung County in stay for the f un. southeastern Taiwan.

Indigenous art outside the restaurant

Warm ambience inside the restaurant

GULU GULU MUSIC RESTAURANT ( 咕嚕咕嚕音樂餐廳 )

Add: 2 , Lane 13 , Wuquan West 4 th St., Taichung City ( 台中市五權西四街 13 巷 2 號 ) Tel: ( 04 ) 2378 - 3128

13

Travel in Taiwan

STAY

All-in-One Vacation Spot Camping, Hot Springs, Panoramic Views, and Indigenous Culture

By Cher yl Robbins

A glass-bottom platform of fers splendid views of the resort and the surrounding mountains

say that the Atayal Resort in Nantou County’s Ren’ai Township “has it all” would not be an overstatement. You would be hard pressed to run out of things to do during your stay here. One of its many attractions is its natural spring water, available in outdoor hot and cold pools complete with sauna area.

Accommodation options are numerous, and include two campgrounds featuring barbecue facilities. Bring your own food or ask the resort staff to prepare the necessary ingredients for you (this should be done in advance).

The Atayal Palace is where you will want to stay for VIP treatment, with Guestroom inside wooden cottage

14

Travel in Taiwan

hot-spring suites that allow you to bathe in the soothing local waters in the privacy of your room. Guests can also stay in cozy wooden cottages.

Food is available in two restaurants, a snack bar, and a small convenience store. At night, view an indigenousdance performance by a local troupe.

There are also several gardens and ecotours focused on the unique local plant life.

The

resort’s name comes f rom one of Taiwan’s largest tribes, the Atayal, and all around the resort are explanatory panels with descriptions of various aspects of Atayal culture. Overlooking this more-than-50-hectare resort is a giant statue of Mona Rudao, the Sediq leader of a rebellion against Japanese occupying forces in 1930, called the Wushe Incident.

The Sediq were once thought to be part of the Atayal, but were off icially recognized as a separate tribe in 2008.

A steep path leads up to the

Overlooking this more-than50-hectare resort is a giant statue of Mona Rudao statue; those not up to the climb can take the resort’s mini train. The reward for reaching the top is a glass-bottom platform f rom which a splendid view of the resort below and the surrounding mountains and indigenous villages can be enjoyed. Adjacent to this platform is a series of tunnels with dioramas that explain events happening before, during, and af ter the Wushe Incident.

A great-value day pass costing NT$250 can be used to access all of the resort’s attractions, excluding accommodation and dining.

ATAYAL RESORT ( 泰雅渡假村 )

Add: 45 , Qingfeng Road, Huzhu Village, Ren ' ai Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣仁愛鄉互助村清風路 45 號 ) Tel: ( 049 ) 246 - 1311 Website: www.atayal.com.tw (Chinese) ENGLISH & CHINESE

Atayal Tribe Mona Rudao Ren ' ai Township Sediq Tribe Wushe Incident

泰雅族 莫那魯道 仁愛鄉 賽德克族 霧社事件

Photos/ Maggie Song

To

BUY

In

Sed iq t r i ba l t r ad it ion, women w it h f ac i a l tattoos were those who had proven their skill at weav ing. These tattoos involved one or several ver t ical l ines on the forehead and patterns across both cheeks and around the mouth, and were a symbol of entr y into adulthood and eligibility for marriage.

Although f ac ial tat tooi ng is no longer pract iced, the women of the Sed iq tr i be are st ill considered outstanding weavers.

Mama Chang demonstrating traditional weaving techniques

Bagan-Narwee (Chinese name: Chang-Hu Ai-Mei), also known affectionately as Mama Chang, began learning how to weave at the age of eight. Now, at 80, she is, even without facial tattoos, considered a national treasure as one of the most experienced and talented Sediq weavers.

Among the best “mementoes” of a trip to Ren’ai Township are memories of time spent with Mama Chang at her workshop in Chunyang Village, along Prov. Hw y No. 14 near the picturesque Chunyang Catholic Church. Mama Chang is very willing to share her knowledge, explaining the materials used in traditional weaving and how they were processed and dyed. International visitors will also f ind the visit valuable, as she speaks some English.

Mama Chang is one of the most experienced and talented Sediq weavers

If

you let her know in advance, she can set up the antique horizontal backstrap loom lef t to her by her mother and provide a short demonstration of traditional weaving techniques. She keeps other antiques in her workshop as well, such as the woven cloth used to transport her on her mother’s back when she was an infant. Although used and washed many times, the cloth’s colors appear almost as bright as when new. Mama Chang designs patterns based on traditional Sediq colors and motifs, such as facialtattoo patterns, and incorporates them into modern and f unctional products such as handbags, backpacks, clothing, coin purses, and cellphone holders. There are also display cases that hold larger pieces that can be used as table runners or tablecloths, each handmade and a one-of-a-kind work of art.

Woven Beauty Ren’ai Township’s National Treasure

By Cher yl Robbins

MAMA CHANG'S WORKSHOP ( 張媽媽工作室 )

Add: 27 , Yongle Lane, Chunyang Village, Ren ' ai Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣仁愛鄉春陽村永樂巷 27 號 ) Tel: ( 049 ) 280 - 2323 ; ( 0919 ) 805 - 917

A wide variety of hand-woven items in bright colors is available at Mama Chang’s Workshop

15

Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

With 14 officially recognized tribes and several hundred indigenous communities, there are an almost infinite number of opportunities to experience indigenous culture in Taiwan. The only limits are your travel schedule and your level of thirst for adventure. Choosing just five areas is tough, but whichever of the following you choose, you are guaranteed a fascinating journey of cultural discovery. By Cher yl Robbins

Photos/ Cheryl Robbins, Vision Int'l

Traditional fishing craf t on Lanyu Island

16

Travel in Taiwan

INDIGENOUS CULTURE As Remote as It Gets

Art and Shopping Paradise

From either the Zhubei Interchange of National Freeway No. 1 or the Zhudong Interchange of National Freeway No. 3, it is about a three-hour drive, mostly along winding mountain roads, to Smangus, also known as Simakusi, in Hsinchu’s Jianshi Township. As one of the most remote settlements in Taiwan, this indigenous Atayal community is blessed with breathtaking mountain scenery and a very rustic feel, as the homes are mostly built of wood.

Sandimen Township in Pingtung County is a showcase for the arts of the Paiwan Tribe. Glass beads, pottery vessels and bronze knives are the three cultural treasures of this tribe. Artisans in this area create traditional versions of these treasures as well as more contemporary ones. A good place to start your visit is the Sandimen Cultural Center; on weekends, its central plaza becomes an outdoor market where indigenous artists and artisans sell their works. Next to the plaza is a stage on which local musicians perform. Along the nearby Sandimen Handicraf t Trail, visit glass-bead, pottery, and woodcarving workshops. If all of that shopping has made you hungry, there are restaurants serving Paiwan dishes. Be sure to try the local specialty, roasted f ree-range chicken.

Tourism is encouraged, and the residents work together to provide accommodation, serve meals, organize performances, and conduct tours. They then share equally in the revenues.

As the community welcomes outsiders, there are plenty of opportunities to interact with the locals. A popular activity is completing the f ive-kilometer hike to a cluster of ancient trees. Reservations for meals and accommodation can be made through the Smangus Visitor Center at tel: (03) 5847-688 / 0928-804-983.

Close to a Popular Tourist Destination Taroko Gorge is at the top of any list of places to visit in Taiwan. This was once home to the indigenous Truku Tribe, which was forced to leave by the Japanese during their occupation of Taiwan (1895-1945). Tribal members did not go far, however, and a side trip into the surrounding areas of Xiulin Township is a great way to experience the culture of this tribe. Climb to the top of a traditional Truku watchtower in Sanzhan Village, sample f usion cuisine based on traditional Truku dishes at the Dageeli Tribe Restaurant in Chongde Village, and learn about facial tattooing traditions at the Taiwanese Aborigine Tattoo Culture Museum.

Island Hopping Lanyu (Orchid Island), of f the coast of Taitung County, consists of six communities of the Yami tribe, and can be reached by plane or ferry. The most colorf ul time to visit is during the Boat Launching Ceremony, part of the annual Flying Fish Festival. Traditional f ishing-craf t building techniques are still practiced, and when a craf t is completed it is blessed in a series of intricate rituals. Just before being placed in the water for the f irst time, the males of the tribe throw the empty canoe-like vessel into the air while f lexing their muscles and grimacing menacingly to scare of f evil spirits. Depending on the time of year, it is possible to go hiking, snorkeling, swimming, and scuba diving on a Lanyu trip. Visitors can also rent a scooter and travel the island to take in its cultural attractions, such as artisan workshops, traditional semi-subterranean dwellings, and shaded breezecatching platforms.

If Leaving Taipei Is Not an Option A very good place to get an overview of Taiwan’s indigenous culture is at the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines (open Tuesday through Sunday 9 am to 5 pm), across f rom the National Palace Museum. The permanentexhibition areas focus on traditional music and musical instruments, clothing and accessories, dwellings, ceremonies, and weaponry. In the special-exhibition gallery, topics are related to indigenous current af fairs, tribal history, and contemporary indigenous arts. There is also a theater where animated f ilms depicting tribal legends are shown. Audio guides are available in English, and with advance reservation guided tours can also be arranged in English.

DAGEELI TRIBE RESTAURANT ( 達基力部落屋 )

Add: 96 Chongde Village, Xiulin Township, Hualien County ( 花蓮縣秀林鄉崇德村 96 號 ) Tel: ( 03 ) 862 - 1033 TAIWANESE ABORIGINE TATTOO CULTURE MUSEUM ( 花蓮縣柏達散文化學會 / 賽德克紋面文史工作室 )

Add: 28 - 8 , Lin 2 , Fushi Village, Xiulin Township, Hualien County ( 花蓮縣秀林鄉富世村 2 鄰 28 - 8 號 ) Tel: ( 03 ) 861 - 1573 / 0932 - 523 - 463 SHUNG YE MUSEUM OF FORMOSAN ABORIGINES ( 順益台灣原住民博物館 )

Add: 282 , Sec. 2 , Zhishan Rd., Shilin District, Taipei City ( 台北市士林區至善路二段 282 號 ) Tel: ( 02 ) 2841 - 2611 Website: www.museum.org.tw ENGLISH & CHINESE

Atayal Tribe Boat Launching Ceremony Chongde Village Flying Fish Festival Jianshi Township Lanyu (Orchid Island) Paiwan Tribe Sandimen Sandimen Handicraft Trail Sanzhan Village Smangus (Simakusi) Taroko Gorge Truku Tribe Xiulin Township Yami Tribe

泰雅族 大船下水典禮 崇德村 飛魚祭 尖石鄉 蘭嶼 排灣族 三地門 三地門工藝步道 三棧部落 斯馬庫斯 太魯閣峽谷 太魯閣族 秀林鄉 雅美族

17

Travel in Taiwan

ON STAGE／OFF STAGE

ig Brot her ” B y t ie r a V Scenes at “ Beh ind t he

Th e lig ht s go up an d a fa nfar e er up ts fr om th e ba w ob bl y sp ot lig ht nd . A se tt le s on th e st ag e do or s am id ap pl au se fr om th w ild e cr ow d. Su dd en ly th e do or s sl id an d ho st Zh an g e op en , Fe i bo un ds do w n th e st ai rs sm delivering his week oo th ly ly opening line to the camera: “Wel viewers, to Variety come Big Brother!” By Ow ai n Mc kimm

Taiwanese-American singer VanNess Wu

Artists invited to take part in the show

dry runs a show goes you don’t see on TV are the tech nica l but a stage hand behi nd through – where it wasn’t Zhang Fei or enly – or the performance rehearsa ls, the door s, which sometimes opened unev nd arou ing rush sets head and le with clipboard s the mass of wires, cameras, and peop right on camera. mak ing sure that ever ythi ng look s just

s rformance Acrobatic pe e of Taiwanes rt pa n te are of s ow sh variety

18

Travel in Taiwan

e st variety show s is a strange experienc Being back stage at one of Taiw an’s bigge smal l, ir. The stud io and set are surprisingly indeed, but it’s also an intimate affa there ugh (tho red mem bers is abou t a hund and the aver age num ber of live audience r singe n mad ly popu lar Taiw anese-America are more toda y due to the presence of rm). This makes for a very up-close-andVanNess Wu, who’s been booked to perfo away bers sitti ng on the f loor at most 5 feet personal show, with man y audience mem f rom the action.

Photos/ Bobby Wu

W hat

VARIETY SHOW

The audience sits close to the action during a recording of “Variety Big Brother”

iw anese TV, the pu lar genres on Ta One of the most po world of ga mes, ny celebrit y-f ill ed va riety show is a za ing. Tu rn on your eff ec ts, and ad-li bb jokes, wack y sou nd the ma ny di fferent e of da y and one of ca ble-TV at an y tim nre wi ll almos t iquely Ta iw anese ge un is th of s en im ec sp ha n-lif e host and you wi th a larger-t et gre to up p po y su rel to th row modesty lebrit y guest s ready a troupe of eager ce t to the wi nd. and better judgmen lk show, and s of a ga me show, ta nt me ele ing in mb Co nd of progra m adca sti ng of th is ki ta lent show, the bro rough the years all ring the ’60s, and th bega n in Ta iw an du en th row n into the nt for ma ts ha ve be ki nd s of enter ta in me m for ms such ging f rom ma instrea ran s nt me seg th wi mi x, proaches such as to more unusua l ap as singing and magic wa rd gossip. and ev en str aight for fa sh ion, shopping,

The

gl ue that keeps these show s toge ther and gi ves them th ei r un iq ue char ac howe ver, ha s al wa ter, ys been the pres enter. “Tai wa nese are interested in people,” sa ys Va rie ty Big Brot her’s producer Li Hu i-l an, “so they real ly focu s on the host s. They like to th in k of them as a f riend, or ev en pa rt of the fa m ily.”

Zhang Fe i ha s be en presenting Va riet y Bi g Brot her since its f irs t br oadcas t in 2002, bu t hi s credentia go back a lot f ur ls ther than that. A show-bus iness vetera n at 59, he ha s been presentin g va riety show s on TV for well ov er 30 year s. Spor tin g a grey su it, a jazz mu sic ia n’s su ngla sses and a bo uf fa nt ha irs ty le, hi s ma nner is re la xed and ca su al wi th a tw in kl e of m ischief.

19

Travel in Taiwan

ON STAGE／OFF STAGE of the celebs he int roduces each e, nc tra en s hi ter Af plause. Then, ow, to raptu rou s ap appear ing on hi s sh on, he sw itches York-ba sed singer Mo paus ing before New s of laughter f rom wh ich receiv es woop to broken Engli sh, Engli sh, Span ish, need a tra ns lator for the crowd. “I don’t ing to anot her proud ly, before tu rn Korea [sic],” he sa ys u sa y ‘Ru ssi an’ in Ch inese, “how do yo guest and aski ng in Engli sh?” tu ral host, who s Zhang Fe i as a na ibe scr de Li er uc od Pr ts, prefer ring or infor ma tion shee rarely rel ies on notes wi th, and/or on hi s rel at ionsh ip to ba se conv ersat ion guest. impression of, each is to obser ve the nt th ing for a host “T he most importa at moves them – kes them laugh, wh ma at wh – e nc die au to see,” say s Li. “To t what they ’d like dic pre to try en th and to rea lly ment show you need ma ke an enter ta in

is to ma ke people cry underst and people; rder.” ha lot a is gh them lau ea sy, but to ma ke ch as Here Come s Some presenter s, su (“L itt le S”; rea l Kang xi host Xi ao S o co-hosts wi th na me Dee Hsu), wh vin Tsa i and tri lby af icionado Ke Regine Wu, ha ve Gossi p Queen host their bit ing become notor iou s for ashed tea sing. comments and unab ed to “Sometimes you ne d somet imes an , est gu complement a sa ys Li. “It ’s an you need to tea se,” se someone yet ar t to be able to tea y ow as a joke – that wa T V sh Fei keep it accepta ble g n e a th d h an it, Z ho s t the audience likes .” too it s joy guest en

High-school girls make up the majority of the live audience

the opening guest-introduction segment is wrapped up, taping momentarily stops so the set can be rearranged for the next segment. However, the four cameras used are in fact almost continually trained on the stars; there are few if any cuts, and it’s as if the show is set up and then let loose, only controlled marginally via prompts written by the production team on large sheets of paper which are held up for the host or guests to see and react to.

And it’s very important that the guests, who are a real focus because of the f ree-style nature of the show, react big.

when you get the chance to perform you need to perform the best you can.”

It’s clear from my backstage vantage point that the show relies heavily on the personalities of the celebrities, and their desire to perform (and thus promote their material), to make the shows lighthearted and enjoyable, and to keep the momentum going during the long takes.

“To make an entertainment show you “The variety shows in Singapore, for example, usually focus more on the public, and the host is really the only need to really understand artist,” says Singaporean singer Kelly Poon, one of the people; to make people celebrities appearing on the program. “It doesn’t really matter cry is easy, but to make that I’m not f rom Taiwan,” she adds. “They only really care them laugh is a lot about whether you sing enough and how well you promote harder” (Li Hui-lan) yourself. Being on the show is a lot about personality, and

20

Travel in Taiwan

Photos/ Bobby Wu

Af ter

VARIETY SHOW The segment now being taped is the “Good Timing” game, a singing competition where guests are required to sing a song and simultaneously count to a pre-determined number before hitting the stop button. If they stop at the right time, they get a huge cheer; if their timing is off or they forget the words, they get blasted with a jet of dry-ice vapor.

“Punishing” performers with jets of dry-ice vapor is part of the fun

This is where the guests really do their thing. They overreact, let out big screams of disbelief, banter back and forth, and crack jokes about bad performers, and the audience clearly couldn’t be happier. Although they are prompted to applause by a staff member blowing a whistle, their laughter and elation at being so involved in the show are completely genuine.

It does create an incredible atmosphere, and the rolling nature of the taping helps make this feeling constant. Being one in a crowd of many hundreds, as with some British or U.S. shows, would be far less personal.

Perhaps

the unsung hero of the night is the music director, Master Kong Kiang. The music for the show is recorded live with a band, and Master Kong must be constantly on alert for any impromptu jokes, to which he must immediately respond with a drum beat and the crash of a cymbal – the signature punch-line of varietyshow humor.

The speedy taping (one show takes 3~4 hours), and the big reliance on guest input, means that the show can be made on a relatively small budget, and around a fairly basic concept. The production crew numbers a mere 10 people or so, and the editing, special effects, subtitles, and voiceovers are all f inished in 3 days.

Variety Big Brother is a

is “Being on the show ality, a lot about person t the and when you ge you chance to perform e need to perform th Poon) best you can” (Kelly

big success with international audiences as well as the homegrown one, popular across Asia and even broadcast in the U.S. Though many of Taiwan’s variety shows don’t have live audiences, using canned laughter, this can only be to their detriment, as the chemistry between Zhang Fei, his guest, and the live audience is surely a big factor in the show ’s success.

If you want to be a part of the audience at a taping of Variety Big Brother, call (02) 2528-2028 to register. There is no charge, and large groups are encouraged. Two shows are recorded every second Tuesday f rom 2 to 9 pm. Variety Big Brother is broadcast on Saturdays f rom 8 pm to 10 pm on Taiwan’s CTV channel.

ENGLISH & CHINESE

˝Good Timing˝ Gossip Queen Here Comes Kangxi Kelly Poon Kevin Tsai Li Hui-lan Master Kong Kiang Regine Wu/Li Qing VanNess Wu Variety Big Brother Xiao S/Dee Hsu Zhang Fei

K 歌郭抬銘 麻辣天后宮 康熙來了 潘嘉麗 蔡康永 李慧蘭 孔鏘老師 吳明恩 / 利菁 吳建豪 綜藝大哥大 小 S/ 徐熙娣 張菲

21

Travel in Taiwan

HISTORY

Photos/ Maggie Song

Past and Present in Bucolic Harmony

22

Travel in Taiwan

Hand-painted oil paper umbrellas are the best-know product of Meinong

MEINONG

The lovely Meinong area, in the northeast of the former Kaohsiung County, now part of Kaohsiung City, sits deep in a divide where a high-mountain valley eases off and opens up into farm-able land of deep, rich earth. Framed on two sides by pretty misty hills hundreds of meters high, this is a proud Hakka enclave; in pioneer days, the Hakka were commonly forced up into the hills from the coastal flatlands by their Chinese brethren from other areas in China. By Rick Charette

Settled

in 1736, the area is today perhaps best known for its exquisite hand-painted oilpaper umbrellas, which are sold around the globe. Visitors can look in on master craf tsmen in shops practicing the craf t in much the old ways.

Many older architectural gems have been caringly preserved along the narrow old streets of the main town and out in the surrounding farm country, notably along Yong’an Old Street; the Hakka take great pride in their traditions.

Many visitors like to purchase the distinctive traditional Hakka dress, and you can have your own clothing made at a quaint old open-f ront shop on Yong’an Old Street that’s changed little if at all since the elderly owner couple entered the trade in their youth. They’ll need a few days minimum for custom cuts, however.

Elderly Hakka woman sorting wild lotus, a speciaty of Meinong

The Hakka Story Told The Hakka on the island number about four million, about 15% of Taiwan’s population. Their path through history is shrouded in mist and mystery, but it’s thought they came south in stages f rom China’s northern regions, especially in times of turmoil, in the great southward Han Chinese migration. As they moved into hilly areas south of the Yangzi River, their other Han Chinese brethren didn’t see them as being of the same race, though in fact they all share most physical/cultural traits.

They have close-knit communities, arising in large part as a result of oppression and discrimination. The term “Hakka” in fact means “guest people.” Heavily outnumbered, in Taiwan they eventually became concentrated in two areas – in the foothills of Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli counties in northwest Taiwan, and in the south’s Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties. Until recent times there was limited intermarrying with other groups.

23

Travel in Taiwan

HISTORY Heritage Sites

Oilpaper Umbrellas

Old-style residences abound in Meinong. The huo f ang or semi-enclosed courtyard style is most common in Taiwan, with a single main entrance and high exterior walls to enable defense. To the center-rear of the courtyard is the ancestral altar. True Hakka residences have white brick and black tile; red brick and tile indicates inf luence by the Taiwanese ma jority, whose ancestors came from China’s southern Fujian Province. Most Hakka ancestors immigrated to Taiwan from northeastern Guangdong. Other characteristic features of Hakka residences are the name of the house above the door and three-sectioned walls of white-painted mud brick on top, earthenware tiles in the middle, and stones at the bottom. The white represents the white hair of the older generation, the red-tint earthenware symbolizes the blood (sweat and tears) of the hard-working middle generation, and the stones represent the hope for many children in the new generation.

The eye-caressing oilpaper umbrella is perhaps the most visually stunning memento you can take home f rom your Taiwan voyage of discovery. Featuring an intricate bamboo f rame and translucent paper, each is a distinctive work of art painted with bold, colorf ul designs and lacquered. If actually used to stop the rain, they’ll last 10 years or more; if treated as an artwork, as done by almost all buyers today, they’ll last pretty much forever.

At one end of Yong’an Old Street is the tall East Gate, telling of a time when watch towers were raised as protection against bandits, rebels, marauders from rival ethnic groups, indigenous warriors and, sometimes, government troops, always poorly paid and almost always unwelcome. Between gate and river is the original Earth God shrine built when this riverfront area was opened. Such protective shrines dot the area, as do jingzi ting or “respect writing pavilions,” miniature pavilions where paper with writing was ritually burned and sent back to heaven, for it was heaven that had given the miracle of paper and written character to humankind in the f irst place.

24

Travel in Taiwan

Oilpaper umbrellas are sold in many Meinong shops

The secret of the art – along with a master craf tsman that possessed it – were brought f rom Guangdong in the early 20th century by a Meinong businessman, the lacquer changed f rom dark-brown to yellow, and artistic designs were added later to what was a practical household item. The family is all-important to the Hakka, and the umbrella’s circular perfection symbolizes the “perfection” of family togetherness. They are traditional wedding gif ts, for the pronunciation of “paper,” zhi, is similar to that for “sons,” zi. Such a gif t promotes fecundity.

At Jin Xing Shop, traditional Hakka attire has been made since 1929

Photos/ Maggie Song

The old town is home to many old residences, shrines, and other representative structures. Walk along Yong’an Old Street, paralleling the Meinong River, and don’t be shy about dipping into the narrow side lanes and pathways – the people are friendly and inviting. Walk past No. 177 and you’ll likely see master tailor Xie Jinglai and his wife hard at work on traditional Hakka tunics and other clothing in their small open-front business, the Jin Xing Shop, opened in 1929. Xie loves to tell interested visitors (apologizing that he can’t speak English) all about Meinong’s history and traditional Hakka culture, tailoring technique, and the rich symbolism incorporated into the old-style blue-dye attire. One example: The wide band around the collar of the men’s tunic symbolizes the shape of the classic Hakka fortif ied village.

MEINONG

At local shops, an 8-inch umbrella should be NT$400 to NT$600, a 19-inch version NT$1,200 or more. Most handle overseas shipping. Yuan Xiang Yuan Cultural Village, on the town's southern outskirts, is a large and attractive souvenir mall with ample parking, a good range of umbrellas, and live demonstrations.

A more intimate experience can be had at Meinong k.c.s. Umbrella, a small workshop with a nationwide reputation located in the countryside in the rear of a traditional courtyard residence belonging to the Lin clan.

At this shop, run by a kindly and calmingly gentle couple, Lin Rongjun and Wu Jian-ying, you can have your umbrella made to order and can also DIY-decorate your own miniature umbrella for a few hundred NT dollars. The couple inherited the business f rom Lin’s father, and their grown son has just returned to the umbrella-making fold, making Mom and Dad, worried that this now rare and precious skill set is dying out, very happy.

The small workshop of Meinong k.c.s. Umbrella is located in the rear of a traditional courtyard residence

Meinong’s tall East Gate was once a watch tower used as protection against outside enemies

25

Travel in Taiwan

HISTORY Meinong Hakka Culture Museum This young, attractive facility sits in open farm country, with big views all about. Its shape evoked Meinong’s tobacco-growing sheds, which stand in the hundreds, abandoned, throughout the area; there is a f ull-scale mock-up inside. Meinong was long synonymous with tobacco production, but the allowance of imports (tobacco and related products) in recent times resulted in a startlingly rapid demise. Some displays have English, there are f ree English-audio guides, and English tours are available with advance booking.

Hakka dishes

Hakka Cuisine Traditionally, isolated Hakka communities grew their own food, with few f resh vegetables available during cool winters.

Preserved meats and pickled vegetables were thus common.

Another differentiation was vegetables – chilli peppers, bitter melon, and so on – stuffed with minced meat. The culinary style is characterized by an especially sensitive way of combining only the f reshest of crisp vegetables, when available. These are chopped and combined in myriad manners, stir-f ried lightly to evince the most delicate f lavors.

Meinong Hakka Culture Museum

The heav y use of garlic, oils, and spices is avoided, as is the heav y use of lard that characterizes the Fu jianese/Taiwanese style. The f rugal Hakka have a dish for all animal parts; for example, pig’s intestine with ginger slices is a favorite.

Recommended is the Meinong Traditional Hakka Cuisine restaurant, spacious and f illed with old-time Hakka household items. Be sure to try the wild lotus, which many locals report plucking f rom local Zhongzheng Lake when swimming as kids, and which has become popular nation-wide since the 1980s. Farms now circle the lake, workers submerged in water up to chest and neck.

MEINONG TRADITIONAL HAKKA CUISINE (美濃古老客家菜)

Add: 362 - 5 , Sec. 1 , Zhongshan Rd., Meinong District, Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市美濃區中山路一段 362 - 5 號 ) Tel: ( 07 ) 681 - 1156 Website: www. 5658 .com.tw/ 6811156 MEINONG K.C.S. UMBRELLA ( 廣進勝紙傘)

Add: 47 Minquan Rd., Meinong District, Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市美濃區民權路 47 號 ) Tel: ( 07 ) 681 - 3247 Website: http://urhome.shop 2000 .com.tw (Chinese) YUAN XIANG YUAN CULTURAL VILLAGE ( 原鄉緣文化村)

Add: 147 , Sec. 1 , Zhongxing Rd., Meinong District, Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市美濃區中興路一段 147 號 ) Tel: ( 07 ) 681 - 0888 Website: www.meinung.com.tw (Chinese)

26

Travel in Taiwan

Getting There Take the High Speed Rail to Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung, or take the Taiwan Railway to Kaohsiung Station, then use the Kaohsiung Bus Meinong Route service (NT$148 one-way; 90 minutes; service 5:40 am to 10:10 pm; www.ksbus.com.tw). If driving, take National Freeway No. 10, which connects with both north-south national f reeways, to the town of Qishan (Qishan District), then take Provincial Highway No. 28 east and turn lef t onto County Route No. 181. Meinong’s main town area is minutes away. Road signs have English.

JIN XING SHOP (錦興行 ) Add: 177 Yong ' an Rd., Meinong District, Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市美濃區永安路 177 號 )

Tel: ( 07 ) 681 - 1191

MEINONG HAKKA CULTURE MUSEUM ( 美濃客家文物館 )

Add: 49 - 3 Minzu Rd., Meinong District, Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市美濃區民族路 49 - 3 號 ) Tel: ( 07 ) 681 - 8338 Website: http://meeinonghakka.kccc.gov.tw FOR GUIDED TOURS, CONTACT: KAOHSIUNG TOUR GUIDE ASSOCIATION ( 高雄縣導覽協會 )

Tel: 0933 - 375 - 588 E-Mail: m 91023 e@yahoo.com.tw Or Meinong District Farmer ' s Association Promotion Division( 美濃區農會推廣組 ) Tel: ( 07 ) 683 - 3309

ENGLISH & CHINESE 東門樓 East Gate 客家人 Hakka 夥房/伙房 huofang 敬字亭 jingzi ting 林榮君 Lin Rong-jun 美濃 Meinong 美濃溪 Meinong River 謝景來 Xie Jing-lai 吳劍瑛 Wu Jian-ying 野蓮 wild lotus Yong’an Old Street 永安老街 紙 zhi 中正湖 Zhongzheng Lake 子 zi

Photos/ Maggie Song

The heav y labor of both men and women in f ield, mine, and forest – traditional Hakka industries – led to substantial salt loss, leading to extra-salty dishes. Most restaurants these days will hold back, on their own or on request.

Peculiar Taiwan ur Off ice No, Not in Yo

On Taiwan’s Roads

By Rick Charette

A

familiar sight on Taiwan’s roads is the construction-site dummy, warning oncoming traffic of ongoing work. Like

scarecrows in farm fields often passed by, you get to know them as individuals, for many are highly individualized by site workers.

Almost all will be wearing yellow-plastic raingear, safety vests, and a safety helmet, and fitted out with warning f lags and/or lights.

One long-in-place dummy near my home had a black (sometimes blonde) wig, which did wonders attracting the attention of passing

drivers. The Filipinos in another crew darkened their dummy’s face, feeling the original lighter version was not representative. Another crew did the same, and painted in tears, representing long hours and sunburn. You’ll see dummies decked out in moustaches, beards, and glasses, dangling cigarettes and cigars, and sporting all sorts of other whimsical beautifiers. Say hello whenever you can, for each stands on guard shift after shift, with little reward and nary a

Photos / Maggie Song

Photos/ Mr. A-Lei

complaint.

27

Travel in Taiwan

27

Travel in Taiwan

MY PHOTO TOUR

Adding More Fun to a Fun-Filled Time at One of Taiwan’s Best Theme Parks

28

Travel in Taiwan

Photos/ Maggie Song, Leofoo Village

LEOFOO VILLAGE

A visit

to Leofoo Village Theme Park (www.leo f oo.com.tw /village) in Hsinchu County is all about having f un. In recent years, the park has done an excellent job in not just providing thrill rides but also in creating a very tastef ul environment with an intimate feel. Areas such as “South Pacif ic” and “Arabian Kingdom” are especially attractive in the evening, when buildings and other structures are illuminated in imaginative ways. Superb backgrounds for nighttime photo shoots abound. If you want to make your photos even more f un and memorable, use a tripod, set your camera to long exposure (30 seconds or more), choose a very small aperture, and paint with a f lashlight during the capturing process. It will take a bit of practice, but lightpainting photography allows you to be very creative, and brings you dazzlingly unique shots!

29

Travel in Taiwan

LET’S GO OUT TONIGHT

Buf fet at Yi Liu Rice Porridge

Eating after Midnight in Taipei Taipei truly is a city that never sleeps. At all hours people are on the go, and with that work-hardplay-hard ethos comes an appetite that lasts far beyond the borders of the nine-to-five world.

Luckily, this is also a city that caters to those who are in need of a good, hearty, affordable meal long after the office lights have been turned off and the refrain of the last song of the evening at the karaoke parlor has rung out. Here are three can’t-miss late-night institutions that will put your midnight case of the munchies to bed. By Joe Henley

Fuxing South Road, not far f rom the MRT Technology Building Station, sit three havens, nearly next door to one another, for those in need of a late-night meal or a post-midnight snack. Just walk out of the MRT station, turn right, and cross the street at the f irst crosswalk you come to. Turn right once you hit the other side of the road, walk north for a short stretch, at a leisurely pace of course, and simply look for the crowds of people, multiple cars pulling up out f ront, and f riendly hostesses waving patrons inside. If you follow this path, the f irst restaurant you’ll come to is Xiao Lizi Rice Porridge, a popular spot for taxi drivers working the graveyard shif t, hard-working

30

Travel in Taiwan

professionals of all kinds, and families looking for an inexpensive night out.

The service is buffet style, with scores of dishes, half vegetarian and half f ish- or meat-based, on display in the middle of the restaurant, dished out by affable and knowledgeable staff. Just grab a tray and tell them what you want – don’t worry about not knowing the names, just point and smile. For a vegetarian option, try some “world-famous” stinky tof u, fermented bean curd that, in all honesty, tastes inf initely better than it smells. Be warned, it is an acquired taste, but Taiwanese love to see foreigners enjoying this local favorite. And if

you’re into spicy dishes, load up on gongbao chicken, pig’s ears, and spicy eggplant.

Every order comes with an allyou-can-eat serving of sweet-potato rice porridge, a Taiwanese breakfast mainstay in decades past. In those weaker economic times, families of ten had to make what little rice they could afford last for as long as possible, so water was added to make porridge; and sweet potatoes, being cheap and plentif ul as well as tasty, were put into the mix as well. Whereas families used to cut the potato up into smaller pieces, at Xiao Lizi a large section served whole comes with the porridge.

Photos/ Maggie Song

On

MIDNIGHT SNACKS

Buf fet of Xiao Lizi Rice Porridge

Inexpensive late-night buffet-style restaurants such as this started to become popular in Taipei in the late ’80s, and Xiao Lizi is one of the oldest in the area, as well as one of the most popular. And with four dishes plus unlimited rice porridge, more than enough to feed two hungry people, coming to the low sum of about NT$350, just over US$10, it’s a cheap, fast way to satisf y that midnight craving. Xiao Lizi is open nightly from 5pm until 6am the following morning, and is located just a few doors down f rom two other local favorites, No Name Rice Porridge and Yi Liu Rice Porridge, which serve variations on the same theme. Try one, or stop by all three for a dish or two, and join the crowds who pack these places to the raf ters af ter the sun goes down.

Eating at a latenight buffet-style restaurant is a cheap, fast way to satisfy that midnight craving

Xiao Lizi Rice Porridge

Just

across Zhongzheng Bridge in Yonghe District, New Taipei City, is another landmark for Taipei’s food lovers – “food lovers” a term that encapsulates virtually the entire population of this island of gourmands. World Soy Milk King is conveniently located close to the MRT Dingxi Station. Af ter getting off the train, head for Exit 1, then turn right once you’re outside. Walk down Yonghe Road, cross Zhulin Road, and keep an eye out for the busy restaurant with racks of f resh-made baozi, or steamed buns, cooling outside, and white tabletops, yellow chairs, and an open kitchen inside. Congratulations – you’ve just arrived at one of the best-known eateries in the Taipei metropolitan area.

rice "I think I need some to bed porridge before going again..."

World Soy Milk King serves fresh soy milk, danbing, and youtiao wrapped in shaobing

31

Travel in Taiwan

LET’S GO OUT TONIGHT World Soy Milk King has been serving up traditional Taiwanese fare for decades, to everyone f rom the common working man and woman to Hong Kong movie stars such as Chow Yun-fat and Jackie Chan, and is the place that f irst put what is now generically called “Yonghe soy milk” on the map as a result of the opening of countless similar establishments. But make no mistake, this is the original. Even former ROC President Chiang Chingkuo and his stepmother, First Lady Soong Mei-ling, separately stopped by. The First Lady was so taken with the shop's soy milk that she quoted eight words f rom an ancient Chinese poem which, loosely translated, mean “Elixir made f rom beautif ul jade, sweet as milk.” The Chinese characters f rom this quote have since then adorned a restaurant wall.

Spring rolls

Rounding

Baozi

out the trio of great latenight eating haunts is Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodles, purveyor of what might well be called Taipei City’s signature dish, beef noodles, which even has a yearly festival staged in its honor. This humble – if only in appearance –shop is located between the MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing and Nanjing East Road stations on the Wenhu (Brown) Line. Go to Zhongxiao Fuxing and walk north along

32

Travel in Taiwan

Fuxing South Road to Bade Road. Turn lef t when you get there, and head west along the lef t-hand side of the street for a few minutes. When you espy the huge vats of boiling beef sending their mouthwatering aroma out into the street, you’ve arrived. The area beside the kitchen boasts a small seating area, but unless you somehow manage to go to Lin Dong Fang during a highly uncommon downtime period, you’ll be directed to a larger seating area just a few doors down.

When you espy the huge vats of boiling beef sending their mouthwatering aroma out into the street, you’ve arrived

Photos/ Vision Int'l

Shaobing and youtiao

The restaurant is separated into takeaway and sit-down areas, and is famous for its danbing, a thin f lour pancake with a thin layer of egg inside that is rolled up like a crepe, its xiao long bao, or steamed dumplings, and its soy milk, which in the local parlance is dou jiang. The soy milk comes in both sweet and salty varieties, and it’s well worth trying one of each to experience the contrasting f lavors. Soy milk goes well with a youtiao, or oil stick, which is basically deep-f ried dough, and perhaps a shaobing, a kind of crunchy, f laky pastry, with either beef or sour cabbage in the middle.

There is no English menu, but fear not, there are replicas of the dishes the restaurant is best known for in a glass display case in f ront of the shop that you can point to if all else fails. What's more, you never have to worry about showing up to f ind World Soy Milk King closed. It's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and even has 24-hour delivery to all areas of Taipei City if you don't feel like making the modest trip to Yonghe.

Two dishes and two drinks will set you back all of NT$110 or thereabouts, which is just over US$3.

MIDNIGHT SNACKS

YI LIU RICE PORRIDGE (一流清粥小菜 )

Add: 104 Fuxing S. Rd., Sec. 2 , Taipei City ( 台北市復興南路二段 104 號 ) Tel: ( 02 ) 2706 - 4528 NO NAME RICE PORRIDGE ( 無名子清粥小菜 )

Add: 130 Fuxing S. Rd., Sec. 2 , Taipei City ( 台北市復興南路二段 130 號 ) Tel: ( 02 )- 2784 - 6735 XIAO LIZI RICE PORRIDGE (小李子清粥小菜 )

Add: 142 - 1 Fuxing S. Rd., Sec. 2 , Taipei City ( 台北市復興南路二段 142 之 1 號 ) Tel: ( 02 ) 2709 - 2849 Beef noodles

WORLD SOY MILK KING (世界豆漿大王 )

Add: 284 Yonghe Rd., Sec. 2 , Yonghe District, New Taipei City ( 新北市永和區永和路二段 284 號 ) Tel: ( 02 ) 8927 - 0000 LIN DONG FANG BEEF NOODLES (林東方牛肉麵 )

Add: 274 , Sec. 2 , Bade Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市八德路 2 段 274 號 ) Tel: ( 02 ) 2752 - 2556

Beef noodles

Fried tofu

With this being a beef noodle restaurant, and a famed one at that, what else would you order for your main course? But throw in a few side orders for the f ull experience. Try some dougan, which is a form of tof u made with the almighty soybean, or some cucumber in sesame oil with garlic, as you while away those scant few minutes between ordering and the arrival of your aromatic bowl of beef noodles, which come in large or small sizes, depending on your appetite. The tender slices of fatty beef melt in your mouth, and the broth will have you begging for the secret recipe. And speaking of secrets, try adding some of the special concoction of spices mixed with beef stock located at the side of your table for a little extra kick. There’s nothing fancy about this place; it’s simple and old school – and a real taste of Taiwan where the food speaks for itself, and speaks volumes.

33

Travel in Taiwan

FOOD JOURNEY

Freshly picked aiwen mango is a source of joy in Tainan’s Yujing District

34

Travel in Taiwan

MANGO

Yujing, Finding Out about Fruit Production in Southern Taiwan Each torrid Taiwan summer, the people of this land engage in a torrid love affair with the mango, consuming it in stupendous quantity and in myriad forms — sliced, as a fruit juice, as ice-cream and sorbet, and in pudding, cake, mousse, yogurt, and many other inventive variations. The recognized “Homeland of the Mango” is the Yujing area in the main island’s southwest. By Rick Charette

Taiwan

folk often refer to their super-fecund homeland as the “Kingdom of Fruit,” so the moniker “Kingdom of the Mango” follows logically for Yujing.

When I recently told my father-in-law I was headed to the area, he merely exclaimed “Mangoes!” and walked out of the room (a taciturn fellow who spends his days in Taiwanese and doesn’t feel comfortable in Mandarin Chinese; that’s the normal duration of our conversations).

So one fine day soon after, I headed out for Mangoland with a few friends. It is located in the eastern limits of sprawling Tainan City, where the Jianan Plain meets the central mountains, encircled by ridges of the Alishan Mountain Range that form an open-ended basin. The f lat areas are about 100 meters above sea level. Conditions are especially ripe for mango cultivation: the

plied us with the freshest possible slices of mango, from bright specimens just plucked from his trees. He is actively engaged in the promotion of Yujing’s products, and proved to be a bottomless well of information.

“Yujing grows a number of mango varieties, but two, the aiwen and tu (lit. “local,” meaning native Taiwan) are by far most important. Mango season is April through September, and Yujing is Taiwan’s biggest producer, selling about 10,000 tons each year," said Mr. Zheng. That certainly felt about right, for everywhere we went we passed field after field of heavily-laden trees.

“The aiwen is Taiwan’s most popular mango, because it’s big and plump and has a well-balanced rounded shape. And it’s

Yujing is Taiwan’s biggest mango producer, selling about 10,000 tons each year

Photo/ Maggie Song

soil is alkali limestone, and there is full sun exposure through all four seasons, with only a moderate swing in temperatures that allows leisurely slow growth. The more intensive sun and heat in competitor areas to the south stimulate more rapid growth that results in less juice build-up and less f lavor.

We were blessed with great fortune on our trip, for local authorities were pleased that the readers of Travel in Taiwan might be attracted to the area, and as it turned out, the heart-warmingly friendly small-business owners and farmers we met were also tickled, and we at times moved about with more guides – official and unoff icial – than travelers.

A highlight was time spent with mango farmer Zheng Shi-xiong, who took us right into his fields, happily donned his traditional douli, or farmer’s hat, to pose for pictures, and

pretty in color too, bright with red and some golden-yellow. It’s a bit sweeter than the tu variety, which is greener and smaller.

The tu also has somewhat firmer f lesh. The aiwen was in fact brought from Florida in the 1950s, and first successfully grown right here in Yujing in the 1960s, though it only became popular many years later.” We were in fact to meet the farmer known as the “godfather of aiwen” a little later, now in his 80s and still out in the f ields each day.

Aiwen mango ripens June through August. Other varieties must be picked early and then ripened, but aiwen must be left on the tree until ripe to attain the fullest f lavor. “As soon as they start to form", said Mr. Zheng, "we wrap white-paper bags around them, which helps to keep away birds and bugs. Maybe you’re lonely for Christmas back home, with so much white on the trees, eh?” He’d read my thoughts, and I smiled.

35

Travel Travel in in Taiwan Taiwan

FOOD JOURNEY Mango Selection Tip According to farmer Zheng Shi-xiong, consumers want, and pay most for, the largest and roundest aiwen specimens, but it is the smaller ones, weighing in at about 250 grams, that generally pack the richest f lavor and are sweetest – w ith the bonus that they are priced lower as well.

MANGO INDUSTRY CULTURAL INFORMATION HALL ( 玉井鄉芒果產業文化資訊館 )

Add: 228 Zhonghua Rd., Yujing District, Tainan City (台南市玉井區中華路228 號 ) Tel: (06) 574 - 8551 ENGLISH & CHINESE

1

2

“It ’s rea l l y tough work, a l l done by ha nd, but t he pesticide spraying is even tougher, lugging around the heav y equipment on your back up and dow n these slopes.” The Yu jing terrain is uneven, making machine use impractical.

Before we lef t, farmer Zheng showed us a trick used to stagger r ipening times and spread out the sell ing season, making for a better supply/demand balance and optimizing f ar mers’ sel l ing pr ices. “Each smal l branch w il l have a

36

Travel in Taiwan

3

愛文芒果 aiwen mango 阿里山山脈 Alishan Mountain Range 斗笠 douli 芒果故鄉 Homeland of the Mango 水果王國 Kingdom of Fruit 芒果王國 Kingdom of the Mango 嘉南平原 Jianan Plain 土芒果 tu mango 玉井 Yujing 玉井芒果節 Yujing Mango Festival Yujing Vegetable and 玉井鄉青果集貨場 Fruit Market 鄭罕池 Zheng Han-chi 鄭世雄 Zheng Shi-xiong

1. Mango farmer Zheng Shi-xiong proudly presents some ripe mangoes in his orchard 2. The fruit is transported to town 3. Cleaning and sorting

cluster of hanging mangoes,” he said, “one per tw ig. Ver y early in the season we pare many clusters, for w ith fewer f ruit competing for sun, etc., these grow faster and r ipen earl ier. Greater cluster density means later r ipening, and we’ll still be selling af ter the seasons in competing areas are over, optimizing our prices.”

Yu jing’s season is a f ull month longer than those of competitors Kaohsiung and P ingtung counties, because of

MANGO the advantageous evenness of Yu jing’s warm, mild climate preva il ing f rom March f r u it format ion to har vest t ime.

Flavor and texture are affected when mangoes grow rapidly under hotter conditions.

We

headed back into town for some delicious mango shaved-ice to cool down (see "Let's Eat!" article), then moved over to the nearby Yujing Vegetable and Fruit Market, Taiwan’s largest market for mango and longan. Longan is Yujing’s second specialty. The market is busy throughout the day, and we sidled up to one of the farming folk manning a selling space, who was happy to chat.

“We’re in the f ields between 4 and 5 am every day,” she said, “as soon as there’s enough light to see which mangoes have ripened overnight. It’s easy for aiwen – green yesterday, red today. They must be picked the same day or they’ll go sof t, and the birds try to get at them. We quickly pick a number of baskets and send a team back to wash them, box them, and rush here to get a good selling spot near the front – it’s f irst come, f irst served. The rest of the team continues picking. There’s no fee for a spot; the local farmers’ association takes a cut from all sales. Most of us have regular customers off-site – restaurants, stores – and the association itself takes a large amount for sale f urther af ield, in Taiwan cities and maybe abroad.

“I was a stubborn youngster,” he said, “wanted to help my country, and understood the risk was mine. Other farmers – we were so poor – couldn’t or wouldn’t take the risk. The government gave us the saplings (there were a couple of others, who soon gave up), but for years that was it. It took years of failure to f igure out how to grow aiwen properly, and Taiwan consumers resisted, used to the tu variety. I drove all over the place, selling from the back of my truck.

“Things are different now, aren’t they!”

They most certainly are. And I cannot express adequately in words how thrilled I was to be talking to this man, a piece of living history and a national treasure.

1

Photos/ Maggie Song

“We’re in the f ields until the last ripe mango is picked, and we’re here until everything is sold.” Her two children sat behind her, eating a late noodle lunch. “Nothing sells the next day – too sof t.”

A most pleasant surprise capped our Yujing visit. A meeting with the man who planted Taiwan’s very f irst aiwen tree, Mr. Zheng Han-zhi, was arranged, with a visit to the tree itself as well, still faithf ully producing. Zheng is well into his 80s, still spry and with a twinkle in his eye, and had just returned from a f ull day of harvesting.

2 1. Mr. Zheng Han-zhi, the “godfather of aiwen mango” 2. One of the first aiwen mango trees planted in Yujing

Other Yujing Attractions The annual Yujing Mango Festival is a multiday event held in July that features produce competitions, beauty contests, tours with farm visits, and more. The Mango Industry Cultural Information Hall (f ree entr y), open Mon-Fri 9 am to 4 pm, has exhibits detailing the f ull f lowering stor y of the Yu jing mango.

All sorts of mangoes are of fered in large quantity at Yujing’s Vegetable and Fruit Market

37

Travel in Taiwan

LET’S EAT!

Mango Feasting Eating Your Way through Yujing District

Cordon Bleu mango pork and refreshing mango beer served at Green Space restaurant

The mango is far and away the main claim to fame of the bucolic Yujing area, not long ago a township, today a district of sprawling Tainan City, tucked away on undulating land against the base of the Alishan Mountain Range. So, then, what would you guess is the star edible at local restaurants, shaved-ice shops, and food retailers? By Rick Charette

in the mood for a f ull meal, you’ve perhaps no better The restaurant uses either local aiwen (Mandarin for “Irwin”) choice than the restaurant Green Space, located high mango or tu (i.e., local/native Taiwan) mango in its creations. The atop Hutoushan or Tiger Head Mountain, a spur that juts former is somewhat sweeter; the latter has a deeper, richer taste. out into the wide valley in which the town of Yujing sits.

Very ripe mango is used when a pudding-like texture is desired, Everything is built of dark-stained wood here, most seating while just-ripening mango (usually the tu variety) assures firmness. is outside under umbrellas along a snaking boardwalk just below the spur’s crest, the views down into the valley are Honorable mentions must be given the fried mango, with lovely, and the unusual bird life delectably oozing, pudding-like innards, f litting about provides live music. local f ish topped with light mango For your beverage, tr y a mug of the There are a number of restaurants yogurt, grilled steak cutlets with delicious mango beer, per f ect on laz y, hot, Japanese-style mango sauce, a mango atop Hutoushan, but this is No. 1. steamy summer days sandwich, and the yummy mango The menu is stuffed with cheesecake (two servings for me). mango-based treats, all the reward of experimentation by the friendly, free-spirited owner. My favorite, a new For your beverage, try a mug (or two) of the delicious mango offering discovered on my most recent area trip, is Cordon beer, perfect on lazy, hot, steamy summer days, which Taiwan Bleu mango pork. Ripe mango joins white cheese and thick supplies aplenty. To heady draf t beer is added fresh, not-too-sweet ham inside a chicken breast that is lightly fried. A midtu mango juice, and you can choose to have a scoop of fresh mango sweet mango yogurt sauce is then spread atop. ice-cream f loating atop.

38

Travel in Taiwan

Photos/ Maggie Song

If

MANGO

Your

Green Space experience will no doubt have merely whetted your appetite for more mango-inspired food inventions, so head back down the mountain into Yu jing town. On Zhongzheng Rd. you’ll f ind a cluster of very popular shaved-ice shops where the most of ten ordered toppings are – surprise – f resh mango and homemade mango ice-cream. At No. 152 is the reigning queen, You Jian Bing Pu (You Jian Ice Shop), in business since 1992, run by an extremely likeable sister act. The two grew up on a local mango farm and decided early on to move upstream business-wise, where prof its were better. As before, however, they are already hard at work each day at 4 am, preparing the day’s f resh toppings. Everything served is made the same day and no additives are used.

The most popular mango ice-creams are made with the aiwen and tu varieties. The aiwen has a strong orange color and is sweeter; the tu is greener, with a stronger, earthier f lavor (not only my favorite but that of the sisters too).

The mix for all ice-creams is about 80% f ruit, 20% milk; through cream is not used, the f ruit brings a creamy texture. A little sugar is added only if the just-plucked f ruit is less sweet than usual.

Before

leaving the area, do as Taiwan folk do and pick up a box or two of f resh mangoes. You’ll see them on display at many stores, and a visit to the local farmers’ association market will bring you even lower prices. But I also recommend a visit to Shengfa Shipin (Shengfa Foods) at 50 Zhongzheng Rd. for the dried mango. They have the size and thickness of steak cutlets, and are deliciously sof t, chew y, and meaty. The rich f lavor and dark color comes f rom low-temp charcoal roasting over 48 hours. There are two versions, one natural, the other with a light ref ined-sugar coating. Both have great character.

Two sisters run the You Jian Ice Shop

Mango ice-cream

Vegetable rolls made with green mango

Dried mango

GREEN SPACE (綠色空間 )

Tel: ( 06 ) 574 - 7666 Add: 25 - 66 Shatian, Yujing District, Tainan City ( 台南市玉井區沙田 25 - 66 號 ) Website: www.greenspace.tw (Chinese) YOU JIAN BING PU ( 有間冰舖 )

Tel: ( 06 ) 574 - 9360 Add: 152 Zhongzheng Rd., Yujing District, Tainan City ( 台南市玉井區中 正路 152 號 ) SHENGFA SHIPIN ( 盛發食品行 )

Tel: ( 06 ) 574 - 2932 Add: 50 Zhongzheng Rd., Yujing District, Tainan City ( 台南市玉井區中 正路 50 號 ) Website: www.mango-yang.com ENGLisH & CHINESE

aiwen mango Alishan Mountain Range Hutoushan tu mango Yujing District Zhongzheng Rd.

愛文芒果 阿里山山脈 虎頭山 土芒果 玉井區 中正路

39

Travel in Taiwan

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

From Noodle Maker to Toy Maker

Visiting a Restaurant Owner Who Puts Discarded Plastic Bottles to New Use By Kurt Weidner

Daxi Townwhip is one of Taoyuan County’s main tourist draws. Famous for dried beancurd, old buildings with facades inspired by Western architecture, and the mausoleum of late President Chiang Kai-shek, the township is also the starting point of the Northern Cross-Island Highway, which traverses the northern part of the Central Mountain Range and connects the counties of Taoyuan and Yilan. On a recent excursion to Daxi we met a very interesting man,

Wind Wheel

step 3

step 1

Drill a hole in one end of a long bamboo chopstick.

Drill a hole into the cap step 2 of a soft drink bottle.

Insert a shorter stick into Insert a fitting straw (cut the hole and fix with some to desired length) into the glue. hole.

step 4

Insert the short stick attached to the chopstick into the straw and attach a small piece of bamboo to act as stopper.

step 6

step 5

Cut open the bottle with a utility knife and scissors and detach the bottom half.

step 7

Cut the ends of the flaps to make them round.

step 8

step 9

Bend each flap in the same Attach the bottle to the cap. direction, at an angle of approx. Voila, your wind wheel is ready 30 degrees. to turn!

Photos/ Sunny Su

Cut the bottle along the seam to the bottle’s neck, and do the same on the opposite site. Fold the two flaps and cut each in the middle. Repeat the process for the four flaps you now have, so you get eight flaps in total (the wings of the wind wheel).

TOY-MAKING

Huang Cai-zheng (“Huang Ba Ba” or “Daddy Huang”), who has become a celebrity with elementary-school students in the area and is often invited by local government units to teach children about the art of turning used plastic bottles and other trash into toys and funny-looking objects.

Sitting down at his restaurant, located on Prov. Hwy No. 7 just a few kilometers south of Daxi town, we asked him to teach us how to make some of the roughly 200 different toys and objects he’s invented so far. He agreed to show us the steps needed to create a simple handheld wind wheel from a plastic bottle and a noise-making device from an old fish can.

step 1

step 2

Make two holes on opposing Put an old chopstick or skewer sites of a fish can or other can stick through both holes and or suitable container. cut the stick so that it protrudes about 1cm on both sides.

HUANG BA BA’s HiGHWAY NO. 7 ENViRONMENT CONsERVATiON CREATiViTY sTUDiO ( 黃爸爸七號公路環保創意工廠 ) Add: 770, Sec. 1, Fuxing Rd., Daxi Township, Taoyuan County (桃園縣大溪鎮復興路一段770號) Tel: (03) 387-2797 Website: papatoys.noadsfree.com (Chinese) How to get there: Mr. Huang’s noodle restaurant is located on Prov. Hwy No. 7, a few kilometers south of Daxi town. Buses of the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle service’s (www. taiwantrip.com.tw ) Cihu Route stop nearby at the Daxi Mausoleum. From the bus stop it’s a 5-minute walk along the highway in the direction of Daxi.

ENGLisH & CHINESE

Cihu Daxi Daxi Mausoleum Huang Cai-zheng

step 3

慈湖 大溪 大溪陵寢 黄財正

step 4

Take a 50cm-long thick thread, Attach the string to a detached tab of or three thinner threads to- a beverage can. gether, and make simple knots every 2cm.

Noise Maker

step 5

Put two thin rubber bands through the ring of the tab and attach them to both ends of the stick by pulling them across the bottom of the can.

step 6

That’s it! To create the noise you just have to hold the can in one hand and pull the thread down slightly, then let the knots slip through your fingers. The cap hitting repeatedly against the bottom of the can makes a sound resembling a machine gun or a cicada depending on the can used.

s. His en arranges clas se ev d an , ys to g pres sed ledge in makin propelled by com to share his know s; y et pp ck ha ro is tle g ot an -b Hu Mr. nds. He has s amazing water tion to date is hi a mat ter of seco ea in cr g s in ou ild m bu fa t ry to os m as a 15-s rth safely. sily ascend as high to descend to Ea s et ck ro e air, the rocket s ea th s at allow tiny parachute th even developed a

41

Travel in Taiwan

THE BEST ROUTES

Many of Yangmingshan’s mountain peaks are covered with silver grass

Grand View Resort

Taiwan Folk Arts Museum

42

Travel in Taiwan

Photos/ Stuart Dawson, Vision Int'l, Grand View Resort

Yangmingshan is a hiker’s paradise

YANGMINGSHAN／BEITOU

Yangjin Highway

Stunning Scenery and Pristine Nature Are Just a Short Scooter Ride Away from Taipei’s Center Taiwan’s unique geology has given rise to countless mountains and endless valleys. The steep roads that wind through these areas of great natural beauty are perfect for exploring on two wheels. Among the many great routes in Taiwan, the highways traversing the mountains of Yangmingshan National Park stand out as must-do attractions for travelers based in Taipei, perfect for motor-scooter or bicycle trips. By Phil Dawson Exploring geothermal activity

43

Travel in Taiwan

THE BEST ROUTES

There

are numerous minor roads that lead up and down the cluster of mountains that make up the park, but on a recent outing my f riends and I chose to explore some of the main roads. As we began our ascent up Yangde Boulevard in Shilin District, it was hard to believe that just a few minutes earlier we were riding through heav y traff ic in the f lat area of a city of almost three million people. The road was lined by trees on both sides, and in no time we were winding, ever higher, into some beautif ul high-hill countryside.

Our plan was to visit Juansi Waterfall by following Yangde Boulevard, which becomes Gezhi Road higher up (all sections are part of Prov. Hw y No. 2A, commonly called the Yang jin Highway), and then turning right on Jingshan Road at the small community of Shanzaihou, where Chinese Culture University is located. At Shanzaihou we f illed up at what would be the last gas station on our route before returning to the city. We then followed Jingshan Road to a settled area called Pingdengli, best known for its many farms offering self-picking of f ruits and vegetables and a number of lovely cafés with nice mountain views. We decided to stop at the Take a Break Coffee Shop, a delightf ul little restaurant located on Lane 10 of Ping jing Street. We sat out in one of the secluded booths overlooking the wonderf ully craf ted garden as we pored over maps of the day’s route and sipped f resh-brewed premium coffee. Back on our scooters, we headed to and then along Lane 101 of Jingshan Road, where we stopped at the head of the trail to Juansi Waterfall.

Through the trees we caught glimpses of the waterfall, looking like a veil of silk flowing down the side of the cliff

It’s an easy 1km walk to the waterfall along a beautif ul paved trail that meanders through the dense forest. Our walk was accompanied by the ever-louder sound of countless cicadas, and the occasional “zao an!” (Good Morning!) f rom passersby.

Before long the cicadas’ song was interrupted by the sound of running water, and through the trees we caught glimpses of the waterfall, looking like a veil of silk f lowing down the side of the cliff.

It is possible to continue walking f rom Juansi Waterfall to both Lengshuikeng and Qingtiangang – two popular recreation spots in the national park.

However, our trip was all about the ride, so we got back to our bikes and headed up the steep road (Lane 101, Jingshan Road), passing a group of panting, out-of-breath cyclists on the way.

44

Travel in Taiwan

Juansi Waterfall

YANGMINGSHAN／BEITOU

Photos/ Stuart Dawson, Vision Int'l

Traversing the mountains of Yangmingshan from Taipei, you can reach the nor thern coast of Taiwan

Lengshuikeng

or “Cold Water Pit,” our next stop, is famous for its cold mineral spring. The temperature of the water here is only 40 degrees, meaning that while technically still a hot spring it is a lot cooler than the park’s other springs.

Mountain). The peak is the highest point within Taipei City boundaries, 1,120 meters above sea level. It takes about an hour to hike up the steep trail f rom Xiaoyoukeng, but it is more than worth it, for the tremendous 360-degree panorama view you get at the top. Go when temperatures are moderate, however.

We rode our scooters a little f urther down the road and parked beside Lane 101 at the Qingtiangang parking lot. Qingtiangang is one of the most visited places in Yangmingshan, and it is easy to see why. The area is a terrace that was formed by lava f low from Seven Star Mountain (more in a moment), its east side looming high above, and the result is an expansive, lush meadow with spectacular views in all directions. This is a place for families to picnic, newlyweds to have wedding photos taken, photographers to hone their skills, and others to go for a gentle walk or a long hike on the trails that shoot off, blanketed in f resh air.

Having cooled down, we followed the crowds over to Xiaoyoukeng’s (Little Oil Pit) famed f umaroles. The sulf urous f umes that spill out can be seen f rom the highway and are a really spectacular sight when in f ull f low.

Af terwards, we continued along the road to its intersection with the Yang jin Highway, then turned lef t (south), back toward Taipei. By the time we arrived at the Xiaoyoukeng Visitor Center, on Seven Star Mountain’s west side, it was already mid-morning and the temperature was creeping up to 35 degrees. We ducked into the cafeteria, ordered some ice-cold drinks, and decided not to make the tough climb up to the peak of Mt. Qixing (i.e., Seven Star

A little f urther south along the Yang jin Highway, we turned right onto the Bailaka Highway (County Road 101A).

Feeling a little guilty about chickening out of climbing Mt. Qixing , we all agreed to give our hard-working scooters a rest and put our hiking boots on. We parked at the head of the clearly marked Butterf ly Corridor trail, leading to Erziping Recreation Area, located west of towering Mt. Datun. This is one of the island’s best places to spot butterf lies, and even though we were a little late (mornings are the best time), we were still greeted with the wonderf ul sight of these beautif ul creatures f lying all around us. A f riend had once told me that if you wear bright colors some butterf lies will land on you, but my luminous-green T-shirt didn't prove as popular as hoped – though we did see one child screaming with delight, a host of butterf lies clinging to her poppy-red dress!

45

Travel in Taiwan

THE BEST ROUTES

N

Yangmingshan

F E

D

C

Beitou District

B H

G

A: Start Point B : Pingdengli area cafés A C: Juansi Waterfall D: Lengshuikeng E : Xiaoyoukeng and Mt. Qixing F : Datun Nature Park/Erziping/Xiangtian Pond G: Longfeng Valley H : Beitou hot springs, Folk Arts Museum, and Grand View Resort

occupation (1895~1945). In the 1950s and ’60s, Beitou's beautiful natural and man-made scenery served as setting for hundreds of movies. However, glory days never last forever, and after that time a period of decay set in. Fortunately, Beitou has seen a remarkable revival in recent times, with new museums and inns being opened, along with a lovely park and the Beitou Public Library – a stunning Noah's Ark-style eco-friendly building.

On this day, we chose to visit the excellent Taiwan Folk Arts Museum. This former Japanese officers' club has been lovingly converted into a showcase for artifacts from Taiwan’s Han Chinese culture, as well as some from the island's indigenous tribes. The two-story wooden building is a beautiful example of Japanese-style architecture, and as we walked around the grounds we could easily imagine that we were in the Japanese countryside. Inside the museum, all the exhibits have thorough explanations in English, and audio guides are available for those who want to learn more. There is a wonderfully designed restaurant and teahouse attached to the museum, a superb spot for lunch.

Just a short distance from the Folk Arts Museum was our final stop of the day, and the most eagerly anticipated – the Grand View Resort. It had been a long, hot day, and we were all ready to step into the resort’s steaming sulfurous hot-spring baths to relieve the aches and pains accrued from the day’s exertions. Upon arriving we Af ter resting for a while in the The sulfurous fumes that spill out were immediately greeted by the bright smiles Erziping Recreation Area we decided can be seen from the highway of the staff and taken inside. Deciding it was to walk a bit f urther, to one of and are a really spectacular sight best to have our soak before eating dinner, my favorite Yangmingshan places, when in full flow we opted for an outdoor private pool. The Xiangtian Pond, another great spot hotel combines contemporary décor while that showcases the volcanic nature of the area. The hike is not particularly strenuous, and well worth it – as you walk into the dried-out pond, it becomes Sulfur pit at Xiaoyoukeng clear you’re standing right in the crater of an extinct volcano.

Pretty cool! It’s also a lovely picnic spot, though perhaps best saved for cooler weather. on our bikes, we headed down to the Beitou hot-spring area, continuing west along the Bailaka Highway and then taking sections of County Road 101, Prov. Hw y 2, Yangtou Highway, and Quanyuan Road. We had one more stop on the way – Sulfur Valley, which is the source of the ma jority of the hot-spring water that supplies the hotels in Beitou. The scenery around here is very eerie, and very different f rom the rolling green hills we had just been walking over. Vent holes spew hot f umes into the air, and the barren rock-laden landscape is strewn with milkyblue pools of sulf urous water.

We arrived at Beitou late in the af ternoon, continuing downhill along Quanyuan Rd. and then Youya Road. The area was teeming with people and energy. The hot springs of Beitou were f irst commercialized during the time of Japanese

46

Travel in Taiwan

Photos/ Stuart Dawson. Vision Int'l, Grand View Resort

Back

YANGMINGSHAN／BEITOU maintaining that traditional Japanese feeling, giving it a unique look and ambiance. The pool décor was lovely, and we sat outside gazing at the mountains as the afternoon mist rolled in.

Fully relaxed, we headed into the resort’s C'est Bon restaurant, where we were seated by a window overlooking Beitou as the sun began its descent. The set meal was sumptuous, with every course bringing new sensory delights. The freshly baked bread and the Yilan-style duck were highlights.

Night had arrived, but our ride wasn't quite finished yet; we still had to get back to central Taipei. So, with satisfied appetites and relaxed bodies, we climbed back onto our iron horses to complete the last leg of a thoroughly fulfilling journey.

Grand View Resort

GRAND ViEW REsORT (北投麗禧溫泉酒店 )

ENGLisH & CHINESE

百拉卡公路 Bailaka Highway 北投 Beitou 蝴蝶花廊 Butterfly Corridor Chinese Culture University 中國文化大學 Erziping Recreation Area 二子坪遊憩區 格致路 Gezhi Road 菁山路 Jingshan Road 絹絲瀑布 Juansi Waterfall 平等里 Pingdengli 平菁街 Pingjing Street 冷水坑 Lengshuikeng 大屯山 Mt. Datun 七星山 Mt. Qixing

Provincial Highway No. 2 A Qingtiangang Quanyuan Road Shanzaihou Shilin District Sulfur Valley Xiangtian Pond Xiaoyoukeng Yangde Boulevard Yangmingshan National Park Yangjin Highway Youya Road zao an

台2甲 擎天崗 泉源路 山仔后 士林區 硫磺谷 向天湖 小油坑 仰德大道 陽明山國家公園 陽金公路 幽雅路 早安

Add: 30 Youya Rd., Beitou District, Taipei City ( 台北市北投區幽雅路 30 號 ) Tel: ( 02 ) 2898 - 8888 Website: www.gvrb.com.tw TAKE A BREAK COFFEE sHOP (台北奧萬大 )

Add: Lane 10 , Pingjing St., Shilin District, Taipei City ( 台北市士林區平菁街十巷 ) Tel: ( 02 ) 2861 - 9862 Website: http://takeabreak.myweb.hinet.net (Chinese) TAiWAN FOLK ARTs MUsEUM (北投文物館 )

Add: 32 Youya Rd., Beitou District, Taipei City ( 台北市北投區幽雅路 32 號 ) Tel: ( 02 ) 2891 - 2318 Website: www.folkartsm.org.tw

47

Travel in Taiwan

FESTIVAL

Confucius Day Once a Year, the Great Sage and Many Other Great Teachers in Chinese History Are Honored with a Traditional Ceremony If you happen to be in Taipei on September 28 and you don’t mind getting up very early, consider heading to the Taipei Confucius Temple to witness the solemn annual Confucius Ceremony. If you can’t make it that day, a visit to this or another Confucius temple in Taiwan is highly recommended at any time of the year. By Kurt Weidner

48

Travel in Taiwan

CONFUCIUS

The

Conf ucius Temple is one of the few places in the core area of Taipei where you can experience quiet and peacef ulness amidst all the hectic and busy activity the city is known for. Walk through the side gate and you enter a temple complex with a small park area that is very different f rom most other temples and parks you might have visited in Taipei. Af ter receiving a ma jor facelif t recently, the temple is in perfect shape and the grounds are spotlessly clean. Squirrels can be seen jumping f rom tree to tree, and in the morning hours older folks go about practicing taiqi and qigong.

For most of the day it’s pleasantly tranquil at the temple, “safe” for the occasional tourist group coming for a visit. Airplanes can be seen low overhead on their approach to nearby Taipei Songshan Airport (as a passenger you can easily recognize the temple by its strict symmetrical layout). At eight o’clock each morning, however, the courtyard in f ront of the main hall, Dacheng Hall, comes to life – something I witnessed during a visit earlier this summer. About 80 elementary school students, all wearing pink T-shirts with a logo depicting Conf ucius on the f ront, gathered and lined up in rows f ive deep.

Moving to the beat of a big drum and the instructions of their teacher, the students (5th and 6th graders at nearby Dalong Elementary School) went through a strict routine of changing poses.

On September 28, students per form a ceremonial dance on the platform in front of Dacheng Hall

49

Travel in Taiwan

Photo/ Vision Int'l

In sharp contrast to other temples in Taipei – for example Baoan Temple, which is just a stone’s throw away and is a must-visit site in its own right – there are no large crowds at the Conf ucius Temple, and the air is not f illed with the smoke of burning joss sticks. Everything is calm and orderly here. A Conf ucius temple is, af ter all, traditionally a place of learning, not of worship.

FESTIVAL

The

An

routine seemed to be quite a challenge for the 10~12annual event, the Conf ucius Ceremony is staged year-olds. They started by standing rigidly still, and September 28th (also known as “Teacher’s Day”) then slowly moved f rom one precision pose to another. Teacher in the early-morning hours. The ceremony is carried out Chuang Wen-chen constantly guided the students in ref ining their to honor China’s greatest teacher on his birthday (his movements, and in minimizing wavering and hesitation. It was 2561st this year), and also the some 200 most famous diff icult to tell, f rom their expressions, whether they enjoyed or teachers in Chinese history, whose wooden name plates loathed this earlyare displayed in morning drill. Af ter the the buildings end of the half-hour surrounding the main practice, the f riendly courtyard. During and knowledgeable the dance, known Chuang assured me as the Y i Dance, that “All of them are which dates back to volunteers; no one is the Ming Dynasty forced to take part in (1368~1644), the this,” adding, af ter a students line up in moment’s thought, that rows on the platform “of course, there might in front of Dacheng be a certain amount of Hall. They wear pressure f rom some of traditional yellow the students’ families.” costumes (the color The Wanren Gongqiang wall symbolizes the The annual Conf ucius yellow symbolizing deepness of Confucius’ knowledge and morals Ceremony, during which hope) and carry two these students are items in their hands. going to perform this year, has been One, the Yue, is a red 2-foot-long pipeA Confucius temple is traditionally a staged since 1931 at the Conf ucius like object symbolizing a bamboo f lute, place of learning, not of worship Temple, and many of the students’ and the other, the Di, consists of a parents – in some cases even grandparents – have performed golden-colored dragon-shaped handle holding three long the same ritualistic moves the students are learning now, every pheasant feathers, the distinct segment-like pattern on weekday before going to class. Parents take great pride in the fact the feathers symbolizing “moving upward (in learning) their children are continuing this family tradition. step by step”.

Students of Dalong Elementar y School practice in the cour tyard of Confucius Temple in the early morning before going to class

50

Travel in Taiwan

CONFUCIUS temple square is f illed with positive qi The number of students taking part energy emanating from Dacheng Hall. in the dance depends on the rank of the This is seen as a blessing for all people highest off icial attending. In ancient in attendance.” times the Conf ucius ceremony was staged not only to honor Conf ucius but also to pay respect to the emperor or local Despite the early starting time, ruler in attendance. The largest dance the ceremony is a popular event, with formation, with 8 x 8 rows of dancers, several hundred spectators f illing the was reserved for the emperor, while courtyard each year, coming to receive smaller formations, such as the blessings and absorb 6 x 6, 4 x 4, and 2 x 2, were the wisdom believed to Several hundred used to honor dignitaries of be “in the air” at this spectators fill the lower rank. Today, the 8 x time, or simply to take 8 formation (Ba Y i), is used in the show. At the end courtyard each year, at Taipei’s Conf ucius Temple coming to receive the of the ceremony, the only when the president organizers distribute soblessings and absorb of the Republic of China, called “wisdom cakes,” the wisdom or Taiwan, attends the the eating of which ceremony (which he did in is believed to help in 2010 and is expected to do so again this academic achievements. Another method year), and the 6 x 6 formation (Liu Y i) is for obtaining wisdom is the “pulling out used when the highest-ranking off icial of wisdom calligraphy brushes” from the present is the mayor of Taipei. back of a cow sculpture placed in the courtyard.

The

Conf ucius Ceremony traditionally starts at 6 in the morning, and lasts for up to two hours depending on the formation used.

Asked why the ceremony is conducted at such an early hour, teacher Chuang explained that “Qi energy is strongest at the time when the night ends and the morning begins. It is believed that the spirit of Conf ucius descends (f rom heaven) during the ceremony, and the

On September 28, all Conf ucius temples around Taiwan will stage some form of ceremony or Conf ucius birthday-celebration event. So the Taipei Conf ucius Temple is not your only option for witnessing how the Great Sage is honored on his special day.

TAIPEI CONFUCIUS TEMPLE (台北孔廟 )

Add: 275 , Dalong St., Datong District, Taipei City ( 台北市大同區大龍街 275 號 ) Tel: ( 02 ) 2592 - 3934 Website: www.ct.taipei.gov.tw Helpful website: http://confucius.culture.tw/

Photos/ Maggie Song, Vision Int'l

ENGLISH & CHINESE

Ba Yi Chuang Wen-chen Confucius Ceremony Dalong Elementary School Di Liu Yi pulling out of wisdom calligraphy brushes qi qigong Teacher ' s Day wisdom cakes Yi Dance Yue

八佾 莊汶湞 祭孔大典 大龍國小 翟 六佾 拔智慧毛筆 氣 氣功 教師節 智慧餅 佾舞 蘥

51

Travel in Taiwan

UPCOMING Festivals and Events from September to November 2011 AUG 20 ~ OCT 1

Taipei – Explore the Endless Possibilities

SEP 28

Confucius Ceremony 台北祭孔大典

台北 • 一遊未盡 Location: Tourist spots around Taipei ( 陽明山國家公園 ) Tel: 1999 (outside Taipei City, dial 02-2720-8889) ext. 8627 Website: www.taipeitravel.net

Location: Taipei Confucius Temple ( 台北孔子廟 ), 275 Dalong St., Taipei City ( 台北市大龍街 275 號 ) Tel: (02) 2592-3934 Website: www.ct.taipei.gov.tw

AUG 27 ~ SEP 11

SEP 30 ~ OCT 30

Locations:Taipei International Artist Village ( 台北國 際藝術村 ), Guling Street Avant-Garde Theatre ( 牯嶺 街小劇場 ), Nanhai Gallery ( 南海藝廊 ), The Red House ( 西門紅樓 ), Taiwan Photo Museum ( 台灣攝影博物 ) and

Location: Songshan Cultural and Creative Park ( 松 山文創園區 ), Taipei World Trade Center ( 台北世貿展覽 館 ), Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall ( 世貿南港展覽館 ) Tel: (02) 2720-8889 ext. 7577 Website: www.2011designexpo.com.tw

Taipei Fringe Festival 台北藝穗節

others Tel: (02) 2528-9580 ext. 196 Website: www.taipeifringe.org

JUN 24 ~ SEP 25

The Delight of Chinese Characters Exhibition 好漢玩字節

Taipei World Design Expo 台北世界設計大展

NOV 5 ~13

2011 Taiwan Cycling Festival 台灣自行車節

Location: Pier 2 Art District, Kaohsiung ( 高雄市 駁二藝術特區 ), 1 Dayong Rd., Yancheng District, Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市鹽埕區大勇路 1 號 ) Tel: (07) 521-4899, (07) 521-4881 Website: http://w4.khcc.gov.tw/2011DCCF

Location: Yilan, Hualien, Taitung ( 宜蘭、 花蓮、 台東 ) Tel: (02) 2719-2025 Website: www.taiwancup.com.tw

OCT 1 ~ 30

NOV 11 ~ 14

Location: Hualien County Culture Bureau ( 花蓮縣文化局 ) Tel: (03) 822-7121 ext. 509 Website: www.hualienstone2011.tw

Location: Taipei World Trade Center ( 台北世貿中心 ) Tel: (02) 2597-9691 Website: www.taipeiitf.org.tw

Hualien International Stone Sculpture Festival ( 花蓮國際石雕藝術季 )

Taipei International Travel Fair 台北國際旅展

For more information on upcoming festivals and events visit the website of the Tourism Bureau at http://eng.taiwan.net.tw and click on “Festivals” or call the 24-hour toll-free Travel Information Hotline at 0800-011765.

52

Travel in Taiwan

Advertisement HOTEL INFORMATION

Hotels of Taiwan

V

THE GRAND HOTEL 圓山大飯店

Taipei 台北

isitors to Taiwan have a wide range of choice when it comes to accommodation. From five-star luxury hotels that meet the

highest international standards, to affordable business hotels, to hotspring and beach resort hotels, to privately-run homestays located in the countryside there is a place to stay that satisfies every traveler’s needs.

What all hotels of Taiwan — small and big, expensive and affordable —

NO. OF ROOMS: 487 (Suites: 57) ROOM RATES: Single/DBL NT$ 5,700 – 11,000 Suite NT$15,000 – 28,000 DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, French, Spanish, and Japanese

have in common is that serve and hospitality are always of the highest

RESTAURANTS: Western, Cantonese, Northern China Style Dumplings, tea house, coffee shop

standards. The room rates in the following list have been checked for

SPECIAL FEATURES: Grand Ballroom, conference rooms for 399 people, 10 breakout rooms, business center, fitness center, sauna, Olympic-size swimming pool, tennis courts, billiards

each hotel, but are subject to change without notice. Room rates at the hotels apply.

1 Chung shan N. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City, 10461 R.O.C 10 4 61台北市中山北 路 四段1號

Tel: 886.2.2886.8888 Fax: 886.2.2885.2885

www.grand-hotel.org

PACIFIC BUSINESS CENTER HOTEL 太平洋商旅

Taipei 台北

THE REGENT TAIPEI

Taipei 台 北

台北晶華酒店

NO. OF ROOMS: 93 rooms, 28 offices, 4 meeting rooms ROOM RATES: Superior Room NT$ 6,000+10% Executive Room NT$ 6,600+10% Junior Room NT$ 7,800+10% Excellency Room NT$ 8,800+10% Premium Suite NT$ 9,800+10%

NO. OF ROOMS: 538

GENERAL MANAGER: Te Yao

English, Japanese, Chinese

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, English

RESTAURANTS:

ROOM RATES:

Superior Room Deluxe Room Junior Suite Corner Suite Residence Elite Suite

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

12,000 13,000 20,500 30,500 17,000 24,500

Szechuan & Cantonese Cuisine, Japanese Cuisine, Steak House & Teppanyaki, Lounge Bar, Buffet, Café

SPECIAL FEATURES: Free wireless access, VIP lounge, private meeting rooms and secretarial services, private office rental services, high-speed ADSL broadband Internet, non-smoking floors, safety deposit box, laundry service, limousine service, airport transportation, basement parking, gym

SPECIAL FEATURES: Executive business center, fitness center, sauna, rooftop swimming pool, SPA, ballroom and convention facilities, parking, laundry service, 24-hour room service, wireless Internet, airport transportation service

11F, 495 Guangfu S. Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City 11074

41 Chung Shan (Zhongshan) N. Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei City, 104

1 10 74 台 北 市 信 義 區 光 復 南 路 4 9 5 號 1 1樓

104台北市中山北路二段41號

Tel: 02.8780.8000 Fax: 02.8780.5000 E-mail: pbc.taipei@msa.hinet.net

www.businesscenter.com.tw

MIRAMAR GARDEN TAIPEI 美麗信花園酒店

NO. OF ROOMS: 203 ROOM RATES: Deluxe Room Business Room Executive Deluxe Room Boss Suite Premier Suite

Taipei 台 北

TAIPEI GARDEN HOTEL

NO. OF ROOMS: 241 ROOM RATES: NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

7,000 8,000 9,000 13,000 18,000

GENERAL MANAGER: Linda Chu DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Japanese, Mandarin, Taiwanese, Cantonese RESTAURANTS: Rain Forest Café, Garden Terrace, Lounge 81

Taipei 台 北

台北花園大酒店

Superior Room Premier Room Deluxe Room Junior Suite Garden Suite

NT$ 7,000 NT$ 8,000 NT$ 9,000 NT$ 10,000 NT$ 16,000

(All rates are subject to 10% service charge)

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

Japanese, English, Chinese

RESTAURANTS: La Fusion Restaurant,

La Fusion Bakery, Hanazono Japanese Restaurant, La Fusion Bar, La Fusion Deli

SPECIAL FEATURES:

SPECIAL FEATURES:Business center, Pyramid Club - luxury executive floor, multifunctional room, Internet service, 32-inch LCD TV, garden terrace, bar, fitness club, outdoor pool, sauna, spa, aromatherapy, car park

Fitness Center, Business Center, Conference & Dining Facilities; (Rooms Facilities) 32” LCD TV/Pay Broadband Internet Access/ Multi Channel Satellite TV with Domestic and Foreign Programming/En-suite Shower and Bath/TOTO Washlet

83 Civic Boulevard, Sec. 3, Taipei City, 104 104台北市市民大道三段8 3號

1, Zhonghua Rd. Sec. 2, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 10065

Tel: 02.2523.8000 Fax: 02.2523.2828

Tel: 02.8772.8800 Fax: 02.8772.1010 E-mail: info@miramargarden.com.tw

Tel: 886.2.2314.6611 Fa x: 886.2.2314.5511 E-mail: fo@taipeigarden.com.tw

www.grandformosa.com.tw

www.miramargarden.com.tw

www.taipeigarden.com.tw

10 0 6 5台北市中正 區中 華路二 段 1號

53

Travel in Taiwan

Advertisement HOTEL INFORMATION GLORIA PRINCE HOTEL TAIPEI

Taipei 台北

華 泰 王 子大 飯 店

NO. OF ROOMS: 220 ROOM RATES: Deluxe / Single / Twin & Double NT$ 7,800~8,500 Suite NT$ 9,500~20,000 DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, English, Japanese RESTAURANTS: La Fontaine (Western), Chiou Hwa (Chinese) SPECIAL FEATURES: Coffee Shop, Fitness Center, Business Center, laundry service, meeting and banquet facilities, non-smoking floor, parking lot, airport transfer service

COSMOS HOTEL

Taipei 台 北

天成大飯店

NO. OF ROOMS: 226 ROOM RATES:

Superior Single Room Executive Deluxe Room Superior Twin Room Family Triple Room Deluxe Triple Room Family Quad Room Deluxe Family Room Deluxe Suite Cosmos Suite

NT$ 4,000 NT$ 4,500 NT$ 4,500 NT$ 4,800 NT$ 5,000 NT$ 5,500 NT$ 6,000 NT$ 7,600 NT$ 10,000

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, Japanese, English, Cantonese RESTAURANTS: Cantonese Dimsum,

Shanghai Cuisine, Buffet Breakfast, Lily Café, Ditrevi Ice Cream Shop, La Fusion Bakery

ROYAL BIZ TAIPEI

Taipei 台 北

金來商旅

NO. OF ROOMS: 48 ROOM RATES: Standard Room NT$ 6,000+10% Deluxe Room NT$ 6,500+10% Superior Suite NT$ 7,500+10% DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Chinese, Japanese, RESTAURANTS: Lobby Lounge (Western and Chinese buffet breakfast) SPECIAL FEATURES: Full-amenity meeting rooms, gym, business center, airport limousine service, laundry service, free mechanized parking lot, tour arrangements, currency exchange, close to the MRT system and major commercial and tourist sites.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Conference Room,

Banquet Hall, Gift Shop, Barber Shop, Flower Shop, Parking Space, Laundry

43, Chunghsiao (Zhongxiao) W. Rd., Sec. 1, Taipei City, 100 (MRT Taipei Main Station, Exit 3) 100台北市忠孝西路一段4 3號 (台北捷運總 站3號出口)

71, Sec. 1, Jinshan S. Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 100

Fax: 02.2581.5811, 2568-2924

Tel: 02.2361.7856 Fa x: 02.2311.8921 Reser vation Hotline: 02.2311.8901 Reser vation Fa x: 02.2311.8902 E-mail: cosmos@cosmos-hotel.com.tw

www.gloriahotel.com

Tel: 02.2397.9399 Fa x: 02.2397.1399 Res. Hotline: 02.2396.9321 E-mail:rsvn@royalbiz.com.tw service@royalbiz.com.tw

www.cosmos-hotel.com.tw

369 Lin-sen (Linsen) N. Rd., Taipei City, 104 104台北市林森北路3 69號

Tel: 02.2581.8111

HOTEL SENSE

Taipei 台北

伸適商旅

Taipei 台 北

王朝大酒店

NO. OF ROOMS: 738 ROOM RATES: Deluxe Room NT$ 7,700

NO. OF ROOMS: 79 ROOM RATES: Superior Room Business Room Deluxe Room Executive Deluxe Room Executive Suite Sense Suite

SUNWORLD DYNASTY HOTEL TAIPEI

Premier Room Junior Suite Deluxe Suite Executive Suite

NT$ 7,500 NT$ 8,500 NT$ 9,500 NT$ 9,000 NT$ 10,000 NT$ 15,000

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Chinese, Japanese RESTAURANTS: Sen Salon Restaurant SPECIAL FEATURES: Business center, fitness center, meeting rooms, Club House with luxury furniture and advanced media facilities for private meetings and gatherings, wood-floored open-air Sky Garden, parking tower, close to the MRT system near Zhongshan Elemen tary school MRT station and key commercial and entertainment districts.

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

8,200 9,200 11,500 17,500

EXECUTIVE CLUB FLOOR

Deluxe Room Premier Room Deluxe Suite Executive Suite

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

9,000 9,500 15,000 21,000

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, Japanese, English

RESTAURANTS: Le Parc Café, Magnolia Court, Canton Palace

SPECIAL FEATURES: 738 large-size guest

rooms with high ceilings, incl. 42 suites.

Grand lobby entrance with magnificent atrium.

Outdoor swimming pool heated during winter.

Fully equipped gym, fitness center, sauna, and aerobics room. Fully equipped business center.

Hi-speed broadband Internet access. Safety deposit box. Express laundry service. Limousine service, airport pick-up. State-ofthe-art audiovisual equipment.

HOTEL ÉCLAT 怡亨酒店

Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 60 ROOM RATES:

Deluxe Room Grand Deluxe Room Premier Room Premier 9 Éclat Suite

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

12,000 12,500 13,000 15,000 35,000

(All rates are inclusive of 5% VAT and subject to 10% service charge)

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

English, Taiwanese, Chinese, Japanese, Cantonese,

RESTAURANTS: Ming Yuen, Éclat Lounge, George Bar

SPECIAL FEATURES: Member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World; strategically located in the most fashionable and prestigious district of Taipei; offers guests great convenience for business and entertainment; Wi-Fi connectivity and in-room business facilities; variety of meeting rooms providing the ideal venue for professional meetings, corporate functions, and social gatherings.

10 0 台北市中正 區 金 山南 路 一段71號

www.royalbiz.com.tw

TAIPEI GALA HOTEL 慶 泰大 飯 店

Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 160 ROOM RATES:

Single Room Deluxe Single Room Deluxe Twin Room Suite Room

370, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd., Da-an District, Taipei City 106 106 台北市敦化南路一段370號

Tel: 02.2784.8888 Fax: 02.2784.7888 Res. Hotline: 02.2784.8118

www.eclathotels.com

SAN WANT HOTEL TAIPEI 台北神旺大飯店

Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 268 ROOM RATES: NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

4,200 4,600 5,000 6,600

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

English, Japanese, Chinese

RESTAURANTS: Golden Ear Restaurant (Western semi buffet); Golden Pot (Chinese Cuisine) SPECIAL FEATURES: Business Center, meeting rooms, airport transfer service, parking lot, laundry service, free Internet access, LCD TV, DVD player, personal safety box, mini bar, private bathroom with separate shower & bath tub, hair dryer

Single NT$ 6,000~ 8,800 Twin NT$ 6,800~ 9,600 Suite NT$ 8,000~ 36,800

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Japanese, Chinese

RESTAURANTS: French All Day Dining (French), Chao Ping Ji (Cantonese & Dim-Sum), Sumie Nouvelle Japonaise Cuisine (Japanese), Pozzo Bakery, Zorro Bar

SPECIAL FEATURES: Two minutes walk from MRT ZhongXiao Dunhua Station. Business Center, Fitness Center, Conference Room, Banquet Room for 500 people, Free Parking for Room Guests, Free Broadband Internet Access in Guestrooms, In-Room Safe, Express/Dry Cleaning Service, Fine East and West Art Collections on Display

186 Songjiang Rd., Taipei City,104

54

104台北市松江路18 6號

477, Linsen N. Rd., Zhongshan District, Taipei City 104 104台北市中山區林森北路477號

100 Dun Hua North Road, Taipei Taiwan R.O.C.

Tel: 02.7743.1000 Fax: 02.7743.1100

Tel: 02.2719.7199 Fa x: 02.2545.9288 E-mail: bc@sunworlddynasty.com.tw

Tel: 02.2541.5511 Fax: 02.2531.3831 Reservation Hotline: 02.2541.6888 E-mail: galahtl@ms18.hinet.net

www.hotelsense.com.tw

www.sunworlddynasty.com

www.galahotel.com.tw

Travel in Taiwan

台北市敦化北路100號

Exit 1 of MRT Xingtian Temple Station on the Luzhou Line.

172 ZhongXiao East Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City, 106 106台北市忠孝東路四段172號

Tel: 02.2772.2121 Fax: 02.2721.0302 E-mail: reservation@sanwant.com

www.sanwant.com

Advertisement HOTEL INFORMATION

FUSHIN HOTEL 富信大 飯 店

Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 88 ROOM RATES: Standard Double Room NT$ 6,000 Deluxe Double Room NT$ 6,500~6,700 Superior Twin Room NT$ 6,500~6,700 Deluxe Triple Room NT$ 7,500 Deluxe Family Room NT$ 8,000 Business Suite NT$ 9,000~9,200 Premier Twin Suite NT$ 15,000 ( Prices above including 15% Service Charge )

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

IMPERIAL HOTEL TAIPEI

TAIPEI FULLERTON – FU-XING SOUTH

NO. OF ROOMS: 288 ROOM RATES:

NO. OF ROOMS: 100

Taipei 台 北

台北華國大飯店

Superior Room Premier Room Deluxe Room Club Deluxe Room Suite Imperial Suite

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

8,000 8,500 9,000 10,000 13,000 ~16,000 28,000

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

English, Japanese, Chinese

English, Chinese, Japanese, Cantonese

RESTAURANTS:Cantonese, Steakhouse, Bar ,

RESTAURANTS: Chinese and Western buffet

T (T Cube)Bar & Restaurant, T (T Square )

breakfast, Café One

SPECIAL FEATURES: Welcome fruit basket, newspaper, gym, free parking, free self-help laundry, business center, free cable and wireless Internet access, free pick-up service within city limits

3

2

1

Toyko In Dining Bar, T (One )Thai Bistro, 24Hour Room Service

SPECIAL FEATURES: Banquet and Convention Facilities ,Business Center ,Fitness Center, Club Floors, MRT Transfer Service ,Parking Lot

Taipei 台 北

台北馥敦- 復南館

ROOM RATES:

Superior Room Executive Room Deluxe Room Junior Suite Fullerton Room VIP Suite Presidential Suite

TAIPEI LEADER HOTEL

NO. OF ROOMS: 72 ROOM RATES: NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

5,500 5,900 6,200 6,800 7,100 8,100 19,000

(above rates not including 10% service charge; for discount offers, please call hotel or visit our website)

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

English, Japanese, Chinese

SPECIAL FEATURES: Close to Taipei 101 commercial area; 1 minute on foot to MRT Daan Station; free coffee and handmade cookies in lobby; free wireless Internet access; gym; sauna; business center; valet parking; complimentary Chinese/Western buffet breakfast; welcome fruit basket and mineral water.

Taipei 台 北

立德台大尊賢會 館

Superior Single Superior Twin Deluxe Single Leader Suite Executive Suite

NT$ 5,500+10% NT$ 6,000+10% NT$ 6,000+10% NT$ 10,000+10% NT$ 15,000+10%

(Rooms on sale starting at NT$3,200)

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Japanese, English, Chinese

SPECIAL FEATURES: Café 83 Fusion Restaurant, City View Lounge, Multi- Functional Meeting Rooms, Gym, Sauna. , Multi- Function Shower, Multi- Function Shower Room with, Massage Function (Suite) , 32”TV/DVD Player, ADSL Modem, Fax Machine Rental

83, Roosevelt Rd. Sec. 4, Da’an District, Taipei City 10673

1, Alley 34, Lane 123, Sec. 6, Minquan E. Rd., Taipei City

600 Lin Shen North Rd., Taipei City,104

41, Sec. 2, Fuxing S. Rd., Taipei City 106 (near junction with Xinyi Rd.)

台北市民權東路六段123巷3 4 弄1號

104台北市林森北路 600號

1 0 6 台 北 市 復 興 南 路 2 段 4 1 號( 信 義 路 口 )

10673台北市大安區羅斯福路四段8 3號

Tel: 02.2791.5678 Fa x: 02.2796.2311 E-mail: rsvn@fushin-hotel.com.tw

Tel: 02.2596.5111 Fax: 02.2592.7506 E-mail: taipei@imperialhotel.com.tw

Tel: 02.2703.1234 Fax: 02.2705.6161 E-mail: service2@taipeifullerton.com.tw

Tel: 886.2.8369.2858 E-mail: ntu@leaderhotel.com

www.fushin-hotel.com.tw

www.imperialhotel.com.tw

www.taipeifullerton.com.tw

www.leaderhotel.com.tw

PALAIS DE CHINE HOTEL 君品酒店

Taipei 台 北

雲品酒店

Sun Moon Lake 日 月 潭

NO. OF ROOMS: 211 ROOM RATES:

NO. OF ROOMS: 286 ROOM RATES: Superior Room Deluxe Room Family Twin Room Executive Superior Room Executive Deluxe Room Junior Suite Executive Suite La Rose Suite Charles V Suite

FLEUR DE CHINE HOTEL

NT$ 11,000 NT$ 12,500 NT$ 14,500 NT$ 15,000 NT$ 16,500 NT$ 18,000 NT$ 21,000 NT$ 100,000 NT$ 150,000

(All rates are subject to 10% service charge)

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English,Chinese, Japanese RESTAURANTS: La Rotisserie, Le Palais, Le Thé, Le Bar SPECIAL FEATURES:Gym, business center, ballroom and function rooms, VIP salon, wireless internet, gift shop, room service, E-butler service, airport transportation service, located in an area of the city with heritage sites and tourist attractions.

花蓮翰品酒店

Hualien 花 蓮

NO. OF ROOMS: 211 ROOM RATES: Superior Single Room Superior Twin Room Superior Triple Room Superior Family Room Deluxe Family Room Deluxe Suite Room Executive Suite Room

NT$ 4,800 NT$ 5,400 NT$ 6,000 NT$ 6,600 NT$ 7,800 NT$ 8,800 NT$ 16,800

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, English, Japanese RESTAURANT:Chinese food, buffet, teppanyaki,

RESTAURANTS: Western buffet-style, Chinese SPECIAL FEATURES:

afternoon tea, lobby lounge, rooftop restaurant

SPECIAL FEATURES:Banquet and conference facil-

ity, VIP lounge, boutique, wireless internet, e-butler, laundry service, room service, parking, SPA, hotspring, play ground, swimming pool, gym, HSR transportation service, out circular concourse, trail hiking, etc.

No.23, Zhongzheng Rd., Sun Moon Lake, Yuchi Township, Nantou County 55546

10 3 51台北市承德 路 一段 三號

5 5 5 4 6 南 投 縣 魚 池 鄉日月潭中正 路2 3 號

Tel: 02.2181.9999 Fax: 02.2181.9988

Tel: 049.285.6788 Fax: 049.285.6600

www.fleurdechinehotel.com

ALISHAN HOUSE

Chiayi 嘉 義

阿里山賓館

NO. OF ROOMS: 35

Mountain View King Room NT$ 13,000~14,000 Mountain View Two Queen Room NT$ 13,000~14,000 Zen Mountain View Room NT$ 13,000~14,000 Lake View King Room NT$ 15,000~16,000 Lake View Two Queen Room NT$ 15,000~16,000 Washiki Lake View Room NT$ 15,000~16,000 Governor Lake View Suite NT$ 20,000~21,000 Royal Lake View Suite NT$ 25,000 Summit Lake View Suite NT$ 120,000 Penthouse Suite NT$ 150,000 (All rates are subject to 10% service charge)

No.3, Sec. 1, Chengde Rd., Taipei City 10351

www.palaisdechinehotel.com

CHATEAU DE CHINE HOTEL

(All rates are subject to 10% service charge)

English, Taiwanese, Chinese, Japanese

Multifunctional banquet and meeting facilities, business center, male and female saunas, rental facilities for cars and bicycles, lounge bar, children’s games room, fitness center, chess room, outdoor swimming pool, green eco-pond, free transport to railway station and airport.

ROOM RATES:

Scenery Suite Honey Suite Fragrant Suite Superior Suite VIP Suite

NT$ 6,600 NT$ 6,600 NT$ 8,600 NT$ 9,500 NT$ 12,000

(Prices above not including 10% Service Charge)

GENERAL MANAGER: Mr. Jen-Shing Chen DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

Chinese, English, Japanese

RESTAURANTS: Chinese, Café, Courtyard SPECIAL FEATURES:

Broadband Internet access in guestrooms, business center, Souvenir Shop, Gazebo, 1950’s dance hall, foot massage

16 Sianglin Village, Alishan Township, Chiayi County, 605 No.2, Yongxing Rd., Hualien City, Hualien County 97060 97060花蓮市永興路2號

Tel: 03.823.5388 Fax: 03.822.1185

hualien.chateaudechine.com

605嘉義縣阿里山鄉香林村16號 ALISHAN Tel: 05.267.9811 Fax: 05.267.9596 TAIPEI Tel: 02.2563.5259 Fax: 02.2536.5563

E-mail: service@alishanhouse.com.tw

www.alishanhouse.com.tw

55

Travel in Taiwan

Advertisement HOTEL INFORMATION ZENDA SUITES

Tainan 台南

成大會館

NO. OF ROOMS: 90 ROOM RATES: Business Single Room Deluxe Single Room Deluxe Twin Room Business Suite Deluxe Suite

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

3,900 4,100 4,500 5,600 6,800

(All rates are subject to 10% service charge)

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Chinese, Japanese RESTAURANT: Breakfast Lounge SPECIAL FEATURES: Located in the center of the city, spacious rooms with wide views, 24H self-service business center, free Internet access, gym, multifunctional meeting and banquet rooms, coin laundry, free indoor parking, Tainan Railway Station and shuttle-bus stop for High Speed Rail close by, beside major university campus with century-old trees and jogging opportunity.

KING’S TOWN HOTEL 京城大飯店

Kaohsiung 高雄

NO. OF ROOMS: 153

ROOM RATES:

ROOM RATES:

Business Single Room Deluxe Single Room Business Twin Room Family Twin Room

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

2,640 3,080 3,080 4,400

( Prices above including 10% Service Charge )

Hualien 花 蓮

Superior Room Classic Room Deluxe Room Theme Room Azure Suite

HUALIEN CITY CLASSIC RESORT HOTEL 花蓮 經 典假日飯 店

Hualien 花 蓮

NO. OF ROOMS: 79 NT$ 3,800 NT$ 4,600 NT$ 6,800 NT$ 6,800 NT$ 12,000

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

ROOM RATES: Standard Room Superior Twin Superior Triple Superior Double Twin Superior Suite Classic Suite

NT$ 4,000 NT$ 4,200 NT$ 4,800 NT$ 5,600 NT$ 6,000 NT$ 10,000

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

Chinese, English, Japanese

Chinese, English, Japanese

RESTAURANTS:Taiwanese/Hakka cuisine,

Chinese, English, Japanese

RESTAURANTS:Chinese and Western style

brunch, Western cuisine

food, delicious buffet, cold dishes, fruit, and salad bar

SPECIAL FEATURES:Guestrooms with floor-

RESTAURANTS:Chinese, Western, and International cuisine, afternoon tea

SPECIAL FEATURES:Business center, non-

smoking floors, wireless Internet access, 32” LCD TVs, newspaper, free parking, tourist map, currency exchange

Tel: 06.275.8999 Fax: 06.209.3567

www.zendasuites.com.tw

www.kingstown-hotel.com.tw

台南市大學路2號

花蓮藍天麗池飯店

NO. OF ROOMS: 150

362 Jiuru (Chiu Ju) 2nd Rd., Sanmin District, Kaohsiung City, 80745 (Faces the exit of rear railway station) 8 0 74 5 高 雄 市 三 民 區 九 如 二 路 3 6 2 號 Tel: 07.311.9906 Fax: 07.311.9591 E-mail: ksthotel@ms33.hinet.net

2, Daxue Rd., Tainan City 701

AZURE HOTEL

Edison Travel Service specializes in Taiwan tours and offers cheaper hotel room rates and car rental services with drivers .

Edison welcomes contact with other travel services around the world.

to-ceiling windows, views of Pacific Ocean or Central Mountain Range, multifunctional public space, Azure Club, gym, pet hotel, KTV, board game and computer game room, located in Hualien City center, close to snack food and shopping streets

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

SPECIAL FEATURES:1/2F public area with unlimited Internet access, broadband Internet access in guestrooms, notebooks available at meeting room, free self-help coffee and tea, free parking, central location (5-min. walk to railway station), pick-up service, projector and screen available at conference room, newspapers and magazines, LCD screen TV-sets

590 Zhongzheng Rd., Hualien City, 970 970 花蓮市中正路590號 Tel: 03.833.6686 Fax: 03.3.832.3569

139 Guolian 5th Rd., Hualien City, 970 970 花蓮市國聯五路139號 Tel: 03.835.9966 Fax: 03.835.9977 Reservation: 03.833.6066 E-mail: service@classichotel.com.tw

www.azurehotel.com.tw

www.classichotel.com.tw

ISSN:18177964

GPN:2009305475

200 NTD

BACK

BACK

BACK

BACK

BACK

BACK

BACK