Travel in Taiwan (No.56, 2013 3/4)

No. 56, 2013

34 /

Kaohsiung & Tainan

A Cultural-Creative Bloom

TOP TEN TOURIST TOWNS

Dajia in Taichung

BACKPACK BUS TOURS

Lion’s Head Mountain

FOOD JOURNEY

Puli’s Water Bamboo Taipei’s Rock Scene Climbing Snow Mountain Sandimen and Wutai Villages

Welcome to Taiwan!

Dear Traveler, The long, rejuvenating Chinese New Year holidays have just passed, bringing in the new Year of the Snake, new spring, new warmth, new beginnings – and new travel adventures. In this issue our Taiwan travels present you with many contrasts: heritage Taiwan and contemporary avant-garde Taiwan, urban and rural, f latlands and high mountains.

In our Feature we visit the energetic southern cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan, exploring how they are busily changing their faces, renovating their heritage treasures and making them incubators and showcases for innovative cultural-creative expression in art and design.

In Top Ten Tourist Towns we learn about the cultural heritage of old Da jia, a rural district near the central coast best known for its magnif icent Zhenlan Temple and one of the world’s great religious pilgrimages. In Food Journey it’s up into the central hills to rural Puli Basin for exploration of one of its best-appreciated – and most delicious – products, water bamboo. We head into the mountains north of here in Backpack Bus Trips , showing you what treasures will be revealed using the convenient, inexpensive Taiwan Tourist Shuttle service to Lion’s Head Mountain, and in Hiking virtually take you to the top of Snow Mountain, Taiwan’s secondhighest peak.

Through the simple act of f lipping a few pages you’ll then f ind yourself in our Indigenous Villages department and the southern mountains, visiting Sandimen and Wutai townships, home to members of the Paiwan and Rukai tribes and to many workshops run by native artists and artisans. A complete change of pace comes with a stroll over to our Active Fun segment, where we spend a day riding roller-coasters and other rides at Janfusan Fancy World, also in the south, one of Taiwan’s top amusement parks. The modern-style fun continues in Music Tours with a ramble through Taipei’s Rock Scene, introducing the city’s live-music venues and popular bands.

And f inally, in Splendid Festivals we stay in Taipei for the Baosheng Cultural Festival, which though a traditional cultural event rivals any rock festival for color, raucousness, and loud music.

Enjoy your time here with us on our island of adventure, whichever facets of this multifaceted land you decide to explore.

David W. J. Hsieh Director General Tourism Bureau, MOTC, R.O.C.

CONTENTS March ~ April 2013

12 50

,

PUBLISHER David W. J. Hsieh Editing Consultant

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

Wayne Hsi-Lin Liu

TEL: 886-2-2711-5403 Fax: 886-2-2721-2790 E-MAIL: editor@v-media.com.tw endy L. C. Yen General Manager W rank K. Yen Deputy General Manager F Editor in Chief Johannes Twellmann English Editors Rick Charette, Richard Saunders DIRECTOR OF PLANNING & EDITING DEPT Joe Lee MANAGING EDITOR Sunny Su EDITORS Ming-Jing Yin, Gemma Cheng, Jayne Chang, Catherine Chang, Chloe Chu CONTRIBUTORS Rick Charette, Steven Crook, Mark Caltonhill, Joe Henley, Owain Mckimm, Cheryl Robbins, Stuart Dawson PHOTOGRAPHERS Jen Guo-Chen, Sunny Su, Maggie Song, Ivy Chen, Sting Chen, Zenith Lin ART DIRECTOR Sting Chen DESIGNERS Ivy Chen, Maggie Song, Eve Chiang, Kirk Cheng ui-chun Tsai, Nai-jen Liu, Xiou Mieng Jiang Administrative Dept H

Publishing Organization

Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications CONTACT

International Division, Taiwan Tourism Bureau Add: 9F, 290 Zhongxiao E. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei, 10694, 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 The Official Bimonthly English Magazine of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau (Advertisement) March/April, 2013 Tourism Bureau, MOTC First published Jan./Feb., 2004 ISSN: 18177964 GPN: 2009305475 Price: NT$200 www.tit.com.tw/vision/index.htm Copyright @ 2013 Tourism Bureau. All rights reserved.

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Exploring the old city of Tainan (photo by Jen Guo-chen)

In Taiwan

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FEATURE 12 Kaohsiung/Tainan

— Main Down in Kaohsiung and Tainan – A Cultural-Creative Bloom — Stay Cultural-Creative Places to Stay – In Kaohsiung and Tainan

1 Publisher’s Note 4 Taiwan Tourism Events 7 Special Report 8 News & Events around Taiwan

10 22 37 54

C oncerts, Exhibitions, and Happenings Meeting Tourists Fun with Chinese Daily Life

BACKPACK BUS TRIP 24

Deep into Hakka Country — Along

the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Bus’s Lion’s Head Mountain Route

24

HIKING 28

Snow Mountain — A Winter Hike on One of Taiwan’s Most Beautiful Mountains

SPLENDID FESTIVALS 30

Preserving Life, Preserving Culture — Partying

with the Wu Tao Clan

INDIGENOUS VILLAGES 34

Sandimen & Wutai — Places

to Experience the Culture of the Paiwan and Rukai Tribes

ACTIVE FUN 38

46

Thrill Rides — Janfusan

Fancy World and other Amusement Parks in Taiwan

TOP TEN TOURIST TOWNS 42

A Close Look at Dajia — There Is More to this Town than Mazu

FOOD JOURNEY 46

Beautiful Woman’s Legs — Puli’s Water Bamboo, a Truly Special “Vegetable”

MUSIC TOURS 50

Taipei's Rock Scene — The City’s Live-Music Venues and Popular Bands

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Travel in Taiwan

TAIWAN TOURISM EVENTS

The

arrival of spring and an invigorating new blanket of warmth demands that you get yourself free of stifling roof cover to explore the wide, wide outdoor world being warmed by the young spring sun. You have a wonder-filled menu of outdoor-event festivals to choose from over the next few months, showcasing the marvels of Taiwan’s natural and man-created worlds. Witness, among many other travel-adventure treasures, centuries-old battle-array martial-arts performances, cloud-like gatherings of purple butterflies, one of the planet’s great religious pilgrimages, a forest area pastelcolored with bird species, the beauty of sailboats in flock formation racing over the sea, a grand fireworks display in the middle of the Taiwan Strait, and a music & art festival set in one of Taiwan’s most idyllic getaway corners.

2012

Nov

2013

17

Mar

31

Purple Butterfly Watching Activities (2012-2013 Maolin Purple Butterfly Valley – Two Year Butterfly Viewing Event) ( 茂林紫蝶幽谷─雙年賞蝶活動 ) Location: Purple Butterfly Valley, Maolin National Scenic Area (茂林風管處‧紫蝶幽谷) Website: www.maolin-nsa.gov.tw/active/butterfly2012 Each year from December through March millions of purple butterflies gather in the valleys at the foot of Mt. Dawu in southern Taiwan to escape the cold. They migrate over 150 kilometers from elsewhere on the island. The most popular viewing location is the Purple Butterfly Valley inside the Maolin National Scenic Area, one of only two places in the world where visitors can see such large numbers of these beautiful migratory creatures, the other being Mexico’s Monarch Butterfly Valley. During the season the Maolin NSA stages many related activities, including exhibitions and guided tours. Don’t miss out on this most precious of natural phenomena.

Mar

29

Apr

7

2013 Song-Jiang Battle Array in Neimen, Kaohsiung (2013 內門宋江陣嘉年華會 ) Location: N eimen Zizhu Temple (內門紫竹寺); 18, Lane 115, Zhongzheng Rd., Neimen District, Kaohsiung City (高雄市內門區中正路115巷18號) Website: www.who-ha.com.tw The Song-Jiang Battle Array is a unique cultural event combining traditional folk arts – notably the precision “battle-array” mock-battle formations put on by martial-arts performance troupes – and colorful religious rituals celebrating the birthday of Guanyin, Goddess of Mercy. Among the many activities are a grand gathering of troupes, a grand prayer-and-blessing procession, a National College Song-Jiang Battle Array Competition, a gourmet feast put on by master chefs, an exhibition of historical artifacts, and guided tours of interesting geological and tourist sites. Tens of thousands attend this event each year.

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Travel in Taiwan

MAR~MAY

Apr

(Third Lunar Month)

Taichung City Mazu International Festival ( 台中大甲媽祖國際觀光文化節 ) Location: Z henlan Temple (鎮瀾宮), 158, Shuntian Rd., Dajia District, Taichung City (臺中 市大甲區順天路158號); Mazu temples in Changhua, Yunlin, and Chiayi counties Website: www.dajiamazu.org.tw The annual multi-day cross-country Mazu (Goddess of the Sea) pilgrimage procession is one of the great events of Taiwan’s religious calendar. It starts from Zhenlan Temple in the Dajia area of Taichung and heads to Fengtian Temple in the Chiayi County town of Xingang, taking nine days and eight nights for the round trip. Each year over a million devotees take part in the spectacle. Come out to watch the performances of many different kinds of colorful folk-arts troupes, and witness the unusual practice of adherents kneeling or laying down to allow the Mazu palanquin to pass overhead, believed to bring a year of peace and good fortune.

Apr

7 Spring Wave Music & Art Festival ( 春浪音樂節 ) Location: Wuliting Airport, Hengchun Township, Pingtung County (屏東縣恆春鎮五里亭機場) Website: www.spring-wave.com/en/ This will be the seventh edition of the Spring Wave Music & Art Festival, one of Asia’s key large-scale outdoor music events. A five-star line-up of renowned individual artists and groups will take the main stage, and among the other event highlights will be a creative bazaar and electronicmusic party. The festival is held as an expression of love for Mother Earth, for the idyllic Kenting National Park area, and for music, with music used as a platform for passionate presentation of eco-friendly concepts advocating love of our shared Earth.

Travel in Taiwan

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TAIWAN TOURISM EVENTS

Apr

26 27

2013 Daxueshan International Bird Watching Competition (2013 大雪山飛羽 風情百種 國際賞鳥大賽 ) Location: Daxueshan National Forest Recreation Area (大雪山國家森林遊樂區), 43 km mark, Daxueshan Forest Road, Heping District, Taichung City (臺中市和平區 大雪山林道43公里) Website: www.bird.org.tw/das/en_index.html Daxueshan National Forest Recreation Area is located at an elevation of between 1,000 and 3,000 meters. It is a large area of dense forest cover and richly varied flora and fauna, with an especially colorful and varied birdlife population. More than 152 species have been recorded along the Daxueshan Forest Road, the main access road to the area.

The bird-watching competition, which has been staged the past two years, draws birders from Taiwan and overseas together to share their knowledge and experiences, and is a superb way for the public to get acquainted with the endless beauty of the avian world.

Penghu Ocean Fireworks Festival ( 澎湖海上花火節 )

Apr

16

Jun

Location: Guanyin Pavilion Recreation Area (觀音亭休閒園區), 7, Jieshou Rd., Magong City, Penghu County (澎湖縣馬公市介壽路7號) Website: tour.penghu.gov.tw The Penghu Ocean Fireworks Festival is one of the big annual tourist draws in Penghu County, an attractive collection of tourist-friendly small islands in the Taiwan Strait.

The festival is jam-packed with activities, and a variety of tour packages are offered that maximize visitors’ enjoyment of the alluring local natural landscape, culture, and delicious seafood delicacies – with the grand fireworks-fest as the itinerary’s magnum opus. The main fireworks-release stage is by the artistic steel-arch Xiying Rainbow Bridge near the Guanyin Pavilion, and the reflections of bridge and fireworks on the open ocean water under the night sky create the most romantic of canvases.

Apr

13

&

May

19

2013 Dapeng Bay International Regatta (2013 大鵬灣國際風帆系列活動 ) Location: S ea between Dapeng Bay and Little Liuqiu, Dapeng Bay Lagoon (大鵬灣 及小琉球之間海域、大鵬灣潟湖水域), Pengwan Boulevard Seaside Park, Donggang Township, Pingtung County (屏東縣東港鎮鵬灣大道濱灣公園) The Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area is a leisure and recreation area focused on the enjoyment of natural water resources. Its wide-ranging aquatic activities are focused on the largest lagoon along Taiwan’s southwest coast, home to Taiwan’s most southerly mangroves. The international regatta was held for the first time in 2011, attracting top sailing teams from Taiwan and around the world. This is Taiwan’s largest sailing event, and is a splendid showcase for the lovely Dapeng Bay Ocean-Crossing Bridge, Taiwan’s first bridge designed for the passing of sailboats, as well as of the beauty of the southern coastline.

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24

SPECIAL REPORT Great Hall of Religions

A World of Religion

Pilgrim’s Way

Golden Lobby

Visiting One of the Taipei Area’s Finest Museums

Text: Kurt Weidner

Photos: Twelli, Museum of World Religions

Located on the sixth and seventh floors of a large department-store building in one of greater Taipei’s suburbs, the Museum of World Religions is a surprisingly modern and highly educational museum.

Visiting

on a Wednesday morning in January, I found the museum almost empty. In fact, I had the exhibition halls all to myself, and could take my time exploring the exhibits. There are of course times when visitor numbers are much higher, for this museum is a popular choice for school f ield trips and is also f requented by foreign tourists.

Though the facility is a bit off the main tourist track it is certainly well worth a visit. It is a place to ponder deep questions, such as “What is the purpose of life?” or “What do I believe in?”

When exiting the elevator on the seventh f loor, you see a glass wall with water running over its surface. Visitors are encouraged to touch the water for a symbolic cleansing, as practiced by adherents of different religions before they enter places of worship.

Next, you walk along the Pilgrim’s Way, which has a long wall with images of pilgrims of different faiths. At the end of the corridor is the Golden Lobby, featuring a calendar with ma jor religious festivals around the world on the f loor.

The walls are covered with real plated gold.

Af ter walking through a theater where a f ilm about the cosmic cycles of re-creation is played, it’s down a f light of stairs to the Hall of Life’s Journey.

Here you learn about the different stages of human life in different cultures around the world. There are two smaller rooms on either side of the hall – one where you can sit down and contemplate different forms of meditation and prayer, the other showing videos in which famous people share their thoughts about life.

Af ter walking through a sphere suspended in mid-air, you enter the centerpiece of the museum. This is a great hall introducing you to the world’s most important religions. In the center are scale models of famous sacred buildings f rom around the world, including the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and Chartres Cathedral in France. All these models were created with much love for detail.

You can easily spend many hours in this inspiring museum, which I did.

Should you get hungry, there is a quality vegetarian restaurant/teahouse on the seventh f loor. Also note that if you bring kids along, you can let them play at the museum’s jungle-theme playground.

The Museum of World Religions was founded by Venerable Hsin Tao, a Buddhist monk, and set up through the Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Foundation (www.093l jm.org).

Gate of the Heavenly Eye at Ling Jiou Mountain

Museum of World Religions (世界宗教博物館) Add: 7F, 236, Sec. 1, Zhongshan Rd., Yonghe District, New Taipei City (新北市永和區中山路1段, 236號7樓) Tel: (02) 8321-6118 Website: www.mwr.org.tw Getting there: Take the MRT Zhonghe Line to Dingxi Station. Outside Exit 1, catch the Pacific Department Store (太平洋百貨公司) shuttle bus to the museum (runs every 15 min. from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.). The museum's entrance is on the right side of the department-store building.

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WHAT'S UP

News & Events around Taiwan

Tourism

Top Ten Most Attractive Fishing Harbors In a recent public vote organized by the Fisheries Agency, Council of Agriculture, the most attractive fishing harbors around Taiwan were selected. The following harbors received the most votes: Kezailiao Fishing Harbor in Kaohsiung; 1st /2nd Fishing Harbor in Tamsui, New Taipei City; Anping Fishing Harbor in Tainan; and Nanfang’ao Fishing Harbor in Yilan County. Taiwan’s fishing harbors are very popular with visitors for their picturesque scenery and fresh-seafood restaurants.

Museum

Robot Pavilion in Taipei Expo Park The Taipei Expo Park has a new attraction. Opened in early February this year, the Robot Pavilion, located in the park’s Xinsheng area, introduces visitors to all types of robots, including humanoid robots which can do “horse-dancing,” play the violin, shoot a basketball, engage in mock fisticuffs, and perform other tasks. Taipei Expo Park website: www.taipeiexpopark.tw (Chinese only).

Scenery

Shakadang Trail Reopened After being damaged during Typhoon Saolo last August, one of the most attractive trails in Taroko National Park has been partly reopened.

Shakadang Trail is an easy-grade trail following the Shakadang River, which is known for its azure-colored water and huge boulders. Taroko National Park website: www.taroko.gov.tw.

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Travel in Taiwan

Railway

New Tourist Train in Nantou During this year’s Chinese New Year celebration period a new tourist train was introduced on the Jiji Branch Line in central Taiwan’s Nantou County. The train, comprising three carriages pulled by an old steam locomotive, now operates on a short section of the branch line between Jiji Railway Station and the Mingxin Academy.

Airlines

EVA Air among the World’s Safest Germany’s AERO International Magazine recently ranked Taiwan-based EVA Air as one of the world’s 10 safest airlines. Thanks to its consistent safety-program efforts, record of excellence, and high standards, the airline was listed in sixth place, behind Finn Air, Air New Zealand, Cathay Airways, Emirates, and Etihad Airways.

Film

Short Film Shot in Penghu “Romance is in the air in Penghu” is the message of a new prize-winning short film by director Chuang Cheng-hung, a native of Penghu. The lighthearted tourist-promotion film, called Love Running in English, tells the story of a proposal on a sandy beach that doesn’t go as planned for the suitor. The film, which has English subtitles, showcases the many beautiful sights of Penghu. Watch it at http://goo.gl/HfyvY.

Hotel

New Hotel in Taichung The Taichung Harbor Hotel is the newest quality tourist hotel in the greater Taichung area. It is situated in Wuqi District, northwest of the city center, close to the coast and Taichung Int’l Airport. Sporting a simple yet stylish design, it has 200 guestrooms and caters to business as well as leisure travelers. Hotel website: www.tchhotel.com .

Travel in Taiwan

E-Magazine App Travel in Taiwan is also available as an e-magazine edition in the Apple Newsstand. iPad users can now enjoy more content, and a convenient interactive reading experience. The e-magazine contains more images than the print version, some of which can be shown in full-screen mode, and also has multimedia content such as audio and video clips. The user-friendly interface allows for convenient navigation through the magazine. Download the magazine free of cost from the app store and read it on you mobile device wherever you go!

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 v-media. com.tw/survey/travelintaiwan.html . Senders of the first 10 completed questionnaires for each issue will receive three free issues of Travel in Taiwan . Thank you in advance for your feedback.

Travel in Taiwan

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CULTURE SCENE

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.

February 15 ~ March 31 tifa.ntch.edu.tw

Taiwan International Festival of Arts 台灣國際藝術節 March 28~31 National Theater

Tanztheater Wuppertal/Pina Bausch: Café Müller & Le Sacre du Printemps 碧娜．鮑許烏帕塔舞蹈劇團：穆勒咖啡館+春之祭符 Café Müller (1978) & Le Sacre du Printemps (1975) are two earlier productions of late German dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch (1940~2009), one of the most prominent figures of modern dance in the 20th century. Café Müller is based on Bausch's own childhood memories of her parents' business establishment in post-war Germany. The main character (a grown-up Bausch) enters the café sleepwalking, and the action of the other people present appears as seen through the eyes of a child.

For Le Sacre du Printemps (“The Rites of Spring”), the stage is covered in a layer of dark earth. Some 32 dancers confront each other in groups, moving frantically about in what appears to be an ancient ritual. The performance culminates in a dramatic sacrificial solo by one of the female dancers.

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February 2 ~ May 5 Taipei Fine Arts Museum

Hsin-Yueh Lin: Enchanting Taiwan 林惺嶽：台灣風土的魅力 Enchanting Taiwan is a major solo retrospective exhibition, offering a comprehensive look at Hsin-Yueh Lin’s artistic thought and works. Lin is one of the most dynamic and authoritative figures of the contemporary Taiwanese art world, equally accomplished as a painter, art educator, cultural critic, and art writer. Over half a century, the artist has built up a significant collection of paintings and publications, including both oil and watercolor paintings. On display are 140 works or sets of works created from the mid-1960s up to 2012. The exhibition also features documents by or about the artist, a biographical timeline, dozens of exhibition catalogs and art reviews from over the years, and rare articles such as handwritten drafts of his compositions. Also being shown is a documentary on Lin, The Boundless River (produced by Public Television Service).

March 22~24 National Theater

Attis Theatre: Prometheus Bound 希臘阿提斯劇院：普羅米修斯 This play, directed by the renowned Greek director Theodoros Terzopoulos, takes the audience into the world of Greek mythology. This is a tragedy (often accredited to Greek tragedian Aeschylus) based on the myth of Prometheus, a Titan who, by orders of Zeus, was chained to a cliff in the remote Caucasus region as punishment for stealing fire and giving it to mankind. This is the third time the director has chosen to stage this tragedy, and as with the first two productions, there is strong reference to the present-day world, in this case the socioeconomic crisis Greece has been facing in recent years.

January 17 ~ July 16 National Palace Museum

Painting Animation "Paintings of the Twelve Months" 古畫動漫：清院畫十二月令圖 This exhibition showcases twelve paintings depicting themes and customs related to each of the year’s lunar months. The paintings were created as a cooperative project in the 18th century, during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1711~1799), by the Qing Dynasty painting academy. Each painting was hung in the palace during the corresponding lunar month. The paintings show people engaged in various activities with, in most instances, landscapes and buildings in the background. The painting technique used is detailed and realistic, combining Chinese and Western methods. The National Palace Museum has recently produced a series of animations based on old Chinese paintings, including those shown in this exhibition, which bring the scenes to life with background sound and people moving about on the canvas, providing a real-life ambience. For more, visit www.npm.gov.tw/exh100/npm_anime .

January 18 ~ April 17 Huashan 1914 Creative Park

Capture the Moment – The Pulitzer Prize Photographs 瞬間的永恒：普立茲新聞攝影獎70年大展 Since 1917, the most outstanding achievements in journalism have been honored each year with the Pulitzer Prize. Among the winning entries in the photography category are some of the world’s most iconic images, many capturing historic moments. In this exhibition all Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs from 1942 through 2012 are being shown. Considering that each year only two pictures are recognized with awards, the images on display are truly unique.

Venues Taipei 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 )

國家交響樂團與台北愛樂合唱團：威爾第《安魂曲》 Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813~1901) is best known for his operas, including Rigoletto, La Traviata , and Aida . He composed Messa da Requiem in memory of one of his friends, the poet and novelist Alessandro Manzoni (1785~1873), infusing this traditionalstyle sacred composition with rich colors, deep insight, and masterful harmony. It was premiered on the first anniversary of Manzoni’s death in the Church of San Marco in Milan in 1874, with the composer himself conducting. The requiem will be performed by the Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra and Taipei Philharmonic Chorus under the baton of Maestro Shao-Chia Lü to celebrate the bicentennial of Verdi’s birth.

( 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）

Taipei International Convention Center

( 台北市長 安 西 路 3 9 號 )

（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

Add: 39 Chang-an W. Rd., Taipei City 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

TWTC Nangang Exhibiton Hall （台北世貿中心南港展覽館）

Add: 1, Jingmao 2nd Rd., Taipei City

National Concert Hall（國家音樂聽） National Theater（國家戲劇院）

( 台北市經貿二路 1 號 )

Add: 21-1 Zhongshan S. Rd., Taipei City

Lin Liu-hsin Puppet Theatre Museum（林柳新紀念偶戲博物館）

( 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）

( 台北市 襄 陽 路二號 )

National Symphony Orchestra & Taipei Philharmonic Chorus: Verdi’s Requiem

Add: 181 Zhongshan N. Rd., Sec. 3, Taipei City

Tel: (02) 2381-3137 www.csh.taipei.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: Ximen

Add: 2 Xiangyang Rd., Taipei City

March 30 National Concert Hall

Taipei Fine Arts Museum （台北市立美術館）

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

Tel: (02) 2725-5200 Nearest MRT Station: Nangang Exhibition Hall

Add: 79 Xining N. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市 西寧 北 路 7 9 號 ) Tel: (02) 2556-8909 www.taipeipuppet.com

Huashan 1914 Creative Park

（華山 1914 文化創意產業園區）

Add: 1, Sec. 1, Bade Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市中正區 八德 路 一段 1 號 )

Tel: (02) 2358-1914 www.huashan1914.com Nearest MRT Station: Shandao Temple

Taichung 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）

Novel Hall（新舞臺）

Add: 332 Zhonghua E. Rd., Sec. 3, Tainan City

Add: 3 Songshou Rd., Taipei City

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

( 台北市松 壽路 3 號 )

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

National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall （國立國父紀念館）

( 台南 市中華東 路 3 段 332 號 )

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

Travel in Taiwan

11

FEATURE

A Cultural-Creative Bloom Text: Rick Charette Photos: Jen Guo-Chen

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Travel in Taiwan

KAOHSIUNG/TAINAN

More

Ar t installation at K aohsiung’s Pier 2

Insight Guides: Taiwan says that Kaohsiung is Taiwan’s “industrial showcase,” and that the city of “Tainan is to Taiwan what Kyoto is to Japan, and Kyongju to Korea.” These are proud legacies, but both cities are now hard at work comprehensively enhancing their citizens’ quality of life with an eye to the future – and the tourist experience. One key area in this endeavor is the cultural-creative realm; both cities are systematically saving and preserving individual old structures and, in some cases, entire areas, prettying them up and giving them new life and self-supporting function as bases for cultural-creative expression.

Travel in Taiwan

13

FEATURE

Kaohsiung

Both

cities have their fair share of f irstrate attractions that have long been drawing international tourists. The Michelin Green Guide Taiwan , which uses Michelin’s famed 3-star rating system, gives Tainan three stars, Kaohsiung two.

In this article our focus is on the key new cultural-creative stars on the block, with a concentration on those in heritage buildings, that Michelin, Insight Guides, National Geographic, and other international publishers will no doubt be working into their guidebooks in upcoming editions.

The 14

Michelin guide gives three stars to one attraction in the

Travel in Taiwan

The expansive and still growing Pier-2 Art Center is at the heart of a culturalcreative bloom underway in both district and city

city, two stars to 19 attractions, and one star to nine attractions.

The 3-star attraction is Foguangshan, a magnif icent Buddhist monastery complex in the hills of the city’s rural area. Among the 2-star attractions is another rural draw, the district of Meinong, a thriving enclave of traditional Hakka culture. In the city’s core, 2-star attractions include the Love River, which has been characterized as Taiwan’s River Seine, Qijin Island, a breakwater for Kaohsiung Port famed for historic sites and superb seafood, the Former British Consulate at Takao, a key historic site built in the 1800s that has tremendous views into the harbor and out to sea, and Lotus Pond, a large

body of water “surrounded by fairy-tale statues, elegant pavilions and colorf ul temples.” A number of the pond’s sites are themselves given 2 stars, as is Chouchai Wetland Park, just to the east.

Yancheng District is among Kaohsiung’s oldest. Once largely sodden, marshy land, it was drained in imperial times for salt production. “Yancheng” means “salt f ields.” Today’s Love River, on the district’s south side, was the course chosen for the f reshwater f lowing into the area.

The expansive and still growing Pier2 Art Center, a short walk f rom the Kaohsiung Metro’s KMRT Yanchengpu

KAOHSIUNG/TAINAN Station, is at the heart of a culturalcreative bloom underway in both district and city. The special zone has become one of Kaohsiung’s most popular cultural attractions. The numerous old, renovated Kaohsiung Harbor warehouses here, long abandoned, were formerly used to store such treasures as f ish meal and granulated sugar. Today they are dedicated to cultural-arts treasures, including exhibits, live shows, and largescale outdoor installation artworks and graff iti-style murals.

In one warehouse is a museum dedicated to Kaohsiung labor. Half of another – roof torn down to allow for under-the-sky entertainment – is now the Kaohsiung base for The Wall, a keystone in Taiwan’s indie-music scene. There are also arts and craf ts boutiques showcasing independent Taiwan design talent. Hungry folk can dine at Pasadena, a place of pastelneon lighting, tiffany glass, dark wood, and Western family fare that looks as though airlif ted direct f rom some North American downtown district.

Just

Kaohsiung’s popular harbor-area bikeway rolls r ight by the art center and museum, the section here running where the trains that once ser ved these facil ities trundled along. There are a number of bike-rental facil ities close by. In 2010 CN N Travel declared Kaohsiung one of Asia’s f ive best biking cities.

The ref iner y is, at the same time, a cultural-creative complex. Bywood, a private initiative, leases a number of facilities. It runs an artist-inresidence program, w ith both local and international talent participating, and stages periodic arts happenings.

You’ ll see artists at work in studios in var ying locations throughout the complex, including the warehouses, and see intriguing installation works.

Bywood also has a galler y w ith a comf y café; admittance is f ree, w ith advance notice requested. The ref iner y also has a regular schedule of culturalarts performances at an attractive restaurant/theater in one of the warehouses, and the celebrated Taiwan performance troupe Ten Drum Percussion Art has set up a base here.

Ciaotou KMRT Station

Bywood (白屋) Add: 1, Lane 4, Xingtang Rd., Qiaotou District, Kaohsiung City (高雄市橋頭區興糖路4巷1號) Tel: (07) 611-4998

ng ta ng Rd

Qiaotou Sugar Refinery, in the city’s rural north area, conveniently has its very own KMRT station. The ref inery was opened in 1901 by the Japanese, introducing modern mass-production technique to the industry. Its f inal day of production was in 1999. A designated heritage site, on the sprawling grounds you f ind numerous colonial-style century buildings, including off ices, dormitories, and warehouses. The complex is a museum, and there is information on Taiwan’s sugar-manufacturing history, sugarcane cultivation, the aforementioned architecture, and other highlight attractions such as two original Belgian steam locomotives imported in 1948, Taiwan’s f irst sugarindustry narrow-gauge railway line

(also used for passenger travel), WW II above-ground bomb shelters, and restored production-line equipment.

Xi

to the north of Pier-2’s north warehouse cluster is Takao Railway Museum. This was Kaohsiung’s f irst railway station, and long a key hub in south Taiwan’s landsea transportation. The station, Japanese in style with a Chinese hip-style roof,

was targeted and severely damaged by Allied bombing in WW II. Later rebuilt, it was f inally retired and became a museum in 2010. There are exhibit rooms, a railway-document archive, and a platform and track area.

.

At Qiaotou Sugar Refinery you'll find numerous colonialstyle century buildings, including offices, dormitories, and warehouses

FEATURE

Chik an Peddler ’s Noodles

Chik an Peddler ’s Noodles

Tainan The

Michelin Green Guide Taiwan gives three stars to f ive attractions in Tainan, two stars to f ive attractions, and one star to eight attractions.

The four 3-star attractions in the urban core are the Chikan Tower, Sacrificial Rites Mar tial Temple, Grand Queen of Heaven Temple, and Tainan Confucius Temple. The f irst is built over the ruins of Fort Provintia, built by the Dutch in 1653, who ruled over a good part of Taiwan f rom 1624 until being ousted by Ming Dynasty patriot Koxinga in 1662; some of the ruins are visible. The second is dedicated to Guan Gong, the God of War – an ornate, superbly preser ved temple built in the latter 17th centur y. The third, dedicated to Mazu, Goddess of the Sea, was built where Tainan’s shoreline was once located; it is now kilometers away, the result of silting. This complex was originally the palatial residence of Prince Ning jing, the last Ming Dynasty heir to the throne. The fourth is Taiwan’s original, and most complete, Conf ucius Temple; it was commissioned in 1665, and was “Taiwan’s foremost

16

Travel in Taiwan

school” – its f irst of f icial institution of learning.

In the cultural-creative realm, two of Tainan’s f lourishing sites are in fact already included in the Michelin Green Guide Taiwan, which was released in March 2011 and is still in its f irst edition – Hai’an Road and Shennong Street. Each is given a single star.

Hai’an Road is a north-south thoroughfare that was, long ago, near the sea and Taiwan’s busiest port, with f ive transport canals leading into the thriving commercial district. The area between Minzu and Minsheng roads is today being developed as a historicalcultural zone, and brims with trendy shops, bars, cafés, and art venues. Come at night and you’ll see live bands playing in open-air spaces at street-side bars that serve tasty traditional nightmarket-style food.

Across f rom the T-intersection where narrow Shennong Street and Hai'an Road meet is Shuixian Temple Market, Taiwan’s oldest, where one of the f ive canals ended in days of old. The maze-

When you look down long, narrow Shennong Street you can easily imagine the scene in imperial days, everyone in queues and indigo-blue clothing, busily going about their business

l ike covered market still thr ives, and in the 1990s the local government tr ied to help by starting work on an underground shopping complex along Hai’an. Things did not go well, the project was abandoned, many old buildings were lef t partly demol ished, and an ongoing beautif ication project has now resulted in a ser ies of remarkable publ ic artworks that incorporate and celebrate these vestiges of yester year, using a contemporar y-art approach.

One, called The Memory of Wall, fronts an abandoned-now-renovated building home to artist-run Blueprint Lounge Bar. The façade is now a blueprint, with painted white windows and raf ters creating an illusion of the interior space. Another, right at the entrance to Shennong Street, is called Great Yongchuan Palanquin (49 Shennong Street). This wonderful mural is on the side of a Shennong shop of the same name, where master Wang Yong-chuan has long been creating exquisite palanquins and other objects for Tainan’s temples. The mural presents a cross-section view of the two-story shop interior.

KAOHSIUNG/TAINAN

When you look down long, narrow Shennong Street, tightly packed with twostory heritage shophouses, each of which has its own quaint and wonderf ully eclectic façade, you can easily imagine the scene in imperial days, everyone in queues and indigo-blue clothing, busily going about their business. Transport canals ran behind the shophouses in imperial days, and most goods were brought in the rear. Shops were in the f ront section, facing the street, storage was above on the second f loor, and family quarters were in the back. Front and rear sections were of ten divided by a sky well, an open courtyard area allowing in sunlight.

Today the street has an alluring mix of oldtime residents and newcomers from elsewhere in Tainan who are setting up cultural-creative galleries, cafés, bars, and teahouses. The street surface has been redone in brick, retro-style lamps introduce an attractive night-time glow, and façades have been prettif ied and personalized.

Two

notable enterprises are 76 Ar t Space and Taikoo. 76 Art Space is a galler y that represents Taiwan artists and craf tspeople. In the rear section beyond the sky well is a woodworking shop called Black Snail Studio where the young master craf tsmen create lovely artworks in addition to handmade f urniture; samples of the former are in the art space. Other attractive 76 Art Space lines are ceramics in the shape of well-known Tainan heritage buildings and the Goodo line, which features unique woven bags, purses, and other fashion accessories made f rom classic Tainan materials such as burlap rice sacks.

The Goodo craf tspeople are retirees given craf ts training by the Tainan government so they can earn extra income.

Black Snail Studio

76 Ar t Space

B. B. Ar t

Travel in Taiwan

17

FEATURE

Taikoo

B. B. Ar t

Booday Booday

Taikoo is an unusual bar/café that is the physical manifestation of the eclectic character of the owner, Mark.

Premium coffees are hand-craf ted, all beers are Belgian imports, and the f urnishings are 1950s~1970s Western retro-style pieces which Mark sources by himself f rom the Netherlands. Take a shining to a piece and you can buy it.

Asked about this most off beat of combos, he simply says that these are the things he likes best, so he wants to share them with others.

B.B. Art, on Minquan Road near Gongyuan Road, bills itself as a “gallery, café, forum space, and performance venue.” It is in a distinctive old threestory building purpose-built by the Japanese over 80 years ago to house Tainan’s f irst modern department store, called the Republic of America, which had import/export fabrics as a specialty.

Abandoned for years, the facility has been spruced up and reintroduced to the public. B.B. Art, which stands for “Beautif ul Building of Art,” specializes in contemporary works by local and international talent, and stages musical, theatrical, and other performances in the open-stage area behind its large sky well.

chic milieu. Owner Sunny has taken a heritage building that was long home to a well-known teahouse and made it a time capsule of 1950s Tainan. Tables are old school desks, and old lamps, lanterns, vases, baskets, maps, photos, and other curios add to the pleasant aesthetics. All the classic Tainan specialties are here, most notably the danzai (“peddler’s”) noodles, oyster omelets, f ried shrimp rolls, and “coff in” bread (chowder-stuffed deep-f ried bread).

The Booday brand, launched in 2003 in Taipei by a team of adventurous young designers, is aimed at young-atheart consumers, with items featuring simple lines and decorations and an emphasis on bright colors. A new Tainan outlet is located across Nanmen Road f rom Tainan Conf ucius Temple, in a narrow, deep heritage building that formerly housed a general-merchandise store. The best-selling items are the T-shirts, blouses, and canvas tote bags, the most interesting an attractive line of blouses made with organic cotton and dies. Be sure to head up to the third f loor, which has a great view over the Conf ucius Temple complex.

Tainan is famed for its rich array of traditional snack delicacies, which Chikan Peddler’s Noodles restaurant on Minzu Road serves in an upscale retro-

Shennong Street

Getting There & Getting Around The fastest and most comfortable way to get from Taipei to Kaohsiung and Tainan is the High Speed Rail system. In Kaohsiung, the three rail systems converge at Zuoying Station (regular railway, High Speed Rail, metro), enabling easy transfers. In Tainan, a spur line provides rail service between the HSR station and downtown Tainan Railway Station; the trip takes 15 minutes. In Qiaotou, it takes about 10 minutes on foot to reach the regular railway station from the metro station.

Scooters are a convenient form of travel in slow-paced Tainan. Rentals are available directly across the street behind Taiwan Railway Station (i.e., Tainan Rear Station). Your international/local license and passport/Alien Resident’s Certificate must be presented.

Gloria Manor

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Travel in Taiwan

KAOHSIUNG/TAINAN

All good adventures should end with a good cup of coffee. The Narrow Door café is a few doors down f rom Booday.

Its name is more than apt – you enter sideways via a long, narrow slit between two buildings that’s like a deep f issure in a cliff, go to the rear, then enter via steep, plant-shaded stairs. Though it does no advertising it has a loyal fan base, including local expatriates, who learn of it by word of mouth. Owner Jessica has taken what was originally a home built by a doctor a century ago during the Japanese colonial era and transformed it into a Turkish getaway idyll; she still fondly remembers a trip to Saf ranbolu, a wonderf ully preserved Ottoman-Turkish museum town, and when the cool breezes are waf ting in through the large open windows you’ll feel you are far, far away.

English and Chinese Black Snail Studio 黑蝸牛木作工作室 Bywood 白屋 Chikan Peddler's Noodles 赤崁擔仔麵 Chikan Tower 赤崁樓 Chouchai Wetland Park 洲仔濕地公園 coffin bread 棺材板 錫安_自_1-3W_E_20130107.pdf danzai noodles 擔仔麵 1 2013/1/7 下午 05:27:38

B. B. Ar t

Narrow Door café Booday

Chik an Peddler ’s Noodles

Foguangshan 佛光山 Former British Consulate at Takao 打狗英國領事館 Grand Queen of Heaven Temple 大天后宮 Love River 愛河 Meinong 美濃 Narrow Door 窄門咖啡 Pier-2 Art Center 駁二藝術特區 Qiaotou Sugar Refinery 橋頭糖廠

Booday

Qijin Island 旗津島 Sacrificial Rites Martial Temple 祀典武廟 76 Art Space 76藝文空間 Taikoo 太古酒吧 Tainan Confucius Temple 台南孔廟 Takao Railway Museum 打狗鐵道故事館 Ten Drum Art Percussion Group 十鼓擊樂團 Yancheng District 鹽埕區

FEATURE

JJ -W Hotel JJ -S Hotel

CulturalCreative Places to Stay

In Kaohsiung and Tainan

JJ -W Hotel

JJ -W Hotel

Text: Rick Charette Photos: Jen Guo-Chen

JJ -W Hotel

In

Tainan, the JJ-W Hotel experience is akin to overnighting in an art gallery. The exterior has been made a work of contemporary public installation art, and the rooms are themed, with many designed by well-known artists.

Famed f ilm director Tsai Ming-liang, for example, has recreated the humble home he lived in when younger. British photographer Julian Stallabras, known for his portraits of the homeless, has recreated their “home” on the street, complete with rubbish bin and newspaper-strewn asphalt and public bench. Other hotel-designed rooms have Tainan themes, each telling the story of familiar old-time characters – the weaver, pharmacist, boatworker, smalltime businessman, etc. The “JJ” in the name is f rom the Chinese, pronounced Jia Jia; this facility, built in 1970 by Taiwan’s f irst licensed female architect, was then the Cha Cha Hotel in English.

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Travel in Taiwan

If you are in Kaohsiung or Tainan to explore these two cities’ culturalcreative blooms, it’s only fitting that you stay in a place that is itself a work of cultural-creative expression. Here are a few good ideas – good places to stay, and also good original culturalcreative ideas that the owners have brought from inspiration to reality.

JJ -W Hotel

There were numerous nightclubs in the area, and many singing stars liked to stay here. The “W” refers to the old, covered West Market right behind the hotel, in operation since 1905. (Prices start at NT$3,200.)

The JJ-S Hotel was created by the same team that rejuvenated the JJ-W. The former opened in 2012, the latter in 2009. Tucked away down the narrowest of curving alleys, a small 350-yearold temple its neighbor, this facility was originally a small inn built in the early 1900s – the “S” in the name means “small.” The rooms and all other areas, which are compact, have been done in a minimalist contemporary style. There’s no restaurant, to encourage guests to explore Tainan’s famed breakfast and snack foods in the neighborhood, but there is a communal area with vending and coffee machines, etc. (All rooms NT$2,600.)

JJ -S Hotel

Kaohsiung’s

Icon Hotel is a stylish place of artistic whimsy. The interior was f irst done in white, then artists moved in to use rooms and common areas as their canvases. In one room all is Pacif ic blue, as though you’re sleeping at the bottom of a calm sea. In another you f loat above Manhattan, balloons streaming by. A number of international artists were involved; Canadian Sean Cooper has the hand of God reaching down into a room, poised to pluck you skyward. (Prices start at NT$1,680.)

Taiwan has an ever-increasing number of quality homestay accommodations.

A good place to start your search if heading south is http://info.taiwan.net. tw/homestay/english/.

English and Chinese Tsai Ming-liang 蔡明亮

West Market 西市場

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Blueprint Lounge Bar (藍圖餐飲) Add: 79, Heping Street, Zhongxi District, Tainan City (台南市中西區和平街79號) Tel: (06) 222-2701

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B. B. Art Add: 48, Sec. 2, Minquan Rd., Zhongxi District, Tainan City (台南市中西區民權路 二段48號) Tel: (06) 223-3538

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JJ-W Hotel (佳佳西市場旅店) Add: 11, Zhengxing St., Zhongxi District, Tainan City (台南市中西區正興街11號) Tel: (06) 220-9866 Website:http://jj-whotel.com.tw

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Tainan City map

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Chikan Peddler's Noodles (赤崁擔仔麵) Add: 180, Sec. 2, Minzu Rd., Tainan City (台南市民族路二段 180號) Tel: (06) 220-5336 JJ-S Hotel (佳佳小南天旅店) Add: 74, Lane 158, Zhongyi Rd. Sec. 2, Zhongxi District, Tainan City (台南市中西區忠義路二段158 巷74號) Tel: (06) 223-1666 Min qua Website: http://jj-shotel.com.tw nR

Yo n g fu

Taikoo (太古百貨店) Add: 94, Shennong St., Zhongxi District, Tainan City (台南市 中西區神農街94號) Tel: (06) 221-1053

STAY

76 Art Space (76當代實驗空間) Add: 76, Shennong St., Zhongxi District, Tainan City (台南市中西區神農街76號) Tel: (06) 221-5795

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Narrow Door (窄門咖啡) Add: 2F, 67, Nanmen Rd., Tainan City (台南市南門路67號2F) Tel: (06) 221-0508

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Qiaotou Sugar Refinery Icon Hotel (艾卡設計旅店) Add: 328, Minsheng 1st Rd., Xinxing District(高雄市新興區民生一路328號) Tel: (07) 281-8999 Website: www.iconhotel.com.tw

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Kaohsiung City map

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Pier-2 Art Center (駁二藝術特區) Add: 1, Dayong Rd., Yancheng Dist., Kaohsiung City (高雄市鹽埕區大勇路1號) Tel: (07) 5214-899 Website: pier-2.khcc.gov.tw

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Booday (蘑菇) Add: 57, Nanmen Rd., Tainan City (台南市南門路57號) Tel: (06) 221-4216

Rd .

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21

MEETING TOURISTS

“You Don't Hear Honking Cars All the Time” At Longshan Temple, one of Taipei’s oldest and most famous temples, Travel in Taiwan asked tourists from Europe and the U.S. about their Taiwan travel experience.

Photos: Ivy Chen

Trudi & Pieter from Amsterdam, Holland Travel in Taiwan: Could you please tell us about your Taiwan trip?

Trudi: We are on a three-week trip around Taiwan, and will be going home in a few days. We have spent most of our time in the western and southern parts of the island, concentrating on Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Kenting National Park.

Travel in Taiwan: How are you traveling?

Pieter: We like to take things slow and travel on our own using public transport, mostly getting around by train and bus. We didn’t join an organized tour; we didn’t feel like going all around the island.

Travel in Taiwan: Which places do you like best?

Trudi: We like Kaohsiung a lot, and Tainan is a nice city too. In Tainan we visited historic sites that had the ruins of forts built by the Dutch. That was interesting. Kenting National Park was great too, and the autumn weather has been fantastic. Overall, we’ve found Taiwan to be really clean, and you don't hear honking cars all the time like in other Asian countries.

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Travel in Taiwan

Christina from

Chicago, U.S.A.

Travel in Taiwan: Could you please tell us about your Taiwan trip?

Christina: I just arrived today, and will be staying for five days, all in Taipei. I am on a business trip and it’s my first time to Taiwan.

Travel in Taiwan: How do you like it here so far?

Christina: I am mostly impressed by how easy and convenient it is to use the Taipei Metro.

Travel in Taiwan: Which places do you plan to visit in Taipei?

Christina: Longshan Temple, obviously. This is the first sight I’ve taken in. I definitely need to do a night market, and I will probably have a hot-pot meal. I feel the city has a great mix of the modern and the old, and that there are lots of things waiting for me to discover. Can’t wait to get out there and see more.

BACKPACK BUS TRIP

I think I can fly....

into

I don’t think he’ll be flying any time soon…

Gre en Wo rld Eco Far m

Hakka Country

Along the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Bus’s Lion’s Head Mountain Route

On a trip to the heartland of Hsinchu and Miaoli counties, you have the chance to learn about Hakka culture, take in enchanting mountain scenery, and even visit an animal farm/theme park. Travel in Taiwan did exactly this on a recent bus trip making use of the convenient Taiwan Tourist Shuttle service.

Text: Joe Henley Photos: Ivy Chen Zhubei Kuan Ming Commercial District Zhubei Railway Station

Ever

Hsinchu County Government

Sheraton Hotel— Hsinchu

Zhudong Railway Station Visitor Center THSR Hsinchu Station

since Maureen and Tony Wheeler, founders of the Lonely Planet guidebooks, set out across Asia “on the cheap” in the early 1970s, backpacker travel has become a rite of passage for an ever-increasing percentage of the young and the young at heart. But for every story of triumph and transcendent experiences there are several of missed trains, buses that never came, and taxi rides that ended in driver demands for exorbitant fares.

Luckily, none of these negative things are an issue in Taiwan, and now, thanks to

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Travel in Taiwan

Green World Ecological Farm

Lion's Head Mountain Visitor Center

Beipu Old Street Emei

the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle bus service (www.taiwantrip.com.tw ), traveling around the island has never been easier or more fun.

The Taiwan Tourism Bureau has mapped out 22 convenient routes, all over Taiwan, on which the shuttles stop at specially selected sites. Buses generally run every hour on the hour between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (for some routes, every half-hour on weekends and holidays), leaving from major railway and High Speed Rail (HSR) stations

Quanhua Temple

Nanzhuang Visitor Center

around Taiwan. This mode of reliable transportation means that it has never been so convenient to visit Taiwan and see what it has to offer. Taking the shuttle is also a great way to meet other travelers in a relaxed setting. Recently, I had the chance to sample one of the shuttle routes through Hsinchu and Miaoli counties, and my accompanying Travel in Taiwan friends threw in a few challenges for me just to make things interesting. I was promised some yummy fruit as reward after completing each. Here's what happened.

LION’S HEAD MOUNTAIN

Arriving

at the HSR Hsinchu Station, we followed the English signage to Exit 4, made a right outside the door, and quickly located the bus bound for Lion’s Head Mountain. The all-day shuttleuse ticket costs just NT$100. After about 30 minutes the bus dropped us off at our first stop, Green World Ecological Farm. The tourist shuttle stops on the highway where the access road to the farm begins; from there it is about 2km to the farm.

We called the farm and asked for the shuttle service it provides. (Note: The owners have applied for the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle bus stop to be relocated closer to the farm, and expect a decision sometime this year.)

A friendly driver from the farm soon picked us up, and in no time we were at the gate to the 70-hectare farm, which is more like a zoo/theme park. It has six different sections, each highlighting a different aspect of nature. Here, my mission was to locate the alpaca pen, give the fuzzy quadrupeds their first meal of the day, and then take them for a run around their large grazing area for a little morning exercise. I quickly got sidetracked, however, for I couldn't resist stepping into the “Lovely Animal Area” to take a look at the guinea pigs, rabbits, and tiny Formosan Reeves' muntjac, also known as the barking deer because of its distinctive call.

I couldn't resist stepping into the “Lovely Animal Area” to take a look at the guinea pigs, rabbits, and tiny Formosan Reeves' muntjac.

I also couldn't pass up the chance to take a quick look at the reptile house and take a picture with a small, slithery coral snake. Now, where was I? Oh yes, the mission! Showing the sign with the Chinese characters for “alpaca” mercifully provided to me by my Travel in Taiwan friends to a smiling member of the staff, I was pointed in the direction of their pen. I soon found myself staring at a herd of hungry and curious South American camelids. Their handler gave me a bucket of alpaca feed, and in an instant I was surrounded by the friendly creatures, with a particularly bossy matriarch by the name of Coffee hogging most of the food. Then it was time for a brisk jog around the pasture, which turned into more of a grazing session than anything else. Alpacas, apparently, have the same aversion to running that I do.

With part one of my mission complete, I was presented with my just reward: a shiny red persimmon, a local Hsinchu delicacy. Then I was off to catch the shuttle, to take me to the scene of my next task.

I soon fou nd myself sta ring at a herd of hungry and cur ious South American camelids 找羊駝

It's just a coral snake. It won't bite me, it won't bite me...

First p ersimmon

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BACKPACK BUS TRIP

After

being driven back to the bus stop, we hopped on the next bus and made the quick fiveminute trip to Beipu, a town known for its Hakka food – a branch of cuisine with roots in China that is distinct from traditional Taiwanese fare. In Beipu I was to track down three different Hakkadiet mainstays, again with the help of some large-print Chinese characters – and a bit of mangled Mandarin on my part. The first dish I was to locate: bantiao , or thick, flat rice noodles served with soy sauce, green onions, garlic, and a bit of pork.

I strode less than confidently up to a couple of gentlemen outside an establishment on Beipu Old Street, lined with tea shops and restaurants, and inquired as to where I might hunker

down for some bantiao. “Right here,” the bespectacled man on my right replied in English, waving me inside. I took my time, very much enjoying the delicious, piping-hot noodles (especially good on a chilly winter afternoon), and then launched my search for my next quarry: dried persimmons. The owner of the restaurant spoke English as well, and sent me a short distance to one of many stands in the area that display a wide array of the dried fruit. There, I was educated on the varying tastes and textures of pencil, stone, and cow heart persimmons. At this point I found that I was craving liquid refreshment, for my two-course meal had left me decidedly thirsty.

Luckily, the next job on my to-do list was to find a place selling leicha , or ground tea. Walking through a preserved

Japanese colonial-era neighborhood, past the historic Jiang A-Xin Residence, I was able to find the quaint and quiet Shui Jing Teahouse down one of the narrow cobblestone alleyways. There, the kindly owner showed me how to grind the mix of dried oolong tea leaves, nuts, and grains with a small wooden pestle in a bowl. After a few minutes of grinding, the resulting fine powder was mixed with boiling water and poured into cups containing a mix of dried rice and green beans, making for an earthy, healthy, and thoroughly enjoyable hot beverage.

This concluded the food portion of my journey, and the tea-shop owner giggled as she presented me with my second hard-won persimmon trophy of the day.

The k ind ly owner show ed me how to g ri nd th e m ix of d ri e d oolong tea leaves, nuts, a nd g ra in s w it h a sma ll wo ode n pest le in a bowl Second p ersimmon

Grinding leicha is a lot of fun...

Hakka-style thick, flat rice noodles, yummy!

The dried persimmons tasted better than they looked.

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LION’S HEAD MOUNTAIN Greeting from Nanzhuang in Miaoli County!

Found lots of lions at Lion's Head Mountain.

Next

began the mountainous portion of our trip. First, we caught the next shuttle bus and got off at Lion's Head Mountain Visitor Center, the terminal stop on this route. Then we transferred to a smaller shuttle bus, headed for the town of Nanzhuang (NT$43). There were hardly any tourists on this weekday afternoon, and I got an unexpected bonus when the affable driver introduced me to the local attractions. I got off the bus at the next stop, Quanhua Temple.

This mountainside temple combines elements of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, and also serves as a guesthouse for travelers. I was in search of a few of the temple's “residents” – five fierce lion statues spread throughout the sprawling grounds. Fortunately, with my helpful guide by my side, I was able to locate them in short order, two framing the gate at the temple's lower entrance, two at another high gate closer to the temple itself, and one on the temple grounds. That's three persimmons for your intrepid traveler, for those of you keeping score. (Note: For more info on Lion’s Head Mountain, which is part of the Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area, visit the scenic area’s website at www.trimt-nsa.gov.tw.)

This is how they washed clothes in the old days.

T hird p ersimmon

Our final stop for the day was Nanzhuang Old Street. This historic street was built up around a huge temple where the Hakka have long come to give thanks for abundant harvests. There I had to find the town's old post office, dating back to the Japanese colonial era, and mail a postcard.

My savior once again was a restaurateur, who sent me up some steps at the side of the temple, at the top of which the post office came into view.

I picked out a card and sent it with the outgoing mail to Taipei City, with greetings from the heart of Hakka country. With the day growing dim in its final lighted hours, we took a stroll down the appropriately named Sweet Osmanthus Lane to sample some local flower-flavored drinks, and took a picture at the end of the lane at an old laundry station, where the women of the town used to gather to wash their clothes in clean, flowing mountain water guided smartly down the side of the artery by concrete culverts. As I watched the cool, crystal-clear liquid pass by at this former meeting place, my day in Hsinchu and Miaoli came to an end. With three sweet persimmons in hand, I had a ready-made snack for the trip home.

INFO Green World Ecological Farm (綠世界生態農場) Add: 20, 7 Lin, Dahu Village, Beipu Township, Hsinchu County (新竹縣北埔鄉大湖村7鄰20號) Tel: (03) 580-1000 Website: www.green-world.com.tw Shui Jing Teahouse (水井茶堂) Add: 1, Zhongzheng Rd., Beipu Township, Hsinchu County (新竹縣北埔鎮中正路1號) Tel: (03) 580-5122 English and Chinese leicha 擂茶 bantiao 板條 Lion's Head Mountain 獅頭山 Beipu 北埔 Nanzhuang 南庄 Beipu Old Street 北埔老街 Nanzhuang Old Street 南庄老街 Jiang A-Xin Residence Quanhua Temple 勸化堂 姜阿新宅 Sweet Osmanthus Lane 桂花巷

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HIKING

Snow Mountain

A Winter Hike on One of Taiwan’s Most Beautiful Mountains

Text & Photos: Stuart Dawson

Taiwan’s second-highest peak, Snow Mountain (3,886m), is often overlooked by Westerners who come to the island for hiking. Mt. Jade, being the tallest, is the one that everyone wants to bag, but for me, Snow Mountain is a far more interesting and scenic hike. The terrain and views vary greatly, and even though I’ve been to the top some fifteen times, I still look forward to each and every trip.

Glacial Cirque East Peak

At 369 Cabin

Sunrise

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SNOW MOUNTAIN

My

favorite time to be up Snow Mountain is during the winter. It’s a relatively safe hike to do when there’s snow on the ground, and the scenery is stunning. This January we had the pleasure of leading a group of fourteen hikers to the peak, and were lucky enough to have perfect weather.

Arriving at the trailhead late on a Friday evening, the temperature difference between Taipei and this mountainous area, not far from Wuling Farm off Provincial Highway 7A, was immediately apparent. Everyone jumped out of the vans and started digging through backpacks to find fleeces and gloves. As the group tried to stay warm, we handed out the communal equipment and the crampons we’d need to make it to the top in icy conditions.

Once everyone was ready, we headed up to the Qika Cabin, where we spent the night. It’s an easy hour-long walk to the cabin, which is very basic.

The second day involved a slow walk up to the 369 Cabin. It typically takes five hours, so we had plenty of time for everyone to get to know each other over coffee and bagels for breakfast at the Qika Cabin. By the time we left, some clouds had rolled in, and I was beginning to worry that we wouldn’t get to see anything that day, but as we ate lunch on Snow Mountain’s East Peak (3,201m), about half-way between the two cabins, they began to part and we caught teasing glimpses of the surrounding valleys.

Black Forest

With the sun now shining through the cloud cover, everyone seemed invigorated once more, and we made it to the 369 Cabin by midafternoon. Our porter and cook, Shi-Gua, had arrived earlier in the afternoon and had already prepared an enormous bowl of ginger tea for us.

He then spent the rest of the afternoon preparing a delicious and hearty feast for dinner.

Once the sun set, it quickly got very cold on the side of the mountain, and with us looking at a very early start the next day, everyone was tucked up in their sleeping bags by 6 p.m.

When

we got up, Shi-Gua was already preparing breakfast for the group. We huddled up in the kitchen and

ate together. Then, after a short safety briefing, we headed up toward what is called the Black Forest. It’s very easy for hikers to get lost in the forest in the early morning before sunrise and after heavy snowfall, and we therefore walked slowly, stopping frequently to keep the group together. As we cleared the forest, the rocky path gave way to thick, hard ice, and we paused for a moment to put on our crampons.

The last section of the hike involves walking up one side of a glacial cirque before finally reaching the main peak. Climbing up the cirque in icy conditions is always very dangerous. The trail itself isn’t that steep, but the drop to the right is, and hiking without crampons would be very risky. We slowly and carefully made our way up.

Around 400m before the top, a stunning orange and red glow appeared over the horizon behind us. It was almost sunrise, and we began the final push to make it up in time to see the sun come up over the sea of clouds.

Everyone made it with time to spare, and we were treated to amazing views of the Central and Snow Mountain ranges. It was freezing on the top, literally – our drinking water and chocolate snacks had all frozen! But that didn’t matter, as we had achieved our goal and felt we were standing on top of the world.

A stunning orange and red glow appeared over the horizon behind us.

It was almost sunrise, and we began the final push to see the sun come up over the sea of clouds

English and Chinese 369 Cabin 三六九山莊 Black Forest 黑森林 Central Mountain Range 中央山脈 Mt. Jade 玉山 Qika Cabin 七卡山莊 Snow Mountain 雪山 Wuling Farm 武陵農場

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SPLENDID FESTIVALS

Partying with the Wu Tao Clan Text: Mark Caltonhill Photos: Bao'an Temple, Maggie Song

It is often supposed that for an authentic, feels-like-the-long-gone-past religious experience, visitors need to head out of Taipei City and, preferably, travel to Taiwan’s deep south, where traditional practices are better preserved. Not for nothing, therefore, is the former capital, Tainan, oft called the island’s cultural capital. Its high density of government-listed heritage temples are indeed worth visiting, but parts of Taipei, in particular its older districts such as Wanhua and Datong, are also rich and thriving repositories of traditional life.

Ac tivities during the Baosheng Cultural Festival

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BAOSHENG CULTURAL FESTIVAL

Located

on the western edge of this modern city and tucked up tight beside the Tamsui River, which historically served as northern Taiwan’s major thoroughfare, they are ideal destinations for visitors seeking to connect with the island’s past. In Wanhua, Longshan Temple is the key religious site, while the annual Qingshan Temple parade is a major attraction. Best in Datong, slightly to the north, are Taipei Confucius Temple and, next door, Bao’an Temple, dedicated to Baosheng Dadi (see box on next page).

Taipei’s Bao’an Temple is worth visiting at any time of the year. Rebuilt and expanded many times, the present temple has elements dating from 1804; the 1804 structure replaced a wooden shrine dating from 1742. The complex was recognized as a national historic site in 1985 and, following a decade of renovation, received a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Culture Heritage Conservation in 2003. The temple’s management sought out artisans with knowledge of traditional skills to do the work, some coming from Fujian, and engaged academic experts to ensure that the original design was adhered to. Wood carvings and the murals on the outside of the central hall were especially well restored.

Bao’an Temple Protec tive Dragon

Like many temples, Bao’an Temple (or Bao’an Gong; gong means “palace,” and identifies this as a Daoist as opposed to a Buddhist temple) has an annual procession, when statues of deities from other temples are brought to offer their respects to the great emperor on his birthday. Baosheng Dadi is said to have been born on the 15th day of the 3rd lunar month, AD 979. This year, the lunar date falls on April 24th.

Over

the years, this temple’s celebrations have grown and grown, and since 1994 have been represented as the Baosheng Cultural Festival, which lasts for three weeks

The wood carvings and the murals on the outside of Bao’an Temple’s central hall were especially well restored or longer. Activities include arts, photography, lion dancing, feasting, martial arts, puppet shows, firework displays, fire running, and much more.

They far outdo those of most other organizations, religious or secular, in Taipei or throughout the country.

Theater is a major component in the weeks before and after the deity’s birthday, with international companies performing alongside a wide range of local and community groups. The emphasis is on preserving traditional forms, with opera – Taiwanese-language opera, rather than Mandarin-language Peking opera – and puppetry to the fore. Such performances are common at temple fairs, and it is often forgotten that their primary audiences are spiritual rather than living beings, just as are those of the art on temple roofs and even the performers seen at some funerals.

Speaking of art, a sketching competition will be held as part of the festival on April 21st, as well as a photographic competition and exhibition, with the judging done in the weeks following the festival. The photography is of particularly high quality, a reflection of the numbers of members of Taiwan’s many amateur photography clubs.

The temple also sponsors religious lectures during the festival and, as a result of relationships forged during the period of restoration, invites scholars to present the findings of their research on relevant topics at academic seminars.

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SPLENDID FESTIVALS

Fire running in front of Bao’an Temple

Perhaps the most popular event during the festival, and definitely the most photogenic, is the fire running

Baosheng Dadi Chinese deities come in two categories: those who were real people – such as Confucius, the seafarers’ goddess Mazu and, more recently, former president Chiang Kai-shek, who now appears at temples dedicated to Lord Chiang – and those who were not, such as the Jade Emperor or the gods of rain, wind, and so forth.

Baosheng Dadi, the Great Emperor Who Protects Life, is one of the former. Originally called Wu Tao, he lived in Tong’an in mainland China’s Fujian Province from 979 to 1036, during the Song Dynasty.

Having lost his parents at an early age, Wu dedicated his life to studying medicinal herbs and helping to heal people. After he passed away following a life of self-sacrifice, people began to beseech his spirit for assistance from the netherworld. With such supplications seemingly granted, and prayers to him seeming to have beneficial results, he was gradually promoted up the Daoist hierarchy, eventually gaining the status of a dadi, a great emperor.

Since many of Taiwan’s Han Chinese immigrants in the 17th and 18th centuries came from Fujian, and not a small number from around Tong’an, it is unsurprising that they brought statues of Baosheng Dadi with them and established branch temples dedicated to him in their new home. There are now Bao’an temples in many cities and towns around the island (Bao’an means “protect Tong’an”), and his birthday, the 15th day of the 3rd lunar month, is celebrated widely and loudly.

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Health professionals and volunteers also set up mobile clinics to check visitors’ blood pressure and other basic disease indicators.

The

main event, especially for overseas visitors looking for photo opportunities, is the procession and associated activities on Baosheng Dadi’s birthday. Participants can be seen at any place along the route, which meanders for many kilometers through this old heart of the city, but the main crowd – and most photographers – gather at Bao’an Temple itself, to witness the special displays put on when the marchers, carrying their own deity statues, arrive to offer their best birthday wishes.

During similar events at other temples, these arrivals are marked by letting off strings of firecrackers and the bouncing of statues in their palanquins. So too at Bao’an Temple, but many participants will present a cultural display as well. They might, for example, be dressed as the Cowherd and Weaving Maid, the protagonists of the myth behind Chinese Lovers’ Day, or as the legendary emperor Shen Nong, who taught humankind to practice agriculture and, by tasting thousands of potentially dangerous plants, discovered which herbs had beneficial medicinal qualities, something of special interest to Baosheng Dadi.

The parade lasts all day, and vendors set up stalls to cater for hungry participants and viewers alike. The temple marks the start and finishing point of the route, and afterwards

BAOSHENG CULTURAL FESTIVAL many costumed marchers hang around chatting, eating, and having their photos taken. Among the more popular are the lion dancers, acrobats, martial artists on stilts, and the 12 Maiden Aunts, all of whom put on performances in front of the temple. This last group, actually played by a dozen men, are assistants to Zhusheng Niangniang, a subsidiary deity to whom women pray when wishing to conceive, and whose statue and altar are on the left inside the temple. Though merely assistants to a secondary deity, they are nevertheless one of the top draws of the day.

Perhaps the most popular event, and definitely the most photogenic, is the fire running. Pairs of men, carrying deity statues in palanquins, run barefoot across smoldering charcoal. Photographers should be sure to ask in advance in which direction the running will be; otherwise (like this writer) they may end up with photos of the runners’ backs and have to return the next year to try again. However, that of course would be something pleasant to look forward to.

INFO

Lion dance p er formance during the Baosheng Cultural Festival

Bao'an Temple (保安宮) Add: 61, Hami Street, Taipei City (台北市哈密街61號) Website: www.baoan.org.tw Nearest MRT Station: Yuanshan English and Chinese 12 Maiden Aunts 十二婆姐 Baosheng Cultural Festival 保生文化祭 Baosheng Dadi 保生大帝 Cowherd and Weaving Maid 牛郎織女 dadi 大帝 Datong 大同 gong 宮 Jade Emperor 玉皇大帝 Longshan Temple 龍山寺 Mazu 媽祖 Qingshan Temple 青山宮 Shen Nong 神農 Taipei Confucius Temple 台北市孔廟 Tamsui River 淡水河 Wanhua 萬華 Wu Tao 吳夲 Zhusheng Niangniang 註生娘娘

INDIGENOUS VILLAGES

Wutai V illage

Text: Cheryl Robbins Photos: Maolin National Scenic Area

Places to Experience the Culture of the Paiwan and Rukai Tribes

The townships of Neipu and Sandimen in Pingtung County are situated adjacent to one another. This area is home to the indigenous Paiwan and Rukai tribes, and is known for a large concentration of workshops run by native artists and artisans. Above Sandimen is the mountainous Wutai Township, predominantly populated by members of the Rukai tribe. Together, these three townships are ideal places to experience the fascinating culture of the Paiwan and the Rukai.

Indigenous Arts Showcase If you are interested in indigenous arts and crafts, there are many options in the Sandimen area. At the Sandimen Bead Workshop in Shuimen Village, for example, you can buy jewelry and accessories that incorporate traditionalstyle beads created by Umass Zingrur.

When large numbers of antique leadedglass beads began to be lost to collectors, Umass Zingrur developed a quartz-clay formula to produce beads that closely imitate them, helping to preserve this

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important part of the culture. One of Umass Zingrur’s first students was Shatao, who founded the Shatao Dance & Glass Art Studio in Sandi Village.

You can shop in the studio’s showroom, watch beads being created by hand, and make your own beads to take home.

You can also watch rehearsals of the Tjimur Dance Theatre troupe, which creates contemporary performances based on elements of traditional Paiwan culture.

The Er-ge Workshop, also in Sandi Village, was founded by Oko Matilin (also known as Er-ge). He has worked for more than two decades to produce vessels that closely resemble the ancient pots of the Paiwan tribe. He has also devoted himself to training the younger generation of the tribe, and his workshop always has several young employees producing pottery. You can also watch woodcarvers decorating doors and making furniture.

SANDIMEN/WUTAI Good Food, Good Music, and Good Views Most of the artist workshops close in the early evening, but that does not mean that Sandimen Township has no nightlife. A number of restaurants located along the stretch of Provincial Highway No. 24 leading to Wutai provide the opportunity for dining under the stars while listening to live-music performances or singing karaoke. One example is the Qiu Yue Restaurant. The menu includes indigenous cuisine in set meals and other dishes such as hotpot.

If ready to call it a day, a good choice is the Shan Zhong Tian Restaurant and Guesthouse. This is one of the few places to stay in Sandimen that is run by an indigenous person, namely Princess Ullun of the Rukai tribe, also known by her Chinese name Yan Meigui. The title “princess” refers to the daughter of a chieftain. There are four

beautifully decorated rooms – Warrior, Princess, Elder, and Chieftain – denoting the most important social positions in traditional Rukai culture. Just above the accommodation area is a restaurant that serves both indigenous and Chinese cuisine.

Wutai’s Location – Ideal Environment for Cultural Preservation

Wutai Township is nestled deep in the mountains, and has truly majestic landscapes Church in Wutai

Wutai Township is nestled deep in the mountains, and has truly majestic landscapes. Due to its somewhat isolated location, the Rukai people living here have been able to preserve their culture and language.

Along Yanban Lane in the Upper Wutai Community, the facades of the buildings are constructed from slate.

Slate is a traditional Rukai building material, obtained from the surrounding mountains.

Ambassador Classic Pineapple Cake In Taiwanese the words for “pineapple” sound like the words for “prosperous future.” Pineapples are therefore often used as auspicious symbols. Resembling little gold bars, pineapple cakes make for a delicious gift with symbolic meaning to friends you want to wish well. The Ambassador Hotel Classic Pineapple Cakes, the finest quality, are made with soft & light outer shell and delicious sweet & sour pineapple paste as filling. By sharing these flavorful cakes with you, we hope to wish you and the people close to you good fortune and prosperous times ahead!

NT$270 Pack of 6 NT$450 Pack of 10 NT$880 Pack of 20

Indigenous p ot ter y

Ambassador Hotel Taipei Add：No. 63 Chungshan North Road, Section 2, Taipei, Taiwan R.O.C. TEL：+886 (2) 2551-1111 FAX：+886 (2) 2531-5215 Ambassador Hotel Hsinchu Add：No.188, Sec. 2, Zhonghua Rd., Hsinchu City, Taiwan R.O.C. TEL：+886 (3) 515-1111 FAX：+886 (3) 515-1112 Ambassador Hotel Kaohsiung Add：No.202, Mingsheng 2nd Road, Kaohsiung City,Taiwan R.O.C. TEL：+886 (7) 211-5211 FAX：+886 (7) 201-0348

INDIGENOUS VILLAGES INFO

Dancing during a Paiwan festival

Neipu & Sandimen Sandimen Bead Workshop (山地門珠串工房) Add: 215-1, Zhongxiao Rd., Shuimen Village, Neipu Township, Pingtung County (屏東縣內埔鄉水門村忠孝路215-1號) Tel: (08) 799-4046

There is much to discover of Taiwan’s natural beauty and indigenous culture in Pingtung County There are several guesthouses in this community that are owned and operated by gracious hosts who also serve as tour guides. One example is the Dream House Guesthouse. Here, the decor makes ample use of slate, and there are displays of Rukai cultural artifacts in the lobby area.

A good place to fill up on indigenous cuisine is the Yu Mei Snack Shop.

Specialties include stone-grilled pork

and cinavu (meat mixed with fermented millet that is wrapped in leaves and cooked).

From the cultural treasures on display in the workshops of Neipu and Sandimen to those “hidden” in the hills and valleys of Wutai, there is much to discover of Taiwan’s natural beauty and indigenous culture in Pingtung County.

Celebrating Love and Romance Austronesian Style The Maolin National Scenic Area is rich in natural beauty and romantic landscapes, as well as indigenous culture. To highlight these advantages, the Maolin National Scenic Area Administration organizes group weddings with an Austronesian theme. Couples looking for a unique way to celebrate their love and new life together can register to take part in this ceremony. They will have the opportunity to experience Paiwan and Rukai wedding traditions including the wearing of formal attire and headdresses. The brides are brought to the ceremony in a traditional type of sedan chair and the families of the grooms present betrothal gifts including pork and millet. The ceremony is followed by a reception that includes indigenous cuisine and dancing. The next Austronesian Wedding is planned for March. More information can be obtained from the Maolin National Scenic Area Administration (www.maolin-nsa.gov.tw ).

Shatao Dance & Glass Art Studio (沙滔舞琉璃藝術空間) Add: 7, Lane 37, Zhongzheng Rd., Sec. 2, Sandi Village, Sandimen Township, Pingtung County (屏東縣三地門鄉三地村中正路二段37巷7號) Tel: (08) 799-1563 Er-ge Workshop (峨格手藝工作室) Add: 52, Zhongzheng Rd., Sec. 2, Sandi Village, Sandimen Township, Pingtung County (屏東縣 三地門鄉三地村中正路二段52號) Tel: (08) 799-5200 Qiu Yue Restaurant (秋月的店) Add: 150, Zhongzheng Rd., Sec. 2, Sandi Village, Sandimen Township, Pingtung County (屏東縣 三地門鄉三地村中正路二段150號) Tel: (08) 799-1524 Shan Zhong Tian Restaurant and Guesthouse (山中天休閒餐廳及特色民宿) Add: 10-1, Zhongzheng Rd., Sec. 1, Sandi Village, Sandimen Township, Pingtung County (屏東縣三地門鄉三地村中正路一段10-1號) Tel: (08) 799-3440 Wutai Dream House Guesthouse (夢想之家) Add: 38, Lin 5, Wutai Village, Wutai Township, Pingtung County (屏東縣霧台鄉霧台村5鄰38號) Tel: (08) 790-2312; 0912-786-109 Yu Mei Snack Shop (玉美小吃店) Add: 49, Zhongshan Lane, Wutai Village, Wutai Township, Pingtung County (屏東縣霧台鄉霧台 村中山巷49號) Tel: (08) 790-2570; 0933-656-447

Getting There Neipu and Sandimen are easily reached from National Freeway No. 3, along Provincial Highway No. 24. The Pingtung Bus Company offers services between Pingtung City and Shuimen Village in Neipu Township as well as the Sandimen Township administrative office. There is also a route that continues along Highway 24 to Wutai.

A point to note is that Wutai Township is a protected area, and it is necessary to apply for a mountain permit to enter. If traveling with a Taiwanese citizen, foreign nationals can be part of the application made at the Sandimen inspection station along Highway 24.

Alternatively, if staying overnight in Wutai you can ask your homestay owner to assist you.

The Wutai-area section of Highway 24 was severely damaged during Typhoon Morakot in August 2009, and although reconstruction and fortification of the road continues, when there are heavy rains rockslides often cause closures. Thus, make sure to check the weather forecast before heading to Wutai.

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English and Chinese Yan Mei-gui 顏美桂 Neipu 內埔 Paiwan tribe 排灣族 Pingtung Bus Company 屏東客運 Rukai tribe 魯凱族 Sandi Village 三地村 Sandimen 三地門 Shatao 沙滔 Shuimen Village 水門村 Umass Zingrur 巫瑪斯-金路兒 Upper Wutai Community 上霧台部落 Wutai Township 霧台鄉 Yanban Lane 岩板巷

FUN WITH CHINESE Rén

Shan

Xian

Person, Mountain, & Immortal

One

of the first characters Chineselanguage students will learn and remember is 山 (“shan,” mountain). It’s easy to write and, because of its shape resembling that of a mountain, also easy to recognize. The character is part of many place names in Taiwan, for example 陽明山 (“Yangmingshan,” the mountain massif on Taipei City’s north side); 玉山 (“Yushan,” Mt. Jade), Taiwan’s and Northeast Asia’s highest mountain; and 龍山寺 (“Longshan Si,” Dragon Mountain Temple), one of the oldest temples in Taipei.

Even easier to write is the character 人 (“ren,” person, people). This character is an important part of many more complicated characters, very often appearing on the left side of these characters, in the altered form 亻. Standard Chinese dictionaries usually list more than 200 characters with this form, called a radical, which indicates the word has something to do with a person or people. One of them is 仙 (“xian”). Can you guess the meaning of this character? A person found at or on a mountain – who could that be?

The answer: An enlightened person or immortal in Taoist philosophy. Dutch sinologist Kristofer Marinus Schipper has described the character as “the ‘human being of the mountain,’ or alternatively, ‘human mountain.’ The two explanations are appropriate to these beings: they haunt the holy mountains, while also embodying nature.” One place you will come across this character is 八仙洞 (“Baxian Dong,” Caves of the Eight Immortals), a scenic site on the east coast of Taiwan, named after eight famous immortals in Chinese mythology.

Image: National Palace Museum

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ACTIVE FUN

C ra z y C o a st e r

a st e r C ra z y C o

! s e d i R l l i r h T Text: Owain Mckimm

Photos: Maggie Song

Janfusan Fancy World and other Amusement Parks in Taiwan

Despite being a relatively small country, Taiwan is home to no fewer than 22 amusement parks. And though they may not have the flamboyance of some of the world's bigger theme parks by more familiar brands, they have an intimacy and charm that can make even a cool day in winter fly by with cheerful glee and, dare I say, a few unexpected thrills as well.

It

is on one such day in January that we visit Janfusan Fancy World in Yunlin County. One of Taiwan’s top amusement parks, it consists of 65 hectares of rides and gardens all nestled among the undulating mountains of Gukeng Township. The land around here is coffee country, and the view from the park takes in the mountains to the southeast, which rise in three distinct tiers beyond the hills of the Huashan village area, famous for its flavorsome coffee beans. Mist hangs languidly above the slopes, and while the sun is out, the threat of rain is ever present.

Despite the ominous weather, gangs of schoolchildren are tearing around, making the most of the brief spell of morning sunshine and urging each other towards the Horrorwood Haunted Theater. We decide that the haunted house is an attraction better suited to the twilight hours, and so we start our day in a leisurely fashion at the World Coffee Museum just inside the park’s entrance, soaking up the atmosphere in the museum’s café. It’s a charming facility, with small exhibition rooms on international coffee, bean roasting, and Taiwan’s own coffee-growing regions. Ask for a cup of Gukeng coffee to sample the local area’s mild and nutty brew.

In the café, we spread our map over the table and survey the park. Fancy World is made up of seven areas. The largest and most action-packed is the Sky Plaza, which has the park’s most popular rides: Diving Machines G5, Sky Jet, and Crazy Coaster (alternatively known, in painfully literal fashion, as the Floorless Coaster, or the somewhat hyperbolic Insane Speed). Perched on the edge of the entrance plaza is the 88-meterhigh Sky Wheel. This behemoth of a Ferris wheel weighs 600 tons, commands spectacular views of the park and the vast Jianan Plain to the west, and at 331 meters above sea level is the world’s highest Ferris wheel.

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THEME PARKS Sk y Plaz a

D iv in g M a c h in e G5

In v e r te r

The largest and most action-packed area is the Sky Plaza, which has the park’s most popular rides V ick y the V ik ing World

Adjacent to the Sky Plaza is the park’s newly developed Vicky the Viking World, now nearing completion. For those of you who did not grow up in 1970s Germany, Vicky the Viking is a Japanese anime series adapted from a popular set of Swedish children’s books, and follows the exploits of a little Viking boy called Vicky, who uses his endearing quick smarts to outwit his boorish fellow Norsemen. Vicky the Viking World is due to open any time now, and in keeping with the Vikings’ reputation as nautical pioneers, the area is replacing the park’s FunWave Water Park. The Nordic renovation includes a mirror maze, a lazy river with ready-to-row longboats, a 3D moving theater, and a story house, all themed around the cartoon, as well as all the rides from the original water park.

After

surveying the map and fortified by our coffee, we head to Sky Plaza for our first major thrill of the day – Diving Machine G5.

Built by renowned Swiss roller-coaster Sk y Je t manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, G5 is a dive coaster, which means that a carriage of sixteen nervous passengers are winched up a rising track, dangled over a 90-degree drop for three very long seconds, and then unceremoniously dropped at 110km/h into a pit of terrible darkness. It is not for the faint of heart, and participants are subjected to a massive 5 Gs during the

freefall (hence the ride’s name). Having tried one of Bolliger & Mabillard’s other dive coasters, Oblivion, at Alton Towers in the UK, I feel suitably cocky to go it alone, seeing as no one else in my group has the stones to step up and face the Gs. However, on this now drizzly Friday, with no one else on the ride but me, I suddenly feel very alone, and my screams as the ride goes into freefall mode are embarrassingly loud.

Next we head to the Crazy Coaster, at 816 meters long Asia’s longest rollercoaster. Riders experience two intense minutes of near continuous corkscrews and vertical loops, with a swift double helix to finish. It’s a fast and exhilarating ride that raises goosebumps of excitement rather than fear, and is popular even on a rainy weekday.

Such niceties cannot be offered, however, about the Sky Jet – two 65-meter-tall columns which rise forbiddingly from the carefree ambiance of the plaza. Billed as the only doublefreefall ride of its height in Asia, it slowly and gently cranks you to the top, even letting you take in the lovely view for a few minutes. What a charming view, you think. It reminds me of an awfully fun theme park-management game I used to have on my PlayStation, in which you could scroll around a map and see the entire park working, with all the rides and all the little people and everything. As I think “Ah, that was a great...” I am dropped at 85 km/h, smashing my reverie into tiny shards of bowel-loosening terror.

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ACTIVE FUN Feeling slightly worse for wear, I decide to take it easy for a while and explore the park’s more family-friendly attractions.

If you come to the park with young children, Fancy World’s Kiddy Land is your mecca. It’s the biggest indoor family park in Taiwan, and has the world’s only three-tiered carousel, as well as the world’s largest LED sky theater, made up of 170,000 tiny flashing lights. It’s a fun, amusement-filled bazaar, with enough old-fashioned grabbers, arcade games, and fairground stalls to keep kids amused while you try to forget about that last rollercoaster experience.

Fancy

World can be covered comfortably in one day, but if you’d like to spend more time in the area to explore the local coffee scene or simply make it a less hectic day out for your family, the Janfusan Prince Hotel, two minutes away from the park, is your solution. The hotel is a stylish 4-star affair with 301 guest rooms, a spa, a health club, and a kids’ play area, and during summer and winter vacations offers DIY workshops, magic shows, and other activities for kids.

ge o V il la LeoFo ark P e m The

Other Amusement Parks around Taiwan Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village Located near Sun Moon Lake and accessible from there via a 2km cable-car ride, the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village combines a living museum of Taiwanese indigenous culture with one of Taiwan’s top amusement parks.

The Aboriginal Village Park is the first stop on the cable-car journey. Visitors can explore nine different aboriginal villages home to structures constructed based on anthropological records, and take part in workshops on pottery, weaving, and other folk arts, all taught by members of Taiwan’s indigenous community.

After slaking your thirst for culture and history, head down to Amusement Isle, where rides such as the UFO Gyro Drop, Taiwan’s tallest freefall ride at 85m tall, and Mayan Adventure, an 81 km/h inverted rollercoaster set in and around a Mayan pyramid, are sure to set your heart racing.

LeoFoo Village Theme Park LeoFoo Village Theme Park is something of a national institution, and there are few Taiwanese schoolchildren who don’t enjoy a field trip here at some time or other. Probably Taiwan’s most Disney-fied theme park, it consists of four themed lands – Wild West, Arabian Kingdom, South Pacific, and African Safari – as well as a water park.

Formosan Ab original Culture V illage

Formosan Ab original Culture V illage

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THEME PARKS

LeoF oo V illag e T hem e Park

There are plenty of white-knuckle rides here for the coaster enthusiast – thedrizzly Screaming On this now Friday,INFO with no one else on Corridor, Asia’s first U-shaped boomerang Janfusun Fancy World (劍湖山世界) the ride but me, I suddenly Add: feel67,very alone, and Dahukou, Yongguang Village, coaster, being a particular bundle of queasy County my screams asother the ride into Township, freefallYunlin mode are joy. The African Safari area, on the hand, goesGukeng (雲林縣古坑鄉永光村大湖口67號) contains the moreembarrassingly sedate but possibly more loud Tel: 0800-053-888, (05) 582-5789 child-friendly steam-train safari tour, which Website: fancyworld.janfusun.com.tw gives you a full viewing of the park’s many wild animals.

Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village (九族文化村) Lihpao Land (formerly Yamay Recreation World) Lihpao Land, in the rural area of Taichung, is a dual affair consisting of a large water park, Malay Bay Water World, and a theme park, Discovery World. Like Janfusun Fancy World, it has a hotel on site so visitors can take their time and explore both areas.

English & Chinese Gukeng Township 古坑鄉 Huashan 華山 Jianan Plain 嘉南平原

Sun Moon Lake 日月潭 Taisi Bus Co. 台西客運

Add: 45, Jintian Lane, Dalin Village, Yuchi Township, Nantou County (南投縣魚池鄉大林村金天巷45號) Tel: (049) 289-5361 Website: www.nine.com.tw LeoFoo Village Theme Park (六福村主題遊樂園) Add: 60, Gongzigou, Ren'an Borough, Guanxi Township, Hsinchu County (新竹縣關西鎮仁安里拱子溝60號) Tel: (03) 547-5665 Website: www.leofoo.com.tw/village/en Lihpao Land (麗寶樂園) Add: 8, Furong Rd., Houli District, Taichung City (台中市后里區福容路8號) Tel: (04) 2558-2459 Website: www.lihpaoland.com.tw

Information on these and other theme parks in Taiwan, including ticket prices and directions, can be found at www. themeparks.net.tw/eng

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TOP TEN TOURIST TOWNS

A Close Look There Is More to this Town than Mazu Banana farmer Lu Ming in Qishan

T his page: Scenes from the annual Mazu Pilgrimage

Safe Driving, Dajia Style Zhenlan Temple is steeped in folk traditions, but that’s not to say that local culture is inflexible and unchanging. Over the past few years a new custom has emerged: People who’ve just acquired a new car or motorcycle bring it to the temple, park it in the forecourt, and pay one of the resident joss-paper vendors to circle their vehicle while holding smoldering incense. This action is believed to flush away bad luck, and so protect those using the car or motorcycle from accidents.

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DAJIA

k at Dajia Here’s an odd fact. Dajia was named one of Taiwan’s top ten tourist towns last spring, yet – as far as bureaucrats are concerned – it had ceased to exist more than a year earlier. Ever since Taichung County was merged into Taichung City, the town has been a mere part of one of the municipality’s 29 districts – Dajia District.

Text: Steven Crook Photos: Sting Chen

Mar t y t s' Shrine Old resident of Dajia

Mt. T iezhen Park

Decommissioned militar y hardware Goddess Mazu

Traditional face cleaning

Mt. T iezhen Park

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TOP TEN TOURIST TOWNS Dajia has great character and history, and it retains its preeminent place in Taiwan’s religious culture The Biggest Birthday Party on Earth?

Central Taiwan is the venue for what some say is the largest regular religious gathering anywhere outside India. Held each spring two or three weeks before Mazu's actual birthday (the 23rd day of the third lunar month), the nine-day, eight-night pilgrimage heads south from Dajia to Fengtian Temple in Xingang, Chiayi County. There the pilgrims pause before beginning the return journey.

The most pious cover the entire 300km on foot, sleeping in temples en route and subsisting on vegetarian food. Some do it year after year.

Zhenlan Temple's most revered Mazu icon is carried along the route in a palanquin which the faithful who come out to witness the procession hope to touch. This is one way of winning the blessing of the goddess; another is to lay on the road ahead of the procession so the icon is carried over your body. A million or more people watch or join the pilgrimage, and in recent years, the government has bundled the parade with cultural performances, games, and martialarts demonstrations to create the Taichung City Mazu International Cultural Festival.

The

district’s almost 80,000 inhabitants aren’t fazed by these changes. The place called Dajia at the center of the former township is a “town” in everything but name. It has great character and history, and it retains its preeminent place in Taiwan’s religious culture thanks to Zhenlan Temple (also spelled “Jenn Lann”). This house of worship is known throughout Taiwan as the start and end point of a renowned annual pilgrimage honoring Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea, who is perhaps Taiwan’s single most popular deity.

The custom of worshiping Mazu was brought to Dajia and other points on Taiwan’s west coast by 17th- and 18thcentury migrants from mainland China’s Fujian province, and Zhenlan Temple was founded in 1732. However, as Mr. Zhang Qing-zong – former elementary school teacher and local-history maven – explained to Travel in Taiwan , people were living in Dajia long before those settlers arrived. In fact, the toponym “Dajia” derives from the name of the lowland aboriginal tribe that once dominated the area, the Taokas.

Like Taiwan’s other modern-age indigenous groups, the Taokas were of Austronesian origin and spoke a language with no connection to Mandarin or Taiwanese. It was similar in some ways to the Maori tongues of New Zealand.

The Taokas disappeared long ago as a distinct tribe, but vestiges of their culture live on in special local traditions.

That aboriginal beliefs have influenced local religious practices is obvious at a little shrine that Mr. Zhang took us to, where childless couples hoping for a baby pray to a 30cm-high rock. The Baogong Stone has a crudely phallic appearance. But if you look closely, you’ll notice what could be eyes and other facial features.

Until early 2010, the stone was kept in an Earth God shrine outside Dajia, in Waipu District’s Xincuo area. Because

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its apparent ability to cure infertility was drawing lots of attention, there were worries it would be stolen (efficacious icons have been snatched from Taiwanese temples in the past). It was thus moved to its current location, the front room of a private home in the neighborhood.

The family who looks after the Baogong Stone keeps a list of couples who report pregnancies after coming here, and the stone is credited with three or four successes per month.

Mr. Zhang

then led us to Mt. Tiezhen, 2.5km northeast of Dajia’s railway station. The peak is just 236m above sea level, so by the dizzying standards of Taiwan’s mountains it barely qualifies as a hill. But even if the weather’s hazy and you can barely see the ocean, there’s plenty to do and see here.

The mountain has several points of historical and artistic interest. What’s surely one of the largest statues of Zheng Cheng-gong (Koxinga) anywhere in the ROC was commissioned in 1961 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the man credited with bringing Chinese culture to Taiwan and ejecting the Dutch, who then controlled a large area of Taiwan from their Tainan base.

Few people know it, but there’s a historical connection between Koxinga and Mt. Tiezhen. During the long siege of the Dutch fort in Tainan, Koxinga’s forces ran short of food. They sent foraging expeditions to other parts of Taiwan, and a grave dating from 1662 proves that at least one of these detachments visited the Dajia area.

Mt. Tiezhen’s Koxinga Temple has a distinctive red dome quite unlike the roofs of other Taiwan places of worship.

Elsewhere on the mountain, another hallowed spot commemorates individuals who lived in a different, more recent era.

Like similar landmarks in other parts of the country, the Martyrs’ Shrine is

DAJIA a memorial to those who died serving the ROC. Many visitors will find the military hardware that surrounds it more interesting than the shrine itself. There are armored vehicles, artillery pieces, a long-distance missile, and even a decommissioned fighter jet.

Before

returning to the lowlands, Mr. Zhang showed us some public art that is thoroughly modern in style yet ref lects Dajia’s traditional side. The steelplate statues of Shunfenger (“ears that hear the wind”) and Qianliyan (“eyes that see a thousand miles”) – demons tamed by Mazu who became her faithful assistants – are cartoonish in appearance, quite unlike the fearsome depictions you see f lanking Mazu in countless temples. On the same site, four stout pillars call to mind both Native American totems and one of Dajia’s best-known relics, the Lin-Shi Chastity Memorial Archway.

Mr. Li Cheng-qing, chairman of the Dajia Tourism Promotion Association, told us the archway’s history – a tale of tragedy and loyalty. The archway, made of carved granite slabs, was erected in 1848 to honor a lady born 69 years earlier with the surname Yu. Her parents were poor, and soon after birth she was given away to a woman surnamed Lin. The latter expected she would eventually marry her son; such arrangements were common in Taiwan until the early part of the 20th century.

Unfortunately, when she was 12 years old, the boy she was destined to wed drowned. The girl didn’t leave the Lin household, however. She remained faithful to her deceased fiancé and took devoted care of her would-be motherin-law, who had become sickly. She did weaving, spinning, and laundry to make money. Meals weren’t easy to come by, but she always saved the best food for the old woman, and ate only rice porridge herself. Her piety won unanimous praise in the village.”

The “widow” Lin was also revered as a rainmaker. Shortly before she died in 1864, Dajia was surrounded by rebels during the Dai Chao-chun Uprising.

Water supplies were cut off and many residents wanted to f lee, but Lin’s prayers for rain were successful. For decades, a small temple was dedicated to her; in 1933, when the region was aff licted by a drought, Dajia residents turned to her spirit for help.

Dajia’s Edible Souvenirs If you saw the last issue of Travel

in Taiwan , you'll know that Dajia is Taiwan’s No. 1 producer of taro. If you want to buy some tasty souvenirs – taro-flavored or otherwise – it's not necessary to stray more than 50m from Zhenlan Temple.

At O'Nong's (阿聰師) (123 Zhenlan Street; Tel: [04] 2688-1366; www. o-nongs.com.tw) you'll be encouraged to nibble on free samples, all of which

That shrine is long gone, but an effigy of Lin can be found on one of the side altars inside Zhenlan Temple. It’s not labeled in any language, however, and were it not for Mr. Li’s expertise, we probably would never have known about it. While we were in the temple, Mr. Li also pointed out paintings and carving executed by famous folk artists, and a set of memorial tablets saluting those who established the temple. At least two of the names on the tablets are clearly aboriginal – further evidence of Dajia’s indigenous past.

Our final stop was Jin Hua Shan Mazu Folk Museum (open Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm). This privatelyowned museum was recently established to showcase Mazu icons and religious paraphernalia collected by a local businessman during his trips to mainland China. There are capes, hats, and shoes used to dress images of the Goddess of the Sea, but probably the finest object in the collection is a Mazu statuette thought to date from the Southern Song Dynasty (1127~1276). The mineral dyes used to paint it have hardly faded despite the passage of the centuries, so like Dajia folks’ faith in Mazu, it remains strikingly vivid.

Mazu Folk Museum

are labeled in English as well as Chinese. The Taro Creamy Cheese Cake is especially good, and your friends may get a kick out of the Taiwanshaped cookies.

O'Nong's was founded in 1967. Almost next door, there's an even older business. Ming Siang Jhen (明香珍) (119 Zhenlan Street; Tel: [04] 26872452; www.msjcake.com.tw) is now run by the founder's granddaughter, and she supervises the on-site baking of taro-butter cakes, pineapple cakes, and more than a dozen other products.

Taro cake

INFO Jin Hua Shan Mazu Folk Museum (金華山媽祖文物館) Add: 9, Lane 119, Guangming Rd., Dajia District, Taichung City (台中市大甲區光明路119巷9號) Tel: (04) 2676-5678 English and Chinese Baogong Stone 包公石 Dai Chao-chun Uprising 戴潮春事件 Dajia 大甲 Fengtian Temple 奉天宮 Li Cheng-qing 李澄清 Lin-Shi Chastity Memorial Archway 林氏貞孝坊 Martyrs' Shrine 忠靈祠 Mt. Tiezhen 鐵砧山 Qianliyan 千里眼 Shunfenger 順風耳 Taichung Mazu International Cultural Festival 臺中媽祖國際觀光文化節 Waipu District 外埔區 Xincuo 新厝 Xingang 新港 Zhang Qing-zong 張慶宗 Zheng Cheng-gong 鄭成功 Zhenlan Temple 鎮瀾宮

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FOOD JOURNEY

W i’s Pul

eg et abl e”

Water bamb oo farmer Liu Zuo -long

at er “V l Ba a mbo eci p S o, a Truly

Text: Owain Mckimm

Photos: Maggie Song

The central Taiwan town of Puli is widely known for its high-quality spring water and its thriving agriculture. The area’s star produce is water bamboo, a delicious and healthful edible cultivated in large quantities and beloved by consumers all around Taiwan.

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PULI

“Try

one. You can it eat raw,” says Liu Zuo-long, standing up to his knees in water in one of his paddy f ields and holding out a foot-long vegetable which tapers f rom a thick, swollen white base to a thin green top. It looks rather like an engorged scallion. But peeling away the outer husk reveals more and more of the edible white f lesh, and what’s lef t af ter a few moments is a pale, bulbous object resembling a bleached bamboo shoot or, for those with a fancif ul imagination, the leg of a beautif ul woman.

What I have in my hand, and am soon to put to my mouth, is a water bamboo, commonly called mei ren tui – beautif ulwoman’s legs – in Taiwan. Eaten raw, it is crisp and f resh with a slightly grainy texture, and an earthiness complemented by a sweet af tertaste. Liu says that the sweetness is thanks to the quality of the water which bubbles up f rom a natural spring nearby.

Nantou County’s Puli is famous for such springs, the best-known being the “Ailan Sweet Spring” used by the Puli Brewery to make the area’s acclaimed Shaoxing (Shaohsing) wine. But even for farmers who don’t live near a natural spring, the Puli area is still an ideal location for growing crops of all kinds.

Lying in a star-shaped basin in the very center of Taiwan, Puli is supplied yearround with plentif ul mountain water, which f ilters into the basin through a series of river terraces lining its edges.

Add to this a comfortable average annual temperature of around 20°C, a rampart of surrounding mountains that blocks out harsh winds, and a lack of heav y industry, and you have a place which

lives up to its reputation as a pastoral idyll.

The

name “water bamboo” is, in f act, a misnomer (in Ta iwan, this plant is also know n as “water oats”). Though it ’s a member of the same f amily as bamboo, the Poaceae , the water bamboo is in f act a species of w ild r ice and a close relat ive of the w ild r ice found in Nor th Amer ica. But unl ike its transpacif ic cousin, water bamboo, which is also called Manchur ian w ild r ice, is not treated as a gra in in Ta iwan; rather, it ’s eaten as a vegeta ble. This pecul iar it y is due to a f ungus, Ust ilago esculenta , which infects the plant and causes its shoots to swell up, becoming the del iciously meat y, white vegeta ble-l ike ed i ble that L iu Zuo-long har vests.

“Water bamboo came about as the result of a natural partnership between the f ungus and an ancient kind of rice found in China,” says Liu. “In ancient China it was said that there were six kinds of cereal, whereas now we say there are only f ive kinds.” The sixth kind, due to the intervention of this f ungus, has become a vegetable – water bamboo.

According to He Shi-hong, director general of the Puli Farmers’ Association, the dominant cultivar found in Puli is the Gandang cultivar. The story goes that around 30 years ago, the water bamboo in Puli had to be grown in cold, deep water – up to a person’s waist – and would of ten manifest black streaks at the slightest change in conditions.

In 1982 a farmer called Chen Gan-dang stumbled upon a single specimen that was prospering in shallow water and seemed to be holding the black f ungal streaks at bay. Using this f ind as a mother-plant, he propagated more and more of the same kind, and the cultivar, which he generously shared with his fellow farmers, was distributed all around Puli. As a result, Puli’s water bamboos are whiter, thicker, and less prone to displaying the unsightly streaks that make them visually unpalatable to consumers.

Eaten raw, water bamboo is crisp and fresh with a slightly grainy texture, and an earthiness complemented by a sweet aftertaste

There is a negative side effect to this partnership, however. Af ter the crop matures the f ungus causes unsightly black spots to appear inside the shoot.

Fortunately, the water bamboo is propagated asexually rather than f rom seed, which has made it possible to select plants that grow larger, whiter, and remain f ree of these f ungal blemishes for a longer period.

Water Bamboo Princess With excellent natural conditions, it’s not surprising that Puli leads the way in water-bamboo production. While other areas in Taiwan, such as Yilan in the northeast and Sanzhi in New Taipei City, are also known for their water bamboo, over 80 percent of the country’s yield comes from Puli. And like any small town with something to sell, Puli is adept at promoting its wares in creative ways. Those visiting the area in August may be lucky enough to witness Nantou County’s very own beauty pageant – the “Mei Ren Tui Princess ” pageant. This annual pageant celebrates both water bamboo and the beautiful legs that they resemble; 25 leggy beauties competed last year for the honor of being crowned Water Bamboo Princess.

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FOOD JOURNEY Water-bamb oo fields

Shui Shui Yun Guesthouse

Duck

Liu tells us that to grow water bamboo he f irst chooses the f inest specimens f rom last year ’s crop and digs up their roots. He then separates each root into 10 sections, and plants them in a nurser y. Af ter three weeks the roots have sprouted, and are ready to be moved to the paddy f ield. Three months later they are ready to be har vested, and Liu goes out ever y four days for a month to pluck the mature shoots. Af ter the shoots have all been har vested, the roots can manage one more sprouting before the qual ity of the shoots starts to disintegrate. So four months later, Liu har vests again.

This second har vest usually takes place in September, and the shoots at this time are especially f ruitf ul and abundant, since the temperature at this time of year is the most suitable for the f ungus.

If

you’d like to try your hand at harvesting water bamboo, note that Liu also runs the Shui Shui Chun Yun Guesthouse and works in conjunction with the Water Bamboo Promotion Association to organize both harvesting and cooking DIY sessions for his guests. If, however, you’d like to

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sample water bamboo as a part of Puli’s haute cuisine, there is no better place than the Jin-Du Restaurant.

Chef Liu Heng-hong prides himself on creating dishes that represent Puli’s quintessence. He uses only the f reshest local ingredients, and buys directly f rom local farmers, who tell him what produce is thriving that season.

Liu starts us off with a dish called Rose-Scented Water Bamboo. “We soak whole, steamed water bamboo in a mixture of rose water and salt for twenty minutes,” he says, “so the f lavor of rose permeating the water bamboo is mild and subtle.” The shoots are then served in a bowl with ice made of f rozen rose water. When you bite into a shoot it is cool and tender, with just a hint of Puli’s edible roses.

Such high-quality ingredients could easily be ruined by overcomplicating the dishes, but Liu lets them speak for themselves. His magic lies in letting you taste the ingredients in a diversity of forms – sliced, shredded, steamed, pickled, toasted – in the same way that a composer might write an entire

movement using variations on a single theme.

The Golden Water Bamboo immediately makes a case to become my favorite. It consists of sliced shoots pickled in a sauce made of garlic, preserved tof u, red pepper, carrot, vinegar, and sesame oil. The pickled shoots are crunchy and tart, the sauce just spicy enough to cut through the chill. It coats your tongue with the granular texture of good mustard, and has enough zing to dance the Charleston.

Liu serves the dish on a f reshly halved raw water bamboo. “It’s simple and beautif ul,” he says. “We combine color, smell, f lavor, form, and meaning, all in one dish. That is what makes really good Chinese food; that is what gives you a true sense of place.”

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

PULI Don’t miss out either on Liu’s most recently invented dishes: Tomato Water Bamboo features locally-grown cherry tomatoes soaked in plum juice and wrapped in blowtorchtoasted strips of water bamboo, and Sugarcane-Smoked Water Bamboo Soup featuring cucumber, shredded tof u, and shredded water bamboo languishing in a water-bamboo stock, topped with slices of ham smoked with sugarcane.

Frankly, whether they come prepared by a talented chef or simply raw f rom the paddy f ield, these beautif ul Puli lady’s legs will have your mouth watering every time.

“We combine color, smell, flavor, form, and meaning, all in one dish. That is what makes really good Chinese food; that is what gives you a true sense of place.”

Getting There From Taipei West Bus Station, take a Kuo-Kuang Bus Co. bus directly to Puli. Buses leave at frequent intervals between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. The journey takes approximately 4 hours. From either Taichung Railway Station or HSR Taichung Station take a Nantou Bus Co. bus to Puli. Buses leave at frequent intervals, and the journey takes about 1 hour.

If you drive yourself, take National Freeway No. 1 to the Changhua System Interchange, change onto National Freeway No. 3, continue to the Zhongheng System Interchange, change to National Freeway No. 6 and drive to the very end of the highway. Then follow Provincial Highway No. 14 the short distance into Puli.

Getting around Puli is best done by renting your own transportation or taking a taxi. 宏祥旅行社_1-3_E_2013.01.pdf 1 2013/1/7 下午 05:33:42

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.

Chef Liu Heng-hong of Jin- Du Restaurant

Shui Shui Chun Yun Guesthouse (水水春耘民宿) Add: 39-9, Shuang ji Rd., Fangli Borough, Puli Township, Nantou County (南投縣埔里鎮房里里雙吉路39-9號) Tel: (049) 291-8612 Website: http://chunyun.okgo.tw (Chinese only) Prices range from NT$1,750 per night for one person on weekdays to NT$3,200 for four people on weekends. Since there is no public transport to the guesthouse, you can call in advance to arrange pick-up from central Puli or take a taxi.

Jin-Du Restaurant (金都餐廳) Add: 236, Xinyi Rd., Puli Township, Nantou County (南投縣埔里鎮信義路236號) Tel: (049) 299-5096 Website: www.puli-eating.com.tw (Chinese only) English and Chinese Ailan Sweet Spring 愛蘭甘泉 Chen Gan-dang 陳敢當 He Shi-hong 何世鴻 Liu Heng-hong 劉恒宏 Liu Zuo-long 劉佐龍

mei ren tui 美人腿 Puli 埔里 Puli Brewery 埔里酒廠 Sanzhi 三芝 Shaoxing wine 紹興酒 water bamboo 茭白筍

MUSIC TOURS

T

aipei's e n e c S Rock

ular Bands p o P d n a s e Music Venu e iv L ’s y it The C

enley ic Text : Joe H y Su, Chthon Wall, Sunn Photos: The

There are a few ingredients every major city needs if it hopes to bring in the tourists.

First, it needs attractions – things worth seeing. That goes without saying, though I just said it. Second, it needs good infrastructure – providing fast, reliable, easy ways for people to get around.

Formoz Festival

And the third part of the recipe? A great music scene!

Formoz Festival

Formoz Festival

You'll

find that Taipei has all three ingredients in spades, and many more.

Think about it. What better way is there to unwind after a day of sightseeing than to head out to a concert venue, enjoy a drink or two, and see some amazing local bands in action that you probably couldn’t see anywhere else in the world? Hearing some live music should be an indispensable component of any trip. Let's take a closer look at Taipei's rock-music scene.

Any tour of Taipei's rock scene should start at Underworld, a cramped basement venue that is the city's answer to New York's famed and dearly departed CBGB. Located in the National Taiwan Normal University (“Shida”) neighborhood, the club has been going strong since 1996, and has a modest capacity of about 50 patrons.

However, despite its small size, many of Taiwan's best-known bands of today, from

50

Travel in Taiwan

pop stars to MTV mainstays, have at one time or another graced Underworld's “stage,” a generous term for the patch of floor at the back of the club where the amps are stacked on cinder blocks and the narrow drum riser sits. Shows are staged at Underworld on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights, showcasing Taipei’s underground talent and acts from abroad across the entire musical spectrum, from rock, to punk, to metal, to post-rock – a droning, effects-heavy offshoot that, thanks to the likes of Taiwanese bands such as Aphasia (aphasiaband.com ), has shot to the top of the musical heap on the island.

Any tour of Taipei's rock scene should start at Underworld, a cramped basement venue that is the city's answer to New York's famed and dearly departed CBGB

ROCK Another genre that enjoys extreme popularity in Taiwan, thanks to its extreme nature, is metal. Metal in Taiwan is synonymous with one band – Chthonic (www.facebook.com/ chthonictw ), a five-piece which combines aspects of symphonic black metal with traditional instruments such as the erhu and other Taiwanese orchestral elements. Also active since 1996, today the band is a celebrated musical export, regularly touring North America and Europe following each new album release. The band even has a coveted Golden Melody award for Best Band to its credit, which was presented to vocalist Freddy Lim by former President Chen Shuibian at a ceremony in 2003. This was just one of many highlights for Lim, the lone original member of the group, in a career that has seen his band stick it out through the hard times and lackluster turnouts unknown bands must endure in their early years to, eventually, enjoy expansive tours alongside metal royalty such as Ozzy Osbourne. Lim's most memorable moment is a concert the band staged for a DVD shoot in 2011 at the ornate Xingling Temple in Puli, Nantou County, Taiwan. The concert was attended by over a thousand die-hard fans, who bused in to the small mountain town for an unforgettable evening that was blessed by the temple authorities as a divine event welcomed by the gods themselves. Chthonic recently recorded its seventh album, as-yet untitled, which is scheduled for release later this year by Finland's Spinefarm Records.

Freddy

Lim is involved in the scene not only as a performer, but also as partowner of what many would call Taipei's premier venue for top-shelf local acts and international touring bands, The Wall Live House – Gong Guan. A mere fiveminute taxi ride from Underworld, or a few minutes on foot heading south from Taipei's MRT Gongguan Station on Roosevelt Road, The Wall has been around for ten years. At the opposite end of the scale from Underworld in terms of capacity, The Wall can play host to approximately 700 fans, with shows usually held on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings starting at 8 p.m. With what is arguably the city's best sound system, The Wall is a dream place to play for Taipei's up-and-coming bands. The space also has its own bar, Free Hugs, a tattoo shop called J's Tattoo, and a rehearsal space/music school known as The Ball. Lim is excited about the future of Taipei's music scene – a scene he has played a vital role in cultivating through his band and his venue. “This is a developing scene full of exciting new ideas and events,” he says, “not only in Taipei but all over the country! I'm very happy to be a part of this.” When asked about the future of the scene, Lim is nothing but hopeful, stating emphatically that, “I think it will be like Tokyo or some other developed music scene. And it will be easier to survive for artists, and easier to run a venue.”

Chthonic

The Wall takes a multi-pronged approach to promoting live music in Taipei, and this year the scene is buzzing about the potential return of one of its most ambitious endeavors, the Formoz Festival, after a five-year hiatus. According to the head of the venue's PR department, Lulu Keng, the three-day festival will return to its former grounds at the Taipei Children's Recreation Center, a hillside amusement park just a short walk from MRT Yuanshan Station, in late July or early August. If all goes well, tickets will go on sale starting in March, with one-day and multi-day passes available that will give fans access to several stages of varying sizes erected around the park grounds. In years past the festival drew tens of thousands, and acts from all over Asia and the world were booked, so this is definitely something to watch out for. Bands range from the extreme all the way to the mainstream, so there's something for everyone.

Ch th on ic

Travel in Taiwan

51

MUSIC TOURS

Speaking

of mainstream, if radio-friendly rock or pop is more your speed, head to Riverside Live House in Taipei's Ximending area. Just a stone's throw from MRT Ximen Station, this upscale venue hosts some of Taiwan's biggest names in the music business, with styles leaning more toward the tastes of the average casual radio listener. Riverside also boasts a first-class sound system, and has a second-floor viewing area where fans can look down upon the stage. Another great place to catch Taipei's radio darlings of today and tomorrow is Legacy, a relative newcomer to the city's live music scene. Legacy is housed within a former warehouse in historic Huashan 1914 Creative Park, on Bade Road, and can comfortably hold a crowd of well over a thousand. It's just a short walk west from MRT Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station.

Formoz Festival

Mat zk a

Matzka blends traditional Paiwan tribal instrumentation and lyrics in their mother tongue with the sounds of pureroots reggae, blues, jazz, hip hop, and rock

One of the bands you might catch if you happen to get to Legacy or Riverside Live House is Matzka (www.matzka.com.tw ), a rapidly rising aboriginal four-piece blending traditional Paiwan tribal instrumentation and lyrics in their mother tongue with the sounds of pure-roots reggae, blues, jazz, hip hop, and rock. Originally from Taitung in the southeast, the band has relocated north to Taiwan's music capital in pursuit of its musical aspirations, and has in the past few years toured as far afield as South America and Canada. With his band's second album, 089, released in December of last year, singer/guitarist and band namesake Matzka, gravel-voiced and friendly with thick dreadlocks running well down his back, has much to look forward to in 2013 both in terms of playing at home and touring abroad. The band hopes to play the Java Jazz Festival in Indonesia in early March, and after that plans to get a few more songs ready for a third album. Expectations will be high – as they were for 089, for the band's debut album garnered not one but two Golden Melody Award nominations, for Best Newcomer and Best Band. Matzka is but one rising star in a dynamic Taipei music scene that is in the midst of an exciting and unprecedented period of growth and experimentation.

For more information on Taiwanese bands, local gigs, and venues in Taipei and the rest of Taiwan, check out sites such as www.gigguide.tw and www.taipeimetal.com .

52

Travel in Taiwan

ROCK

Formoz Festival

INFO Underworld (地下社會) Add: B1, 45 Shida Rd., Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1) Tel: (02) 2369-0103 Website: underworld-taipei.blogspot.com The Wall Live House – Gong Guan (這牆音樂 – 公館) Add: B1,200 Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1) Tel: (02) 2930-0162 Website: www.thewall.com.tw

Riverside Live House Riverside Live House (河岸留言) Add: 177, Xining S. Rd., Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號) Tel: (02) 2370-8805 Website: www.riverside.com.tw Legacy (傳 音樂展演空間) Add: 1, Bade Rd., Sec. 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段一號/華山1914創意文化園區－中五館 ) Tel: (02) 2395-6660 Website: www.legacy.com.tw

English and Chinese Aphasia 阿飛西雅 Chen Shui-bian 陳水扁 Chthonic 閃靈 erhu 二胡 Freddy Lim 林昶佐 Huashan 1914 Creative Park 華山1914文創園區

Lulu Keng 耿璐 National Taiwan Normal University 國立臺灣師範大學 Paiwan tribe 排灣族 Puli 埔里 Taipei Children's Recreation Center 臺北市立兒童育樂中心 Xingling Temple 醒靈寺

Travel in Taiwan

53

DAILY LIFE

A Pastime for the Whole Family Photos: Zenith Lin

"

ng Sh 54

Travel in Taiwan

" Catchi

Taiwan

is surrounded by the sea, and locals love their seafood. Many will go to the coast or a lake to catch f ish themselves. But what to do when the nearest f ishing spot is too far, or it’s already too late in the evening? Go to an indoor shrimp-pool restaurant! These operations, some open around the clock, have pools in which large shrimps are released. Patrons sit on stools by the pools trying to catch the shrimp with tiny rods. Chicken liver or mini shrimps are used as bait.

The catch is put on skewers and cooked on grills beside or nearby. Those not lucky or skilled enough to catch the shrimp themselves can order f rom a menu. Shrimp-pool restaurants are very popular in Taiwan, and whole families can spend hours angling for, grilling, and feasting on the plump shrimp treasures.

COSMOS HOTEL TAIPEI

Hotels of Taiwan

台北天成大飯店

Taipei 台 北

GLORIA PRINCE HOTEL TAIPEI

HOTEL ÉCLAT

華 泰 王子大 飯 店

怡亨酒店

Taipei 台 北

Taipei 台 北

Visitors to Taiwan have a wide range of choice when it comes to accommodation. From fivestar 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

NO. OF ROOMS: 226 ROOM RATES:

— small and big, expensive and

Superior Single Room NT$ 4,000

affordable — have in common is

checked for each hotel, but are

E xecutive Deluxe Room Superior Twin Room

Family Triple Room

Deluxe Triple Room

Family Quad Room Deluxe Family Room

Deluxe Suite

Cosmos Suite

subject to change without notice.

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese,

Room rates at the hotels apply.

RESTAURANTS: Cantonese Dimsum,

that serve and hospitality are always of the highest standards. The room rates in the following list have been

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

NO. OF ROOMS: 220

NO. OF ROOMS: 60

ROOM RATES: Deluxe / Single / Twin & Double NT$ 7,800~8,500

Suite NT$ 9,500~20,000

ROOM RATES:

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, English, Japanese

SPECIAL FEATURES: Conference Room, 43, Chunghsiao (Zhongxiao) W. Rd., Sec. 1, Taipei City, 100

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

＊Hotel list in alphabetical order from Northern to Southern Taiwan.

www.cosmos-hotel.com.tw

RESTAURANTS: 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.

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

370, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd., Da-an District, Taipei City 106

Tel: 02.2581.8111 Fax: 02.2581.5811, 2568-2924

Tel: 02.2784.8888 Fax: 02.2784.7888 Res. Hotline: 02.2784.8118

www.gloriahotel.com

www.eclathotels.com

106 台北市敦化南路一段370號

MIRAMAR GARDEN TAIPEI

SUNWORLD DYNASTY HOTEL TAIPEI

TAIPEI FULLERTON – FU-XING SOUTH

TAIPEI GALA HOTEL

美麗信花園酒店

王朝大酒店

台北馥敦- 復南館

慶泰大飯店

NO. OF ROOMS: 203 ROOM RATES:

Deluxe Room

Business Room Executive Deluxe Room

Boss Suite

Premier Suite

Taipei 台 北

Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 738 ROOM RATES: Deluxe Room NT$ 7,700 NT$ 8,000 NT$ 9,000 NT$ 10,000 NT$ 15,000 NT$ 20,000

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

Premier Room Junior Suite Deluxe Suite Executive Suite

NT$ 8,200 NT$ 9,200 NT$ 11,500 NT$ 17,500

EXECUTIVE CLUB FLOOR

Deluxe Room Premier Room Deluxe Suite Executive Suite

NT$ 9,000 NT$ 9,500 NT$ 15,000 NT$ 21,000

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, Japanese, English

Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 100 ROOM RATES:

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

Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 160 NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

5,600 6,200 6,600 7,000 7,400 8,400 20,000

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

RESTAURANTS: Le Parc Café, Magnolia Court,

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

Canton Palace

English, Japanese, Chinese

SPECIAL FEATURES: 738 large-size guest

SPECIAL FEATURES: Close to Taipei 101 com-

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.

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

English, Taiwanese, Chinese, Japanese, Cantonese,

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

(MRT Taipei Main Station, Exit M3) 100台北市忠孝西路一段4 3號 (捷運台北車站M3號出口)

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

SPECIAL FEATURES: Coffee Shop, Fitness Center, Business Center, laundry service, meeting and banquet facilities, non-smoking floor, parking lot, airport transfer service

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

Deluxe Room Grand Deluxe Room Premier Room Premier 9 Éclat Suite

(All rates are exclusive of 5% VAT and 10% service charge)

RESTAURANTS: La Fontaine (Western), Chiou Hwa (Chinese)

Japanese, English, Cantonese

mercial 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.

ROOM RATES:

Single Room NT$ 4,300 Deluxe Single Room NT$ 4,600 Deluxe Twin Room NT$ 5,200 Suite Room NT$ 6,800

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

186 Songjiang Rd., Taipei City,104

83 Civic Boulevard, Sec. 3, Taipei City, 104

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

104台北市松江路18 6號 Exit 1 of MRT Xingtian Temple Station on the Luzhou Line.

104台北市市民大道三段8 3號

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

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

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

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

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

www.miramargarden.com.tw

www.sunworlddynasty.com

www.taipeifullerton.com.tw

www.galahotel.com.tw

台北市敦化北路100號

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

Travel in Taiwan

55

THE GRAND HOTEL 圓山大飯店

REGENT TAIPEI Taipei 台 北

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

ROOM RATES:

Superior Room Deluxe Room Junior Suite Corner Suite Residence Elite Suite

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

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

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

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

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

10 4 61台北市中山北 路 四段1號

SAN WANT RESIDENCES TAIPEI

TAICHUNG HARBOR HOTEL

台北神旺商務酒店

台中港酒店

Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 81 ROOM RATES:

NO. OF ROOMS: 538

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

1 Chung Shan N. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City, 10461 R.O.C

Studio Room Park View Room

Deluxe Suite Park View Suite

Penthouse

NT$ 8,000~ 9,000 NT$ 8,800~ 9,800 NT$ 12,600~ 13,600 NT$ 20,000~ 21,000 NT$ 50,000

D ESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

English, Japanese, Chinese

English, Japanese, Chinese

RESTAURANTS:

RESTAURANTS:

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

No.3, Ln.39, Sec.2, Zhongshan N. Rd., Taipei City, 104 104台北市中山北路二段39巷3號

Dinging Lounge (Buffet Breakfast, Free Beverage and Light Snack for Room Guests)

SPECIAL FEATURES: A member of Small

Luxury Hotels of the World, Showcase of contemporary Taiwanese art collections, Personal secretarial assistance, Fitness center, Free wireless internet, Free rental of cell phone, Complimentary shoeshine service, 37” LCD TV, Pants presser& Suit rack, Multi-Functional Printer, Sunken Bathtub

104台北市南京東路一段128號

Tel: 02.2511.5185 Fax: 02.2511.1585 E-mail: reservation@swresidences.com

www.grand-hotel.org

www.regenttaipei.com

www.swresidences.com

Chiayi 嘉 義

NO. OF ROOMS: 146 NT$ 6,600 NT$ 10,000 NT$ 12,000 NT$ 16,000 NT$ 16,000 NT$ 26,000 NT$ 26,000 NT$ 300,000

(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, 605 605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

Travel in Taiwan

翰品酒店高雄

Kaohsiung 高 雄

Standard Single Room Standard Double Room Standard Triple Room Standard Family Room Standard Suite Executive Single Room Deluxe Single Room Deluxe Double Room Deluxe Family Room Deluxe Suite Chateau de Chine Suite

KING’S TOWN HOTEL 京城大飯店

Kaohsiung 高雄

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

6,000 6,700 7,500 8,000 9,000 8,000 7,000 7,200 9,000 14,000 50,000

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Chinese, Japanese

RESTAURANTS: Japanese, Chinese, Cantonese Dim Sum, Lounge Bar

SPECIAL FEATURES: Multi-functional meeting room, banquet hall, business center, wedding planning center, gym, free use of wired/wireless Internet, silent refrigerator, electronic safe, personal bathrobe/slippers, free cable TV, free use of laundry room, all-new TV-sets 43 Daren Rd., Yancheng District, Kaohsiung City 8 03高雄市鹽埕區大仁路4 3號

Tel: 07.521.7388 Fax: 07.521.7068

kaohsiung.chateaudechine.com

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

5,600 6,200 7,600 8,800 10,800 12,800 38,000

D ESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

English, Japanese, Chinese

RESTAURANTS: Gladden Restaurant, Fukuminato Japanese Restaurant, Pier 88 Lounge Bar

SPECIAL FEATURES: SEA SPA, Fortune Boutique Shop, Gym, Conference Room Taichung Harbor Hotel will make you feel at home with its newest and complete facilities and a tranquil environment.

ROOM RATES:

Business Single Room NT$

Deluxe Single Room NT$

Business Twin Room NT$

Family Twin Room NT$

388, Sec. 2, Dazhi Rd.,Wuqi District, Taichung City 435 4 35台中市梧棲區大智路二段38 8號

Tel: 04.2656.8888 Fax: 04.2656.8899

www.tchhotel.com

H RESORT H 會館

Pingtung 屏東

NO. OF ROOMS: 126 ROOM RATES: Royal Suite NT$ 48,800

NO. OF ROOMS: 150

NO. OF ROOMS: 152 ROOM RATES:

ROOM RATES: Scenery Suite Room/Twin Room

Double Suite Fragrant Suite Room/Quad Room

Superior Suite

VIP Suite

Executive Suite Handicapped Suite(Free Space Room)

President Suite

CHATEAU DE CHINE HOTEL KAOHSIUNG

Superior Single

Deluxe Single

Family Twin Corner Semi-Suite

Harbor Suite Executive Suite Presidential Suite

128 Nanjing East Rd., Sec. 1, Taipei City, 104

Tel: 02.2523.8000 Fax: 02.2523.2828

阿里山賓館

Taichung 台 中

NO. OF ROOMS: 200 ROOM RATES:

Tel: 886.2.2886.8888 Fax: 886.2.2885.2885

ALISHAN HOUSE

56

Taipei 台 北

台北晶華酒店

3,300 3,960 3,960 5,500

( Prices above including 10% Service Charge )

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, English, Japanese

RESTAURANTS:Chinese and Western style food, delicious buffet, cold dishes, fruit, and salad bar

SPECIAL FEATURES:Business center, nonsmoking floors, wireless Internet access, 32” LCD TVs, newspaper, free parking, tourist map, currency exchange

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

www.kingstown-hotel.com.tw

Family Deluxe Suite NT$ Family Suite NT$ Deluxe Double Double NT$ Honey Moon Room NT$ Deluxe Twin NT$ Deluxe Single NT$ Standard Twin NT$

24,800 18,800 15,800 11,800 10,800 9,800 9,800

※Changes of room rates will not be specially announced

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Japanese, Mandarin, Taiwanese

RESTAURANTS:Original Café, Ocean Teppanyaki, H Restaurant, U.F.O Lounge SPECIAL FEATURES:Infinity pool, KTV, boutique, local produce center, conference room, banquet hall, High-Speed Rail shuttle service, broadband Internet, online room reservation, wedding garden, guestroom mini bar, guestrooms with ocean view NO.60, Jhukeng Ln., Shihzih Township, Pingtung County 94352, Taiwan(R.O.C.) (Pingtung County Farmers’ Educational and Recreational Activity Center)

94352屏東縣獅子鄉竹坑村竹坑巷60號 (屏東縣農民教育休閒活動中心)

Tel: 08.877.1888 Fax: 08.877.1919 E-mail: pa@h-resort.com

www.h-resort.com

The crown jewel of Caotun Majestic combination of fashion with graceful presentation that enlightens your mind

Time to Shop Enjoy a Five-Star Experience at Formosa Hotel in Caotun The Crown Jewel of Caotun

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Shoppers love Taiwan. From the Paper lanterns painted by hand.

ISSN:18177964 designer boutiques of Dunhua Beautiful woodcarvings. Stunning to the gadget stores of Computer glass art. There’s even a weekend GPN:2009305475 200 NTD Lane, the island’s full of great jade market filled with ornate places to indulge your passion. trinkets made from the mythical And thanks to our proud tradition green stone. Or visit the charming Add: 78 Bishan Rd., Caotun Township, Nantou County youTEL:+886-49-2304168 FAX:+886-49-2300708 E-mail:info@hotelformosa.com.tw of craftsmanship can also stock Maokong Tea Gardens and give (南投縣草屯鎮碧山路78號) up on happy memories of your trip. friends a taste of Taiwan’s magic. ●

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Bywood (“White House”) at the Qiaotou Sugar Refinery in Kaohsiung

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Shennong Street in the evening

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Narrow alley leading to the Narrow Door cafe

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Narrow Door café

Narrow Door café

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76 Art Space

Booday Booday

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Booday