2021
MAY & JUN
No.
GOOD FOOD
NOODLES AND DUMPLINGS
INDIGENOUS VILLAGE EXPERIENCE THE SEEDIQ OF ALANG TONGAN
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TRIBAL SPECIALTIES INDIGENOUS RESTAURANTS IN TAICHUNG AND NANTOU
CYCLING IN TAIWAN THE TANYASHEN GREEN BIKEWAY IN TAICHUNG
MOO N N SU
LAKE H OM E
OF T HE I NDIGEN OUS T HAO T RIB E issuu
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TAIWAN EVERYTHING EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TRAVELING IN TAIWAN!
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Publisher's Note Dear Traveler, It’s May, and the world is alive with the ever-deepening greenness of arriving summer. What we’ve got for you this issue is a feast of outdoor travel and exercise adventure interspersed with much good dining. Let’s hit the road! We’re off exploring central Taiwan in our feature articles. The destination in our main article is Sun Moon Lake, one of Taiwan’s most beloved scenic attractions, centerpiece of the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area. Among many other things, you’ll learn much about the local Thao tribal people and the lake area’s superb stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, cycling, and hiking possibilities.
ON THE COVER
Most travelers get to Sun Moon Lake via the western-plains city of Taichung, then the town of Puli, set in a lovely central mountains foothills basin. In our secondary feature file we introduce a number of high-quality indigenous restaurants you can fuel up at, exploring the culinary cultures of Taiwan’s many different native peoples. Complimenting this is an article on the Atayal-tribe village of Alang Tongan, in a river valley not far from Puli, where the community has dedicated itself to redefining “tribal tourism,” seeking sustainable ecological and cultural preservation. Your outdoor adventuring continues in our Cycling in Taiwan department with a breezy exploration of the popular Tanyashen Green Bikeway, a 14km rail trail that courses through semi-rural districts in northwestern Taichung. On your biking excursion you’ll be greeted by such contrasting sights as wheat fields and Taiwan-style scarecrows, vivacious seasonalflower displays, and … tanks. Big retired M48A3s. You’re asking why, and the answer awaits not far from the beginning of your reading excursion. Saddle up! After this exercise, it’s back to the food feasting in our Good Food file, with a whirlwind tour of recommended high-quality Taipei restaurants crafting creative wheat flour-based foods, giving you a bit of history and cultural insight on this sector of the Taiwan kitchen to whet your intellectual appetite as well. “Golden lava” buns, “little dragon wraps,” “Taiwanese hamburgers,” “pulled cakes.” Your palate has just been piqued, perhaps? And in Local Lifestyle, yes more culinary-culture spelunking. Meet Iranian expatriate Davod Bagherzadeh, whose popular Taipei restaurant, Laowai Yipin (“Foreigner’s First-Class”) Beef Noodle Restaurant, serves up richly aromatic, lip-smacking “Persian-style” beef noodles. Taiwan’s endless bounty of adventures – yours to discover!
TAIWAN TOURISM BUREAU MOTC, R.O.C.
Pavilion at Ita Thao Wharf (photo by Chen Cheng-kuo)
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C O N T E N T S
2021
MAY/JUN
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FEATURE
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
04 TAIWAN TOURISM EVENTS
06 TRAVEL NEWS
– CONCERTS, THEATER, EXHIBITIONS, FESTIVALS, SHOWS
CENTRAL TAIWAN / INDIGENOUS VILLAGES
BIKING FUN / ACCOMMODATION
MEETING THE SEEDIQ
BIKE-FRIENDLY PLACES TO STAY
A Visit to the Indigenous Village of Alang Tongan
Hotels, Homestays, and Hostels Accommodating Cyclists
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CENTRAL TAIWAN / SUN MOON LAKE
GOOD FOOD / NOODLES & DUMPLINGS
ADVENTURE-PERFECT SUN MOON LAKE
TAIWAN’S WIDE WORLD OF FLOUR-BASED CULINARY JOY
A Famed Tourist Gem Surrounded by the Central Mountains
22 CULTURE
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– HAPPENING IN TAIWAN NOW
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CENTRAL TAIWAN / INDIGENOUS FOOD ROAST BOAR, SALTED FISH, AND BAMBOO-TUBE RICE Experiencing Indigenous Food in Central Taiwan
Restaurants Constantly Rolling Out Creative New Flavor Trips
46 LOCAL LIFESTYLE / BEEF NOODLE CHEF FIRST-CLASS BEEF NOODLES The Success Story of an Iranian Chef in Taiwan
38 CYCLING IN TAIWAN / TAICHUNG A DAY IN DAYA Exploring a Quiet Corner of Semi-Rural Taichung on Two Wheels
TAIWAN TOURISM EVENTS
June-August
SUMMER TIME! Exciting Events During the Hot Months 1 TAITUNG COUNTY July 3 ~ August 8
TAIWAN INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FESTIVAL 臺灣國際熱氣球嘉年華 This is one of the biggest and best events during the summer months in Taiwan. The venue is the Luye Highland in Taitung County, about 20km north of Taitung City, a site with perfect conditions for air sports such as paragliding. Last year the festival celebrated its 10th anniversary amidst difficult circumstances. While most balloon festivals around the world had to be canceled due to the global pandemic, the organizers in Taitung were able to stage the event as planned thanks to Taiwan’s effective response to the challenge of fighting the spread of the virus. The attractiveness of the festival, not only to tourists but to participating balloon crews as well, was evidenced in the fact that 20 pilots from abroad came despite the difficulties of traveling internationally and having to go through a lengthy quarantine period. Website: balloontaiwan.taitung.gov.tw
2 YILAN COUNTY August 8 ~ September 6
TOUCHENG "QIANGGU" GRAPPLING WITH THE GHOST POLECLIMBING COMPETITION 頭城搶孤民俗文化活動
Taking place at the end of the annual Ghost Festival period, the Toucheng “Qianggu” ghostgrappling competition is a fun event to watch – and to participate in (if you’re one of the brave local lads that take part). Groups of young men compete against each other climbing up greasy poles made of China fir, soaring 11m high, to reach a platform from which they climb 7-8m higher up on a bamboo trestlework to snatch the winner’s flag. The event at the town of Toucheng in Yilan County is the largest such competition in Taiwan. A similar pole-climbing challenge is held in Hengchun, Pingtung County, close to a well-known preserved section of the town’s old protective wall. Both events include many other cultural activities, such as religious ceremonies, cultural performances, and food markets. Website: enwww.e-land.gov.tw (Yilan County Government)
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3 TAITUNG COUNTY June 21 ~ October 30
TAIWAN EAST COAST LAND ARTS FESTIVAL 東海岸大地藝術節
The Taiwan East Coast Land Arts Festival combines the beauty of Taiwan’s East Coast region with the beauty of outdoor installation art and music. Each year, the organizer invites artists from Taiwan and abroad to create installation artworks that blend nicely with the natural environment of the East Coast National Scenic Area. Onsite creation and local participation are emphasized, with the aim of creating dialogues around art, nature, and culture. A central element of the festival is the romantic Moonlight Sea Concert series, featuring well-known musicians from around Taiwan. As the concerts are timed to coincide with days around the full moon, spectators can (weather permitting) see the moon rise and the moonlight reflection on the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Website: www.teclandart.tw
4 TAIPEI CITY August 8 1
TAIPEI VALENTINE’S DAY 大稻埕情人節 Special celebrations are held every year on the weekend before the Chinese Valentine's Day around Dadaocheng Wharf. The Chinese Valentine’s Day (aka Qixi Festival), which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month (August 14 this year), originated during the Han dynasty (202BC~220AD) and is based on the romantic legend of two lovers, a weaver girl and a cowherd. The event at Dadaocheng Wharf, on the east bank of the Tamsui River, includes a rich cultural program, a craft fair, and a food market, but most visitors come to witness the bedazzling fireworks show in the night sky above Taipei’s slowly flowing main river. Website: www.travel.taipei
5 HUALIEN COUNTY/NANTOU COUNTY June 28 4
TAIWAN KOM – SUMMER 臺灣 KOM 登山王之路 - 夏季 Who will be the King of the Mountains (KOM) in 2021? Or better, who will be the “kings,” because there will be more than one opportunity to snatch a winner’s crown in grueling bicycle races up steep mountain slopes this year. While the main Taiwan KOM Challenge bicycle race, from the Pacific shore in Hualien City to the dizzying central mountain heights at Wuling, the highest highway point in Taiwan, will take place at the end of October, additional KOM races have been added to the calendar. A spring race in late March and a summer race in late June, both following the same route as the main race, are giving ambitious riders even more opportunity to test their mettle. There are numerous other, less challenging, cycling events this year as well. Website: www.cyclist.org.tw; taiwanbike.taiwan.net.tw (both Chinese)
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Taiwan Tourism Events Calendar Website
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TRAVEL NEWS
HAPPENING in TAIWAN Now The summer season has arrived and everyone is getting ready to enjoy the great outdoors. Head to the sandy beaches for sun at the sea or seek cooler temperatures in mountain forests. Much is going on in the travel industry this year, so keep an eye out for new sights, new hotels, and new ways of enjoying your time on this beautiful island!
THINGS TO DO IN MAY~JUNE
1. This year’s Dragon Boat Festival falls on June 14. If you want to witness exciting dragon-boat races on that day, head to rivers like the Keelung River in Taipei and the Love River in Kaohsiung.
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2. There will be snow in May in Taiwan – or so it will appear. Go for a hike in the foothills of northwestern Taiwan to take in the floral beauty of the snow-white tung tree blossoms.
tung.hakka.gov.tw 3. If planning to travel in Taiwan during the summer and hot temperatures are not appealing to you, consider heading to one of the many pristine mountain-located forest recreation areas, expertly managed by the Forestry Bureau.
www.forest.gov.tw 4. If hot weather and strong sunshine is what you are looking for, head to the beaches of Kenting National Park in the far south, the popular tropical playground of Taiwan.
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www.ktnp.gov.tw
National Scenic Area One of the many scenic attractions of the Penghu islands, situated in the Taiwan Strait, is the Blue Cave. This is a large hole in a basaltcolumn wall on the uninhabited island of Xiji in the southern part of the archipelago. The ceiling of the cave collapsed in the distant past, and it is possible to see the cave and its unusual vibrant-blue waters from the sea as well as from land. However, since rough waters and frequent rockfalls make the site dangerous, entering the cave is strictly prohibited, and visiting the island is not recommended. In order to allow tourists to take in this natural and geological phenomenon in a different way, however, the county government is now offering a virtual reality (VR) experience inside the Penghu Marine Geopark Center, located close to the Magong Harbor on Penghu’s main island. Put on some goggles and explore the Blue Cave as if you were there!
www.penghu.gov.tw.
Photo courtesy of Penghu National Scenic Area Administration
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Top Five Night Markets Visiting a night market is, for most tourists, par t of the “Taiwan Experience.” With about 300 markets to choose from, however, deciding where to go might be tricky. To narrow your decision-making down a bit, here are the Top Five based on user ratings at the dailyview.tw website: 1. Kending Street Night Market (Pingtung County); 2. Fengjia Night Market (Taichung City); 3. Miaokou Night Market (Keelung City); 4. Luodong Night Market (Yilan County); 5. Raohe Street Night Market (Taipei City)
Blue Highway
New
HOTELS Photos courtesy of hotels
Lan Yang Seaview Hotel in northern Yilan County, close to the well-known surf beach near Wushi Harbor
Hotel Metropolitan Premier Taipei Zhongshan, Taipei City; to open this summer
There’s a new cool mini-tour cruise option available in Kinmen, the group of islands close to the mainland China city of Xiamen. A small ferry named Chu Ri Hao that used to ply the route between Xiamen and Kinmen has recently been refitted and turned into a small cruise vessel. On journeys lasting 1.5 to 2hrs tourists are taken past some of the islands that are part of the Kinmen archipelago, including Fuxing, Menghu, and Dadan. The city of Xiamen, especially beautiful during the evening, can be seen clearly from a distance during the cruise. Passengers are regaled with fine buffet food selections, including Kinmen specialties. Currently, there are four different cruise options available, ranging in price from NT$800 to NT$1,980. The cruises are offered by Taiwan tour operator Lion Travel. en.liondmctaiwan.com.
Vivir very stylish hotel in Yilan County’s Jiaoxi Township
Southern Harbors
New Anping Harbor Attraction
New Kaohsiung Harbor Attraction
Anping District in Tainan City attracts visitors with historic sites (Anping Old Fort) and local specialties (shrimp rolls). There are many spots in the district perfect for taking memorable photos, including the Anping Tree House. Another attraction, included in Anping’s list of must-sees a few years ago, is a large whale sculpture named Blessing of the Whale, which is located in the southeast corner of Anping Harbor. The art installation, 23m in length, is especially appealing in the evening when it is colorfully illuminated, the reason why it was honorably mentioned in the last edition of the esteemed LIT Lighting Design Awards competition. litawards.com.
The harbor area of Kaohsiung City has yet another new attraction for tourists. Joining the Pier-2 Art Center (installation art and cultural events), Banana Pier and KW2 (former warehouses now featuring shops and restaurants), and the brand-new Kaohsiung Music Hall (pop music venue) is the Holo Park, which consists of a row of shops, cafés, and eateries in retro-style buildings located on Pier 7. The main attraction of the park is the world’s first floating 7D theater, providing shows of unique multi-stimulant experiences.
www.kw2.com.tw/post/holopark.
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CULTURE & ART
Culture
Photo courtesy of NMNS
Concerts, Theater, Exhibitions, Festivals, Shows
EDITOR'S
Exhibition Thomas Ruff: afterimages – WORKS 1989-2020
CHOICE
影像之後：湯瑪斯．魯夫 1989-2020 攝影作品展 German photographer Thomas Ruff is well known for his edited and re-imagined photographs. Shown in this exhibition are more than 100 of his creations, including images of his Tableux chinois s e r i e s d e p i c ti n g s c e n e s f r o m propaganda images created by the Chinese Communist Party. The exhibition title afterimages refers to the physiological phenomenon of an image hovering over the human eye as a representation of what a person has seen shortly b e f o r e , o f te n i n c l u d i n g c o l o r alterations and perspective shifts – methods which the artist also includes in his repertoire.
Until July 4 National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts ( Taichung City )
Exhibition Taking the Bull by the Horns – Special Exhibition on Cattle in Taiwan 有勇有哞 - 牛轉乾坤
Until September 5 National Museum of Natural Science ( Taichung City ) The year 2021 is the Year of the Ox according to the Chinese zodiac. Before modern times, people living in rural Taiwan had a much closer relationship with cattle, especially the water buffalo. A significant example of this special relationship is that, out of gratitude towards these working animals that used to pull ploughs and carts, to this day many elderly Taiwanese refrain from eating beef. This exhibition presents visitors with a wonderful introduction to farming families’ bovine friends, which have almost vanished completely from modern daily life.
National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
Photo courtesy of NTMFA
www.nmns.edu.tw
Exhibition Yoshitomo Nara 奈良美智特展
Until June 20 Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts ( New Taipei City ) At first sight the creations of renowned Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara might appear simple and cute, but upon closer inspection one will discover additional layers of meaning. Part of this exhibition, staged by the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA) to mark the friendship expressed between the two countries in the decade since the devastating earthquake that struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, is the artist’s 2020 painting Miss Moonlight, showing a little girl, a common motif in the artist's works, in a yellow dress with her eyes closed. kdmofa.tnua.edu.tw ©YOSHITOMO NARA
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Photo courtesy of General Assn. of Chinese Culture
Photo courtesy of FOCA
Stage Performance Formosa Circus Art: Circus as Folks 福爾摩沙馬戲團 : 嘛係人
Until September 5 Cloud Gate Theater ( New Taipei City ) Circus as Folks is a circus performance about circus performers, aiming at showing the human side of acrobats who are able to perform “super-human” stunts. Established in 2011, the Formosa Circus Ar t troupe, led by Chen Kuan-ting, is dedicated to the development of contemporary circus arts in Taiwan and fusing them with elements from other genres such as theater and dance.
www.cloudgate.org.tw
Photo courtesy of NMH
EDITOR
Exhibition Between Warp and Woof – Dialogue Between the Atayal Weaving Women of Wulai and their Textiles 經緯之間 織織不倦 – 烏來泰雅織女的生命印記
Until August 22 Wulai Atayal Museum (New Taipei City) Known as a place to enjoy hot-spring bathing, the village of Wulai in New Taipei City is also perfect for learning about the fascinating culture of Taiwan’s third-largest indigenous group, the Atayal. Located right on the Old Street through the village, the Wulai Atayal Museum gives visitors a comprehensive overview of the tribe’s traditional ways of life. This special exhibition is focused on the expert weaving done by Atayal women, a craft that has seen a revival in recent years in Wulai thanks to a concerted community effort to preserve the tribe’s old-time customs and practices. www.atayal.ntpc.gov.tw (Chinese)
CHOICE'S
Exhibition
Islands in Between – Thousand Faces of Taiwan 離人．離島：臺灣離島的多重變貌 Until June 6 National Museum of Taiwan History ( Tainan City )
Taiwan’s main island is a land of many faces, from densely populated cities to pristine high-mountain forests. Step off this main land mass and onto one of its numerous offshore islands and you’ll be presented with even more faces, each of them truly unique. This exhibition explores the fascinating question of what constitutes “Taiwan” and how the offshore islands (the Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu island groups; Green Island, and Orchid Island) and their respective residents fit into this overarching entity, taking into account political, economic, cultural, and social aspects. www.nmth.gov.tw
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Adventure-Perfect
Sun Moon Lake
A Famed Tourist Gem Surrounded by the Central Mountains TE X T R I C K C H A R E T T E
P H OTOS C H EN C H EN G - K U O, V I S I O N, TA I WA N TO U R I SM B U R E AU
Picture-perfect Sun Moon Lake, snuggled in the foothills of Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range, high peaks looking down into the lake basin on the east, is one of the prettiest of the island’s bursting treasure vault of tourist mountain getaway destinations. Your range of experiences from which to choose is highly varied. A partial list, explored in the pages to follow: Thao tribe indigenous culture, boat tours, lakeside cycling and hikes, SUP, kayaking, duck boating, sakura blossom viewing, and a thrilling cable-car ride up and over into an adjoining valley for a theme park visit focused on Taiwan’s many tribal peoples.
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CENTRAL TAIWAN
T
he Sun Moon Lake basin’s original inhabitants were the Thao people, who today still inhabit the lake area, and who were officially designated Taiwan’s tenth aboriginal tribe in late 2001. Today, the majority of the tribe’s members work in the tourism sector. Originally there were two lakes here, Sun and Moon, named after their shapes, their waters significantly lower than today. What is now Lalu Island was then a high hill, called Lalu Mountain, that sat between the two. During their 18951945 period of colonial rule the Japanese dammed the basin’s drainage exit for a hydroelectricity facility to power their great lowland industrialization projects, and ran a pipe through the mountains to bring in diverted river water from about 15km away. Lalu Mountain was almost drowned, and the lakes and their names were merged. The Nationalist government later raised the waters further. The lake is about 750m above sea level, maximum depth 38m, average 30m. It measures 7.93 square kilometers.
Sun Moon Lake
This is one of Taiwan’s most cherished scenic attractions, the centerpiece of the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area (which also encompasses areas outside the lake basin; www.sunmoonlake. gov.tw), with a reputation that reaches throughout East Asia. The lake is Taiwan’s largest, and it receives about six million visitors a year. The local native culture is a key attraction, with most visitors spending time in the main Thao settlement, the tourist-focused Ita Thao village, as well as in the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village. This theme park, which showcases the cultures of many different Taiwan tribes, is in an adjoining valley and can be reached via a lofty cable-car ride that starts within walking distance of Ita Thao. The lake has also become a sporting-adventure playground, with first-rate facilities for such on-water enjoyments as stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking and for lakeside pursuits such as hiking and cycling. The cycle around the lake, which in places takes you along the roundlake highway and in places beside or out over the emerald-green water on a dedicated bikeway/trail, has been proclaimed one of the world’s ten most breathtaking by CNNGo.
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CENTRAL TAIWAN
Sun Moon Lake
Taking the Boat to Ita Thao A yacht tour is an iconic Sun Moon Lake experience. Boats launch from four points: Shuishe and Ita Thao villages, Xuanguang Temple, and Chaowu (the last for group excursions). Ticket booths are right at the wharves. A standard outing is a visit to Ita Thao if launching from Shuishe (and vice-versa), with a visit to Xuanguang Temple and a swing around Lalu Island, which is sacred to the Thao tribe and off-limits to outsiders. Boat-tour passengers are entertained with broadcast info and stories, in Chinese. Service is 8:50am to 5pm; bicycles can be brought on board. Fares are stage-based, NT$100 per stage, NT$300 for a full lake tour (ie, back to original spot). The Ita Thao visitor center is in a large building on the wharf designed in the shape of a yacht, though it’s so big it looks more like a cruise liner. On the first level (the ship’s bow) is a sunlit visitor center with much info on the national scenic area; staff speak English. On the second (top) level is an inviting Smokey Joe’s outlet; this chain specializes in North American-style family fare. The alfresco dining area looks directly down over the yachtdocking area. Note that there is live music entertainment on the wharf each evening, and music/song-and-dance during the day on weekends/holidays. Pretty much all yacht-tour travelers arriving and departing at the wharf are currently drawn to a temporary wood-built art installation, lit up at night, the Nesting Plan_Green-backed Tit. This is the second similar-theme structure created by bamboo artist Fan Cheng-zong at this location. He built the Nesting Plan_Grey-cheeked Fulvetta in 2019. The inspiration for the current structure, which will be on display until November this year, is the endemic Green-backed Tit, sacred to the Thao, which builds its nest in cliff walls or tree holes.
LALU ISLAND Sacred to the Thao tribe, this small island is off-limits to outsiders
Ita Thao Wharf
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CENTRAL TAIWAN
Ita Thao Village
Sun Moon Lake
Art installation named Nesting Plan_Green-backed Tit
Ita Thao, which is on the lake’s southeast corner, is the last Thao settlement that sits right by the lakeside. It is called Barawbaw in the Thao language. The backdrop to the village is Shuishe Mountain, sacred to the tribe. The total number of tribal members is today closing in on 1,000; in the early 2000s it was less than 500. In the Thao language, the terms “Thao” and “Ita Thao” mean “human” and “We are human,” respectively. Today, responding to the area’s surging tourism fortunes, Ita Thao is filled with tourist-oriented shops, eateries, and places to stay – most of these boutique hotels and inns refer to themselves as minsu, or homestays. As tourism has waxed, more Han Chinese have moved in to engage in tourismfocused enterprises, and the village’s Thao population now stands at about 50%. Be sure to visit the Ita Zhao Zhulu (“Chasing Deer”) Market, a facility done in traditional tribal wood-theme style that has a performance theater which is home to the Thao Tribe Traditional Folk Performance Team. The troupe presents Thao history, folktales, and legends through free traditional song and dance performances (donations appreciated). According to legend, centuries ago Thao hunters chased a magical white deer to the lake area and, after seeing and reporting back on the basin’s beauty and bounty, the tribe decided to move here en masse. Beyond its performances, other services provided by the Zhulu Market include classical Thao foods, tribe-produced handicrafts and agri-products, DIY crafts, and rental of traditional costumes for portraits. Thao cultural-tour packages are also sold. ITA ZHAO ZHULU MARKET ( 邵族逐鹿市集 ) (049) 285-0036 No. 872, Shuishe Section, Yuchi Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣魚池鄉水社段 872 號 ) www.facebook.com/Thao.Nation
ITA THAO CULTURAL MUSEUM Visitors searching for even deeper understanding of Thao culture should also visit the Ita Thao Cultural Museum. This facility, like the enterprise introduced above, is part of the tribe’s ongoing efforts to restore its cultural pride – by celebrating its uniqueness to the outside world and, even more importantly, deepening self-respect and tribal love amongst younger Thao, which as with tribal peoples elsewhere are relentlessly drawn away from home areas. It is located on the grounds of the village’s elementar y school. A replica traditional village watchtower stands outside the museum, and inside is a rich cache of traditional attire, hunting/fishing/farming utensils, and musical instruments, plus mini-mock-ups of traditional dwellings, fishing rafts, etc. The museum is open weekends/holidays; check with the village’s visitor center (previous page) about reservations.
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Old Street Area The village of Shuishe, in view directly across the lake from Ita Thao on the northwest shore, is the main Sun Moon Lake center for visitors, with significantly more, bigger, and higher-end hotel and inn accommodations as well as recreational facilities than Ita Thao, and more people out and about at night. Nevertheless, many visitors prefer Ita Thao because of its indigenous character, smaller size, and pleasant night-time quiet. The village is also more fulfilling than Shuishe on the food front if you’re interested in indigenous culinary creations. The short streets immediately off the wharf area, which see little vehicle traffic, are busy with eateries and shops. A number of Ita Thao eateries prominently advertise “Thao tribe rice” meals in English, using large photos. These feature such fresh delectables as fish (fried) and shrimp from the lake, fishballs and boar meat, plus greens, mushrooms, onion, and other locallygrown produce. Mountain boar is an indigenous hunting staple, and a prominent totem in indigenous art/decorations. The meat served in the local eateries is in fact from animals farm-raised locally, not wild. Bestselling indigenous-theme standards are roast boar and roast boar-meat sausages, both served with slices of garlic. 14
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Millet biscuits
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Sun Moon Lake
Fried millet mochi
Guabao is a savory traditional Taiwanese snack delicacy – tender braised pork belly, pickled mustard greens, fresh cilantro, and gently sweetened peanut powder in a fluffy steamed white bun. In Ita Thao it’s served with an indigenous twist at a number of stands, with lean boar meat used. While Han Chinese have traditionally used rice to create alcoholic drinks, Taiwan’s native peoples have used millet. Many Ita Thao shops display bottled millet wine for sale, and you’ll see some shops selling a treat not seen elsewhere on the island (as far as this writer is aware), slushy drinks with millet wine (the wine is for flavoring; the alcohol content is less than 1%). One of Ita Tha’s most popular food stands is “Abushamengan Thao Traditional Fine Foods,” which serves up delicious fried millet mochi, grilled on a hotplate. These are given a coating of your choice, from more traditional-style peanut powder or honey to such yummy creative options as brown sugar, condensed milk, and even chocolate. T he boa r-meat ske wers here a re a lso especially good.
Modeng Yuanzhumin
THAO SPECIALTIES Ita Thao's Old Street area is where you'll find all the indigenous goodies, including boar meat skewers, millet mochi, and millet wine. Also try the black-tea drinks, and browse the many souvenir shops.
If look ing for a one-stop shop for a ll your take-home gift buying, Modeng Yua nzhumin (“Modern Aborigine”), stuffed to the rafters with serendipity, is your destination. Its delicious millet wines are crafted at a small licensed factory nearby. Also consider picking up some tasty millet biscuits and Assam black tea. The Japanese introduced Assam tea to the area, seeking to compete with the British. You can see (and hike through) the original, still operating, research station on the mountainside above Shuishe. The most popular purchase choice is the mild, fragrant Red Jade (TTES No. 18), a variety grown only around Sun Moon Lake. As well, don’t miss out on Ita Thao’s pleasant, silky soft-serve Assam black tea ice cream. TR AVEL IN TAIWAN
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FROM VILLAGE TO VILLAGE From Ita Thao village, walk the short but scenic lakeside trail to the Sun Moon Lake Ropeway Station; from there, take the cable car high up and then down into another valley, to the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village
Ita Thao Lakeside Trail The Ita Thao Lakeside Trail is a picturesque forest-backed, bay-fronted 600m boardwalk connecting the village with the Sun Moon Lake Ropeway station from where you can take a cable car to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, a major theme-park attraction (see below). The trail starts on the last street on the village’s east side, Shuixiu Street, directly across from the Yuan-Su Inn (introduced later). The entrance is clearly signposted, and has a helpful map with English as well. Just after starting off you pass between two Thao-operated stands selling such energy-providing tasties as roast boar, boar sausage, and tea eggs. Beyond this, while moving along through the tree shade, you look down at a collection of small lake-plying craft, notably the distinctive traditional Thao houseboat-style fishing boats, with large four-handed fishing nets mounted on their prows. The trail’s last section is right out over the lake’s waters. If looking for more exercise, continue lakeside past the cable-car station on the 1,500m Shuiwatou Trail, which rises over 60m and ends beside the round-lake highway, some sections over the water, some in the trees. “Shuiwatou” means “water frog head,” reference to this area’s many frogs. Because it’s so quiet, this is a great bird-spotting trail, notably for the vibrant-colored Taiwan Barbet. The forest here is alive with its sharp calls during the April/May mating season. In the water off one boardwalk viewing deck is the much-photographed Nine Frogs Stack, a whimsical statue that shows the lake’s current depth by the frogs revealed. Ita Thao Lakeside Trail 16
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Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village Established in 1986, the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village was long Taiwan’s premier theme park, and remains among the elite corps today. Spread over 62ha, it is located in a narrow valley just to the northeast of Sun Moon Lake. You can drive there directly, but for many travelers, an indispensable part of the theme park experience is getting there via a soaring cable-car ride from Sun Moon Lake, which starts near Ita Thao. The highly praised Sun Moon Lake Ropeway gondola system, which features candy-colored gondolas seating six each, was built by an Austrian firm with Alps-conquering expertise. It takes you on a pulse-lifting 1.87km soar from lakeside to the theme park by sailing over two mountain-ridge crests. The longest betweentower suspension span is 786m. Note that a combined gondola/ theme park ticket brings a significant discount. The views over the lake are delightful, as are those over the theme park. The park is the lone occupant of its short, deadend va lley, and runs up the gently sloping va lley f loor. In February~March, as you approach from high above you’ll see thick bursts of pinks and reds throughout the grounds – 3,000 cherry trees in full bloom. When they colonially controlled Taiwan from 1895 to 1945, the homesick Japanese planted cherry trees in many mountain locations, and in more recent decades Taiwan folk have taken to planting more blossom-blessing lovelies with alacrity. At the theme park many a visitor rents classical-style Japanese costumes to take vintage-style sakura-backdrop photo keepsakes.
Colorful Cabins The colors of the ropeway's 86 cabins represent the sun (red), the moon (yellow), the lake (blue), and the forest (green)
The family-friendly Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village has an amusement ride area, a European Palace Garden area and, most popular with international tourists, an Aboriginal Villages section that celebrates Taiwan’s indigenous peoples with scores of first-rate replicas of traditional dwellings, watchtowers, men’s houses, ancestral halls, and other structures, large-scale song-and-dance shows, and demonstrations of traditional-culture weaving techniques, stone-oven roasting, etc. You can even try your hand at blowpipe archery. SUN MOON LAKE ROPEWAY ( 日月潭纜車 ) (049) 285-0666 No. 102, Zhongzheng Rd., Riyue Village, Yuchi Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣魚池鄉日月村中正路 102 號 ) www.ropeway.com.tw FORMOSAN ABORIGINAL CULTURAL VILLAGE ( 九族文化村 ) (049) 289-5361 No. 45, Jintian Lane, Yuchi Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣魚池鄉金天巷 45 號 ) www.nine.com.tw
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Outdoor Fun at Sun Moon Lake Why travel all the way up to an exquisitely beautiful mountain lake and not get out on or in the water? Swimming is not permitted, save for the annual Sun Moon Lake International Swimming Carnival, during which thousands of swimmers from across the globe take part in a non-competitive crosslake swim of 3,000m. The aforementioned yacht tours are tons of fun, but our quest is to get your feet wet – and perhaps much more. Your passport to on-water and, most likely, in-water fun? SUP – stand-up paddleboarding. You have a number of operator options, so it would be best to talk things over with the English-speaking staff in the visitor centers at Ita Thao or Shuishe village, or at the Xiangshan Visitor Center, located on the lake’s west side, to see which best fits your needs. Whichever you choose, rest assured that you’ll have trained instructors with you out on the water at all times. Note that the optimal paddleboarding window is in the early morning before the touring yachts begin to run, when the lake is a gem of mirror-like perfection and utter tranquility. Your challenging early wake-up will be well rewarded.
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BIKING ROUND THE LAKE The bike route around Sun Moon Lake is about 30km long and takes about 3.5hrs to complete
On this trip Travel in Taiwan used the services of Happy Bike/Sun Moon Lake SUP, which also offers bike and car rentals. It’s located in Shuishe right beside the village’s super-sized parking lot. There is a small side bay here, and the shop is right beside the scenic lakeside boardwalk trail, used by both bikers and walkers, that runs from the village to the Xiangshan Visitor Center and well beyond. All required equipment (board, paddle, lifejacket) is provided by the shop. Your main instructor takes you to your entry point on the side bay, provides initial coaching, then you head out onto the shallow bay for practice getting yourself on, standing up on, and moving on your board – and on getting back on should you plop into the drink. Then you head out further onto the big lake for the big fun. At all times there are two instructors present, the main instructor, on his/her own paddleboard, and a second instructor in a small powered boat. At the halfway point of your outing everyone gathers around the main instructor for a sit-down “snack picnic.” And what about my comment earlier about “getting ‘in’ the water”? If keen on spending a few snatches of time swimming about, or at least treading, in the cool waters, allow yourself to “fall” off your board a few times, as I may have done, enjoying welcome time-outs from the warm sun.
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Sun Moon Lake
HAPPY PADDLE Happy Bike rents out bikes, but also takes you on stand-up paddleboarding outings
If not sure you’d like to get started at paddleboarding, here are two other easier ways to get right down on the lake’s surface – kayaking and duck-boating. You’ll see a company of bright-colored sit-on-top kayaks and electric duck boats arrayed at the east end of the Ita Thao wharf area (i.e., the end nearest the Sun Moon Lake Ropeway station). The ticket booth is right beside, on the wharf. Now, back to the lakeside bikeway I was talking about. You can cycle much of the lake right beside the emerald-green waters, and sometimes flying along out over it. There are numerous quality bike-rental operations in Shuishe, among these a large Giant operation in the village’s visitor center complex. There’s also a large Merida operation close to the Xiangshan Visitor Center. All are vetted by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau. For a full round-lake ride, lake sections without bikeway facilities are covered on the roundlake highway, which has low motor-vehicle speeds.
HAPPY BIKE/SUN MOON LAKE SUP ( 快樂鐵馬 / 浪人槳堂 ) (049) 285-5021 No. 31, Lane 12, Zhongxing Rd., Shuishe Village, Yuchi Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣魚池鄉水社村中興路12 巷 31號 ) happybike.okgo.tw (Chinese), facebook/smlsup
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Sun Moon Lake
Place to Stay at Sun Moon Lake If spending time in Ita Thao, and especially if you are overnighting, why not ensure you are transferring your goodwill to local indigenous inhabitants? The Yuan-Su Inn, as explained earlier, directly faces the entrance to the Ita Thao Lakeside Trail. The outside sections of the village, away from the wharf area, go to sleep as each day’s dinner hour arrives. If you’re looking for peace, satisfaction is guaranteed here. This modern-style inn was built and is run by a Thao couple. Greeting you by the street before the inn, and in the entranceway, is a refreshing display of green gardener delights. Inside, native-theme decorative flourishes are found throughout. The facility is tall and slim, with just four rooms per floor on the four floors above the main-floor lobby level. All rooms are very spacious, some coming with a separate living-room area, with the use of wood prominent. Furnishings are modern, simple yet tasteful. Your complimentary breakfast is a traditional Chinese-style buffet, with such fresh-ingredient delights as scrambled eggs, stir-fried sweettasting high-mountain Chinese cabbage, fried rice noodles, and steamed buns. This is served in the brightly sunlit lobby area. If available, take your breakfast outside at one of the two small picnic tables, with comfy park-style wood benches used as seating, enjoying the sun, languid street ambience, and busy birdsong. YUAN-SU INN ( 原宿旅店 ) (049) 285-5021 No. 58, Shuixiu St., Yuchi Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣魚池鄉水秀街 58 號 ) yuansuinn.com.tw (Chinese)
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d is revere e re fo re T h e ow l y o u ’l l th d n a es and g a p e o p le m i ny owl o a see ma a Th res at It sculptu
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Place to Stay in Puli If choosing to stay in the town of Puli, which in general is less expensive and is about a 20-minute drive away from Sun Moon Lake, one suggestion for a place of great character is the Futian No. 6 Cultural and Creative Park. The interconnected cabinstyle accommodations in this complex, which has an indigenousculture showcase theme, directly face foliage-rich grounds and, at a slant, intellectually tantalizing vestiges of the brick-factory complex long operated by the park-operating family, members of a lowland tribe still seeking official government recognition. When staying here you enjoy free access to all areas. Each high-V-ceiling cabin features a simple Western chaletstyle rustic décor and modern amenities. Overnighters enjoy a fulsome indigenous-theme set-meal breakfast, and can also enjoy the indigenous song-and-dance performances staged in the oneof-a-kind semi-outdoor setting – the heritage brick-kiln area. Smaller-scale song-and-dance entertainment is also provided each Saturday night in the native-décor restaurant. (See our accompanying article for this restaurant’s cuisine.)
Sun Moon Lake
ENGLISH AND CHINESE “Abushamengan Thao Traditional Fine Foods” 阿布莎夢安邵傳統美食 Chaowu 朝霧 Fan Cheng-zong 范承宗 Guabao 刈包 Ita Thao Cultural Museum 伊達邵文物館 Ita Thao Lakeside Trail 伊達邵親水步道 Ita Thao 伊達邵 Lalu Island 拉魯島 Modeng Yuanzhumin 摩登原住民 Nesting Plan_Green-backed Tit 築巢計畫 _ 青背山雀 Nesting Plan_Grey-cheeked Fulvetta 築巢計畫 _ 繡眼畫眉 Nine Frogs Stack 九蛙疊像 Puli 埔里 Shuishe 水社 Shuiwatou Trail 水蛙頭步道 Sun Moon Lake 日月潭 Thao tribe 邵族 “Thao tribe rice” 邵族飯 Xiangshan Visitor Center 向山遊客中心 Xuanguang Temple 玄光寺
MORE INFO FUTIAN NO. 6 CULTURAL AND CREATIVE PARK ( 甫田 6 號文化園區 ) 0931-060-224 No. 389, Nanhuan Rd., Xinan Borough, Puli Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣埔里鎮溪南里南環路 389 號 ) futain.okgo.tw (Chinese)
For more general info about Sun Moon Lake, the local indigenous people, transportation to and around the lake, and more, visit the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area website (www.sunmoonlake.gov.tw) and the Taiwan Tourism Bureau website (eng.taiwan.net.tw).
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Roast Boar, Salted Fish, and Bamboo-Tube Rice Experiencing Indigenous Food in Central Taiwan TE X T R I C K C H A R E T T E
P H OTOS C H EN C H EN G - K U O
Many international travelers come to this land aware that a key contributor to the unique cultural mosaic of Taiwan is its many distinctive indigenous peoples. Of course, to best experience the various cultures it is best to travel to their traditional homeland areas. But a common misperception, including among the Taiwanese majority, is that you must travel up into the central mountains or down along the quiet east coast to enjoy tribal cuisine. No. Here is a yummy introduction to some high-quality indigenous cuisine eateries in the central region – found right in a flatland big city as well as in a town inside a lovely foothills basin within quick reach of the western plains.
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Indigenous Food
T
his issue’s main feature article is focused on the Sun Moon Lake area in the low central mountains, so in this file we present three highquality indigenous restaurants in the central-plains gateway city to Sun Moon Lake, Taichung. All three are located in the city’s urban core. We also present two fine indigene-run establishments in the foothills-basin town of Puli, the last urban center before Sun Moon Lake is reached. As in many countries around the world, members of Taiwan’s tribal peoples move away from homeland areas to study or work. Our Taichung selections are run by individuals who cherish their homeland areas. Our Puli selections are run by individuals who have returned to their homeland roots. Though small in size, Taiwan is home to 16 officially recognized tribes, with a number of other groups also seeking recognition. With so many, and the significant terroir differences in the various tribal areas, there is significant variation in cuisines as well. But a few useful generalizations can be made: While rice is key for Han Chinese, millet, yams, and taros have been the central indigenous non-meat staples. Slow-cooking is the norm, with emphasis on seasonal and organic ingredients. Natural flavors are preferred, with limited introduction of herbs and spices into dishes and almost non-existent use of sauces. Local indigenes eat a fair amount of meat. Today traditional meat sources such as mountain boars and turtle doves are mostly farmed rather than hunted by mountain peoples. Roasting, grilling, and barbecuing are popular; south Taiwan’s Paiwan and Rukai tribes grill on slate slabs heated from below. The sea is the main meat source for the coastal Amis and Orchid Island’s Yami (Tao). Mountain tribes also commonly consume tiny freshwater fish and shrimp with foraged vegetables that often have a stronger and more bitter taste than farmed vegetables. For convenience, some of these are now cultivated, which reduces the flavor and bitterness.
PULI
The town of Puli sits in a broad basin southeast of Taichung’s urban core, surrounded by low mountains. Sun Moon Lake is a short distance due south. The basin is renowned for top-quality farm produce, attributed to the pure waters flowing down from the hills and the unusually mineral-rich silt sent down.
The chalet-style cabin accommodations at Puli’s Futian No. 6 Cultural and Creative Park were introduced in our main feature article. This touristfocused, privately owned attraction, located amidst farmland by the Nangang River just south of the town’s urban core, is run by a member of a yet-to-berecognized lowlands tribe. A former foreign-exchange trader, he wanted to come back home and run an operation showcasing this region’s indigenous cultural influences. Members of the Atayal, Sediq, Thao, and Bunun tribes live in and around the basin, he states, and the menu at the large on-site indigenous restaurant concentrates on the cuisine of these groups, though not exclusively. Guests are served a very filling four-course meal (organic ingredients only), which changes slightly with the seasons. Highlights from among the very wide array of items served: Traditional-style steamed bamboo-tube rice made with peanut, mushroom, and black bean, and traditional-style clear soup made with corn, mushroom, and pork rib. Taiwan’s indigenous folk prefer simple, nutritious soups with original-ingredient tastes; the broth is brewed with whole corn cobs. The owner, a seasoned international traveler, also incorporates a fair deal of fusion creation. The delicious fried taro balls are crunchy on the outside, smooth and creamy inside. And the dense-texture European-style breads are heavenly – one with cheese and magao (in Chinese called shan hujiao, or “mountain peppercorns,” with hints of lemongrass and ginger) and one with pumpkin, red bean, and sweet potato. Note that, as explained in our main article, there is live indigenous entertainment Saturday night in the restaurant and for groups on weekends/ holidays in the park’s unique semi-outdoor performance area.
SIMPLE AND FILLING At Futian No. 6 a rich four-course meal is served, including traditional specialties from different tribal groups
FUTIAN NO. 6 CULTURAL AND CREATIVE PARK ( 埔田六號文創園區 ) 0931-060-224 No. 389, Nanhuan Rd., Xinan Borough, Puli Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣埔里鎮溪南里南環路 389 號 ) www.facebook.com/Thao.Nation
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Yun Shan (“Clouds and Mountains”) i s a sm a l l, you n g n a r row-f ront eatery/café located on Puli town’s east side, looking up at a plateau from which splashes of bright pastel colors regularly come drifting down – paragliders. It’s run by a youthful Atayal brother-sister team who grew up in a hill village not far distant. The fellow’s wife is Rukai, meaning Rukai delicacies join Atayal on the creative-cuisine menu. The main native items on the mixed indigenous/Chinese/Western menu are two set meals, the “Rukai chief set meal” and “Atayal warrior set mea l.” The t wo stars for the former are roast boar and jinafu (see “Remember to go home” entry below), for the latter roast turtle dove and bamboo-tube rice. Your dessert for each is one of the delicately sweetand-savory house cookies, made with either magao, red quinoa, or cicong (Alianthus prickly ash, with a pepper
and lemon taste). The cookies and scrumptious red quinoa and cheese scones can also be bought separately, as I did for takeaway, diet be damned. Nearby Yun Shan is a flavor-fantasia tourist hotspot called Feeling18, w it h sc ore s of d i f ferent hou secrafted gelato choices on colorful display at its gelato shop (there’s also a chocolate shop, café, and food stands). Since our theme this issue is indigenous tastes, on this Travel in Taiwan research trip I chose the twoscoop option and went with cicong and almond along with magao and fleur de sel (no, in no way over-salty). A lmonds are an important Puliarea crop. In our main feature article it was explained that high-quality Assam tea is cultivated around Sun Moon Lake – Feeling18’s Assam milk tea gelato is another creamy dream local-theme possibility for you.
YUN SHAN ( 雲山 ) (049) 242-2363 No. 317, Heping E. Rd., Puli Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣埔里鎮和平東路 317 號 ) www.facebook.com/yunshanbaker
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PULI PLEASURES After treating your palate to Rukai and Atayal morsels at Yun Shan, cool down and sweeten yourself up with Feeling18 icy treats
FEELING18 (18 度 C) (049) 298-4863 No. 389, Nanhuan Rd., Xinan Borough, Puli Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣埔里鎮溪南里南環路 389 號 ) www.facebook.com/Thao.Nation
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TAICHUNG CITY Gulu Gulu is a Taichung food and entertainment icon, opened in 2002, lo c ate d on t he lon g A r t Mu s eu m Parkway, which is a wonderful greenerycentered gallery lined both sides with a gourmand-nir vana chorus line of highly individualistic owner-operated restaurants. Almost no chain names seen here. The restaurant is in a small standalone colonial-style home converted into a two-floor dining space. Secondfloor diners can look down directly to the small first-f loor stage, where the charismatic owner, a singer-songwriter f rom t he Pa i w a n t r ib e , re g u l a rly entertains. If not listening to him live, you’re listening to his popular recorded stage shows. The small house-front patio area, where you can also dine, is graced with many plants found in native villages, such as wild ginger, mint and fortunella margarita. The menu is primarily Paiwan – the owner-couple are both from this tribe. Most native ingredients used are delivered from their home area in southern Taitung County. Among the finished items delivered are the delicious ah-vai,, your writer’s favorite native delicacy, which is fermented ground millet with minced pork wrapped in an edible leaf with a zesty, slightly sour flavor and, outside, inedible shell-ginger leaf. Steaming results in transfer of the leaf flavors to the innards. Other notable specialty items are the candied roselle calyxes, which are woodsmoked, the juicy stone-grilled boar served with chili pepper skin slivers, onion, and garlic, and the betelnut-flower salad. Roselle was introduced to Taiwan by the Japanese in 1910, from Singapore. The salad is a Western-style dish – cold salads are not part of traditional Taiwan tribal culture – that also features dried cranberries, pine nuts, cherry tomatoes, arugula, etc. The betelnut flower is soft and chewy, with a gentle flavor; betelnut has long been a crucial element in Austronesian culture.
TRIBAL OASIS Gulu Gulu has been around for a long time for good reasons: cozy atmosphere, warm people, excellent dishes
GULU GULU ( 咕嚕咕嚕音樂餐廳 ) (04) 2378-3128 No. 2, Lane 13, Wuquan 4th St., West District, Taichung City (台中市西區五權西四街 13 巷 2 號 ) www.facebook.com/gulugulu23783128
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Remember to go home
Remember to go home is a cozy pub-style eatery located on the first f loor of a high-rise residential building, with entry directly from the street. The dynamically artsy entrance, with indigenous totems and images of natives hauling home a hunted boar and sitting outside a traditional hut, adds a burst of dramatic visual energy to the otherwise nondescript building exterior. The live music inside is provided by the patrons – you pump your coins into a nifty retro-style wall-mounted karaoke machine and your tune’s video with lyrics comes up on a large TV screen. The joint is run by a young, hip basketball-loving Atayal fellow who wanted to quit the regular workaday world and find a way to introduce the culture of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples to city folk. His menu incorporates favorite dishes from different tribes. The most distinctive item on the menu is for the brave of palate, what the Atayal call damamian. This is raw pork fermented for weeks with rice and salt in a container, often a bamboo tube. Yes indeed it’s gamey, but you’ll be proud you did it afterwards. Texture and taste you’ll not soon forget. Back in the land of regular palate stimulation, among the other creations that are especially pleasing is the jinafu. This is what the Paiwan call their ahvai; in the Paiwan version powdered taro is added. The steamed mountain fish, delivered fresh and changing with the seasons, is prepared with spring onion slivers, magao, and other high-mountain flavorings. The main ingredient in the “lover’s tears” is spongy, gelatinous Nostoc commune, known in English as star jelly; it’s called “lover’s tears” by Taiwan natives because it tends to grow quickly after rains. It’s served stir-fried with chicken egg, onion, chili pepper, etc. The Urban Aboriginal Tribe Restaurant is a big, brightly-lit place with a party atmosphere that has the look and vibe of a boisterous old-style Taiwanese beerhouse, but with indigenous-theme trappings. This is a space for big, happy groups, seated around rusticstyle wood tables on wooden stools and benches. Almost invariably you’ll find staff and/or the night’s live-music entertainers gathering around a table to sing the Happy Birthday song to someone. The menu is vast, with dishes showcasing many different homelands, and as with the aforementioned spots save for those where set meals are specifically mentioned, the dining is communal style. Following are three signature offerings. The succulent bucket roasted chicken comes with a soup of seasoned drippings and cooked innards into which you can dip your meat. The flavorful steamed rice with salted fish is a celebration of traditional warrior life; men would make rice balls with salted fish to take on hunting expeditions. The “Stonegrilled Combo” features flying fish roe sausage (no fishy taste) and salted pork. GOOD TIMES Enter at your own peril, it might be hard to leave this cool joint when the time comes to go home 26
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Urban Aboriginal Tribe Restaurant
Among the long menu list of piquant “Tribal Vegetables” is garland chrysanthemum, black nightshade, Chinese wolfberry leaves, four-angled bean leaves, Alishan watercress and, yes, lover’s tears. Each evening during the week an indigenous singer entertains (in English for Westerners), at times coming to tables and, sometimes, getting patrons involved in the singing as well. On weekends/holidays there is singing as well as songand-dance performances. REMEMBER TO GO HOME ( 記得回家燒烤吧 ) (04) 2235-2267 No. 124, Xingjin Rd., North District, Taichung City ( 台中市北區興進路 124 號 ) www.facebook.com/comebackhome.124 URBAN ABORIGINAL TRIBE RESTAURANT ( 城市部落 ) (04) 2451-5858 No. 568, Sec. 2, Qinghai Rd., Xitun District, Taichung City ( 台中市西屯區青海路二段 568 號 ) cityblog.verytop.tw (Chinese) ENGLISH AND CHINESE Amis tribe 阿美族 Atayal tribe 泰雅族 “Atayal warrior set meal” 泰雅勇士風味餐 Bunun tribe 布農族 cicong 刺蔥 “lover’s tears” 情人的眼淚 magao 馬告 Nangang River 南港溪 Paiwan tribe 排灣族 Puli 埔里 Rukai tribe 魯凱族 “Rukai chief set meal” 魯凱頭目風味餐 Seediq tribe 賽德克族 shan hujiao 山胡椒 Thao tribe 邵族 Yami (Tao) tribe 雅美 ( 達悟 ) 族
PARTY TIME Be sure to bring some friends, you don't want to feast on the indigenous goodies and enjoy the festive atmosphere alone
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CENTRAL TAIWAN
Indigenous Villages
MEETING THE SEEDIQ TE X T A M I B A R N ES
P H OTOS R AY C H A N G, V I S I O N
A Visit to the Indigenous Village of Alang Tongan
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Tucked snugly into the Nanshan River valley in Nantou County’s Ren’ai Township sits Alang Tongan – an indigenous community within Nanfeng Village where an ambitious social enterprise seeks to redefine “tribal tourism,” turning it into something that is beneficial to villages and visitors alike. Despite the allure of city life, recent years have seen many young members of the tribe returning to take up the mantle of environmental and cultural preservation. Knowledge sharing and organic farming opportunities are empowering villagers to take charge of their own collective fate, telling their own tales, and enabling them to connect with visitors in ways that are both meaningful and mutually rewarding.
CENTRAL TAIWAN
L
ike many first-time foreign visitors, I arrived in Taiwan with only the most rudimentary understanding of the indigenous peoples who call this land home. I couldn’t have told you the names of the 16 tribes that are currently officially recognized (nor those still petitioning for official status), much less any of the rich tapestry of stories, customs, and histories that are woven into the communal fabric of each distinct group. Over time I’ve listened, hoping to gain a broader awareness of how the members of indigenous tribes fit into the complex patchwork that constitutes contemporary Taiwan, but I’m well aware of the gaps in my knowledge. I have also felt uneasy about the ethics of tourism in indigenous villages, unsure whether my presence would be unwanted at best or detrimental at worst. Fortunately, there are a number of indigenous groups that have been working to engage visitors on their own terms, providing experiences that are holistic, educational, and (crucially) beneficial. The Seediq (also often spelled Sediq) people of Alang Tongan is one such group.
Indigenous Villages
Alang Tongan Village Despite only having ga ined of f icia l recognition quite recently, in 2008, the Seediq (who prefer the designations Seediq Tgdaya, Seediq Toda, or Seediq Truku depending on which region of Nantou they hail from), enjoy a high profile domestically and abroad. This is due in no small part to the historical drama Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, a 2011 film immortalizing the bloody events of the Wushe Rebellion (aka Musha Incident), an uprising by the Seediq against the Japanese colonial rulers in 1930 that took place in the village of Wushe. The tragedies depicted in the movie have left an indelible psychic bruise. A handful of community elders in Alang Tongan still remember loved ones lost in the violence, and there is vestigial skepticism towards outside authority. Successive generations have had their own struggles to contend with too – their land was hit hard by the 921 Earthquake in 1999, landslides caused by typhoons have spoiled farmland and silted up the river, and the area’s natural beauty has been marred by the burden of excessive tourism. Perhaps it’s not surprising, therefore, that the inhabitants of Alang Tongan are seeking to carve out a living that allows them to live in peace with each other and the landscape. Many times during a recent Travel in Taiwan visit made to the village I heard the same refrain: we just want to make enough to live, enough to protect the land and the culture for future generations.
ALL NATURAL You won't find any nails or cement in the traditional houses of the Seediq
PRESERVING TRADITIONS Weaving used to consume much of a Seediq tribeswoman's time
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Indigenous Villages
PROUD AND PROFESSIONAL The Seediq of Alang Tongan take their heritage seriously and have become adept in sharing their culture with the outside world
Traditional Ways of Living Arriving around noon, we were greeted by Iyung Sapu, who chatted amiably as we waited for other members of the tribe who would also be taking part in introducing us to the village. Expressing regret that we wouldn’t be staying to enjoy his cooking (indigenous fare is usually part and parcel of the Alang Tongan experience), he told us that although he’d previously left the village to study in the city, he felt compelled to return and contribute to community life. Soon, a mother and daughter duo, Ape Neyung and Labe Sapu, arrived to instruct us in the art of weaving. Governed by strict taboos, weaving used to consume much of a tribeswoman’s time. Now the skill is the preserve of a few elders and their students. We watched as Labe Sapu demonstrated weaving on a floor loom – sitting on the floor, her back straight, fingers moving with practiced ease. How long could she work like that? “All day,” she replied breezily, “as long as I stop for lunch in the middle!” When it was my turn to give the weaving a try, I felt like a clumsy child, entirely unable to mimic the fluid movements I’d just watched. Ape kept watch from the sidelines, occasionally pointing out dropped threads, which Labe kindly told me not to worry about. I had flashbacks of my grandmother valiantly trying to teach me how to knit.
ALANG TONGAN INDUSTRY PROMOTION AND DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION CORP. ( 社團法人南投縣仁愛鄉東岸部落產業促進發展協會 ) (04) 2235-0323 No. 80, Songyuan Lane, Nanfeng Village, Ren’ai Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣仁愛鄉南豐村松原巷 80 號 )
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After the weaving session, Sapu Nyung, the father of Iyung Sapu, handed us traditional woven shawls to wear and conducted a ceremony to inform the ancestors they had visitors. Evidently the ceremony should have taken place when we had first arrived, but the spirits seemed goodnatured enough, accustomed to the intrusion of city folk like us. He then detailed the features of Seediq architecture by showing us a traditional house and a hut used for storing grain and other foodstuffs. Nyung – an expert in this field – has been involved in building projects nationwide. Impressively, these traditional structures where built entirely without nails or cement, and yet they’re sturdy enough to withstand the multiple earthquakes and typhoons that rattle Taiwan every year. These techniques take a lifetime to hone and now – as with traditional weaving – there are few people who retain the knowledge. Our final guides on this short indigenous-village experience tour were Iyung Pawan and his son Pawan Neyung, who was one of the many Seediq actors in the aforementioned movie. Fresh back from an archery competition, they demonstrated how bows and arrows are used to hunt in Nantou’s mountain forests. My companions had a go, but after so ineptly operating the loom, I demurred. It seemed safer to leave arrow firing to the professionals.
CENTRAL TAIWAN
Indigenous Villages
Dream Valley Waterfall A brief drive further up the valley from Alang Tongan is the pretty Menggu Waterfall. In English “Menggu” can be translated as “Dream Valley” – an apt moniker given the spot’s picturesque nature. Visit during the May~August butterfly season to see some of the 120 species of butterfly which set the air aflutter.
KALIBUAN INDIGENOUS VILLAGE Alang Tongan in Ren’ai Township is not the only indigenous village in Nantou County inviting visitors to experience traditional tribal culture. Another village that has been successful in providing a comprehensive environment for tourists wishing to get to know indigenous culture amidst breathtaking scenery is Kalibuan (Wangxiang in Mandarin) in Xinyi Township. Located off Provincial Highway 21, close to the hot-spring village of Dongpu, this Bunun tribe set tlement is known for being the only indigenous village in Taiwan from where you can clearly see the main peak of Mt. Jade, the island’s highest mountain.
KALIBUAN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY ( 望鄉部落 – 望美社區合作社 ) (049)2702-320 No. 1, Wanghe Lane, Wangmei Village, Xinyi Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣信義鄉望美村望和巷 1 號 ) kalibuan.wordpress.com (Chinese)
Like many indigenous communities in Taiwan, Kalibuan has seen members of its younger generation leaving for the cities in search for job opportunities and a more modern life. In the early 2000s the village started an initiative to make it more attractive to visitors and thus create more employment opportunities for those who wish to stay at home or even come back from
the cities. The village’s co - op has over the years systematically created new tourism facilities and services, including a visitor center, homestay accommodations, guided tours, and cultural programs. In order to spread income derived from tourism equally among the village residents, the co-op is in charge of handling homestay reser vations, distributing visitors to the different guesthouses in a fair manner. Among the things to do while in Kalibuan are guided walks of the 6km Manuduo Hunter Trail, traversing the picturesque Thousand Year Suspension Bridge, c he ck in g ou t the di s tin c tive l o c a l church, and feasting on Bunun specialties. Located on the main highway to Tataka, the starting point for hikes up Mt. Jade, and near Dongpu village, close to the trailhead of the Batongguan Historic Trail, Kalibuan is a perfect stopover place for hikers on their way up into the higher mountains.
HOW TO GET TO ALANG TONGAN By car: Follow National Highway 6 inland from central Taichung City until it ends at Provincial Highway 14. After another 10~15 minutes of driving eastwards, turn left onto Songyuan Lane – the village is a short distance up the road. By bus: From Puli’s bus station, take bus 6658, 6659, or 6664 and get off at Nanshanxi ( 南山溪 ) bus stop. Visitors wishing to participate in the cultural experiences are asked to make advance reservations.
ENGLISH AND CHINESE Alang Tongan 東岸部落 Batongguan Historic Trail 八通關古道 Bunun tribe 布農族 Dongpu 東埔 Manuduo Hunter Trail 馬奴多獵人古道 Menggu Waterfall 夢谷瀑布 Nanfeng Village 南豐村
Nanshan River 南山溪 Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale 賽德克•巴萊 Seediq tribe 賽德克族 Tataka 塔塔加 Thousand Year Suspension Bridge 千歲吊橋 Wangxiang 望鄉 Wushe Rebellion 霧社事件
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GOOD FOOD
Noodles & Dumplings
TAIWAN’S WIDE WORLD OF FLOUR-BASED CULINARY JOY Restaurants Constantly Rolling Out Creative New Flavor Trips TE X T R I C K C H A R E T T E
P H OTOS C H EN C H EN G - K U O, V I S I O N
Taiwan the land of rice? Yes – and an ever-increasing slice of no. Over the past few generations the local population has made ever more room for wheat flour-based culinary treats. It started with old-time gems from mainland China’s regional cuisines such as steamed buns, dumplings, and so on, expanding in the past few decades to include a passion for denser European-style breads and richer Western-style cakes and pastries – generally made in lighter versions. The menu is ever-expanding, and a great introduction is to taste-test the creative offerings of the Taipei restaurants to follow, which satisfy all palates in terms of interiordécor trappings and budget demands.
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n this article we’re taking you out on a gastronomic adventure, visiting a number of Taipei restaurants that show off how wide-ranging the menu of wheat flourbased items is. These are exemplars of how local culinary talent incessantly works to bring forth creative brand-new treats and novel-version offerings of classics to excite Taiwan’s knowledgeable patrons, always on the lookout for new-taste outings. Note that local chefs also commonly work with other flours: rice, glutinous-rice, sweet potato, millet, etc. We’ve chosen Taipei enterprises simply because most international travelers come in via the north’s international airport, and most spend the majority of their time in and around Taipei, so these are dining spots most will have the greatest chance to visit. Your experience will range from traditional “little dragon wraps” to highly creative ones, and from innovative “pulled cakes” to novel “Taiwanese hamburgers” to “golden lava” buns and beyond. In all chosen eateries, the emphasis is on healthful and nutritious Taiwanproduced ingredients.
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Noodles & Dumplings
Latest Trends Though small in size, Taiwan’s fecundity has long made it an agricultural powerhouse. And as with southern China, rice has been king in local fields and on tables. Foods made with wheat flour began to make deep inroads in the 1950s and 1960s, however, based on two factors. First, retired servicemen from northern China, part of the late 1940s Nationalist influx, opened food stands and small eateries to make a living, introducing many traditional northern wheat flour-based foods. As well, under a US aid program wheat flour and milling were brought to Taiwan in scale, and the central government promoted foods such as steamed and boiled dumplings, scallion pancakes, and knife-cut noodles through demonstration events. Today wheat flour-based foods have a cherished place in the hearts of local folk, most of which are passionate foodies. And to keep customers coming back, eateries are constantly unveiling new creations and creatively reinterpreting familiar old favorites, such as with the Dian Shui Lou chain’s wonderfully colorful, wowingly f lavorsome, and wildly popular “seven colors” xiaolongbao (“little dragon wraps,” steamed dumplings traditionally containing minced pork and rich brothy juices).
Original flavor
XO Sauce
Shrimp & luffa
Crab Basil
Mala (numbing and spicy)
Truffle
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D ian Shui Lou Dian Shui Lou is a big name of great prestige in Taiwan’s culinary circles. The first outlet in this chain, which specializes in Jiangnan cuisine, opened in 2005. “Jiangnan” means “south of the river,” referring to the region south of the Yangtze River with Shanghai as hub. Today there are four outlets in Taipei and three in the surrounding region. The five-story outlet on Nanjing East Road, steps from MRT Taipei Arena Station, is a member of the exclusive MICHELIN Guide Taipei club. Part of the MICHELIN review: “Diners are greeted with sumptuous modern Chinese furnishings and antique art pieces; the bridges, water features, carved screens and lanterns are reminiscent of a traditional Chinese garden. Ingredients are mostly from Taiwan and … the menu changes seasonally to include the freshest produce.” Another especially appealing feature is the large 1F openconcept kitchen area used for preparation of the restaurant’s many different wheat flour-based dainties. Dian Shui Lou’s xiaolongbao are renowned for an especially thin and tender skin (5 grams of skin, 16 grams of filling, 19 folds).
CULINARY CREATIVENESS The chefs of Dian Shui Lou are at the forefront at bringing dumplings to the next level, one fold at a time
Though beloved for its many culinary classics, the Dian Shui Lou is also known for avid innovation. Its bestseller is the inventive “seven colors” xiaolongbao, seven wraps served in a traditional-style bamboo steamer, looking like a painter’s palette. You start with an original-flavor dumpling, then things get steadily more exotic. On the way to my favorites, a seafood with XO sauce creation (XO sauce = an “extra old” spicy seafood sauce, nothing to do with cognac) and a mala or “numbing and spicy” creation, celebrating Sichuanese cuisine, you can also enjoy the house-specialty truffle dumpling. Two other highly recommended house-specialty f lour-based delights are the naihuang yulubao, mini stea med “golden/molten lava” buns conta ining a superb sweet/savory custard made with condensed milk and steamed + mashed salted duck egg yolk, and the fengwei la gao (lit. “flavored ‘pulled’ cakes”), delicious, colorful, and delectably gooey bite-sized cakes made with glutinous-rice flour and iconic produce sourced in Taiwan, including mango, matcha, and osmanthus.
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DIAN SHUI LOU ( 點水樓 ) (02) 8712-6689 No. 61, Sec. 4, Nanjing E. Rd., Songshan District, Taipei City (台北市松山區南京東路四段 61號 ) www.dianshuilou.com.tw
GOOD FOOD
Noodles & Dumplings
N oodle (“Gu Bei Tao”) Despite its rather simple English name, there is much more flour-based joy on tap in this young venture than noodles. It’s run by a group of foodie buddies who wanted to sail their ship of destiny together. One was previously a chef at renowned KaoChi, a restaurant chain famed for its high-end Shanghai delicacies, where his specialty was xiaolongbao. Their cozy venture is just off Roosevelt Road on a quiet side street, not far from MRT Guting Station. There is a real comfortable neighborhood feel here – Noodle is surrounded by cafés busy through the day. The compact kitchen works as a powerful marketing pull. It’s right in the front, a large window allowing passersby a full view of the always busy well-coordinated team at work in their tight ship-galley-like artistry space, flour dust floating through the air. Especially juicy and satisfying here are the crab roe xiaolongbao, which have both roe and crab meat and extrathin skins almost translucent. The skins are lighter in taste and have a sweetness not found in the dumplings you’ll find elsewhere – sugarcane juice is added. They’re unusually broth-lush – when eating xiaolongbao, to avoid scalding first
nibble a small hole before taking a bigger bite, to prevent a juice explosion. Shaomai are a popular type of Cantonese dim sum. Noodle’s shrimp shaomai is done Shanghai style, with a whole plump shrimp in the small mouth at the top adding a pleasing texture contrast with the minced shrimp inside. Another creative filling ingredient is Chinese water chestnut, bringing minced crunchy sensations and hints of sweetness. Other Noodle must-tries are the dandan noodles, featuring a zingy broth made with garlic, peanut sauce, sesame sauce, and a house-crafted Sichuan-style mala sauce, here with a big spicy minced-pork ball on top, and the golden/molten lava buns, a Cantonese dim sum made sweeter here than elsewhere and fresh-branded with the “Nood le” logo, add i ng a pleasurable contrasting crisp texture and scorched taste to the creamy innards.
NOODLE Must try: dandan noodles, featuring a zingy broth and a spicy minced-pork ball on top
NOODLE “GU ( BEI TAO”) ( 古北饕 ) (02) 2365-2030 No. 1-6, Jinmen St., Zhongzheng District, Taipei City ( 台北市中正 區金門街 1-6 號 )
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GOOD FOOD
Noodles & Dumplings
S hiyu Shiyu is located on Jianguo North Road not far from MRT Songjiang Nanjing Station. This is a stylish compact place on the second floor of a seasoned apartment building. It’s a combo beef noodles restaurant and (well-stocked) bar that gives you the look and feel of walking into a friend’s apartment. Old-style household items, such as numerous antique clocks and kitchen-use sieves and strainers, adorn the walls. The seating is an assortment of unmatched wooden tables and chairs. The meaning of “Shiyu,” is “clock-time apartment.” The culinary celebrities here are beef noodles and luwei (foods braised in soy sauce and spices). The proprietor has taken his mother’s old-time recipes and updated them, making them healthier. His celebrated “Lai Jin” beef noodles, named after his mom, is a new take on a Taiwanese classic. Traditional beef noodle offerings are soy sauce-based; here the clear, lightly sweet broth is made stewing an organic vegetable-and-fruit orchestra that includes onion, cabbage, corn, apple, and 12 different Chinese medicinal herbs, including Chinese red dates and dwarf lilyturf. SHIYU ( 時寓 ) (02) 2506-9209 2F, No. 68, Sec. 1, Jianguo N. Rd., Zhongshan District, Taipei City ( 台北市中山區建國北路一段 68 號 2 樓 ) www.facebook.com/shiyu.taipei
Pin Chuan Lan Though not invented here, Taiwan offers hearty, savory beef noodles (beef noodle soup) that are uniquely its own. Its Sichuan-style spicy soy sauce-braised beef noodles are said by some to have been invented in Kaohsiung City by air force officers from Sichuan who were part of the 1940s Nationalist exodus. A few years ago the noodles at the stylish moderndecor Pin Chuan Lan (f lagship outlet near MRT Shuanglian Station) were described by CNN Travel as among Taipei’s best. It offers a wide range, featuring the dark broths of the Sichuan-style variety and the clear broths traced back to Lanzhou in northwest China. CNN Travel proclaimed its beef noodles with US ribeye steak (7oz) and peppercorns as best of the bunch. Also much-loved by local gastronomes are Pin Chuan Lan’s jinbing selections. Jinbing are f laky, non-greasy Chinese thin pancakes, slowly pan-fried in minimal oil, crispy outside and soft inside. The restaurant serves them with salted pork and garlic sprouts, with shredded pork and sweet bean paste, and as (most in demand) beef shank rolls.
FLAKY Jinbing are slowly panfired thin pancakes filled with pork or beef
PIN CHUAN LAN ( 品川蘭 ) (02) 2523-3890 No. 78-2, Sec. 2, Zhongshan N. Rd., Zhongshan District, Taipei City ( 台北市中山區中山北路二段 78-2 號 ) www.pinchuanlan.com.tw
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K EZUO KEZUO is an elegant hipster restaurant/café located along an exceedingly quiet alley very close to MRT Dongmen Station. The alley is too narrow for trucks and wide cars, so foot traffic is pretty much all you’ll see passing by, making this a great hideaway to do a little reading or computer work. The façade is a series of floor-to-ceiling wood panels that can be angled to create an open-front setting, letting the day’s fresh air stream in. The folksy-style seating on the narrow outdoor porch area is made of driftwood pieces. Key interior features are walls and a floor of smooth, cool concrete, an exposed ceiling, and liberal use of Taiwan’s distinctive, exquisitely lovely majolica tiles. Its mouthwatering list of cultural-creative guabao has given KEZUO a wide-flung reputation. Popularly called “Taiwanese hamburgers,” classic guabao is Taiwan-style braised pork belly in a plump, fragrant, chewy steamed white bun sliced open in an open-mouthed clam shape, with pickled mustard greens, cilantro, and slightly sweetened peanut powder. KEZUO offers guabao with Western-, Japanese-, and Taiwanese-themed re-imaginings, the last of the three most popular, showcasing iconic Taiwanproduced ingredients. One features a “golden sands” pork chop (i.e., cooked with salted egg yolk paste), sunny-side up egg, lightly fried pineapple slices, purple/green lettuce, arugula, and a creamy “secret” Ranch-style sauce. Another features Taiwanese fried breaded chicken, fried pineapple and zucchini slices, lightly bitter greens, and a house-made savory/sweet thick soy-based sauce. Be sure as well to explore the flavor-bursting range of luscious “Comfort” beverages and salads. Perhaps most notable is the Taiwan-celebration sparkling mulberry with honey and the salad starring sweet potato, spring onion slivers, miso-based sauce, and bonito flakes.
ENGLISH AND CHINESE dandan noodles 担担麵 fengwei la gao 風味拉糕 “golden/molten lava” buns 流沙包 “golden sands” pork chop 金沙豬排 guabao 刈包 Jiangnan 江南 jinbing 斤餅 KaoChi 高記 knife-cut noodles 刀削麵 “Lai Jin” 來金 luwei 滷味 mala 麻辣 naihuang yulubao 奶皇玉露包 “seven colors” xiaolongbao 七彩小籠包 shaomai 燒賣
HIPSTER GUABAO Classic Taiwan-style hamburgers with a twist can be savored at the stylish KEZUO restaurant/cafe
KEZUO ( 客座 ) (02) 2321-8558 No. 8, Lane 74, Lianyun St., Da'an District, Taipei City ( 台北市大安區連雲街 74 巷 8 號 ) www.facebook.com/kezuotaipei
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A Day in Daya Exploring a Quiet Corner of Semi-Rural Taichung on Two Wheels TE X T A M I B A R N ES
P H OTOS R AY C H A N G, V I S I O N
TANYASHEN GREEN BIKEWAY Mostly flat with many shade trees, the bikeway is perfect for relaxed rides through three of Taichung's semi-rural districts alongside old railway tracks and past flower and wheat fields
CYCLING IN TAIWAN
Taichung
Cutting through three districts in semi-rural northwestern Taichung, the Tanyashen Green Bikeway is one of numerous new rail trails that have proliferated throughout Taiwan in the past decade or so. Its 14km length holds much to pique the interest of visiting cyclists – from flamboyant seasonalflower displays to scenic photo spots, and a number of enriching side trips – collectively elevating this route from workaday workout to intriguing excursion. What’s more, the addition of safety-enhancing dedicated bike bridges and multiple play parks make it a great option for families wanting to get out and exercise together.
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n recent years an ambitious plan to create a nationwide cycling web has seen a multitude of bikeways constructed across the length and breadth of Taiwan. One feature many of these routes share is that they adhere to lines cleaved by decommissioned railways. Examples of this type of upcycling abound: Yilan County in northeast Taiwan has the Annong River Bikeway (a historic logging-railway route), the Taolin Bikeway in Taoyuan follows an old coal-train track, whilst the Yufu Bikeway in southern Hualien County traces part of the original trunk railway line through the East Rift Valley. You could say Taichung is something of a trendsetter in this drive to promote two-wheeled transport. It lays claim to having created Taiwan’s first rail trail (Dongfeng Bicycle Green Way), and although the Tanyashen Green Bikeway was only the city’s second designated cycle route when it opened in 2004, various other trails have since been added to the network, and you’ll now find miles and miles of interconnected pathways spanning the whole city.
TANYASHEN GREEN BIKEWAY The Tanyashen Green Bikeway straddles three semi-urban districts to the northwest of Taichung’s urban core, starting close to Tanzi Station, cutting through Shengang District, and finishing in Daya District. (“Tanyashen” is short for Tanzi, Daya, and Shengang). The 12km route follows the decommissioned Shengang Line – a military freight line which was operational from 1957 to 1999 – and like many of Taiwan’s new clutch of bikeways, this one traverses landscape that is worth exploring. More pertinently for those who like myself are infrequent riders, it is clearly signposted and mercifully flat. Getting started is straightforward – bike-rental stores and three YouBike public bike-rental stations can be found close to the bikeway (check the YouBike website, www.youbike. com.tw, for locations and availability of bikes). If you’re bringing kids along, the rental stores are the most practical option since they charge by the day and offer a range of children’s bikes and baby seats. E-bikes are prohibited along much of the bikeway, so on a recent Travel in Taiwan trip to learn more about the bikeway we chose pedal bikes (NT$100/ day) from the Songmeng Bike Rental Store, which is located next to Chariot Park (aka Tank Park) close to the western end of the route in Daya (11.4km marker). This park is one of numerous places where the district’s military connections are on display. (The “chariots” that give name to the park are in fact tanks – three huge, retired M48A3s.)
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CYCLING IN TAIWAN
Taichung
From the park we rode northwards under hazy pastel skies in search of some of the scenic spots that the Tanyashen Green Bikeway is known for. Off both sides of the trail is a mix of small-scale agriculture and light industry, coupled with clusters of residential buildings, parks, coffee shops, and a smattering of temples. Soon we were cruising over smooth asphalt through a green tunnel of Taiwanese rain trees. In early March they are covered in recently spouted new growth, but in October their branches will be weighed down with abundant coralpink flowers. Indeed, floral displays are one of the main attractions along the way, with each season offering a different palette of colors. On our visit we saw stands of golden trumpet trees, branches brandishing giant pompoms of yellow blossoms, and meadows of delicate floss flower abuzz with the to-ing and fro-ing of hundreds of garden white butterflies. Knowing that the cycle route used to be a military railway, I had fun spotting vestiges of its previous life. In places the old track has been incorporated into the bikeway, station platforms have been repurposed as rest stops, and an old water tower has been maintained, with the addition of several pumps outside (at least one works, because I watched a local grandma use it to fill a bucket which she then loaded onto her scooter). Elsewhere I noticed a sentry box, an F-5E fighter jet, and a myriad of modern additions paying homage to the area’s military history. However, the award for most creative take on the theme goes to Zunqian Ren’ai Park (7.45km marker), which has plane motifs everywhere (it abuts Taichung Airport), and a sandpit built into a curved wall styled like a bunker. Our goal was to make it as far as the picturesque “S” bends around the 4.8km marker, and after we’d taken some photos there we turned to head back. For those interested in historic buildings, however, it’s worth pushing on a bit further to take a look at the stately Zhaixing M a n sion, a Qi n g D y n a s t y Fujian-style dwelling which is open to the public. Our return journey was smooth and quicker than the outbound trip, but when we returned to the rental store we found its owner had popped out for lunch. A brief phone call and several minutes later, he pootled back on his scooter and we were on our way once more – this time on four wheels and in search of a well-earned meal.
MILITARY HISTORY Look around while following the bikeway and you'll find many references to the area's military presence, including the playground sandpit inside Zunqian Ren'ai Park 40
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SONGMENG BIKE RENTAL STORE – DAYA BRANCH ( 松錳租車連鎖店 - 大雅店 ) (04) 2565-3842 No. 16, Ln. 328, Yuexiang Rd., Daya District, Taichung City ( 台中市大雅區月祥路 328 巷 16 號 ) www.suong-meeng.com.tw (Chinese)
CYCLING IN TAIWAN
PAPER MUSEUM – PAPER SPACE One side trip that fits in nicely with a day out on the bikeway is a visit to Paper Museum – Paper Space. Occupying a large, blocky unit on Shengang District’s Shenlin Street (just 300m from the bikeway’s 6.2km marker), Paper Space is an exhibition cum workshop cum paper store which sprouted from the established Taiwanese paper brand Paper Museum. Inside there are floor-to-ceiling cascades of paper decorations – they claim to have over 5,000 types of paper in almost 30,000 different colors, and whilst I didn’t count, those numbers certainly seem plausible. Examples of paper crafts range from the humorous (a life-size paper barbecue), to cute (plump paper sheep), to the exquisite (delicate laser cut designs). The artefacts show paper at its most versatile, and being surrounded by so much inventiveness was inspiring. I itched to unleash my creative energy. Fortunately, having anticipated that the artwork would have this effect, Paper Space provides a DIY area on the second floor replete with glue, scissors, and crayons where visitors are invited to try their hand at making their own paper masterpieces. I had a go at folding an omamori (one of those hanging Japanese-style amulets people write wishes on), and I left with lots of ideas that will be put to use on future birthday cards. If you find yourself similarly motivated to get your craft on, you’ll be pleased to know that the store stocks a wide range of books on paper art and paper making, as well as all of the related materials that you’ll need to get crafting.
Taichung
PAPER SPACE A modern shop/museum space filled with paper art in every imaginable color
PAPER MUSEUM – PAPER SPACE ( 紙博館 – 紙的空間 ) (04) 2563-1213 No. 11, Shenlin Rd., Shengang District, Taichung City ( 台中市神岡區神林路 11 號 ) www.paper-museum.com.tw (Chinese)
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DAYA WHEAT FIELDS Local tourists – particularly the Instagram crowd – love a good field with crops ripening or grass swaying. As a village girl from the UK, this fondness for fields always used to amuse me, but I’ve slowly warmed to the romantic charm in a sea of sunflowers or the pastoral drama of luminous-green rice paddies against a backdrop of brooding mountains. One perfect exemplification of this phenomenon can be found amid unassuming agro-industrial surroundings just a short detour away from the Tanyashen Green Bikeway. What is Daya District’s unique claim to field-related fame? Its wheat crop – an uncommon sight in Taiwan. A further discombobulating element is the timing. Back home, vast swathes of golden countryside are something I associate with the dog days of summer, but here the summers are too hot for wheat
RIPE IN MARCH Harvest time comes early for wheat growing in Taichung's Daya District, the fields turning a golden-brown in the spring
to survive. So instead I found myself surrounded by swaying, almost harvest-ready stems under springtime overcast clouds. The landscape really does lend itself to photography, and one trend amongst the local young and beautiful is to have their photograph taken with a carton of Mai Xiang milk tea (which has an image with wheat ears on the packaging). If you’re keen to get a shot of yourself sipping grain-flavored milk tea next to one of the scarecrows, there are two things to bear in mind. Firstly, you’ll need to come at the right time (harvest season is mid~late March, and the fields are only golden for a couple of weeks prior to that). Secondly, the wheat is the farmers’ livelihood, so be respectful of their requests for tourists to stay on the dirt paths and roads along the fields.
CYCLING IN TAIWAN
Taichung
NORWAY FOREST TRAVEL HOTEL 1 From the moment you enter the lobby of Norway Forest Travel Hotel 1 (there is also a Norway Forest Travel Hotel 3 nearby), it’s clear that great care has been taken to decorate the hotel in a way that will delight and entertain visitors. Between the cutesy fairytale Takao Nakagawa artwork in the hallways, the Alice in Wonderland-esque breakfast room, and the riot of colorful patterns on almost every surface, I felt as if I was in an oversized funhouse. Upsta irs, t he g ue strooms a re a lit t le more understated, more restful, but even there we found plea sing touche s. W h i le I wa s showering , my companion pressed what she thought was the bedside light, only to discover a hidden display of f lashing colored LED lights. Adding to the hotel ’s appea l is its extreme convenience. Situated in the heart of central Taichung, the entrance is within a literal stone’s throw of Taichung’s historic and modern train stations. Guests coming by car will find plentiful parking nearby, and the city’s main bus-stop terminal is a minute’s walk away. There’s even a YouBike station within sight of the front doors. However, the hotel’s biggest draw is undoubtedly the multilevel playrooms (one catering to kids over three, with a separate soft creche area for the littlies). The star of the show is a helter-skelter slide which spirals down from the first floor to land in a basement ball pit. One of my travel mates asked if adults were allowed on it. “Sure,” a staff member responded, with a smile that told me that he almost certainly has a go when there are no guests around. NORWAY FOREST TRAVEL HOTEL 1 ( 挪威森林台中行旅 1 號館 ) (04) 2229-3388 No. 184, Jianguo Rd., Central District, Taichung City ( 台中市中區建國路 184 號 ) taichungtravelhotel1.villa-group.com.tw ENGLISH AND CHINESE Annong River Bikeway 安農溪自行車道 Chariot Park 戰車公園 Daya 大雅 Dongfeng Bicycle Green Way 東豐自行車綠廊 floss flower 熊耳草 golden trumpet tree 黃花風鈴木 Mai Xiang milk tea 麥香奶茶 Shengang 神岡 Taiwanese rain tree 台灣欒樹 Tanyashen Green Bikeway 潭雅神綠園道 Tanzi Station 潭子車站 Taolin Bikeway 桃林鐵路園道 Yufu Bikeway 玉富自行車道 Zhaixing Mansion 摘星山莊 Zunqian Ren'ai Park 圳前仁愛公園
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BIKING FUN
Accommodation
Bike-Friendly
Places to Stay
Hotels, Homestays, and Hostels Accommodating Cyclists TE X T & P H OTOS V I SI O N
If you’re planning to go on a longer bicycle trip in Taiwan, perhaps following the highly popular Cycling Route 1, which takes you all around the island, you’ll need to decide where to stay. Worried about not being able to take your beloved “iron horse” into your room or have a safe space to store it? Rest assured, there are many hotels, homestays, and hostels that cater specifically to the needs of cycling tourists.
T
o find a quick overview of places to stay that have been vetted by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau and given the label “bicycle friendly,” visit taiwanstay.net.tw. There, choose Legal Accommodation and then, under Search by the following categories on the lefthand side, tick the option Bike friendly accommodation under Sports facility. Click on Search to open a list of more than 500 places to stay that, to varying degrees, offer facilities and services accommodating cycling guests’ needs. In order to be included in this list of bike-friendly facilities, operators have to meet two basic conditions. The first is the offering of a space for cyclists to store bikes during their stay. This can mean a dedicated public area that is managed and/or under surveillance to prevent theft, or it can mean that guests are allowed to take bikes into their rooms (many places provide convenient wall-mounted racks for bikes inside guestrooms). The second condition is the provision of a space where guests can clean and repair their bikes, including a water outlet for washing dusty bikes and greasy hands. The Tourism Bureau further recommends that hotel operators provide an early breakfast or take-out breakfast for bike riders who need to start early, either because of their route requirements or because they are taking part in cycling events/bike races that might start early in the morning. Facilities are also encouraged to be more f lexible when it comes to check-out times to accommodate guests taking part in cycling events, allowing them to keep luggage inside their rooms until after an event and giving them time to rest and refresh before checking out.
Photo courtesy of Kadda Hotel
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Photo courtesy of YoHo Beach Resort
BIKING FUN
Red Dot Hotel
For guests who don’t bring their own bicycles, hotels are also encouraged to provide bikes for rent and give suggestions and helpful info about cycling in the area where the hotel or homestay is located, such as maps, itineraries, recommended sights, etc. Information about affordable and bike-friendly accommodation around Taiwan can also be found at the I See You Taiwan Hostel Alliance website (www.iseeyou.org.tw; Chinese). There you’ll find a number of places to stay that cater to younger travelers, especially cyclists. In order to be listed, hostels have to meet strict conditions (incl. legal registration, high rating by guests, a friendly and culturally rich environment, etc.). Among the free facilities and services provided to cyclists by all member hostels are water refills, travel info, charging of mobile devices, free WIFI, public restroom facilities, f loor pump, basic tools, and self-serve repair area. Furthermore, for a small fee (NT$50 for those with Alliance memberships; NT$100 for non-members), the hostels provide a bike-cleaning area, a public shower room, self-help washing machine and tumble dryer, as well as one cup of coffee/tea.
Accommodation
Photo courtesy of Taipei Travelers
Here is a short list of accommodation facilities around Taiwan that have received high ratings for being bike-friendly: 1 WowPoshtel (Taipei City) wowposhtel.com 2 Taipei Travelers International Hostel (Tamsui, New Taipei City) www.taipeitravelers.com 3 Red Dot Hotel (Taichung) www.reddot-hotel.com 4 OINN Hotel & Hostel (Tainan) www.oinnhostel.com 5 Backpacker 41 (Taichung and Kaohsiung) www.kaobp41.com 6 YoHo Beach Resort (Kenting, Pingtung County) www.yoho.com.tw 7 Kadda Hotel (Hualien City) www.kaddahotel.com 8 Traveller Inn (Taitung City) www.traveler-inn.com
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LOCAL LIFESTYLE
Beef Noodle Chef
FIRST-CLASS
BEEF
NOODLES
The Success Story of an Iranian Chef in Taiwan TE X T OWA I N M C K I M M
P H OTOS C H EN C H EN G - K U O
Opening a small restaurant serving one’s native cuisine has been done by many a foreigner trying to carve out a long-term niche for themselves in Taiwan. Far more uncommon, however, is for a foreigner to take on the challenge of serving up adopted-country fare to the locals. With food being such an important and exalted part of Taiwanese culture, you meddle with the country’s signature dishes at your peril. Davod Bagherzadeh, hailing from Iran, is one such daredevil. And the fact that his restaurant is still in business and thriving after more than a decade is proof that his personal spin on the country's national dish more than passes muster with Taiwan’s discerning gourmands.
B
agherzadeh came to Taiwan as a young man in the mid-nineties. “I was a real backpacker,” he says with pride. “I had one bag, and I was traveling around Europe when a friend of mine said 'Hey, do you want to go to Taiwan?'” Knowing barely anything about the country but keen for a new and exciting destination, Bagherzadeh, along with a few friends, soon after touched down on the island. He decided to stay, but making a living running his own business did not come easy. During the ten or so years before he began his Laowai Yipin (“Foreigner’s First-Class”) Beef Noodle Restaurant, Bagherzadeh had to throw in the towel on two business ventures – an import company dealing in Persian rugs and a Persian restaurant serving dishes from his native Iran. Speaking candidly about the latter, he says, “Taiwanese people just didn’t go for it. If you want to make food popular with the locals, you have to change the flavor to suit the local tastes, and I just didn’t want to do that.” As a result, diners would visit perhaps once or twice as a novelty, but would not become regular customers.
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What’s more, the practicalities of this kind of catering also caused problems. “To eat meals like I was serving takes a long time. You have soup, salad, a main course, dessert. It takes maybe an hour and a half.” And with limited tables and only a two-hour lunch window, Bagherzadeh simply could not get the turnover needed to be profitable. Realizing that the Taiwanese dining culture is all about speed and convenience, with diners valuing food that is filling, flavorful, and fast, Bagherzadeh knew that he had to approach things from a completely different angle. Having briefly considered selling beef noodles in the past, this easyto-consume Taiwanese classic now seemed ideal. “After I’d closed the Iranian restaurant, I went to one of my wife’s friend’s restaurants – a beef noodle place – and spent three days there, just observing. Then I came home and tried making my own.” FULL FLAVOR It takes time, a lot of time, to make noodles that discerning gourmands can't get enough of
LOCAL LIFESTYLE
Beef Noodle Chef
However, getting the recipe just right wasn’t easy. Even after extensive experimentation, many tastings, and an awful lot of beef wasted, something was still missing. Having grown up on a diet of his mother’s lovingly slow-cooked Iranian dishes, Bagherzadeh wa s used to a cer ta in dept h of f lavor t hat t he Taiwanese method of cooking beef noodles seemed unable to provide. “Taiwanese food is often cooked very quickly by Iranian standards,” Bagherzadeh says. “Even making something simple like Persian rice takes a lot of time. So whenever my mother made a soup or stew, it was always very rich.” To ma ke a stock t hat tr u ly satisf ied his pa late, t hen, Bagherzadeh knew that he had to put in the extra hours. He began boiling beef bones, first for hours, then days, until his stock achieved the right flavor profile. “We boil the beef bones for four days – that’s how long it takes for the stock to be perfect,” he says. And when it comes to putting the rest of the broth together, Bagherzadeh has another special weapon – a blend of twelve Persian spices, five of which he must source from his friends abroad as they are impossible to find in Taiwan. Ot her t ha n his specia l spices a nd slow-cooked beef stock, Bagherzadeh uses just a few other ingredients – carrot, onion, tomato, ginger, and garlic – boiling them for two hours and then letting the braised mixture sit overnight to develop flavor. And indeed, the singular taste of his broth has given Bagherzadeh a strong reputation among beef noodle aficionados. A little over a year after opening his beef noodle restaurant in late 2007, Bagherzadeh’s braised beef noodles won third place at the Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival (where, as you can imagine, the competition was fierce indeed), and since then he’s had patrons from all over the country and abroad seek out his restaurant just to try his unique broth style. It is clearly important for Bagherzadeh (now a long-time resident of Taiwan, f luent in Chinese, and with a Taiwanese wife a nd children) that his business stands or falls on the quality of his food, not on his novelty value as a foreigner cooking Taiwanese cuisine.
SIMPLE AND SOPHISTICATED Onion, carrot, tomato, ginger, and garlic ... plus 12 spices from Persia
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LOCAL LIFESTYLE
Beef Noodle Chef
LOCAL TO A FAULT If it weren't for the man himself and his flavorful creations, one could easily mistake his restaurant for one run by a local chef
The restaurant’s décor – that of a quintessential beef noodle restaurant, even down to the framed calligraphy and slightly faded photos of celebrity diners on the walls – is testament to his desire to succeed on local terms and by local (and thus the most exacting) standards. In fact, the only thing that identifies his restaurant as being anything other than Taiwanese-owned is the name (which Bagherzadeh says many people believe is a joke), and the mention of saffron in two of his menu’s dumpling dishes. Yet despite the restaurant’s disarming Taiwaneseness, Bagherzadeh still often comes up against a fair amount of disbelief. “When people come in for the first time and see me taking their order, their eyes always widen and they look at me in shock! They ask, 'How can a foreigner cook traditional Taiwanese food?'” This disbelief, however, seldom lasts very long – about the same amount of time it takes to f inish a bowl of Bagherzadeh’s beef noodles. And more often than not after trying once, Bagherzadeh says, people become hooked. LAOWAI YIPIN BEEF NOODLE RESTAURANT ( 老外一品牛肉麵 ) (02) 2585-3303 No. 403, Jilin Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City ( 台北市中山區吉林路 403 號 )
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Hotel Eclat Taipei. 台北怡亨酒店
Northern Taiwan
Central Taiwan
Hotel Eclat Taipei.
ZHONG KE HOTEL
THE GRAND HOTEL
Eastern Taiwan
CAESAR PARK TAIPEI
Visitors to Taiwan have a wide range of choice when it comes to accommodation. From five-star luxury hotels that meet the highest international standards, to affordable business hotels, to hot-spring and beach resort hotels, to privately-run homestays located in the countryside there is a place to stay that satisfies every traveler’s needs. What all hotels of Taiwan — small and big, expensive and affordable — have in common is that serve and hospitality are always of the highest standards. The room rates in the following list have been checked for each hotel, but are subject to change without notice. Room rates at the hotels apply. ＊ Hotel list in alphabetical order from Northern to Southern Taiwan.
台北凱撒大飯店
Taipei 台 北
NO. OF ROOMS: 478 ROOM RATES: Superior Room Deluxe Room Superior Double Double Metro Room Metropolis Room Station Suite
NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$
8,500 9,500 11,000 13,000 14,000 18,000
(All rates are subject to 10% service charge.)
DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:
ROOM RATES: Boutique Business Junior Family Executive
AWARDS: 2020 DESTIN ASIAN Reader’s Choice Award 2019 Michelin Guide Preferred Hotel 2020 Hotels.com Loved by Guest Award
NT$ 7,600 NT$ 8,400 NT$ 9,400 NT$ 13,000 NT$ 10,000
DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, English, Japanese
RESTAURANTS:
Ju-Yi Restaurant, Gym, Laundromat (no coins needed) and Lounge Free high-speed Wi-Fi, compass and praying mat, crib, luggage storage, city tourist information, business center, balcony, free parking lot, airport shuttle service (fee), meeting room & instant office (for rental)
No. 38, Sec. 1, Zhongxiao W. Rd., Taipei City 台 北 市 忠 孝 西 路 一 段 38號 Tel: +886 -2-2311-5151 Fax: +886 -2-2331-9944 E-mail: info_tpe@caesarpark.com
11F, No. 495, Guangfu S. Rd., Xinyi Dist., Taipei City 台 北 市 信 義 區 光 復 南 路 4 9 5 號 11 樓 Tel: +886-2-8780-8000 Fax: +886-2-8780-5000 E-mail: pbc.taipei@msa.hinet.net
taipei.caesarpark.com.tw
www.businesscenter.com.tw
RESTAURANTS: Western, Cantonese, Northern China Style Dumplings, tea house, coffee shop, steak house SPECIAL FEATURES: Grand Ballroom, conference rooms for 399 people, 10 breakout rooms, business center, fitness center, sauna, Olympic-size swimming pool, tennis courts, billiards
No. 1, Chung Shan N. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City 台 北 市 中 山 北 路 4 段1號 Tel: +886-2-2886-8888 Fax: +886-2-2885-2885
www.eclathotels.com
www.grand-hotel.org
Taichung 台 中
Standard Double/ Twin Deluxe Double Executive Double Premier Double Standard Family
The Walden Hotel
Yilan 宜 蘭
宜蘭悅 川酒店
NO. OF ROOMS: 103 ROOM RATES: NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$
8,000 9,000 10,000 11,000 11,000
DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Japanese, Chinese
FACILITIES:
Business Center, Meeting Room, Gym, Parking lot, Laundry Service, Free Internet Access, Personal Safety Box
Roland Double Room Jane Eyre Triple Room Hugo Double Suite Roland Family Room Jane Eyre Family Room Hemingway Family Room
NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$
10,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 14,000 15,000
(10% service charge should be taken for room mentioned above.)
DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, English, Japanese
RESTAURANT: 3F Rowling Western Restaurant
FACILITIES:
SPECIAL FEATURES:
e-Lounge, Banquet, Meeting Room, GYM, SPA, Roof Garden, Free Wi-Fi,Room Service, Laundry, Luggage Storage, Valet parking service
DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, French, Spanish, and Japanese
No. 370, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd., Daan District, Taipei City 台北市大安區敦化南路 一段370 號 Tel: +886-2-2784-8888 Fax: +886-2-2784-7888 E-mail: taipei@eclathotels.com
NO. OF ROOMS: 225 ROOM RATES: Room Room Room Room Room
NT$ 8,800-15,800 NT$ 22,000-36,000
(All rates are subject to 10% service charge.)
FACILITIES: Eclat Lounge, mechanical parking space, meeting rooms
中科大 飯 店
RESTAURANTS/FACILITIES:
SPECIAL FEATURES:
ROOM RATES: Single/DBL Suite
ZHONG KE HOTEL
English, Japanese, Chinese 2F Checkers, 3F Dynasty Restaurant
NO. OF ROOMS: 500 (Suites: 57)
太平洋商旅
NO. OF ROOMS: 105
Taipei 台 北
圓山大飯店
ROOM RATES: NT$12,500-NT$38,000
PACIFIC BUSINESS HOTEL
Taipei 台 北
THE GRAND HOTEL
NO. OF ROOMS: 60
DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Japanese, English, Chinese
The Walden Hotel
PACIFIC BUSINESS HOTEL
CAESAR PARK TAIPEI
Taipei 台 北
Book Collection, Boutique Selling Area, Wizard of Oz (Recreational facilities for children) Plato Gymnasium, Multifunctional Conference Room
GUEST REVIEW AWARDS: Booking 9.1 out of 10 Agoda 8.9 out of 10 Google 4.5 out of 5 Facebook 4.8 out of 5 No. 256, Sec. 2, Chongde Rd., Beitun Dist., Taichung City , Taiwan (R.O.C.) 台中市北屯區崇德路二段 256 號 Tel: +886 -4-2246 -5599 Fax: +886 -4-2246 -1368 E-mail: zk.hotel@msa.hinet.net
No. 123, Sec. 5, Zhongshan Rd., Yilan City, Yilan County 260021, Taiwan (R.O.C.) 宜 蘭 縣 宜 蘭 市 中 山 路 五 段 12 3 號 Tel: +886-3-9699-555 Fax: +886-3-9283-566 E-mail: service@waldenhotels.com
www.zkhotel.com.tw
www.waldenhotels.com
Cultural Lunchboxes Containing Amazing Taiwanese Snack Foods
YES! Ginseng & What a Sweet Life
CARD GA MES
Experiencing street food is an excellent way of getting to know a foreign country. The two card games YES! Ginseng and What a Sweet Life present a new and ingenious way of introducing you to Taiwan’s famous snack food culture. Playing the games is both a fun and an educational experience. You will get to know a large number of night market treats and even learn how to pronounce their names.
In YES! Ginseng players take on the roles of night market stall owners trying to sell 26 different snack food dishes. The game gets interesting when Special cards come into play, allowing players to outhustle each other. In What a Sweet Life the focus is on Taiwan’s yummy desserts and sweet treats. This is a game where players use their memory skills to collect cards showing delicious desserts (35 different treats in total). Let’s get ready to play the Taiwan Night Market game!
YES! Ginseng Tel: (02) 2546-1777 Website: www.yesginseng.com