Travel in Taiwan (No.96 2019 11/12 )

2019

NOV & DEC

No.

ISLAND FOODS

DELICIOUS HOT-SPRING CUISINE IN THE ZHIBEN HOT-SPRING AREA

SCENIC ROUTES

PROVINCIAL HIGHWAY 9 IN TAITUNG COUNTY

FAMILY FUN

TEA PLANTATION EXPERIENCE IN PINGLIN

FOLK EXPERIENCE LUNAR NEW YEAR TRADITIONS

Wineries

in Central Taiwan WINES AND SPIRITS PRODUCED IN TAICHUNG AND NANTOU

Android

iOS

96

National Taiwan Normal University Recruitment of International Students for Fall 2020 & Spring 2021

Come and study with us!

학기 및 입학신청

349 339 partner institutions

around the world

1 2

Times Higher Education’s World University

11

Rankings (2019) –

st

in the International

Semester Dates and Application Information

Outlook category among Taiwanese universities Application Period

Announcement of Admission Results

Semester Begins

Semester Ends

2020/1/2~3/16

Mid-May

September

January

2020/3/2~4/30

Late June

February

June

Semesters Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University

21 in International Students among Taiwanese universities Rankings (2019)–

nd

World University Comparisons in Sport Sciences, Physical Education and Kinesiology Top

4 in Teaching Capacity (2015) 15

Top in Education (Times Higher Education 2019)

Fall Semester (first semester) Spring Term (second semester)

• If different, please follow the dates published in the Admission Prospectus.

• Online application only. For application details, please refer to NTNU Admission Prospectus for International Students at: https://ap.itc.ntnu.edu.tw/istudent/apply

Popular and Recommended Departments/Institutes for International Students Department of Education

College of Education

Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling Graduate Institute of Curriculum and Instruction

QS APPLE 2015 Silver of Creative Awards for Best International Website

College of Liberal Arts

Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpretation Department of English (Literature, Linguistics, and TESOL)

Department of Chinese as a Second Language College of International Studies and Social Sciences Graduate Institute of International Human Resource Development

The world-renowned Mandarin Training Center

College of Arts College of Music

Department of Fine Arts Department of Design Department of Music

Scholarships 1. Full tuition waiver (Bachelor program:1 year; Master’s program: 2 years; Doctoral program: 3 years) 2. Website: https://www.ntnu.edu.tw/oia/scholarship.php

Applications to Degree Programs – Office of International Affairs intlntnu@ntnu.edu.tw 886-2-7734-1272 886-2-2362-5621

https://www.ntnu.edu.tw/oia/

PUBL ISHER 'S NOTE

Welcome to Taiwan!

Dear Traveler, As the winter season’s cooler weather settles in over the land, in this issue we take you on a highly varied set of outings to different Taiwan regions for tourist experiences that warm both body and spirit. In regard to a number of our articles, we mean “warming” literally – sampling premium wines and spirits in Taichung City, award-winning hot-spring cuisine in Taitung County, and fine tea amidst tea plantations outside Taipei City.

In our Feature we visit master makers of high-quality wines and spirits in central Taiwan.

All are tourist-friendly operations. The essence of their creations is that they celebrate the iconic produce from their respective localities. Your drinks menu will include such nectars as grape wines and brandies, honey and litchi wine, rose, passionfruit, and strawberry wines, sake, and shochu made with taro and sweet potato. Some of these fine products have won prizes at prestigious international competitions, including the Concours Mundial de Bruxelles and Vinalies Internationales. In this article we also introduce other key tourist attractions in the area around each producer.

The people of mountainous Taiwan love hot-spring soaking and there are scores of firstrate hotels and inns in lovely locations to choose from. As temperatures drop hot-spring excursions surge. In our Treasure Island Foods section we focus on the venerable Zhiben Hot Springs resort area in Taitung County, introducing award-winners for superlative hot-spring dining in the important Taiwan Top Ten Hot Springs awards competition.

In Family Fun a fun day is spent in the quaint, laid-back tea-producing area of Pinglin, in the mountains just a 40-minute drive from downtown Taipei. The “warming spirits” theme is continued in our Folk Experiences file, introducing the beloved renao – literally “hot and noisy” – celebration of the annual Taipei Lunar New Year Festival, centered on history-rich Dihua Street in the city’s old west district. Your warmth will be self-generated over in the Scenic Routes department, where we act as your guide on a cycling tour in the almost-alwayswarm, and most definitely always heartwarmingly beautiful, Taitung City region. What better way to lift spirits and warm the soul than with healthy, easy-grade bike excursions, soaring central mountains on one side, mighty blue Pacific on the other? Paradise itself.

The warmest season’s greetings to one and all. Enjoy your time in Taiwan!

JOE Y. CHOU PH.D. DIRECTOR GENERAL TOURISM BUREAU, MOTC, R.O.C. TR AVEL IN TAIWAN

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44

Travel in

Taiwan 2019 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

台 灣 觀 光 雙 月刊 Travel in Taiwan The Official Bimonthly English Magazine of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau (Advertisement) November/December, 2019 Tourism Bureau, MOTC First published Jan./Feb. 2004 ISSN: 18177964 GPN: 2009305475 Price: NT$200

中華郵政台北雜字第1286號執照登記為雜誌交寄

Copyright @ 2019 Tourism Bureau. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form without written permission is prohibited.

ON THE COVER Grape wine at Shu Sheug Leisure Domaine (photo by Ray Chang)

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PUBLISHER Joe Y. Chou EDITING CONSULTANT T. C. Chou PUBLISHING ORGANIZATION TAIWAN TOURISM BUREAU, MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT International Division, Taiwan Tourism Bureau Add: 9F, 290 Zhongxiao E. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City, 10694, TAIWAN Tel: 886-2-2349-1500 Fax: 886-2-2771-7036 E-mail: tbroc@tbroc.gov.tw Website: http://taiwan.net.tw PRODUCER Vision Creative Marketing & Media Co. ADDRESS 1F, No. 5, Aly. 20, Ln. 265, Sec. 4, Xinyi Rd., Taipei City 10681, Taiwan TEL: 886-2-2325-2323 Fax: 886-2-2701-5531 E-MAIL: editor@v-media.com.tw GENERAL MANAGER David Hu EDITOR IN CHIEF Johannes Twellmann ENGLISH EDITOR Rick Charette DIRECTOR OF PLANNING & EDITING DEPT Joe Lee MANAGING EDITOR Regina Chuang EDITORS Masako Takada, Yvette Chan CONTRIBUTORS Rick Charette, Kim Weiners, Han Cheung PHOTOGRAPHERS Chen Cheng-kuo, Ray Chang, Aska Chi DESIGNERS Ian Tsai , Nell Huang, Hsieh Yun-jhen ADMINISTRATIVE DEPT Lily Wan, Hui-chun Tsai, Nai-jen Liu, Xiou Mieng Jiang, Sophie Chen

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IN TAIWAN Tourism Bureau Visitor Center; Tourism Bureau; Taiwan Visitors Association; foreign representative offices in Taiwan; Tourism Bureau service counters at Taiwan Taoyuan Int’l Airport and Kaohsiung Int’l Airport; major tourist hotels; Taipei World Trade Center; VIP lounges of international airlines; major tourist spots in Taipei; visitor centers of cities and counties around Taiwan; offices of national scenic area administrations; public libraries ONLINE Read Travel in Taiwan online at https://issuu.com/ travelintaiwan. You can also download the Travel in Taiwan app for iOS and Android mobile devices at https://tosto.re/ travelintaiwan.

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Contents 28

12

24

SPIRITS-UAL EXPLORATION OF THE TAICHUNG/NANTOU AREA

PINGLIN TEA EXPERIENCE

FEATURE

36

FAMILY FUN Visiting the Green Light Farm and Pinglin Old Street

A Multi-Day Tour Built Around Premier Wine & Spirit Makers

01

24

28

SCENIC ROUTES

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

04

RIDING THE NINE A Highway 9 Foray – Around Taitung City and Further South

TAIWAN TOURISM EVENTS

06

TRAVEL NEWS

34

36

HUALIEN HARBOR

SURF AND TURF WITH INDIGENOUS INFLUENCES

HARBORS AND BEYOND

08

CONVENIENT TRAVEL

10

Places to Go in the East Coast’s Largest City

CULTURE AND ART

40

40

DELIGHTFUL FOLK EXPERIENCE TAIWAN CHINESE NEW YEAR TRADITIONS Dihua Street and the Taipei Lunar New Year Festival

44

TREASURE ISLAND FOODS Hot-Spring Cuisine in Taitung’s Zhiben Resort Area

SMALL-TOWN CHARM MEISHAN Gateway to the Northern Alishan Region

YANSHUI A Little Town That Charms

50

SMART TRAVEL SMART THEME PARK VISITS Where to Find Info about Taiwan’s Foremost Playgrounds

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TA I WA N TOURISM E V ENTS

WINTER EVENTS

November | February

Taiwan Tourism Events Calendar Website

Cool Festivals During the Cool Season

NEW TAIPEI CITY November ~ January

CHRISTMASLAND IN NEW TAIPEI CITY 新 北市 歡 樂 耶誕 城

Between Christmas and the Lunar New Year each year the Banqiao District in New Taipei City becomes especially festive.

The main venue for this event is the New Taipei City Plaza, beside the New Taipei City Government building, and the park areas around Banqiao Railway Station. The centerpiece is a large artificial Christmas tree, colorfully illuminated from the inside to show Christmas-related imagery. The wh o l e p l a z a a n d s u r r o u n di n g a r e a i s decorated with festive lights, including light sculptures and light tunnels, creating a warm Christmas atmosphere. A rich cultural program is also presented for the entertainment of the large crowds that come each year. tour.ntpc.gov.tw/en-us (New Taipei City Travel)

KAOHSIUNG CITY November ~ March

BIENNIAL BUTTERFLY BEAUTY FESTIVAL 雙年賞 蝶

If you love watching butterflies fluttering about, make sure to head to the Maolin National Scenic Area in southern Taiwan during the winter months. Tens of thousands of purple crow butterflies descend on a small valley in the area each year and overwinter, enjoying the mild temperatures. This presents a fantastic opportunity for butterfly lovers and photographers to view an incredible number of butterflies closely together, often conveniently congregating on the surface of small roads and hiking trails near Maolin village. maolin-nsa.gov.tw (Maolin National Scenic Area)

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TAIPEI CITY December 15

TAIPEI MARATHON 臺北馬 拉 松

This is one of the great annual events for road runners in Taiwan.

Each year 7,000 athletes enter the full-marathon race and 20,000 run the half-distance race. Since demand for starting slots is high, a lucky-draw method is used to select applicants about three months prior to the race. The top runners have the chance to receive NT$1.8 million (for winning and breaking the course record either in the men’s or women’s category). Since the event takes place in the heart of Taipei City, the runners enjoy enthusiastic roadside support by thousands of spectators. www.taipeicitymarathon.com

NOV EMBER- FEBRUA RY

CHIAYI CITY December 20 ~ January 1

CHIAYI CITY INTERNATIONAL BAND FESTIVAL 嘉 義市國 際 管 樂 節

This festival was first held back in 1993, the first edition featuring just five marching bands. In 1997 it officially became an international event, and over the years many premier marching bands from around the world have taken part in the festival. Over the two-week period, wind-music performances are held in three different indoor and outdoor venues: the Chiayi City Concert Hall, Zhongzheng Park, and Wenhua Park. The highlight of the festival is the marching parade and field show party, during which all participants have a chance to meet and perform at the same time. eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=000219&lid=080155

TAITUNG COUNTY December 31 ~ January 1

SANXIANTAI SUNRISE 三仙台元 旦 迎 曙 光 活動

Facing the mighty Pacific Ocean, Taiwan is one of the earliest lands to greet the sun each day, including, of course, on January 1st. Many people feel the desire to greet the sun’s first rays of the year across the horizon, and flock to spots along the eastern coastline of the island.

One of the best locations is Sanxiantai, a small island off the Taitung County coast, connected to the mainland by an iconic eight-arch footbridge. While it can sometimes be windy, wet, and chilly at this time of the year, whatever the conditions, a large crowd will gather on New Year’s Eve and brave the elements through to the next morn. A music and cultural program on a stage close to the bridge provides visitors with welcome entertainment during their wait for the sun. www.eastcoast-nsa.gov.tw

TAIPEI CITY February 4 ~ 9

TAIPEI INTERNATIONAL BOOK EXHIBITION 台北國 際 書展

T hi s will be the 28 t h e dition of the TIBE, a great time and place to meet publishing industry professionals and learn about the latest in the world of books. More than 30 0 domestic publishing houses participated in the 2019 e dition, and 58 0,0 0 0 visitor s came. There were 400 international exhibitors from 53 countries around the world. Each year the exhibition has a spe cial focus; while in 2019 Germany was the center of attention, in 2020 Korea will have the honor. www.tibe.org.tw

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NEWS & Events around Taiwan

NEW BIKEWAY IN RURAL DISTRICTS OF TAICHUNG CITY

SIGHTSEEING BUS SERVICE FOR CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS

Earlier this year a new bikeway was added to the host of existing bikeways around Taiwan. The Jiahou Line Bikeway, which follows the route of a former railway line, has a length of 35.2km, traverses three districts in the northwest of Taichung – Dajia, Waipu, and Houli – and connects to other bikeways, giving cyclists multiple options for exploring these predominantly rural areas of Taiwan's second-largest city. The bikeway consists of a main route and two branch routes. The main track connects with Cycling Route No. 1 (the main round-the-island route) near the coast and with the Dongfeng Bicycle Green Way in Houli District, one of the most popular bikeways on the island.

If you arrive in Taiwan by cruise ship, chances are that your port of call will be Keelung, the major harbor east of Taipei. To make exploring Keelung City and its environs more convenient, a sightseeing-bus service (T88 Keelung Shuttle Bus) was launched earlier this year. It is available during periods when a cruise ship is docked in the harbor (departures every 40 minutes).

A one-day package tour includes a foreign-language audio guide, meals/ afternoon tea, and admission tickets (park, museum, etc.). Among the places of interest included in the tour are Zhengbin Fishing Harbor, Heping Island, Chaojing Park, and the Museum of Marine Science and Technology.

MT. HEHUAN NAMED TAIWAN'S FIRST INTERNATIONAL DARK SKY PARK

SHUINANDONG SMELTER ILLUMINATED

Mt. Hehuan (Hehuanshan) is not only the most accessible 3,000-meter mountain in Taiwan (Provincial Highway 14A gets you very close to the mountain's various peaks), but it is also one of the best locations in Taiwan for watching stars sparkling in the dark night sky. If proof is needed, take it from the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA; darksky.org), which this year designated the mountain as Taiwan's first international dark-sky park.

Its inclusion in the list of parks of this type has been thanks to the efforts of the Taiwan Dark Sky Protection Alliance, in cooperation with the Nantou County government and the Taroko National Park administration, to reduce light pollution in this high-altitude region and meet the conditions of the IDA. Note: Visitors who overnight in the Qingjing Farm area (about 20km southwest of Mt. Hehuan) have the chance to go on pre-dawn stargazing bus tours along the main highway up the mountain (visit www.travelbus.tw or inquire at the front desk of your hotel/homestay).

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The site of a major copper and gold mining operation built in 1933 during the Japanese colonial period, the Shuinandong smelter, better known locally as the Remains of the 13 Levels, is a large defunct facility on the Northeast Coast that can be clearly seen from the coastal highway. It is located on a popular tourist route connecting the mining towns of Jiufen and Jinguashi with scenic tourist attractions elsewhere along the coast, including the Nanya rock formations, Bitou Cape, Longdong Bay, and Fulong Beach.

During a Mid-Autumn Festival event held at Shuinandong in September this year the site was illuminated for the first time, allowing people to see the 13 levels and nearby buildings clearly in the evening. The smelter is now lit up every evening from 6 to 9pm (weather permitting), presenting the streams of visitors to the Northeast Coast with yet another attraction. To get to Shuinandong by public transport, taking the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle bus (No. 856 from nearby Ruifang Railway Station; www.taiwantrip.com.tw) is recommended.

<Alishan National Scenic Area Administration advertisement>

Taiwan Alishan Tea Travel A New Cultural Tourism Experience Taiwan’s Oolong tea is renowned the world over and many tea connoisseurs from abroad will travel to the island in search of fine tea.

Alishan’s high-mountain tea enjoys an excellent reputation internationally. In recent years, the area’s fine tea and its distinctive humanistic and ecological landscape features have been combined to promote travel itineraries throughout the four seasons. Breaking with the conventional way of drinking tea indoors, tea is now enjoyed against the backdrop of splendid scenery that differs from season to season. This can be on the top of a mountain, in a misty forest, on a tea plantation, in a bamboo grove, under blooming cherry trees, in front of an old house, and beside a wild stream and waterfall. There are many excellent ways to enjoy tea in the Alishan area and soak in the magnificent scenery year round. Refined and indepth tea-based itineraries include eating tasty dishes made with tea, staying in a homestay on a tea plantation, and learning how to brew tea properly, giving you a wide variety of experiences.

In spring, the “Alishan Love Grassland” b e c ome s a m ic r o c o s m of t he d i s t i nc t i ve appearances of the various tea plantations in the greater Alishan area. Merging the area’s tea environment atmosphere with elements of local ecology, community gardening, and seasonal flowers, a tea environment is created in which visitors can take in the views of the Alishan Mountain Range. Soaking up the romantic air of this tea-themed space you can taste over 40 excellent high-mountain teas from the Alishan

area. The “Spring Grassland Tea Party” is an event that displays local products, distinctive tea-themed cultural-and-creative items, and award-winning teas for sale. It allows you to enjoy tea culture and the aesthetics of humanity and nature while appreciating the wonders of Alishan tea.

In summer, tea is enjoyed on tea plantations, beside huge boulders, in the forest, and in bamboo groves, amidst other natural landscapes, and also beside the iconic mountain railway, accompanied by the seductive strains of Chinese zither music. Tea travel experts prepare fine Alishan spring/summer tea for visitors to try.

During the “Summer Tea Party” local teas and culture is shared against a backdrop of Alishan’s mountain forest and railway.

In aut u mn, tea is enjoyed be side a mountain stream. Charcoal is used to boil the water and the tea utensils are placed on peculia r rock s beside the strea m, creating an environment in which all troubles can be forgotten, the cool air filled with tea fragrance.

The wild stream literally becomes part of the tea ceremony, giving you an experience of the cool refinement of drinking tea surrounded by nature. The “Autumn Tea Party” combines waterfa ll, wild stream, bamboo grove, and natural elements, allowing you to feel the cool of the stream and waterfall and see and hear the bamboo swaying in the breeze. Listen to the quiet of nature and enjoy the fresh forest air while savoring the sweet fragrance of fine

Alishan high-mountain tea.

Every year at the time of the White Dew, thousands of cattle egrets follow the Qingshui River valley from Meishan Township in Chiayi County, soaring up over the mountain tops and then continue their migration south. This is the only place in Taiwan where such a wonderful natural scene can be witnessed. In Chinese it is known as the extraordinary sight of “10,000 egrets flying towards the Phoenix’s Nest.”

In the cold of winter, the mist that often shrouds the mountains is what makes Alishan high-mountain tea so special, characterized by its fragrance, freshness and understated elegance. The “Winter Tea Party” involves a tea ceremony where you drink fine tea sitting in front of an old house. Enjoy the warmth and tranquility of the mist-shrouded mountain scene, embraced by a relaxing atmosphere far away from the bustle of the city.

Come and visit Alishan any season of the year to experience the amazing life aesthetics born from nature!

More info about Alishan travel products

More travel information

CON V ENIENT TR AV EL

A GLIMPSE OF NORTHERN ALISHAN

Taiwan Tour Bus website

A Tour Bus Trip to Scenic Meishan Township TE X T & PHOTOS V I S ION

In this issue’s Small-Town Charm article on page 44 you will learn about the township of Meishan in Chiayi County. In the article below you will find out how to visit the same area by joining an organized bus tour.

I

f you take the Alishan Taiping Suspension Bridge 1-day Tour, detailed on the multilingual Taiwan Tour Bus website (www.taiwantourbus.com.tw), you’ll follow the same route as described in the article about Meishan. This includes stops at the Taiping Suspension Bridge and Taiping Old Street. Apart from those two attractions, however, this tour has a few more “high” lights, as in “high up in the mountains.”

HIGH-MOUNTAIN TEA PLANTATIONS

From the small village of Taiping you will be heading east along County Road 162a and entering an area that is characterized by steep mountain slopes covered with neatly-kept tea plantations framed by stands of betel-nut trees. Visiting a tea farm and enjoying spectacular mountain vistas while sipping a refreshing high-mountain tea is one of the memorable highlights of this tour.

DINGJIAN LEISURE FARM

At an elevation of 1,200 meters above sea level, this operation provides healthful meals made with fresh local produce, including plums, bamboo shoots, and tea. Enjoy lunch in the spacious dining hall while taking in the enchanting views of tea plantations and bamboo groves. If time allows, go for a short walk on one of the clearly marked trails along the tea fields, which are often shrouded in mist.

SHENGYUAN TEA FARM

Following your hearty meal at the Dingjian Leisure Farm, at the Shengyuan Tea Farm learn about the different teas produced in the area. Tea-tasting sessions are offered outdoors right at the side of the farm’s picturesque steep-slope tea fields.

The views are stunning, and the quality of the tea exceptional.

Tours of the farm’s tea-production facilities are offered as well.

CAOBEN CHUANQI

As an alternative to the Shengyuan Tea Farm, you can choose to visit Caoben Chuanqi, which is an enjoyable operation specializing in fragrant flower teas. While sipping your tea, paired with delightful tea-flavored cake, take in the stunning tea-plantation and high-mountain views from the comfort of a spacious patio. Among the DIY sessions offered to visitors is a lesson in making mosquito coils using fragrant herbs.

GOLDEN FOUNDERS TRAVEL AGENCY ( 金建旅行社 ) www.178tour.com.tw (07) 222-1108 B1, No. 45, Zhongzheng 2nd Rd., Lingya District, Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市芩雅區中正二路 45 號 B1)

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Alishan Taiping Suspension Bridge 1-day Tour ( 阿里山太平雲梯一日遊 ) DURATION: about 8 hours MINIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 4 PRICE: NT$1,850 (additional NT$300/person for a foreign-language

guide service)

07:30 meet-up at Kaohsiung ( 高雄 ) or 09:20 at Chiayi Taiwan High Speed Rail Station ( 嘉義高鐵站 ); bus to Meishan via National Freeway 10:50 arrival at Taiping Suspension Bridge ( 太平雲梯 ) (closed 3 11:30 Taiping Old Street ( 太平老 for maintenance on Wednesdays) 12:20 lunch at Dingjian Leisure Farm ( 頂尖觀光農場 ) 13:30 街) 14:30 visit Shengyuan Tea visit Alishan high-mountain tea plantation Farm ( 生元茶葉製茶 ) (tea-tasting experience; fee not included) / Caoben 17:00 return to Chuanqi ( 草本傳奇 ) (fragrant flower tea experience) pick-up point

RELATED WEBSITE Alishan National Scenic Area: www.ali-nsa.net

<Alishan National Scenic Area AdministrationAdvertisement advertisement>

Mountainside Wonderland Chashan Indigenous Village

Located in the far south of Alishan Township in Chiayi County, Cayamavana (Chashan) Village is known for its many hufu (traditional pavilions). These pavilions are where the villagers share the spoils of hunting trips and also share happiness; they are the most distinctive feature of the village. In Cayamavana, not only can visitors experience the sharing culture of the Tsou tribe, they can also have cultural experiences such as archery, pounding rice cake, and blowing a bird whistle, as well as enjoy an indigenous-style feast made by the village women using local ingredients.

Chashan is inhabited by three ethnic groups, namely members of the Tsou and the Bunun indigenous tribes and Han Chinese. The spirit of the hufu sharing culture allows them to coexist in harmony. The Tsou call the village cayamavana, meaning “plain on the mountainside.” Thanks to the implementation of the Tourism Environment Building Plan by the Alishan National Scenic Area Administration the public environment and businesses of the village have been improved and optimized in recent years, adding further character to this mountainside wonderland.

Led by a local guide, a tour of the village begins with a visit to hufus and an art corridor.

The young and lively guide will explain how to identity a hufu owner by its decorations – shell patterns means the owner is from the Tsou tribe, diamond patterns means Bunun, and bamboo hats means Han Chinese. Hufu aren’t just meeting places, they are also where animals caught on hunting trips and crops are shared. Residents often hang fruit on their hufu for sharing; after taking some don’t forget to say “aveoveoyu” (a greeting meaning “thank you” and “I’m happy” in the Tsou language). As well as learning how to make peach bird whistles DIY style, visitors can also experience making a welcome cannon from a bamboo tube, dance with the indigenous residents, pound rice cake, and shoot a bow. Of course, trying originalflavor rice wine should also not be missed!

The names of Cayamavana Feast dishes are interesting and ref lect the humor of indigenous people. For example Mountainside – South Village – Plain is a yellow papaya salad and green vegetable fern covered with red dragon fruit salad that symbolizes the harmonious coexistence of the Tsou, Bunun, and Han of Chashan Village. After eating, Tsou style rice balls of the kind carried as a bento “lunchbox” when hunting or working in the fields can be made DIY style by visitors. Steamed rice, pork, and Japanese salted fish are wrapped in banana leaves, tied with string, and can then be attached to the waist before heading to the banana plantation for a farming experience.

The banana plantation is in Yabiyana Village. Before helping to clean up the plantation under the guidance of the owner, visitors must don the correct attire and pick up the tools.

After the farming experience, roast bananas can be enjoyed. The bananas are served on banana leaf; to reduce the impact on the environment, after the bananas are devoured the leaves are discarded in the plantation to naturally decompose and provide nutrients for the soil.

A one-day trip costs NT$1,200/person; booking in advance is required; minimum number of participants is 10. For more information call the Chashan Community Development Association at (05) 251-3307 ext. 11.

Alishan National Scenic Area Administration

Alishan New Impressions

CULTURE A ND A R T

CULTURE Concerts, Exhibitions, and Happenings

November 23~24

Until December 15

AMIS MUSIC FESTIVAL 阿米斯 音 樂 節

Ta i w a n ’s i n d i g e n o u s peoples are known for their love of music, and members of the Amis Tribe are no exception. If you wa n t to e n te r t h e h i g h spirited world of Amis music and immerse yourself in live music, dancing, and partying indigenous-style, thi s fe s tiva l i s a n eve nt you don’t want to miss. It is also a platform for the celebration of Austronesian cultures beyond Taiwan’s borders, and indigenous performers from abroad are invited each year to share their music and stories.

CPBL 30TH

中華職 棒 3 0 年 特展

The people of Taiwan love baseball. It’s the top spectator sport, and games are shown on local sports-TV channels seemingly every day for most of the day. Taiwan’s professional league, known as the CPBL (Chinese Professional Baseball League) this year celebrates it’s 30 th anniversary, which means it’s time for a look back, time for a special exhibition. A lot has happened over the past three decades, teams have come and gone, players have risen and fallen (some making it to the MLB in the US). What has stayed strong through all the years, however, is the passionate support by Taiwanese baseball fans for their teams and the sport in general.

Dulan Community [Taitung County] www.facebook.com/Amismusicfestival

National Science and Technology Museum [Kaohsiung City]

December 20 ~ 21

December 21~22

www.nstm.gov.tw

Photos by Zhuang Fu-ru

Photos courtesy of National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts

THE SNOWMAN & WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT — LIVE IN CONCERT

CHICHIAO MUSICAL THEATRE “KURAMA TENGU”

Based on the popular children's book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

by English novelist and poet Michael Rosen, this concert brings the heart-warming story to life with beautiful hand-drawn animations on screen and a live chamber orchestra performing the awardwinning soundtrack by Stuart Hancock. The concert, suitable for the young and the young at heart, is full of warmth, perfect for preChristmas family outings.

This show seemingly combines all genres that could possibly be performed on stage at the same time. It is a riveting spectacle that incorporates traditional Taiwanese opera, martial-arts fighting scenes, rock music, theater, acrobatics, dance, and elements of Japan’s Takarazuka Revue productions. Told is the story of legendary Japanese swordsman Kurama Tengu, who sides with the forces of good and fights evil. The tale is based on the popular-fiction novel Kurama Tengu

by Japanese writer Jiro Osaragi.

National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) [Kaohsiung City] www.npac-weiwuying.org

National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) [Kaohsiung City] www.npac-weiwuying.org

《雪人 》與《我們 要 去捉狗 熊 》動畫音 樂 會

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奇巧 歌仔武俠 劇 場《鞍 馬天狗》

CULTURE A ND A R T

November 30/December 1

Until May 17, 2020

FLOAT OR SINK: WATER CULTURE IN TAIWAN 誰 主 沉 浮： 水文化在臺灣 特展

Photo © Stephanvan Hesteren

JAKOP AHLBOM COMPANY: LEBENSRAUM 雅 克普 奧 勒 伯 劇 團《一主 二僕》 This slapstick stage play has a lot in common with the b/w Buster Keaton silent movies of the 1920s. Non-stop action and funny moments keep the audience entertained throughout. Grappling with the intricacies of daily life, the two main characters try to figure out how to make best use of the limited space they are living in. When introducing a mechanical cleaning lady into their lives, who turns out to have her own free will, things start getting complicated….

National Taichung Theater [Taichung City] www.npac-ntt.org

With a changing climate posing major challenges for humanit y a round the globe, among the biggest tasks to b e h a n d l e d i s m a n a g i n g water resources, including dealing with periods of drought and flood. In predominantly subtropical Taiwan, b o t h o f these weather ex tremes are common, forcing the people to come up with solutions that guarantee a steady water supply and keep excessive water volumes during typhoon season and other rainy times from causing damage. This exhibition takes a closer look at how the Taiwanese people have managed water resources in the past, presenting fascinating examples of engineering accomplishments.

National Museum of Taiwan History [Tainan City] nmth.gov.tw

Until March 8, 2020

MEET THE CETACEA 拍岸鯨奇：當 鯨 豚 與 人相 遇

I f yo u a r e n o t s u r e a b o u t w h o t h e Cetacea are, this exhibiton will, rest assured, bring you into close encounters with these charming dwellers of the water world, including whales, dolphins, and porpoises. This informative and interactive exhibition is segmented in accordance with five themes: Early Encounters between Humans and Whales , From Land to Ocean , From Ocean to Land , Modern Encounters between Humans and Cetaceans , and Central Taiwan Estuary Ecology . These explore the diversity and biology of cetaceans, their adaptation to life in the oceans, and the human impact on them.

National Museum of Natural Science [Taichung City] www.nmns.edu.tw

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Exploration of the Taichung/Nantou Area A Multi-Day Tour Built Around Premier Wine & Spirit Makers TE X T RICK CH A RE T TE

PHOTOS R AY CH A NG

Tour the best of the fruits of the land in the Taichung/Nantou area through the savoring of some of the finest locally crafted international-style wines and spirits at tourist-welcoming factories, and through the sampling of culinary treats such as rose jam, rose and passionfruit health vinegars, almond/honey gelato, and red-wine beef noodles.

Wine expert Dr. Chen Chien-hao at Shu-Sheug Leisure Domaine

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I

n 2001 Taiwan became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Since then, enhanced availability of the best wines and spirits from around the globe has been matched with the ever-increasing sophistic ation of Ta iwa nese pa lates. Enterprises dedicated to the production of fine wines and spirits have sprung up around the island, studiously sourcing the best available production knowledge and equipment from overseas, and many are winning awards in prestigious international competitions. In this Feature we spend a few days in central Taiwanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Taichung City and Nantou County, visiting some of the best tourist-oriented wine and spirit facilities along with recommended nearby sightseeing and culinary destinations.

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Wine-tasting at the Wu-Feng Farmers' Association Distillery

Wu-Feng Farmers' Association Distillery Southeast of Taichung’s city core is the district of Wufeng, an agricultural area developed during the Qing Dynasty by the Lin family, one of Taiwan’s four most powerful clans in days gone by. Called the Wufeng Lin to differentiate them from another of the clans also surnamed Lin, their sprawling residential complex (in which clan members still live, in offlimits areas) is today a tourist attraction – to be visited in a moment. It is located in small Wufeng town, tucked up against the base of the central mountains, where mountain and flatland meet abruptly.

Just south of the town, on Provincial Highway 3, is the Wu-Feng Farmers' Association Distillery. Wufeng has a reputation for some of Taiwan’s highest-quality and most aromatic rice, perfect for sake production, and the Taiwan Sake brand has been recognized with numerous awards at international wine and spirit competitions. Among these are a gold medal for its Rice Shochu in the spirits section at the Concours Mundial de Bruxelles in 2018 and a gold medal in the same competition section in 2017 for its Pure Rice Sake (DaiGinjo). In recent years new selections showcasing other iconic Wufeng agri-products have also been introduced; its Honey and Litchi Wine also won gold at the Brussels competition in 2018.

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The enterprise has been producing sake since 2005, working in cooperation with the Nationa l K aohsiung Universit y of Hospitality and Tourism, known for its expertise in wine and spirit production. Personnel were sent for extensive training with a venerable maker of sake in Japan, learning ancient Japanese hand-production techniques. Japanese insistence on purity went so far, say staff jokingly, that to their surprise they were required to strip and don traditional Japanese fundoshi (loincloths) when working directly with the rice. This is not primarily for hygiene purposes, they say; their sake master informed them it was because clothing can transfer odors and affect sake f lavor.

The factory makes what is described as “Japanese-style sakes with Taiwan/ Wufeng characteristics,” the specif ic Taiwan distinctiveness brought by the local terroir in which the organic rice utilized is produced and the unique mineral content of the pristine “mountain-cleansed” waters used.

The production area is kept immaculately clean, and the complex has an impressively large and attractive showroom (with attached café) that is more like a mini-museum. Along one wall is an extensive illustrated explanation of the sake-brewing process, and there is a sleek sampling bar where staff explain the many different choices available. The outlet also has scores of other Wufeng Farmers’ Association products on display, from vacuum-packed rice to jams to dried fruit/veggie snacks.

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Out behind the factory is a small purposebuilt classroom building used for Wine Talk sessions. A wooden boardwalk runs from it, past demo-farm plots used for the teaching of eco-friendly agricultural techniques, to the Wufeng Story House.

This was originally the combined clinic/ residence of a beloved loca l Westernmedicine physician, Dr. Lin Peng-fei, who practiced in Wufeng from after W WII into the 1990s. The two-story concrete building was erected in the late 1950s.

T he fa rmers’ a ssociation boug ht a nd renovated the long-abandoned structure to save it from demolition, and has set up period displays demonstrating life as the doctor lived it as well as on Taiwan’s sma ll, tight-k nit medica l/intellectua l community of Western-trained doctors in the period around W WII. The most riveting display details the sinking of the Japanese transport ship Shinsei Maru in Indochina in January 1945, taking the lives of about 80% of Taiwanese Westernmedicine doctors. A total of 41 perished.

Dr. Lin was among the few who could swim, making it to a nearby shore.

In the rear of the main floor is a small, comfy restaurant serving tasty set meals built around organic Wufeng produce.

Wufeng is k nown for mushroom a nd mushrooms are prominently featured.

Set meal served at Wufeng Story House

The Wufeng Lin Family Mansion and Garden, in Wufeng town, is a sprawling complex of traditional courtyard-style

residential buildings – Taiwan’s largest, most complete, and most elaborate. Severely damaged in 1999’s massive 921 Earthquake, faithful reconstruction has restored much of its glory. Two large areas are open to tourists: part of the main residential area plus the large, elaborate garden. One highlight of the main section, built in 1858, is the standalone private theater, unique in Taiwan.

Large water-filled ceramic jars below the stage helped project the sounds on stage.

Another is the display of beautifully crafted arquebuses (an old type of gun) – great clans organized militias to fight bandits, rebels, etc. As well, note the pronounced use of swallow-tail roofs, in imperial days reserved for temples and the homes of high officials.

T h e 9 21 E a r t h q u a k e M u s e u m o f Taiwan is located very close to the sake factor y. The museum’s centerpiece is Gua ng f u Junior High School, ripped apart in the quake attack and left as is as a witness to history. It stands right on the fault involved, which runs along the base of the central mountains in this area.

Visitors can stand right on the fault on the school track, now brutally deformed in sections with a two-meter-high vertical d isplac ement. B e side t he school is a newly-built dedicated museum facility with an exterior of striking visual lines.

Inside, the most notable – and unnerving – attraction is the Qua ke Experience Theater, which simulates what Wufeng residents experienced.

WU-FENG FARMERS' ASSOCIATION DISTILLERY ( 霧峰農會酒莊 ) (04) 2339-9191 twwfsake.com (Chinese) No. 345, Zhongzheng Rd., Wufeng District, Taichung City ( 台中市霧峰區中正路 345 號 ) WU-FENG STORY HOUSE ( 霧峰�生故事� ) (04) 2339-1556 No. 369, Zhongzheng Rd., Wufeng District, Taichung City ( 台中市霧峰區中正路 369 號 ) WUFENG LIN FAMILY MANSION AND GARDEN ( 霧峰林家宅園 ) (04) 2331-7985 wufenglins.com.tw; Chinese No. 26, Minsheng Rd., Wufeng District, Taichung City ( 台中市霧峰區民生路 26 號 )

Wufeng Story House

921 EARTHQUAKE MUSEUM OF TAIWAN ( 九二一地震教育園區 ) (04) 2339-0906 921emt.nmns.edu.tw No. 192, Xinsheng Rd., Kengkou Borough, Wufeng District, Taichung City ( 台中市霧峰區坑口里新生路 192 號 ) TR AVEL IN TAIWAN

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Puli Distillery The peaceful Puli Basin is in the mountains east of Wufeng. The town of Puli, gateway to such major attractions deeper in the mountains as Sun Moon Lake and Qingjing Farm, is on its south side. Deep in a small, narrow side valley that leads off from the town’s edge is tranquil Liyu (Carp) Lake, a popular familyoriented leisure destination, which is encircled by a tree-shaded trail and has a number of mid-grade hotels along its shore.

Also at lakeside is the Puli Distillery, run by the Puli Farmers’ Association. The Puli Basin is known for the quality of its waters, and it is an important agri-zone. Two key products, roses and passionfruit, were chosen by distillery management to make wines – the only wines of this type crafted in Taiwan.

Fu Jen Catholic University helped choose varietals appropriate for wine production, and the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism has helped with wine-making technique. Both flower and fruit are grown organically. Among the winemaker’s many competition laurels, its Love Rose selection took silver at the 2008 Concours Mundial de Bruxelles, and its Passion Fruit Mild Wine won gold at the Meiningers International Spirits Award 2016 and the Internationaler Spirituosen Wettbewerb 2015.

PULI DISTILLERY ( 埔里農會酒莊 ) (049) 242-3828 distillery.pulifarm.org.tw (Chinese) No. 22-3, Liyu Rd., Puli Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣埔里鎮鯉魚路 22-3 號 )

Liyu (Carp) Lake

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The distillery has a large, brightly lit showroom with various wines on display, along with myriad other Puli Farmers’ Association products. Visitors can sample any of the alcohols that interest them at the wine-tasting counter. Also specially recommended are the aromatic rose and passionfruit vinegars and jams, also made on-site. Taiwanese like to take vinegar as a health drink. A popular DIY-activity offering is the jam-making experience (groups of 20 or more, NT$200 per person), during which you fine-cut your own rose petals, boil them, add lemon bitter (made on-site), which draws out the rose taste, stir the mix to a paste, and bottle the edible treasure to take home. Sessions are held in the airy, highceilinged café, which looks out over the lake.

Rose wine and jam-making at Puli Distillery

Feeling 18 is a cluster of stylish shops and stands (with dedicated parking lot) selling European- and Japanese-style culinary treats, which has grown organically in a residential area of Puli town. Owner of all is a single person, known as Master Mao, whose passion for chocolate caused him to pursue private studies in Japan and, eventually, return to his native Puli to first open a chocolate shop offering handmade gems, then a gelato shop, then a café/bakery…. At the gelato shop, where the options seem endless, try the new Thai milk tea option and – celebrating Puli’s agriculture – the almond/ honey option. At the café/bakery, explore Taiwan’s increasing range of quality coffee-bean selections. The “18” in the name comes from the fact that the optimal temperature for storing chocolate is a cool 18 degrees Celsius; the “Feeling 18” is from the idea that savoring the good things in life, like the delicacies crafted here, keeps you forever feeling young.

Feeling 18 in Puli

FEELING 18 (18 度 C) (049) 298-4863 www.feeling18c.com No. 20, Ci'en St., Puli Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣埔里鎮慈恩街 20 號 )

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Shu-Sheug Leisure Domaine A winery complex with a café/restaurant Shu-Sheug Leisure Domaine is spread out along the north-facing slope of a low ridge that runs east-west through the Waipu District, in Taichung’s rural northwest section. The large winery building is at the base of the slope, surrounded by vines hanging from trellises. Behind it is the old homestead of the family that runs the enterprise, with two traditional three-sided courtyard-style residences standing side by side, one over a century old. The rustic café/restaurant sits atop the slope, with views both southward toward the city center and northward toward greenery-covered high hills across the wide, deeply fertile Daan River plain. It does double-duty as the winery’s retail shop, with a dedicated tasting counter.

“Shu-Sheug” was the given name of the owner’s grandfather, who in the 1950s was among the first wave of local farmers to take part in a grape-growing experimental venture launched by the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau. In the late 1990s, government-buying contracts were ended, and with government assistance most local farmers tore out their plants.

Not willing to destroy his grandfather’s legacy, the owner here decided to open his own winery, honoring his grandfather by using his name when it happened in 2002. With the help of the National Kaohsiung University of Tourism and Hospitality, two grape varieties resistant to the location’s high heat and humidity were chosen – Golden Muscat and Black Queen. Black Queen, widely used in Japan, was developed by Kawakami Zenbei, known as Japan’s grandfather of wines, in 1920. Chen Chien-hao, an assistant professor in the Kaohsiung university’s Department of Food & Beverage Management, is a renowned figure in the Taiwan world of viniculture. He has been collaborating with ShuSheug Leisure Domaine and other central Taiwan winemakers since the early 2000s, helping them perfect their grape cultivation and wine production techniques.

Shu-Sheug’s wines are stored in barrels made of French oak by Burgundy’s Chassin Père & Fils. Shu-Sheug Leisure Domaine was bestowed with its most recent of many international awards in March this year, its Vino Formosa Rosso, made with Black Queen grapes, winning gold at the Vinalies Internationales Competition in Paris. Note that group tours of the winery are offered, in Chinese, with advance notice. While taste-testing at the café/ restaurant, be sure as well to sample the eatery’s popular “red wine cuisine” dishes. Most popular is the red-wine beef noodles, redolent of, for obvious reasons, beef bourguignon.

Red wine

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SHU-SHEUG LEISURE DOMAINE ( 樹生休閒酒莊 ) (04) 2683-3298 shu-sheug.com.tw (Chinese) No. 88, Shuitou 2nd Rd., Liufen Borough, Waipu District, Taichung City ( 台中市外埔區六分里水頭二路 8 號 )

Examining the wine

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Shu-Sheug Leisure Domaine vineyard Ferris wheel at Lihpao Land

The winery’s neighbor on the ridge’s south-facing slope is one of Taiwan’s largest and best theme parks, Lihpao Land, which consists of a water park, a dryland park with the world’s only tilt roller-coaster, Taiwan’s largest Ferris wheel, Taiwan’s longest karting track (and most powerful karts, from Italy), Taiwan’s biggest escaperoom theme attraction, a 5-star family-oriented resort hotel, and the international-brand Lihpao Outlet Mall.

LIHPAO LAND ( 麗寶樂園 ) (04) 2558-2459 www.lihpaoresort.com No. 8, Furong Rd., Houli District, Taichung City ( 台中市后里區福容路 8 號 ) TR AVEL IN TAIWAN

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Daan Wineland The Daan District is west of Waipu, in Taichung’s northwest corner, the Taiwan Strait on its west, Daan River on its north, Dajia River on its south.

All around Daan Wineland, operated by the Daan Farmers’ Association, are farm fields thick with the distinctive large leaves of taro plants, forming mini-seas of waving green. Its signature creations, winners of numerous Taiwan local awards, are Japanese-style shochu made with taro, and brandy made with Black Queen grapes. The master distiller acquired his expertise through systematic overseas studies. Other selections include wines made with plums and with Golden Muscat grapes, shochu made with both taro and sweet potato, and traditional Chinese-style rice wines.

Taro field in Daan District

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Taro shochu produced by Daan Wineland

Wine-flavored sausages

The winery team has a number of special points of pride.

Taro and sweet potato are two quintessentially Taiwanese farm products, and their use creates unique shochu “of Japanese origin with true local Taiwan character.” Daan is one of Taiwan’s key areas for taro cultivation. These are the only spirits of their kind in Taiwan.

Fastidious employment of classical French technique is followed in the production of its grape wines and brandies, and premium-quality winemaking equipment from France is used. An elite-grade copper pot imported from Italy is used for distilling, and the wines and brandies crafted are stored in barrels of top-grade American oak made by the eminent World Cooperage company of Napa, California.

The winery has also taken the association’s bestselling line of pork-sausage products and created two new selections that have proven extremely popular: one infused with a Golden Muscat wine that has a light f lavor and smooth texture, the other with a Black Queen brandy that has a deep, rich flavor and chewy texture.

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Gaomei Wetland in the evening

Gaomei Wetland The Gaomei Wetland, nearby on the coast, measures 3,000 hectares in area. Its boardwalk-topped seawall stretches 3.5km, and another long, meandering railing-less boardwalk shoots far out right into the wetland. At low tide head out past this boardwalk’s edge, on soft-yetfirm ground in the intertidal zone, for closer inspection of the teeming community of wetland residents, notably the countless fiddler crabs, mudskippers, and birds, both endemic and migratory. Taichung’s human denizens flock here each evening to take in the glowing sunsets over the Taiwan Strait, with the long line of eateries behind the seawall, serving grilled seafood, fried chicken, ice cream, fresh-made fruit juices, and other tasties, satisfying their other sensory demands before and/or afterward.

Between the Daan and Waipu districts is the town of Dajia, heart of the Dajia District. Its renowned main attraction is the fantastically ornate Dajia Zhenlan Temple (also spelled “Jenn Lann”; www. dajiamazu.org.tw; Chinese). Taiwan is an island nation, of course, and Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea, is worshiped at about 900 temples. This temple dates back to the 1700s, and its venerable Mazu icon is among Taiwan’s most famed and powerful. This is the launchpad for one of the world’s three largest religious celebrations, the annual Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage, staged in celebration of her springtime birthday. The palanquin-seated Dajia icon visits over 80 temples in central Taiwan on a 9-day round trip stretching 300-plus km, escorted by thousands of devotees and immortal-world minions/protectors, marching bands,

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and lion dancers. Over 100,000 people crowd the temple area for her launch and homecoming celebrations.

Perhaps the most popular of the scores of small old-time, familyrun eateries found in the area around the temple’s main gate is Dajia Ma E-A Mianxian (“Dajia Mom Oyster Rice Noodles”). Taiwan’s central-south coastal region is renowned for oyster-farm production, and the delicious and filling signature dishes here, oyster rice noodles and oyster omelets, are classic Taiwanese hot-snack selections. A bonus for diners is the blow-ups of old b/w photos from the 18951945 Japanese colonial period that adorn the walls, showing how the Japanese widened the streets and opened up the temple area, for both hygiene and military-movement purposes.

DAAN WINELAND ( 大安農會酒廠 ) (04) 2671-0909 www.annofood.com/wine.php No. 6, Zhongsong Rd., Neighborhood 3, Zhongzhuang Borough, Daan District, Taichung City ( 台中市大安區中庄里３鄰中松路６號 ) DAJIA MA E-A MIANXIAN ( 大甲媽蚵仔麵線 ) (04) 2686-4718 No. 127, Jiangong Rd., Dajia District, Taichung City ( 台中市大甲區��路 127 號 )

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Dahu Wineland Resort The Dahu Wineland Resort is in Miaoli County’s Dahu Township, northeast of Waipu in Taichung, on the edge of Dahu town. This hilly area is known as “strawberry country,” with many local farms offering DIY-picking opportunities. The “resort” is in fact a large, rambling retailoriented complex with three main facilities – the Wine Production Center, Wine Tasting Center, and Strawberry Culture Museum – along with a restaurant and numerous small food and beverage stands. A wide range of fruit wines is crafted on-site, notably strawberry and plum selections.

This is both Asia’s first and its foremost strawberry-wine producer.

Guided tours (in Chinese) of the wine-production facilities are available, introducing the full process from pressing to storage. Among the many non-alcoholic strawberry-theme products sold on-site are strawberry jam, vinegar, ice-cream, popsicles, biscuits, and crispy egg rolls.

HOW TO GET THERE On this trip the Travel in Taiwan crew took a high-speed rail train from Taipei to Taichung, the trip taking about an hour. The high-speed rail station is just southwest of the city's downtown core. This article's highlighted sites are distant from each other, so a rented car is recommended. You'll find booths for a number of reputable rental outfits in the station. Another option for getting to Taichung is the regular-rail service; the Taichung station is right in the city core. The Englishspeaking staff at the visitor information centers in both stations can provide local-transport guidance.

DAHU WINELAND RESORT ( 大湖酒莊 ) (037) 994-986 dahufarm.org.tw; Chinese) No. 24, Baliaowan, Fuxing Village, Dahu Township, Miaoli County ( 苗栗縣大湖鄉富興村八寮灣 24 號 )

Dahu strawberries and strawberry products

ENGLISH AND CHINESE Gaomei Wetland 高美濕地 Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage 大甲媽祖遶境進香 Dajia Zhenlan Temple 大甲鎮瀾宮 Lin Peng-fei 林鵬飛

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Daan Wineland

Liyu Lake 鯉魚潭 Master Mao 茆老師 Puli Basin 埔里盆地 Wufeng Story House 霧峰民生故事館

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Dahu Wineland Resort

Miaoli County

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Shu-Sheug Leisure Domaine Lihpao Land

Gaomei Wetland

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Taiwan

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Taichung City

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Wufeng Lin Family Mansion and Garden Wu-Feng Farmer's Association Distillery 3

921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan 6

Nantou County 21

Puli Distillery Liyu (Carp) Lake Feeling 18

Dahu Wineland Resort

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Visiting the Green Light Farm and Pinglin Old Street TE X T H A N CHEUNG PHOTOS AS K A CHI

The fortunes of New Taipei City’s Pinglin District suffered after the completion of National Freeway 5 and the Xueshan Tunnel in 2006. Once a bustling pit stop on the rugged highway from Taipei to Yilan County, the main settlement in the district, Pinglin town, was bypassed by the freeway and its economy sharply declined. Today a renaissance is under way, bringing sightseers back.

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FA MILY FU N / PINGL IN

Green Light Farm tea field

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he district is still fairly quiet on weekdays, but from talking to locals one gets the feeling that this quaint, laid-back tea-producing area, just a 40-minute drive from Taipei along the scenic old Provincial Highway 9, and 15 minutes along the freeway, is slowly headed toward revival. The weekend crowds are trickling back, and new businesses opened this year in historic buildings along the sleepy Old Street in Pinglin town.

Dotted with tea farms and a population of just over 6,600, part of Pinglin’s tranquil charm is that there are no hotels or guesthouses, because the entire district is within a water conservation area. Pinglin was originally known for producing dye, but there was a switch to tea cultivation in the 1800s.

Today, the region mainly produces Baozhong (Pouchong) tea, which is lighter and less oxidized than Taiwan’s famed Oolong.

Many of the rolling-hill terraced tea plantations here have a majestic appearance, and some of the farms provide guided tours and tea-picking experiences. In Pinglin town, one can take a tour of the Old Street and interact with long-time shopkeepers, traverse the bike trails along the Beishi River, or go on a walk along hiking paths in the hills surrounding the town.

Tea farmer Chen Lu-ho

Green Light Farm “One tip, two leaves,” Green Light Farm owner Chen Lu-ho repeats as he demonstrates how to pick tea on a recent Travel in Taiwan visit to his farm. It seems easy enough as we watch him deftly remove the budding tips of each plant in quick succession, but when our turn comes it takes us a bit of practice to get the hang of it.

Although Chen grew up in Pinglin, he didn’t start growing tea until he was 50 years old. Like many of the district’s young people, he moved to Taipei City to find work, only returning after retirement.

About 80 percent of the district’s residents are involved in the tea business. The area has all the right ingredients for tea cultivation: mountainous terrain, acidic soil, abundant rain, and convenient access to water. More than 200 years ago immigrants from mainland China’s tea capital, the county of Anxi in Fujian Province, brought plants and the skills involved in tea cultivation to Taiwan.

Recession hit the mainland China/Taiwan tea industry in the 1870s, and many producers in Taiwan turned to making Baozhong tea due to a saturated Oolong market. The lighter tea was considered a relatively new flavor in the international market, lauded for its floral aroma, smooth profile, and sweet aftertaste. At first, Taiwanese tea growers would send their leaves to mainland China to be processed into Baozhong, but the arduous journey made shipping costs high.

In 1881, Chinese tea merchant Wu Fu-yuan decided it would make more sense to bring the Baozhong process to Taiwan. Soon thereafter, most of Pinglin was producing the variety. For an in-depth, hands-on exploration into the

PINGLIN TEA MUSEUM ( 坪林茶業博物館 ) (02) 2665-6035 No. 19-1, Shuisongqikeng, Shuide Borough, Pinglin District, New Taipei City ( 新北市坪林區水德里水聳淒坑 19-1 號 ) www.tea.ntpc.gov.tw

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Picking tea at Green Light Farm

Just Pinglin region’s tea-steeped history, check out the Pinglin Tea Museum, which is housed in a picturesque recreated Anxi-style courtyard compound located on the opposite bank of the Beishi River from Pinglin Old Street.

Thirteen years after returning home, Green Light’s Chen Lu-ho was named a National Model Farmer in February earlier this year. He had wanted to return to his home area and grow tea right after his early retirement, but it took years to convince his family to go with him. He was set on organic methods from the get-go, hoping to restore balance to an ecosystem that had suffered from traditional use of pesticides – though it took years of experimentation to work out a productive system.

Visitors must call ahead to arrange their Green Light Farm tea experience, which includes tea picking in the morning in the farm’s picturesque fields, hand rolling and processing in the main building, and sampling the farm’s tea varieties, which in addition to Baozhong includes Black, Green, Oolong, and Oriental Beauty, along with sampling of tea pastries and tea oil.

Due to Pinglin’s conservation-area status, a successful grassroots fish and river protection movement, and decreased traffic, flora and fauna is abundant. Hanging on the walls of the Green Light Farm are photographs of local critters, including the Swinhoe’s pheasant and the crab-eating mongoose – as well as stunning “sea of clouds” scenes that can be seen forming in the morning hours. On Chen’s business card is an image of the endemic emerald green tree frog, which has returned to the area through his efforts, earning him the moniker “frog prince” among locals.

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The fact that the local waterways can support the Taiwan shovel-jaw carp is proof of how unpolluted the waters are. Young business owner Wu Shu-hsien, who runs the trendy Just Pinglin café on Pinglin Old Street, recommends visiting the Fish and Fern Trail along the protected Jingualiao River.

Wu and her boyfriend Wade Tsai both hail from southern Taiwan. The pair first came here to conduct school-related studies, eventually staying and opening a small enterprise close to Jingualiao River named Pumpkin No. 3, offering guided tours, tea-themed fusion cuisine and exhibits, as well as homestay accommodation.

“It’s fate that drew us to this place,” Wu says.

The couple’s current business, which opened in April this year, also adheres to the ethos of their previous establishment, and in addition helps local businesses and farmers with marketing and branding. They repurposed a century-old stone building once used for drying tea; a unique feature on a side façade is the remnants of a tangled mass of roots belonging to a banyan tree that once grew inside the building’s atrium.

The colorful ceramic plaque on the red-brick façade above the entranceway is well-preserved. The Just Pinglin interior is modern in layout, but the building’s historic charm has been retained with features such as vintage furniture items, the display of original red brick on the walls, and exposed ceiling beams – reminiscent of a retro-chic style commonly seen in repurposed old buildings in Taiwan.

Just Pinglin provides set meals that make use of tea and other local ingredients. We order the cafe’s signature Baozhong tea latte, and Wu recommends that we try the cheesecake topped with locally homemade pickled vegetables. This type of condiment is usually found on savory foods, but surprisingly it pairs well with the cake.

FA MILY FU N / PINGL IN

Visitors have the chance to interact with the Old Street’s longtime shopkeepers and hear their stories through Just Pinglin’s guided tours (Chinese). The venerable thoroughfare is short, at just 200m, but is both quite charming and wellpreserved. A few of the establishments provide standard Taiwanese fare, and one of the more popular vendors carries all kinds of handmade mantou (a type of steamed roll), including a variety that is infused with Baozhong tea. A traditional grocery store right across the street from Just Pinglin doubles as a hair salon and also offers the district’s famous tea eggs, which are simmered for three days in a stock made with local tea. It also has tea-flavored ice cream.

Just Pinglin

Set meal

Feicui Reservoir

While the Pinglin District contains part of the Feicui Reservoir, head over to the neighboring Shiding District for stunning views of what is known as the Thousand Island Lake, said to somewhat resemble the lake of the same name in mainland China’s Zhejiang Province. The “islands” are sections of mountains left unsubmerged when the reservoir was created. The lush green hills rising out of the emerald waters, along with the terraced tea fields in the foreground on the reservoir’s north side, make for some spectacular postcard-perfect photos.

GREEN LIGHT FARM ( 綠光農園 ) 0952-600-268 No. 11-2, Dashe Hu, Yuguang Borough, Pinglin District, New Taipei City ( 新北市坪林區漁光里大舌湖 11-2 號 ) www.facebook.com/chenluho/ JUST PINGLIN ( 坪感覺 ) (02) 2665-7210 No. 12, Pinglin Street, Pinglin District, New Taipei City ( 新北市坪林區坪林街 12 號 ) www.facebook.com/justpinglin12

GETTING THERE From Taipei Metro's Xindian Station take bus no. Green 12, which travels on the Beiyi Highway (Taipei-Yilan Highway, Prov. Hwy 9) passing the Feicui Reservoir, or bus no. 923, which follows National Freeway 5. Free local shuttle bus services are available from Pinglin town to destinations such as Nanshan Temple (only on weekends) and the Fish and Fern Trail, but a car is recommended to visit the Green Light Farm, which is high up in the mountains, and scenic spots near Feicui Reservoir.

Wu Shu-hsien, owner of Just Pinglin

ENGLISH AND CHINESE Baozhong tea 包種茶 Beishi River 北勢溪 Chen Lu-ho 陳陸合 Feicui Reservoir 翡翠水壩 Fish and Fern Trail 觀魚蕨類步道 mantou 饅頭 National Model Farmer 全國模範農民 "One tip, two leaves" 一心二葉 Pinglin 坪林 Pinglin Old Street 坪林老街 Pumpkin No. 3 金瓜三號 Thousand Island Lake 千島湖 Wu Fu-yuan 吳福源 Wu Shu-hsien 吳姝嫻 Xueshan Tunnel 雪山隧道

Baozhong tea latte

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TT K CHARE T E X T R IC

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Foray â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9 y a w h ig H A ng City u it a T d n u o Ar South and Further What better way to spend a few of your precious Taiwan days than by exploring the tranquil Taitung City area, a place of palm trees and cool ocean breezes, on two wheels?

Huayuan Bay in Taitung County

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SCENIC ROU TE S / TA ITUNG

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he easy-grade flatland areas of the Hawaii-like Taitung City region in Taiwan’s southeast, mountain and sea almost always immediately at hand, have made this a mecca-like destination for those with a fire for two-wheeled self-powered touring over the past two decades. Islandwide interest in healthy cycling and other outdoor-exercise pursuits has skyrocketed during this time.

Following, we’re going on a cycle outing along Provincial Highway 9, with short forays just off it, around the easy-living small city of Taitung and then down to points south. The 9 in this area, broadshouldered and cyclist-friendly, is part of the renowned round-island Taiwan Cycling Route No. 1, unveiled by the central government in 2015. It runs along the city’s west side, exits south into rural countryside, and just south of the famed Zhiben Hot Springs resort area hits the coast. The distance between downtown Taitung and our southernmost stop, Duoliang Railway Station, is about 40km.

For the sake of clarity, in this tour we present all attractions in order north to south. Naturally, when you leave these pages and go on the road yourself you can mix them as desired. We’ve a score of places to cover and just six Travel in Taiwan pages to do it, so we’ll be moving along at a brisk pace.

Try to keep up with the group!

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Taitung City First up is the 280ha Taitung Forest Park, on the city’s north side between the Beinan River and its built-up core. Locals call this the “Black Forest,” after the many tall, dark-hue beefwood trees. This site was originally developed as a coastal protection forest, with these evergreens predominant.

The popular 21km Taitung Mountain-Ocean Bikeway wends its way through the forest. This loop bikeway heads west to near the current railway station, then down a now-boardwalked old rail line to the Railway Art Village in the city core, which we’ll visit. From the forest park’s east end it heads south along the coast through the Seashore Park, which we’ll also visit.

In the east end are small, shallow, crystal-clear lakes fed by underground springs. Serene Pipa Lake is the most aesthetically engaging. Sprinkled with wood-built lookouts, busy with fish and bird life – most notably a large flock of snow-white egrets that at times become quite loquacious – you’ll feel you’ve stepped into a shanshui painting. From a bird’s-eye view, the lake’s two sections loosely resemble a pipa, a classical Chinese musical instrument.

Flowing Lake, far larger, a perfect rectangle, and merrily dubbed the “World’s Largest Swimming Pool” by locals, has public swimming and water-fun facilities (separate fees).

From Pipa Lake, it’s just a short bikeway spurt to Taitung Seashore Park. Unlike the forest zone, this park is wide open, with sweeping views of the sea, mountain-backed coast southward, and mountains to the west over the low city. The moment you pop out from the trees the park’s highlight is before you – Paposogan. This is a large rattan dome with a shady viewing deck. Inside is a large rattan tree; the tree represents Earth, and the dome the surrounding universe. The orb becomes an ethereal beauty at night, glowing yellow from within.

Paposogan rattan dome

Taitung Forest Park

Time for a bite to eat. We’ll snack like the locals do, stopping at two iconic small eateries. First up is Chen Family Scallion Pancakes Oden Stinky Tofu, opened in 1986, just a few hundred meters from Paposogan on Siwei Road, a wide road with wide sidewalks. You snack sidewalk-alfresco, seated on plastic stools at small metal tables.

Prices are far lower than in the big cities; NT$100~150 brings you a mini-feast.

A-Sang Shaved Ice is closer to the city center, nearer our next sightseeing stop, the Railway Art Village. It’s in an area chock-full of small traditional-style eateries. The cheery A-Sang is a face familiar to most Taitung denizens, having faithfully manned her out-front-ofshop vendor stand for about 40 years now. Cooling shaved-ice treats, topped with such traditional sweetened goodies as adzuki and mung beans, peanuts, and chewy jelly chunks, is the perfect antidote for biking-day heat.

Items at Chen Family Scallion Pancakes Oden Stinky Tofu

"A-Sang Shaved Ice"

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SCENIC ROU TE S / TA ITUNG

Fun Taitung café/bar

Taitung City sits on a small plain, and the isolated, parklandcovered Liyu (Carp) Mountain, almost right in the city’s center, though just 75m high is an unmissable landmark. The protuberance is the “mountain” in the aforementioned mountainocean bikeway, and also key in explaining the aforementioned word “Paposogan.” In earlier times an Amis-tribe village existed at its base; the word means “in the direction of the hill.”

Today, at its east-side base is the Taitung Railway Art Village and Tiehua Music Village. These are on the site of Taitung’s former railway station and large surrounding complex of warehouses, administrative buildings, and other facilities, retired a few decades ago when unable to handle Taitung’s increasing passenger and freight traffic. The complex is now given over to an array of cultural-arts pursuits.

An old station hall and the platform, warehouses, and adjacent tracks have been converted into the art village. The neighboring music village, in a renovated railway-worker dormitory cluster, is today Taitung’s key live-music venue, showcasing both emerging and established artists. Before the music village is an expansive lawn prized as a picnicking site by Taitung citizens. Bazaars are regularly held along the broad walkway that runs through the complex, featuring traditional handicrafts, local agri-products, and cultural-creative designer items. The lawn/walkway area is festooned with small lanterns in the shape of hot-air balloons, created by local students, celebrating the annual Taitung International Balloon Festival (see East Rift Valley section below).

Beside the music village is the Fun Taitung café/bar, in a lovingly restored Japanese-style wooden structure built as a railway official’s residence. Filled with period furniture and decorations, it serves premium coffees by day and operates an outdoor barcounter and seating by night, serving Taiwan craft beers and localbrand ice creams and popsicles. This is a favorite nighttime haunt for Taitung expats, who set up alfresco to watch the walkway action – both revelers and the various street musicians.

Taitung Seashore Park

Taitung International Balloon Festival (photo courtesy of Taitung County Government)

CHEN FAMILY SCALLION PANCAKES ODEN STINKY TOFU ( 陳家四維路蔥油餅黑輪臭豆腐 ) No. 492, Sec. 1, Siwei Rd., Taitung City ( 台東市四維路一段 492 號 )

A-SANG SHAVED ICE ( 阿桑剉冰 ) (08) 932-9490 No. 204, Guangming Rd., Taitung City ( 台東市光明路 204 號 ) FUN TAITUNG ( 趣台東 ) 0912-583-269 No. 350, Tiehua Rd., Taitung City ( 台東市鐵花路 350 號 )

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South of the City Time to hit the open road. The soaring 50m-high Zhiben Forest Road Waterfall is in the Zhiben Hot Springs resort area (see this issue’s Treasure Island Foods article on page 36), about 17km south of the city. Head uphill via the side road beside the Yawan Spa Hotel; the clearly marked “Zhiben Forest Road” (Chinese) begins about 300m beyond. The well-maintained, tranquil, shady route, which is car/bike accessible, has a number of lookout spots over the resort hotels and Pacific beyond. The roadside waterfall is about a kilometer in. Macaque spottings are pretty much guaranteed.

Back on the 9, immediately south of Zhiben the mountains come down to the sea, leaving just enough space for beach, highway, and groupings of houses here and there. When this happens, look left – you’ll see the long, gentle arc of lovely Huayuan Bay, a favorite sightseer stopping-point. Best is the small highway-side park across from where County Route 62 (Dakeng Road) intersects with the highway, which has public-art installations popular as photo props.

Head up Dakeng Road to the Huayuan Lookout to take in fabulous views up-coast and down, Pacific waters of hues from pastel-green inshore to deep steel-blue out toward the mighty Kuroshio Current before, and steep farm-sculpted mountain slopes behind.

Huayuan Bay

Dragon-fruit doughnuts and herb-infused iced coffee at Sunrise Driftwood Workshop

The indigenous village of Jinlun is beside the 9, on the Jinlun River’s north side, a few kilometers from our final stop, Duoliang Railway Station. Photo buffs set up near the river close to the village for thrilling framings of the wide, generally dry riverbed and, above it, two high-pillar bridges that fly over it in tandem, with blue Pacific waters beyond. The lower is a railway bridge. The other is the stunning Jinlun Bridge, a two-year-old section of the 9 that is 3.25km long and soars above the river at 40m high. Photographers wait patiently for trains to shoot out from the mountain tunnel on the river’s south side. It is the old section of the 9 that brings you down to the river.

Installation art at Duoliang Railway Station

Flowing Lake

Taiwan

Taitung Forest Park

Taitung City

Liyu Mountain Tiehua Music Village Taitung Railway Art Village

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Chen Family Scallion Pancakes Oden Stinky Tofu

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Pipa Lake A-Sang Shaved Ice

Fun Taitung

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Paposogan

The Duoliang Railway Station, perched high above the highway up a steep switchback road, handles passengers no more. No trains stop.

But today there is more people-traffic than ever, for this has become a busy tourist attraction. The station’s roof sections now serve as viewing platforms, and a posted train schedule let’s you know when your choochoo models are due to chug past with blasting horns, “posing” for terrific shots southward taking in train, tracks, far-off mountain-tunnel entrance, winding coast-hugging highway, wave-pounded beach, and vast ocean.

I said earlier that the station was our last stop, but this was a fib. One more switchback brings us above it to a breezy rest session savoring the mountain herb-infused iced coffee, creative indigenous cuisine (try the dragon-fruit doughnuts), and sumptuous view at the Sunrise Driftwood Workshop. In a repurposed elementary school, it was opened after 2009’s devastating Typhoon Morakot to give indigenous artists a place to create sellable works made from driftwood and abandoned materials.

East Rift Valley North of Taitung City, the 9 meanders through the pastoral lyricism of the peaceful East Rift Valley, with the East Coast’s only other city, small Hualien City, just beyond its northern end. In the valley’s southern area, your two-wheeled self-propelled steed – or any other chosen tool of transport – will bring you past such major tourist destinations as the Luye Highland and the towns of Chishang and Guanshan. The Luye Highland means tea plantations, hang-gliding joy, and the summertime Taitung International Balloon Festival. Chishang and Guanshan mean dedicated bikeways transporting you through picture-perfect paddy-field tapestries (rentals available at both).

GETTING THERE & AROUND There is regular domestic flight service between Taipei and Taitung Airport, with car-rental service at the latter and regular bus service into central Taitung City. The Taitung Railway Station is a key stop on the round-island loop of the regular-rail service, with bus service into the city center. Outside the station are reputable car/scooter-rental agencies, plus a bike-rental operation (Giant).

There are also good bike-rental operations at the city's forest park, seashore park, and various downtown points.

For more info, the best online launch-point is the Taiwan Tourism Bureau website (taiwan.net.tw). As well, visit Travel in Taiwan back issues for more detailed visits to many of the places visited in this file (issuu.com/travelintaiwan).

Duoliang Railway Station

Jinlun Bridge

ENGLISH AND CHINESE Amis tribe 阿美族 Dakeng Road 大坑道路 Duoliang Railway Station 多良車站 Flowing Lake 活水湖 Huayuan Bay 華源海灣 Huayuan Lookout 華源觀景台 Liyu Mountain 鯉魚山 Pipa Lake 琵琶湖 Sunrise Driftwood Workshop 向陽薪傳木工坊 Taitung Forest Park 台東森林公園 Taitung Seashore Park 台東海濱公園 Taiwan Cycling Route No. 1 單車環島一號線 Taitung Mountain-Ocean Bikeway 台東山海鐵馬道 Taitung Railway Art Village 台東鐵道藝術村 Tiehua Music Village 鐵花村 Yawan Spa Hotel 亞灣溫泉飯店 Zhiben Forest Road Waterfall 知本林道瀑布 Zhiben Hot Springs 知本溫泉

Zhiben Forest Road Waterfall

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Huayuan Bay

Taitung County

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Jinlun Sunrise Driftwood Workshop

Jinlun Bridge Duoliang Railway Station

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Hualien Harbor

Places to Go in the East Coast’s Largest City

TE X T & PHOTOS V I S ION

This year, ten international cruise liners have been scheduled to make a visit to Hualien, including Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager of the Seas. The city’s port is also frequented by the high-speed ferries plying the Blue Highway route that connects the harbor town of Su’ao in Yilan County with Hualien City.

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ruise line operators who have chosen Hualien as one of their stops are likely to arrange tour-bus trips from shipside to one of the world’s great natural and scenic wonders, the Taroko Gorge, which is about 25 minutes from the port. If you want to stay closer to the port on your land excursion, however, there are numerous places to choose from. Following are a few.

Qixingtan

Four-Eight Highland

Pine Garden

Pine Garden

Four-Eight Highland and Chilaibi Lighthouse

This is a former Japanese military office building used by the colonial force during its time in Taiwan (1895~1945). During World War II, this was a site where kamikaze pilots were given heavenly wine before taking off in their planes for the last time.

Following the war, the building was used as a vacation resort for American military personnel. Later, it was converted into the cultural center and historical site that we see today. On the first floor is a café; on the second floor is a reading room filled with books by noted Taiwanese poets. Old pines are spread out over the grounds, making it a favorite with photographers.

Located between Hualien Port and Qixingtan, this highland has become a popular spot for Instagrammers in recent times.

Looking north, you will be presented with an amazing view of the crescent-shaped Qixingtan beach and the towering coastal mountains beyond. Qilaibi Lighthouse is off-limits to the public, but is in full view from points to the south, enabling you to take photos of it with the coastline further to the north serving as backdrop.

(03) 835-6510 No. 65, Songyuan St., Hualien City ( 花蓮市松園街 65 號 ) www.pinegarden.com.tw

Qixingtan Qixingtan is a picturesque stretch of coastline that includes a small fishing village and a pebble beach. The bay is a visitor-busy scenic area known for its gorgeous aquamarine waters and also as an ideal spot for riding a bicycle and stargazing. Swimming is prohibited because the waves and currents here are particularly treacherous, but the beach is certainly not off-limits. Vendors sell traditional Taiwanese snacks in the park area behind the beach, and there is a coffee shop and seafood restaurant in the same building as the visitor center located on the south side.

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A-Zone (Hualien Cultural Creative Industries Park) This site was originally a wine-production complex. There are 26 warehouses, which have been repurposed to create space for exhibitions and cultural-creative markets. Today, the warehouses, offices, and facilities where distilled spirits and rice wine was once manufactured have been converted into art galleries, cafés, restaurants, and shops. The former packing house, dating back to 1929, is now a venue for live music performances. The old lab where recipes for rice wines were once perfected is now the iP Gallery.

(03) 831-3777 No. 144, Zhonghua Rd., Hualien City ( 花蓮市中華路 144 號 ) www.a-zone.com.tw

H A R BOR S A N D BE YON D / HUA L IEN

Four-Eight Highland to Qixingtan

Qilaibi Lighthouse

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Hualien

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Pacific Ocean

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Hualien Station

ENGLISH AND CHINESE bianshi 扁食 Four-Eight Highland 四八高地 Dongdamen Night Market 東大門夜市 Gongzheng Buns 公正包子 Grenade Scallion Pancake 炸彈蔥油餅 Hualien Cultural Creative Industries Park 花蓮文化產業業創意園區 Hualiendaily 花蓮日日 Hualien Tourist Fishing Harbor 花蓮觀光漁港 Miaokou Black Tea 廟口紅茶 Pine Garden 松園別館 Qilaibi Lighthouse 奇萊鼻燈塔 Qixingtan 七星潭 xiao long bao 小籠包 Yixiang Bianshi 液香扁食

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Grenade Scallion Pancake

Pine Garden A-Zone Hualiendaily (Hualien Cultural Creative Industries Gongzheng Buns Park) 9丙

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Yixiang Bianshi

Miaokou Black Tea

Dongdamen Night Market

Grenade Scallion Pancake

Hualiendaily

Hualiendaily This is one of those places you might walk right past without noticing. On the first floor is a shop with cultural-creative knick-knacks and stylish daily-use items that make great gifts and souvenirs.

On the second f loor is a homestay operation providing eight cozy rooms, plus a communal space with a strong nostalgic air. In the basement you will find a space for art exhibitions and other creative events and activities.

(03) 831-1770 No. 37, Jieyue St., Hualien City ( 花蓮市節約街 37 號 )

Dongdamen Night Market

Gongzheng Buns

What to Eat and Drink in Hualien City The Yixiang Bianshi restaurant (No. 42, Xinyi St.) sells one item only: bianshi (a type of dumpling). The meat used for the filling is tasty pork hind leg. The skin of the dumplings is thin and has a smooth texture. Gongzheng Buns (No. 1992, Zhongshan Rd.) is famed for xiao long bao, or soup dumplings. The dumplings have a relatively thick, chewy skin, and a juicy filling. Grenade Scallion Pancake (No. 102, Fuxing St.) is a popular roadside snack-food operation selling deep-fried scallion pancakes in different flavors. Miaokou Black Tea (No. 218, Chenggong St.) is a breakfast joint that has been open for decades. Its most interesting feature is the steel pipes that lead to a second-floor storeroom. Open a tap and ice-cold black tea, sour plum soup, and other drinks flow out.

Dongdamen Night Market This is Hualien City’s largest night market. Its floor was laid using local black and white granite, giving it a distinct local flavor. There are over 400 stalls, providing everything from food to games. Street artists can be seen as well in this bustling market.

Some of the snacks are so popular that you have to wait in line, including roast chicken, ice made with local seasonal fruit, rolls with sausage and salty pork filling, as well as freshly roasted clams flavored with Taiwan mountain litsea.

No. 50, Zhongshan Rd., Hualien City ( 花蓮市中山路 50 號 ) TR AVEL IN TAIWAN

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Surf and Turf with Indigenous Influences Hot-Spring Cuisine in Taitung’s Zhiben Resort Area TE X T RICK CH A RE T TE

PHOTOS AS K A CHI

There is a hot-spring resort area at the mouth of a deep valley way down south just off the East Coast, Pacific rollers within view in one direction and rugged mountains in view in the three others, where an enticing combination of health- and spirit-uplifting vistas, mineral soaks, and fine cuisine awaits. Let’s head to Zhiben.

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land of islands fertile with natural landscapes of deep beauty that just happens to be located on the geologically busy Pacific Rim of Fire, Taiwan has a richness of mineral springs and hot-spring resorts that – adjusting for country size – rivals that of Japan. Many of its hundredplus hot-spring locations have been developed into resort areas, with many of these in fact originally developed by the Japanese around the turn of the 20th century after they had decided to dip their toe in the international colonialpowers game and had settled in for a spell of Taiwan rule.

The Japanese people’s love of hot-spring soaking and refined hotel/inn outings was transferred to the good people of Taiwan, and in the years after the Japanese packed up their things and headed back home for good in 1945, a distinctive Taiwanese hot-spring culture took shape.

In recent years the Taiwan Tourism Bureau (TTB) has been working closely with hot-spring enterprises, encouraging the upgrading of facilities and services to international level and the creation of holistic experiences encompassing the dual pleasures of the best in soaking and most cultivated of culinary experiences. The culinary emphasis is on health-enhancing fare that celebrates the finest local produce, from sea and land.

Last year the T TB, in cooperation with the Chinese Gourmet A ssociation, ran the f irst-ever Taiwan Top Ten Hot Springs awards competition, with a focus on fine hot-spring cuisine. A total of 14 hot-spring hotel restaurants in two categories, Banquet Dishes and Set Meals, were awarded gold medals based on these criteria: Taste and Creativity, Localness and Culture, Health, Speed and Quality, and Management. In this issue we visit two winners located in the Zhiben Hot Springs resort area, just south of the small East Coast city of Taitung. The name Century Hotel is the newest in the Zhiben hotel/inn community, while the Hoya Hot Springs Resort & Spa is among the most venerable.

Note: Both hotels offer gratis shuttle service to/from the nearby Zhiben Railway Station and the Taitung Railway Station, 25 minutes away.

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Chef Yan Ming-chuan

Hot-spring shabu shabu meal

Century Hotel – Century Shabu Shabu Restaurant Zhiben’s resort area has an outer and inner area. The former is at the entrance to a long, deep mountain valley sculpted by the Zhiben River, which empties into the Pacific coast a kilometer away. The latter is just upriver, beyond a riverbend bracketed by steep cliffs.

The large Century Hotel, in the outer area, stands behind the main resort road running beside the river. Built just five years ago, everything inside still has the feel of spanking-newness. In the common areas the décor theme is predominantly light-color stone and woods, to blend in with the natural surroundings, river before and cliff behind.

There are two room types: Scandinavian modern and Japanese with tatamis. Key facilities – there are far too many to list in full – include a hot-spring swimming pool, fitness center, reading/entertainment center, bicycle rental, and four restaurants, serving Chinese, Japanese, and mixed Chinese/international buffet fare. The crowning jewel is literally on the hotel’s crown, the rooftop Sky Hot Spring House, delivering wonderful views of river, mountains, and sea before, vine- and tree-covered clifftop behind, and everchanging skies above.

The hotel’s head chef is Yan Ming-chuan. His special hotspring shabu shabu set meal, served in the plush Century Shabu Shabu restaurant, won Set Meals gold in the 2018 Taiwan Top Ten Hot Springs awards competition. It is built around quintessential Taitung County food ingredients.

Yan grew up in small Hualien City, to the north on the East Coast, and is prized among other area chefs for his intricate knowledge of regional edibles, notably local seafood and items used by the region’s native peoples.

“For decades Zhiben was a party town,” he says, “because we were the only game in town. The road before us was lined at night with vendor stands, streaming with people. Taitung City was sleepy, with little nightlife, and tourism development along the coast and up in the East Rift Valley was limited. All that has changed, dramatically, and to keep people coming we’re working together to brand Zhiben as an upscale bathing/ dining destination. The focus is on a sophisticated, genteel health experience, not a party experience.”

The Century Hotel, says Yan, is the only hotel in the Taitung region serving shabu shabu. This is done in honor of Zhiben’s Japanese hot-spring culture roots, and because Yan TR AVEL IN TAIWAN

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feels shabu shabu is a particularly relaxing, convivial, healthful, and invigorating post-soak experience – i.e., “the Japanese got it right.”

Your meal starts off with a “canoe” topped with a line of appetizers. The canoe is a mini-log cut in half, with a shallow hollow, evoking the oceangoing canoes of the Yami (aka Tao) tribe on Taitung County’s Orchid Island. There are too many unique creations to list, but two are extra-special taste adventures. One is purple sweet-potato paste infused with lemon juice and plum juice. The sweet potato is a Taiwanese farm icon.

Another is steamed-egg paste mixed with Taiwan red quinoa, topped with a slice of shrimp and daylily stalk.

Quinoa was grown in South Taiwan indigenous villages in quantity in days past. Today, mountainsides covered in orange daylilies are an iconic East Coast tourist attraction (flower buds and stalks used in soups, etc.).

Dining at the HOYA Restaurant

The platter of fresh shabu shabu ingredients contains two particularly unusual items. One is jiao cai, the leaves of a high-mountain white mugwort varietal used in indigenous cuisine, which taste vaguely like spinach with a hint of bitterness. The other is a creation by Chef Yan that looks like a pirate’s small doubloon-filled pouches: minced pork with miso wrapped in beancurd-skin pouches.

A platter of fresh-cut assorted sashimi is also served. The great superfecund Kuroshio Current thunders by the East Coast, delivering marinelife riches like a conveyor belt. Yan himself does the seafood purchasing at local-harbor auctions. Selections are arranged around a centerpiece of filefish sculpted in the shape of a rose. The third main dish is red-snapper head with Shanghai-style hongshao sauce.

After the shabu shabu ingredients have been eaten, the delicious soup is used to create a risotto at the table, mixed with steamed egg and topped with shrimp and ground seaweed. Dessert comes as a duo. One is milk pudding topped with roselle sauce. The milk from Taitung’s Chulu Ranch is renowned island-wide and roselle is used in numerous different ways in indigenous cuisine. The other is dragonfruit, widely grown locally, wrapped in jiao cai.

Note: Main dishes are served banquet-style; portions are adjusted according to the number of set meal diners at table.

Bridge across the Zhiben River

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CENTURY HOTEL ( 知本金聯世紀酒店 ) (089) 515-688 centuryhotel.com.tw No. 30 Longquan Rd., Beinan Township, Taitung County ( 台東縣卑南鄉龍泉路 30 號 )

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TR E A SU R E ISL A N D FO O DS / TA ITUNG

Chef Zhou Sheng-jie

Hoya Hot Springs Resort & Spa – HOYA Restaurant The Hoya Hot Springs Resort & Spa, one of Zhiben’s most prestigious names, is the Century Hotel’s next-door neighbor.

Its facilities include an outdoor spa, individual private hotspring rooms, children’s play area, games room (chess/ mahjong), and the HOYA restaurant (breakfast/dinner), serving Chinese and Western fare. Rooms are European modern in styling, and there are special family rooms.

The head chef is Zhou Sheng-jie. His special hot-spring banquet won Banquet Dishes gold in the 2018 Taiwan Top Ten Hot Springs awards competition. As with the shabu shabu dining described above, Zhou’s emphasis is on celebrating the local region’s unique produce. Unlike the Century Hotel award-winner, his feast’s focus is more on Taitung’s “turf ” than its “surf.”

The chef is from the southwest city of Kaohsiung, which has a reputation as a broad-shouldered industrial powerhouse, and after visits over the mountains to Taitung County in days past he decided to move both career and life here. He loves the scenery, the friendliness and relaxed approach to life of local folk and, as a chef, the great variety and purity of Taitung kitchen-art ingredients. His banquet has 10 courses, designed for a table of 10 – too many to describe in full here, so a condensed selection of “best of the delicious best” is requisite.

Gac fruit soup

“I ve r y muc h e njoy e x per i ment i n g w it h the tremendous range of edible options that Ta it u n g pr o du c e s ,” says Zhou. “It is said that the different local i n d i g e n ou s p e op l e s ‘observe and eat what the small birds eat’; i.e., sa fe for birds means sa fe for hu ma ns. I often confer on creative pa irings with the Century Hotel’s Chef Ya n, our recognized local wise man in indigenous-cuisine and marine edibles.”

Zhou prepares his d r u n k en c h ic k en, a Chinese classic, with Honey Red Oolong tea; Red Oolong was developed in Taitung. The grilled wild turtledove is prepared with a red-quinoa sauce; indigenous hunters have traditionally caught turtledoves using ingenious snares set up in bushes along mountain paths. Coral shrimp finds a heavenly pairing with a Zhou-recipe “secret” roselle sauce; as described above, roselle is a common indigenous-cuisine ingredient. A-bai, an indigenous classic, is a type of tamale/dumpling made with millet and such seasonings as mountain cinnamon, wrapped in edible Liavilu leaf. Just before a dessert of seasonal fruits comes a hearty soup made with pork back ribs, Chinese dates, and gac fruit; the highmountain fruit, used by native folk, is available locally only at a few restaurants.

Note: Zhou states that the three most popular dishes from his hotspring banquet are the chicken, shrimp, and a-bai, and that three can be ordered a la carte by diners not choosing the banquet: the chicken, shrimp, and soup.

Coral shrimp with roselle sauce

Travel in Taiwan has been reporting on competition winners throughout this year, highlighting different resort enclaves in each issue, concentrating on those most popular with international travelers. Check out our back issues at issuu.com/ travelintaiwan.

HOYA HOT SPRINGS RESORT & SPA ( 富野溫泉休閒會館 ) (089) 510-510 www.hoyaresort.com.tw/springs/?lang=en No. 16, Longquan Rd., Beinan Township, Taitung County ( 台東縣卑南鄉龍泉路 16 號 ) ENGLISH AND CHINESE a-bai 阿拜 Chulu Ranch 初鹿牧場 East Rift Valley 花東縱谷 hongshao 紅燒 Liavilu leaf 假酸漿葉 jiao cai 角菜

Orchid Island (Lanyu) 蘭嶼 Yami (Tao) tribe 雅美 ( 達悟 ) 族 Yan Ming-chuan 顏明川 Zhou Sheng-jie 周聖捷 Zhiben Hot Springs 知本溫泉 Zhiben River 知本溪

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TE X T RICK CH A RE T TE PHOTOS AS K A CHI , R AY CH A NG , TA IPE I X I A H A I CIT Y GOD TE MPLE , TA IPE I LUN A R NE W Y E A R FESTI VA L

Taiwan Chinese NEW Year Tra Dihua Street and the Taipei Lunar New Year Festival Come explore Dihua Street in Dadaocheng, the city’s best-preserved old commercial street in one of its oldest neighborhoods, while enjoying the crowds and revelry produced by one of Taipei’s best-loved seasonal celebrations

T

he two-week-long Taipei Lunar New Year Festival is a huge public celebration leading into the Chinese New Year holidays. Centered on historic Dihua Street in the city’s heritage-rich Dadaocheng neighborhood, it is a shopping festival, with people streaming into the area to stock up on traditional New Year food goodies and auspicious decorations, and also a cultural festival, with “edu-celebration” of New Year traditions. As in other lands, the demands of modern living oblige citizens to keep their eye on the future, resulting in a waning understanding of the roots of their culture, and many of this festival’s activities are specifically designed to teach revelers the “whys” behind the seasonal things they buy out of habit.

In the lead-up to the Chinese New Year holidays in 1996, local vendors organized the first version of the festival. It has since grown almost dramatically and become a key annual city tourism attraction. Today it is overseen by the city government, with a private organization seconded to run the event. Other commercial districts have been brought in to share in the fun. These are on the city’s west side. The west district, along the Tamsui River, was the first Taipei area to develop. Over the past half-century or so the city’s economic center has shifted steadily east, leaving the west behind, and in more recent years the city government has been using the Lunar New Year Festival and other initiatives to celebrate the west’s history and revive its economic fortunes.

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Stall selling Lunar New Year goodies

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History Dihua Street sprouted amongst open, empty fields by the Tamsui River in the 1850s.

At that time there were two Han Chinese settlements in the area, Bangka (today’s Wanhua District) to the south and Dalongdong to the north. Both of these communities continue to thrive today. In 1853 fighting exploded in Bangka between immigrants from two different areas in mainland China’s Fujian Province. The losing group moved to Dadaocheng, literally meaning “large open space for (drying) rice,” and a new community grew, with shophouse-busy Dihua Street its heart and the Tamsui long its key trading artery. Though the economic fortunes eventually ebbed, this district remains north Taiwan’s largest emporium for regional specialty goods, traditional fabrics, Chinese medicines and, during the Chinese New Year lead-up, “all things traditional New Year.”

aditions

Over the past two decades major tourism-oriented renovations and beautification initiatives have been undertaken, and Taipei’s most historic street has become one of its big tourist draws. During the Chinese New Year period international self-help and tour-group travelers are a constant. Like Christmas, the New Year is essentially a private family celebration, and this festival is one of the best ways for travelers from overseas to immerse themselves in the public manifestations.

During the festival, vendors set up stands in front of their shops on Dihua Street, stacked with New Year treasure, and their hawkers vie for the attention of the great streams of humanity passing by. There is a strong party atmosphere, and samples are liberally distributed. Myriad special-theme activities are staged, concentrated on and around the Yongle Fabric Market plaza. The city mayor makes a number of appearances to pass out “good-fortune money,” inviting the inflow of wealth over the coming year.

There are art-experience activities and street performers, costume photo opps, AR photo opps, free taste-testing sessions, decorative displays highlighting New Year in different lands, postcard-sending fun, and guided tours in different languages.

Let’s now get to know some of the Dihua Street’s attractions a little bit better.

Dihua Street during the Taipei Lunar New Year Festival

Taipei Xia Hai City God Temple This is the soul of the Dadaocheng community, its religious and social center. Built in 1859 by the leaders that led the aforementioned exodus from Bangka, its main deity is the City God. The refugees had brought their patron icon in the exodus.

According to Chinese tradition, each urban agglomeration has a resident City God, who watches over local citizens and decides a person’s fate upon death, calculating their good and evil deeds.

Today’s temple retains much the same look and trappings as in the latter 1800s, for it is believed any changes may alter the good fengshui that has brought so much prosperity to the community. Considering its importance in the city, visitors are struck by the temple’s small size. Nevertheless, it is home to over 600 deity figurines, Taiwan’s highest statue density. One of these, the Old Man Under the Moon, rivals the City God in bringing visitors. He is the Chinese Cupid, and people come from all over Taiwan and East Asia to pray to this particular icon, known to be especially effective in helping people find true love.

The temple stages varied special activities during the Chinese New Year festival. The most popular features a performer dressed as the City God parading about the vicinity, spreading blessings and festive good cheer.

Taipei Xia Hai City God Temple

TAIPEI XIA HAI CITY GOD TEMPLE ( 台北霞海城隍廟 ) (02) 2558-0346 www.tpecitygod.org No. 61, Sec. 1, Dihua St., Datong District, Taipei City ( 台北市大同區迪化街一段 61 號 ) TR AVEL IN TAIWAN

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Fleisch

Learning calligraphy at Lam Sam Yick

Fleisch

Dadaocheng Visitor Center

This combination café/teahouse/bar/restaurant is in a four-story building directly across from the City God temple. The building had always been home to Chinese-medicine businesses; the landlord checked with the City God, using divination blocks, to see if the Fleisch change was OK. Staff are decked out in 1920s Dadaocheng nightlife-venue attire, and the retro interior décor evokes the fine homes of the period’s successful merchants. Fleisch sells a wide range of special themed products celebrating the area’s temple-ritual food items, floral fabrics, as well as larger themes such as National Palace Museum treasures. Unique Chinese New Year-themed items sold during the festival include auspicious decorative hangings showcasing Taiwan’s traditional paper-cut and embroidery art as well as Chinese zodiac animal table decorations.

This center is on the first floor of a multi-story former corner-shop building, in what is today called the URS44 – Dadaocheng Story House. The “URS” stands for “Urban Regeneration Station,” a reference to a Taipei City program in which heritage structures are renovated and repurposed. Creative educational activities on Dadaocheng’s history are held here, on such topics as the local tea and rice trades, markets, and temple gods. The visitor center provides a wide range of print materials, including on DIY walking tours. It also has a special facility, popular with foreign visitors, in which you can dress in 1920~1940 Dadaocheng period costumes, with downloadable pics featuring Dadaocheng backgrounds taken. The center will have all the info you need on special attractions during the New Year festival.

FLEISCH ( 福來許 ) (02) 2556-2526 www.fleisch.com.tw No. 76, Sec. 1, Dihua St., Datong District, Taipei City (台北市大同區迪化街一段76 號 ) DADAOCHENG VISITOR CENTER ( 大稻埕旅遊資訊站 ) (02) 2550-6959 No. 237, Nanjing W. Rd, Datong District, Taipei City ( 台北市大同區南京西路 237 號 )

Old Man Under the Moon cake

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Selfie time with the "City God" during the Taipei Lunar New Year Festival

DELIGHTFU L FOLK E X PER IENCE / DIHUA S TREE T

Red envelopes handed out by the city government

Auspicious paper-cut art sold by Fleisch

Little Garden

Little Garden This enterprise was born in Shanghai in 1936, by the grandfather of the present owner, who specialized in exquisite embroidered shoes. The business was moved here in 1949, as the Chinese Civil War ended. The grandfather’s handmade-treasure traditions have been faithfully continued, and the treasure vault has been much expanded, today including qipao, children’s outfits, purses, scarves, place mats, and much else. Virtually everything in the store is a possible gift or souvenir choice, each a one-and-only work of art.

Most visuals used have auspicious meaning, such as dragons (symbol of royalty and nobility), and goldfish (wealth; they look like ancient Chinese gold ingots). The custom in Chinese culture is to wear new clothing at the New Year, inviting all-new good luck.

Lam Sam Yick The f lagship store of Lam Sam Yick is located on Chongqing North Road. This is a calligraphy brush maker/seller renowned for expert craftsmanship. It also has an equally stellar reputation for its brave, creative push into an entirely new world in 2008 with the introduction of LSY, a cosmetic brush brand. Founded in mainland China’s Fujian Province in 1917, the decision to move to Taiwan was made in 1946 in the face of Chinese Civil War turbulence. After decades of success, despite its soaring reputation sales began to wane as a result of the modern-day pencil, pen, and keyboard onslaught.

Fourth-generation owner Lin Chang-long came up with the idea of building on their expertise to make high-quality makeup brushes for women and facial-cleansing brushes for men, which can also be custom-made. These upscale items are sold in such high-end retail outlets as major department stores. “Calligraphy brushes help the

ENGLISH AND CHINESE Bangka 艋舺 Dadaocheng 大稻埕 Dalongdong 大龍峒 Dihua Street 迪化街 Lin Chang-long 林昌隆 Old Man Under The Moon 月下老人 Taipei Lunar New Year Festival 台北年貨大街 Tamsui River 淡水河 Urban Regeneration Station 都市再生前進基地 URS44 – Dadaocheng Story House URS44 大稻埕故事工坊 Wanhua 萬華 GETTING THERE If using the Taipei Metro system, Daqiaotou Station on the Zhonghe-Xinlu Line (Orange Line) is closest to Dihua Street's north end, Beimen Station on the Songshan-Xindian Line (Green Line) closest to its south. Zhongshan Station and Shuanglian Station on the Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Rred Line) are about equidistant from the Lam Sam Yick store.

LITTLE GARDEN ( 小花園 ) (02) 2555-8468 taipei-shoes.com No. 2, Lane 32, Sec. 1, Dihua St., Datong District, Taipei City ( 台北市迪化街一段 32 巷 2 號 )

LAM SAM YICK ( 林三益 ) (02) 2556-6433 www.lsy031.com No. 58, Sec. 2, Chongqing N. Rd., Datong District, Taipei City ( 台北市大同區重慶北路二段 58 號 )

user in pursuing ‘inner beauty,’” says Lin, “and we now help users in pursuing ‘external beauty’ as well.” Each of their calligraphy/LSY brushes is unique, and Lin says they enjoy steady sales with overseas visitors as gift/souvenir items.

During the New Year festival, Lam Sam Yick sets up a special booth in the Yongle Fabric Market plaza, with calligraphy masters holding DIY calligraphy sessions, helping people write auspicious spring couplets, and helping them write auspicious wording on wooden prayer plates for placement in temples after drawing divination lots. This coming New Year it will also begin helping people craft unique street art, creating auspicious calligraphy on the pavement with washable ink. (Note: Calligraphy sessions are offered year-round in the main store.)

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MEISHAN Gateway to the Northern Alishan Region TE X T K IM WE INE RS PHOTOS CHE N CHE NG - KUO

The Alishan National Scenic Area, located in south Taiwan’s Chiayi County, is one of the best-known tourist destinations on the island.

If you head to its northern section, c h a n c e s a r e t h a t y o u’ l l p a s s through scenic Meishan Township.

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SM A LL-TOW N CH A R M / MEISH A N

N

estled among the foothills of the high mountains where northeastern Chiayi and southeastern Yunlin counties meet, Meishan is a quiet rural town.

Originally a stopover point between larger towns in the area, in the past Meishan was well known for its rice-cake porridge (mi gao zhou; or simply mi), sold on the bank of a small river, which spawned the area's name of Mizaikeng (lit. “rice porridge pit”). The sounds for “mei” and “mi” being similar, the name was changed to Meishan (lit. “plum mountain”) in the late 1940s. The town is the key urban center in what is now Meishan Township in Chiayi County.

As the gateway to the northern part of the Alishan National Scenic Area (www.ali-nsa.net), Meishan Township holds a great deal of cultural value in its tea and coffee shops, which dot the main road, Chiayi County Road 162, that curls up from the western flatlands into the mountains. When heading east out of Meishan town you soon enter a world of first gentle and then steep slopes covered with lush forest and betel-nut plantations.

Taking the winding road uphill is an adventure in itself. There are a total of 36 hairpin turns, known as the Taiping 36 Bends, clearly marked on maroon-background signs. As the numbers rise, so does the grandness of the views. Lookout platforms at various points along the road allow visitors to stop and marvel at the land laid out below them. Reaching the final bend, you are presented with an incredible vista of rolling hills and the wide coastal plain beyond to the west. Your trip could stop here if you wanted – the view alone is worth it.

Air Library

Light meal at Air Library

Taiping 36 Bends

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After you have left the serpentines behind, you’ll soon come to the next attraction. The Taiping Suspension Bridge, perched precariously between two hills, has a length of 281 meters and sits at an altitude of about 1,000 meters above sea level, making it one of the longest and highest suspension bridges in Taiwan. Fastened to the hillsides by thick cables, the bridge is a marvelous feat of engineering with breathtaking views. The amazing combination landscape of Chiayi and Yunlin counties, with coastal plain, foothills, and high mountains, is on full display. On a clear day it's even possible to see as far as the coastline and the Taiwan Strait beyond. Grating, which runs along about three-quarters of the bridge, allows you to see the ground sloping away directly beneath your feet.

Getting to the Taiping Suspension Bridge is very convenient. The Taiping Line Shuttle Bus runs regularly from the Meishan Bus Station in Meishan town to the bridge and back (but not on Wednesdays, when the bridge is closed for maintenance). The local authorities encourage visitors to use the shuttle bus to prevent traffic congestion on the road and around the bridge; to that end a 20% discount on your ticket to the bridge is given when taking the bus. General admission is NT$100 (NT$80 when taking the shuttle bus). Because of the popularity of the bridge and the high number of visitors, access to the bridge is limited, and you have to buy a ticket online at www.taipingbridge.tw.

After taking in the scenery from the bridge, it's time for some refreshments!

A five-minute walk further along the main road is the Air Library, a hotspot for hotpot, afternoon tea, and desserts. The eatery is furnished with second-hand material, and has a light, airy feel matching its moniker.

The owners have used discarded furniture, boxes, and other odds and ends, refurbishing them into stands, tables, and more. The stories that these objects tell of days past inspired the restaurant's name. Discarded fan cages, tofu boxes, and even radios from bygone times have found new life as decorations or plant holders. The Air Library also sells some of these items, meaning you can take a piece of the township home with you to enjoy.

As you sit down to eat, the breezy mountain air blows through the open-walled seating area. The fare is light, with many dishes – like the delectable sweet-potato balls – that are Taiwanese classics which have been given a unique taste twist. The Air Library is the perfect spot to take a break during your trip and soak in the refreshing atmosphere. Its hours of operation are in line with those of the Taiping Suspension Bridge; the Air Library is closed on Wednesdays.

Okasan Coffee

Taiping 36 Bends

Chiayi County Taiping Old Street

162甲

Taiping Suspension Bridge 162甲

Taiwan

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Air Library

Okasan Coffee's fluffy egg cakes

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Taiping Suspension Bridge

AIR LIBRARY ( 空氣圖書館 ) (05) 257-2366 9am~6pm (closed Wednesday) No. 2-12, Xiakengzai, Taiping Village, Meishan Township, Chiayi County ( 嘉義縣梅山鄉太平村下坑仔 2 號附 12) OKASAN COFFEE ( 黑咖賞 ) 0933-655-706 8am~7pm No. 39-7, Taiping, Taiping Village, Meishan Township, Chiayi County ( 嘉義縣梅山鄉太平村太平 39-7 號 )

HOW TO GET THERE Meishan Township eagerly welcomes visitors, and local government authorities have made it exceptionally easy to get there despite the rural location. From the Chiayi Railway Station, take buses no. 7304, 7315, or 7323 to Meishan town's bus station where you can transfer to the Taiping Line Shuttle Bus. If driving, take National Freeway 3 and exit at the Meishan Interchange. From there, follow the signs to Chiayi County Road 162A, which takes you up to the suspension bridge and Taiping village.

ENGLISH AND CHINESE flowering maple 紅燈籠 Meishan 梅山 Meishan Catholic Church 梅山天主堂 mei 梅 mi 糜 mi gao zhou 米糕粥 Mizaikeng 糜仔坑 Taiping 36 Bends 太平 36 彎 Taiping Line Shuttle Bus 太平線公車 Taiping Old Street 太平老街 Taiping Suspension Bridge 太平雲梯

Meishan Catholic Church

From the Air Library, take the side road that leads into the village of Taiping and the Taiping Old Street and you’ll soon reach Okasan Coffee. This quaint café serves beverages and unique dessert creations. The fluffy egg cakes, stuffed with sweet mochi, are a one-of-a-kind combination. Their shape is equally unusual, recalling both Chinese lanterns and a flower with similar contours (the flowering maple). The shop also serves tea eggs and winter melon tea with plum flavor. Enjoy your selected treats in the cozy interior or outside in the garden area right beside.

If you're enjoying the laid-back vibe that Taiping exudes, continue on to the Taiping Old Street, where you’ll find a collection of small shops and cafés selling local specialties and old Taiwanese cuisine favorites.

After driving back down toward the plain, experiencing the 36 bends again, you’ll be back in the town of Meishan. If you have an interest in visiting local churches, make time for the Meishan Catholic Church. It is a rather simple affair, but worth checking out is the statue of a kneeling and praying Jesus outside the church and, inside, an interesting small statue of Mary and Jesus, Mary wearing what resembles the robe of a Chinese emperor.

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an

YANSHUI

in Ta

A Little Town That Charms

TE X T STE V E N CROOK

Octagon Pavilion

PHOTOS V I S ION

A rural district in the far north of Tainan City, the town of Yanshui is mainly known for the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival. For the local faithful this is an important religious ritual; for the young and daring, however, it is more of a crazy thrill. Except for this event, Yanshui is quiet and peaceful for most of the year, which is good news if you come to explore the town’s old streets and alleys.

F

or a good chunk of Taiwan’s modern history, i.e. since Han Chinese started migrating across the Taiwan Strait in numbers in the early 1600s, Yanshui ranked as one of the island’s four most important settlements. Before the 20th century, trade between one part of Taiwan and another depended on boats.

Unfortunately for Yanshui’s merchants, throughout the 19th century accumulating sediment pushed the Taiwan Strait ever further away, at the same time blocking the channels cargo vessels had to navigate to reach the port. The town ceased to be an entrepot of importance, and in the early 20th century was overtaken by other places on the main north-south railroad, completed in 1908.

Because the town has never sprawled, it’s possible to walk from the northernmost attraction, the Wu Temple, through the old downtown to Yuejingang Riverside Park in less than 20 minutes. But it’s unlikely you’ll want to move so quickly during a visit. Yanshui’s backstreets reward those willing to explore every nook and cranny.

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The Wu Temple, founded in the late 17th century, is dedicated to Guan Gong, a leading light in Taiwan’s folk pantheon. Said to have been a general who lived and died in China more than 1,800 years ago he’s now worshiped by businesspeople and police officers, among others.

Almost every depiction of Guan Gong shows him with a crimson complexion and a halberd-like weapon in his hand. The larger-than-life statue of the god that stands in the grounds of the Wu Temple follows these conventions, and it’ll likely catch your eye before you notice the Yanshui Cultural Museum, a rather humdrum building located between the statue and the temple.

Much of the museum is devoted to the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival, which celebrates the godly intervention that defeated a cholera outbreak in the town in the 1880s. As the epidemic worsened, townsfolk urged Guan Gong to intercede. They carried effigies of the deity through the streets, burned joss paper, and hurled

SM A LL-TOW N CH A R M / YA NSHUI

Yongcheng Theater

Yuejingang Riverside Park

WU TEMPLE ( 武廟 ) 0925-137-596 No. 87, Wumiao Rd., Yanshui District, Tainan City ( 台南市鹽水區武廟路 87 號 )

YINFENG ICE SHOP ( 銀鋒冰果室 ) (06) 652-2202 No. 1, Zhongshan Rd., Yanshui District, Tainan City ( 台南市鹽水區中山路 1 號 )

AH-JI YI MIAN NOODLE SHOP ( 阿姬意麵 ) (06) 652-5078 No. 2-8, Zhongshan Rd., Yanshui District, Tainan City ( 台南市鹽水區中山路 2-8 號 )

HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC CHURCH ( 鹽水天主堂 ) (06) 652-1174 No. 19, Ximen Rd., Yanshui District, Tainan City ( 台南市鹽水區西門路 19 號 ) (closed Monday and Tuesday)

Holy Trinity Catholic Church

firecrackers in every direction to drive off the evil forces haunting them. This shock and awe campaign did the trick. The disease quickly receded, but this deafening-yet-thrilling ritual has been repeated each year ever since.

The night of the “beehives” is the only time each year when outsiders inundate Yanshui, but the town is worth visiting any day of the year. The unique building known as the Octagon Pavilion, for instance, is best appreciated when there are no crowds. This two-floor structure was built in 1847 for a salt-and-sugar magnate. Many of the materials used in its construction, such as China fir and blocks of limestone, came from China as ballast on ships returning near-empty after shipping Taiwanese commodities to the mainland.

If you’re hungry, now is a good time to make a sustenance stop. A stone’s throw from the Octagon Pavilion, the Yinfeng Ice Shop serves a wide range of fresh juices and shaved-ice dishes to take out or enjoy on-site.

Stomachs craving hot food should seek out the unpretentious dish that’s come to be associated with Yanshui. Yimian consists of wheat noodles usually served with some pork gravy and bean sprouts, flavored with a little crushed garlic.

Portions tend to be quite small, so order a soup to go with your noodles.

Having refueled, the obvious direction to go is south, to the Yongcheng Theater. This elegant and carefully restored building was originally a rice mill, but was later transformed into a place where locals could watch movies and enjoy the occasional live-theater performance.

From the theater, it’s less than 100m to the Yuejingang Riverside Park.

You’d never guess it from the site’s green and pleasant appearance, but this is where the merchant junks of old used to tie up and unload. Some of that era’s atmosphere is preserved south of the park, along the Qiaonan Old Street, said to be Yanshui’s oldest thoroughfare. At least a dozen of the single-story houses here, mainly built of wood, predate the official closure of the port in 1900.

Yanshui also boasts what’s probably Taiwan’s most remarkable Christian place of worship, the Holy Trinity Catholic Church. The interior is as dazzlingly colorful as the most ornate Buddhist or Daoist temple. Zoom in on the mural of The Last Supper: The men have Asian faces and hairstyles, wear traditional Chinese clothes, and eat steamed buns with chopsticks.

GETTING THERE If you don't have your own means of transport, you'll find getting to Yanshui by public transportation is a piece of cake. Take a train to Xinying Railway Station, walk to the bus station not far from the train station, and board one of the 50-plus Brown Line services each day for the 20-minute journey to Yanshui.

ENGLISH AND CHINESE Guan Gong 關公 Octagon Pavilion 八角樓 Qiaonan Old Street 橋南老街 Yanshui 鹽水 Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival 鹽水蜂炮

Yanshui Cultural Museum 鹽水文物陳列室 yimian 意麵 Yongcheng Theater 永成戲院 Yuejingang Riverside Park 月津港親水公園

Shaved ice

Yimian

Yanshui Cultural Museum Wu Temple

Taiwan

Yanshui Octagonal Pavilion

Holy Trinity Catholic Church

Yinfeng Ice Shop Ah-Ji Yi Mian Noodle Shop Yongcheng Theater Yuejingang Riverside Park

Qiaonan Old Street

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SM A R T TR AV EL

TE X T & PHOTO V I S ION

Smart Theme Park Visits Where to Find Info about Taiwan’s Foremost Playgrounds

Lineup APP

Lihpao Land theme park

T

island, making it easy to find practical information, such as ticket prices and opening hou rs. T he app is cu rrent ly available only in Chinese.

In addition, you can download a helpful s m a r t p h o n e a p p n a m e d “ Ta i w a n Theme Parks” ( 台 灣 主 題 樂 園 ). It has links to 22 theme parks around the

If you’re worried about long lines, note that the app Lineup can be used for two major theme parks, Leofoo Village in Hsinchu County and Janfusun Fancy World in Yunlin County. With this app on your phone, you can visit either of the two parks and schedule your time for going on rides.

This allows you to skip waiting lines and go straight through the gate when your time has arrived. Since the service needs a Bluetooth connection to work, you have to be inside one of the parks, close to the

aiwan is home to a large number of international-caliber theme parks, each offering fun for the whole family, and each with different themes and facilities. If you are interested in visiting these attractions and wish to know where they are located and what facilities and services they offer, go to the following website: www.themepark.net.tw (available in seven languages). You’ll find useful information about 25 theme parks around Taiwan on the site.

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desired rides. When in proximity, use the app to choose a time and the number of people in your group, and then return to the ride shortly before your designated time. You simply need to show the number that has been given to you on the app to the staff at the ride.

Note that until the end of the year, a nu mber of t heme pa rk s a re of fer i ng special off-season discounts on entrance tickets for loc a l tour groups, a nd on accommodations for loc a l individua l travelers. Children aged 12 or younger are also being given one-time free admission to these parks.

Hotels of Taiwan North Taoyuan City

Taipei City

Keelung City

New Taipei City

Hsinchu City Hsinchu County

common is that serve and hospitality are always of the highest standards. The room

Central Nantou County

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

Taichung City

Yunlin County

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

Yilan County

Miaoli County

Changhua County

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

rates in the following list have been checked for each hotel, but are subject to change without notice. Room rates at the hotels apply.

Hualien County

Chiayi City Chiayi County

Outlying island

Tainan City

Northern Taiwan Kaohsiung City

Taitung County

East

Central Taiwan

East Taiwan

CAESAR PARK TAIPEI

HOTEL REVE TAICHUNG

TAIPEI GALA HOTEL

ORIENT LUXURY HOTEL

YIYUAN RESORT

GLORIA PRINCE HOTEL TAIPEI

Pintung County

THE GRAND HOTEL MADISON TAIPEI HOTEL

South

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

CAESAR PARK TAIPEI 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: English, Japanese, Chinese

RestauRaNts: 2F Checkers, 3F Dynasty Restaurant

sPecial featuRes:

e-Lounge, Banquet, Meeting Room, GYM, SPA, Roof Garden, Free Wi-Fi,Room Service, Laundry, Luggage Storage, Valet parking service

TAIPEI GALA HOTEL 慶泰大飯店

Taipei 台 北

GLORIA PRINCE HOTEL Taipei

THE GRAND HOTEL

華 泰 王子大 飯 店

圓山大飯店

Taipei 台 北

No. of Rooms: 160

No. of Rooms: 220

No. of Rooms: 500 (Suites: 57)

Room Rates: Single Room Deluxe Single Room Deluxe Triple Room Suite Room

Room Rates: Single / Deluxe / Executive NT$ Suite NT$

Room Rates: Single/DBL Suite

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

6,400 7,000 9,000 12,000

Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: English, Japanese, Chinese RestauRaNts: Golden Ear Restaurant (Western semi buffet); Golden Pot (Chinese Cuisine) sPecial featuRes: Business center, meeting rooms, airport transfer service, parking lot, laundry service, free Internet access, LED TV, DVD player, personal safety box, mini bar, private bathroom with separate shower & bath tub, hair dryer

6,000- 8,500 9,500-20,000

Taipei 台 北

NT$ 8,800-15,800 NT$ 22,000-36,000

(All rates are subject to 10% service charge.)

Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: English, Japanese, Chinese

Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: English, French, Spanish, and Japanese

RestauRaNts: L’IDIOT RESTAURANT & BAKERY (Western), CHIOU HWA RESTAURANT (Chinese)

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

sPecial featuRes: Coffee Shop, Fitness Center, Business Center, Meeting and Banquet Facilities,Laundry Service, Non-smoking Floor, Parking Lot, Airport Transfer Service

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. 186, Songjiang Rd., Taipei City 台 北 市 松 江 路 186 號 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

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

Tel: +886-2-2541-5511 Fax: +886-2-2531-3831 Reservation Hotline: +886-2-2541-6888 E-mail: reservation@galahotel.com.tw

No. 369, Linsen N. Rd., Zhongshan Dist., Taipei City 台北市林森北路3 6 9 號 Tel: +886-2-2581-8111 Fax: +886-2-2581-5811

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

taipei.caesarpark.com.tw

www.galahotel.com.tw

www.gloriahotel.com

www.grand-hotel.org

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MADISON TAIPEI HOTEL 慕軒飯店

Taipei 台 北

HOTEL RÊVE TAICHUNG

ORIENT LUXURY HOTEL

威汀城市酒店

嘉楠風華酒店

Taichung 台 中

No. of Rooms: 124

No. of Rooms: 125

No. of Rooms: 144

Room Rates: Classic Room Deluxe Room Oasis Room Madison Room Skyline Suite Madison Suite

Room Rates: Standard Double Room Business Double Room Family Queen Room Deluxe Family Suite Family Suite Executive Suite

Room Rates: Elegant Twin Elegant Double Deluxe Family Monarch Family Wind Twin Wind Family

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

14,800 16,800 18,800 20,800 60,000 90,000

NT$ 5,200 NT$ 7,000 NT$ 8,000 NT$ 9,000 NT$ 10,000 NT$ 10,000

Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: English, Chinese

Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: English, Japanese, Chinese

sPecial featuRes: Workout Room, VIP Rooms, Underground Parking, Italian Restaurant, Whisky Bar

RestauRaNts: RÊVE Kitchen (6:30-10:30 Daily Breakfast)

Chiayi 嘉 義

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

4800 4900 6400 6800 7600 9200

sPecial featuRes:

No. 100, Sec. 1, Minsheng Rd.,Daya Dist., Taichung City 台 中 市 大 雅 區 民 生 路1 段1 0 0 號 Tel: +886-4-2568-0558 Fax: +886-4-2567-7134 E-mail: service@reve.com.tw

No. 232, Siwei Rd., West Dist., Chiayi City 60085, Taiwan, R. O. C. 嘉 義市 西區四維 路232號 Tel: +886-5-2330000 Fax: +886-5-2341234 E-mail: chiananwind@gmail.com

www.madisontaipei.com

www.hotel-reve.com.tw

NT$1,300

NT$1,500

NT$1,300

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No.21, Ln. 6, Sec. 3, Fengping Rd., Shoufeng Township, Hualien County 花蓮縣壽豐鄉豐坪路三段6巷21號 Tel: +886 -3 -865-1166 Fax: +886 -3 -865-3678

3-Day Southern Taiwan Tour

NT$1,500

(Tainan, Kaohsiung, Kenting) (Taiwan High-Speed Rail – Bullet Train Ride) 三天二夜 台南 ˙ 高雄 ˙ 墾丁深度之旅 ( 含台灣高鐵體驗 )

www.yiyuanresort.com.tw

NT$14,500

台北市松江路 190 號 4F

4-Day Central & Southern Taiwan Tour

(Stay at Sun Moon Lake)

(Stay at QingJing)

(Sun Moon Lake, Kaohsiung, Kenting) 四天三夜 台灣中南部觀光 ( 日月潭、高雄、墾丁 )

4-Day Eastern Taiwan Tour NT$6,600

NT$6,900

(Yilan, Hualien, Taitung) (Taiwan Railway Train Ride) 四天三夜 海岸、縱谷豐富之旅 ( 宜蘭、花蓮、台東 ) ( 含臺灣鐵路體驗 )

5-Day Round Taiwan Island Excursion NT$12,500

(All hotels are 5-star hotels) 五天四夜 台灣環島巴士之旅 ( 全程五星級旅館 )

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

Edison welcomes contact with other travel services around the world.

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Activities during the evening: Mochi-making, indigenous song and dance performance

NT$1,500

NT$4,200

6,800 8,200 9,800 11,200

Activities during the day: Bicycling, paintball, archery, tea-drinking, fish-feeding

www.chiananwind.com.tw

NT$1,200

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

(All rates are subject to 10% service charge)

Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: English Japanese Chinese

NT$1,500

Hualien 花 蓮

Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: English, Chinese

No. 331, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd., Taipei City 台 北 市 敦 化 南 路1 段 3 31 號 (8 minutes by foot from Exit 2 of MRT Xinyi Anhe Station or Exit 4 of MRT Da’an Station) CHM Central Reservations: +886-2-7706-3600 Tel: +886-2-7726-6699 Fax: +886-2-7726-9070 E-mail: guestservice@madisontaipei.com

NT$1,500

Landscaped Double Room Classic Double Room Landscaped Quad Room Classic Quad Room

(All rates are subject to 10% service charge)

sPecial featuRes: Business Center, Conference Room, Fitness Gym, Parking Lot, Laundry, Bike Renting, Free Wifi, Personal Electronic Safety Box

NT$1,300

怡園渡假村

No. of Rooms: 92 Room Rates:

sPecial featuRes: Hotel Facility, Iron Wind Bar, Conference Rooms, Gym, Entertainment Room, Game Room, VIP Lounge, Business Center, Pet Room, Self-service Laundry Facility, Magic Castle, KTV Karaoke, Nursing Room, Tesla Charging Station

- Recommended by Michelin Guide Taipei - Luxury City Hotel by World Luxury Hotel Awards - Top 10 Popular Hotels for Business Travelers by Hotels.com

YIYUAN RESORT

NT$ 14,000

NT$ 15,500

NT$ 16,900 本廣告受交通部觀光局補助

Shilin Residence Traveler

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