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No. 61, 2014
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City Exploration
Taichung City TOP TEN TOURIST TOURS Sanxia and Yingge
BACKPACK BUS TOURS Kaohsiung’s Dashu District
FOOD JOURNEY
Peanut Production in Yunlin Skateboarding in Taiwan Sea of Flowers in Xinshe Hiking Mt. Bilu and Mt. Yangtou
Welcome to Taiwan! Dear Traveler, Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and I hope you enjoy our island’s winter warmth as all of us here happily prepare for the holidays. Taiwan’s people, always f riendly and inviting, become even more jovial and warm-spirited at this time of year. In this issue we take you to cities and into the countryside, through the plains, into the foothills, and up, up, up into the high mountains. In our Feature we tour the dynamic city of Taichung in central Taiwan, escorting you to its best night markets and to many of its young, attractive, energy-f illed cultural-creative attractions, among which are intriguing boutique hotels housed in buildings of historical value. In our Splendid Festivals section we go into the Taichung countryside to farm-carpeted Xinshe District, in the central-mountain foothills, and spend a day amidst the great f ields of pastel colors at the popular Sea of Flowers in Xinshe festival. We head f urther south on the west-central plain in our Food Journey article intriguingly entitled “The Black King Kong of Yuanchang,” on an exploration of one of Taiwan’s key areas of peanut cultivation, then move f urther south still in this issue’s Backpack Bus Trip, visiting Kaohsiung City’s rural Dashu District, which has a character well captured in our writer’s chosen title – “Old Industry, Natural Wetland, Strong Liquor, Religious Center.” In our Hiking department, as promised we go up into Taiwan’s soaring mountains, conquering majestic Mt. Bilu and Mt. Yangtou on a challenging and rewarding three-day hike in powerf ully picturesque and geologically unparalleled Taroko National Park. Most visitors to Taiwan use Taipei as their portal, and for those of you who do not have time to meander around the rest of our land we of fer a number of articles on things to do in our busy, vibrant capital. In our Special Report we sample three of the city’s f inest health-food restaurants. In Active Fun we tell you all about the local world of skateboarding, including where to buy gear and where to play. In Top Ten Tourist Tours we visit Sanxia and Yingge, just southwest of Taipei and easily reached via public transport, the former known for old-time Taiwan culture, the latter for ceramics production. I wish you warmth and joy in this festive season – the most wonderf ul time of our year!
David W. J. Hsieh Director General Tourism Bureau, MOTC, R.O.C.
CONTENTS January ~ February 2014
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PUBLISHER David W. J. Hsieh Editing Consultant
Producer Vision Int l Publ. Co., Ltd. Address Rm. 5, 10F, 2 Fuxing N. Rd., Taipei, 104 Taiwan
Where you can pick up a copy of Travel in Taiwan
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TEL: 886-2-2711-5403 Fax: 886-2-2721-2790 E-MAIL: editor@v-media.com.tw endy L. C. Yen General Manager W rank K. Yen Deputy General Manager F Editor in Chief Johannes Twellmann English Editor Rick Charette DIRECTOR OF PLANNING & EDITING DEPT Joe Lee MANAGING EDITOR Gemma Cheng EDITORS Ming-Jing Yin, Chloe Chu, Nickey Liu CONTRIBUTORS Rick Charette, Stuart Dawson, Owain Mckimm, Eric Bratt, Paul Naylor, Hanré Malherbe PHOTOGRAPHERS Jen Guo-Chen, Maggie Song, Zenith Lin ART DIRECTOR Sting Chen DESIGNERS Fred Cheng, Maggie Song, Eve Chiang, Karen Pan ui-chun Tsai, Nai-jen Liu, Xiou Mieng Jiang Administrative Dept H
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台 灣 觀 光 雙 月 刊 Travel in Taiwan The Official Bimonthly English Magazine of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau (Advertisement) January/February, 2014 Tourism Bureau, MOTC First published Jan./Feb., 2004 ISSN: 18177964 GPN: 2009305475 Price: NT$200 www.tit.com.tw/vision/index.htm Copyright @ 2014 Tourism Bureau. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without written permission is prohibited.
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At the CMP Block Museum of Arts in Taichung (photo by Jen Guo-Chen)
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FEATURE
10 Taichung: City on the Move — Taichung Park and Yizhong Area — Science Museum and Art Museum Area — Tunghai University and Fengjia Area
1 Publisher’s Note 4 Taiwan Tourism Events 6 News & Events around Taiwan 8 Concerts, Exhibitions, and Happenings
21 Hospitality 32 Fun with Chinese 54 Nostalgia
TOP TEN TOURIST TOURS 22
Yingge & Sanxia — A Day Spent Exploring Two Interesting Districts in New Taipei City
HIKING 26
Mt. Bilu and Mt. Yangtou — A Challenging and Rewarding Three-Day Hiking Outing
SPLENDID FESTIVALS
28
28 The Sea of Flowers in Xinshe Festival — Wading through an Inland Sea – of Flowers
OLD STYLE/NEW IDEAS 34
From Art Brush to Beauty Brush — A Young Entrepreneur Explores New Ways to Apply an Age-Old Craft
BACKPACK BUS TRIP 38
46
Old Industry, Natural Wetland, Strong Liquor, Religious Center — Riding the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Dashu Line
SPECIAL REPORT 42
Healthful Eating and Delicious Flavors — Three of the Finest Health Food Restaurants in Taipei
FOOD JOURNEY 46
The Black King Kong of Yuanchang — Visiting a Peanut Farm in Southern Taiwan
ACTIVE FUN 50
Skateboarding in Taiwan — A Day at a Small Skatepark in Downtown Taipei
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Travel in Taiwan
TAIWAN TOURISM EVENTS
Wintertime
Festivals
Flowers and Lanterns at the Start of the Year
Mar.
2
In contrast to countries with colder climates, the blooming of trees doesn’t start in spring in Taiwan but earlier, in late winter, when plum and cherry trees add color to parks and hillsides around the land. Another colorful happening early in the year is the annual Lantern Festival, which marks the end of the Chinese New Year festival period and is celebrated with a number of exciting cultural events, including the sky lanterns of Pingxi and the beehive fireworks of Yanshui.
New Taipei City Wanjinshi International Marathon ( 萬金石國際馬拉松 ) Locations: Pacific Green Bay, Wanli District, New Taipei City ( 新北市萬里區太平洋翡翠灣 ) Tel: (02) 2998-1382 ext 501 (Sports Office, New Taipei City Government) Website: www.wanjinshimarathon.com Road running has become extremely popular in Taiwan in recent years, and there will be around 30 full marathons, as well as many shorter runs, longer ultra-marathons, and challenging triathlons in Taiwan and its offshore islands in 2014. (For a full list, visit www.taipeimarathon.org.tw/contest.aspx?lang=en-US .) One of the earliest races of the year is the Wan Jin Shi International Marathon, one of Taiwan’s three major annual marathons. The other two are the Taroko Gorge Marathon (Nov. 1) and Fubon Taipei Marathon (Dec. 21). The route follows the scenic highway along the north coast through the districts of Wanli, Jinshan, and Shimen (“Wanjinshi”). There will be a full and a half marathon, as well as a 6km training run.
Feb.
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Mar.
Feb.
Mar.
A Spring Walk among Early Cherry Blossoms at Wuling Farm ( 春郊早櫻武陵行 )
Yangmingshan Flower Festival ( 陽明山花季 )
Location: Wuling Farm, Heping District, Taichung City ( 台中市和平區武陵農場 ) Tel: (04) 2590-1257 Website: www.wuling-farm.com.tw
Location: Yangmingshan, Beitou District, Taipei City ( 台北市北投區陽明山 ) Tel: (02) 2720-8889 Website: www.taipei.gov.tw
Wuling Farm is officially part of Taichung City, but in terms of character it could not be further from the dense urban concentration at the core of Taiwan’s third-largest city. The farm is located high up in the northern reaches of the Central Mountain Range, off scenic Highway 7A. In spring, the farm attracts flower lovers in large numbers, who come to enjoy the pink and crimson blossoms of the farm’s many cherry trees. Paired with the breathtaking mountain panoramas, the cherry blossoms are a sight to behold. While visiting the farm, go on a hike to beautiful Taoshan Waterfall, learn about the protected landlocked salmon in Qijiawan Creek, and taste the farm’s fresh temperatezone produce.
Much easier to reach from the closest lowland areas than Wuling Farm, but offering an equally mesmerizing feast of floral beauty, Yangmingshan National Park, less than an hour by bus from downtown Taipei, is at its most beautiful in February/March. Apart from blooming cherry trees on the mountain slopes, flower lovers from near and far are also delighted by azaleas and camellias. There are countless hiking trails in the verdant high-mountain park, many suitable for the whole family, and if you’d like a hot, relaxing bath after a day exploring Mother Nature’s delights, there are many options for soothing hot-spring fun in the area.
Travel in Taiwan
JANUARY~FEBRUARY
Feb.
23
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Taiwan Lantern Festival ( 台灣燈會 )
Location: Zhongxing New Village, Nantou County ( 南投縣中興新村 ) Tel: (049) 222-2106~9 Website: nweb.nantou.gov.tw/web/2014taiwanlantern (Chinese) The Chinese New Year holiday season traditionally ends two weeks after the first day of the new year in the lunar calendar (Chinese New Year falls on January 31 this year), with the Lantern Festival (also called Yuanxiao Festival). Many cities and townships celebrate the occasion with special Lantern Festival activities. The biggest event is the Taiwan Lantern Festival, staged by a different selected city or county each year. Nantou County will be the host this year, and the festival grounds will be in Zhongxing New Village north of Nantou City, which is home to the Taiwan Provincial Government. Since 2014 is the Year of the Horse according to the Chinese zodiac, the prominent main lantern will be in the shape of a horse. There will be five main lantern exhibition areas and four “special feature” areas, all highlighting the many attractions Nantou County has to offer.
mid
End
Dec.
Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival ( 新北市平溪天燈節 )
Locations: Shifen, Pingxi, and Jingtong, New Taipei City ( 新北市十分，平溪，菁桐 ) Tel: (02) 2960-3456 Website: tour.ntpc.gov.tw One of the most popular Lantern Festival events takes place in the town of Pingxi and neighboring villages of Shifen and Jingtong. Pingxi is located east of Taipei City and can be reached by public transport, notably by train on the Pingxi Railway Branch Line or bus on the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle’s Muzha-Pingxi Route. Sky lanterns, simple paper lanterns constructed with a thin wire frame that are usually 120~150cm tall, can now be sent to the sky year-round, with local lantern-shop operators supplying the lanterns and travelers writing wishes on the outside, but doing so during the Lantern Festival is an especially memorable experience because the large crowds release hundreds of lanterns into the night sky at a time, creating a wonderful image. Apart from its sky lanterns, the Pingxi area has numerous other attractions, including scenic Shifen Waterfall, old village streets, and majestic mountain vistas.
Feb.
13
Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival ( 鹽水蜂炮 ) Location: Yanshui Wu Temple, Yanshui District, Tainan City ( 臺南市鹽水區鹽水武廟 ) Tel: (06) 652-1264 Website: www.wumiao.idv.tw (Chinese) In sharp contrast to the peaceful scenes at Pingxi, the old community of Yanshui in southern Taiwan, offers a completely different type of celebration during the Lantern Festival. The Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival is said to be the thirdlargest folk celebration in the world, and is one of the most representative religious events in all of Taiwan. Hundreds of thousands of tiny rockets are ignited during the event, going off in all directions. Many revelers come for the thrill of standing right in the line of fire, wearing full-face motorcycle helmets and thick coats for protection, the coats often suffering serious singeing by the time the last rocket has been fired. Locals believe that this inferno-like spectacle helps protect the area from calamity and other troubles and brings good fortune in the year to come.
Travel in Taiwan
5
WHAT'S UP
News & Events around Taiwan
Event
Rubber Duck in Keelung
Humble House Taip ei
The giant, floating yellow rubber duck, created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, that has been on exhibit in Taiwan since last September, first in Kaohsiung Harbor and then on a lake in Taoyuan County, can now be seen in the northern port town of Keelung. The 18-meter tall inflatable duck can be viewed until February 28 from the Keelung Maritime Plaza, not far from Keelung Railway Station. More than 6 million people are expected to make the trip to Keelung, one hour by commuter train from Taipei Railway Station. Crowds will be especially large during the Chinese New Year holiday period (Jan. 30 ~ Feb. 4).
Hotels
Transportation
New Hotels in Taiwan
Taiwan Bus Tour Options
The following four hotels have recently been added, or will be added soon, to Taiwan’s flourishing hotel sector. Design and art are prominent features at Humble House Taipei (humblehousehotels.com ) in Taipei’s Xinyi District, operated by Taiwan-based art and antiques dealer My Humble House. The hotel has 235 guestrooms, with room rates starting at NT$9,900. The Mandarin Oriental Taipei (www.mandarinoriental. com/taipei/ ) on Taipei’s Dunhua N. Road, scheduled to open this April, is all about comfort and luxury. It has 256 spacious guest rooms and 47 suites, including two magnificent presidential suites, each with private spa and gym. The Miramar Hotel Hsinchu (www. miramar-hsinchu.com ) is a modern hotel conveniently located close to the city’s well-known science park and National Freeway No. 1. It has 141 guest rooms and suites, and offers international-standard services. Yoo Shan Grand Hotel (www.yooushan-hotel.com.tw ) is a new hotel in Puli, a town located in the mountains close to the geographical center of Taiwan. A special feature of the hotel is its Revolving Restaurant, which has a 360° rotation and affords great views of the Puli Basin day and night.
Self-help travel in Taiwan is safe and very convenient. You can circle the island using the main railway lines, use the connected High Speed Rail system for travel between Taipei and Kaohsiung and to major cities on Taiwan’s west side, make use of branch railway lines to get to mountainarea attractions further inland, and ride the mass rapid transit systems to explore Kaohsiung and Taipei cities. To get to places of interest not serviced by this system, you have two excellent bus options: the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle (www.taiwantrip.com.tw ) and Taiwan Tour Bus (www.taiwantourbus.com.tw ) services. The first includes 31 routes connecting major transportation hubs with tourist spots around the island, and the second has a total of 64 guided tour packages to the island’s major attractions. In a recent survey, travelers were asked about their favorite offerings from both services. For the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle service, the Sun Moon Lake Route got the most votes, followed by the Zhuzihu Route (to Taipei’s Yangmingshan National Park) and Lion’s Head Mountain Route (to places in Hsinchu/Miaoli counties). The most popular Taiwan Tour Bus tour was the Wushantou-Guanziling Hot Springs & Cuisine OneDay Tour, followed by the Kinmen-Lieyu and Jincheng Town One-Day Tour and Hengchun Peninsula West Coast Half-Day Tour.
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Travel in Taiwan
Travel Information
Fun Hualien App If you plan to visit eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County, you might consider downloading the mobile-phone app Fun Hualien ( 玩 樂花蓮 ), available for both Android and iOS devices. The free app, available in Chinese and English versions, presents you with a wealth of information about traveling in the county, one of Taiwan’s most attractive areas. You will find detailed introductions of all major tourist attractions as well as info on transportation, accommodation, dining, shopping, and more. Download the app from either Google Play or iTunes.
Tourist Attraction
New Attraction at Raohe Street Night Market The popular Raohe Street Night Market, close to Taipei’s Songshan Railway Station, has a new tourist attraction, and it is not food-related. Located at one entrance to the market, near Ciyou Temple, you will find the “Matsuyama-Dogo Onsen Blessing Mechanical Clock,” a 6.6-meter-high work of art co-created by Ciyou Temple and the city of Matsuyama in Japan’s Ehime Prefecture. The Songshan area, where the night market is located, was named after Matsuyama (both names are written with the same Chinese characters) during the period of Japanese colonial rule of Taiwan (1895~1945). Each hour the clock comes to life with a deity-laden treasure ship and various figurines appearing, including a rickshaw-riding lady, traders on foot, a violin-playing maiden, and the goddess Mazu with her assistants Shunfenger (“Ears that Hear with the Wind”) and Qianliyan (“Eyes that See a Thousand Miles”). The whimsical, magical show, with music accompaniment, lasts nearly three minutes.
Airlines
China Airlines and Tourism Bureau Partnership In an attempt to attract the attention of global travelers at international airports, China Airlines has partnered with the Taiwan Tourism Bureau to paint one of its aircraft with images promoting Taiwan as a travel destination. Images on the fuselage of the Airbus 330-300 feature themes such as ecology, romance, fine cuisine, shopping, and culture. The aircraft is used on routes to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and mainland China, all key inboundtourism markets for Taiwan.
Travel in Taiwan
E-Magazine App Travel in Taiwan is also available as an e-magazine edition in the Apple Newsstand. iPad users can now enjoy more content, and a convenient interactive reading experience. The e-magazine contains more images than the print version, some of which can be shown in full-screen mode, and also has multimedia content such as audio and video clips. The user-friendly interface allows for convenient navigation through the magazine. Download the magazine free of cost from the app store and read it on you mobile device!
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! We, the producers of Travel in Taiwan , wish to improve our magazine with each issue and give you the best possible help when planning – or carrying out – your next trip to Taiwan. Tell us what you think by filling out our short online questionnaire at v-media.com.tw/survey/travelintaiwan.html . Senders of the first 10 completed questionnaires for each issue will receive three free issues of Travel in Taiwan . Thank you in advance for your feedback.
Travel in Taiwan
7
CULTURE SCENE
Concerts, Exhibitions, and Happenings
Taiwan has a diverse cultural scene, with art venues ranging from international-caliber concert halls and theaters to makeshift stages on temple plazas. Among Taiwan's museums is the world-famous National Palace Museum as well as many smaller museums dedicated to different art forms and aspects of Taiwanese culture. Here is a brief selection of upcoming happenings. For more information, please visit the websites of the listed venues. February 7 ~ March 30 National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center
Taiwan International Festival of Arts 台灣國際藝術節 This year, the annual Taiwan International Festival of Arts (TIFA) has “Unlimited Classics around the Globe” as its theme. Established and upcoming artists from Taiwan and abroad have been invited to perform; their works include drama, dance, music, and many interdisciplinary artistic genres. There will be a total of 68 performances by troupes from 13 countries, presenting modern theater, Taiwanese opera and hand-puppet theater, ballet flamenco, experimental dance, classical, exotic, indigenous music, and much more. For detailed info about all performances, visit the festival’s website at http://tifa.ntch.edu.tw
January 11 ~ 24 ATT Show Box
Le Noir
Until February 16 National Museum of History
Monet: Landscape of Mind 印象 • 經典：莫內
This exhibition presents 55 works by French Impressionist painter Claude Oscar Monet (1840~1926), on loan from the collection of the Musée Marmottan Monet, located in Paris. The paintings are grouped under five themes: Monet’s Friends and Portraits, Caricatures, Monet’s Voyage, Monet’s Garden, and The Ultimate Works. As a special feature, flowers related to these themes can be viewed at the same time in the Taipei Botanical Garden, adjacent to the National Museum of History, evoking the ambiance of Monet’s Garden.
Until March 16 National Palace Museum
Qianlong C.H.A.O. New Media Art Exhibition 乾隆潮－新媒體藝術展 This is a very unusual exhibition for Taipei’s National Palace Museum. While the topic, Qianlong, the famed emperor from China’s Qing Dynasty (1644~1912), is nothing out of the ordinary for the museum, the exhibition’s form certainly is. The emperor is presented with the help of different modern media, including electronic music, video games, and manga-based animations, with heavy reliance on modern technology. The idea behind the exhibition is to allow you the visitor to become Qianlong yourself, for instance by inserting yourself into an animation or having the character of your attire incorporated into the design on a vase from Qianlong’s collection of artworks. For detailed info about the exhibition, visit theme.npm.edu.tw/exh102/qianlongchao .
暗黑馬戲雷諾瓦
Described by critics as “sexy Cirque de Soleil,” Le Noir is a spectacular show featuring circus acrobatics and gymnastics-like performances. The action takes place on a round stage that brings performers and spectators into intimate proximity. Difficult balancing acts and elegant gymnastic moves by the highly trained, attractive performers are interspersed with seductive dances by ladies in sexy costumes. The show is highly entertaining, fast-paced, and at times hilarious, with lots of audience interaction. It premiered in 2012 in Japan, and has since enjoyed great success in Singapore as well.
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Travel in Taiwan
Until March 2 National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
The Frozen Wooly Mammoth: Yuka 長毛象 YUKA 特展 A woolly mammoth and a rhinoceros that were frozen in permafrost after their deaths are the stars of this exhibition. Both specimens date back more than 39,000 years. The mammoth was named “Yuka” because it was discovered in a place called Yukagir in Siberia, in 2010. A young female mammoth that died at the age of 10, it has a length of 3 meters and stands 1.65 meters tall. The rhino, named “Kolyma,” was discovered in 2007 in Siberia’s Kolyma River. It is 2.9 meters long and 1.2 meters tall. Beyond these two highlights, more than 200 other prehistoric animal specimens are also presented in this exhibition.
Until February 16 Taipei Fine Arts Museum
Intersecting Vectors – Experimental Projects from the TFAM Collection 斜面連結─典藏展實驗計畫 This exhibition of works from the collection of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum is distinctive in terms of the approach used in choosing the art pieces. Instead of following conventional methods for grouping the art the curators have picked works from disparate groupings, such as art form or historical context, and exhibit them together, thus creating an exhibition that is able to elicit more imaginative views of the museum collection by the visitor. On display is a wide range of works, including oil paintings, black & white photographs, installation art, ink paintings, wall projections, and more.
Venues Taipei Taipei Zhongshan Hall （台北中山堂）
Add: 98, Yanping S. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市延平南 路 9 8 號 )
Tel: (02) 2381-3137 www.csh.taipei.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: Ximen
Taipei International Convention Center （台北國際會議中心）
Add: 1, Xinyi Rd., Sec.5, Taipei City ( 台北市信義 路五段 1 號 )
Tel: (02) 2725-5200, ext. 3517, 3518 www.ticc.com.tw Nearest MRT Station: Taipei City Hall
National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall（國立中正紀念堂） Add: 21 Zhongshan S. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市中山南 路 21 號 )
Tel: (02) 2343-1100~3 www.cksmh.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: CKS Memorial Hall
National Concert Hall（國家音樂聽） National Theater（國家戲劇院） Add: 21-1 Zhongshan S. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市中山南 路 21-1 號 )
Tel: (02) 3393-9888 www.ntch.edu.tw Nearest MRT Station: CKS Memorial Hall
National Museum of History （國立歷史博物館）
Add: 49 Nanhai Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市 南 海路 4 9 號 )
Tel: (02) 2361-0270 www.nmh.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: CKS Memorial Hall
National Palace Museum （國立故宮博物院）
Add: 221 Zhishan Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei City ( 台北市至 善路 2 段 2 21 號 )
Tel: (02) 2881-2021 www.npm.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: Shilin
National Taiwan Museum （國立臺灣博物館）
Add: 2 Xiangyang Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市 襄 陽 路二號 )
Until February 16 Huashan 1914 Creative Park
The Story of “A Hundred Steeds” – An Educational Interactive Show 繪動的百駿圖互動科技教育展 The display of ancient artworks using the latest technologies has of late become increasingly popular in Taiwan. Instead of merely standing in front of a static piece, museum visitors are now used to touching screens and watching animations when exploring the art of times gone by. This exhibition follows the trend by presenting a famous 300-year-old painting from the Qing Dynasty in a variety of ways, including as an oversized projection on a curved wall, as a 3D rendering, in a detailed audio-visual introduction, and via various interactive installations.
Tel: (02) 2382-2566 www.ntm.gov.tw Nearest MRT Station: NTU Hospital
Novel Hall（新舞臺） Add: 3 Songshou Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市松 壽路 3 號 )
Tel: (02) 2722-4302 www.novelhall.org.tw Nearest MRT Station: Taipei City Hall
National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall （國立國父紀念館）
Add: 505 Ren-ai Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City ( 台北市仁 愛 路 四 段 5 0 5 號 )
Tel: (02) 2758-8008 www.yatsen.gov.tw/en Nearest MRT Station: Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
Taipei Arena（台北小巨蛋） Add: 2 Nanjing E. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City ( 台北市 南 京 東 路 4 段 2 號 )
Tel: (02) 2577-3500 www.taipeiarena.com.tw Nearest MRT Station: Nanjing E. Rd.
Taipei Fine Arts Museum （台北市立美術館）
Add: 181 Zhongshan N. Rd., Sec. 3, Taipei City ( 台北市中山北 路 3 段 181 號 )
Tel: (02) 2595-7656 www.tfam.museum Nearest MRT Station: Yuanshan
Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei（台北當代藝術館） Add: 39 Chang-an W. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市長 安 西 路 3 9 號 )
Tel: (02) 2552-3720 www.mocataipei.org.tw Nearest MRT Station: Zhongshan
TWTC Nangang Exhibiton Hall （台北世貿中心南港展覽館）
Add: 1, Jingmao 2nd Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市經貿二路 1 號 )
Tel: (02) 2725-5200 Nearest MRT Station: Nangang Exhibition Hall
ATT Show Box Add: 12, Songshou Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市松壽路 12 號 ) Tel: (02) 7737-8881 www.attshowbox.com.tw Nearest MRT Station: Taipei 101/World Trade Center
Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts （關渡美術館）
Add: 1 Xueyuan Rd., Beitou District, Taipei City ( 台北市北投區學園路 1 號 ) Tel: (02) 2896-1000 www.kdmofa.tnua.edu.tw Nearest MRT Station: Guandu
Taichung National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts（國立台灣美術館） Add: 2 Wuquan W. Rd., Sec. 1, Taichung City ( 台中市五權 西 路 一段 2 號 )
Tel: (04) 2372-3552 www.ntmofa.gov.tw
Tainan Tainan City Cultural Center （台南市立文化中心）
Add: 332 Zhonghua E. Rd., Sec. 3, Tainan City ( 台南 市中華東 路 3 段 332 號 )
Tel: (06) 269-2864 www.tmcc.gov.tw
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts（高雄市立美術館） Add: 80 Meishuguan Rd., Kaohsiung City ( 高 雄 市美 術館 路 8 0 號 )
Tel: (07) 555-0331 www.kmfa.gov.tw Nearest KMRT Station: Aozihdi Station
Kaohsiung Museum of History （高雄市立歷史博物館）
Add: 272 Zhongzheng 4th Rd., Kaohsiung City ( 高 雄 市中正四 路 27 2 號 )
Tel: (07) 531-2560 http://163.32.121.205 Nearest KMRT Station: City Council
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FEATURE
Taichung
City on the Move Text: Rick Charette
Photos: Jen Guo-Chen
Long a city with an unusual hybrid blue-collar/academic character, serving the factories that powered Taiwan’s famed economic miracle and home to numerous universities, Taichung is fast reinventing itself as a city of dynamic cultural sophistication. Everywhere you look, it seems, you see cranes and crews putting up new buildings or fixing and prettying up old ones.
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TAICHUNG National Taiwan Museum of Fine Ar ts
The city,
which ate up surrounding Taichung County in 2010, has a total population of over 2.6 million, with just over 1 million in the urban core. This core is known for its roominess. There is park space aplenty, and big museums, spacious restaurants, and sprawling teahouses. In numerous locations broad meridians separate parallel road sections lined with restaurants, cafés, boutiques, and galleries. Known for having Taiwan’s most pleasant weather – drier than Taipei in the far north and cooler than Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s second city, in the far south – Taichung’s pace is noticeably laid back. To give you a taste of what the city has to offer, following we present samplers of three major districts of distinctive character.
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FEATURE
Taichung Park and Yizhong Area Sights Taichung was founded in 1721 by immigrants from mainland China. The original settlement was called Datun, or “Big Mound.” Today, tranquil 20-hectare Taichung Park occupies the hillock and surrounding area upon which the original settlement was built. Designed and opened in 1903 by the Japanese when they controlled Taiwan, it is a key city landmark and a designated heritage site. Its best-known structure is the lovely Lake Heart Pavilion, which hovers over the waters of small Sun Moon Pond. The lake was formed from the original wetlands here, and the pavilion was built by the Japanese in 1908 to serve as a rest area for a Japanese prince in attendance at a ceremony celebrating the arrival of the railway in Taichung. Other park attractions are Taiwan’s only remaining Chinese watchtower, built in the 1880s, classical-style arch bridges, the magnificent old Japanese-planted banyan trees, and rowboating on the pond. The park and nearby Japanese-built Taichung Railway Station, an attractive Renaissance-style structure opened in 1917, are the hubs of the city’s old district.
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Food During the famed Taiwan Economic Miracle of the 20th century’s second half, when the local economy expanded at breakneck pace, islanders knocked down old buildings at equal pace to make way for the new. Today there is equal passion for preserving the country’s architectural heritage, and Taichung boasts many fine showcase projects. Miyahara (www.miyahara.com.tw ), a maker of confections, has saved and renovated a Japanese-era eye-clinic building at 20 Zhongshan Road and a 1960’s credit-cooperative building at 72 Zhongshan. At both, modern glass-and-steel additions are fused splendidly with the original exteriors. Both Miyahara outlets have a delicious array of fresh-made ice creams for sale. Specially recommended are those made with in-season Taiwan fruits, notably Hami melon, mango, lychee, passionfruit, and
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4 banana. Both also have an upscale Chinese-cuisine restaurant on the second level. In addition, 20 Zhongshan has a large library-theme display area for Miyahara gift and souvenir packages – pineapple cakes, sun cakes, soft candies, and more. The sun cake and pearl milk tea (bubble tea) are Taichung’s most famous contributions to the snack-treat world. The first sun cakes saw the light of day in 1954 at what is today called Tai Yang Tang Lao Dian (www.sunbooth.com.tw ; Chinese) at 25 Ziyou Street, now operated by the second generation. The round, flat pastry has a shell of flaky, paper-thin layers created with phyllo dough and a maltose filling that is neither greasy nor too sweet. Originally made with pig lard, today vegetable oil is used. The cakes are a popular gift choice. With numerous secondary, post-secondary, and what are called “cram” schools in the area, Yizhong Street Commercial District, home to one of Taichung’s most popular night markets, is like a giant kitchen for students. Because of its primary clientele, prices are low, low, low, though the food is terrific and the quality of the youthfashion clothing and adornments good. All night-market snacking classics are here – stinky tofu, oyster omelets, bubble tea – but among the most iconic Yizhong Street comestibles are giant fried chicken steaks, with Yizhong Hao Da Jipai the go-to stand, and the shavedice desserts, especially at Yizhong Fengren Bing, its signature treat a tangy shaved-ice concoction with sweetened kidney beans, condensed milk, plum juice, and ice creams made with fresh local fruit.
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1. Chinese watchtower at Taichung Park 2. L ake Hear t Pavilion at Sun Moon Pond 3. Miyahara 4. Sun cakes 5. Yizhong Commercial Distric t 6. Miyahara ice cream 7. Yizhong Fengren Bing shaved ice 8. Yizhong Street night market
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Accommodation The Reloading Hotel (www.reloadinghotel.com ) is a young and stylish small backpacker-friendly hotel located in a rescued/renovated old market building that was once the hub of Taichung’s corridorlike Electronics Street, which still thrives, busy with small shops visible from the lobby restaurant area. The hotel features a unique circuit-board decorative theme. There are 47 rooms, with rates starting at NT$1,800. The owners actively cooperate with the city government in efforts to rejuvenate the surrounding history-rich neighborhood, and the hotel serves as base for regular guided history tours (English guides available; contact the hotel for details). English and Chinese (Taichung Park & Yizhong Area) Datun 大屯 Lake Heart Pavilion 湖心亭 Miyahara 宮原 Reloading Hotel 綠柳町文旅 Taichung Park 台中公園 Tai Yang Tang Lao Dian 太陽堂老店 Yizhong Fengren Bing 一中豐仁冰 Yizhong Hao Da Jipai 一中豪大雞排 Yizhong Street Commercial District 一中街商圈 1. Guestroom of Reloading Hotel 2. Elec tronics Street 3. Bathroom of Reloading Hotel
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Science Museum and Art Museum Area Sights The large National Museum of Natural Science (www.nmns.edu.tw ) was Taiwan’s first science museum. The world-class facility has halls with exhibits, primarily targeting young minds and those young-at-heart, with space, science, the life sciences, human cultures, and the global environment as themes. Perhaps of greatest interest to foreign visitors is the Human Cultures Hall, with sections on Chinese culture, agriculture, spiritual life, and grand scientific achievements, as well as on Taiwan’s indigenous peoples. Beside the museum is an attractive and expansive botanical garden. The major attraction at this facility is a tall glass and steel structure which houses a simulated tropical rainforest complete with intermittent rain. Outside are areas of vegetation showcasing Taiwan’s different regions. The artwork-decorated Calligraphy Greenway (www.calligraphygreenway. org.tw ) is a green belt that stretches from the science museum all the way to large Civic Square and then on to include the Art Museum Parkway (see below). It runs parallel to Zhongxing Street, in a trendy neighborhood defined by upscale retail outlets, restaurants, and cafés, art galleries and other art attractions, and cultural-creative boutiques. Civic Square, site of the much-loved annual Taichung Jazz Festival, is always busy on weekends with buskers and other entertainment. On the corner where the greenway and square meet is the swank CMP Block shopping complex, which has Taiwan’s iconic Eslite Bookstore as its
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4 4. CMP Block Museum of Ar ts 5. Hotel One Taichung 6. Ar t Museum Park way
main tenant. The greenway-facing sidewalk seating outside the block’s street-level outlets, such as Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts and, most delectably, Le Blé d’Or, a home-grown Taiwan microbrewer, is a big draw. Beside block and greenway is the CMP Block Museum of Arts, an open-air museum in a well-manicured park-like setting brimming with public artworks and 11 small covered facilities choc-a-bloc with the imaginings-made-real of young creative artists. The magnificent National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (www.ntmofa.gov.tw ) went through five years of renovations after being damaged in the great earthquake that struck Taiwan in 1999, emerging larger and with an even more visually dynamic interior and exterior. The emphasis here is on works by Taiwanese artists, and exploration of the unique characteristics of modern Taiwanese visual arts. The facility is set amidst a large and well-manicured grassy park dotted with striking public artworks that invites visitors to lay down for a good read or a snooze. Across from and perpendicular to the museum’s entrance is the multi-block Art Museum Parkway, a green belt lined with restaurants, cafés, boutiques, cultural-creative bookstores, art galleries, and other tourist draws. A pedestrian/ bicycle pathway traverses the middle, bringing visitors past dozens of compelling public artworks. At night the area is bathed in soft, romantic lighting. A global buffet is offered; among the culinary choices are Taiwanese, Taiwan indigenous, Shanghainese, Indian, Tex-Mex, Italian, and Greek.
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FEATURE Shopping Close to the art museum and parkway, Angel LaLa (www.facebook.com/puregarden ; Chinese) looks outside and inside like a small white rabbit-hutch-style cottage in a Western forest. It is filled with bright pastel colors and stuffed with cute items featuring teddy bears, rabbits, and other cuddly figures. The majority are imported, but an ever-increasing range of the offerings are one-of-a-kind designs created by the owner. Fantasy Story (www.fantasystory.com.tw ; Chinese) is a Taichung group dedicated to saving and giving new life to old buildings down the city’s alleys, primarily old residential structures in the Civic Square district. Facilities are fixed and spruced up, and any existing tenants can stay on, at reasonable rents. The group serves as an incubator for small, independent cultural-creative businesses, providing quality spaces at attractive rates. One of its projects is a row of twostory working-class flats on Lane 117, Meicun Road (some families still resident). Among the cluster of intriguing microshops here is Why Not? (www. facebook.com/whynot.wack ; Chinese), which can be reached via a narrow outside stairway made of colorful kid-style building blocks. A splendid world of clever kitsch awaits inside, including small robot-typewriter hanging decorations, cartoon-animal pouch purses – even panties-shaped coin pouches and a cross on which Santa has replaced Jesus.
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Food Located on the Art Museum Parkway, 1924 Shanghai Restaurant (www.theme.net.tw ; Chinese) is fitted out with plush touches that evoke the sumptuous elegance of the Bund and Nanjing Road – the retro furniture, chandeliers, poetic couplets, waitresses in cheongsams, vintage photos, and old-time music evoking the glamour of decadent, bewitching old Shanghai. Regional Jiangzhe cuisine is featured, lighter and less sweet to satisfy Taiwan diners’ palates. Among the best choices are such classics as Dongpo pork, “drunken chicken,” stir-fried eel with leek, and braised carp with scallion. Popular Retro/mojo coffee (www.mojocoffee.com.tw ), close to the art museum and parkway, is one of a pair of indie cafés run by a local with a passionate aversion to chain outlets. Like its sister, Retro/ mojo is not spacious or luxuriously decorated, but it is bright, open, and comfortable, dressed up in Nordic style, with a look akin to the welcoming corner area of a big library. All coffee-making equipment is specially imported. Costs are kept low, and quality high, by importing and house-preparing all beans – fully one-third of Taichung’s cafés/ coffeeshops purchase the house mojo blends. All coffee is fair trade and/or eco-friendly; among the café’s charity endeavors are fundraising live-band performances on Saturday nights (cover charge), generally jazz, blues, and folk. A short walk from Civic Square is the café Robot Station (www. facebook.com/robot.station ; Chinese), a place of pleasant whimsy. In a converted two-story Western-style home, as you walk through the
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TAICHUNG Accommodation
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The newly opened boutique Hotel Day+ Taichung (www.hotelday.com.tw/ Birds/index.html ; Chinese) is on a broad, curving, leafy boulevard in a quiet, upscale neighborhood not far off busy Taiwan Boulevard, a key city thoroughfare. The neighborhood, with many stand-alone twostory homes, has many expatriate residents. The hotel, in a renovated office building, has been given a modern, stylish exterior. Inside, the styling is minimalist chic. The rooms, which start at NT$5,000, are bright, the white bedding, carpeting, and ceilings, white-paint and light-wood walls, and glasswall washrooms and shower stalls creating a sense of space. There is a fine bar/café, restaurant with Italian, French, and Chinese flavors, and compact yet airy glass-wall game and exercise rooms.
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shaded outdoor seating area a life-size warrior robot gazes down at you from above the entrance. Scores of toy robots inhabit the window space, and scores of old licence plates from all over North America adorn the walls. In the bathroom, the washstand stands in the original bathtub, now an aquarium with little fish swimming about. The menu is Western diner-style – the sandwiches, baked pocket sandwiches, and quesadillas especially tasty. The Fantasy Story Green Ray facility is near Civic Square on Zhongxing 1st Lane. Here, glass walls and exposed steel frames have been dynamically introduced to a long-abandoned line of traditional-style Chinese houses of red brick and ceramic-tile roofs built over 60 years ago. Inviting, homey Isabella’s (www.facebook.com/isabellaxcafe ; Chinese), a café/ restaurant at one end, is decked out with Western country-style handmade decorations created by the owner during her many years living in British Columbia. Isabella’s dishes range from Taiwanese and Korean to Asian fusion and sandwiches.
English and Chinese (Science Museum & Art Museum Area) Angel LaLa 夢幻家居•小屋雜貨 Art Museum Parkway 美術綠園道 Calligraphy Greenway 草悟道 Civic Square 市民廣場
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1. Angel L aL a 2. Shop renovated by Fantas y Stor y 3. Produc ts at Why Not? 4 & 5 1924 Shanghai Restaurant 6 & 7 Retro/mojo cof fee 8 & 9 Rob ot Station 10 & 11 Isab ella’s 12 & 13 Hotel Day+ Taichung
CMP Block 勤美誠品 CMP Block Museum of Arts 勤美術館 Fantasy Story Green Ray 范特喜 - 綠光計畫 Hotel Day+ Taichung 台中鳥日子 : 承億文旅 National Museum of Natural Science
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國立自然科學博物館 National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts 國立台灣美術館 1924 Shanghai Restaurant 新月梧桐 - 國美店 Why Not? 壞那手創雜貨
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FEATURE
Tunghai University and Fengjia Area Sights It’s not common that the campus of a school is a tourist attraction, but that of Tunghai University (www.thu.edu.tw ) is. The busy city has grown past and enveloped it, but within the perimeter walls you’ll find a sprawling, treeshaded oasis of calm. A great many buildings in the wooded 139-hectare grounds are in the style of the Tang Dynasty, China’s golden age of arts and culture – square, squat, and colonnaded. The style is markedly subdued and elegant in comparison to the ebullient and sometimes garish styling of the Ming and Qing periods. Amidst this setting, a modern contrast is provided by the abstract Luce Memorial Chapel, built in 1963, designed by a renowned Sino-American architect to look like a pair of hands touching in prayer. Be sure to visit the Tunghai Dairy, a cottage-style shop where milk and delicious treats – the ice cream is delectably creamy – made with milk from the school’s oncampus experimental farm are sold.
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TAICHUNG Shopping Despite its name, Tunghai Art Street (www.tunghai-art.com.tw ; Chinese) in fact takes up a number of streets and alleys in an enclave filled with creative types of nonmainstream personality. There are culturalcreative outlets of myriad character, their collective defining character individuality of spirit (and independence of ownership). The owner of Li Yun Jewellery (liyun.smartweb. tw ; Chinese), at 8, Lane 8, Yishu (Art) Street, creates exquisite one-of-a-kind jewelry art that compellingly captures the spirit of ancient Chinese culture. At Deer Wood (tw.myblog. yahoo.com/yuan_0080 ; Chinese), located at 2-55 Zhongzhe Road, browse the eclectic collection of wood furniture and household decorations, some imported, some handcrafted by local artists. Hukurou (www.hukurou. com.tw ; Chinese), at 3-4, Lane 39, Yishu (Art) Street, is a little corner of nirvana for young ladies who love cute little trinkets; the lines of owl-shaped essential-oil dispensers and owl-theme jewelry are a hoot. At Master Liu’s Eyeglasses (0426337078.tw.tranews. com ; Chinese), at 25 Yishu Nan (Art South) Street, Liu crafts stylish glasses tailored to the individual customer using a self-invented hook design (i.e., no screws) and materials that gives eyewear almost unlimited elasticity.
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1. Tunghai Universit y 2. Tunghai Dair y ice cream 3. Luce Memorial Chap el 4. Tunghai Universit y 5. Shop at Tunghai Ar t Street 6. Tunghai Ar t Street 7. Li Yun Fengjing Fang jewelr y 8. Hukurou 9. Deer Wood 11 10. Eyeglasses master Liu
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Getting Around
Along with the earlier-mentioned Yizhong area, Fengjia Night Market is one of Taichung’s two most popular night markets. A sprawling, pulsating place of excitement with over a thousand vendors, this is said to be Taiwan’s largest night market. The market is spread out before Feng Chia University and takes its name from the school, but in addition to students you’ll see many families and adult couples and groups mixed within the streaming lines of people. Whether the source of or there in response to the clientele, the shops and street vendors here are a little more upscale compared to Yizhong, though prices are still pleasantly low.
Taichung’s bus system has improved immeasurably in recent years. Since 2010 the number of routes in greater Taichung has more than doubled, per-month ridership has also almost doubled, and measured public satisfaction was second only to Taipei in 2012. Use an EasyCard and ride free for your first 8 km. Check out the city’s Dynamic Bus Info & Transit System site at http://citybus.taichung.gov.tw/eweb/default. aspx . The Taichung High Speed Rail Station and Taichung Railway Station are hubs for bus routes; for information on visitor information centers that can help you with route information, visit http://eng. taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002168 and travel.taichung.gov.tw . The 24H International Community Service Hotline is 0800-024-111.
It is possible to buy just about anything here, from clothes and accessories to pets, glasses, music CDs, cellphones, and handicrafts. But the main attraction is the food snacks. Two of the most popular stands – look for the unusually long lineups – are almost side by side in the market’s wide entrance area before the gates of Feng Chia University. Both make wonderfully delicious and filling concoctions that would without doubt qualify as soul food if served up in North America. Guan Zhi Lin Dachang Bao Xiaochang offers what is often translated directly as “big sausage wraps little sausage,” though there is only one actual sausage involved. Pork sausage is griddled until the skin caramelizes, placed in a “bun” of fried sticky rice (the other “sausage”), and savory condiments including sweet and spicy chili sauces, pickled Chinese cabbage, and crunchy dried radish bits are added. Ban Yue Shao is a crispy-skin pancake of sweet-potato starch, created on a griddle, folded like a sandwich, and stuffed with fried egg, your choice of marinated meat, cheese if desired, and stir-fried basil, green onion, and other yummies.
English and Chinese (Tunghai University & Feng jia Area) Ban Yue Shao 半月燒 ''big sausage wraps little sausage'' 大腸包小腸 Deer Wood 小鹿木工坊 Feng jia Night Market 逢甲夜市 Feng Chia University 逢甲大學 Guan Zhi Lin Dachang Bao Xiaochang 官芝霖大腸包小腸 Hukurou 芙格鹿手創館 Le Blé d'Or 金色三麥 Liyun Jewellery 李雲風情坊 Luce Memorial Chapel 路思義教堂 Master Liu's Eyeglasses 劉師傅手作眼鏡 Tunghai Art Street 東海藝術街 Tunghai Dairy 東海乳品小棧 Tunghai University 東海大學
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3 1 & 2 At Fengjia Night Market 3. Ban Yue Shao
HOSPITALITY Could you please tell us a bit about yourself? Amber: My name is Amber, and I have been working as ground staff for EVA Air for the past 14 years. Mira: My name is Mira, and I have been with China Airlines for the past four years working as ground staff. What are your responsibilities as ground staff? Mira: I work at our check-in counters helping travelers with checkin and boarding, and also attend to the needs of travelers in our VIP lounge. Amber: I have had different responsibilities, from working at checkin counters to VIP lounges to both departure and arrival halls. What has been your experience helping travelers? Amber: It can be challenging at times, especially if there are flight delays, which are difficult to predict. Travelers can get impatient and upset, and our task is to keep everyone informed.
“Wish You a
Mira: I really enjoy my job, meeting and assisting all types of travelers. We handle many travelers from abroad and it can be a challenge communicating with people speaking in different languages.
Good Flight!” Meeting the Ground Staff of Local Airlines
Working as ground staff at an airport can be a challenging job. Travel in Taiwan recently sat down with two young ladies who work at Taipei Songshan Airport to find out what it’s like to serve travelers day in day out.
Have you had any especially interesting encounters with foreign travelers? Mira: My most recent one – we assisted a traveler who came to Songshan Airport but soon found his plane was actually leaving from Taoyuan. We often help visitors find their way around the airport, or help them travel to places in the city. Amber: We once found a travel bag in our VIP lounge left behind by a tour-group leader. When we opened the bag we found that it contained a large amount of cash. So I had to take it to the police station. The traveler called us later and was very grateful that we had taken care of his bag. Do you have any special recommendations for visitors to Taiwan? Amber: I especially like the islands of Penghu, and Taiwan’s other outlying islands as well. For stopover travelers I recommend visiting Taipei 101. Mira: If travelers want to experience the local food, I tell them about our night markets. If they want to try foods that are unique, I might recommend stinky tofu or oyster omelets. Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers? Mira: We welcome everyone to fly to Taiwan with China Airlines! Amber: We wish you a good flight with EVA Air, and welcome you to Taiwan! Travel in Taiwan
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TOP TEN TAIWAN TOURS
Yi n g g e & Sanxia
Pot ter y DIY at Yingge
Yingge Ceramic s Museum
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YINGGE/SANXIA
A Day Spent Exploring Two Interesting Districts in New Taipei City Text: Eric Bratt
Photos: Maggie Song
If you are interested in ceramics, dyeing, and history, a day-trip to Yingge and Sanxia is perfect for you. These two former towns, now formally “districts” within what is called New Taipei City, offer wonderful insight into the island’s history and traditional crafts. And as is the case with many trips in Taiwan, there is delicious food and plenty of history and culture to enjoy.
Sanxia Old Street
Zhenxing Noodle Shop At Qingshui Zushi Temple
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TOP TEN TAIWAN TOURS
This day-trip to the southwestern portion of New Taipei City is great for individuals, couples, or entire families. Despite the fact that I am not artistically inclined, on my first trip to the area, taken recently, I was happy to find that I could visit a ceramics museum and try my hand at dyeing clothes. What made things all the better is Yingge’s and Sanxia’s close proximity to Taipei City. The short commute from the metropolis makes for a very relaxing and enjoyable outing. I began the day by taking a train from Taipei to Yingge. From the station I walked to the Yingge Ceramics Museum, the bright sunshine and gusty breezes making for a beautiful lateautumn day. I arrived at the museum at 10 a.m., and had an hour to check out the grounds before joining a guided tour. What initially impressed me most was the open-air style of the museum – the grounds and lobby areas seemingly fused into one through the liberal use of glass, giving the facility a grandiose quality. However, I noticed the groups of schoolchildren walking around seemed far more enthralled by the sculptures decorating the atrium. There is a great deal of green space surrounding the museum, which I found to be particularly pleasant on such a gorgeous day.
The grounds and lobby areas of the museum are seemingly fused into one through the liberal use of glass, giving the facility a grandiose quality During the tour I learned that the bright and beautiful museum was opened 13 years ago with a mission to educate the Taiwan public about Yingge’s unique role in the history of Taiwan ceramics. The first floor provides an introduction to traditional ceramicproduction methods in Yingge and Taiwan. The explanations are clear, and I learned how masters in ceramics are
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able to produce pieces of unique colors, molds, and designs. The second floor is dedicated to history, and consists of four exhibition halls introducing the history of ceramics in Taiwan and exploring the relationship between ceramics, religion, and architecture. A seemingly countless number of ceramic works provides a window into the past. Ranging from the mundane – rice bowls and teapots – to the sacred – Daoist statues and Buddhist icons – these pieces well express the artistic genius of the craftsmen. Note: The gift shop is also well stocked with locally produced handicrafts.
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my pleasant morning at the museum, I moved on to the next stop on my itinerary: Sanxia Old Street. Upon disembarking after a 15-minute bus ride, I both heard and felt a rumbling in my stomach, and launched a search for my lunch. I found the Zhenxing Noodle Shop, which had been recommended, and ordered a bowl of oil noodles with a side order of pickled cucumber, washing it down with delicious black tea. The owner of the shop told me that black tea, like wine, ages well over time, and that his tea is aged for more than a year. As it was almost 2 p.m., I hurriedly finished my food and moved on. Unfortunately, I only had one stomach to fill, and wasn’t able to stop at every food stand that looked appealing. However, I did sample some of the excellent fare at the very affordable Dong Dao Diner Pavilion. This restaurant specializes in traditional local Taiwanese specialties, offering a multitude of dishes that run from NT$$40 to NT$200. Now with a full stomach, I headed off to try my hand at dyeing clothes. The Indigo Dyeing Workshop specializes in indigo dyeing, and lets visitors choose their own fabric and design. I selected a white piece of fabric 1.5 meters long, chose a design, hoped that my scarf would turn out well, and began in earnest. The process took about 45
History Yingge, meaning “oriole/ warbler song,” came to prominence in the early 1800s when Wu An, a potter from mainland China’s Guangdong Province, migrated to the area. He found the local clay to be of excellent quality, and launched the region’s ceramic industry working with brick master Chen Kun, making Yingge the largest ceramicproducing center in all of Taiwan.
Indigo dyeing in Sanxia
Yingge Ceramics Museum
YINGGE/SANXIA minutes. After sectioning off the fabric and pinching it between two narrow wooden beams, I proceeded to dye it four times, three minutes each time. After each soaking I removed the scarf from the dye, wrung it out, and separated the sections that had stuck together so that all parts could dry. After the fourth round I removed the wooden beams and unraveled my creation. Thanks to the much-needed assistance of my instructor, I had actually created something that was (somewhat) aesthetically pleasing!
The beauty and ornateness of Qingshui Zushi Temple is a testament to the fact that cultural preservationists have been systematically restoring it over the past few decades
Getting There From Taipei Railway Station you can take a direct local train to Yingge. A 5-minute bus ride or a 15-minute walk will get you from Yingge Railway Station to the ceramics museum. From there you can take a bus to Sanxia Old Street. From Sanxia, you can easily make your way back to Taipei via public transportation. A number of buses run from Sanxia to MRT Yongning Station; from there you can take an MRT train to Taipei Main Station. Alternatively, take the bus back to Yingge Railway Station and take the train to Taipei from there.
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stop of the day I opted to visit Sanxia’s famous Qingshui Zushi Temple. I entered the temple to the sounds of Daoist chanting, and circumambulated the perimeter corridors. The temple brims with intricate wooden carvings, beautiful cochin ceramics (also often called koji ceramics), and awe-inspiring stone-relief sculptures. The beauty and ornateness of the temple is a testament to the fact that cultural preservationists have been systematically restoring it over the past few decades. Qingshui Zushi Temple is not just a historic building, however – it is a thriving religious site supported by a vibrant community of believers. Indeed,
History Sanxia, meaning “three gorges,” is where the Heng Stream and Sanxia River meet, the waters then flowing on to the nearby Dahan River. Like Yingge, migrating peoples from China’s Fujian and Guangdong provinces shaped Sanxia’s early development. It became an important regional commercial center, as local traders shipped camphor, tea, and dyed cloth downriver to Taipei. Today Sanxia is best known for its cultural and architectural attractions.
Qingshui Zushi Temple
the continuous chanting of Daoist priests and the impressive number of locals praying made it very clear that the temple’s religious community is alive and thriving. Having already taken in so much, I was not surprised to see that it was already 5 p.m. Before hopping on a bus to head back home I popped in at Sanxia’s Culture Art and Nature (CAN), which has an open-air space, café, environmental advocacy group facilities, and publishing house all wrapped into one. The artistic community for which this is home allows residents and travelers to explore art, serves fresh drinks and fusion dishes, and publishes a periodical in which writers explore themes related to art, music, health, and happiness. My day in Yingge and Sanxia drawing to a close, I left for Taipei satisfied in knowing that I had been able to spend precious added-value time exploring and learning about ceramics and also challenging my inner artist.
English and Chinese Chen Kun 陳昆 cochin ceramics 交趾陶 Dahan River 大漢溪 Heng Stream 橫溪 oil noodles 油麵 Qingshui Zushi Temple 清水祖師廟 Sanxia (Old Street) 三峽 ( 老街 ) Sanxia River 三峽河 Wu An 吳鞍 Yingge 鶯歌
Yingge Ceramics Museum ( 鶯歌陶瓷博物館 ) Add: 200, Wenhua Rd., Yingge District, New Taipei City ( 新北市鶯歌區文化路 200 號 ) Tel: (02) 8677-2727 Website: www.ceramics.ntpc.gov.tw Zhenxing Noodle Shop ( 珍興麵店 ) Add: 39, Minquan St., Sanxia District, New Taipei City ( 新北市三峽區民權街 39 號 ) Dong Dao Diner Pavilion ( 東道飲食亭 ) Add: 7, Ren'ai Rd., Sanxia District, New Taipei City ( 新北市三峽區仁愛路 7 號 ) Indigo Dyeing Workshop ( 染工坊 ) Add: 61, Zhongshan Rd., Sanxia District, New Taipei City ( 新北市三峽區中山路 61 號 ) Tel: (02) 8671-3108 Culture Art and Nature ( 甘樂文創 ) Add: 371, Qingshui St., Sanxia District, New Taipei City ( 新北市三峽區清水街 317 號 ) Tel: (02) 2671-7090 Website: www.facebook.com/thecam.tw
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HIKING
Mt. Bilu and Mt. Yangtou A Challenging and Rewarding Three-Day Hiking Outing Text and Photos: Stuart Dawson
Taroko National Park’s Mt. Bilu (3,371m) and Mt. Yangtou (3,035m) are two of Taiwan’s lesser-known mountains. The two peaks are connected by a sawtooth-like ridge, making for a very exciting and physically demanding hike.
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BILU/YANGTOU
The hike begins
inland from Taroko Gorge, where Provincial Highway No. 8 and Provincial Highway No. 14A meet at the small hamlet of Dayuling. We left Taipei in the morning and arrived at the trailhead in the late afternoon. The weather had been fine on the way up into the mountains, and the forecast was looking good; even so, it was very chilly on this January day at 2,600m above sea level. The hike, like so many others in Taiwan, begins on an old abandoned forestry road, which makes for a gentle start. It´s mostly flat along the first section, and very scenic. We covered the 8km to our camping spot in a couple of hours, which gave us plenty of daylight to set up for the night.
Just as it was getting dark, we heard a sound coming from the camp-side waterfall, and I saw a large, black body moving around. After rushing to grab my camera, thinking I´d finally spotted a Formosan Black Bear, I was disappointed and a little embarrassed when an elderly Taiwanese hiker emerged onto the trail! He looked exhausted, having hiked Mt. Yangtou in a single day. Though we were spreading our longer journey over three days, we wondered if this was in some way an ominous sign for what the next two days would hold – that we might still be overextending ourselves.
The next morning we were up at first light to begin the hike up to Mt. Bilu. The day before we had hiked 8km in two hours. This day it took us more than two hours to complete 800m. The trail in this section is incredibly steep, made all the more difficult by having to carry winter clothes, a tent, and enough water to last two days. As we approached the top of the ridge, the early-morning clouds drifted away and a brilliant white forest was revealed. The wind, freezing temperatures, and moisture had combined to cover all of the trees in a layer of ice. It was a truly spectacular sight. Once on the ridge the trail splits in two. A short distance along the trail to the left is the peak of Mt. Bilu; the trail to the right heads to Mt. Yangtou. We gratefully dropped packs and headed left. From the top, the views of the northern tip of the Central Mountain Range were amazing, but the driving wind was freezing cold and we soon retreated back into the forest.
without end, it seemed, and skirted around so many cliff faces that we lost count. After a few hours we arrived at the campsite we had chosen for our second night. It´s set in a forested area and offers amazing views, but we´d arrived way too early and none of us fancied spending the afternoon sitting around in the cold, so after a quick map consultation we decided to press on to Mt. Yangtou and then down off the ridge to another spot where we could camp. It was a long and exhausting walk, and at times we began to doubt the existence of the campsite; fortunately, however, we found it before dark. After a fitful sleep, disturbed by deer brushing up against the tent through the night, we headed back down the mountain and rejoined the highway. The people of Taiwan are exceptionally welcoming, and as we waited in the rain for the bus, we were offered hot coffee and toast by people staying in a small B&B in the area. No sooner had we finished the coffee than a kind soul stopped and offered to drive us the 20km back to our car. A very heartwarming end to a tough hike!
From
the top of Mt. Bilu we had seen the ridgeline extending on to Mt. Yangtou, with its constant ups and downs, and it had looked daunting enough, but up close it turned out to be even more difficult than we had imagined. We climbed up and down
Important Notes Yangtou-Bilu is a particularly tough hike, and should not be undertaken by anyone without a lot of experience and a high level of fitness. The trail is steep and treacherous in many places, and once you’re on the ridge there are a series of cliffs with fixed ropes to negotiate. If camping, be sure to carry at least 4 liters of water; there is no water source after the forestry road. It’s very much recommended that anyone wanting to climb Yangtou-Bilu get in contact with one of the many local hiking groups to arrange a guided trip.
English and Chinese Central Mountain Range 中央山脈 Dayuling 大禹嶺 Mt. Bilu 畢祿山 Mt. Yangtou 羊頭山 Taroko National Park 太魯閣國家公園
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T hrough the forest Across bare rock Trees in a layer of ice Mountain view
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SPLENDID FESTIVALS
Text: Rick Charette
Photos: Jen Guo-Chen
On a fine crisp and clear late-autumn day not long ago Travel in Taiwan spent a colorful day visiting the rural Xinshe District in Taichung City – specifically, the Sea of Flowers in Xinshe Festival. Enjoying the Sea of Flowers
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SEA OF FLOWERS
hot, and minimal rain. There are many new-theme exhibitions each year; these were the theme-project areas for the 2013 festival, which ran from November 9 to December 8: Happy Farming Exhibition, Cinderella Exhibition, Amu Forest Exhibition, Happy Farming Villages Exhibition, Incredible Fern Exhibition, Healthy and Beautiful Farming, and LOHAS Promoting Group.
This was the first time
in Xinshe and the festival for us and we were lucky enough to be escorted around the sprawling grounds by a number of the very kind and hospitable folk involved in management of the event. Xinshe District is a rural district in Taichung, located on a wide plain between foothills and rising mountains along the Dajia River east of the Taichung urban core. The district is known for farm production and the main products grown are mushrooms, citrus fruits, grapes, carambolas, pears, loquats, sugar apples, pineapples, persimmons, bonsai – and flowers. According to Liu Man-Wai, the Deputy Director of the Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station (Council of Agriculture), Xinshe is today commonly referred to as “Taichung’s back garden.” A decade ago tourism was just a minor money-maker. However, since the great 9-21 Earthquake of 1999, which was centered in central Taiwan, government authorities have expended significant resources to stimulate the local economy, with tourism a primary focus, and today the area has become one of the more popular destinations in the greater Taichung region, especially
for day-trips. The main attractions are the local farms, the farm-and-mountain scenery, open-air cafés, and the many quaint rustic cottage- and chalet-style getaway accommodations.
The festival
is held on the grounds of the Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station, established under a different name during Taiwan’s 1895~1945 period of Japanese occupation. Deputy Director Liu informed us that the first edition of the Sea of Flowers was held in 2005 in an effort to create greater “brand” visibility for Xinshe produce and boost its leisure-agriculture industry. Large swaths of colorful flowers were planted over 30 hectares of showcase fields – including sunflowers, lavender, cosmos, spider flowers, sage, and begonias – and a series of related events staged. “We grow in size and sophistication each year,” he said, “and in recent years have attracted more than 1.8 million visitors. Our goal is 2 million.” The festival is always held in the late autumn. This, said Liu, is primarily because the weather in the Taichung area is close to “perfect” at this time of year, for both plants and visitors – not too
Heading out on a walkabout, our guide Chung I-Ping, the station’s Technical Service Section Assistant Researcher, informed us that each year the festival’s various specially-themed exhibition areas are designed to highlight their unique attributes. There is an annual rotation of exhibition curators, with different agriculture-related sections within the Council of Agriculture chosen as well as organizations from outside, meaning brand-new faces and perspectives are shown each round.
The festival is always held in the late autumn because the weather in the Taichung area is close to “perfect” at this time of year
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1. Field of Garden Cosmos 2. All visitors have fun at Xinshe
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SPLENDID FESTIVALS
Among the
various 2013 exhibit pavilions, I found one of the most intriguing highlighted paddy-rice production, with neat, tiny plots laid out showing rice from transplanted-seedling stage to maturity. There was also a display presenting the different kinds of rice grown around the world, including the short-grain glutinous rice preferred in Taiwan and the long-grain, non-sticky fragrant rice eaten throughout Southeast Asia. This was also the local birds’ favorite pavilion; you had to raise your voice to be heard above the chatter of the sparrows and other avian gourmands trying to get at the rice seed. Another pavilion was dedicated to the seemingly countless herbs eaten by Taiwan folk in tonic foods and used in medicines. Over 1,000 herbs were on display, many accompanied by information on what they are used for. An especially fragrant and visually alluring pavilion showcased the orchid in all its glory, with numerous rare specimens on dramatically colorful display. Back in the open air, while wandering through a panoramic swath of cosmos flowers – other “seas” at the most recent festival were made up of sunflowers, sorghum blossoms, and wheat blossoms – we learned that since the natural bloom times for each flower is different, and the length of the bloom period for each is about two weeks, conditions are staggered in the station’s greenhouses to provide a constant stream of flowers that are then methodically transplanted in the fields to ensure maximum flower density and color.
Long before
we entered the grounds of the Taichung International Flower Carpet Festival, our eyes were transfixed on its central attraction, a large “magic castle.” This annual festival was incorporated into the larger Xinshe festival in 2011. It has a 3D theme, with the various flower-sculpture
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Among the most arresting visual settings were the fivestory-high magic castle, a giant tree cultivated from magic beans, and a six-meter-tall rabbit wearing an outfit made solely of flowers
areas telling stories that seem to rise up out of the ground and take life-like form. The 2013 themes were decidedly whimsical, focused on Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and other fairy tales, as well as film director Ang Lee’s Oscarwinning movie Life of Pi . For the fairy tales, a pop-up storybook approach was taken. Among the most arresting visual settings were the fivestory-high magic castle, a giant tree cultivated from magic beans, and a sixmeter-tall rabbit wearing an outfit made solely of flowers. Other highlights were the lifeboat used in the filming of Life of Pi (Ang Lee is a native Taiwan son, did all ocean-based scenes at a Taichung film facility that has the world’s largest wave-generating pool, and donated many props to the city of Taichung for tourism use), and an antique horse-drawn carriage popular for wedding shoots and sweetheart poses that was formerly used by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and Madame Chiang on formal occasions.
Walking
the expansive grounds is bound to get you both thirsty and hungry. Your antidote is in view at all times – a huge food bazaar where vendors are set up under tentroof cover. Half of the food bazaar is taken up with stands manned by local farming folk selling fresh-from-the-field fruits and vegetables, notably the main local produce mentioned in this article’s opening. Be sure to visit the juice stands – the drinks served are delicious! There is also a budding coffee-plantation sector in the area, and you can buy both fresh-packaged beans and sample freshbrewed cups made with the local bean at growers’ stands. The other half of the food bazaar features vendors selling night-marketstyle snack treats, with savory fried delicacies the main attraction. Something uniquely local is the deep-fried Xinshe mushrooms, prepared on order and served with a salt-and-pepper sprinkling
SEA OF FLOWERS to stay at local cottage-style guesthouses, visit the recreation/resort farms, and take in other local tourist attractions. For more information, visit the official website of the Sea of Flowers in Xinshe Festival at: flowersea.asia.edu.tw. – steamy-hot, chewy, and delectable. Everything is of high quality, and is appealingly inexpensive.
A personal
invitation from Deputy Director Liu: You may not have visited yet, but Xinshe beckons next year and the years after, for as explained there is high turnover in exhibition highlights each year, making each visit a novel foray. In addition, live performances are staged on weekends throughout the festival, with an emphasis on music concerts. There are also indepth local tours offered in which your guide takes you to visit recreational farms in the area, and special packages are designed each year that encourage you
English and Chinese Chung I-Ping 鍾依萍 Dajia River 大甲溪 Liu Man-Wai 廖文偉 Sea of Flowers in Xinshe 新社花海 Taichung International Flower Carpet Festival 台中國際花毯節 Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station 種苗改良繁殖場 Xinshe District 新社區
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Magic castle Posing in front of a f lower field Antique horse - drawn carriage L arge f lower sculpture in the shap e of a rabbit Entrance to the Taichung Int ’l Flower Carp et Festival grounds
Plum Blossoms, Cherry Blossoms, and Soothing Hot-Spring Soaks Hotel TiLun Tonpo Spa – The Secret Mountain Hot Spring Closest to Yushan Along the New Central Cross-Island Highway, Alishan, Yushan, and Sun Moon Lake form the most beautiful scenic route in Taiwan. Dongpu Hot Springs Scenic Area, also on the highway in Xinyi Township, Nantou County, is close to Taiwan’s highest mountain, Yushan (Mt. Jade). It is a great recreation spot when traveling between Alishan and Sun Moon Lake, as well as a rest stop for climbers as they head for Yushan on Batongguan Historic Trail. Dongpu has superb natural scenery, ancient Bunun culture, as well as excellent hot springs, and is well worth a visit at this time of year to enjoy a special winter holiday in the season the plum and cherry blossoms are in bloom. The Taiwan Tourist Shuttle bus service now offers a three-day Sun-Moon Lake-Dongpu-Alishan joint ticket. Travelers can go from Sun Moon Lake to Hotel TiLun Tonpo Spa, then on to Alishan National Forest Recreation Area. You are warmly invited to enjoy the beauty of Yushan this winter and experience the charm of an indigenous settlement, tasty aborigine food, and high-quality hot springs against a backdrop of romantic plum and cherry blossoms. Room Reservation Tel: 886-49-270-1616 Fax: 886-49-270-1360 E-Mail: a87297@ms19.hinet.net Web: http://www.tilun.com.tw SPA Add: 86, Dongpu Hot Springs, Xinyi Township, Nantou County (南投縣信義鄉東埔溫泉86號)
帝綸溫泉渡假大飯店 HOTEL TI LUN TONPO
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FUN WITH CHINESE
An Easy-to-Learn Character and an Often Seen Radical
Illustration: Fred Cheng
=
= kou
character 口 (kou ), meaning “mouth” or “entrance,” is easy to recognize and is very common, both as a stand-alone character and as part of other characters, serving as a root or “radical.”
The Chinese
Used as a single character in combination with other characters, 口 can have the meaning “person’s mouth,” as in 開口 (kaikou ; “open one’s mouth”), or have the meaning “entrance,” as in 路口 (lukou ; “street entrance” or “intersection”). In Taiwanese daily life you will come across the terms 入口 (rukou ) and 出口 (chukou ) quite often. The first means “entrance” (literally “entry mouth”), the second “exit” 出口 (lit. “exit mouth”). The latter also means “export,” but the term for “import” is not 入口 but 進口 (jinkou ; lit. “advance/move into mouth”).
dai
In a typical Chinese dictionary you will find around 180 characters with the radical “ 口 ” on the left side, and many others with the “口” at the bottom or in another position. Many of these characters are verbs related to a person’s mouth. Here are a few examples: 吃 (chi ), “to eat”; 喝 (he ), “to drink”; 唱 (chang ), “to sing”; 叫 (jiao ), “to call”; 吐 (tu ), “to spit”; 吹 (chui ), “to blow”; and 吻 (wen ), “to kiss.” In the character 呆 (dai ), the “mouth” sits on top of 木 (mu ; “wood”). This character describes someone who is a bit slow or slow-witted; perhaps someone who talks like he has a “wooden mouth.” Sometimes there are even two “ 口 ” in one character, as in 哭 (ku ), where the two “mouths” sit on top of 犬 (quan ; “dog”). Take a guess – what could this character mean? The answer: 哭 means “to wail/whimper/weep/cry/sob.” You get the picture.
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ku
OLD STYLE/NEW IDEAS
A Young Entrepreneur Explores New Ways to Apply an Age-Old Craft
1917
Art Brushes
Text: Paul Jacob Naylor
Photos: Maggie Song
When Lin Chang-long became the four thgeneration owner of a calligraphy brush-making enterprise, the brush-making industry was on the decline. Forced to come up with new ideas to stay in business, he created the LSY (LamSamYick) brand. Using his rich experience, and applying traditional techniques, he has developed new product lines such as cosmetic brush sets, and has successfully crossed over into a new field of trade: the beauty industry. 34
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family is originally
Lin Chang-long’s from mainland China’s Fujian Province. His grandfather and great-grandfather both worked as brush makers, exporting many of their brushes to Taiwan, where at that time there were very few brush makers. So when the family moved to Taiwan in 1945 it only seemed natural to continue its business from the clan’s new home on Taipei’s Chongqing North Road. At first, the family had many difficulties. Taiwan did not have all the necessary materials for brush making, and at the time trade with mainland China was not possible for political reasons, so the family sourced its supplies from Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong.
BRUSH MAKING
“Calligraphy brushes must be formed of different lengths of hair, in order to make a fine point”
2013
Beauty Brushes
Over
the following fifty years the business grew slowly, until Lin Chang-long’s father decided it was time to retire and for his son to take over the business. However, Chang-long had just graduated from law school, and had his sights set on moving to Switzerland to study hotel management. This put him in a difficult position. “I come from a very traditional family,” he explains, “and when my father decided that I was going to run the family business, I had no choice.” He first worked as an apprentice in the business, making the brush handles and gluing the pre-made brush heads onto them. “The handle can be made of horn or bamboo,” he explains.
“But it’s not important. Anybody could have done this job.” The making of the brush heads, however, is a task that takes many years to learn. Lin, as head of the business, commissions one of the 20 or so “master brush makers’’ who live in Taiwan to make the brush heads for his firm. Each master specializes in a particular type of brush, bringing many years of experience to the craft – from the finest brushes of only a few hairs’ width to massive brushes six feet long that are primarily used as ornaments or for ceremonial purposes. The traditional method of turning a pile of animal hair into a brush takes 48 individual steps. For higher-quality brushes the Travel in Taiwan
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OLD STYLE - NEW IDEAS hair on the belly of the goat is very soft, so we use that for our make-up brushes. The hair on the legs is thick and hard, so we use that in brushes designed for the painting of pottery, which need to be more durable.”
O wner Lin Chang-long
process is repeated many times, to ensure the best possible result. “Even the simplest brush heads contain more than one type of hair, and in brush making, proportion is one of the important things,” Lin explains. “Each animal hair has its own particular quality, and each type of animal has many different types of hair. For example, the
Lin also uses pig and rabbit hair, but the best and most expensive hair, he says, comes from the male golden weasel. This hair is very elastic yet also very soft, ideal for calligraphy. By weight it is more expensive than gold. “Calligraphy brushes must be formed of different lengths of hair, in order to make a fine point,” he says, as he shows off his wares. “If the hairs were all the same length, it would look like a paintbrush. You see, the goat hair acts like a sponge, soaking up the ink, while the golden weasel hair, which is slightly longer, directs the ink onto the paper. With brushes such as these, you can write a large number of characters with only one dip of ink.” Indeed, according to tradition the calligrapher of Buddhist sutras should only dip his brush once to write a full sutra. This quality is thus not
only convenient, but also essential for the passionate calligrapher.
After
finishing his apprenticeship and officially becoming the new head of the family business in 2000, Lin realized there was a problem: the market for calligraphy brushes was on the decline. “When I was in school,” Lin recalls, “we had to write a diary and sometimes whole essays using a calligraphy brush. But that is no longer the case. Students are still a good market for us, but with the birth rate declining, this market is contracting.” Conversely, with people living longer, Lin’s main customer base is now male seniors, who have a lot of time on their hands and want to escape the fast pace of modern life by taking up calligraphy. “Nevertheless, as young people are not taking it up anymore, selling calligraphy brushes isn’t a stable business,” he says. Years back, Lin did some thinking, and came to a radical conclusion. “In the modern market, nobody needs calligraphy
Step 1: Separating the hair from the fur
Step 2: Sorting the hairs
Step 3: Separating the hairs into different lengths
When a patch of hair is judged to be of good quality, the hair is separated from the skin and surrounding fur. Any remaining undesirable fur is sifted and discarded.
The hairs are laid out flat and painstakingly arranged according to length. Any damaged or irregular hairs are removed.
In preparation for the formation of the brush head, the hairs are grouped together according to length and type.
“If the feel is good the customer will be happy and buy more brushes in the future. This is the concept behind all my products”
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Step 4: Mixing the hairs Hairs of different origin are blended together in the designated proportion. To ensure an even spread and uniform position, and to make sure there is no unwanted material in the hairs, they are scraped with a boar-bone tool.
BRUSH MAKING brushes. However, I thought that since a brush had simply become ‘hair with a handle,’ I didn’t see why I couldn’t redefine the calligraphy brush to fit into a more profitable market.” That new market, he decided, was cosmetics. About 10 years ago Lin walked into a nail salon with his brushes. His claim that calligraphy brushes had a use in the fingernail-art business were rejected, but he tried again, and then again. His persistence paid off, especially as the brushes the salon had been using were imported from America and Europe, and Lin was offering a much cheaper price for his locally produced merchandise. His firm was commissioned to make a range of smaller brushes for the nail salon, and today he makes over 40 types of brushes for make-up and nails.
Lin
shows off his latest product, a stubby, two-tiered brush designed to remove blackheads from the face. “With the calligraphy brushes, I was always the middleman standing between the master brush maker and the customer. Today, it is no different. Make-up professionals who commission new designs know the kind of brush they want; but as they do not know the art of brush-making, they cannot explain the practicalities of making such a brush to the manufacturer. I can.” In Lin’s eyes there is still much to learn in the transition from calligraphy to cosmetics. “My wife gives me lots of suggestions!” he laughs. “I get her to help me with all my new products.”
The initial reaction from Lin’s family to his new business direction was skepticism. Because cosmetics brushes are exposed to a lot more water than calligraphy brushes, Lin has to use artificial hair and plastic handles for most of his make-up brushes. “My father thought the plastic handle and artificial hair looked strange,” he says. “The traditional way to test the quality of a brush is to touch the brush to your tongue, and so that’s what my father did. He said the brush had good quality, and hasn’t said anything about it since!”
Despite
his new business direction, Lin is still passionate about calligraphy. The knowledge he has gained about marketing, packaging, and product design while developing his range of make-up brushes has also benefitted his calligraphy brushes. This year he took what is perhaps his boldest step to date when he acquired the right to use the Hello Kitty logo to make a bright-pink calligraphy brush aimed at children. “This makes a really good present for someone,” he says, “and I hope that it may motivate more children to take up calligraphy in the future.” Another idea he is pondering: commemorative brushes made from the hair of a deceased family pet. “The idea is not mine, actually,” he says. “A Taiwanese family in Australia contacted me saying that their favourite pony had died, and asked if I could make a brush out of its tail hair. I did it, but to
be honest, horse hair does not make a very good brush! “My business model has always been to go step by step, to go naturally, slowly but steadily,” explains Lin. His philosophy has paid off. Today the traditional family business on Chongqing North Road is still going strong and his LSY-label cosmetics brushes are sold at two permanent stands, one at the Nanjing branch of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store and the other, which just opened this year, at the Hankyu Department Store above MRT Taipei City Hall Station. “Of course, the customer bases for our two lines are very different, but for both types of customer satisfaction is key,” he says. “If the feel is good the customer will be happy and buy more brushes in the future. This is the concept behind all my products.” With a business outlook such as this, LamSamYick creations are sure to be in strong demand with both calligraphers and make-up enthusiasts far down the road.
LAMSAMYICK ( 林三益 ) Add: 58, Sec. 2, Chongqing N. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市重慶北路 2 段 58 號 ) Tel: (02) 2556-6433 Website: www.lamsamyick.com
English and Chinese Chongqing North Road 重慶北路 Lin Chang-long 林昌隆
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BACKPACK BUS TRIP
Old Industry, Natural Wetland, Strong Liquor, Religious Center Riding the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Dashu Line Text: Owain Mckimm
Photos: Aska Chi
“Drink the water of Dashu,” goes an old Taiwanese saying, “and you’ll ever be thin and beautiful” – a fine reason, if any were needed, to visit this pleasant riverside Kaohsiung City suburban area in southern Taiwan. Most visitors to Dashu are, however, not concerned with such cosmetic foibles, and instead flock to the area with a more spiritual motive – to pay homage to a Buddhist holy relic held at the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center. Even for those not on a religious pilgrimage, a visit to the center is an enlightening experience, and the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle service will not only take you right to the gate, but also enable you to take in the best of Dashu along the way. Bamboo Mountain Winery Fengshan Station
Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center Old Railroad Bridge/ Education Wetland Zone
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Riding a bike at the Old Railroad Bridge on the Gaoping River
KAOHSIUNG
The remaining three kilns stand side by side in the rear of the factory like three fire-blackened turtle shells
Stop I –
San-He Tile Kiln
Our first stop on our Taiwan Tourist Shuttle bus tour along the Dashu route is the San-He Tile Kiln, a near century-old ceramics factory nestled in the Old Railroad Bridge Education Wetland Zone. The factory’s three imposing brick kilns, one of only two sets of large-scale traditional kilns in Taiwan still in use, are the last remnants of Dashu’s former glory days as the brick-and-tile capital of Taiwan. “In the first half of the 20th century there was a big demand for ceramics,” explains Xu Xi-ping, our factory guide, “because Taiwanese villages and towns were mostly collections of traditional courtyard houses, which used ceramics not only for basic construction but for their windows, drainpipes, and eaves as well.” During the ’60s, however, the concrete revolution caused the dwindling of this business. Once a set of eight, the remaining three kilns – each with an internal volume of 144 cubic meters – stand side by side in the rear of the factory like three fire-blackened turtle shells. We duck inside one, its ceiling and walls hoary with the ash of decades of firing clay. Xu explains that after stacking the bricks or tiles in the kiln, wood and rice husks are burnt around the clock for two months in the fire-well by the door, which allows the internal temperature to slowly inch its way upward to just over 1,000°C. After that, the kiln is sealed and allowed to stew in its own heat for a fortnight; the heat is then slowly vented over another two weeks. With demand for structural ceramics at a low, the factory now almost solely produces materials for the refurbishment and reconstruction of old buildings, though it does have a lucrative side-line in ceramic tableware such as coasters and trivets. Visitors are offered the chance to do some DIY, including designing and making their own tableware and sculpting clay figurines, all activities costing NT$250. I opt for a session in which you make a mosaic out of shattered tile pieces. In a moment of adopted patriotism, I attempt “Taiwan” in Chinese characters, and am complimented on my calligraphy more out of politeness, I suspect, than anything else.
Inside k iln at San- He T iln K iln
Stop II –
Wetland Ecological Park With half an hour to kill while the glue on my mosaic masterpiece dries, we decide to spend a little time exploring the surrounding Education Wetland Zone. Bicycles can be rented for NT$50 per hour at the park’s Volunteer Hut. The vast stretch of constructed wetland was created in 2002 in order to purify the area’s river water, until then blighted by industrial and agricultural pollution. The wetland was largely laid waste in 2009 in flooding caused by Typhoon Morakot, but an extensive campaign by local volunteers has now restored the artificial wetland, the largest of its kind in Taiwan, to its former glory. A paradise for birdwatchers, it is visited by over 140 bird species, the most common of which are identified on information boards in Chinese, though hardcore twitchers should have no real problems identifying these from the pictures provided. The best time to see the local birdlife is dawn and dusk – so we, visiting at lunchtime, glimpse only a few egrets and a lonely heron. Those with an interest in industrial engineering will have their appetite sated by the Old Railroad Bridge, once the longest steel bridge in Asia, which has a span of 1,526 meters and crosses the Gaoping River. The structure, completed in 1913, undulates over the river like a colossal steel serpent, though there is today a gaping wound in this once noble metallic beast, caused by a succession of floods starting in 2005 that have washed away the bridge’s mid-section.
At the Education Wetland Zone
Travel in Taiwan
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BACKPACK BUS TRIP Stop III –
Bamboo Mountain Winery Following our jaunt around the wetland and after picking up my ceramic art piece at the kiln, we get back on the bus and make the short ride up to the Bamboo Mountain Winery. In the main visitors’ hall Yang Feng-mao, the winery’s chairman, shows us some of his wares. The winery’s signature product is probably the Red Yeast, Onion and Grape Wine . Though unfamiliar, the combination of flavors is pleasant, with a subtle hint of onion seeping through the medicinal tang of the red yeast. “Red yeast has blood-cleansing properties,” says Yang, explaining the rationale behind the strange concoction, “while onion invigorates your organs.” About two years ago the winery collaborated with the National Kaohsiung Hospitality College to perfect the fermentation process for this healthful wine, and Yang says that the winery is the only place in the world that produces this particular blend. The winery also produces concentrated fruit vinegars, which are diluted in water before drinking, and help aid digestion.
After trying the healthy stuff, we move on to something harder – the winery’s prize-winning Kaoliang liquor. Kaoliang, a firewater made from fermented sorghum that is popular in Taiwan and mainland China, is the kind of spirit that first-timers might suspect would be rather effective stripping lacquer off old furniture. However, the winery’s 2003 54° Taiwan Real Kaoliang Liquor bagged a silver medal at the 2013 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles Spirits Selection awards, and so I feel I should hold off on my judgment until I’ve at least tasted some. After holding a glass hesitantly to my lips for a moment and muttering a silent prayer to Bacchus, I knock back the clear, glassy liquid and … what miracle is this … I do not wince. I find it is much smoother than the versions I have tried before, with a pleasant roasted essence that coats the palate on its way down.
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Travel in Taiwan
Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center
Stop IV –
It’s late afternoon by now, and we ride the bus to our last stop, the Buddha Memorial Center. This center was completed in late 2011 to house a sacred relic – a tooth belonging to Siddhārtha Gautama, the founder of the Buddhist faith. The tooth was presented to the Venerable Master Hsing Yun, founder of the Fo Guang Shan monastic order, in 1998 by the Tibetan Lama Kunga Dorje Rinpoche, who had guarded the relic for three decades following the destruction of its original home during China’s Cultural Revolution. The center is a capacious complex covering an area of over 100 hectares, and is loaded with Buddhist symbolism. At the far western end stands the Fo Guang Big Buddha, a gigantic 50-meter-tall statue of a sitting Buddha forged from 1,780 tons of bronze and steel. In front of him is the center’s Main Hall, topped with four Indian-style stupas that represent the Indian origins of Buddhism. The Jade Buddha Shrine inside the Main Hall is where the tooth relic is kept, and each hour a group of up to a hundred people is led by a master in a pre-unveiling session of meditation, explanation of Buddhist history, and prayer before paying reverence to the relic. Leading up to the Main Hall is the Great Path to Buddhahood – a paved walkway f lanked by eight Chinesestyle pagodas, which signify both the Buddhist idea of the Noble Eightfold Path and the religion’s spread to China. It’s perfectly possible to be ignorant of all these things and still be astonished at the serenity, the simplicity, and the beauty of the place, especially as the sun starts to set and the pagodas and the Big Buddha are lit up against the twilight.
Buddha Memorial Center
KAOHSIUNG It’s perfectly possible to be ignorant of all these things and still be astonished at the serenity, the simplicity, and the beauty of the place We have arrived late in the day, but you could in fact spend the whole day at the center and not find yourself lacking in things to do. The Main Hall has four exhibition rooms on Buddhist culture, and each of the eight pagodas is itself a museum of Buddhist artifacts. Some great vegetarian restaurants can be found in the center’s Front Hall, including the Water Drop Teahouse, which is managed by the monks themselves and where you can try a hearty butterbean noodle soup with a pleasantly tart Japanese citron sorbet for dessert. The last shuttle bus leaves the center at 6 p.m. (6:30 p.m. on weekends), so get to the center in good time to make the most of your visit.
Getting There and Around You can catch the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Dashu Route bus from KMRT Dadong Station, which is on the Orange Line of the Kaohsiung metro. Buses run hourly on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends. For a full, downloadable timetable, visit www.taiwantrip.com.tw/Besttour/ Info/?id=44 . The cost is NT$50 for a full-day ticket, which can be bought on the bus. Note: It’s best to tell, or show, the driver where you want to get off when you board the bus; your stop might otherwise be skipped.
English and Chinese KMRT Dadong Station 高雄捷運大東站 Dashu District 大樹區 Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center 佛光山佛陀紀念館 Gaoping River 高屏溪 Kaoliang 高粱 Old Railroad Bridge Education Wetland Zone 舊鐵橋溼地教育園區 Venerable Master Hsing Yun 星雲大師 Volunteer Hut 志工小棧 Xu Xi-ping 許西平 Yang Feng-mao 楊豐茂 San-He Tile Kiln ( 三和瓦窯 ) Add: 94, Zhuliao Rd., Dashu Dist., Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市大樹區竹寮路 94 號 ) Tel: (07) 651-2037 / 652-1432 Website: tw.myblog.yahoo.com/san-333 (Chinese) Bamboo Mountain Winery ( 竹寮山觀光酒廠 ) Add: 75, Zhuliao Rd., Dashu Dist., Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市大樹區竹寮路 75 號 ) Tel: (07) 652-2660 Website: www.bmm.com.tw (Chinese) Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center ( 佛光山佛陀紀念館 ) Add: 1, Tongling Rd., Dashu Dist., Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市大樹區統嶺路 1 號 ) Tel: (07) 656-3033 ext.4002 Website: www.fgsbmc.org.tw
Burnt Charcoal Korean BBQ Restaurant
Contemporary Korean Cuisine We serve traditional Korean cuisine in a modern yet cozy setting and provide excellent service for a unique Korean dining experience.
Reservation Hotline: (02) 2775-5005
Address: 73, Lane 72, Guangfu S. Rd., Taipei City(台北市光復南路72巷73號)
Website: www.burntcharcoal.com
SPECIAL REPORT
Healthful Eating & Delicious Flavors
Three of the Finest Health Food Restaurants in Taipei
Nonzero is an ideal place to enjoy a meal with friends, and provides a convivial atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable
Masala veggie stew at Nonzero
Text: Eric Bratt
Photos: Maggie Song
There is no lack of restaurants in Taiwan’s capital, and even the most demanding gourmet will find a place to please his or her palate. If you are looking for healthful food prepared with organically grown produce, following is an introduction to three of the city’s finest health-food eateries.
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Travel in Taiwan
RESTAURANTS
Nonzero Marble floors, beautiful wooden tables, and a warm “Good afternoon” greeted me as I entered Nonzero, a sleek restaurant absent of loud sound or kitsch of any sort. Providing the customer with a variety of dishes and a carefully thought out wine list, Nonzero strives to maintain a balance between promoting healthful eating and creating delicious flavors. It doesn’t disappoint. Looking up from my table, I looked over Nonzero’s décor with pleasure, especially its marble floors. Noticing my interest, a server informed me that the majority of Nonzero’s interior decorations are comprised of discarded and salvaged materials. The beautiful floors, for instance, are used pieces of flawed marble salvaged from a quarry. Impressed by this resourcefulness, I sat down with owner Tan Yee Ming, who I found was the embodiment of the restaurant’s congenial attitude. She emphasized how Nonzero seeks to provide a comfortable, relaxing environment that allows friends from near and far to enjoy a delectable meal that makes them feel right at home. Explaining that the restaurant’s clientele seeks both health and happiness, Ms Tan said that Nonzero does all it can to support Taiwanese farmers who utilize sustainable methods to produce the wide variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, and seasonings that the restaurant uses.
For my main dish I ordered the excellent masala veggie stew, which was served with rice and quinoa (NT$350). The chef has expertly modified the recipe of a meat-based dish to ensure that the proper flavors come through, despite the absence of lamb or beef. Although I was tempted to have a glass of red wine, I opted instead for a freshly squeezed juice blend. I left the restaurant very satisfied, eagerly anticipating a return to what, in my experience, is one of Taipei’s best, and coziest, dining establishments. Nonzero is an ideal place to enjoy a meal or a glass of wine with friends, and provides a convivial atmosphere that will make you feel comfortable. Best experienced during the hours after work, it provides a dignified sanctuary and delectable fare amidst the hustle and bustle of Taipei.
Getting There
Sonnentor With three locations in Taipei, Sonnentor (German for “sun gate”) operates cozy, quaint cafés that offer freshly baked breads, creative dishes made with organically grown fruits and vegetables, and locally produced meats. On this occasion I visited the Tianmu branch, located right around the corner from Tianmu Square, and enjoyed a sumptuous brunch. A well-lit interior greeted me as I walked through the door, which has a depiction of a large sun on it. I examined the eco-friendly foods, wines, and cooking utensils along the walls, and then took a long look at the assortment of mouthwatering breads set out on a table in the middle of the restaurant. There was also a “Top 10” list of best-selling products hanging on one wall, which has both traditional Western and Taiwanese selections.
If you are keen on supporting the organic movement, Sonnentor is a great place to visit
Take the MRT to Zhongxiao Fuxing Station and walk south on Fuxing S. Road for about 400 meters before turning left onto Lane 221 of Fuxing S. Road. Walk straight ahead on Lane 221 for about 150 meters.
A selec tion of breads at Sonnentor
I began my dinner with Nonzero’s organic salad (NT$350). The arugula, spinach, and mushrooms were delicious, and covered with slices of Italian Grana Podano cheese, hazelnut, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar that I chose myself. Travel in Taiwan
43
SPECIAL REPORT Impressed by the wide variety on offer, I sat down to order. A quick glance at the menu and a conversation with my waiter made clear that Sonnentor is very serious about organic foods, and is committed to sourcing its organic ingredients exclusively from Taiwan. Its fruits and vegetables are grown on the Tenha Organic Farm in Tainan. Its meats are from a select group of island organic farms, and its seafood supplier also meets stringent organic standards. So, if you are keen on supporting the organic movement while you eat, Sonnentor is a wellchosen place to visit. Sonnentor’s head baker, Fan Jiahao, bursts with creativity, coming up with all kinds of creative, distinct, and colorful breads. I tasted slices of Matcha Red Bean Bread, Sesame French Bread, Bamboo Carbon Bread, and Pineapple and Carrot Bread. Unusual names aside, each was expertly prepared, had excellent texture, and went down nicely when lightly covered with a dabble of Sonnentor’s dragonfruit jam. My brunch also consisted of fresh yoghurt, crisp french fries, a fruit and vegetable salad, and freshly brewed
Sonnentor
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Travel in Taiwan
fruit tea. The various brunch selections cost approximately NT$350. And be sure to buy some bread for later in the day!
Getting There Take the MRT Tamsui Line to Shipai Station. From there, take bus 224, 601, or Red 19 to Tianmu Square. After alighting, cross the street, walk 50 meters up Alley 18 of Tianyu Street; Sonnentor is on the right.
The Villa Herbs Sonnentor brunch
Classy, elegant, chic … these were the words that passed through my mind as I walked through the door at The Villa Herbs. Housed in two sizeable reoriented residences on a quiet street in central Taipei, the restaurant offers excellent food, a comfortable atmosphere, and an impressive drink list. Furthermore, the unfailingly polite and prompt service will make your dining experience all the more pleasant. The distinctive interior design gave me the impression that I was getting ready to dine in the former mansion of a French colonial official in Southeast Asia. Members of the staff soon informed me that the owner carefully selected and imported all of the furniture from Thailand. The restaurant’s dignified and elegant atmosphere has proved successful, and attracts a posh group of
RESTAURANTS
The Villa Herbs offers excellent food, a comfortable atmosphere, and a fine drink list
Mushroom omelet of T he V illa Herbs
Getting There tea, and a seasonal fruit bowl. In addition, The Villa Herbs offers a number of coffees, teas, desserts, wines, beers, and exquisite cocktails, all of which can be enjoyed in the restaurant or in the pleasant lounge area in the adjacent building.
Fresh fruit and juice
Taiwanese men and women in their mid20s, eager to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The restaurant offers many seasonal dishes, the majority of which are prepared Italian style. Popular dishes include a multitude of creative risottos, fresh pastas, kebabs, omelets, and a number of vegetarian options. Meals start at NT$250, with a delectable brunch offered for NT$320. Brunch includes fruit juice, a choice of omelet, coffee or herbal
On this evening my goal was to try some of the restaurant’s healthful cuisine. Upon the recommendation of the staff, I opted for a mixed mushroom omelet of egg whites topped with parsley. Complementing my omelet was a glass of freshly squeezed pineapple, apple, and pomelo juice, a warm potato and flour biscuit, and a garden salad. The presentation was aesthetically pleasing, and the food’s quality and variety exceeded my expectations. For those with a sweet tooth, I also highly recommend the sublime, rich, yet not overly sweet tiramisu. And for those wondering, yes, The Villa Herbs does grow its own herbs – in a garden in front of the restaurant and on one of the restaurant’s roofs.
Take the MRT to Liuzhangli Station, walk north on Leli Road for 400 meters, turn right onto Lane 1, then walk 150 meters; the restaurant is on the right.
English and Chinese Fan Jia-hao 范家毫 Tan Yee Ming 陳郁敏 Tianmu Square 天母廣場 Tenha Organic Farm 巨農有機農場 Nonzero ( 非零 ) Add: 5, Alley 4, Lane 27, Sec. 4, Ren’ai Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市仁愛路四段 27 巷 4 弄 5 號 ) Tel: (02) 2772-1630 Website: www.nonzero.com.tw Sonnentor ( 日光大道健康廚坊 ) Add: (Tianmu Branch) 6, Alley 18, Lane 38, Tianyu St., Taipei City ( 台北市天玉街 38 巷 18 弄 6 號 ) Tel: (02) 2874-0208 Website: www.facebook.com/sonnentor.tw The Villa Herbs Add: 30/32, Lane 11, Leli Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市樂利路 11 巷 30,32 號 ) Tel: (02) 2732-3255 Website: www.facebook.com/thevillaherbs
Travel in Taiwan
45
FOOD JOURNEY
The Black King Kong of Yuanchang
Visiting a Peanut Farm in Southern Taiwan
On a peanut farm in Yunlin
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Travel in Taiwan
Text: Owain Mckimm
Photos: Aska Chi
Though rarely taking the leading role in Taiwanese culinary recipes, the humble peanut makes no end of cameos across the island’s gastronomic map. Peanuts act as a filling for the sticky-rice dumplings gobbled down during the Dragon Boat Festival, provide a nutritious addition to the pork-knuckle soup eaten by new mothers during postnatal recuperation, and are a magnet for seasonal gourmands at Chinese New Year in the form of peanut brittle – not to mention their role as a popular topping in Taiwanese desserts like taro balls, tofu pudding, and shaved ice.
PEANUTS guide, Zhong Bing-qi from the Yuanchang
– hence Tainan No. 9. “Tainan No. 9 hasn’t
Township Farmers’ Association, tells us
been grown here in quantity for about ten
that this particular cultivar has been grown
years,” says Wu, who grows only a small
in Yuanchang for over a decade, with the
amount for personal consumption. “And
first major yield occurring in 2000. For a
you can see that it has become small and the
more detailed account of its origins, Zhong
husk is more wrinkled, whereas it used to be
takes us to visit Wu Zhi-cheng, one of the
very smooth.” This is a perpetual problem
first farmers to grow the cultivar.
for peanut farmers – varieties mutate.
The Black King Kong is distinctive for its deeply wrinkled pod, the color of its testa, its low oil content, and its delicate taste and texture
Mr. Wu welcomes us to his
“There are over 2,000 hectares of
farm with a six-pack of Taiwan Beer and
land being used here for growing peanuts,
enough peanuts to sate an elephant. As
all fairly close together, so mutations
we sip our beers and graze on the peanuts,
due to cross-pollination are inevitable,”
Wu explains the different kinds of peanuts
explains Zhong. “After about five or six
grown in Yuanchang. “This one,” he says,
harvests you’ll start to notice differences
holding a small specimen with a largely
in the variety you’re using, and that’s
unwrinkled pod that’s quite smooth to the
due to the fact that the farmer who owns
touch, “is Tainan No. 9, one of the early peanut varieties we used to grow here.”
Almost a third
of all
A quick note on names: Many of the
the island’s peanuts comes from one small
cultivars have numerical code names,
township in southern Taiwan: Yuanchang,
which can deceive one into thinking
Yunlin County. The level, sandy flats of
that the conversation has digressed onto
this township provide the perfect conditions
the subject of perfumes or symphonies.
for peanut cultivation, though this does
This is due to the fact that many of the
not mean that the farmers of Yuanchang
cultivars were originally supplied by the
are immune to troubles. Typhoons and
Tainan District Agricultural Research and
seasonal rains mean the constant threat
Extension Station, an organization charged
of crop spoilage. Nonetheless, the town’s
with the modification and improvement
yield last year was still more than 10,000
of agricultural crops. Its job is to breed
tons. A large portion of this was a cultivar
better varieties, peanuts among them, and
known locally as youdou , or oil bean, used
then supply the farmers with the improved
for processing into peanut oil. Most of the
versions. Each new variety is given a number
remaining tonnage, however, was made up of Yuanchang’s signature peanut – a blackskinned variety known as hei jingang , “Black King Kong.” The Black King Kong is distinctive for its deeply wrinkled pod, the color of its testa (the papery skin that covers the kernel), which ranges from a rich plum to a charcoal
1 2 3
black, its low oil content, and its delicate taste and texture. On a recent trip to the township with a number of companions our
1. Fresh p eanuts 2 & 3 Dr ying p eanuts
Travel in Taiwan
47
FOOD JOURNEY
the neighboring field might be growing a different cultivar.” This phenomenon is not always detrimental, however, as it’s precisely due to this kind of mutation that the area’s star peanut, the Black King Kong, came into existence. “The Black King Kong variety is actually the descendent of the huaren (florid kernel) variety,” says Wu, picking up another, bigger pod and cracking it open to reveal three snowwhite kernels streaked with maroon. “About
appearance of an assembly of English public
base of the plant. There, below ground, the
ten or so years ago, huaren pods containing
schoolboys in comparison to the grizzled
fertilized ovaries develop into a pod. It’s for
kernels that were all black started to show up.
band of Black King Kong plants growing in
this reason that Yuanchang’s soft, sandy soil
At the time we thought this was a novelty,
another field nearby. Zhong explains that
is well suited for peanut cultivation, and why
and started specifically selecting black kernels
the peanuts produced by the plants we see
wet, humid weather is such a blight – water
for use as seeds.”
here will not be sold for consumption, but
plus soil plus peanuts equals rot.
will instead be used as a source of seeds to The same process of mutation that
plant more. “Before we put this cultivar on
Peanuts are planted twice a year in
created them is now, unfortunately, making
the market, we need to create a yield great
Yuanchang, once in January-February and
the Black King Kong troublesome to cultivate
enough for sustained sales,” says Zhong.
once in July-August, and are harvested
well: the leaves grow ragged and disheveled,
“This piece of land here is about one fen (a
between 100 and 120 days after planting.
the pods, which develop underground, bunch
Taiwanese unit of measurement equivalent
The peanuts are harvested mechanically
unevenly, making harvesting difficult, and
to roughly a tenth of a hectare), and we
– combines with snapping steel mandibles
the plant is increasingly sensitive to bad
can use the yield from this piece of land to
dig up the plants, separate the pods from
weather, yielding fewer and fewer peanuts
plant five or six fen next season.” A spate
the rest of the bush, and deposit them in
each season.
of typhoons and bad weather over the past
an iron saddlebag on their flank. With two
two years has, however, caused much of the
machines a hectare of land can be harvested
An improved variety, code-named
experimental No. 16 to spoil before harvest,
in two hours, whereas it would take three
Tainan No. 16, has been brought in to
meaning that the young pretender has to
or four days with ten people harvesting by
replace it. Zhong takes us to a field where
date been unable to outdo the old veteran it
hand. After being harvested, the peanuts are
they are growing this up-and-comer. Orderly
was brought in to replace.
dried in the sun – a necessary process for
and well-groomed, the plants have the
preserving the raw product, which would
Mr. Zhong
otherwise spoil (or even sprout in moist takes us to a field
weather), and to prepare it for roasting.
to see a peanut harvest underway. Though you’ve probably heard this numerous
1
times – likely from people with annoyingly adenoidal voices – the peanut is of course a legume, not a nut. After being pollinated, the plant’s tiny yellow flowers wither and the stalks turn downwards, elongating until they eventually pierce the soil at the
48
Travel in Taiwan
2 3
5
4 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Har vesting Farm workers Fresh from the ear th Check ing the “nut s” Ready for sale
PEANUTS Driving through Yuanchang during
temperature. After 40 minutes of roasting
peanut season, you’re likely to see many of
the sand is removed, and the peanuts are
the smaller roads either fully or partially
subjected to a blow-dry to get rid of any
cordoned off by the local farmers, who
adhering dust before being spread out on a
dry their peanuts on the asphalt. Zhong
rack and left to cool.
It’s said that no man in the world has more courage than he who can stop after eating one peanut
says that this is such a widespread and time-honored practice that the local police
When still raw, the dried peanuts
don’t give the famers any grief. “It’s a hard
are quite tender, and even a little sweet.
enough life as it is,” he shrugs. The reason
Roasting them, however, brings out that
for open-air and not mechanical drying
distinctive umami, peanutty flavor. I crack
is that the peanuts need a gentle, gradual
open one of the freshly roasted pods, extract
drying-out over the course of about two
a nut, and slip off the black testa to reveal
weeks. Experiments with mechanical
a perfectly cooked toffee-brown kernel.
dryers have resulted in peanuts with a sour,
It’s said that no man in the world has more
rancid f lavor.
courage than he who can stop after eating one peanut. I am not such a man.
At the farmers’ association facility, we get to see the roasting process up close. The dried peanuts are put onto a conveyor belt along with heaps and heaps of sand. They then go into the roaster – a revolving drum with an internal heat of up to 150 °C – where the sand grains help to evenly distribute the
English and Chinese fen 分 hei jingang 黑金剛 huaren 花仁 Tainan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station 台南區農業改良場
Tainan No. 9 台南九號 Wu Zhi-cheng 吳誌成 youdou 油豆 Yuanchang 元長 Yuanchang Township Farmers' Association 元長鄉農會 Zhong Bing-qi 鐘炳祺
On the second floor there are private rooms where coffee, ice treats, and desserts are served.
ing to Taiwan, visiting For many tourists com ice a must. Eating mango Smoothie House is kes everyone happy. simply is a joy and ma
Mango ice is one of the most popular refreshing foods during the summer months in Taiwan. Try the mixed mango shaved ice, made with fresh mango, strawberry, and kiwi, a sublime combination of ice and superb fruit flavor! This is the best-selling item on the menu.
1F, 15 Yongkang St., Taipei City The ice treats of Smoothie House are made with fragrant aiwen mango cultivated in Taiwan. This type of mango has a firm texture and is very juicy. The fruit meat melts in your mouth and creates an amazing sweet and sour sensation. No one seems to be able to resist this unbelievable treat. Groups are welcome. Looking for cooperating travel agencies
and representatives Contact: service@smoothie.com.tw
Tel: +886-2-2341-8555
2F, 15 Yongkang St., Da'an District, Taipei City Tel: +886-2-2395-8770 Longmen Shop: 52 Guo’ai St., Sanchong District, New Taipei City Tel: +886-2-2972-0758 Beitou Shop: 294 Zhonghe St., Beitou District, Taipei City Tel: +886-2-2894-5511
Travel in Taiwan 49 Smoothie House Chang'an Branch ~ Breakfast Shop Add: 55 Chang'an W. Rd., Taipei City Tel: +886-2-2552-3250
ACTIVE FUN
Skateboarding
in Taiwan
A Day at a Small Skatepark in Downtown Taipei
X Nike team rider Kyle
Text: Hanre Malherbé
Sk ateboarder Hanré
Photos: Zenith Lin
As online social networking has become prevalent in the daily lives of people in Taiwan – especially those living in the city – it is no surprise to see a high level of interest in skateboarding here. Many first become interested in the fashion surrounding the sport, taking pictures of themselves and friends posing with their skateboards, dressed head to toe in clothing and footwear specifically designed for the sport, then posting the results online. This brings even more people to the sport. Many then move on from their fashion-oriented phase into serious skating.
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Travel in Taiwan
There are different
disciplines within the sport of skateboarding, two of which are most prominent – street skating and longboarding. Most popular in Taiwan is street skating. The boards used in this discipline are about a meter long and evenly shaped, both ends possessing a “tail” – a small halfcircle section that is bent upwards away from the ground at a moderate angle.
Street skating involves three types of tricks: Flat-landing – Performed on a flat surface, jumping (or “olleying”) and making the board spin or flip in various ways, then catching it with your feet and landing safely. Grinds – Jumping onto an obstacle such as a rail or ledge and then sliding, using any part of the board except the wheels. Airing – Stunts performed after launching off a ramp of some kind.
SKATEBOARDING
Kyle Ke tack ling the grind b ox
Kyle performed a variety of difficult stunts. His first trick left me in awe at his control and finesse on the board – huge 180 airs on the six-foot quarter-pipe Longboarding involves speed (mostly enjoyed downhill), big cylinder-shaped wheels, and long, narrow boards that usually don’t have tails. This discipline resembles surfing in more ways than one, and you slide around corners in a manner similar to skimming along on a wave. It is illegal to longboard on most roads in Taiwan, but riders still find space to practice their sport legally, for example on river embankments.
Being a skateboarder
is a bit like being a nomad, in the sense that there isn’t much in the way of promotion done by big organizations, and you are for the most part on your own. Skate shops, however, do provide crucial
support, if on a limited scale. There are skate shops in most Taiwan cities, and although some of them only sell related footwear and clothing, most are well-stocked with all the gear one needs to go boarding – including the excellent products of Taiwanese brands such as Nezha. For Taipei City, I recommend going to Urban Highfive in Shilin District or Jimi Skate Shop in Zhongzheng District – because going to either of these is also a good way to get involved in the island’s skateboarding scene. Many of the owners of skate shops are skateboarders themselves, usually have a set time each week to go boarding, and are delighted to have new faces come along. They can also introduce you to different skate spots and bring you in contact with other skaters.
Travel in Taiwan
51
ACTIVE FUN
Some skate shops also organize skating events throughout the year, collaborating with other skate shops and/or the Chinese Taipei Extreme Sports Association.
hold the wheels on either end), with the back end of the board sticking up behind it, a bit off to the side.
For this article,
finished our skating session we headed over to a coffee shop across the street for a more formal chat. I found Kyle to be quite mature for his age (he’s 21); he spoke calmly and clearly, and took time to ponder my questions on Taiwan skating before responding. Here’s a sample:
we arranged to meet up with Nike team rider Kyle Ke (co-owner of Urban Highfive) for a little skate session under the Jianguo Elevated Expressway, right across from Huashan 1914 Creative Park (close to MRT Zhongxiao-Xinsheng Station). Because this little skate park is underneath an elevated roadway, you can go skate there even when it’s raining, and so it is a favorite spot with many local skateboarders. The park, roughly one hundred meters long and twenty wide, is flanked on two sides by roadways buzzing with traffic. There are almost always people skating there, so even if you go straight there without visiting a skate shop first (provided you already have a board), chances are that you will run into people willing to skate with you, teach you a few new tricks, and tell you a bit about Taiwan’s skating scene. It’s a lot of fun skating at this compact facility, which has a number of different boxes, ledges, and rails. At one end, close to a basketball court, are some larger obstacles, including a pyramid box, a quarterpipe, and a grind box. I have to admit that as I was riding my scooter to the park that day I became increasingly nervous about skating with Kyle, since it had been about eight years since I had last skateboarded. Fortunately, it turned out to be much easier to remember how to skate than I had expected. By watching how Kyle distributed his body weight on the board while doing each trick, I managed to get the hang of one trick I used to do all those years ago – a “kick-flip,” which is done by olleying and then, in midair, kicking your front foot outwards and towards your back, making the board spin around before you catch it with your feet and land. After getting it right three times (out of twenty or so tries!), I decided to try a kick-flip off a straight drop roughly 5 feet high. Alas, I could not get it right, despite trying numerous times. This simply means one thing: I’ll be back to try again! Kyle performed a variety of much more difficult stunts, as could be expected from someone on Nike’s international skateboard team. His first trick left me in awe at his control and finesse on the board – huge 180 airs on the six-foot quarter-pipe. And, considering the fact that he is rather tall and thin, he made it look incredibly stylish as well. He topped this by moving over to the grind box (shaped like a pyramid, with a ledge running up and over the box) and proceeding to do a “crooked” grind. This is done by sliding on the front “truck” (the axles which
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After we
Q: Learning the basics of skateboarding is difficult for most people, and to improve beyond that level is an even bigger challenge. How did you overcome these challenges? Kyle: “The only way to overcome the difficulty of advancing your skills in the beginning is to spend as much time as you can practicing. Also, most beginners find it really hard to get to the next level, because there are a lot of inescapable “choke points.” The best way is to go to a skate park and ask other, more advanced, skaters for advice. This is a convenient way for beginners to learn. Most beginners are afraid to ask questions... but they shouldn’t be shy, and instead should feel free to ask for advice from the more accomplished skaters. Q: Are there any workshops or classes available for skateboarding in Taiwan? Kyle: Many skate shops offer training sessions for the public. You can also just go to any skate shop and arrange to go skating with people who work there... Taipei, Taichung, Tainan... almost any larger city in Taiwan. They usually plan a skating session every week. It’s always more fun to skate with other people, you know. Q: What are the different disciplines in skateboarding? Where do people usually go to practice? Are there any major annual events? Kyle: There are many different kinds of skateboards, actually – long boards, the small plastic boards which are pretty popular because they are considered “cute,” and the kind I skate with, the most common skateboard type. Regarding practice, I recommend the Nangang Extreme Sports Park, because it’s easiest to get to if you’re in Taipei. Another place is the spot we skated at today; it’s very suitable for practice. Every year there is an important local competition, the Nike City Jam; the three finalists go to mainland China to compete against each province’s three finalists, and then there is a finals competition in Shanghai. This is extremely challenging, as they invite some famous skaters to compete as well.
SKATEBOARDING Skating in the streets of Taiwan’s cities is illegal; visit the following extreme-sports parks: Taipei Extreme Sports Training Center ( 臺北市極限運動訓練中心 ) Add: 382, Sec. 7, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市忠孝東路七段 382 號 ) Pingzhen Skate Park ( 平鎮滑板公園 ) Add: 58, Zhongyuan Rd., Pingzhen City, Taoyuan ( 桃園縣平鎮市中原路 58 號 ) Taichung Extreme Sports Park ( 台中極限運動場 ) Add: 93, Sec. 1, Chongde 8th Rd., Beitun District, Taichung City ( 臺中市北屯區崇德八路一段 93 號 ) Having fun on the quar ter-pip e
Practical Info: Urban Highfive Add: 1F, 72, Dadong Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市大東路 72 號 1 樓 ) Tel: (02) 2881-3153 Jimi Skate Shop Add: 36, Sec. 2, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市忠孝東路 2 段 36 號 ) Tel: (02) 2351-5302 Chinese Taipei Extreme Sports Association ( 中華民國極限運動協會 ) Add: 382, Sec. 7, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市忠孝東路 7 段 382 號 ) Tel: (02) 2786-3258
Tainan Extreme Sports Park ( 臺南極限運動場 ) Add: 10, Tiyu Rd., Tainan City ( 台南市體育路 10 號 ) Kaohsiung City Extreme Sports Arena ( 高雄極限運動場 ) Add: 99, Zhongzheng 1st Rd., Lingya District, Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市苓雅區中正一路 99 號 )
English and Chinese Huashan 1914 Creative Park 華山 1914 文化創意產業園區 Jianguo Elevated Expressway 建國高架道路 Kyle Ke 柯家恩 Shilin District 士林區 Zhongzheng District 中正區
Travel in Taiwan
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NOSTALGIA
Old-Style Grocery Bags Photos: Maggie Song
Light, Handy, Durable, and Chic
Sometimes fashion
makes a U-turn, returning to something that went out of vogue decades ago. Sometimes fashion even goes back in time to something that had never been fashionable in the first place. Traditional Taiwanese grocery bags, called jiazhidai ( 茄芷袋 ) in Mandarin Chinese, are a good example. Traditionally, these bags were used by countryside folk to carry produce from farm to market, and by grannies to bring food from market to home – hardly an item that made a fashion statement. In recent decades the “Taike” subculture movement has taken hold, in which people have consciously adopted traditional old-fashioned clothes, cuisine, and other elements to emphasize the uniqueness of popular, grassroots
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Taiwanese culture (for an introduction on Taike, see http://tinyurl.com/taikeculture). Jiazhidai fit the style of a Taike follower perfectly because they are representative of the common folk of the Taiwan countryside, with a style that can be described as “earthy” or “native soil.” Apart from helping young people make a fashion statement, these bags, which have blue, green, and red as basic colors, have a practical use as well. In a time when widespread attempts are being made by government and environmentprotection organizations to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags, jiazhidai are a great choice as reusable shopping bags. They are very light, durable, easy to clean, come in sizes from small to extra-large, and are very cheap (NT$35 for a small bag). Let’s go shopping, Taike style!