Travel in Taiwan (No.67, 2015 1/2)

No. 67, 2015

JAN & FEB

NANTOU COUNTY

A Journey through Central Taiwan Indigenous Cuisine Bicycling Trends Leisure Farm Visit Places to Go TONIGHT

EASY HIKE

Peculiar Crags in Pingxi

RAIL, BUS & BIKE

Along the North Coast

DADAOCHENG

The Old Taipei

Let’s experience some exciting traditional Taiwan stage performances!

TaipeiEYE stages shows for tourists visiting Taiwan, including folk music, aboriginal dance and music, Peking opera improved by new scenes of dances and martial arts, and much more. English subtitles are provided so that foreign visitors can easily follow the action. The performances at TaipeiEYE are a must-see for anyone interested in the amazing performing arts of Taiwan.

Performances: Mon .Wed. Fri. at 20:30 Sat. at 20:00/ Effective from April 2015 The show commence at 20:00 Closed on 2/8/2015 to 3/3/2015 Please contact us if you need more detailed information

www.taipeieye.com

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Tel: +886-2-2568-2677 Fax: +886-2-2568-2335 E-Mail: taieye@taipeieye.com Add: 【Cement Hall at

off ％

Not valid with any other offers Offer ends Feb7, 2015

Taiwan Cement Building】 .113, Sec. 2, Zhongshan N. Rd., Taipei City(Jinzhou Rd. entrance) 【台泥大樓士敏廳】 台北市中山北路2段113號(錦州街入口)

Welcome to Taiwan!

Dear Traveler, The Taiwan winter has settled in over the land, blanketing us with a comfortable layer of cool. You’re in the subtropics, so if you think “winter” means a blanket of snow, think again, for unless you’re headed into the high mountains all you need is an extra layer of clothing at the ready – perfect for long hours of happy exploration. Here are some things you can get up to in January and February: As it happens, our Feature does indeed bring you up into the sky-high central mountains, so unpack that jacket. We visit beautiful landlocked Nantou County, ending up in Yushan National Park, suspended from northeast Asia’s highest peak. A very short list of experiences enjoyed along the way: “green tunnel” bike riding, a “snake kiln” visit, edu-experiences in prime grapefarm and tea-plantation country, visits to a mountainside indigenous village and hot-spring town, mountain hikes and, of course, time in the rugged, panorama-packed national park. And as always, we also give you leads on the best places to stay, best restaurants and food treats, and best gifts/souvenirs to buy.

You’ve got more pedaling to do in our Popular Pastimes file, this issue focused on bicycling.

As our writer states, this is the “green, smart way to move about and get to know Taiwan.”

Cycling has become one of Taiwan’s most popular leisure activities in the past decade-plus, and said popularity has resulted in programs to make it increasingly convenient for all, locals and foreign visitors.

In a series of other major articles we guide you around Taipei and the surrounding north. We travel the rugged north coast via rail, bus – and yes, bike once more. We explore the “flavors of indigenous villages brought to the city” with a pleasant few hours spent at a restaurant in Taoyuan, which goes out of its way to delight all five senses. In Taipei, you’re off for a bucolic day in its rural area at a leisure farm in the Neihu District, a local expert takes you on a guided history tour of old Taipei with a day wandering the history-rich Dadaocheng community, and in a new series on food and drink entertainment we list all the best evening spots in Taipei’s XinyiAnhe commercial area.

I hope and trust this issue will provide you much food for thought when planning your next Taiwan adventure. Enjoy.

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

CONTENTS Januar y ~ Febuar y 2015 See more amazing images of Taiwan in our Travel in Taiwan app!

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Taiwan Slang Keelung

— Seaport City of Deep Character

,

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

Wayne Hsi-Lin Liu

TEL: 886-2-2711-5403 Fax: 886-2-2721-2790 E-MAIL: editor@v-media.com.tw General Manager Frank K. Yen 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, Kurt Weidner, Nick Kembel, Joe Henley, Owain Mckimm, Richard Saunders PHOTOGRAPHERS Chian Chu, Betty Fan, Twelli, Maggie Song ART DIRECTOR Sting Chen DESIGNERS Choc Xu, Eve Chiang, Karen Pan ui-chun Tsai, Nai-jen Liu, Xiou Mieng Jiang Administrative Dept H

Abroad

Publishing Organization

Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications CONTACT

International Division, Taiwan Tourism Bureau Add: 9F, 290 Zhongxiao E. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei, 10694, Taiwan Tel: 886-2-2717-3737 Fax: 886-2-2771-7036 E-mail: tbroc@tbroc.gov.tw Website: http://taiwan.net.tw

台 灣 觀 光 雙 月 刊 Travel in Taiwan The Official Bimonthly English Magazine of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau (Advertisement) January/February, 2015 Tourism Bureau, MOTC First published Jan./Feb., 2004 ISSN: 18177964 GPN: 2009305475 Price: NT$200 www.tit.com.tw/vision/index.htm Copyright @ 2015 Tourism Bureau. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form without written permission is prohibited.

MAGAZINE IS SOLD AT:

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

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ONLINE

Read the online version of Travel in Taiwan at www.tit.com.tw or download the iPad app from http://appstore.com/ travelintaiwan

Husband and Wife Trees (photo by Chian Chu)

This magazine is printed on FSC TM COC certified paper. Any product with the FSC TM logo on it comes from a forest that has been responsibly maintained and harvested in a sustainable manner.

This magazine was printed with soy ink.

Soybean is said to be more environmentally friendly than petroleum-based ink and to make it easier to recycle paper.

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48 1 Publisher’s Note 4 Taiwan Tourism Events

6 News & Culture 25 Taiwan Slang

FEATURE

10 Nantou High-Mountain Highs

WHERE TO GO TONIGHT

36 Food – Drink – Entertainment — Places to Go in the Evening in Taipei’s Xinyi /Anhe Commercial Area

RAIL/BUS/BIKE

38 Around the Northern Tip

— Following the North Coast from East to West

— From River-Valley Floor Up into Soaring Sky-High Yushan National Park

20 Nantou County Eating, Buying, Snoozing

— Our Suggestions on the Best of the Best

Indigenous CUISINE

26 Daluan Restaurant

MY FAVORITE SPOTS

43 The Old Taipei

— Introducing the City’s Dadaocheng Area

POPULAR PASTIMES

48 Pedaling Along

— The Flavors of Indigenous Villages Brought to the City

— The Green, Smart Way to Move About and Get to Know Taiwan

Farm Fun

EASY HIKING

30 Rural Taipei City

— A Day at Qingxiang Leisure Farm in Taipei’s Neihu District

52 Stairways to the Sky

— Hiking Filial Son Mountain in New Taipei City’s Pingxi Area

TA I WA N TO U R I S M E V E N T S

Lanterns Galore

Celebrations at the End of the Chinese New Year Period Chinese New Year falls on February 19 this year, and two weeks later the traditional New Year season is brought to a close with the Lantern Festival (Yuanxiao Festival). Large- and small-scale celebration events are organized in many locations, most famous of which are the Taiwan Lantern Festival (this year staged in Taichung), big festivals in Taipei and Kaohsiung, and other traditional happenings such as the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival and Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival.

2/27 Taiwan Lantern Festival 3/15 台灣燈會 Taichung City in central Taiwan is this yearʼs host for the annual Taiwan Lantern Festival, which is organized by a different city/county government each year. Venues are a special zone by Taichungʼs High Speed Rail Station at Wuri, Fengyuan District near Fengyuan Railway Station, and Taichung Park in the cityʼs center. "Taichung Takes Off" is the theme of this yearʼs extravaganza, and a large theme lantern in the shape of a goat (2015 is the Year of the Goat) will be on display at each of the three venues, symbolizing the Chinese saying "Three goats bring an auspicious year" ( 三羊 ( 陽 ) 開泰 ). This is the second time that Taichung is hosting the event; the first was the last Year of the Goat, in 2003. The main theme lantern from that festival is still on display in Taichung Park. The lighting ceremony for this yearʼs main lanterns takes place on March 5, and the festival concludes on March 15.

Location: Wuri High Speed Rail Special Zone, Fengyuan District, Taichung Park ( 烏日高鐵特定區、豐原區、台中公園 ) Website: 2015taiwanlantern.net

2/27 3/8

Taipei Lantern Festival 台北燈節

During the often wet and cool winter weather in northern Taiwan, the colorful lanterns of the annual Taipei Lantern Festival warm the hearts of tens of thousands of visitors. As in the previous two years, the Taipei Expo Park will be the venue for this large exhibition of lanterns in all shapes and sizes. If in the city during this time of the year, also make sure to visit one of the major temples displaying lanterns and organizing festival-related events. Among these are Longshan Temple, Ciyou Temple, and Guandu Temple, all conveniently close to stations of the Taipei Metro system.

Location: Yuanshan Park Area, Taipei Expo Park ( 花博圓山公園園區 ) Website: www.taipei.gov.tw

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Travel in Taiwan

3/28 4/7

Song-Jiang Battle Array in Neimen, Kaohsiung 高雄內門宋江陣

Neimen is a small, sleepy settlement in the rural district of the same name in northeastern Kaohsiung City.

Once a year, it comes alive to the sound of thunderous drumming. This is when the Song-Jiang Battle Array is held, a martial-arts contest in which many groups from the Neimen area and other parts of Taiwan take part in a showcase of mock-fighting skills put on to entertain the deities of Zizhu Temple.

Location: Zizhu Temple, Neimen District, Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市內門區紫竹寺 ) Website: www.kcg.gov.tw

JANUARY - MARCH

3/4 3/5

Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival 鹽水蜂炮 The Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival is said to be the thirdlargest folk celebration in the world, and is one of the most iconic 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 and gloves for protection, the coats often suffering serious singeing by the time the last rocket has been fired.

Photo courtesy of Tainan Yanshui Wu Temple Photographer Wang Ming-ren

Late Feb. Early Mar.

Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival 新北市平溪天燈節

Location: Yanshui Wu Temple, Yanshui District, Tainan City ( 台南市鹽水區鹽水武廟 ) Website: www.tainan.gov.tw

2/19 Kaohsiung Lantern Festival 3/15 高雄燈會藝術節

The Pingxi Valley, east of Taipei City, has numerous scenic and cultural attractions, including Shifen Waterfall, heritage sites from the areaʼs mining days, and a branch railway offering convenient transport that is a tourist attraction in itself. Launching sky lanterns, simple paper lanterns constructed with a thin wire frame and with a small fire inside creating lift, has become a big hit with tourists in recent years. While many lanterns are sent to the sky each day throughout the year, the activity becomes truly special around the time of the Lantern Festival when hundreds of lanterns are released at the same time, time after time, into the night sky.

Location: Shifen, Pingxi, and Jingtong, New Taipei City ( 新北市十分、平溪、菁桐 ) Website: www.ntpc.gov.tw

Taiwanʼs second-largest city, Kaohsiung, has its own grand Lantern Festival celebration. The organizers each year make use of the cityʼs beloved Love River, decorating the banks with lights in the hundreds of thousands. The highlight of the event is a thrilling pyrotechnics show, with the fireworks set off from the center of the river. There are a number of hotels along the river with guestrooms offering great views of the illuminated waterway. Best to make your reservations early, however!

Location: Love River, Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市愛河 ) Website: www.kcg.gov.tw

Travel in Taiwan

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W h at ' s u p

NEWS & Events around Taiwan

Bicycling

Bike Network in Miaoli The Miaoli County Government has built a comprehensive bike network (total length: 500 km) in recent years, connecting towns in this county in northwestern Taiwan and neighboring counties – Hsinchu to the north and Taichung to the south.

There are now nine well-marked routes that cyclists can ply to explore Miaoliʼs varied countryside, which includes coastal scenery, forests rich with tung trees (blooming in April/May), villages surrounded by farmland, the Mingde Reservoir, the wood-carving town of Sanyi, and many more attractions. For more info about Miaoli, visit: miaolitravel.net.

Tourism

9 Millionth Visitor of the Year Arrives on December 2

Culture

Creative Expo Taiwan Taipei, selected as the World Design Capital 2016, is buzzing with creative activity and design projects. The upcoming Creative Expo Taiwan is one big event not to be missed if you want to know what the cityʼs creative minds are working on these days. The expo, scheduled for April 29 through May 4, will be held at three venues – Songshan Cultural & Creative Park, Huashan 1914 Creative Park, and Taipei Expo Park – and will connect with surrounding cultural-life circles, showing how creativity can contribute to improving the quality of life. More info at: creativexpo.tw

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Travel in Taiwan

In 2013, the 8-millionth visitor of the year arrived in Taiwan on the very last day of December.

In 2014, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau celebrated another milestone, annual visitor no.

9,000,000, and didnʼt have to wait for the last day of the year to greet him/her. On December 2, Mr Lo Tak-pui from Hong Kong arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan Intʼl Airport with his son and daughter, and was welcomed by representatives of the Tourism Bureau and showered with a wide range of gifts. Visitor arrivals have been increasing steadily in recent years, as a result of successful tourism-promotion efforts abroad and achievements in providing a convenient and satisfying travel environment at home. If the trend continues, there will surely be a formal welcoming of visitor no. 10,000,000 at some point in 2015.

JANUARY - MARCH

Culture

Tainan Metropolitan Park Museum The history- and culture-rich city of Tainan in southwestern Taiwan has a new cultural attraction. The Europeanstyle Tainan Metropolitan Park Museum, run by the Chi Mei Cultural Foundation, was opened to the public this January. The park is located south of Tainanʼs urban core in Rende District, not far from the cityʼs airport.

A highlight of the museum complex is the Fountain of Apollo sculpture, created by French artist Gills Perrault, which depicts the Greek sun god Apollo rising from the sea at daybreak in his four-horse chariot.

Videos

Rankings

Taiwan Travel Promotion Videos

Taiwan a BestValue Destination In a recent ranking by the worldʼs largest travel-book publisher, Lonely Planet, Taiwan was listed as one of the worldʼs 10 Best-ValueDestinations for 2015. “Taiwan delivers great all-round value. Taipei is significantly cheaper than Hong Kong, Seoul or Tokyo, and while hotels are a bit expensive, dorm beds and homestays abound in Taiwan and camping is common in a lot of the islandʼs national parks and forests. Rail passes are standardized and cheap on fast and modern lines. Admission to many attractions and temples is cheap, and even major museums are affordable. (www.lonelyplanet.com/travel-tips-andarticles/best-value-destinations-for-2015 )

The United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) recently produced a series of videos introducing Taiwan to foreign travelers. In six high-quality videos, show host Kelly Ferro takes you to various places on the island, introducing you to street markets, ritual ceremonies, fine foods, the countryside, and culture in general.

Watch the Travel Together: Taiwan videos at: http://goo.gl/dL5tqB

Sightseeing

Electric Tricycles in Lugang The town of Lugang in central Taiwanʼs Changhua County is a popular destination for travelers who want to explore a bit of the old and the traditional. While meandering the narrow lanes and alleys of the town on foot is a great way to move about, riding on the back seat of recently introduced environment-friendly electric tricycles is even more convenient and less tiring. On 1- or 2-hour tours, guides show you Lugangʼs main attractions, including Longshan Temple, narrow Moru (lit.

“Breast Rubbing”) Lane, and the Lugang Folk Arts Museum.

Travel in Taiwan

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c u lture s c ene

CULTURE Concerts, Exhibitions, and Happenings

12/13 3/15

11/15 4/12

National Palace Museum

Get Rhythm with Paul Klee

A History of the World in 100 Objects 另眼看世界 大英博物館百品特展

跟著保羅克利的節奏 In this exhibition children can explore the creative elements in the art of Paul Klee, one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. www.tfam.museum

This exhibition features 100 objects from the British Museum in London. It allows you to go on a journey through two million years of human history. www.npm.gov.tw & www.britishmuseum.org

2/26 4/12

12/20 3/15

National Theater and Concert Hall

Taiwan International Festival of Arts

小王子特展 The Little Prince, a novella by, and the most famous work of, French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was voted the best book of the 20th century in France, and has been translated into more than 250 languages. Experience the journey of the young prince through different media in this exhibition. www.songshanculturalpark.org

First held in 2009, the Taiwan International Festival of Arts (TIFA) each year presents outstanding performing-arts productions.

This year audiences will again be entertained with works by myriad artists from Taiwan and abroad, including Pina Bausch, Yukio Ninagawa, and the Scandinavian avant-garde opera company Hotel Pro Forma. tifa.npac-ntch.org/2015.

Taoyuan Arts Facilities Management Center

Dark Art Night Lights 3D Art Exhibition

2/10 5/10

CKS Memorial Hall

SpongeBob SquarePants 海綿寶寶

Dark Art 夜光 3D 藝術展 Pose in front of enticing images in this exhibition to create the illusion that you are in or are part of the images. www.afmc.gov.tw

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Travel in Taiwan

Huashan 1914 Creative Park

Le Petit Prince

台灣國際藝術節

12/6 3/1

Taipei Fine Arts Museum

12/20 3/1

World Trade Center Taichung

Korean Horror Story – Graduation Trip 韓國靈異事件― 畢業旅行

In this exhibition, enter the world of SpongeBob, the cute, popular character from the American animated television series of the same name. www.cksmh.gov.tw

Prepare to be scared at this exhibition, presenting a combination of horror house and closed-room escape experience. www.wtctxg.org.tw

VENUES 11/15 3/1

National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

Aesthetique Paris – Marie Laurencin 唯美 ˙ 巴黎－羅蘭珊畫展

This exhibition displays about 100 of French painter and printmaker Marie Laurencinʼs works, including 70 oil paintings, 10 prints, and 20 sketches, all on loan from the Musée Marie Laurencin in Tokyo. www.ntmofa.gov.tw

Taipei ATT Show Box

Taipei Arena（台北小巨蛋）

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

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

Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts （關渡美術館） Add: 1 Xueyuan Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市學園路 1 號 ) Tel: (02) 2896-1000 www.kdmofa.tnua.edu.tw Nearest MRT Station: Guandu

Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei （台北當代藝術館）

Add: 39 Chang-an W. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市長 安 西 路 3 9 號 )

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

National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall（國立中正紀念堂）

1/4 4/5

Songshan Cultural and Creative Park th

Snoopy 65 Anniversary Exhibition 走進花生漫畫

Add: 21 Zhongshan S. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市中山南 路 21 號 )

Tel: (02) 2343-1100 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 Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Snoopy, the lovely cartoon dog, was created 65 years ago by American Charles M. Schulz. If you missed this anniversary exhibition when staged last year in Kaohsiung and Taichung, you can visit it now in Taipei. www.songshanculturalpark.org.

（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

National Museum of History

( 台北市 南 京 東 路 四 段 2 號 )

Tel: (02) 2577-3500

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 路三段 181 號 )

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

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 101/World Trade Center

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

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 www.twtcnangang.com.tw Nearest MRT Station: Nangang Exhibition Hall

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

（國立歷史博物館）

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

12/13 3/4

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

Songshan Cultural and Creative Park

Celebrating 90 Years of Dreams 迪士尼 90 周年特展― 進入歡樂與夢想的奇 妙旅程 Last October the Walt Disney Company celebrated its 90 th anniversary. This exhibition shows artifacts from nine decades of Disney history, including drawings, props, costumes, and artworks from classic Disney animation works, theme-park attractions, TV shows, and live-action films. disney90.com.tw (Chinese)

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 路三段 332 號 )

National Palace Museum （國立故宮博物院）

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

Add: 221 Zhishan Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei City ( 台北市至 善路二 段 2 21 號 )

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

National Taiwan Museum （國立台灣博物館）

Add: 2 Xiangyang Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市 襄 陽 路 2 號 )

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

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）

Novel Hall（新舞台） 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

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

Travel in Taiwan

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FEATURE NANTOU COUNTY

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Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE NANTOU COUNTY

Nantou

High-Mountain Highs From River-Valley Floor Up into Soaring Sky-High Yushan National Park Text: Rick Charette Photos: Chian Chu

Grab your hiking boots, grab your camera, grab your sunblock. We’re taking you to river-valley Jiji town to visit a quaint Japanese-built heritage railway station and go “green tunnel” bike-riding, to Shuili on a visit to a heritage “snake kiln” and a pick-’em-yourself grape farm then, higher in the hills with mountains looming, to a mountainside indigenous village, to deep-mountainvalley Dongpu town for hot-spring bathing, on a hike up to tall, pretty Rainbow Waterfall high above Dongpu, and then on an ascent higher still – via highway, and much, much higher – to walk the scented fields of plateau-perched Caopingtou Yushan Tea Plantation, and finish in the clouds in Yushan National Park at panorama-embraced Tataka Visitor Center.

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FEATURE NANTOU COUNTY

Day 1 Jiji Ra ilway Statio n

1 2 3 4

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Shuili Jiji Gr Snake een Tun ne Kil n l

At Jiji's Green Tunnel At Shuili's Snake Kiln Jiji Railway Station Pottery master at Snake Kiln

Travel in Taiwan

A

fter a pleasant 3-hour drive from Taipei, we were at our first Nantou County destination, quiet, slow-moving Jiji.

The central attraction here is the pretty Japanese-built Jiji Railway Station, made of wood, which was rebuilt after being destroyed in the devastating 921 Earthquake of 1999. The adjoining museum/ gift shop has displays on the early development of the Jiji railway branch line and on the earthquake. Be sure to check out the scale model of the area displayed in the complex.

The Jiji branch line, popular with tourists, runs 29.7 km from the western plains into the mountains along the Zhuoshui River, from the town of Ershui to the town of Checheng. It was built by the Japanese colonial government in the 1920s to transport materials for Taiwan’s first great hydroelectric-dam construction project at nearby Sun Moon Lake, and soon opened for passenger traffic. The colorful air-conditioned trains slide along past farms and through small towns and thick green forests.

FEATURE NANTOU COUNTY

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1

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Right beside the single track west of Jiji town is the Green Tunnel, a 4.5-km stretch of leafy canopy covering County Road 152. The trees were planted during the colonial era. We followed tourist custom and rented bikes from one of the numerous rental shops right outside the station (scooters also available) and, after meandering the town’s old streets filled with heritage shops (see our accompanying Stay/Eat/Buy article), headed out for a carefree twohour Green Tunnel jaunt – vehicles passing by only infrequently on this weekday – very different from the Taipei world.

From Jiji it was on to the Shuili Snake Kiln southeast of Shuili town. Nantou County was once a major ceramicsproducing center, a source of products such as roof tiles, myriad household items, and large ceramic vessels for aging liquor.

The local water was found to be pure, the local clay ideal, the forest cover thick, and the wood needed inexpensive. The big, rambling wooden complex lies hidden away in forest cover beside Highway 16.

Built on a slope to get the heat inside to move upward – the firewood is placed in the lower section – the brick kiln looks very much like a fat snake. A priceless historical relic, it’s today only rarely fired, to keep it in condition. It takes 3~4 days and an incredible amount of wood to bring it up to, and keep it at, the desired 1,100 degrees Celsius. The ash created within comes to rest on the ceramic pieces, creating the inimitable wood-fired look. When the kiln is not in operation you can walk through it.

Among the many unusual and/or beautiful created works on display is what appears to be but is not a water cistern.

In WW II the Japanese in Taiwan realized they’d make great individualized air-raid bunkers, buried to their lip, each customized for one man and provided a lid and a step inside for easy exit. They were buried in the thousands on beaches, in anticipation of Allied landings that never came. Another is an ingenious teapot invented for the nobility in which the access hole is at the bottom, not the top, preventing easy poisoning.

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FEATURE NANTOU COUNTY

Day 2 Gan X i

Farm

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Wang xiang Villag e

that after 1895 the Japanese introduced varieties from the Americas that did not take well. Successful introduction of new varieties in the 1960s brought the boom that continues today. Zhang’s educational session is free. He knows that visitors will inevitably buy the grapes they snip themselves. Farm-crafted red and white wines are also sold.

Roads just before and after the riverside village of Tongfu lead uphill to a Bunun-tribe village, Wangxiang (Kalibuan in Bunun). The village co-op has systematically developed its tourism facilities, and we chatted with friendly staff at the small visitor center (and adjoining snack bar) about the certified ecoguides available, song-and-dance shows, guesthouses and other accommodations, and bike-trail system set up on flat roads through local farm fields. We then meandered through the village, inspecting the distinctive architecture. Wangxiang is laid out in a grid – the clans were moved down from higher, deeper mountains by the Japanese, promising elders they would still have a clear view of Yushan (Mt. Jade), sacred to the Bunun. A pleasant hour was then spent on the 6-km Manuduo Hunter Trail, which is also popular with mountain bikers.

Afterwards, a short drive north brought us to the picturesque Thousand Year Suspension Bridge, which connects Wangxiang and Jiumei, another tribal village. One of the bonus pleasures of traveling in this region is the many photogenic vehicle bridges and

Dong Dong pu Su pu H n and Sp Moon ring V ot Bridg illage es

he Zhuoshui River runs east-west. From the western plains we had followed Highway 16 along the river to the towns of Jiji and Shuili. To get to our homestay for the first night (see Stay/ Eat/Buy article), we had jumped the Zhuoshui to head south, into ever-rising mountains, along the Chenyoulan River on Provincial Highway 21. This morning, after a homestay tea-tasting experience, we drove a bit further south for another educational experience amidst a great sprawling cluster of grape farms.

From Gan Xi (“Sweet Happiness”) Farm, between Highway 21 and the Chenyoulan River, you can look directly across the river at soaring bluffs and cliffs. Owner Zhang Yi-yao first gives you some background on the local industry (90% of Shuili Township’s grapes are grown on the cluster of farms here) and his organic grape-cultivation techniques, then takes you into his fields to learn how to identify which bunches are best for snipping through sight, touch, and smell. We learned that the first record of grape cultivation in Taiwan was way back in 1684, with pioneers using grape varieties that had made their way from Europe to China, and 3

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FEATURE NANTOU COUNTY

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pedestrian suspension bridges, bringing you out high above deepvalley and chasm floors, under looming mountain giants, giving you the sensation of floating in space. All this does much to heighten the already magnificent nature-sculpted aesthetics.

Back down at Tongfu, we left Highway 21 and followed County Road 60 along the river, headed for Dongpu, a hot-spring enclave.

On the way, we stopped off at the tourist-favorite Dongpu Sun and Moon Bridges. Metal-built, with leaping arches, they span a twisting section of the river, their adjoining ends resting on a farmed headland. Just as impressive is the original cliff-hugging highway, a large section smashed down by a landslide during a typhoon. You can walk through one of the surviving arcade sections, where local Bunun tribespeople have added to the already impressive aesthetics by making it an art gallery, decorating the inner wall with images from Bunun mythology.

Dongpu overlooks the Chenyoulan River, now running much more narrow and rugged than in the Shuili area, in the shadow of Yushan’s peaks. Among Taiwan’s most popular mountain hot-spring resort villages, this is a tranquil place of mountain/forest/waterfall vistas, creating a nigh-perfect mineral-soak ambience. The air in January through April is filled with the fragrance of cherry, plum, peach, pear, and poinsettia blossoms. The hotels here pipe the acidic bicarbonate spring waters – about 48 degrees Celsius – into guest rooms, private bathing rooms, and public pools.

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At Gan Xi Farm Manuduo Hunter Trail Gan Xi Farm Dongpu Sun and Moon Bridges Indigenous mural Church in Wangxiang Village Young Wangxiang residents Indigenous art

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FEATURE NANTOU COUNTY

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Day 3 Dong pu

Rainb ow W aterfa Su s p e ll nsion Br idg e

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Caopi ngtou Yusha n Tea Planta tion

Tatak Husba a Visi nd an tor d Wife T C e nter re es

he green-framed Rainbow Waterfall can be spotted from many Dongpu vantage points, the tall ribbon of feathery water spilling out of dense forest cover high above the village. In the morning we headed out for it along the popular eponymous trail, which takes you across the pretty Rainbow Suspension Bridge on the 45-to-60-minute, much-stepped route. The pool at the fall base is source of much of Dongpu’s hot-spring water, and along the trail you’ll see many pipes laboriously fitted over the streambed and through the streamside foliage.

Just outside Dongpu is Dongpu Suspension Bridge, spanning a rugged, choppy stream and its deep, narrow valley. The walkway has a very high arch – you can’t see people on the opposite half – taking you thrillingly high above the canyon treetops. There is a sweeping view of the mountainsides across the river, with

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farmstead homes in seemingly gravity-challenging positions on the steep slopes.

Back on Highway 21 at Tongfu, we traveled up to magnificent bird’s-eye vistas of the high mountains, valley bottoms far below, the road now twisting this way and that, a “beautiful!” moment around most every corner. There are numerous lookout points. My travel crew unanimously voted the section with Dongpu in view far, far below most spectacular, the village looking like a tiny child’s playset village.

The Caopingtou Yushan Tea Plantation, nestled before the entrance to Yushan National Park, is home to a cluster of plateausituated tea farms prized for premium-quality Yushan High Mountain Oolong Tea. Laced with short paths and longer trails, the area has terrific high-mountain views, including some of the Mt. Jade peaks. The farmsteads welcome individual visitors and sell their tea in small allotments. Peak photo season is spring, when the rows of deep-green tea bushes are colorfully framed by the crimson blossoms on the thousands of local cherry trees.

Higher up, after entering mighty, lofty Yushan National Park, we first visited the roadside Husband and Wife Trees, two giant

FEATURE NANTOU COUNTY

side-by-side Formosan Cypress that survived a great forest fire sweeping the area in 1963. We followed this up with a relaxing, lengthy break at the attractive Tataka Visitor Center, which sits at the top of a pass amidst soaring, nicely scented coniferous trees at the highway’s highest point. The center offers a film on the park in English, print materials in English and English-speaking staff, info displays, a gift shop, a comfy café-restaurant – and breathtaking scenery.

Tataka was the end of the road on this trip. We turned around and headed back on a long yet contented 5-hour ride back to Taipei.

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English and Chinese Batongguan Trail 八通關越嶺古道 Bunun Tribe 布農族 Caopingtou Yushan Tea Plantation 草坪頭玉山茶園 Checheng 車埕 Chenyoulan River 陳有蘭溪 Dongpu 東埔 Dongpu Sun and Moon Bridges 東埔日月橋 Dongpu Suspension Bridge 東埔吊橋 Ershui 二水 Father and Son Cliff 父不知子斷崖 Green Tunnel 綠色隧道 Husband and Wife Trees 夫妻樹 Jiji 集集 Jiumei 久美 Manuduo Hunter Trail 馬奴多獵人古道 Mt.Jade 玉山 Rainbow Suspension Bridge 彩虹吊橋 Rainbow Waterfall 彩虹瀑布 Sun Moon Lake 日月潭 Tataka Visitor Center 塔塔加遊客中心 Thousand Year Suspension Bridge 千歲吊橋 Tongfu 同富 Wangxiang 望鄉 Zhang Yi-yao 張藝耀 Zhuoshui River 濁水溪

XXXXXXXX 1. Caopingtou Yushan Tea Plantation 2. Maple tree at Tataka Visitor Center 3. Husband and Wife Trees 4. Rainbow Waterfall 5. Rainbow Suspension Bridge

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FEATURE NANTOU COUNTY

to Taichung

to Sun Moon Lake

Jiji Township Jiji Green Tunnel

Jiji Railway Station

DAY 1

Shuili Snake Kiln

Shuili Township

Nantou County Jiuqiong Ping B&B Gan Xi Farm

Batongguan Trail This trail, which stretches 152 km from Dongpu across the Central Mountain Range to the eastern part of Taiwan, was completed by Qing Dynasty authorities in 1875, as an inland route in the event of colonialpower attack. It took advantage of existing indigenous trails. Today a 20-km section from Dongpu to the Batongguan meadows in the Yushan range is well maintained and popular with serious hikers. Many just hike from Dongpu to nearby Father and Son Cliff, a section of trail hacked from a perpendicular rock face.

Dream Works of the Mei DAY 2

Wangxiang Village Thousand Year Suspension Bridge Manuduo Hunter Trail

Tongfu

Caopingtou Yushan Tea Plantation TAIWAN

Dongpu Sun and Moon Bridges

Rainbow Waterfall

Dongpu Suspension Dongpu Bridge Hot Spring Village

Taipei

Husband and Wife Trees

Taichung Nantou

Hualien

Chiayi

Kaohsiung

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Xinyi Township

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to Alishan

DAY 3 Tataka Visitor Center

Yushan National Park

FEATURE NANTOU COUNTY

Shuili Snake Kiln ( 水里蛇窯 ) Add: 21, Lane 512, Sec. 1, Shuixin Rd., Dingkan Village, Shuili Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣水里鄉頂崁村水信路一段 512 巷 21 號 ) Tel: (049) 277-0967 Website: www.snakekiln.com.tw

Gan Xi Farm ( 甘喜農場 ) Add: 46-1, Baibuzi Rd., Shangʼan Village, Shuili Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣水里鄉上安村白不仔路 46-1 號 ) Tel: (049) 282-1613, 0937-748-023

Wangxiang Village Community Cooperative ( 望鄉布農渡假部落 ) Add: 31, Wanghe Lane, Wangmei Village, Xinyi Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣信義鄉望美村望和巷 31 號 ) Tel: (049) 270-2320 Website: www.yohani.org.tw (Chinese)

Tonpo Ti Lun Hotel

Hiking Mt. Jade Hiking to the main peak of Mt. Jade (northeast Asia’s highest mountain) requires minimum 5-day advance booking; visit the national park website for online registration (www.ysnp.gov.tw ). For those looking for easier day hikes, there are four trails spread out from the Tataka Visitor Center area. These vary from a quick one-hour jaunt through grassland above the center to a full-day outing that traverses the surrounding tall-forest wilderness. The center offers maps and advice on all park excursions.

Mt. Jade Travel in Taiwan

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STAY/EAT/BUY NANTOU COUNTY

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Nantou County

Eating, Buying, Snoozing Our Suggestions on the Best of the Best Text: Rick Charette Photos: Chian Chu

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STAY Jiuqiong Ping B&B, a few minutes south of Shuili town, is a short drive uphill from Highway 21, taking you about a hundred meters above the Chenyoulan River bed. You’ll find yourself amidst a small, intimately-knit tea farming community that cannot be seen from the highway, hidden away behind tree cover. The families have been here multiple generations. The owner, quiet, friendly Chen Ming-cong, decided to build his simple, attractive cottage-style

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Tonpo Ti Lun Hotel ( 帝綸溫泉大飯店 ) Add: 86, Kaigao Lane, Dongpu Village, Xinyi Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣信義鄉東埔村開高巷 86 號 ) Tel: (049) 270-2789 Website: www.tilun.com.tw Jiuqiong Ping B&B ( 九芎坪民宿 ) Add: 9, Yongʼan Rd, Shuili Township, Nantou County ( 水里鄉上安村永安路 9 號 ) Tel: 0919-838-199 / (049) 282-1198 Website: http://shuili2007.myweb.hinet. net/subcostata.htm (Chinese)

verandah-fronted guest rooms after long putting up eager tea-aficionado visitors in his own home who had come to buy up his tea the moment harvesting began – for which a set date is impossible to guarantee.

Chen gives guests a free edu-taste tour of Taiwan teas, and clearly enjoys the sessions as much as his visitors do. You can buy his processed tea to take home; he grows an Oolong/Assam hybrid developed at the important experimental station at Sun Moon Lake, higher in the hills to the northeast, set up by the Japanese when they ruled Taiwan (1895-1945). As well, be sure to walk the railway-tie stepped trail accessed right beside the homestay, which follows the edge of a narrow side

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valley, taking you through tea fields to dramatic suspension-bridge views over a small town, betelnut-tree stand, and sculpted terraces topped with neat tea-bush rows. (Rooms start at NT$2,700; simple breakfast provided.)

In rustic, earthy Dongpu hot-spring town, the best on offer is the Tonpo Ti Lun Hotel. Hot-spring water is piped into many of the rooms (check first), and guests can enjoy both indoor public facilities (males and females separated) and attractive new “outdoor” public facilities that are in fact high inside the building but open to the outside and picturesque high-mountain panoramas through the elimination of the

outer-wall sections. Comfortable private spa rooms rented in 2-hour allotments, some with beds, are also available.

Another hotel highlight are the nightly Bunun-tribe song-and-dance shows in the lobby. (Rooms start at NT$3,400; full buffet breakfast provided.)

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Jiuqiong Ping B&B Tasting tea at Jiuqiong Ping B&B Tonpo Ti Lun Hotel Hot-spring bathing at Dongpu Guestroom at Tonpo Ti Lun Hotel

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STAY/EAT/BUY NANTOU COUNTY

EAT In the town of Jiji, to the left of the bike-rental shops you’ll see right outside the railway station is one store selling banana cookies, and another selling banana ice cream and egg rolls. Nantou is a key Taiwan farming area, guaranteeing freshness, and the homemade products at these familyrun shops are delicious. Tourists like to buy boxes of the egg rolls and cookies to bring home for family and friends. Like the ice cream, no preservatives are used, so eat them up within 2-3 days.

Asking Jiji locals where the best option was for a hot meal, surprisingly, there was near unanimity this was Bazhang Beef Noodles, a short drive from the railway station, where the main dish, served in big bowls and very filling, indeed lived up to the restaurant’s reputation, the thick beef slices melt-in-your mouth tender. Further proof of the quality of the kitchen here was the fact that we had to wait for a table, and the

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customer mix of locals, tourists, and drivein professionals (including Westerners), some driving long distances just to eat here.

Research in the town of Shuili revealed two must-visit old-time eateries, both on the town’s Old Street, Minsheng Road – “Goose Meat King” (No. 73) and “Dong Family Meatballs” (No. 275). Goose is an area specialty product; Goose Meat King’s is marinated with a special house-secret creation, and topped with ginger slices.

Dong Family Meatball has been in business 50 years; translucent dough is stuffed with ground seasoned pork, bamboo slivers, mushroom, etc., then deep-fried a moment to heighten flavor and chewiness. Be sure to try the house sauce; normally this type of meatball, called rouyuan in Chinese,

is served with a sweet/savory combo, but Dong’s goes for a decidedly spicy chili sauce that is delicious.

While the Tataka Visitor Center restaurant may never make it into a Michelin guide, we grant it the muchcoveted Travel in Taiwan “A-OK” for, first and foremost, the terrific scenery that spills in through its floor-to-ceiling windows, and secondarily its hearty freshingredient set meals (chicken leg, beef stew, breaded pork cutlet, etc.), just the thing after long, winding drives on cool mountain days. Following this up with a warming fresh-brewed restaurant coffee out on the adjoining open-air deck was, for your java-loving writer, not far from nirvana.

Yi Yi Banana Egg Rolls & Ice Cream ( 一億香蕉蛋捲、冰淇淋 ) Add: 468, Minquan Rd., Jiji Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣集集鎮民權路 468 號 ) Tel: 0988-913-898, (049) 276-1018

Bazhang Beef Noodles ( 八張牛肉麵 ) Add: 11, Lane 291, Wenxin St., Jiji Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣集集鎮文心街 291 巷 11 號 ) Tel: (049) 276-4539

Dong Family Meatballs ( 董家肉圓 ) Add: 299, Minsheng Rd., Shuili Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣水里鄉民生路 299 號 ) Tel: (049) 277-0355

Goose Meat King ( 鵝肉大王 ) Add: 358, Minsheng Rd., Shuili Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣水里鄉民生路 358 號 ) Tel: (049) 277-6363

Banana Cookies

Banana Ice Cream

Banana Egg Rolls

Fresh and delicious homemade cookies from Jiji

Refreshing banana-flavored ice cream at Jiji Railway Station

A yummy and unique gift-box option for friends and family back home

Bazhang Beef Noodles

Goose Meat King

Dong Family Meatballs

Best option for a hot meal in Jiji, the thick beef slices melt-in-your mouth tender

A Shuili area specialty; marinated with a special house-secret creation

Translucent dough stuffed with ground pork, bamboo slivers, and mushroom

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Big Ox Horn Bread

Self-snipped from the vines; each fat bunch just NT$60

Hard and crunchy exterior coated with layer of melted butter

Gan Xi Farm ( 甘喜農場 ) Add: 46-1, Baibuzi Rd., Shangʼan Village, Shuili Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣水里鄉上安村白不仔路 46-1 號 ) Tel: (049) 282-1613, 0937-748-023

Fuyi Jiji Big Ox Horn Bread ( 富邑集集大牛角 ) Add: 150, Minsheng Rd., Jiji Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣集集鎮民生路 150 號 ) Tel: (049) 276-4909

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Cheese and cranberry wrap

Fresh-Picked Grapes

Plum Wine

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Cool Ceramics

Different award-winning wines from Dream Works of the Mei

Bright-colored glazed door-guardian dragons from Shuili Kiln

Dream Works of the Mei ( 梅子夢工廠 ) Add: 11, Xinkai Lane, Mingde Village, Xinyi Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣信義鄉明德村新開巷 11 號 ); right beside Highway 21 Tel: (049) 279-1949 Website: www.52313.com.tw/hsinifa.html (Chinese)

Shuili Snake Kiln ( 水里蛇窯 ) Add: 21, Lane 512, Sec. 1, Shuixin Rd., Dingkan Village, Shuili Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣水里鄉頂崁村水信路一段 512 巷 21 號 ) Tel: (049) 277-0967 Website: www.snakekiln.com.tw

In addition to the banana-f lavored treats recommended above, on Jiji’s old streets are many other purveyors of tasty tidbits. One with an island-wide reputation is Fuyi Jiji Big Ox Horn Bread, diagonally across from Jiji Visitor Center near the train station. Ox horn bread is, as the name states, shaped like an ox horn; made with a dough denser than French crescentshaped bread, it has a hard and crunchy exterior that is coated with a final layer of melted butter.

However, having visited, my palate insists that this bakery’s no. 1 pastry is the “cheese and cranber r y wrap,” featuring croissant-style white bread, light

chocolate-flavor bread, cream cheese just short of Philadelphia texture, and dried cranberries. I emptied the sample plate and, sadly, the box I bought as a takehome gift for my wife did not in fact make it home.

In the Shuili area, rare is the tourist who leaves Gan Xi (“Sweet Happiness”) Farm without a box of grapes they’ve snipped from the vines themselves. Each fat bunch costs just NT$60, far lower than at island-city markets.

Shuili Snake Kiln has a cozy cabinstyle gift shop displaying artworks crafted by the resident masters. I was especially taken with the bright-colored glazed door-

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STAY/EAT/BUY NANTOU COUNTY

Gift shop at Shuili Snake Kiln

guardian dragons (NT$680) – one now protects my home – and the quiet, elegant ear then vases ( NT$400 ~$1,800) and earthen teapots (around NT$600), one now the newest addition to my father-in-law’s prized teapot collection.

In Xinyi Township, the large, airy gift shop at the Dream Works of the Mei complex, r un by the township’s farmers’ association, brims with plumcentered goods (“mei ” means “plum”).

From the upper f loor, you can see the expansive mountain-backed cluster of plum farms across the Chenyoulan River – the farm-carpeted tapestry turns white during plum-blossom season. The shop’s bestsellers, by far, are the many different

Dream Works of the Mei

plum wines. I bought a fine boxed set with the association’s first three created wines, all award-winners, as a birthday gift for my wife, earning many brownie points. Note that tours of the on-site winery are given, with advance notice. The plum-flavored nougat candies, which have a pleasant hint of smokiness, are also very good.

English and Chinese Chen Ming-cong 陳明聰 Dong Family Meatballs 董肉圓 Fuyi Jiji Big Ox Horn Bread 富邑集集大牛角 Goose Meat King 鵝肉大王 Minsheng Road 民生路 Old Street 老街 ox horn bread 牛角 rouyuan 肉圓

TAIWAN SLANG

魯 蛇 You Are a Lu She! The Logic behind Chinese Terms that at First Seem to Make No Sense Illustration: Fred Cheng

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ven if you have studied Chinese for a long, long time and you feel like you have mastered the language, there are instances where you come across terms that seem to make no sense at all. Take the term 魯 蛇 for example. The second character is rather easy. It means “snake,” and is pronounced “she.” The first character is pronounced “lu,” and according to Chinese-English dictionaries means “dull, rash,” and was also the name of an ancient state in China.

So is the meaning of 魯蛇 a “dull snake,” or perhaps a “snake of the ancient state of Lu”? No – you are looking for the wrong kind of snake; here it denotes a person of a different type of unattractive character, not a “deceitful or treacherous person.” 魯蛇 is in fact a popular contemporary slang term for

a person regarded as a failure, or – aha (!) – a LOSER. Note how the Chinese mimics the English pronunciation. The expression has become a hit in local online communities, especially the online discussion forum PPT run by National Taiwan University students, over the past two years, targeted at those netizens who like to make sour remarks about those often regarded as society’s “winners,” such as the children of rich parents, civil servants, etc.

Now, you might wonder if there is a similar expression for “winner,” and indeed there is: 溫 拿 (wen na). The popularity of 魯蛇 , however, far outweighs that of 溫拿 .

Therefore, ironically as far as local online forum users are concerned, “losers” for once best “winners.”

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Indigenous Cuisine Ta oy u a n

Daluan Restaurant The Flavors of Indigenous Villages Brought to the City

Text: Kurt Weidner Photos: Maggie Song

Tasting the delicious food prepared by members of Taiwan’s indigenous tribes can be an unforgettable experience. And thanks to restaurants like the Daluan in Taoyuan, you need not head to remote locations around Taiwan in order to enjoy indigenous delicacies.

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aoyuan County in northwestern Taiwan, home to the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, is the island’s most important gateway. About 20 minutes by car southeast of the airport lies Taoyuan City, a busy and densely populated place characterized by industrial clusters, with a vast number of factories in its outlying areas.

You wouldn’t expect a restaurant with an indigenous theme in this urban setting; most of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples call the high mountains or the sparsely settled east coast their home, not the cities on the western side. Indeed, however, there is one such restaurant in Taoyuan, run by a member of the Amis Tribe – the Daluan.

Recently, Travel in Taiwan went there to learn more about it.

To get there, we took a cab from Taoyuan Railway Station (about 20 minutes). There’s not much of note in terms of scenery on the way – block after block of shopfront buildings built tightly together – so it was surprising to be greeted with something completely different upon our arrival at the Daluan. The restaurant is housed in a spacious one-story building with thatched roof and slate walls, surrounded by trees. At the entrance you’ll see burning torches, and upon entering you’ll be entertained with woodcarvings you’d more likely expect to see in a typical

indigenous village, not in downtown Taoyuan. There is also an intriguing totem pole on display, with renderings of the faces of different tribespeople.

We were greeted by friendly waitresses, wearing the traditional red garb and feathered headdresses of the Amis Tribe, with a friendly “Na Ai Ho,” the Amis “Hello.” The restaurant has a rustic interior, with massive wooden tables and chairs. We were shown to one of the tables and were first served cups of millet wine, a common drink among Taiwan’s indigenous peoples.

In the background, traditional indigenous music was playing, and we soon relaxed into the setting, enjoying what could have been the large dining quarters of a tribal chief in a remote mountain village.

Then, before we started our meal, we had the chance to chat with the owner of the restaurant, Lawai Dalai. Sitting himself down at our table, he told us a bit about the history of the place and his personal story. Like so many members of Taiwan’s indigenous tribes, he left his village when he was young to seek his fortune in the city, where he tried his luck at various endeavors. In the end, he decided to run a restaurant with an indigenous theme, which has been a great success.

His interest in becoming a restaurant owner was stirred in his younger years when he worked as an interior designer and

Indigenous Cuisine Ta oy u a n

Lawai Dalai, owner of the Daluan

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Indigenous Cuisine Ta oy u a n

The Daluan is meant to be a place where people can come together and have a good time in a warm and cozy environment came in contact with people in the catering business. When one owner gave up his operation, Lawai stepped in and became a restaurant owner himself. This first attempt at running his own place, however, turned out to be tougher than he had anticipated, and after a few years he gave up and returned to his former profession.

With the passing of a few more years, still not willing to accept that he had not made it in the restaurant business, he opened another Taoyuan restaurant, naming it Daluan. He admitted to us that at this time he didn’t feel a strong connection to the culture of his own people or to Taiwan indigenous culture in general.

This, however, began to change when he began to seriously pursue one of his passions, filmmaking. He began to film and document the things he witnessed in indigenous villages, in the beginning rather randomly, and then started to more systematically visit villages around the island. The more he traveled and the more he learned about the first peoples, the more he became fascinated by the richness of local indigenous culture.

Then, in 1994, Lawai found he was being influenced by something else, something quite unexpected. The music of Taiwan’s indigenous people became known worldwide. German new-age music group Enigma used a chant from the “Jubilant Drinking Song” (Sapiliepah a Radiw in Amis) in its song “Return to Innocence,” which became a worldwide hit. While the original singers, the now-deceased Amis couple of Difang Duana (Chinese name Kuo Ying-nan) and Igay Duana (Kuo Hsiuchu), were not particularly pleased about the fact that Enigma had used their chant without permission, and that the form in which it was utilized also presented a break

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with tradition, for Lawai the worldwide reception of the song was eye-opening because it showed that music was a way for indigenous peoples to, literally, get heard.

He decided to give his restaurant, which was like most other eateries and lacked a clear style, a distinct indigenous theme, in the same way members of other ethnic groups in Taiwan, such as the Hakkas, use cultural themes to present their cuisines in restaurants. Despite various setbacks in the early years, notably in the aftermath of the major 921 Earthquake in 1999 and the outbreak of the SARS epidemic in 2002, Lawai continued to invest money and energy in his restaurant operation. After he had to close the first Daluan in Taoyuan when the lease contract ended, he opened a restaurant in New Taipei City, but soon decided to return to Taoyuan to open another Daluan – the one we visited for this article.

Astonishingly, besides putting so much time and energy in his restaurant operations, Lawai has also found the time to continue filming, and realized his dream of shooting a short movie. The Lost Sea Horizon , shot for the Public Television Service, even won won the prestigious Golden Bell Award for Best Mini-Series/TV Movie in 2011. The film tells the touching story of members of the Amis Tribe living at and with the Pacific Ocean, exploring their strong connections with the sea.

While we were listening to Lawai’s fascinating story, waitresses brought food to our table. Our attention steadily drifted to the delicacies teasing our nostrils, and we asked the owner to tell us more about the food he offers. The centerpiece of the set menu the restaurant prepared for us was a whole golden-brown chicken that was very large. The chicken is broiled in

the traditional way, and its firm, fresh flesh told us our chicken had been running on a free-range chicken farm not long before arriving at our table. Lawai told us that the restaurant prepares not only traditional Amis dishes but classics from other tribes as well. What is new is his emphasis on modern healthy-cooking concepts, with only fresh, premium ingredients from trustworthy suppliers used.

Glutinous rice cooked in bamboo tubes is an essential part of a true indigenous meal, and was indeed part of our set menu. The tubes are the traditional “lunch box” containers taken into the mountains on hunting trips or to the fields or coast when going about farming and fishing. Among the more exotic dishes we tasted at the Daluan was a jellyfish salad, with tiny bits of jellyfish that melt in your mouth and leave the “taste of the Pacific Ocean,” as Lawai put it. We also tried betelnut flowers wrapped in nori seaweed sheets, and fatty wild boar meat in rice. All the dishes were very delicious, and authentically “native.”

While we were munching away, the small stage inside the restaurant came to life, and an attractive female singer accompanied by a keyboard player started to entertain the guests with indigenous songs. Soon everyone was in great spirits, and when the waitresses asked all diners to stand up and join a group dance, with all moving through the restaurant hand in hand, we could easily imagine how much fun it must be to take part in the big group dances during the annual Amis harvest festivals.

The Daluan is meant to be a place where people – both members of indigenous tribes missing their villages and non-indigenous people who want to experience indigenous culture and food – can come together and have a good time in a warm and cozy environment. In the urban jungle of Taoyuan, this restaurant is a truly unique and unexpected oasis of culinary surprises and heart-warming native culture.

Indigenous Cuisine Ta oy u a n

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English and Chinese Amis Tribe 阿美族 Kuo Hsiu-chu 郭秀珠 Kuo Ying-nan 郭英男 Lawai Dalai 喇外 · 達賴 The Lost Sea Horizon 失落的海平線

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Daluan Indigenous Theme Restaurant ( 打鹿岸原住民主題餐廳 ) Add: 101, Sec. 1, Zhuangjing Rd., Taoyuan City ( 桃園市莊敬路一段 101 號 ) Tel: (03) 355-7101 Website: www.daluan.com.tw

Daluan Restaurant

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1. Waitress in traditional Amis garb serving millet wine 2. Totem pole at entrance of restaurant 3. Live music entertainment 4. Rustic wooden tables and indigenous art 5. Bamboo-tube rice 6. Betelnut flowers wrapped in seaweed sheets 7. Whole broiled chicken

Taoyuan Railway Station

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Farm Fun TAIPEI

Rural Taipei City A Day at Qingxiang Leisure Farm in Taipei’s Neihu District Taipei is a modern metropolis with shiny skyscrapers, traffic-heavy thoroughfares, and busy shopping districts. Surprisingly, however, good old nature is never far away, and even if you want to visit a farm you can be there in less than an hour by public transport from the city center.

Text: Nick Kembel Photos: Betty Fan

Digging up a radish

Farm Fun TAIPEI

Bitter gourds

Orange and berries

I

n February of this year, the Republic of China’s Council of Agriculture announced a project to promote Taiwan’s leisure farms as tourist attractions.

With a goal of generating NT$11 billion in annual profits, the plan is to integrate the island’s best leisure farms, enhance their services, improve workers in the sector, boost product diversification, and expand the market overall. The Taiwan leisurefarm industry is already booming, with the number of visitors increasing from 9.59 million in 2008 to 20 million in 2013 (and foreign tourists from 63,700 to 260,060), and over 300 farms designated as official tourism facilities. But what exactly is a leisure farm? Recently, Travel in Taiwan visited one in Taipei City to find out.

In the verdant hills of Neihu District lies a three-hectare plot of land, site of the Qingxiang Leisure Farm . The sandy soil in this area is ideal for the growing of an array of hearty fruits and vegetables. After a short ride from MRT Dahu Park Station, we step out of a taxi to be greeted by a commanding view of lush, rolling hills. From the vantage point of the tiny parking area, we can see the districts of eastern Taipei, with the city’s ever-visible landmark, towering Taipei 101, in the center.

We are given a warm hello by Hsu Sanchi, the 8th-generation inheritor of the farm, whose ancestors have reaped the bounty of

Strawberry greenhouse

this land since they migrated from mainland China in the 17th century. Hsu studied vehicle maintenance in college. Like other rural youths the world over, Hsu initially was not interested in farming himself, but since he was the eldest son, his father forced him to quit his job. In 1982, Hsu officially took over the farm.

As we round a turn from the parking lot, much of the farm comes into view, with a field of sweet potatoes at the top, followed by rows of strawberry greenhouses and pomelo trees demarcating the farm’s bottom border. The gently trickling Neigou Stream cuts through the middle, its serene pools containing an unusually high concentration of fish. A path lined with rosemary, mint, and other fresh herbs parallels the stream, leading to a humble building that serves as the farm’s kitchen and office. On a ridge above sits an open barbecuing area, overlooking a tangerine orchard.

I feel like a real city slicker as I dig a sweet potato out of the ground to take home, with Hsu urging me to go deeper and not be afraid to get my hands dirty. Therein lies the primary appeal of leisure farms: giving city folk like me the chance to get a taste of the farming life, learn something about the island’s crops, and enjoy a tranquil getaway from busy city life. For many people living in Taiwan, which has a largely urbanized

Capturing the farm

population, leisure farms satisfy a nostalgic urge to get back to nature and the island’s agricultural past.

Beginning in the 1970s, Taiwan’s longprosperous agricultural industry went into decline as the island became increasingly industrialized. Along with industrialization came improved transportation networks, increasing labor costs, and growth in per capita income. These changes persisted into the ’80s and ’90s; and in 2002, when Taiwan joined the WTO, many of the island’s crops lost their competitive advantage. There was also marked growth in the import of cheaper manufactured goods. One side effect of the country’s increasing wealth and urbanization was that demand rose for recreational activities, especially in a countryside now being considered “exotic” by more and more people.

When Hsu first took over his parents’ farm, he had a dislike for traditional farming techniques and didn’t want to grow rice like his ancestors had. He came up with the idea of inviting visitors to come pick their own mushrooms. Pickyour-own fruit orchards were already catching on all over Taiwan, though Hsu claims his was the first tourist-oriented farm in Taipei, and definitely the first to focus on mushrooms. What’s more, Hsu grows mushrooms in the traditional

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Farm Fun TAIPEI

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January to April are the best months to come, when the most crops are in season, including wood mushrooms, strawberries, pomelos, sweet potatoes, tangerines, and radishes.

manner. As opposed to cultivating them in plastic bags, Hsu inserts the fungi into little holes in propped-up logs of wood. The mushrooms soak up water and nutrients from the wood, giving them a more aromatic, earthy flavor.

Hsu’s idea worked, and domestic tourists came in droves. But there was one problem. Like most crops, mushrooms grow seasonally, and some tourists were disappointed when they arrived to find no mushrooms available for picking.

Hsu realized he had to diversify. He experimented with passion fruit, but soon found that tourists wanted to pick the fruits from the vines, when in fact they ought to be collected from the ground after falling – not to mention that many tourists stepped on the ripe fruits. Another lesson learned. Hsu went on to add more and more crops, contrary to the foreign model of monocropping.

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Travel in Taiwan

Still, Hsu wanted to go further than just letting tourists pick fruits. After a failed attempt at urban farming, wherein city dwellers could rent plots of his land to cultivate crops, Hsu transformed his farm into a full-on recreational facility. As farms like his became increasingly common in the late ’80s, local associations developed to promote them and represent their needs. In 1992, the Council of Agriculture created the Leisure Farm Management Act. The Taiwan Leisure Farms Association was formed in 1998, with the goal of preserving farming culture, integrating agricultural resources, and promoting ecological education. The first official registration of a leisure farm was in 2002, and within a decade over 2,000 hectares of farmland in Taiwan had been converted for leisure-farm use.

Activities at leisure farms in Taiwan may include camping, hiking, fishing, fruit harvesting, paintballing, and making

wine, ice cream, and other food products.

At various larger leisure farms, tourists can stay in upscale facilities costing up to NT$10,000 per night. At one of the most famous and oldest, Qingjing Farm (www. cingjing.gov.tw) in Nantou County, guests can learn how to shear sheep, watch mock livestock auctions, and enjoy a mountain setting and rural architecture that is reminiscent of Switzerland.

Agriculture in Taiwan was once focused on how many crops could be harvested in a year. Hsu says that now, besides the transformation to recreation and tourism, the newer generation of farmers is more focused on diversification and eco-friendly techniques. A portion of his tangerines and strawberries are certified as organic, and whenever possible he relies on natural techniques for pest elimination. For instance, his farm is interspersed with ponds that contain insect-eating frogs.

Qingxiang Leisure Farm is best visited in groups. The NT$500 per person fullday tour includes options such as making strawberry mochi (a sticky-rice sweet treat), sweet-potato tangyuan ( dessert balls), or bamboo water guns, or taking your own strawberry plant home. Cheaper half-day

Farm Fun TAIPEI

Getting there To get to Qingxiang Leisure Farm, catch the small no. 3 bus from the stop across the street from Exit 4 at MRT Kunyang Station on the Bannan Line (Blue Line). Notify the driver that you want to get off at the Qingxiang Leisure Farm stop. After you disembark, follow the signage to the right just after the small Tudi Gong (Earth God) temple, and walk five minutes (GPS E121 36.25). Alternatively, a taxi from MRT Dahu Station will cost just over NT$100.

English and Chinese Hsu San-chi 許三奇 Neigou Stream 內溝溪 Neihu 內湖 Qingjing Farm 清境農場 tangyuan 湯圓 Tudi Gong Temple 土地公廟

Qingxiang Leisure Farm ( 清香休閒農場 ) Add: 206, Dahu St., Neihu District, Taipei City ( 台北市內湖區大湖街 206 號 ) Tel: (02) 2990-3466 / 0928-539-948 Website: www.refresh.com.tw (Chinese) 3 4

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For info on other leisure farms in Taipei City, visit www.tfa.org.tw/plan6/index.html (Chinese).

Qingxiang Leisure Farm

Dahu Street

Neihu District

tours with similar options are also available.

Parents may opt to send their kids on a tour while they enjoy the barbecue facilities. You can bring your own foods to barbecue and pay a site-rental fee of NT$230 per person, or the farm can provide everything (with packages designed for 10 people starting at NT$1,300, plus the per-person rental fee).

The farm is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm; reservations are required for larger groups and weekday visitors.

Individual travelers are also welcome, but encouraged to visit on weekends when there are more staff members on hand and food is for sale, such as roasted sweet potatoes. The farm charges a nominal fee of NT$100 per visitor. January to April are the best months to come, when the

most crops are in season, including wood mushrooms, strawberries, pomelos, sweet potatoes, tangerines, and radishes. During this peak season, the kitchen also sells free-range chicken soup, fruit smoothies, crushed-ice desserts, and more. In the summer months you may see sweet corn, tomatoes, and various melons (bitter melon, pumpkin, and luffa). Fruits can be picked for a minimum of NT$50 per person, with strawberries being a favorite for children and adults alike.

Another activity that can be tried by individual visitors year-round, and which I got to try my hand at, is jam making. I can now attest that nothing smells better than the steam coming off giant red strawberries as you fry them into mush.

MRT Dahu Park Station

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Radish field

Making strawberry jam Vegetable garden View from the farm Loofah gourd sponges

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At the Top of the Luxury Food -Experience Chain

DingXian 101 The statuesque Taipei 101 tower, 101 stories high and perhaps Taipei’s best-known international landmark, stands at the peak with the world’s tallest buildings. To occupy its highest and most prestigious dining-facility floor, the 86th , management wanted a name that stood for “Taiwan” itself – best of the best in the restaurant industry, serving quintessential Taiwan culinary creations, and synonymous with the soaring international reputation of “Brand Taiwan.”

wanted to introduce Taiwan’s delicious night-market delicacies to international visitors, knowing most were tentative about exploring Taiwan’s unfamiliar, busy, often raucous night markets – especially Westerners. So he opened the “Tainan Tantsumien Seafood Restaurant” right at one of Taiwan’s best-known night markets, Huaxi Street Night Market in Taipei’s Wanhua District, serving iconic Taiwan creations amidst sumptuous regal European-style trappings. It was a great success.”

The name chosen was Ding Xian 101 ( 頂鮮 101) “Ding Xian” means “top fresh,” the “top” referring to the restaurant’s position in the skyscraper, and “top fresh” expressing its philosophy of best in service, décor, and ingredient quality. The restaurant specializes in classic Taiwan fare, embellished with sophisticated international, most French, flourishes.

Head chef Lin Pin-Chang ( 林 炳 章 ), whose reputation is nigh legendary in the Taiwan culinary world, now acts as a food and beverage consultant for Ding Xian 101. Before this he was with the Antoine Room, long proclaimed Taiwan’s best French restaurant by many, for two decades. Lin states that the roots of the Ding Xian philosophy are in the Tainan Tantsumien outlet opened 60 years ago in Taipei (par t of a hugely successf ul chain).

Ding Xian is a recipient of a steady stream of accolades. Among other things, it is a winner of a National Brand Yushan Award, and it has been declared one of “The World’s Best Restaurants with Views ”

by Britain’s The Telegraph .

The restaurant takes up the entire 86th floor and accommodates 800 diners, who are seated along the outside in open areas with smaller tables or in private banquet rooms, taking in the spectacular views of city laid out far below and the surrounding mountains beyond through soaring knee-to-ceiling windows. The ceiling is very high, for there is in fact no “87th” floor; the Ding Xian ceiling is the floor of the 88th. Luxury Taiwanese cuisine is served, with a heavy emphasis on seafood. The décor, in contrast, is “Versailles” in flavor, featuring such upscale pampering as delicate Wedgwood china, the finest Christofle silver flatware from Paris, and sparkling Nachtmann crystal from Bavaria.

The former Commissioner of the Department of Infor mation a n d To u r i s m o f Ta i p e i C i t y Government, Mr. Tuo Chung-Hwa ( 脫 宗 華 ), recalls “Thirty years ago, with Taiwan’s ‘Economic Miracle’ and increased international t r avel , lo c a l c u l i n a r y ch a nge was rapid. The restaurant owner

“In the past 10 years, as a result of local diners’ zest for globetrotting and ever more sophisticated palates, a fusion trend has taken hold, with international touches incorporated into classic recipes, and with presentation also becoming a key part of the dining experience.

These are what we excel at.”

There are three ways to order at Ding Xian: set menu, a la carte, and table (banquet-style). The regular set menus, says Chef Lin, feature two classic night-market staples – Tainan Dan-Zai Noodles, and Ding Xian Shrimp Roll and Fried Calamari Ball. Dan-zai or “carrying pole” noodles were invented by Tainan fishermen in the 1890s. Carried around in shoulder-pole buckets, they brought in extra cash during the fishing slack season.

“We cater to all customer tastes,” says Lin, “so we’ve also developed special vegetarian and Halal set menus, and we’re Halalcertified by Taiwan’s Chinese Muslim Association. Our Western customers generally order the set menus, and beyond our two staples (mentioned above), the most popular dishes are baked prawn

Advertorial

Basted Lobster with Mullet Roe and Salted Egg Yolk 烏魚子冶金龍蝦

Ding Xian Shrimp Roll and Fried Calamari Ball 蝦捲花枝炸雙拼 Baked prawn with Formosan fruits 寶島水果焗明蝦

Ding Xian Shrimp Ro

and Fried Calamari Ba 蝦捲花枝炸雙拼

with Formosan fruits, steamed giant grouper in sesame oil with vermicelli, and grouper with truffle slice – i.e., with items they’re familiar with. Our menu has English plus photos, and Englishspeaking staff are always available, ensuring high customer comfort.”

In one restaurant area is a wall of fish tanks, giving you the feel of a harborside where fishing boats roll in. “We pride ourselves on being a green restaurant,” says Lin. “Save for such things as our wine-cellar imports and unique items such as French mustards and truffle, we source everything locally, brought in daily. Our Taiwan and regional Asian diners like ordering a la carte from the tanks, and I encourage our Western customers to experiment, for they’ll find Taiwan catch unique, ultra-fresh, and delicious. We have set preparations for each selection, but are also happy to prepare selections any way you request.”

Come try the world-class Ding Xian 101 experience. For more information, visit www.dingxian101.com or call (02) 8101-8686 or 0800-00-8687.

Steamed Giant Grouper with Truff le Slice 松露清蒸龍膽魚

Tainan Dan-Zai Noodles 招牌台南擔仔麵

Steamed Giant Grouper in Sesame Oil with Vermicelli 麻油龍膽麵線盅

WHERE TO GO TONIGHT TA I P E I E A S T D I S T R I C T

Food – Drink – Entertainment Places to Go in the Evening in Taipei’s Xinyi / Anhe Commercial Area

Seafood Restaurant 1 Ji-Pin Restaurant ( 吉品海鮮餐廳 ) High-end Cantonese seafood restaurant.

Also offers Taiwan-style Hong Kong dim sum. Most popular menu items are cream custard buns and deep-fried crispy chicken.

Add: 2F, 236, Xinyi Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City ( 台北市信義路四段 236 號 2 樓 ) Tel: (02) 2700-3311 Hours: 11:30 am ~ 2:30 pm; 5:30 pm ~ 10 pm Website: www.jipin.com.tw (Chinese)

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his commercial district, near Taipei 101 and the Taipei World Trade Center, is centered on Section 4 of Xinyi Road and Anhe Road.

Home to the renowned Tonghua Night Market (Linjiang Street Night Market) and popular snack-food eateries, it is great for “when in Rome” explorations of Taipei citizens’ snacking loves. Anhe Road, which runs close to Dunhua South Road, has a variety of bars, upscale and specialty restaurants, and cafés of great character, perfect for the discerning traveler looking to taste the Taipei nightlife.

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Text and Photos: Vision Int’l

Linjiang St.

WHERE TO GO TONIGHT TA I P E I E A S T D I S T R I C T

Cafés 1 Coffee Megane ( 眼鏡咖啡 ) Renowned hipster café, serving Japanesestyle donuts and muffins, triangle rice wraps, tea, sake, and white beers.

Add: 6, Lane 52, Siwei Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市四維路 52 巷 6 號 ) Tel: (02) 2708-4686 Hours: Sun. ~ Thu. 12 noon ~ 9 pm; Fri. ~ Sat. 12 noon~ 10 pm Website: coffeemegane.com

2 Fabrica Café (Fabrica 椅子咖啡 )

3 Trio Café (TRIO 三重奏 )

Designer-chic café, decked out with different master designer branded seating. The most popular menu item is the “Pork Jumps into Oil Fried Sandwich.”

We l l - k n o w n b i s t r o . N o d r i n k s m e n u ; cocktails are made using fresh fruit.

Customers tell staff their taste preferences, and drinks are custom-made with their alcohol of choice.

Add: 11, Lane 329, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd., Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段 329 巷 11號 ) Tel: (02) 2700-0780 Hours: 12 noon ~ 9 pm Website: www.facebook.com/Fabricacafe

Add: 12, Alley 54, Lane 63, Sec. 2, Dunhua S. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市敦化南路二段 63 巷 54 弄 12 號 ) Tel: (02) 2703-8706 Hours: Mon. ~ Sat. 6 pm ~ 12 midnight

Hot Pot Restaurants 1 Ding Wang Mala Hot Pot ( 鼎旺麻辣鍋 )

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2 Taihodien Mala Hot Pot ( 太和殿鴛鴦麻辣火鍋 )

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A la carte spicy-hotpot restaurant. In addition to spicy hotpot, other key popular offerings are crushed-bone “phoenix claws” (chicken feet), spicy hot noodles, and spicy hot beef noodles.

A la carte spicy-hotpot restaurant. Ingredients include youtiao (fried dough sticks), pork intestine, marbled beef, and “snowflake” prime beef. The stock is made with tofu and handmade Sichuan-style meatballs.

Add: 251, Sec. 1, Daʼan Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市大安路一段 251 號 ) Tel: (02) 2704-4172 Hours: Mon. ~ Sat. 11:30 am ~ 10 pm Sun. 5 pm ~ 10 pm

Add: 315, Xinyi Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City ( 台北市信義路四段 315 號 ) Tel: (02) 2705-0909 Hours: 12 noon ~ 3 am Website: www.taihodien.com.tw (Chinese)

Other Restaurants 1 Ji Wo Restaurant ( 雞窩 ) 2

Sec. 4, Xinyi Rd.

Tonghua St.

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Tonghua Night Market

Specialty casserole-style range-chicken soup restaurant. In addition to classic chicken soups, serves a wide range of Taiwan stir-fry dishes.

Add: 63, Lane 81, Sec. 2, Dunhua S. Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市敦化南路二段 81 巷 63 號 ) Tel: (02) 2704-3038 Hours: 11:30 am ~ 2 pm; 5:30 pm ~ 9 pm

4 Chef Show Time ( 阿正廚房 ) Multinational creative-cuisine restaurant.

Highly diverse offerings, with many recipe ingredient changes each season, and seafood predominantly same-day sourced.

Add: 8, Lane 20, Sec. 2, Anhe Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市安和路二段 20 巷 8 號 ) Tel: (02) 2702-5277 Hours: 11 am ~ 2:30 pm; 5:30 pm ~ 9 pm

Pubs/Bars 1

Carnegieʼs Taipei ( 卡奈基餐廳 )

Renowned nightclub bar. During daytime hours a standard American-style bar and restaurant; at night, morphs into a dance club with DJ music, with partying into the early morning hours Add: 100, Sec. 2, Anhe Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市安和路二段 100 號 ) Tel: (02) 2325-4433 Hours: Mon., Tue., Thu. & Sun. 11:30 am 2 am; Tue., Fri., & Sat. 11:30 am ~ 4 am Website: www.carnegies.com.tw

2 Zhao Shi Ji Tainan Danzai Noodles ( 趙時機台南擔仔麵 ) Traditional Taiwan-style danzai noodles and stir-fry restaurant. Best-known dishes are danzai soup noodles and soy-braised pork.

Add: 83, Tongʼan St., Taipei City ( 台北市通安街 83 號 ) Tel: (02) 2733-7334 Hours: Mon. ~ Sat. 4 pm ~ 12 midnight

3 Island 1 Kitchen (1 號島廚房 ) Taiwan-style Western restaurant and bar.

Emphasizes the use of Taiwan ingredients.

Most popular dishes are sesame-oil chicken risotto, milkfish risotto, various mountain vegetables, and seafood.

Add: 10, Lane 102, Sec. 1, Anhe Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市安和路一段 102 巷 10 號 ) Tel: (02) 2706-2799 Hours: Tue. ~ Thu. 12 noon ~ 11 pm; Fri. & Sat. 12 noon ~ 12 midnight; Sun. 12 noon ~ 11 pm Website: www.facebook.com/Island1kitchen

2 Mono Mono Pub Hidden-away pub brimming with character.

Stocks over 35 types of high-quality ales and numerous whisky brands, as well as a wellreceived menu.

Add: 17, Alley 29, Lane 127, Sec. 1, Anhe Rd., Taipei City ( 台北市安和路一段 127 巷 29 弄 17 號 ) Tel: (02) 2754-0868 Hours: Sun. ~ Thu. 8 pm ~ 3 am; Fri. & Sat. 8 pm ~ 4 am

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RAIL/BUS/BIKE NORTH COAST

Around the No

Jinshan

Tamsui

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Sanzhi

Yehliu Geopark

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Shimen

It's Fun!

RAIL/BUS/BIKE NORTH COAST

orthern Tip The north coast of Taiwan is a place of rugged yet easily reached natural wonders – a condensed version of the splendors of the east coast, if you will. With its abundant geological formations, evidence of the island's fiery volcanic past, and bike trails delivering you to one interesting spot after another, it's a great area for a day-trip out of Taipei, and easy to get to. Here are some destinations worth checking out via rail, bus, and bike on your journey.

Text: Joe Henley Photos: Vision Int’l

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Taipei City Getting There & Getting Around There are three public-transport options for reaching the north coast from Taipei: Jinshan

Shimen

1. Take the MRT Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line; Line 2) to its northern terminus, Tamsui Station, and from there either catch a bus heading for Sanzhi/Jinshan/Keelung or rent a bike.

2. Take a commuter train from Taipei Railway Station to Keelung and from there take a bus headed to Jinshan/Sanzhi/Tamsui or rent a bike. (Taiwan Railways Administration: www.railway.gov.tw/en/ ) 3. Take a bus via Yangmingshan to Jinshan (bus line info in Chinese: www. royalbus.com.tw ) and switch to a bus in either direction along the coast.

Fugui Cape

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RAIL/BUS/BIKE NORTH COAST

Not long from Keelung Railway Station by bus, and not much longer by bike, Yehliu Geopark sits on a spit of land jutting out into the East China Sea that resembles the badlands regions of North America. The highlights of the site are the large "mushr o o m r o c ks ," s o na m e d fo r t h e ir resemblance to certain varieties of edible fungi. The most popular rock with tourists, by far, is the Queen's Head Rock, a regal formation created in part by the corroding effects of seawater and wind. The geopark is also a favorite with fossil fans, with many beautifully preserved, timeless s p ec imens etc hed into the lan d scape. (www.ylgeopark.org.tw .)

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From Jinshan始s visitor center it's a bus ride of about 40 minutes, depending on traffic conditions, to the Shimen Wind Power Station, located near the Temple of Eighteen Deities. Perched atop the seaside hills are six giant red-and-white wind turbines propelled by the consistently strong breezes blowing in off the sea,

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Not far from the power station is Shimen ("stone gate") Arch. It was created by seawater erosion and is a product of a million years of geological activity dating back to Datun Mountain Range volcanic eruptions that deposited a thick layer of lava and ash along the coastline. Driving or biking along the coastal highway, you can't miss the arch, since it is right beside the road and rises 10 meters above sea level.

It takes less than ten minutes by bus to travel from Yeliu to the Jinshan Visitor Center, from where you can explore the diversity of the Jinshanarea coast. Check out Shitoushan Park, close to the center, on a cape surrounded by the sea on three sides, offering an excellent vantage point to take in the sea and the tranquil

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harbors along the coastline. To the northeast of the park, 450 meters off the eastern shore of the cape, are the Twin Candlesticks, stone towers rising out of the sea to a height of about 60 meters. An impressive view of the Datun Mountain Range, a line of extinct volcanoes, is also on offer from the cape.

providing a source of clean, renewable energy for the region. There are hiking and bike paths in the area around the turbines, and visitors can walk right up to the futuristic windmills for a close inspection. Standing below them as the huge blades swoosh by at incredible speeds is both daunting and fascinating.

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No more than a few minutes down the road from Shimen Arch is the Laomei Coast. This is where the Laomei River empties into the sea. Here waves crash over unusual stone trenches rising out of the sea up onto the beach, some covered in bright-green algae.

These trenches are coral stone that has been eroded over many eons by tide and wind. When the overlying algae dies, the limestone skeletons serve as the foundation for the next generation, in an endless cycle of death and rebirth.

If you started your journey in Keelung, this will likely be your last stop before reaching the town of Tamsui. And if you are fond of beautiful sunsets, following the coast westward from Keelung to Tamsui is definitely the way to go. Qianshuiwan (“Shallow Water Bay”) is located west of the town of Sanzhi, and the bay is lined with nu-

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Driving time between Shimen Arch and Linshanbi is approximately 10 to 15 minutes. The highlight of this cape is a coastal walking trail taking visitors past more windkanters and remnants of Taiwan's turbulent past, with long unused pillboxes still standing watch over the rippling waters of the Taiwan Strait. The windkanter viewing areas are to the southwest and northeast of the cape. Also to the northeast is Baishawan (White Sand Bay), named for its well-known whitesand beach, a very popular swimming beach during the summer months.

From Laomei, marked trails rise up the hillside to Fugui Cape Park, on another gentle seaside slope formed by volcanic eruption. This is Taiwan's northernmost cape, and at its tip – Taiwanʼs northernmost point – is the black-and-white Fugui Cape Lighthouse, standing guard over the coast below. From there visitors can look out over the water and the stone trenches

merous cafés and restaurants that fill up when the light gets low and the sun prepares to exit stage west. The area is popular with photographers, and is a good place for a family outing away from the big city, close enough to be reached quickly. The cafés and restaurants typically open at 11 am and are open well into the evening.

This bikeway runs all the way from Qianshuiwan past Linshanbi and on to Baishawan. The distance is about 4.5 kilometers, making it an easy scenic ride for bikers of all abilities.

For more information about the north coast, visit the website of the North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area at: www.northguan-nsa. gov.tw.

lining Laomei Beach, perhaps watching some anglers braving the crashing waves to stoically enjoy their favorite pastime. The cape is also noted for its windkanters, rocks ejected during volcanic eruptions and deposited along the coast. These rocks have been blasted smooth over time by northeasterly typhoon winds, leaving them with sharp angles on their windward side.

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RAIL/BUS/BIKE NORTH COAST

Buses Buses following the north coast include public buses (Keelung Bus Co.; bus line info in Chinese at http://goo.gl/Q6vMg8 ) and buses of the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle networkʼs Northern Coastline Route (www.taiwantrip.com.tw) , which exclusively stop at major places of interest and also make a detour inland to two other famed spots, the Juming Museum (www.juming.org.tw ) and the Teresa Teng Memorial Park, just northwest of Jinshan.

Bike Rentals If you want to explore the north coast on a rented bicycle, your best choice might be Sanzhi Yuneng Bike Rental in the town of Sanzhi. During the spring, fall, and summer months, the shopʼs hours on weekdays are from 9:30 am until 10 pm; the rental cost is NT$180 for the entire day, including the use of a helmet and insurance. On Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays the shop is open from 11 am to 10 pm. During the winter months, when tourist traffic along the coast is reduced, bikes must be returned before 6:30 pm. Rental rates at other area shops should be fairly consistent with this one.

Sanzhi Yuneng Bike Rental ( 三芝宇能單車 ) Add: 27, Sec. 1, Zhongzheng Rd., Sanzhi District, New Taipei City ( 新北市三芝區中正路一段 27 號 ) Tel: (02) 2636-5335 Website: sanchih-yuneng.okgo.tw (Chinese)

There are also bicycle rentals in Tamsui and at Keelung, if you want to explore the western or the eastern part of the north coast. Doing the full coastal route between these two places (60km one way) in one day is an option only if you are a dedicated bikerider. If you plan to make it a two-day (or longer) trip, note that there are many B&B/homestay options in Sanzhi (for more info, visit: http://sanzhi.okgo.tw (Chinese).

Tamsui Bike Rental ( 淡水租車站 ) Location: Near MRT Tamsui Station at the riverfront Tel: (02) 8978-5108 Hours: Weekdays 8 am ~ 7 pm (6 pm in winter); holidays and weekends 8 am ~ 8 pm (7 pm in winter) Fee: NT$15 per hour; bikes need to be returned same day Websites: www.rhbd.ntpc.gov.tw/cht/index. php?code=list&ids=13 (Chinese); www.ukan.com.tw/main.html (Chinese)

Leqi Bicycles ( 樂奇單車 ) Add: 6-1, Zhongzheng E. Rd., Tamsui District, New Taipei City ( 新北市淡水區中正東路 6-1 號 ) (near Exit 2 of MRT Tamsui Station) Tel: (02) 2626-3233 Hours: Weekdays 10 am ~ 9 pm; weekends and holidays 9 am ~ 9 pm Fee: NT$100 per bike/day; bikes needs to be returned on same day Website: hbike.myweb.hinet.net/

English and Chinese Baishawan (White Sand Bay) 白沙灣 Datun Mountain Range 大屯山脈 Fengzhimen Bikeway 風芝門自行車道 Fugui Cape Park 富貴角公園 Fugui Cape Lighthouse 富貴角燈塔 Jinshan Beach 金山海水浴場 Jinshan Visitor Center 金山遊客中心 Juming Museum 朱銘美術館 Laomei Coast 老梅海岸 Laomei River 老梅溪 Linshanbi 麟山鼻 Qianshuiwan 淺水灣 Queen's Head Rock 女王頭 Sanzhi 三芝 Shimen Arch 石門洞 Shimen Wind Power Station 石門風力發電站 Shitoushan Park 獅頭山公園 Tamsui 淡水 Temple of Eighteen Deities 十八王公廟 Twin Candlesticks 燭台雙嶼 Yehliu Geopark 野柳地質公園

MY FAVORIE SPOTS DADAOCHENG

The Old Taipei Introducing the City’s Dadaocheng Area

Text: Owain Mckimm Photos: Vision Int'l

If you want to know more in general about a foreign place, you want to ask a local. If you want to know more about the culture and history of a foreign place, you want to ask a local expert. Travel in Taiwan recently did just this, paying local historian Zhuang Yongming a visit to learn more about one of Taipei City’s oldest districts, Dadaocheng, before going on an exploration tour of the area.

The Historian

Zhuang Yong-ming

Zhuang Yong-ming was born and grew up in Dadaocheng in the 1940s, and has been publishing books on Taiwanese history since the ’80s. Now, with more than fifty books to his name, including the detailed guide Wandering Dadaocheng , he frequently lectures on the history of early Taipei and takes groups on cultural tours of his natal district. “As a child I would listen to my parents telling stories about the area and its history,” he says. “Later, I realized these stories weren't anywhere in the textbooks, so I felt that it fell upon me to record them, to make sure they weren't forgotten.” Armed with Mr. Zhuang’s book and a few pointers from the man himself, we take to the streets of Dadaocheng in search of Taipei’s past.

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MY FAVORIE SPOTS DADAOCHENG

I. Guide Street We start our tour on Guide Street (pronounced “Gui De,” not English “Guide”) at Mr. Zhuang's family home – a pleasing structure of red brick with drainpipes in the shape of bamboo shoots scaling the walls and a wide arcade encasing the ground floor.

That floor is raised about half a meter above the street level – once a common feature of the houses on Guide Street, to escape the flooding common during typhoon season.

The building was constructed in 1929, and once housed a traditional grocery store.

It is now home to The Old Grocery Store museum, though visits are by appointment only. Mr. Zhuang says that during his childhood, the f loor of the arcade was always covered with tea leaves and jasmine flowers, which drifted over from the many international tea-export companies that had their offices on the street. It was the presence of these international companies, Mr. Zhuang tells us, that caused the street to be known as “Foreigner Street.”

Dadaocheng’s tea-export industry was launched in the latter half of the 19th century, after Taiwan was opened up to Western trade following the Second Opium War (1856-1860). In 1869, an English

businessman named John Dodd arrived in Taipei to establish a tea-export business, and Dadaocheng became the base of his operations. Other nations decided to get in on the game, and before long, companies from Denmark, Italy, Germany, and the United States – as well as others from Britain – all had their headquarters on Guide Street.

Today, the old tea companies have disappeared, but you can still get a feel for the street's tea-trade heyday from one striking building – the Chen Tian-lai Residence (Jin-Ji Tea Co.) – at the north end of the street. This three-story Europeanstyle building, with its striking portico and balconies, was built in 1923 and belonged to Mr. Chen Tian-lai, a tea tycoon. His tea company operated out of the arcadefronted first f loor. The residence also holds the enviable title of being the first in Taiwan to have a flushing toilet. No more tea is traded here, but you can visit some of Dadaocheng’s historic tea shops – Wang’s Tea on Chongqing N. Road (also a teaeducation center), and Zhenwei Teahouse on Dihua Street – to slake your thirst for local tea and history both.

Zhenwei Teahouse

Chen Tian-lai Residence

II. Dadaocheng Wharf

Model of a junk

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On the left as you exit Guide Street at its north end is Dadaocheng Wharf, arguably the most important place in Dadaocheng in light of the site’s role in making the area the trade capital of the north in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the early 1800s Bangka, on the Tamsui River to the south of Dadaocheng, was the economic center of the Taipei Basin. (“Bangka” is Taiwanese; the modern Mandarin Chinese name is Wanhua). In 1853, however, a conf lict between different groups of Fujianese immigrants over land and religion (known

as the Dingxiajiao Conflict) saw a large group relocate from Bangka to Dadaocheng.

At the time Dadaocheng was little more than farmland, but with the combination of the population influx from the Dingxiajiao Conflict, the opening of the port of Tamsui to foreign trade in the 1860s, and the silting up of the river around the Bangka area, Dadaocheng overtook Bangka as the access point to the Taipei Basin from the coast.

By 1898 the population of Dadaocheng was second only to the island’s long-time capital, Tainan in southern Taiwan.

MY FAVORIE SPOTS DADAOCHENG

As a resu lt of t he i nter nat ional trade facilitated by the wharf facilities, Dadaocheng was the first place in Taipei to truly feel a foreign influence – an influence which can still be seen today in the Westmeets-East architecture of the commercial establishments on its historic streets.

Ferry tours depart from the wharf on weekends and holidays, taking passengers downriver to Tamsui, from which trade ships set out into the Taiwan Strait in days gone by.

Bike path at Dadaocheng Wharf

III. Dihua Street From the wharf, it's a short walk along Minsheng West Road to Dihua Street – the oldest street in Dadaocheng. Walking the street, Mr. Zhuang says, is like walking through a dream of old Taipei. The foreign influence on Dadaocheng's glory years is certainly evident here, with the buildings a palimpsest of the Fujianese, European

Baroque and Classical, and Japanese Colonial styles.

But behind Dihua Street’s nostalgic facades lies modern innovation. In recent years, significant urban regeneration projects have made use of old buildings that would otherwise have fallen into disrepair, and have appropriated them for use by young creative types. Across from the market is one of these: ArtYard1. Housed in an old pharmacy building abandoned after a fire, the building now houses a vintage bookstore, a trendy coffee shop, and a ceramics boutique. The ArtYard project

also has several other converted buildings in the area – ArtYard67, further north on Dihua Street, and ArtYard2022 on nearby Minle Street – which house antique parlors, art galleries, leather vendors, handicraft stores, curiosity shops, and other fruits of the cultural-creative industry.

These artsy boutiques aside, Dihua Street is chockablock with apothecaries supplying the ingredients used in traditional Chinese medicine, and the arcades are heavy with the odor of ginseng, jujubes, goji berries (wolfberries), and various other exotic roots, fungi, etc. Around Chinese

ArtYard 2022

Restaurant in a heritage building

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MY FAVORIE SPOTS DADAOCHENG

New Year the street also becomes a huge purveyor of New Year’s decorations. Come or avoid, depending on your fondness for crowds.

Just across f rom Ar tYard1 is the rather austere edifice that is home to Yongle Market. The original market was

established in 1896, though the current building is much newer. During the Japanese colonial era (1895~1945), there were close to a hundred fabric merchants in the market. Homage is paid to that fact on the 2 nd and 3rd floors of the modernday building with the housing of a fabric

emporium – that caters to enterprising hou sew ive s a nd fa sh ion de sig ne r s alike. Everything from delicate Hakka flower prints to gaudy neon textiles – all are available here, and make for good browsing, even if you’re not particularly adept with a sewing machine.

IV. Temples

Thirty-eight people lost their lives in protecting the statue during the escape, and these martyrs are now worshipped in the temple as the “Brave Guards,” who are said to keep away evil spirits.

The temple, completed in 1859, in fact houses around 600 deities altogether, including the City God, his two lieutenants, his wife, a rather conspicuous Laughing Buddha, and several gods connected with the Chinese underworld. The deity that draws most visitors, however, is undoubtedly the Old Man under the Moon – the Chinese matchmaker god. These days, many singles will visit the temple to pray to the matchmaker, receiving one of his red strings as a good-luck charm. It is said that one’s true love is attached to

the other end of this red thread, and that a blessing from the matchmaker will help find him or her.

Another of Dadaocheng’s temples worth visiting is Cisheng Temple, which is dedicated to Mazu, Goddess of the Sea. The temple as it currently stands was built in 1916, and Mr. Zhuang calls it architecturally the most magnificent of Dadaocheng's temples. Visitors will probably be equally impressed by the amount of food on offer in the temple’s courtyard. More than 40 stalls sell street food there throughout the morning and afternoon, and it’s not unusual to see people relaxing under the nearby banyan tree, drinking beer or tucking into a tasty snack treat at one of the many tables.

The main temple in Dadaocheng, the Xiahai City God Temple, is also located on Dihua Street. The venerated main deity was originally the protector deity of Xiacheng in Tong’an County, Fujian Province, mainland China. In the early 1800s, immigrants from Tong’an brought the god’s eff igy to Taiwan’s Bangka settlement. In 1853, when the Dingxiajiao Conf lict broke out, a large group of Tong’an immigrants fled the area, taking their City God with them to Dadaocheng.

Xiahai City God Temple

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Food stall at Cisheng Temple

MY FAVORIE SPOTS DADAOCHENG

Cisheng Temple

Getting There & Getting Around

Dadaocheng to Tamsui Cruises Operator: CH Shipping Co. ( 長弘航業 ) Tel: (02) 2618-2226 Fare: NT$290. Includes an hour-long guided tour of Dadaocheng (Chinese). Tour starts at 2 pm; boat leaves at 3 pm; weekends and holidays only.

Booking details can be found online at www.chshipping.com.tw (Chinese)

To get to Dadaocheng, take the MRT ZhongheXinlu Line (Orange Line/Line 4) to Daqiaotou Station. Dadaocheng is bordered by Minquan West Road on the north, Zhongxiao West Road on the south, the Tamsui River on the west, and Chongqing North Road on the east. Bikes can be rented at the YouBike bike-sharing station next to Yongle Market (Lane 233, Nanjing W. Rd.).

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The Old Grocery Store 大稻埕千秋街店屋

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Zhenwei Teahouse 臻味茶苑 Wang's Tea 有記名茶

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師大國語中心英文招生_E_1-3W_2014_12.pdf 1 2014/12/17 下午 12:06

English and Chinese Bangka 艋舺 Brave Guards 義勇公 Chen Tian-lai 陳天來 Dadaocheng 大稻埕 Dadaocheng Wharf 大稻埕碼頭 Dihua Street 迪化街 Dingxiajiao Conflict 頂下郊拚 Guide Street 貴德街 Mazu 媽祖 Minle Street 民樂街 Minsheng West Road 民生西路 Old Man under the Moon 月下老人 Tamsui 淡水 Wandering Dadaocheng 大稻埕逍遙遊 Wanhua 萬華 Zhuang Yong-ming 莊永明

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ArtYard2022 眾藝埕

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Xiahai City God Temple 霞海城隍廟

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Cisheng Temple 慈聖宮

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Pedaling Along

The Green, Smart Way to Move About and Get to Know Taiwan

Bicycling has become one of the most popular leisure activities in Taiwan over the past decade or so, and because of this popularity, riding has become increasingly convenient for both local residents and foreign visitors.

Text: Nick Kembel Photos: Chian Chu

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F

rom about 2005 to 2009, Taiwan was rife with bike fever. What had once been a niche recreational activity suddenly exploded into the mainstream.

Developing in parallel to the burgeoning popularity of cycling was a proliferation of bike paths and dedicated bike lanes.

And just when the trend seemed to be subsiding, Kaohsiung, Taipei, Taichung, and even smaller centers such as Changhua introduced public bike-rental systems, spawning a new generation of urban

cycling enthusiasts. Below we will explore the rise of Taiwan’s love for cycling, give visitors the necessary info to tap into it, and lastly step into an up-and-coming bicycle shop to see what’s out there for cyclists looking to try something new.

It comes as no surprise that Taiwan’s evolution as a cyclist’s playground is finally being recognized. Both Lonely Planet and the New York Times cited the excellence of its biking networks in recommendations of Taiwan as a top travel

POPULAR PASTIMES BICYCLING

depicting a young deaf man’s seven-day circuit of Taiwan by bicycle. In the same year King Liu, founder of Giant Bicycles, the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer, completed a full circuit of Taiwan at the age of 73, saying the tour was the execution of a lifelong dream. This year, Liu completed a second circuit of Taiwan, and in faster time.

The passion displayed by Liu for biking, the company’s success in the international market, and its enormous contributions to the island’s cycling environment have made Giant what is probably the most widely respected company in Taiwan. It has earned a reputation for quality, and helped make Taiwan the world’s largest exporter of advanced bicycles.

Bicycling in Taipei

destination. Despite its compact size and high population density, Taiwan boasts a stunning diversity of landscapes that can be accessed in short-distance excursions.

In a single day, cyclists can marvel at high-mountain vistas, pedal through bucolic rice-paddy areas, and finish on coastal roadways looking down over rocky precipices dropping to the Pacific Ocean.

Some state that a turning point in Taiwan’s passion for cycling came in 2007, after the release of Island Etude , a film

Circling the island on a bicycle has become a sort of rite of passage for aspiring cyclists, with a number of annual races dedicated to the feat. With route options ranging from 900 to 1,000 kilometers, the journey is completed in anywhere from 5 to 14 days by most. The circuit showcases the island’s stark contrasts, leaving nothing to the imagination. From the mirror-surface irrigated fields of the Yilan Plain and dramatic coastal bluffs of Hualien to the busy urban development of the west coast, a round-island trip exposes the cyclist to Taiwan in all of its facets.

If you lack the time or energy to do a full-island circuit, the ride from Hualien to Taitung makes for a perfect two-day trip, through some of the finest scenery Taiwan has to offer. Another popular choice, regarded by some as one of the most attractive rides in the world, is the 29-kilometer route around Sun Moon Lake.

For a relaxing, family-friendly outing, the 15-km path from Hualien City to the beach at Qixingtan is lovely, as is the 17-km one from Nanliao Fishing Port to the Nangang Bird Watching Area in Hsinchu. Taipei City is also home to an extensive system of riverside trails, some of which connect to parts of New Taipei City.

Cyclists seeking more demanding challenges are spoiled for choice in Taiwan as well. Main highways across the mountains pass natural hot-spring areas and awesome cloud-hugging peaks. The Northern Cross-Island Highway (Prov.

Hwy 7) is the easiest and most accessible from Taipei, while the Central Cross-Island Highway (Prov. Hwy 8 & 14) is the most arduous. The relentlessly steep section from Taroko Gorge, the jewel in Taiwan’s crown of scenic attractions, to Hehuanshan takes you to the highest section of road in East Asia, at 3,275 meters above sea level.

Every November, cyclists from around the world race up this grueling stretch in the Taiwan KOM Challenge, part of the Taiwan Cycling Festival (http://theme.taiwanbike. tw/event/2014/en/index.html ).

Visitors to Taiwan here without their own bikes don’t need to worry. There are bike-rental shops all over the island, some of them even allowing the return of bikes at different locations. You can also take bicycles onto different forms of transportation. Many intercity bus companies allow full bicycles, which are bagged for half-fare, and the High Speed Rail service allows them free of charge.

Bagged bikes can be taken on most slow trains on the regular railway service, and non-bagged ones are allowed on some Biking Tips Keep yourself hydrated when riding in Taiwan Use sunscreen, even on cloudy days; Taiwanʼs sun is strong When riding longer distances, wear proper bike clothing Choose dedicated bike paths or smaller country roads to stay clear of heavy traffic

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local trains. Look for the bike symbol on the schedule at railway.gov.tw. Bikes are allowed on Taipei Metro trains on weekends, but you can’t board or transfer at Taipei Main Station, Daan, Tamsui, Zhongxiao Fuxing, or Nangang Exhibition Hall stations, or at stations on the Wenhu Line (Line 1). Users are asked to walk their bicycles, use elevators, board the trains in the last carriages at either end, and are charged a flat rate of NT$80 per journey.

In 2009, the Taipei City Government, in collaboration with Giant, established the YouBike public bike-rental system.

Requiring no annual fee, and with bikes

free for the first 30 minutes, YouBike has the highest usage rate in the world, with the 30 million-user mark recently reached.

Over 5,000 bikes are available from 160+ rental stations across the city, 24 hours a day. Bikes can be rented at one station and dropped off at another, and users can consult youbike.com.tw to find out how many bikes or empty parking spaces are available at a given station at any time.

With a distinctive orange-and-yellow color pattern, the YouBike features a threestage derailleur system, wheel-driven front LED light, easy-to-straddle down tube, reflective tires, adjustable saddle, and lock.

Each bike is valued at NT$10,000, and is built to withstand above-average usage.

All these factors have made YouBike a smashing success, and the system has already been adopted in the cities of Taichung and Changhua. (Kaohsiung’s C-Bike system, which preceded Taipei’s, was in fact Taiwan’s first public bikerental system.) Government authorities are experimenting with connecting the Taipei and New Taipei City urban core, but the problem remains that many of the bridges between the two cities are not bicycle-friendly, and require significant alterations.

Renting a YouBike With Taiwan-registered cellphone and EasyCard 1. B e c o m e a r e g i s te r e d m e m b e r at any self-service kiosk or on the official website.

1. Use a credit card (Visa/MasterCard/ JCB) payment function at a selfservice kiosk to select a bike.

2. Swipe EasyCard over dockʼs sensor pad and pull bike from rack.

2. After selecting bike at self-service kiosk, you have 90 seconds to pull it from the rack.

3. Ride bike and return at any station with free docks.

4. Select empty dock, align bikeʼs front wheel with white guiding lines on ground, and push bike into docking port.

5. Use EasyCard on dockʼs sensor pad to pay fee.

Note: If there are any mechanical problems with your YouBike, return it to any rental station and turn the seat backwards, indicating to the maintenance crew that thereʼs a problem.

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3. While the green indicator light is blinking, pull bike from rack.

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4. Ride bike and return at any station with free docks.

5. Select empty dock, align bikeʼs front wheel with white guiding lines on ground, and push bike into docking port.

6. You donʼt need to swipe your credit card; process is completed when indicator light switches from blue to green.

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POPULAR PASTIMES BICYCLING

Quality Bikes and Stylish Accessories

Biking Doʼs and Donʼts

The people of Taiwan are accustomed to quality and reliability when it comes to bicycles, with the bar being set high by companies like Giant, and specialized varieties such as folding and f ixedgear bikes are now catching on with city residents looking for something more inventive and stylish.

Lane & Trip (www.lane-trip.com.tw), a London-themed bicycle shop in Taipei’s leafy Minsheng Community, offers a range of urban leisure bikes, not to mention a few one-of-a-kind two-wheelers handassembled in Taiwan. Staff members guide you through the simple, speedy process of folding a UK-imported Brompton bicycle into what looks like a piece of carry-on luggage, complete with miniature wheels on the bottom and a chic shoulder bag that affixes to the front. The shop also has small-wheeled Moulton bikes featuring

When riding in Taiwan, there are a few matters to take into consideration.

the same suspension system used by Austin Minis. To go along with their hipsterfriendly bikes, the store offers a variety of fashionable accessories, such as deerskin gloves, leather handlebars, and woodhandled tire pumps.

If you want to ride in style you might also check out the bikes of AOI.CYCLE (www.aoicycle.com ), a Kaohsiung-based bicycle brand founded by industrial designer Ken Aoi in 2010. The hand-made bikes stand out for their unconventional frame design and polished stainless-steel and fine-leather seats. Another producer of designer bikes is Gearlab (www.gearlab. com.tw), located on Taipei’s Minsheng East Road. The company’s team of designers, who share a love for the outdoors, creates a variety of products, including urban utility bicycles and kayak accessories with the aim of contributing to environmental protection.

No talking on your phone while riding No doubling up on public bikes No riding on sidewalks where it is not permitted Always be wary of pedestrians as well as scooters Walk your bicycle across pedestrianonly bridges Ride defensively at all times

English and Chinese Central Cross-Island Highway 中部橫貫公路 Hehuanshan 合歡山 Island Etude 練習曲 King Liu 劉金標 Minsheng Community 民生社區 Nangang Bird Watching Area 南港賞鳥區 Nanliao Fishing Port 南寮漁港 Northern Cross-Island Highway 北部橫貫公路 Qixingtan 七星潭 Sun Moon Lake 日月潭 Taiwan Cycling Festival 台灣自行車節 Taroko Gorge 太魯閣峽谷 Lane & Trip

Bike produced by AOI.CYCLE

Bike produced by Gearlab Travel in Taiwan

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EASY HIKING PINGXI

Stairways to the Sky Hiking Filial Son Mountain in New Taipei City’s Pingxi Area Text: Richard Saunders Photos: Twelli, Vision Int'l

Trail on Mt. Cimu

EASY HIKING PINGXI

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he quaint old village of Pingxi, today officially the center of New Taipei City’s rural Pingxi District, is the penultimate station on the Pingxi Branch Railway Line, built early in the last century to transport coal mined in the surrounding hills. After coal mining in the Pingxi Valley ceased a few decades ago, the railway line escaped closure partly because it was a vital link with the outside world, but also because the area was becoming an increasingly popular tourist attraction.

These days tourists flock to the valley to see the impressive Shifen Waterfall (sometimes called “Taiwan’s Niagara Falls”), and to wander round the evocative old mining villages, notably Pingxi and Jingtong, which are rich in both local color and traditional snack foods or xiaochi . The Pingxi settlement lies spread out along the two sides of the infant Keelung River. Life in the narrow streets continues much as it did before the technological revolution of the 20th century transformed Taiwan’s economy.

Traveling the Pingxi line is great for relaxed sightseeing, but for hikers the line also provides easy access to some of north Taiwan’s finest hikes. Countless wonderful walks lie within easy reach of Taiwan’s capital, but if time or energy only allow you to do one, there’s perhaps no more exciting

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walk within day-trip distance of downtown Taipei than one which takes in the peaks of Mt. Xiaozi (Filial Son Mountain), Mt. Cimu (Loving Mother Mountain), and Mt. Putuo, collectively called the Pingxi Crags by many Taiwan expats. These three seemingly inaccessible spines of bare rock are scaled by using steep flights of visually arresting rock-cut steps. This is definitely not a place for acrophobes, but for a short, fun adrenaline rush it is unbeatable.

It’s also a relatively easy half-day hike, within the limits of anyone in reasonable shape, which allows time afterwards to explore a few of the other more relaxing attractions along the Pingxi line. But pick a suitable time to visit: during winter and early spring, prevailing monsoon winds from the northeast make for welcome cool temperatures, yet can bring rain as well, so be sure to check the weather forecast beforehand, as the trails can be slippery when wet.

Note as well that the Pingxi line has become an exceptionally popular weekend/ holiday destination, and though, amazingly, the local trails generally remain remarkably quiet at these times, trains can be packed to the gills. It’s thus wise to either visit on a weekday if possible, or to take one of the less-crowded buses back to Taipei.

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1. Mt. Xiaozi 2. Shisunjian 3. On Mt. Xiaozi

As soon as you step out of the train at Pingxi Railway Station the area’s stunning scenery immediately comes into view.

The village lies in a valley hemmed in on both sides by steep, jungle-clad ridges and a series of weirdly shaped, eye-catching peaks. The most conspicuous, known as Shisunjian (“Stone Bamboo Shoot”), sticks out from the ridge northeast of the village like a gigantic tooth.

Less obvious at first are the Pingxi Crags, which rise out of a jungle-filled hollow across the river from the main part of Pingxi village. Walk down to the river, cross it, turn left onto the main road (County Hwy 106), and almost directly below the railway station is the trailhead for Mt. Xiaozi. You’ll find it below a road sign located beside a small waterfall and a colorful map board.

Follow the stepped path upwards, and then proceed through the wooded valley beyond.

Continue uphill along a lane after passing a small temple, and at the end a flight of stone steps leads up the wooded hillside to the base of the marvelous adult-adventure playground formed by the rocky heights of the Pingxi Crags. At the base of the three peaks is a junction of five trails, each heading up a different rock face.

The stone-cut steps on the left lead to the base of Mt. Xiaozi, which, despite being

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EASY HIKING PINGXI

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the lowest of the three crags, looks from the base to be quite impossible to climb.

However, take the trail climbing round the foot of the pinnacle to the back, and its secret is revealed: a series of ladders and steps carved into the sandstone scales the summit of the needle safely, although it’s still quite an exciting climb, and definitely not for hikers with a fear of heights!

The second trail at the big junction below the peaks, straight in front, has never been finished, and ends stranded halfway up the thrillingly steep rock face. Take the third path at the junction, up into the trees ahead, to find hundreds of steep steps carved into the rock scaling the second of the peaks, Mt. Cimu, which is crisscrossed by no less than four exciting trails. At the top, enjoy the magnificent view over Mt. Xiaozi – a sharp, pointed needle from this angle – and, in the opposite direction, into a forest pierced by a series of ridges and sheer cliffs of white rock. Continue straight ahead down the other side, and at the

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Travel in Taiwan

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bottom you’ll find another trail on the left that climbs back up Mt. Cimu, beneath a tall, deeply eroded cliff of white sandstone, and then regains the summit via a natural “ladder” formed by the roots of an old tree growing out of the rock face.

The highest of the three peaks, Mt. Putuo, is reached by a solitary, thrilling trail up a knife-edge spine. It’s rather airy up there, but sturdy metal posts and heavyrope handrails on either side mean it’s quite safe. To get there, take the stone steps on the far right at the junction beneath the peaks, and look for a dirt trail on the right after climbing the steps for about five minutes. Once again, there’s a fabulous view from the summit.

Kudos to the people who risked their lives to cut the original steps up these three peaks, which must have entailed spending long hours in some extremely dangerous positions. We should also be thankful to the souls who set about improving the safety of

the trail up the peaks around the turn of the new century. Presently solid rope hand rails and iron stakes line each of the trails of stone-cut step, so it’s a safe place to explore nowadays if care is taken, but bring a sense of adventure and a good head for heights!

After all that excitement, take a bit of time to wind down and enjoy the gentler pleasures of old Pingxi village. Above the police station, from Guanyin Temple, you have nice views over the village, as well as of Mt. Xiaozi and Mt. Putuo. On either side of the temple are a number of caves and tunnels. On the right, the Cave of the Eight Immortals is a cave temple carved out of the soft sandstone, while on the other side a series of interconnecting chambers were used as air-raid shelters during Allied bombings in World War II. Back in the village, don’t miss the old-style red postbox standing outside the post office, take a look in the traditional shops lining the narrow streets that run down to the river, and snack on treats both traditional and more modern,

EASY HIKING PINGXI

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such as hot dogs, shaved ice, and stinky tofu.

Finally, especially during the Lantern Festival (in early March this year), no trip to Pingxi, and nearby Shifen, is complete without participating in the village’s most famous traditional activity – releasing sky lanterns. Ready-made lanterns are for sale in shops all around the village, and a few places will even teach you how to make your own!

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Getting There Take a train from Taipei to Ruifang Railway Station, from which the Pingxi Branch Railway Line trains leave. Pingxi is the penultimate stop. The village can also be reached by catching a Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Bus plying the serviceʼs MuzhaPingxi Route (www.taiwantrip.com.tw/Besttour/ Info/?id=45 ), just outside the MRT Muzha Station.

More information on hiking around the Pingxi Crags, plus seven other hikes along the Pingxi line, can be found in the book Taipei Escapes 1 , available in Taipei bookstores such as Page One, Eslite, and Caves (NT$500).

Shifen Waterfall

Xiping Highway Cave of the Eight Immortals Guanyin Temple

English and Chinese Cave of the Eight Immortals 八仙洞 Guanyin Temple 觀音巖 Jingtong 菁桐 Keelung River 基隆河 Lantern Festival 元宵節 Mt. Cimu 慈母峰 Mt. Putuo 普陀山 Mt. Xiaozi 孝子山 Pingxi 平溪 Pingxi Branch Railway Line 平溪支線 Pingxi District 平溪區 Shifen 十分 Shifen Waterfall 十分瀑布 Shisunjian 石筍尖 sky lanterns 天燈 xiaochi 小吃

Shifen Station Wanggu Station

Lingjiao Station

Jingtong Station

Pingxi Station Mt. Xiaozi

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1. Air-raid shelters 2. Pingxi Branch Railway Line 3. Signs pointing to Mt. Xiaozi and Mt. Cimu 4. Stone steps up Mt. Putuo 5. Sausage vendor on Pingxi Old Street

6. Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival 7. Old postbox 8. Releasing a paper lantern atShifen 9. Shifen Waterfall

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Hotels of Taiwan Visitors to Taiwan have a wide range of choice when it comes to accommodation. From five-star luxury hotels that meet the highest international standards, to affordable business hotels, to hot-spring and beach resort hotels, to privately-run homestays located in the countryside there is a place to stay that satisfies every traveler’s needs.

What all hotels of Taiwan — small and big, expensive and affordable — have in common is that serve and hospitality are always of the highest standards.

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

GLORIA PRINCE HOTEL TAIPEI

HOTEL SENSE

華 泰 王子大 飯 店

伸適商旅

Taipei 台 北

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

MIRAMAR GARDEN TAIPEI 美麗信花園酒店

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

Taipei 台 北

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

8,000 9,500 10,500 16,000 20,000

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Japanese, Mandarin, Taiwanese, Cantonese RESTAURANTS: Rain Forest Restaurant, Garden Terrace, Lounge 81 SPECIAL FEATURES: Business Center, Pyramid Club - Luxury Executive Floor, Multifunctional Room, Internet Service, 40-inch LCD TV, Garden Terrace, Bar, Fitness Club, Outdoor Pool, Sauna, Spa, Aromatherapy, Car Park

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Taipei 台 北

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

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

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

ROOM RATES:

Deluxe Room Grand Deluxe Room Premier Room Premier 9 Éclat Suite

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

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

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

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

English, Japanese, Chinese

English, Japanese, Taiwanese, Chinese, Cantonese

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

RESTAURANTS: Éclat Lounge, George Bar SPECIAL FEATURES: Member of Small Luxury

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

Tel: 02.2581.8111 Fax: 02.2581.5811, 2568-2924

370, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd., Da-an District, Taipei City 106 106 台 北 市 敦 化 南 路 一 段 370 號 Tel: 02.2784.8888 Fax: 02.2784.7888 Res. Hotline: 02.2784.8118

www.gloriahotel.com

www.hotelsense.com.tw

www.eclathotels.com

MIRAMAR HOTEL HSINCHU 新竹美麗信酒店

NO. OF ROOMS: 141 ROOM RATES: CORNER 8 COMFY ZONE D ROOM QUEENS KINGS STUDIO M

Hsinchu 新 竹

REGENT TAIPEI 台北晶華酒店

Taipei 台 北

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

6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 12,000 20,000

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

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Japanese, and Chinese RESTAURANTS: The Zone Bar & Restaurant SPECIAL FEATURES: Gym, Sky Lounge, Sky Garden

111, Sec. 2, Gongdao 5th Rd., East Dist., Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan

10 4台北市市民大道三段8 3號

3 0 0 新 竹 市 公 道 五 路二 段111號

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

Tel: 03.623.1188 Fax: 03.623.1199 E-mail: info@miramar-hsinchu.com

www.miramargarden.com.tw

www.miramar-hsinchu.com

TAIPEI GALA HOTEL 慶泰大飯店

ROOM RATES:

ROOM RATES:

Superior Room Deluxe Room Residence Junior Suite Elite Suite Corner Suite

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 160

NO. OF ROOMS: 538

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

Travel in Taiwan

怡亨酒店

NO. OF ROOMS: 60

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

HOTEL ÉCLAT

477 , Linsen N. Rd., Zhongshan District, Taipei City 104 104 台 北 市 中 山 區 林 森 北 路 477 號 3 minutes by foot from Exit 2 of MRT Zhongshan Elementary School Station Tel: 02.7743.1000 Fax: 02.7743.1100 E-mail: info@hotelsense.com.tw

369 Lin-sen (Linsen) N. Rd., Taipei City, 104 104 台 北 市 林 森 北 路 369 號

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

Taipei 台 北

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

13,600 14,600 20,800 22,800 26,800 32,800

English, Japanese, Chinese

RESTAURANTS:

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

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

3, Ln.39, Sec.2, Zhongshan N. Rd., Taipei City, 104 10 4台北市中山北路二段3 9 巷3號

Single Room Deluxe Single Room Deluxe Twin Room Suite Room

NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

6,200 6,800 7,600 11,000

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK:

English, Japanese, Chinese

RESTAURANTS: Golden Ear Restaurant (Western semi buffet); Golden Pot (Chinese Cuisine)

SPECIAL FEATURES: Business Center, meeting rooms, airport transfer service, parking lot, laundry service, free Internet access, LCD TV, DVD player, personal safety box, mini bar, private bathroom with separate shower & bath tub, hair dryer

186 Songjiang Rd., Taipei City,104 104 台 北 市 松 江 路 186 號 Exit 1 of MRT Xingtian Temple Station on the Luzhou Line.

Tel: 02.2523.8000 Fax: 02.2523.2828

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

www.regenttaipei.com

www.galahotel.com.tw

THE GRAND HOTEL 圓山大飯店

Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 500 (Suites: 57) ROOM RATES: Single/DBL NT$ 8,200-13,000 Suite NT$ 18,000-30,000 DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, French, Spanish, and Japanese RESTAURANTS: Western, Cantonese, Northern China Style Dumplings, tea house, coffee shop SPECIAL FEATURES: Grand Ballroom, conference rooms for 399 people, 10 breakout rooms, business center, fitness center, sauna, Olympic-size swimming pool, tennis courts, billiards

1 Chung Shan N. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City, 10461 R.O.C 10461 台 北 市 中 山 北 路 四 段 1 號

TAIPEI WESTGATE HOTEL

53 HOTEL

永安棧

寶島53行館

Taipei 台 北

NO. OF ROOMS: 121 ROOM RATES: Cozy Deluxe Premier Premier City View Dual Queen Premier Dual Queen Executive Suite Grand Suite

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

7,200 7,800 8,500 8,800 10,800 11,800 12,800 12,800

DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Chinese, Japanese RESTAURANTS: Unwind Bar & Restaurant SPECIAL FEATURES: Located in the heart of the energetic Ximending; 1 minute on foot to MRT Ximen Station; free wireless Internet access; fitness center; business center; meeting room; laundry; express laundry service; complimentary Chinese/ Western buffet breakfast; safety deposit box; limousine service; airport pick-up.

150, Sec. 1, Zhonghua Rd., Wanhua Dist., Taipei City, 108

(MRT Ximen Station, Exit 6) 108 台 北 市 中 華 路 一 段 150 號

Tel: 886.2.2886.8888 Fax: 886.2.2885.2885

Tel: 02.2331.3161 Fax: 02.2388.6216 Reservation Hotline: 02.2388.1889

www.grand-hotel.org

www.westgatehotel.com.tw

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

Edison welcomes contact with other travel services around the world.

NO. OF ROOMS: 70 ROOM RATES: Standard Room Superior Room Deluxe Room Family Room Deluxe Family Room DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: English, Japanese, Chinese

Taichung 台 中

ALISHAN HOUSE 阿里山賓館

Chiayi 嘉 義

NO. OF ROOMS: 139 NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$ NT$

4,000 4,500 5,000 5,500 6,000

SPECIAL FEATURES: Our guests enjoy easy access to all attractions lively Taichung City has to offer. From the hotel it’s a two-minute walk to Taichung Railway Station and a three-minute walk to the bus station, from where guests can easily reach popular tourist sites, such as Qingjing Farm, Xitou Forest Recreation Area, and Sun Moon Lake.

53 Hotel offers a wide range of services, including laundry/dry cleaning, a business center, a gym, and free wireless Internet access.

27, Zhongshan Rd., Central District, Taichung City, 40042 ( two minutes from railway station) 40042 台 中 市 中 區 中 山 路 27 號 (距離火車站兩分鐘) Tel: 04.2220.6699 Fax: 04.2220.5899 E-mail: service@53hotel.com.tw

www.53hotel.com.tw

ROOM RATES:

Scenery Suite Room/Twin Room NT$ 6,600 Double Suite NT$ 10,000 Fragrant Suite Room/Quad Room NT$ 12,000 Superior Suite NT$ 16,000 VIP Suite NT$ 16,000 Executive Suite NT$ 26,000 Handicapped Suite(Free Space Room) NT$ 26,000 President Suite NT$300,000 (Prices above not including 10% Service Charge)

GENERAL MANAGER: Mr. Jen-Shing Chen DESK PERSONNEL SPEAK: Chinese, English, Japanese RESTAURANTS: Chinese, Café, Courtyard SPECIAL FEATURES: Broadband Internet access in guestrooms, business center, Souvenir Shop, Gazebo, 1950’s dance hall, foot massage 16 Sianglin Village, Alishan Township, Chiayi County, 605 605 嘉 義 縣 阿 里 山 鄉 香 林 村 16 號 ALISHAN Tel: 05.267.9811 Fax: 05.267.9596 TAIPEI Tel: 02.2563.5259 Fax: 02.2536.5563 E-mail: service@alishanhouse.com.tw

www.alishanhouse.com.tw

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More than 304 university/college partnerships in Europe, Asia, the US, and Oceania.

A diverse and internationalized university attended by 1,500 degree-seeking international students and 1,700 Mandarin Training Center students (3-month average).

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June

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For application documents, eligibility, admission procedures and individual program requirements, please refer to the NTNU Admission Prospectus for International Students which is downloadable at：http://ap.itc.ntnu.edu.tw/istudent/apply Online application site： http://ap.itc.ntnu.edu.tw/istudent/apply

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