Travel in Taiwan(NO.131 2025 9/10)

YILAN COUNTY

Publisher's Note

Dear Traveler,

A warm welcome to Taiwan, from all of us! As the seasons begin to change, cooler weather is arriving – just in time for the many outdoor adventures waiting for you this fall. We’ve gathered some exciting ideas in this issue to help you make the most of your trip.

This issue, we’re featuring three main articles that take us on adventures in Yilan County, a ruggedly beautiful and agriculturally rich region on Taiwan’s northeast coast. Yilan offers immersive, hands-on experiences – from picking tea leaves and creating scallion-based treats to enjoying petting farms and shrimping.

Next, set sail for Turtle Island, located just 10 kilometers offshore. This iconic, turtle-shaped volcanic island is a must-see on any extended Yilan visit. Take a guided boat tour, hike to the summit, explore an abandoned fishing village and a military tunnel – and if you’re lucky, spot dolphins or whales along the way! Then unwind in one of Yilan’s many scenic hot springs. We highlight several of the best spots for soaking, all set against the backdrop of the county’s dramatic mountain landscapes.

From the coast, we head over the mountains to bustling Taipei, a vivid contrast to Yilan’s tranquil rhythms and scenic landscapes. Our City Walks feature this issue explores the historic Chengnan area. Visit landmarks like the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall with its immaculate

gardens, Nanmen Market, which has a history of over 100 years, and a pair of restored Japanese-era residential complexes now home to small businesses and culturalcreative spaces.

In Good Food , we highlight four of Taipei’s hottest spots for dining and drinks with friends. Whatever you’re in the mood for, Taipei delivers: moody, modern izakayas; spacious eateries with beer, wings, and international dishes; and themed nightspots that serve up surprisingly great food. And in Expert Talk , you’re invited to spend an afternoon in a restored, traditional red-brick courtyard home in Taoyuan City. This space now hosts one of Taiwan’s many emerging ventures focused on crafts, food, and practices deeply rooted in local culture. Here, you can try your hand at making nostalgic treats like glutinous rice cakes, taro cakes, radish rice dumplings, or tangyuan (sweet glutinous rice balls).

Eager to dive in?

We hope your time in Taiwan is filled with cool discoveries and warm memories.

Once again, a heartfelt welcome!

TAIWAN TOURISM ADMINISTRATION

台灣觀光雙月刊

Travel in Taiwan

The official bimonthly English magazine of the Taiwan Tourism Administration (Advertisement) SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER, 2025 Tourism Administration, MOTC First published Jan./Feb. 2004 ISSN: 18177964 GPN: 2009305475 Price: NT$200

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PUBLISHER

Taiwan Tourism Administration

EDITING CONSULTANT

T. C. Chou

PUBLISHING ORGANIZATION

Taiwan Tourism Administration, Ministry of Transportation and Communications

CONTACT

International Division, Taiwan Tourism Administration Add: 9F, 290 Zhongxiao E. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City, 10694, Taiwan

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PRODUCER

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ADDRESS

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E-MAIL

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GENERAL MANAGER

David Hu

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WHERE YOU CAN PICK UP A COPY OF TRAVEL IN TAIWAN

ABROAD

Offices of the Taiwan Tourism Administration in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Frankfurt, and London. Overseas Offices of the Ministry of Economic Affairs; Overseas Offices of the Central News Agency; EVA Air, and other selected international airlines; selected travel agencies in Asia, North America, and Europe; and other organizations.

IN TAIWAN

Tourism Administration Visitor Center; Tourism Administration; Taiwan Visitors Association; foreign representative offices in Taiwan; Tourism Administration service counters at Taiwan

Taoyuan Int’l Airport and Kaohsiung Int’l Airport; major tourist hotels; Taipei World Trade Center; VIP lounges of international airlines; major tourist spots in Taipei; visitor centers of cities and counties around Taiwan; offices of national scenic area administrations; public libraries

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Johannes Twellmann

ENGLISH EDITOR

Rick Charette

DIRECTOR OF PLANNING & EDITING DEPT

Joe Lee

MANAGING EDITOR

Anna Li

EDITORS

Masako Takada, Lynn Chang

CONTRIBUTORS

Ami Barnes, Rick Charette, Han Cheung, Jenna Lynn Cody

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Chen Cheng-kuo, Ray Chang

DESIGNERS

Ian Tsai , Hsieh Yun-jhen

ADMINISTRATIVE DEPT

Lily Wan, Hui-chun Tsai, Xiou Mieng Jiang

This magazine was printed with soy ink. Soy ink is said to be more environmentally friendly than petroleum-based ink and to make it easier to recycle paper.

ONLINE

Read Travel in Taiwan online at www.travelintaiwan.net. Find back issues (PDF version) on the publication platform issuu at issuu.com/travelintaiwan

TURTLE, AHOY!

SOAKING UP YILAN’S HOT-SPRING CULTURE Top-Quality Mineral Bathing Just Over the Mountains from Taipei

TAIPEI’S

of

Plantations and Cafés

HUALIEN AIRPORT Portal to East Taiwan, Subtropical Idyll

GRANDMA'S RICE CAKES Making Old-Time Treats in a Lovely Restored

Courtyard Residence

1 1 2 3

Autumn Fun Times

Happenings and Events in Taiwan

KEELUNG CITY 1

Sep 26 – Nov 30

KEELUNG CIAO || TIDES OF ART:

KEELUNG'S COASTAL CREATIONS

基隆潮藝術

Held annually since 2015, this festival each year transforms Keelung City’s harbor and coastline into stages for contemporary art. Venturing beyond traditional galleries, it creatively makes use of locations like Chaojing Park, Zhengbin Fishing Port, and the remains of the Agenna Shipyard. With a focus on ocean conservation and fostering a dialogue between art and the environment, the festival encourages both locals and visitors to re-examine their connection to Keelung’s maritime heritage. Immediately following the Keelung Mid-Summer Ghost Festival (Aug 22-Sep 22), the event is another good reason to visit the harbor city this fall. www.klccab.gov.tw/en

KINMEN COUNTY 2

Sep 1 – Oct 6

THE MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL DICE GAME FOR MOONCAKES

金門中秋博狀元餅

Playing dice games is a distinctive folk tradition with over 300 years of history in Kinmen. Originating from the imperial examination system, the festival’s centerpiece dice-rolling game playfully symbolizes the pursuit of achievement. As part of the MidAutumn Festival, people gather to gaze at the moon, enjoy mooncakes, and admire the beautiful lantern decorations. kinmen.travel/en

NANTOU COUNTY 3

Sep 28

SUN MOON LAKE INTERNATIONAL CROSS-LAKE SWIMMING CARNIVAL 日月潭國際萬人泳渡

This swimming event takes place on Nantou County’s Sun Moon Lake, one of Taiwan’s most scenic tourist attractions. First held in 1983, the swim has grown into a massive gathering, attracting tens of thousands of participants each year, who come to swim the approximately 3km from Chaowu Pier to Ita Thao Pier. The event was recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1995 and inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2002.

www.pulifourswim.tw

Held in Miaoli County’s Sanyi Township, known as Taiwan’s wood-carving capital, this annual festival is centered around the Sanyi Wood Sculpture Museum, which celebrates its 30 th anniversary this year. Emphasizing both tradition and innovation in woodcarving, the festival offers diverse activities for all ages, including stage performances, artisan demonstrations, hands-on workshops, a market showcasing local crafts, and the exploration of Sanyi’s slow-living culture, and more. www.sanyi-woodart.com.tw

5

KAOHSIUNG CITY Oct 27-28

KAOHSIUNG ZUOYING WANNIAN FOLKLORE FESTIVAL

高雄左營萬年季

This annual cultural event is held in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District, around the scenic Lotus Pond. Since its inception in 2001, the festival has become a significant folk-tourism attraction, drawing large crowds with its unique local customs. Rooted in Zuoying’s distinctive landscape and traditions, highlights of the festival include the exciting “Cannon City Attack” game and the vibrant ritual of welcoming the “Fire Lion”. The celebration offers a great opportunity to experience local culture and folk traditions.

www.facebook.com/firelion.Kaohsiung

TAIPEI CITY 6 Nov 1-2

NUIT BLANCHE TAIPEI

臺北白晝之夜

First held in Taipei in 2016, Nuit Blanche Taipei was inspired by the Parisian all-night arts festival that began in 2002. A free event held overnight with strong public participation, it transforms the city into a vast, temporary art gallery. Through a diverse array of artistic installations and performances across visual and performing arts, the event invites everyone to naturally encounter art and freely explore urban spaces in an extraordinary nighttime atmosphere.

www.nuitblanche.taipei

Happening in TA WAN Now

Railways

New Tourist Traina

Visas

Digital Nomad Visa

As of January, Taiwan officially offers a Digital Nomad Visa designed for global professionals working remotely. The visa allows stays of up to six months and reflects Taiwan’s growing appeal as one of Asia’s top destinations for digital nomads. The island is consistently ranked highly for its quality of life, vibrant food scene, and rich travel experiences.

For more information, visit www.boca.gov.tw and talent.nat.gov.tw/visa/digital-nomad

Launched in April, the new Shanlan Hao (Mountain Mist) train offers a unique way to explore the lush landscapes of eastern Taiwan. Running between Hualien and Chishang through the scenic East Rift Valley, this yellow-green train is a visual and sensory complement to the lightblue Sea Breeze train that connects Nangang and Yilan. Passengers aboard the Mountain Mist enjoy large viewing windows, a calming interior in earthy

tones, and a thoughtfully curated selection of local cuisine—all part of an immersive journey through one of Taiwan’s most beautiful regions.

For more info, visit event.liontravel. com/zh-tw/railtour/shanlan

Tourist Bus

Taichung Double-Decker Sightseeing Bus

In April, Taichung launched its first double-decker sightseeing bus, offering a fun new way to explore the city. The open-air upper deck provides sweeping views, while onboard amenities include free Wi-Fi and multilingual audio guides. The route conveniently connects major landmarks such as Taichung Railway Station, Taichung Park, the National Taichung Theater, and Fengjia Shopping District. Tickets are affordable, starting at NT$100. For more info and online ticket purchase, visit www.taichungsightseeingbus.com.tw, as well as sites such as klook.com and kkday.com

Michelin Guide

Now Covering New Taipei City, Hsinchu County, and Hsinchu City

The Michelin Guide, created in 1900, directs travelers and food lovers to outstanding eateries, highlighting global cuisine and encouraging travel. Following the 2018 debut of an edition focused on Taipei, Micheline Guide expanded to include Taichung (2020) and Tainan/Kaohsiung (2022). For the 2025 edition, New Taipei City, Hsinchu County, and Hsinchu City are covered as well, marking the third expansion of the Taiwan guide and bringing its total coverage to seven cities/counties. Read the guide online at guide. michelin.com

Ferry Service

Tourism Promotion New Tourism Info Center in Amsterdam

Earlier this year, Taiwan has opened a new Tourism Information Centre in Amsterdam to significantly boost Taiwan’s profile as a tourism destination across European markets. Officials view this center as a strategic outpost. With the Netherlands serving as a strategic travel and cultural hub, the center aims to attract more European visitors and strengthen connections with local tourism partners and media. The initiative highlights Taiwan’s commitment to broadening its global tourism outreach, using Amsterdam as a key entry point to European markets.

New Tainan/Keelung-Ishigaki Connections

This month (September), a new ferry service will connect the city of Tainan in southern Taiwan with Ishigaki, an island in Japan’s Okinawa chain located close to Taiwan. The Yaima Maru ferry accommodates up to 545 passengers and 70 vehicles, with trips scheduled three times a month. Voyages are planned three times a month. A one-way ticket will cost about NT$3,000, with the journey likely to be scheduled overnight, lasting 8 to 12 hours. A similar service is planned between Ishigaki and the northern Taiwan port city of Keelung.

Culture & Art

1

Exhibition

ANTHONY MCCALL: MEETING YOU HALFWAY

《安東尼・麥考爾：在光中遇見你》

Jul 26 – Nov 30

Fubon Art Museum ( Taipei City )

This is the first large-scale solo show in Taiwan by British-born, New York-based artist Anthony McCall. It features his iconic Solid Light installations, which are known for transforming light from a twodimensional projection into a three-dimensional, immersive experience. The exhibition also includes his early performance-based film Landscape for Fire (1972) as well as various preparatory drawings, photographs, and archival materials that illustrate his artistic process over the past five decades. www.fubonartmuseum.org

Concerts, Theater, Exhibitions, Festivals, Shows

Festival 2

SPRING WAVE MUSIC FESTIVAL 春浪音樂節

Oct 31 – Nov 2

Alive Glamping Base ( Taichung City )

The Spring Wave Music Festival is a prestigious, long-standing outdoor music festival in Taiwan, marking its 20 th anniversary in 2025. Renowned for its blend of pop, rock, hip-hop, and electronic genres, it attracts a diverse audience. Unlike some other festivals that focus solely on indie scenes, Spring Wave often features well-known mainstream artists alongside emerging talents. www.facebook.com/springwave

Dance 3

ZHANG XIAOXIONG X TAIPEI CAPITAL BALLET: ECHOES FROM AFAR

張曉雄X首督芭蕾: 遠山的呼號

Sep 13/14 Taipei City Arts Promotion Office, Metropolitan Hall

Sep 20 National Taichung Theater

Sep 27 Taoyuan Arts Center

Oct 4 National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts - Weiwuying

Echoes from Afar is a new contemporary ballet by Zhang Xiaoxiong created for Taipei Capital Ballet’s 34 th season. This production uniquely fuses classical ballet with Eastern philosphical moments. Taipei Capital Ballet is known for exploring diverse styles, maintaining ballet’s foundation while infusing it with local cultural elements. capital-ballet.com

Exhibition 4

Exhibition 5 5 6 4

FABLES OF THE EYE BALL GENERATION

眼球世代藝術奇譚

Jul 5 – Oct 19

Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts ( Kaohsiung City )

This exhibition is a distinctive showcase focused on how our modern, screen-dominated world influences art and perception. It explores the visual culture of the “eyeball generation,” in which images and digital experiences shape our reality, inviting you to reflect on the fascinating and sometimes overwhelming narratives conveyed through our screens.

www.kmfa.gov.tw

Editor's Choice

GIANT UNEARTHED, A TAIWAN WHALE’S TALE

鯨掘

Jun 27 – May 3

National Museum of Natural Science ( Taichung City )

This exhibition centers on an 18-meter baleen whale fossil unearthed in Taiwan in 2022, blending archaeology, ecology, and mythology. Through an immersive theater featuring a semicircular projection wall and an AI guide, the exhibition delves into the prehistoric and modern history of whales in Taiwan, highlighting humanity’s impact on marine environment.

www.nmns.edu.tw

Exhibition 6

BRINY WIND CARRYING SAND: ARTIST FROM THE SALINE LAND

鹹鹹的風飛沙．鹽分地帶美術家的歸返

Jun 24 – Oct 26

Tainan Art Museum ( Tainan City )

This exhibition spotlights 18 artists from Taiwan’s “Saline Land” – the coastal Beimen District of Tainan, historically known for its salt production and distinctive saline soil. The region has a rich cultural legacy, first gaining prominence in literature during the 18951945 Japanese colonial era, then later in the visual arts. The featured artists explore their deep connection to its unique landscape and history through a diverse range of artistic forms, including ink painting, oil painting, prints, photography, and mixed media. www.tnam.museum

Good Times Yilan in

Yilan Farms – Family Fun and Muddy Memories

For travelers who envision a good vacation as immersive excursions and getting to know local life, Yilan County has much to offer. From scrumptious scallions and tea plucking, to petting farms and shrimp snagging, over the following pages, you’ll find intros to agri-tourism experiences that engage the senses and entertain all ages.

Yilan’s farming credentials are indisputable. For most visitors, the overwhelming impression of the county is of a vast, mountain-backed flatness dominated by rice paddies – the Lanyang Plain. In the winter months, migratory waders ripple the mirrored surfaces of flooded fields, and the skinny stems of young plants dance parallactic patterns as you drive past. Summers see the land transformed into a rippling sea of luminous chartreuse, heavy ears of the year’s first crop bending as if they – like us humans – have been cowed into submission by the June heat. Against the backdrop of this most visible of agrarian rhythms, an array of interactive and family-friendly farm adventures awaits.

Sanxing Township

The locals often describe Yilan’s plain as being dustpanshaped, but in an article as entangled with local produce as this, it seems only right to set the scene with a fittingly agriculinary analogy, so here goes. Two mountain systems –the Central Mountain Range and the Xueshan Mountain Range – extend coastwards from Taiwan’s spine, forming the southern and northern boundaries of Yilan County, respectively. Hugged snugly within their pincer-like grip is the Lanyang Plain, a fertile stretch of alluvial land with a triangle shape resembling a zongzi or sticky-rice dumpling. The dumpling’s westernmost tip is where you’ll find Sanxing Township – our first stop on this multisensory tour of Yilan’s agricultural offerings.

Sanxing is where the powerful Lanyang River runs down from the mountains onto the plain, transitioning from the vigor of its middle age to a more sedate and stately flow. In the early days, the whole area was a shifting and mostly uninhabitable mass of sandbars that could be rendered entirely unrecognizable after a big storm, but this began to change during Taiwan’s Japanese colonial era (1895-1945). Seeking solutions to Japan’s rice shortage, authorities constructed over 40km of levees to maximize available farmland, and – with the seasonal torrents tamed – farmers trickled in to capitalize on Sanxing’s favorable growing conditions.

In addition to its ready supply of fresh mountain water and good-earth land, the region benefits from Yilan’s unique climate. In the daytime, a warm ocean wind pushes in from the coast, helping crops accumulate sugar, while a cool night breeze blows down from the mountains, stimulating the production of flavor compounds. The result? Extra-sweet fruits, flavorful tea, and (if you ask Sanxing’s farmers) the best scallions in all of Taiwan.

The scallion – also called green or spring onion – is a member of the allium family widely used in Taiwanese dishes. Its primary function is as a garnish, but it is also onethird of the holy trinity of Chinese aromatics, used alongside ginger and garlic to impart flavor to soups, stir-fries, and dipping sauces. In Sanxing, however, this humble flavoring is elevated to center stage. Its historic importance to the local economy has been memorialized in a Taiwanese rhyming couplet: “Ki ā tsìng-tshang, tsia h b ē -khang,” essentially, “marry a scallion farmer and your stomach will never be empty,” and there’s even an annual festival held in its honor.

These days, few love matches are based on the greenonion-growing credentials of prospective mates, but the scallion harvest remains vitally important to the area, and Sanxing’s enterprising farmers have devised experiential travel packages centered on their star crop.

True Me Leisure Farm

True Me Leisure Farm is one such place. A 30min taxi ride from Luodong Railway Station (a smidge longer from Yilan City), the farm occupies about an acre-and-a-half of land beside part of the old Lanyang River flood defense wall. Visitors can take a crash course in scallion husbandry, learn how to prepare scallioncentric treats in an airy indoor classroom, have a go at catching loaches, and fill their bags with green onion souvenirs from the farm store. True Me has several experiences to choose from (details on its website), but to get the most out of our recent Travel in Taiwan visit, we plumped for the full package (NT$350 per person), which includes baking and a hands-on tour of the farm. Gathering round a demonstration table, we received directions on how to prepare scallion buns (seasonal variations with passion fruit or jaboticaba [tree grape] jam are available). Our teacher was a calm woman whose habit of couching instructions in questions instantly outed her as someone experienced with young children. “Do you know why we need to put aside some dough?” Diligent apprentices, we duly guessed and our half-there answers were congratulated with a “That’s right! You’ll need it later to make the face – nobody ever remembers this part!”

Its alluvial plain location, abundant clear water, ample rainfall, and significant day-night temperature differences make Sanxing County perfect for cultivating plump, tender, and fragrant scallions.

After hovering nearby to ensure we remembered to set aside a knot of dough (as predicted, we forgot), our teacher left us to it. The process is simple, but achieving any degree of finesse takes practice, and our rookie status became keenly evident when it came to the final step –it turns out that creating masterpieces from dough and edible ink is easier said than done. The second project, which involved spiraling scallion-stuffed dough into snail-shaped pies, was an easier affair, so if you’re visiting with very young children, this is the one I’d recommend.

Buns popped in the ovens, we headed to the yard for our farm tour. True Me provides each visitor with boots and a douli (conical bamboo farmers’ hat) for the fields and waders for the little ones if necessary. However, it’s worth pointing out that farms like this are prime no-seeum territory, so bug spray and long trousers are a good idea.

The crop grown at True Me Leisure Farm is Lanyang No. 1, a cultivar derived from four-season scallions. It grows year-round (hence the type name) and is prized for producing lengthy pure-white bulbs with a full but mellow flavor. Walking to the fields, our guide pointed out rows of just-harvested jaboticaba trees, an irrigation channel filled with opaque, ashy-hued water (tinted by silt from an upstream gravelextraction facility), and the stands of cat-tail willow (another Sanxing specialty) that is sold to florists in time for Lunar New Year; branches are used as auspicious decoration during the festivities.

Next to the fields, solar-powered light traps stand sentinel, protecting the tender scallions from moths, their nemeses. We observed the raised beds blanketed with straw, which help to prevent weed growth, and we also got a demonstration of how the farm workers

propagate the next season’s harvest by driving a hole into the bed with a T-handled dibber, then splitting off one or two stalks and tamping them in, six to each neat row – back-breaking work.

Thankfully, for us soft city types, the planting is left to the pros, and all we needed to do was handle the picking. Our guide demonstrated how to reach into the earth, running a thumb and forefinger down each side of the clumped bulbs far enough until they felt solid beneath our grip. A gentle wiggle loosens the roots, then the vegetable can be pulled straight up to avoid damaging or bending it.

Once we had our bounty in hand, it was time to head to the washing pool – an important feature of any scallion farm. In days gone by, farmworkers would don chest-high waders and plonk themselves in a fresh-flowing stream. In contrast, modern operations tend to have a dedicated pool for this purpose, although during our June visit, I would have welcomed a quick dip in cool stream waters. We were shown how to prepare the stems for market by massaging off the mud clinging to the roots before stripping away the outer membrane of each stalk to reveal the clean stem beneath.

With that, our onion farmer role-playing drew to a close, and the only thing left for us to do was to bag up our haul, head back inside, and reward ourselves for our efforts by tucking into our fresh-fromthe-oven scallion buns.

TRUE ME LEISURE FARM | 初咪體驗農場

No. 13, Dongxing Rd., Tianfu Village, Sanxing Township, Yilan County ( 宜蘭縣三星鄉天福村東興路 13 號 ) 0928-576-801

8:30am-5pm www.facebook.com/truemefarm www.truemefarm.com (Chinese)

Dongshan Township

Shyang Yeu Organic Farm

Lying immediately east of Sanxing, neighboring Dongshan Township has earned a name for itself as Yilan’s tea-growing region. While not as extensive as growing areas like Alishan, it nevertheless has a large number of small-to-medium-scale tea plantations, among them Shyang Yeu Organic Farm. Operated by a second-generation tea farmer, Liu Hsiang-chun, the farm is approaching its half-centenary, and sitting down in his tea-roomcum-store, Liu explained his journey to tea mastery over a pot of fine oolong tea.

When Liu’s parents began growing tea, they – like their contemporaries – relied heavily on chemical pesticides. But when his mother was diagnosed with skin cancer, Liu began learning about the deleterious effects these chemicals can have on the human body. Alarmed, he suggested switching to organic farming, and although his parents were skeptical, they gave him a small plot of land to play with.

“The problem is, when you start using pesticides, you’re stuck using pesticides,” Liu lamented. “They’re indiscriminate in which bugs they target. The pests, the beneficial insects, they’re all wiped

Up close, the farm’s organic bona fides are evident. We spotted a spider guarding her egg sac in a leaf that she’d curled up, and each footstep sent up little drifts of minuscule moths. So distracting were these entomological finds that while we grabbed just a few sprigs, Liu gathered dense wads of leaves, hands working in tandem as he skimmed the rows – although as we later learned, we never stood a chance against him, for as we were walking back, he revealed that as a kid he’d won second prize in a speed-picking contest, just pipped to the post by a cousin.

Back in the shade, we were led through the hot and laborintensive steps of panning and rolling our tea in preparation for drying. This last step basically just involves waiting for the machine to do its work, which meant we were free to try our hand at a spot of confectioneering.

The sweet in question was dragon beard candy, a traditional concoction resembling the whiskery beards of Chinese dragons. Made by coaxing maltose into ever-thinner filaments before stuffing it with black sesame seeds and crushed-up peanuts, the process is easy enough for young chefs to complete with a little assistance. The candies are light, moreish, and – thanks to their susceptibility to atmospheric moisture – best eaten right away, meaning you have a ready-made excuse to snaffle the whole lot.

out.” As the only organic land in the area, his little patch became an insect ark. For the first three years, it seemed as if he was just feeding bugs.

Still, Liu persevered. It took three years for the beneficial bugs to begin bouncing back and another couple of years for the natural equilibrium to fully recover. By the eighth year, the land was producing about 40 percent of what you’d expect from a chemical-doused field – enough, Liu reasoned, to make the operation viable. When he eventually took over the farm, he switched the entire operation to organic. Today, alongside his award-winning organic teas, Liu invites guests to experience a taste of teafarm life.

Dressed in the tea-picker’s outfit – doulis fastened with floral kerchiefs, loose sleeves, and woven baskets – we walked to the fields at a pace so relaxed it would seem indecent in the city. Standing among hip-high bushes, Liu demonstrated how to pinch just below the bud and the two youngest leaves. “Feel these old ones, their skin is just like grandpa’s. We don’t want those!” Then, with a swift, upwards flick, the stem snaps cleanly.

Whether you try tea picking or candy-making, cup engraving is part and parcel of the Shyang Yeu experience. In the past, Liu used paper cups for general use, but he hated that the plastic-coated containers negated the health benefits of growing organic. So, he switched to using ceramic cups, and the engraving just kind of organically evolved from there. Rows of tables hold kid-safe electric engraving pens, allowing you to personalize your cup to whatever extent schedule and creative capabilities allow.

To conclude, we headed back inside to package our tea and sample some of the varieties Liu is most proud of. There is something theatrical about the way tea masters work, almost like a magician performing sleight of hand. Water passing from vessel to vessel, a secretly defined precision dictating every measure – heat, time, amount – for the alchemical process to work its magic. And Liu certainly had one final magic trick up his sleeve for me. Bringing out one of his farm’s star sellers, a pomelo flower-infused brew, he took this

poor excuse for an English person and cured me of a lifelong aversion to black tea. Baking the leaves together with pomelo blossom creates an unexpected but delightful harmony of floral sweet notes and earthy richness, entirely unlike any tea I’d tasted before.

In terms of practicalities, Shyang Yeu is a 20min drive from Luodong Railway Station. The two-hour tea-picking experience is offered from April to November for groups of four or more. The dragon beard candy tutorial lasts around 90min and is available for groups of two or more. Both activities cost NT$400 per person and need to be reserved at least one day in advance by phone or email.

SHYANG

YEU ORGANIC FARM | 祥語有機農場

No. 173, Zhongcheng Rd., Zhongshan Village, Dongshan Township, Yilan County ( 宜蘭縣冬山鄉中山村中城路 173 號 ) (03) 958-7959

9am-5pm www.shyangyeu.com.tw (Chinese)

Dongshan Township

E-Long Goat Farm

E-Long Goat Farm deserves a spot on the Yilan itinerary of families traveling with younger children. Occupying a small plot of land in an area surrounded by the Annong River (the river splits into two waterways for a stretch of about 3km), E-Long gives kids the chance to get acquainted with a whole range of furred and feathered friends – from the headlining goats to pigs, chickens, rabbits, turtles, guinea pigs, and more.

The ticket price (NT$150 for those 13 and over, NT$100 for 6~12-year-olds) includes a handful of grasses that two-legged kids can use to feed four-legged kids, while pellets or bottles of milk can be bought for a small extra fee to feed the farm’s various other denizens. Bilingual and pictorial signs helpfully advise visitors on which animals can eat what, ensuring everyone gets what they need.

For those hoping to enjoy an even closer encounter with E-Long’s star residents, the farm also runs 3hr goat-rearing experiences (NT$450, bookable via the LINE app). These allow participants to experience the daily life of a goat farmer, with activities like milking, taking the goats out to pasture, and combing their hair – goats, it seems, react to having their necks brushed by entering a kind of contented trance, sometimes even comically forgetting to chew the grass in their mouths.

E-LONG GOAT FARM | 宜農牧場 No. 17, Ln. 239, Changchun Rd., Dongshan Township, Yilan County ( 宜蘭縣冬山鄉長春路 239 巷 17 號 ) (03) 956-7724 9:30am-5:30pm, closed on Thursday www.facebook.com/elfarm123

Scattered throughout the farm are such other attractions as sandpits and throwing games, enough for families with really little ones to easily while away a couple of hours. And before you leave, be sure to pop into the farm’s store. Here, you can exchange your entrance ticket for a bottle of goat milk (strawberry and chocolate flavors are available for anyone not too keen on the original goaty taste), while more goat-curious members can try goat milk ice cream, pudding, and cheese.

Toucheng Township

Lan Yang Shrimp Land

Returning to our earlier rice dumpling analogy, the final stop on this Yilan adventure lies at the dumpling’s northern tip – Toucheng Township. Compared to the rest of the county with its veritable full marketplace of stalls’ worth of produce, Toucheng doesn’t contribute much fruit and veg to Yilan’s culinary scene. However, it more than compensates for this with its seafood. Small fishing villages dot the county coast, where each night’s catch is brought in and divvied up in the wee hours, destined for dinner tables across the region. Inland, much of the Lanyang Plain space not occupied by rice farms or settlements is blanketed with a patchwork quilt of fisheries and seafood restaurants.

It was this promise of fresh seafood that lured my travelmates into a nondescript corrugated iron structure beside Provincial Highway 2, the coastal highway – Lan Yang Shrimp Land, a parent-and-child-friendly shrimpfishing joint where aspiring anglers can cast a line and try their luck. Rods can be rented (NT$350 for 70min), and each rod comes with tiddly shrimp to use as bait. The staff are accustomed to assisting novices, so no prior experience is required, though my travel buddies were already wellversed in the art of shrimp seduction.

As a vegetarian, I’ve never had reason to partake in shrimp fishing before, so I watched in fascinated horror as my companions threaded bait and lowered their lines into the pool. Lan Yang, they explained, is a pretty standard operation, just with one key difference – compared to the usually murky pools of other establishments, Lan Yan’s crystal-clear water means there’s no need to drop and hope. Instead, you can position your bait precisely where it needs to be. The trick is to wait for the second tug – signaling the shrimp is securely hooked – then gently raise your rod.

It felt almost too easy. Within mere minutes, a shrimp was dangling from our line. At this point, we discovered we had a slight predicament; some members of the party balked at the thought of having to touch the wriggling critters. Despite this hiccup, our net soon contained our shrimp quota (each rod comes with a 300g allowance – catch less and they’ll make up the difference, more and you’ll pay extra), and it was time to transform the haul into a salty snack.

Most shrimping establishments have on-site grilling facilities, but Lan Yang cooperates with Lan Yang Chuan Cai Restaurant just across the road. In the designated preparation area, you can rinse and salt your shrimp before skewering them or sandwiching them in a grill basket. After 10-15 minutes under the heat, the carapaces begin to pink up, and it’s time to eat.

LAN YANG SHRIMP LAND | 蘭楊蟹莊 0983-428-019

No. 110, Sec. 3, Toubin Rd., Toucheng Township, Yilan County ( 宜蘭縣頭城鎮頭濱路三段 110 號 ) 10am-7pm, closed on Thursday www.facebook.com/IlanTouChengXueShanCrab

ENGLISH AND CHINESE

Annong River | 安農溪

Central Mountain Range | 中央山脈

Dongshan Township | 冬山鄉

douli | 斗笠

dragon beard candy | 龍鬚糖

Lan Yang Chuan Cai Restaurant | 蘭楊船菜餐廳

Lanyang Plain | 蘭陽平原

Lanyang River | 蘭陽溪

Liu Hsiang-chun | 劉向群

Unless ordering additional dishes from the restaurant’s seafood-heavy menu (think spicy clams, truffle garlic shrimp, fish head hotpot), no cutlery is provided, so be prepared to get cracking – literally – with your fingers. I abstained, but my companions gave their appraisals – a hit of lip-tingling salt, followed by the characteristic briny sweetness of fresh seafood, the texture firm, but yielding under the teeth.

In all honesty, shrimp fishing is something I will likely never indulge in myself, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t understand the appeal. Like a scallion bun you’ve baked yourself or tea you’ve picked by hand, the effort imparts a flavor all of its own. And on a hot evening, with industrial fans blowing warm air, buzzing scooters providing the soundtrack, and a bottle of Taiwan beer (or tea) shared amongst friends, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more authentically Taiwanese experience to cap your Yilan explorations.

Sanxing Township | 三星鄉

Toucheng Township | 頭城鎮

Xueshan Mountain Range | 雪山山脈 zongzi | 粽子

An Island Day Trip in Yilan

Often the first landmark glimpsed upon your Lanyang Plain approach, last seen when leaving — if you’re looking for romantic symbols of Yilan County, there are none more potent than Turtle Island. Over the years, this volcanic isle has been the inspiration for geomythical tales, home to fisherfolk and soldiers, and a friendly face for returning homesick travelers. It is also a wonderful place for a day trip.

The distinctively shaped rocky form of Turtle Island guards the horizon off the coast of Yilan. Separated from Taiwan’s mainland by 10km of often choppy ocean, it is only accessible to the general public from March to November when the waters are more conducive to calmer crossings and there is an improved chance of whale/ dolphin sightings. And even then, the only visitors are day-trippers (no overnight stays allowed). The Coast Guard Administration oversees all comings and goings, which means anyone hoping to visit needs to pick an itinerary and book through a licensed operator at least three working days in advance so they can assist in arranging the necessary permits. Domestic travelers tend to deal with the boat companies directly, but for international travelers, third-party platforms with English interfaces like KKday or Klook might be easier to navigate.

A quick online search will turn up plenty of tour packages that vary in length and content. The shortest and cheapest (90min, NT$600) is a no-landing cruise around the island, while the full experience (including a guided hike up 401 Plateau and time to explore the island’s abandoned village) takes about six hours and costs around NT$1,500. Regular whale-watching jaunts head further out to where pygmy killer whales and spinner dolphins feast on the bounty brought in by the Kuroshio Current. And a handful of niche operators have specialized offerings such as sunrise sailings or trips that ferry people out to enjoy a spot of paddleboarding or open-water swimming (often complete with drone photography to help you memorialize your escapade).

Whichever package you choose, the journey starts at Wushi Harbor, just a short taxi ride from the railway station in the town of Toucheng, located right in the northeast coastal corner of the Lanyang Plain. On the day of our Travel in Taiwan visit, we rocked up early (you’re asked to arrive 3060min before your allocated sailing time), presented our ID documents for inspection, and joined the crowd of eager sightseers being assisted onto our boat by a chap with biceps sculpted by years of rope-throwing. We found shaded seats on the upper deck and set off across the water, as our guide launched into an impressively lengthy monologue (in Chinese) explicating aspects of Turtle Island’s history, geology, and ecology.

The journey takes around 30min, and as we drew near, our guide directed our attention to the so-called “ Eight Scenic Spots of Turtle Island ,” an ensemble of eight lyrically named sights deemed representative of the island’s beauty.

Not all eight have stood the test of time. “Turtle Egg Legend” (a small reef island) vanished after a mysterious nocturnal bang in 1944 – likely an exploding naval mine – while the “Spectacle Caves” (twin sea caves that once looked like a pair of glasses) lost their symmetry in a 2021 rockfall. “Turtle Cliff” is a sheer andesite drop from the turtle’s snout to the sea. “Underwater Hot Springs Gushing Upwards” describes the underwater fumaroles that disgorge milky plumes of mineral-rich water, infusing the ocean with an otherworldly hue (and the air with a distinctive rotten egg perfume). Less frequently, ethereal puffs of volcanic steam called “Turtle Island Sulfur Smoke” are seen dancing over the foreshore. The Yilan locals, never shy talking about bodily functions, charmingly describe these as the turtle vomiting milk and farting – something to keep in mind when scrolling through Instagram shots of paddleboarders gleefully gliding over… bright-blue turtle puke.

“Turtle Mountain Sunrise” can be observed without even leaving the mainland. Stand on the beach in Zhuangwei Township at the right time of year, and the sunrise aligns nicely with the turtle’s head, as though it’s greeting the new dawn. The final scene is “Turtle God Wears a Hat,” a meteorological phenomenon that occurs when warm sea air rises up the island’s flanks, forming a lone fluffy cloud at the summit. Long used by locals as a reliable indicator of impending rain, this

sight is woven into the region’s etiological folklore in the form of a doomed romance between a dragon princess and a turtle. One poetic variation ends with the princess transforming into the Lanyang Plain, and now, whenever her beloved wears the white hat she knitted, she cries – her tears swelling the rivers.

Ashore, we paused at the visitor center before embarking on our trek towards the island’s summit, the 401 Plateau At 1.2km one way, the trail is manageable, but you need to pace yourself – the first stretch climbs steeply through low vegetation, then there’s a brief reprieve followed by a series of even steeper switchbacks. It’s a calf-killer, but it’s also beautiful, especially in April and May when the bell-like forms of wild Formosan lilies line the path. At the summit, a two-story lookout offers sweeping views. Looking west, the turtle’s tail peaks out beyond the trees, while the east-facing head is surrounded by a faint, sulfur-stained halo.

At sea level, a knot of low stone houses sits huddled on the shore of Guiwei Lake. Although the earliest official habitation records date to the 1850s, oral histories suggest fishing families first settled here around 1820, and at its height the island supported some 700 hardy souls. Island life was tough – nothing beyond an elementary school, little fresh produce, and medical care was a boat ride away. Despite these hardships, the islanders were reluctant to move, and it took a particularly brutal typhoon season to provoke a mass exodus. In 1977, the entire population relocated to the nearby town of Daxi, and once they left there was no going back – the military moved in, closing the wharf to civilians for decades. Their new home, though barely 10km away, might as well have been on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

Evidence of the military presence, which ended in 2000, still lingers. A statue of the island’s patron deity, Guanyin, arrived during this time (overlooking Guiwei Lake), and the soldiers dug a subterranean tunnel network – some of which is now open to visitors. If you visit in summer –as we did – you’ll likely want to hang out in the tunnels as you await your homeward sailing, because they’re cool, breezy, and offer a much better escape from the heat than even the air-conditioning in the visitor center.

ENGLISH AND CHINESE

401 Plateau | 401 高地

"Eight Scenic Spots of Turtle Island" | 龜山島八景 Guanyin | 觀音

Guiwei Lake | 龜尾湖

"Spectacle Caves" | 眼鏡洞

"Turtle Cliff" | 龜岩巉壁

"Turtle Egg Legend" | 龜卵傳奇

"Turtle God Wears a Hat" | 神龜戴帽 Turtle Island | 龜山島

"Turtle Island Sulfur Smoke" | 龜島磺煙

"Turtle Mountain Sunrise" | 龜山朝日

"Underwater Hot Springs Gushing Upwards" | 海底溫泉湧上流

Wushi Harbor | 烏石港 Zhuangwei Township | 壯圍鄉

Soaking Up Yilan’s Hot-Spring Culture

Top-Quality Mineral Bathing Just Over the Mountains from Taipei

There’s a special place, not far from Taipei, that paints you into a tableau of wide green plain fronted by rolling ocean. This farm-carpeted flatland is bracketed by mountains falling right into surf on the plain’s north and south edges. A major attraction for quick-getaway trippers from the Taipei metropolis is found along the mountain bases – natural hot (and cold) springs around which high-quality tourist facilities have been built. This place is Yilan County. For a long time, much further away in terms of travel time, it’s been brought much closer by a brilliant work of engineering, the thickly tunneled National Freeway No. 5, which races you through the separating wall of mountains in less than an hour. Our quest in this article: introduce the best hot-spring spots.

Jiaoxi

In the Lanyang Plain’s north sector is the popular hot-spring town of Jiaoxi, tucked up against a mountain base. The town’s mineral-laden liquid gold is water that has seeped down under the backdrop mountain and percolates back up to the surface, super-heated and in ready-made stream form (note that today many establishments tap deeper-down waters through pipes). This precious healing resource has birthed a forest of inns, hotels small and large, hot-spring parks, and fun fish-pedicure eateries.

Cultivated Hotel Royal Chiaohsi (www.hotelroyal.com.tw), the acknowledged empress of Jiaoxi’s hotels, is off the town’s edge, perched on a side valley’s lip, overlooking plain and ocean. Invigorating hikes await up the valley, in the popular Wufengqi Scenic Area. This is a resort-style hotel, with outdoor/indoor bathing and spa facilities, elite-chef restaurants, exercise/games facilities, DIY classes, cultural-arts shows, and guided morning walks.

VIVIR (vivir.com.tw), in town beside a quiet forest park, is a young boutique hotel designed inside/outside as a Zen work of art. Check-in is in a B1 open-to-sky grotto-style area, there’s an art gallery here featuring Yilan artists, and the Yilan ingredient-focused ground-level restaurant has the look of a wide-mouth cave.

The colorless, odorless stream waters running through long, narrow Tangwei Brook Park emerge from inpark springs. In its lower section are free open-air foot baths, mid-section a public bathhouse, upper section a private-room spa. Beside the park are inexpensive fish-pedicure eateries – place your feet in a small fish-filled pool, your drinks and Taiwan-cuisine treats on a picnic table fit snugly over it. Jiaoxi Hot Springs Park is a larger forest park, interlaced with quiet winding paths, that has free public foot-soak pools and a paid mixedsex bathing facility plus, its best-known attraction, a legion of cute, colorful statues of bunnies from renowned Taiwan illustrator Jimmy Liao’s picture books, most adorably a relaxed trio lounging languidly in a hot tub.

Qingshui Geothermal Park

We now travel to the Lanyang Plain’s south end, first piercing up into the long, rugged, picturesque Lanyang River valley that debouches onto the plain in its southwest corner, then soon making an eastward turn into a tight, flat side valley carved by the slender Qingshui River.

Deep up this shallow valley is Qingshui Geothermal Park , a riverside complex of bathhouse facilities, foot-soak pools, and raised, concrete-sided cooking pools built in the shape of wells. This is a day-tripper destination – there are no overnight rest accommodations. The graceful Japanesestyle wood-built bathhouse is the newest addition, opened a few years ago. A total of eight outdoor and semi-outdoor soaking pools are provided, four for women and four for men. At the back of the grounds, spread out along the base of the valley hillside, are the facilities of a small and busy geothermal power plant, voluminous steam billowing skywards.

Development of this place was carried out by Taiwan’s Chinese Petroleum Corporation, which dug exploratory wells while researching the area’s geothermal power potential in the 1970s. Footsoak and cooking facilities were later added. There are two free open-air foot-soak pools, each roof-covered for shade protection, along with three large sans-shade cooking wells. Great plumes of steam cascade from stone-finished smokestacks in the middle of the cooking pools, each about three meters high.

Buy your edibles from the wood-built service building’s canteen – peanuts, chicken/duck eggs, corn, bamboo shoots, shrimp, fish … even chicken soup. Recommended cooking times are posted for all items. Dunk them into the burbling water using a wicker basket (deposit required); place your lightest items at the bottom to prevent them from floating up and out. Non-cook refreshments sold include coffee, soft drinks, popsicles, and cold draft beer, perfect for Taiwan’s abundant hot and steamy days. Once your treasures are ready, sit down at one of the many picnic tables, fitted with large retractable shade umbrellas.

Jiuzhize Hot Springs

Back now to the scenic highway that wends its way along the Lanyang River valley’s bottom, a few kilometers further up-valley, and a left turn (eastward again) onto the curvaceous mountainclimbing road that lifts you up to the high-mountain Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area (tps.forest.gov.tw) and its magnificent coniferous “forest in the clouds.” This sprawling adventure zone, over 12,000ha in size and reaching up to 2,000m altitude, is an old logging base with yesteryear forestry-equipment displays, rides on an old-style narrow-track forestry train, educational forest-trail walks, short and longer/easy and more challenging, and “seas of clouds” filling the mountain valleys. Rustic overnight accommodations (book well ahead!) and dining options are available.

Not far up the long access road (the ride to the main facilities area takes about an hour), you come to the park’s toll station and, just beyond, a short side road brings you to the Jiuzhize (Renze) Hot Springs. The setting is dramatic, cliffs behind and before, a narrow rocky river rushing quickly down along the mountain’s west side. The geothermal waters here rise from the depths through cracks in the mountainside rock. The roots of the spa center here go back to Taiwan’s 1895~1945 Japanese colonial years, when bathing facilities were set up by the authorities for the mountain’s hard-working Japanese loggers to ease their aches and pains.

The rustic-look spa has both outdoor pools (mixed, men only, women only) and compact private bathing rooms (including rooms for two). Between the complex and the river is a cooking area, with large, well-style raised pools gurgling with boiling waters. Eggs and corn are available for purchase, and wicker baskets are available as well (deposit).

Care for a hike? Cross the river over a dramatically perched suspension bridge and tour the forest on the easy 1.2km Jiuzhize Nature Trail. You’re about 520m high, amidst a realm of scenic lookouts, broadleaf evergreens, and a great diversity of ferns, ground cover plants, and epiphytes.

ENGLISH AND CHINESE

Hotel Royal Chiaohsi | 礁溪老爺酒店

Jiaoxi | 礁溪

Jiaoxi Hot Springs Park | 礁溪溫泉公園

Jiuzhize Hot Springs | 鳩之澤溫泉

Jiuzhize Nature Trail | 鳩之澤自然步道

Lanyang Plain | 蘭陽平原

Lanyang River | 蘭陽溪

Qingshui Geothermal Park | 清水地熱公園

Qingshui River | 清水溪

Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area | 太平山國家森林遊樂區

Tangwei Brook Park | 湯圍溝公園

Wufengqi Scenic Area | 五峰旗風景區 MAP

TAIPEI’S CHENGNAN AREA ON FOOT

Chengnan Means “South of the City” – Find Out Why

Taipei’s Chengnan area is spread out south and southeast of the old walled city’s south side. The name’s etymology: cheng means “city/city wall,” and nan means “south.” The Japanese (1895-1945) mapped this district out as a zone of ambitious park landscaping and genteel upscale residential quarters for elite government employees and scholars, creating a gentrified character that is still preeminent today.

We’ve mapped out a pleasant walkabout for you that we feel well captures the zone’s diversity of personality and attractions, doable in a single ambitious day or in an unhurried two, frequented with stops at some of the many urbane and/or history-steeped cafés, teahouses, and eateries – many of these located within the attractions we’re about to unveil.

Our starting gate is MRT Guting Station , serving both Taipei Metro’s Green and Orange Lines, centrally located for our purposes. The name “Guting” goes back to the Qing Dynasty. The then-extant Guting Village lay along the simple roadway leading southeast from the walled city’s south gate, parallel to the Xindian River. “Guting,” some say, referred to a “drum pavilion” used to warn against attack by indigenous warriors and bandits (the character for “drum” at some point changed to today’s homonymous “old/ancient”).

Let’s head off on our first discovery foray. Direction from the metro station east/northeast, time to destination 8~10 minutes. Chengnan is wealthy with old Japanese-built, Japanese-style wooden residential structures, and our objective is a cluster of these single-story heritage pearls just off Jinshan South Road, the 0km Mountain Center (www.0km.com.tw), another fine Taipei example of these priceless gems of the island’s heritage being rescued, renovated, and re-missioned.

This is a collaborative project between the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency and the private-sector CMP Group. The latter has been involved in many rehabilitation initiatives around the city as part of the Taipei City Government’s “Old Houses” movement. The goal for this base is to serve as a “mountain forest in the city” and educational station teaching and encouraging sustainable coexistence with nature, reminding all that though Taiwan is densely populated, it is about two-thirds mountainous and 60.7% covered in forest.

Constructed as dormitory residences for the Government-General of Taiwan’s Mountain Forest Section, the restored architectural works stand in the shade of numerous large trees planted by their original occupants. Spaces include the Multi-Layered Woodland, Inner Garden, Second-growth Garden, two regular shops and one pop-up shop facility, a café, a restaurant, and two exhibit facilities. All are theme-focused on forests and the natural environment, and in the green spaces, Taiwan-native plants are the headliners.

A little over a block further north along, and right beside, Jinshan South Road is Rongjin Gorgeous Time (rongjinchoice.com), another celebrated project in which abandoned Japanese-era structures have been resuscitated, now a popular spot with locals and tourists, vibrant with a teahouse, private-kitchen restaurant, two handicraft boutiques, café, izakayastyle dumpling house, Japanese-foods eatery, kimono experience store, dessert shop, and bar. There’s also a regular weekend/holiday cultural-creative market.

The Taipei City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs spent years revivifying the site. The well-preserved architecture and serene ambience –especially at night when strategic outdoor lighting sets the complex and characterful old banyan trees aglow – has earned this place a “Little Kyoto of Taipei” nickname.

The long strip of wood-built former government dormitory residences originally housed officials from the Taipei Criminal Office. A brick bathhouse has also been restored. You’ll see a large open lot next door – a prison facility once stood there – and in between a long section of the stone-block wall that separated residences from the prison. There’s a small visitor center onsite, providing background info sure to enrich your experience and ensure even longer-lasting memories.

Next, a classic Taiwan traditional-market experience, but in a comfy and commodious air-conditioned indoor facility. Nanmen Market is a few blocks west of Rongjin Gorgeous Time, on Roosevelt Road. This is the major thoroughfare that Guting Station is on, no longer the “simple roadway” of Qing-era days. The “Roosevelt” refers, yes, to FDR, the name bestowed by Chiang Kai-shek and his Nationalist government to honor their WW II ally. “Nanmen” means “South Gate,” referring to the market’s proximity to the walled-city portal. Opened in a field at this location in 1907, it had a smaller predecessor right outside the gate.

The now bright and airy A/C-cooled four-story market, in a high-rise building, underwent a comprehensive years-long refurbishment in the past decade, during which its vendors moved to temporary quarters nearby. This is a cardinal center for regional specialty goods, especially hard-to-source items from China (particularly Jiangsu/Zhejiang indulgences), provisioner of both dried and preserved foodstuffs and a mouthwatering cornucopia of fresh-prepared hot foods. During the Lunar New Year shopping leadup, the cavalcade of traditional-style preserved meats, candies, and buns produces shopper streams so dense you couldn’t pour water through, with a zesty and friendly warmth that is invigorating. Tourists take note that the second-level food court is a renowned budget-convivial foodie point.

Exit 2 of MRT Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall Station is right outside the market. The hall is where we next shall be, a short walk north along Roosevelt Road.

CKS Memorial Hall (www.cksmh.gov.tw) and its immaculately landscaped grounds, in more recent decades joined by the likes of the Taipei 101 tower, is a key visual in the Taipei international tourism-brand icon montage. Located immediately southeast of the old East Gate, built to honor Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, the magnificent marble-façade structure stands 76m high (groundbreaking took place in 1976, the 90 th anniversary of Chiang’s birth), its twin-eave roof of brilliant blue-glazed tiles topped with a golden dome. Inside the main hall, reached via 89 steps (he passed away at 89), sits a massive statue of the fearless leader, looking his benevolent, benign best. On ground level is an exhibit-cum-interpretation of the former President’s life, including personal effects, a mock-up of one of his offices, and a bulletproof Caddy he once used.

The grand plaza before the hall is flanked by the massive, ornate National Theater and National Concert Hall, built later and in classical Ming palace style. The hall and monumental arched entrance directly align with the homesick Chiang’s childhood home in China. A visitor must is the stately changing-of-the-guard experience, performed hourly through the day before the CKS statue and sometimes down before the hall.

And now, exploration west of MRT Guting Station. A 10min saunter along Nanhai Road brings you to the sumptuous National Museum of History and its green neighbor, the Taipei Botanical Garden.

The National Museum of History (www.nmh.gov.tw), in the southeast corner of the garden grounds, was inaugurated in the 1950s. Starting off in a multi-story Japanese-style wood structure, re-stylings and rebuilds brought transformation into today’s striking five-story castle-like structure of Ming and Qing dynasty mien. Major renovations were conducted recently, with the museum closed, introducing a more modern appearance and state-ofthe-art exhibition technology/facilities.

The collection, which has grown to over 50,000 treasures, was built on a foundation of artifacts from China’s Henan Museum, under Republic of China jurisdiction until Chinese Civil War cessation, and relics recovered from the Japanese after the Sino-Japanese War. Long exclusively focused on exhibits showcasing imperial China, the museum now also organizes largescale exhibitions with other cultural foci, such as loaned Van Gogh paintings and Taiwan’s indigenous cultural treasures. The permanent collection today encompasses works from Neolithic times to the contemporary era, from China, Taiwan, and other lands, including prehistoric colored pottery, Shang and Zhou oracle bones, bronze vessels, Tang Dynasty tri-colored ceramics, stone-carved Buddhist sculptures, jadeworks, early Republicanera furniture and puppetry, paintings, and contemporary calligraphy.

The 8ha, tree-rich Taipei Botanical Garden (tpbg.tfri.gov.tw), which borders the NMH site on the latter’s north and west, is home to specimens from 2,000-plus plant species. Its roots go back to 1896 as a Japanese-inaugurated

research nursery, with plants introduced from around Taiwan, Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. Each of its 17 zones has a different theme (there are also nine ponds), the most popular areas being the Lotus Pond, Chinese Zodiac Garden, Succulent Plants Garden, Fern Garden, and Poetry and Literature Garden. A special attraction is the bloom of elegant lotus flowers each June through August.

Non-flora beauties also bloom here aplenty. Despite the steady flocks of human visitors, this is a great birding spot, with both endemic and migratory belles, including such travelers from the northern hemisphere’s high latitudes as the Daurian redstart, Siberian blue-tail, grey-streaked flycatcher, and Arctic willow warbler. Two non-flora/fauna photo hotspots are important heritage structures: the Guest House of Imperial Envoys, built in the Qing Dynasty (1889) in the old walled city behind today’s Taipei Zhongshan Hall, and Nanmon-cho 23, an exquisitely restored Japanese teahouse built for park visitor enjoyment in the 1930s.

A few short blocks southwest of the botanical garden, in an older residential community, is the Nanjichang Night Market. This is a splendid choice for the overseas traveler to experience an “authentic” local night market – not located close to a metro line, it caters primarily to locals, and tends to have lower prices. A number of its vendors have earned Michelin Guide glory, including Unnamed Clay Oven Roll, which sells elongated shaobing, and Wu Wang Tsai Chi, crafter of fat 10-ingredient popiah ( guide.michelin.com/ca/en/taipei-region/restaurants).

“Nanjichang” means “South Airport” – this area, including the large nearby Youth Park, was the site of a Japanese military airport. Today’s Taipei Songshan Airport grounds were the site of the “north” airport. The market grew up in the historic Nanjichang Community, which, when completed in 1964, was Taiwan’s largest military dependents' village, housing personnel that had come over to Taiwan in the late 1940s National exodus from the Chinese mainland. There is thus a heavy preponderance of delicacies from their home areas.

ENGLISH AND CHINESE

0km Mountain Center | 0km 山物所

Chengnan | 城南

CKS Memorial Hall | 中正紀念堂

Guest House of Imperial Envoys | 欽差行臺

Rongjin Gorgeous Time | 榕錦時光生活園區

Nanjichang Community | 南機場社區

Nanjichang Night Market | 南機場夜市

Nanmen Market | 南門市場

National Museum of History | 歷史博物館

shaobing | 燒餅

Taipei Botanical Garden | 台北植物園

Youth Park | 青年公園

and Dining Drinks

Taipei Places Where Flavor Meets Fun

Looking for the perfect spot in Taipei to kick back with friends over great food and drinks? The city has just about anything you could want: moody, modern izakayas, spacious eateries with beer, wings, and international dishes, or themed nightspots with surprisingly good food. This vibrant mix of hangouts offers flavor, fun, and inventive drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, on the menu.

Please drink responsibly

GumGum Beer & Wings

As the name suggests, this spacious restaurant with floor-toceiling windows specializes in the classic casual night out combination – beer and wings – along with creative, highquality international dishes and alcohol-free drinks.

GumGum’s wings come in twelve varieties and possess different levels of spiciness. Hot Maple Syrup is the most popular flavor; they’re famous for it, and it’s easy to see why. The wings are sweet, but not overly so, with a hint of maple and a mild hit of spice, and they’re so fragrant that your mouth will start watering before they hit the table. The Sichuan Pepper and Red Hot options pack a spicier punch, whereas local flavors such as Salted Egg and Taiwanese Special Sauce are milder.

Other dishes combine local sensibilities with international classics. The Clams Poached in White Wine with Crusty Bread come in a creamy, complex wine sauce and evoke the classic Belgian mussel dish. The Mediterranean Slow-Cooked

Rosemary and Beef Rib Pasta smells and tastes like the Mediterranean. Served with a simple but scrumptious tomato sauce, the heady rosemary, tangy Parmesan, and perfectly tender beef are like a miniature vacation to Italy.

The food at GumGum is unfussy by design. The garlic fries are piping hot and heaped with garlic. The seafood with vegetables looks simple, but the dish is cooked with such precision that every ingredient, from the tender squid, scallops, and shrimp to the vibrant broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and other vegetables, retains its distinct natural flavor rather than being masked with over-seasoning. The Truffle Mushroom Risotto with Soft-Boiled Egg , which is actually a hot-spring egg, has a deep, complex flavor from the multiple mushrooms, heightened by breaking the velvety yolk of the egg and mixing it in. GumGum’s massive yuzu liqueur tiramisu is meant for sharing, though you might be tempted to eat the entire velvety, citrusy, espresso-tinged slice on your own.

Pair these choices with local microbrewery draft beers such as Redpoint’s Long Dong Lager or GumGum’s Seasonal Beer. Bottled beers are also available in a variety of creative flavors: think winter melon ale, lychee beer, Miaoli strawberry beer, and a seasonally available jasmine IPA. Selections from the local microbrewery Ugly Half Beer are also available, including the Hopcore Hoppy Apple Cider and the TOASTea Lager. And for teetotallers, GumGum doesn’t disappoint. House-designed beverages such as the summer golden kiwi sparkling drink, the vibrant fuchsia-hued red dragon fruit, pineapple and yoghurt smoothie, and the popular green milk tea might tempt even the strongest beer aficionados.

GUMGUM BEER & WINGS (XINYI BRANCH) | 雞翅啤酒餐廳 ( 信義本店 ) (02) 2758-5987 No. 38, Aly. 11, Ln. 473, Guangfu S. Rd., Xinyi Dist., Taipei City ( 台北市信義區光復南路 473 巷 11 弄 38 號 ) 12pm-5pm, 6pm-10:30pm www.instagram.com/gumgumtw www.facebook.com/gumgumtw www.gumgumonline.com.tw

Uchi Grill Bistro

A relative newcomer to Taipei’s East District dining scene, Uchi Grill Bistro is a sedate, welcoming space with dim lights, comfortable seats, and chill vibes: exactly the elements that entice those looking for a modern bistro. With sake-based cocktails designed in collaboration with the renowned Taipei bar Fourplay and Japanese-inspired fusion dishes that are as gorgeous as they are delicious, an evening at Uchi is a relaxed experience to be shared with friends, without the fuss and formality of typical upscale restaurants. In fact, the casual cool of the main ground-level space gives way to a basement-level karaoke room for those who want to kick their party up a notch.

As with its prix-fixe sister location on Fuxing North Road, Uchi’s laid-back, modern izakaya concept puts the food at center stage, but in an à-la-carte menu. One of the standout dishes is the Tomahawk Pork Chops, a generous portion of sliced-off-the-bone meat seared to perfection. It’s flavorful and juicy on its own, but is elevated to stunning when paired with Taiwanese sweet potato purée, roasted garlic, and an Argentinian chimichurri-inspired red pepper relish. The mustard greens served with the dish show Uchi’s attention to detail and incorporation of local ingredients: they’re just the

right combination of salty, crunchy, and lightly charred.

Uchi’s small plates are all showstoppers in their own right.

Smoked Salmon Puffs arrive in a very literal sense: under a dome obscured by applewood smoke, which imbues each piece with deep flavor. The Cheese Okonomiyaki Yam Fries are made with Taiwanese mountain yam, retaining their earthy flavor without any of the okra-like sliminess typically associated with the root vegetable. They are topped with cheese and bonito, which, combined with the yam, creates an umami bomb. The Beef Tartare Cones are a punch of fresh, salty flavor. Served upright in a glass dish filled with dried adzuki beans, each cone is topped with one of two kinds of caviar: a European-style black variety or a Japanesestyle large red fish roe.

Both the Mushroom Cream Soup and Eggplant Purée with Scallops look unassuming when they arrive at the table, but both will surprise you. The mushroom soup is layered, complex, and perfectly textured. The scallops are topped with candied pomelo zest, giving the dish a citrusy nose, and the eggplant purée and accompanying sautéed shimeji mushrooms lend a mild sweetness. The Basque Burnt Cheesecake is topped with lemon cream and shaved roasted cashew, expertly combining citrus, creaminess, and nuttiness for a dessert far superior to a typical coffee shop cheesecake.

As with any izakaya-inspired restaurant, drinks at Uchi are integral to the experience, especially sake and beer. Options on the curated sake, wine, whiskey, and liqueur lists are mostly available by the bottle, with a small selection sold by the glass. The real highlight, however, is the sake-based cocktails and mocktails. The Ginsake is topped with a Japanese rice crisp; it’s one of the smoothest drinks you’ll ever try. The Perilla Honey Tea is sweeter: it also includes sake, and is topped with a Korean perilla leaf. The Pomelo Qiao is a sake and pomelo soda with a hint of Sichuan flower pepper; it’s topped with a caramelized grapefruit slice.

UCHI GRILL BISTRO | 吾居炭火餐酒 (02) 2711-6757
 No. 59, Ln. 223, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Da'an Dist., Taipei City ( 台北市大安區忠孝東路四段 223 巷 59 號 ) 6pm-12am www.instagram.com/uchi.grillbistro www.facebook.com/uchi.grillbistrozhongxiao

Potions Magic Bar

Step into something out of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or a dark German fairy tale at this themed, but excellent, bar near the Ren’ai Circle. The front door requires a heavy push to open, and the dark, tavern-like space with stone arches is decorated with antique-style leather-upholstered chairs and brass lamps. There are regular magic performances, aimed at drawing patrons out of their everyday lives and into something a little more fantastical.

The Harry Potter-themed drinks are the main draw at Potions, the most popular being the butterbeer that featured heavily in the novels. It’s available in alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, each served in massive, barrel-shaped mugs with creamy foam caps. Other drinks include A Glass of the Phoenix , made with Calvados, plum, and tarragon; Ginny, a deep-red drink with Gordon’s, Iron Guanyin tea, and Aperol; Hebrides Requiem , with chamomile, grapefruit, and cumin; and Avada Kedavra, a dark cocktail with secret ingredients (the menu offers only a cheeky “I can’t tell you”).

The food goes beyond novelty, making Potions more of a dinnerand-drinks destination than a themed cocktail bar. Carefully curated appetizers and fried dishes include Baby Cabbage/Beer Clam Sauce/ Salmon Roe , White Cauliflower/Grilled Miso/Fromage Blanc , and Iberian Pork Collar/Green Apple/Confit de Tomato. Try one of three kinds of fries or the spicy, crispy fried chicken.

Generously portioned mains are split between pasta and risotto; the Black Truffle Smoked Salmon Risotto and the Bloody Mary Fresh Shrimp Pasta are popular choices. Don’t miss out on the Deconstruction Tiramisu , which plates dollops of mascarpone with liquor-soaked ladyfingers, topped with molded chocolate leaves.

POTIONS MAGIC BAR | 魔藥學餐酒館 (02) 2775-3256

No. 55, Sec. 1, Anhe Rd., Da'an Dist., Taipei City ( 台北市大安區安和路一段 55 號 ) Sun-Thu 6pm-1:30am, Fri-Sat 7pm-2:30am www.instagram.com/potionsmagicbar

True Love Station

Most people wouldn’t think to hang out with friends at a train station, but True Love Station takes the concept and runs with it anyway, creating a funky and comfy spot with a vintage Taiwanese aesthetic. Plastic waiting-room chairs and signage imitating a train station adorn the outside; the interior is all brick walls, large leather booths, neon signs, and cane-back chairs, with splashes of Taiwan railway flair, especially over the bar.

The menu is a panoply of design sensibilities, from Lichtenstein-inspired pop art featuring a cartoon Samoyed to pages that look like anything from an old banquet-style restaurant to a vintage Taiwanese advertisement to a lunisolar farmer’s almanac. Some drinks are transit-themed, such as the MRT, Train, Bus, and HSR iced teas. The MRT Iced Tea is made with blue curaçao, pomelo, aloe vera, and wasabi; the HSR Iced Tea is an unlikely but delicious combination of honey black tea, peanut foam, passionfruit, and coffee. Other creative cocktails are inspired by anime, Japanese cartoons, Taiwanese tea, or local rock and pop stars such as Fire EX and Jay Chou.

The vintage Taiwan feel of True Love Station shows in the food, too. Appetizers include three-cup seafood (a traditional Taiwanese dish made with Thai basil, ginger, and soy sauce), Taiwanese spicy stir-fried mushrooms, red-braised pork belly, and mapo wontons (spicy with a tongue-numbing peppercorn kick). Even the pasta dishes are fusion creations with local flair, such as Black Garlic Chicken Risotto, Three-Cup Chicken

Good food and drink in a unique railway-themed restaurant

Pasta , and Mapo Cheese Bolognese. Or, you can keep it simple with classic dumplings; True Love Station makes them with pickled chili and coriander, or thick rice noodles with beef. There are several desserts on the menu, but the most popular are the Honey Condensed Milk Steamed Buns, which are deep-fried and served with a sweet dipping sauce.

TRUE LOVE STATION | 逐愛轉運站 放感情 (02) 2568-1298

No. 20, Ln. 39., Sec. 2, Zhongshan N. Rd., Zhongshan Dist., Taipei City ( 台北市中山區中山北路二段 39 巷 20 號 ) www.instagram.com/true_love_station MAP

Ways to Feel Better

Everyday Traditional Health-Enhancing Practices

Travel, in general, is understood as a way to improve your health, leaving all the usual stresses of life behind. Traveling in Taiwan, however, offers even greater health benefits. Traditional local culture places great emphasis on following healthaugmenting practices as part of everyday life, such as regular massages and other types of traditional treatments, drinking floral and herbal teas, using traditional Chinese medicine, and eating medicinal and energy-invigorating dishes.

Massages and Traditional Treatments

Treat yourself to LOHAS health-enhancing therapies the Taiwan way! Traditional health-care treatments, from full-body/foot massage to naprapathy/acupressure and much more, are a part of everyday life here. High-quality massage centers and spas abound in the cities and the island’s myriad hot-spring resort destinations. A prime example is Her Spa (herspa.com.tw; offering both female/male services), with locations in Taipei/Kaohsiung. It offers a splendid array of options, with initial consultations for customization, including traditional meridian massage, myofascial release, cupping, and guasha (skin scraping with a smooth-edged instrument).

Additionally, elite Taiwan hospitals, which are relatively inexpensive compared to Western counterparts, are active in international medical tourism. The prestigious Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (changgung.hospital ; main branch in New Taipei City) has a large Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) unit providing wide-ranging services, including osteopathy, acupuncture, moxibustion, and tuina (musculoskeletal adjustment).

Shibu or Invigorating Dishes

In Chinese medicine, the concept of shibu, literally “supplement food” in the sense of tonic food, relates to replenishing and invigorating the body’s vital substances – one’s qi or vital energy, blood, and yin & yang forces. Specific foods are commonly taken to support specific functions. Yang foods “warm” the body and invigorate, providing an energy boost. Many meat types belong in this category, such as beef, pork, chicken, lamb, and offal, as well as fatty fish and prawns. Because of the warming effect, related dishes are especially consumed in winter. Notably popular dishes in Taiwan are medicinal chicken soup, sesameoil chicken soup, medicinal pork-rib soup, ginger duck , and fish soup, commonly available at Taiwanese-cuisine restaurants and night markets.

Other types of shibu dishes include sweetened wood ear and lotus seed soup, which invigorates the spleen and boosts energy, and boiled pear with rock sugar, which strengthens qi and boosts the immune system.

Herbal and Floral Teas

First, a key distinction: herbal medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are two separate disciplines. The key difference is that herbal medicine solely uses sundried plants, while TCM encompasses a much wider range of techniques and ingredients.

In the ancient Chinese classic Materia Medica, herbal teas are described as helping beautify the skin, aiding in weight management, enriching the blood, increasing vigor, soothing nerves, boosting bodily strength, and much more. Jasmine, rose, chrysanthemum, roselle, and many other flowers have, from early times, been used to make teas with medicinal benefits.

Numerous herbal-medicine shops selling freshly made herbal teas can be found in Taipei, on Wanhua’s Xichang Street and Dadaocheng’s Dihua Street, some with English signage. The former’s Healing Herbar (www.facebook.com/healingherbar) provides a mini health consultation and customized healing tea mixes, and hosts irregular DIY tea workshops.

Medicinal Dishes/Traditional Chinese Medicine

In TCM theory, medicines and foods share the same origins, and thus may have the same functions in preventing/treating specific health conditions – medicines when in the medicine cabinet, and culinary ingredients when in the kitchen. Certain foods are recognized for their therapeutic effects and are commonly consumed to treat illness or restore the body’s internal balance.

The place to go in Taipei is the Dihua Street area, home to many heritage family-run Chinese-medicine shops accustomed to dealing with tourists. New-generation proprietors are providing attractive packages with medicines, medicinal-food ingredients, and even medicinal mulledwine spice mixes – the last especially popular with younger consumers.

The Dongshan 175 Coffee Road

Into the Mountains to a Realm of Family-Run Plantations and Cafés

TEXT RICK CHARETTE PHOTOS VISION

Taiwan is a significant producer of premium teas. You no doubt already knew that. But did you know it is now also a cultivator of premium coffee beans? And because the island’s bean-growing areas by nature sit amidst soul-uplifting hill and mountain terrain, like their tea-farm sister enclaves, they have become irresistible tourist magnets.

In rural Tainan City, the Dongshan 175 Coffee Road , a scenic winding route through low mountains, is lined with boutique high-slopeland coffee plantations and cafés both of rustic and sleekly modern countenance. When the Japanese ruled Taiwan (1895-1945), they engaged in coffee production in various island locations, but the industry was discontinued thereafter. Production was started up again on a small scale in the 1980s, then surged after the 921 Earthquake (1999), supported by the government’s OTOP campaign (OTOP meaning one town/township, one specialty product). The owner of today’s Dachu Coffee Estate (on-site café simply named Dachu Coffee; coffeedachu.com) was a pioneering force in Dongshan Township, and today the Coffee Road zone is Taiwan’s largest production area.

Other Area Tourist Enticements

Northwest of the Coffee Road is Baihe Lotus Park , the centerpiece of a renowned area of tourist-friendly lotus farms; the park provides viewing of myriad lotus varieties in one place. North is the Guanziling Hot Springs resort area, developed by the Japanese starting in the early 1900s. To the west is the recently opened Ten Fruits Cultural-Creative Park , featuring three halls in a heritage Japanese-era rice mill complex dedicated to Dongshan coffee, the rice mill’s history, and the retail of local specialty agricultural products. For more info, wander the Siraya National Scenic Area website (siraya-nsa.gov.tw).

Getting There

If using public transportation, check out the hop-on/hop-off Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Service (taiwantrip.com.tw). Its Dongshan Coffee Route buses launch from Guanziling and take you along the Coffee Road, with a bus stop by the short Dachu Coffee access road (Dachu Coffee stop). To get to Guanziling, see the Guanzihling Route, buses starting at the Taiwan High Speed Rail’s Chiayi Station and stopping at Houbi Railway Station.

ENGLISH AND CHINESE

Baihe Lotus Park | 白河蓮花公園

Dachu Coffee Estate | 大鋤花間咖啡生態農場

Dachu Coffee | 大鋤花間

Dongshan Coffee Route | 東山咖啡線

Dongshan 175 Coffee Road | 東山 175 咖啡公路

Guanziling Hot Springs | 關子嶺溫泉

Ten Fruits Cultural-Creative Park | 十果文創園區

Hualien Airport

Portal to East Taiwan, Subtropical Idyll

Beautiful Hualien Airport, gateway to the small and famously laid-back Pacific-side city of Hualien on Taiwan’s Hawaii-like East Coast, is a work of installation art in a region where you’ll find works of installation art – much smaller, of course – in many locations along the coastline, notably indigenous driftwood imaginings.

While most travelers to Hualien come by road or railway, the compact airport handles more than 2,000 flights annually (2024: 2,306 domestic, 68 international flights; 53,112 passengers in total). The motorvehicle and train modes also provide amazing scenery, but the soaring plane views of Taiwan’s long lines of mountains and the deep blue Pacific vastness are truly spectacular. There are regular flights from Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taichung, limited flights from out-of-country.

History/Regional Attractions

The airport is part of a shared civilian/military space (the military takeoffs/landings are also a great thrill). Originally built as a military base during WWII, a section was converted for civilian use in 1962. A major renovation/expansion was undertaken in 2004, prompted in large part by the everincreasing number of tourists flying in to visit the region’s major attractions, especially nearby Taroko National Park and its Taroko Gorge, “Taiwan’s Grand Canyon.” Other mustvisit draws for international visitors are the East Rift Valley, Farglory Ocean Park, the Qingshui Cliff, and Liyu (Carp) Lake.

To & From Airport/City Attractions

There are several government-vetted car-rental franchises at the airport. A taxi to the city’s downtown area, 6km or so distant (15min), is just NT$250-300. All major city tourist draws are easily accessible, such as Dongdamen Night Market, Qixingtan Scenic Area, and Pine Garden.

Artwork Showcasing Local Culture

The airport architecture is a striking statement in marble, granite, steel, and glass; the Hualien area is an important producer of fine-quality stone and gems. Features of indigenous-tribe housing and Chinese courtyard houses are incorporated; tribal cultures remain robust in this region. Looked at from in front, the terminal resembles a great bird spreading its wings, symbolizing hope and soaring upward advancement for the region.

Grandma's Rice Cakes

Making Old-Time Treats in a Lovely Restored Traditional Red-Brick Courtyard Residence

As many of Taiwan’s traditions fade into modernity, a growing number of businesses on the island are focusing on crafts, foods, and practices with deep cultural roots. These ventures aim to preserve and breathe new life into Taiwan’s rich heritage, and are popular among those seeking a more meaningful connection with local culture and community.

Siang Khau Lu Cultural Kitchen

As a child, whenever the sweet, familiar scent of steaming rice cakes drifted through her grandma’s house, Chou Pei-yi knew a festival or sacred ritual was near.

Depending on the type being made, she could also tell what occasion was coming up: in Taiwanese pronunciation, ang-ku-kue (red turtle-shaped glutinous rice cakes filled with sweet bean paste) for the Jade Emperor’s birthday; chhau-a-koe (savory cudweed and glutinous-rice cakes with ground pork) for the Tomb Sweeping Festival.

Now 97, her grandmother can no longer make the cakes, while Chou’s parents, busy with work during the years of Taiwan’s rapid industrialization, never learned the craft. Today, most makers of traditional rice cakes are in their 70s and 80s, with few young people taking their place. Many of

today’s entrepreneurs prefer making Western or Japanese pastries, which are trendier, more profitable, and easier to preserve, leaving the tradition of creating rice cakes a disappearing art.

Even rice consumption itself – once the foundation of Taiwanese cuisine – has dropped by more than 50 percent since the 1980s.

Today, Chou and her husband, Huang Teng-wei, are trying to reverse these trends through their kitchen classroom, Siang Khau Lu, located in a beautifully restored traditional threesided courtyard residence in a semi-rural area of Taoyuan City. The studio is named in honor of Chou’s grandmother, who taught them how to make rice cakes over several

years before they opened the space in 2019. Siang Khau Lu means “Double Mouth Lu,” and refers to the grandmother’s surname Lu ( 呂 ); the two squares in the character are the “mouths”. By teaching participants to make the cakes from scratch, they aim to deepen their understanding of both the labor involved and the cultural significance behind them.

“Once people try making them, they’ll realize how undervalued these cakes are in the market,” Huang says. “After a class, students often tell us, ‘This ang-ku-kue should be sold at NT$100!’ (instead of the usual NT$30 to NT$40)!”

It took Huang and Chou a year of driving around Taoyuan before they came across the red-brick courtyard residence, located in a quiet stretch off the Formosa Freeway surrounded by open fields, factories, and aging houses, that would become Siang Khau Lu’s home.

It had been vacant for years and was filled with junk. With the help of Earthing Way (earthingway.waca.ec), a Taipei craft shop known for repurposing old objects, the couple spent another year transforming the space into a charming workshop that still carries the atmosphere of the past.

Many items found on site were reused, including the wooden beams now serving as shelves and furniture surfaces. Traditional farm tools and kitchenware are incorporated into the decor: a hanging rack for cutting boards made from a hoe, and lamps shaded with bamboo steamers. The tools used for classes are mostly traditional, most notably the couple’s prized collection of wooden cake molds of turtles, peaches, coins, fish, and other auspicious shapes – one of which was passed down from Chou’s great-great-grandmother.

Some elements have been modernized – the classic woodfired stove was converted to gas, and some roof tiles were replaced with skylights to allow for better natural lighting.

The duo’s culinary journey began during a three-month trip to Europe in 2014, during which they were often asked about Taiwanese cuisine. They could rattle off night-market favorites – stinky tofu, boba milk tea, xiaolongbao – but these items are not typically made in home kitchens. After returning, they began pondering the essence of Taiwanese foodways. Chou recalled the rice-based morsels her grandmother would make for different occasions, and they decided to learn from her.

“We realized we had never taken these foods seriously,” Huang says. “We just saw the finished products and ate them, never thinking about how each was made or why.”

Trad. Cake Making

At first, they learned merely out of interest. The idea for Siang Khau Lu was born during their honeymoon at Myanmar’s Inle Lake in 2017, where they attended a cooking class in a traditional stilt house. Grandma was not happy about their decision, seeing the process as physically taxing and not lucrative, telling them the plan was impractical. Even today, she remains skeptical, Chou says.

The classes are mostly for adults, although some bring children, many of whom have never tasted a rice cake before. The schedule follows the traditional seasons and festivities, with recipes rotated every two months. For September-October, it’s oo-kue-khiau (savory taro cakes), offered during Ghost Month, and for November-December, it’s tshai-pau-koe (radish rice dumplings), marking radish season, along with tang yuan (glutinous-rice balls; Mandarin pronunciation) for the winter solstice.

Classes begin with an introduction to the types of rice consumed in Taiwan, and the ingredients, traditions, and history behind the recipe being used for the day. The couple pre-soak, dry, and grind the rice into flour – an hours-long process – before guiding participants in kneading dough, preparing fillings, and steaming the finished goods.

Unlike the practice with market-sold cakes, Huang and Chou carefully select their ingredients – everything is organic, locally sourced, ecofriendly, additive-free, and often fair trade. For example, instead of artificial coloring, they use red yeast for the ang-ku-kue. “Rice cakes are still mostly made for large-scale festivals or temple events, so it’s hard to pay close attention to the ingredients,” Huang says.

Participants receive printed recipes and are encouraged to continue making the cakes at home. “Only when these foods are reintroduced to the modern kitchen do they stand a chance of surviving,” Huang says. Those too busy to grind their own rice can buy rice flour, but Huang thinks that the taste and texture cannot compare to freshly ground rice. “You have the complete fragrance of rice,” he says. “You get out what you put in.”

Huang and Chou don’t know how much they can change the industry or market preferences, but are pleased they’ve at least received positive feedback from participants, and their daughter has been willing to help out as well.

Various types of rice

Mixing the ingredients

A cake before steaming

SIANG KHAU LU CULTURAL KITCHEN | 雙口呂文化廚房 No. 277, Sec. 1, Nanxing Rd., Daxi Dist., Taoyuan City ( 桃園市大溪區南興路一段 277 號 ) www.instagram.com/siangkhaulu www.facebook.com/siangkhaulu siangkhaulu.com

ENGLISH AND CHINESE ang-ku-kue | 紅龜粿 chhau-a-kue | 草仔粿 Chou Pei-yi | 周佩儀 Formosa Freeway | 福爾摩沙高速公路 Huang Teng-wei | 黃騰威 oo-kue-khiau | 芋粿巧 tangyuan | 湯圓 tshai-pau-kue | 菜包粿

The Grand Hotel 圓山大飯店

MEET by BAR MOOD Unveils New Taiwan-Inspired International Cocktails

The Grand Hotel Taipei has partnered for the first time with BAR MOOD Taipei, an internationally renowned bar recognized as one of Asia’s Top 50, to jointly establish the new MEET by BAR MOOD. This collaboration aims to reinterpret the distinct flavors of local Taiwanese alcoholic beverages. Base spirits include Yushan Oolong Brandy, Yuquan Shaohsing Chiew and red wine, 58% Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor, and Chu Yeh Ching Chiew. The menu also features sweet liqueurs infused with deer antlers, caterpillar fungus, ginseng, and

wujiapi (traditional Chinese herbs), alongside absinthe and “hidden-flavor” wines. By exploring these local spirits, rich in historical significance, the bar seeks to awaken travelers’ memories and taste buds, guiding guests through a unique Taiwanese cultural taste feast. This experience allows you to savor the local customs and flavors of Taiwan, creating surprising and unforgettable memories.

No. 1, Sec. 4, Zhongshan N. Rd., Zhongshan District, Taipei City ( 台北市中山區中山北路四段一號)

Tel: (02) 2886-8888 Fax: (02) 2885-2885 www.grand-hotel.org

A Night at Wellspring, a Journey for Life

礁溪晶泉丰旅

Wellspring by Silks Jiaoxi is a boutique hot-spring resort under the Silks Hotels Group. Set in Jiaoxi Township, Yilan County, a renowned hot spring destination, the hotel is enveloped in an earth-toned lattice façade, creating a private and secluded haven. Each guestroom features a “semi-open-air scenic hot-spring tub,” allowing guests to comfortably enjoy the smooth, skin-nourishing, low alkaline sodium bicarbonate spring water. The hotel also offers a unique “resident artist program.” Each season, artists are invited to interact directly with guests, leading them in exploring local culture, fostering learning through travel, and appreciating the beauty that art brings.

No. 67, Wenquan Rd., Jiaoxi Township, Yilan County ( 宜蘭縣礁溪鄉溫泉路67號)

Tel: (03) 910-0000 jiaoxi.wellspringbysilks.com

Pingtung County GREEN TRAVEL

Dawushan Cycling Fun:

Low-Carbon Green Travel

這裡好好生活所

"Pingtung Dawushan Bike Fun" offers an inclusive, low-carbon green trip for all ages. It uses electric-assist bicycles to connect natural ecosystems, diverse indigenous cultures, and local cuisine. The route covers forest trails, indigenous villages, and historic sites, allowing you to explore the daily life and rich culture at the foot of Dawushan (Mt. Dawu). Experience a profound local journey that combines slow living, environmental friendliness, and sustainability.

No. 13-1, Wansheng Rd., Wanluan Township, Pingtung County ( 屏東縣萬巒鄉萬聖路13之1號)

Tel: (08) 783-0053 www.facebook.com/WanLuanGoodLife

STAY

Yilan County Taipei City

The Westin Yilan Resort 宜蘭力麗威斯汀度假酒店

The first Westin hotel in Yilan under Marriott International, The Westin Yilan Resort blends Eastern Zen aesthetics with Japanese-inspired gardens and hotspring elements. Nestled in nature, every window offers tranquil views. The resort features 91 rooms, including six private pool villas, and is known for its exclusive Yuanshan bicarbonate “beauty spring,” offering a luxurious, rejuvenating retreat in a serene setting.

No. 268, Sec. 3, Yongtong Rd., Yuanshan Township, Yilan County (宜蘭縣員山鄉永同路三段268號)

Tel: (03) 923-2662 www.westin-yilan.com

Comprehensive Service for Smart Travelers

捷絲旅宜蘭礁溪館

Just Sleep Yilan Jiaoxi is a leisure resort hotel under the Silks Hotel Group, serving as a new landmark for design hotels in the Jiaoxi area. Located close to both bus and train stations, the hotel offers convenient access to public transport. It’s also within walking distance of well-known tourist spots like the Wufengqi Scenic Area and Tangweigou Hot Spring Park. Each guestroom features a “scenic hot-spring tub” with sodium bicarbonate spring water. The hotel also provides open-air baths and Japanese-style nude hot springs, inviting you to relax and enjoy a soothing hotspring vacation.

No. 8, Ln. 24, Deyang Rd., Jiaoxi Township, Yilan County ( 宜蘭縣礁溪鄉德陽路24巷8號)

Tel: (03) 910-2000 www.justsleephotels.com/jiaoxi/tw

Yunlin County TRAVEL

JinHu LOHAS Farming Development Association

金湖休閒農業發展協會

The JinHu LOHAS Farming Development Association is a local group rooted in a coastal farming village. Its mission is to foster a positive coexistence between farming and fishing, practice sustainable tourism, and promote local revitalization through environmental education. The association places special emphasis on designing “educational tours.” Through guided tours, DIY activities, and itinerary planning, it helps participants understand the land’s role in environmental regulation, the diversity of ecosystems, and the connection between nature and people. Additionally, the association has introduced local souvenir brands and developed regional cuisine. It provides a platform for selling these products and offers meals tailored to the demands of tourists.

No. 163, Guangming Road, Wunan Village, Kouhu Township, Yunlin County ( 雲林縣口湖鄉梧南村光明路163號)

Tel: (05) 790-5101 www.kankujen.com

Friends of Lakeshore, Let’s Travel Together!

Lakeshore’s new brand, The Moment Hotel by Lakeshore, focuses its design and activities on the theme “exploring humanity/culture. ” A distinct travel experience for guests is offered through historical and cultural walking tours. These tours allow you to spend time crafting high-quality, happy memories with a fresh approach to travel.

The Moment Hotel Yilan by Lakeshore is located within the National Center for Traditional Arts in Wujie Township, Yilan County. The lodging area showcases Southern Min-style architecture, with features s uch as terrazzo floors, wooden double doors, intricate floral brickwor k, verandas, and ponds. Early Southern Min architectural elements are abunda nt.

Based on the concept of “staying overnight in Lanyang’s art city, wandering ancient alleys,” the design allows you to move from the tra ditional-arts area directly into the Southern Min-style lodging area, immersi ng yourself in traditional art and cultural creativity.

The hotel also offers a nightly puzzle-solving activity. Each evening from 7pm to 9pm, you can play through five stages. By following the night watchman’s rhythm and clues, you’ll solve a series of puzzles. The team that solves them fastest wins treasures from the Old Street are a.

The Moment Hotel Yilan by Lakeshore (煙波花時間 宜蘭傳藝)

Add: No. 201, Sec. 2, Wubin Rd., Wujie Township, Yilan County (宜蘭縣五結鄉五濱路二段201號)

Tel: (03) 950-6666

Website: yilan-arts.lakeshore.com.tw