HigH-Mountain DeligHts

Qingjing and Mt. HeHuan

no. 60, 201311 12

toP ten touRist toWns Beitou Hot-sPRing DistRict

BacKPacK Bus touRs tRiP to Xitou

FooD JouRneY WateR caltRoPs in tainan

BMX Fun in northern taiwanWannian Festival in Kaohsiung

Hiking to Jialuo lakeBulau Bulau Village in Yilan

/

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Welcome to Taiwan!Dear Traveler,

Two words that bring joy to the heart of every person with a love of travel are “road

trip!” In this issue of Travel in Taiwan we take f ull advantage of late autumn’s cooler

temperatures to hit the road on adventures using a variety of locomotion tools – car, bus,

metro, bicycle, and feet – sometimes used in isolation, sometimes in combination.

In our Feature section we go on a car trip up, up, up into the soaring central mountains,

to the Mt. Hehuan area, where we then hit the high-mountain trails. On the way we spend

time in Wushe town, populated mainly by members of the Sediq tribe, and Qing jing Farm,

a place of alpine pastures, sheep, horse-riding shows, easy trails, and grand mountain views.

As always in our Feature section, we also provide ideas on where to stay, where/what to

eat, and what to buy.

We stay in the central mountains in our Hiking department for a two-day trek to

Yilan County’s Jialuo Lake, which is in fact a collection of some 20 lakes, capping the

deep-mountain excursion with a hike up Mt. Jialuo (2,320m). Then, in Indigenous Villages,

it’s down to Yilan’s lower elevations for a visit to Bulau Bulau Aboriginal Village, an

Atayal-tribe settlement where residents seek to recapture the traditional lifestyle of their

ancestors. Tourists are welcome, and are taken on an educational hike and walkabout.

This issue’s Backpack Bus Trip adventure is to the mountainous region of Xitou in

Nantou County, riding the hop-on hop-of f Taiwan Tourist Shuttle buses. Stops include a

lantern factory, tea-plantation area, nature education area, and “Monster Village.”

Our Top Ten Tourist Towns section features a Taipei Metro jaunt out to the Taipei

suburb of Beitou for a Beitou hot-spring resort area walkabout. Taiwan’s oldest such

resort, with a century-plus history, this is an enclave of heritage buildings, museums,

mineral-water soaks, and pleasing vistas. We invite you to engage in somewhat more

vigorous activity in our Active Fun article, introducing f irst-rate BMX biking facilities in

north Taiwan.

Taiwan road trips have f lavor and character a world apart f rom those you’ve

experienced back home, but you wind up at the same end-point – lifelong memories, fondly

recalled. Have f un.

David W. J. HsiehDirector General

Tourism Bureau, MOTC, R.O.C.

台 灣 觀 光 雙 月 刊Travel in TaiwanThe Official Bimonthly English Magazine of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau (Advertisement)November/December, 2013 Tourism Bureau, MOTCFirst published Jan./Feb., 2004ISSN: 18177964 GPN: 2009305475 Price: NT$200www.tit.com.tw/vision/index.htm

Copyright @ 2013 Tourism Bureau. All rights reserved.Reproduction in any form without written permission is prohibited.

PUBLISHER  David W. J. HsiehEdItIng ConSULtant Wayne Hsi-Lin LiuPUBLISHIng oRganIzatIonTaiwan Tourism Bureau, Ministry ofTransportation and CommunicationsContaCtInternational Division, Taiwan Tourism Bureau Add: 9F, 290 Zhongxiao E. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei, 10694, TaiwanTel: 886-2-2717-3737   Fax: 886-2-2771-7036E-mail: tbroc@tbroc.gov.twWebsite: http://taiwan.net.tw

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Sunrise at Kenanguan near Mt. Hehuan (photo by Jen Guo-Chen)

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1026

CONTENTSNovember ~ December 2013

Travel in Taiwan 3

feaTure10 Qingjing & Mt. Hehuan — Main Climbing Up to the Roof of Taiwan: A Wushe to Mt. Hehuan Highway Excursion — Stay/Eat/Buy Wushe/Qingjing/Mt. Hehuan – High-Mountain Stay/Eat/Buy Pleasures

1 Publisher’s Note4 Taiwan Tourism Events6 News & Events around Taiwan8 Concerts, Exhibitions, and Happenings

21 Meeting Tourists32 Fun with Chinese 54 Daily Life

BaCKPaCK BUS TriP38 Through the Mountain Mist

— Taking a Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Bus to Xitou

aCTive FUn50 BMXing in Nangang

— Having Fun and Meeting a Local Legend at the Extreme Sports Training Center 38

TOP Ten TOUriST TOwnS22 The Hot Springs of Beitou

— A Place of Warmth, History, and Mist-ery

HiKinG26 Jialuo Lake

— Entering a World Apart

inDiGenOUS villaGeS42 Bulau Bulau Aboriginal Village

— Reviving the Traditional Lifestyle of the Atayal Tribe

FOOD JOUrneY46 A Strange Fruit

— Visiting a Water Caltrop Farm in Tainan

34MUSiC TOUrS34 The Sound of Drums — Visiting a Traditional Drum Maker in Xinzhuang

SPlenDiD FeSTivalS28 Zuoying Wannian Folklore Festival

— A Great Fire Lion Visits Temples around Lotus Pond

28

Taiwan Cycling Festival (臺灣自行車節 )Location: Qixingtan, Hualien County

( 花蓮縣七星潭 )

Tel: (02) 2349-1748

Website: http://taiwanbike.tw

Held from November 9th to November 17th, the

Taiwan Cycling Festival has three main events. During

the competitive Taiwan KOM Challenge, professional

riders will start at Hualien’s Qixingtan on the Pacific

coast and climb all the way up to Wuling on a branch

of the Central Cross-Island Highway, 3,275 meters

above sea level. This is an extremely challenging

ride. The second event is a 9-day/8-night round-the-

island ride undertaken by seven groups, each starting

from a different location. The third event is the Sun

Moon Lake Come! Bikeday, a ride open to all, taking

cyclists around the scenic lake in the central Taiwan

mountains. Various governments and national scenic

area administrations around Taiwan also organize

their own bicycle events as part of this festival.

The Taiwan annual

festival calendar is filled with exciting events. Visit

timefortaiwan.tw/cal_en to see which festivals are

taking place the next time you visit this culturally

fertile island. The following festivals, all taking

place before the end of this year, will give you the

chance to learn about Hakka cuisine in Miaoli,

take part in organized bicycle rides, surf the waves

along the coast of Taitung County, take in the

f loral beauty of Taichung, watch marching bands

in the streets of Chiayi, and run a marathon in

Taipei. And this is just a small selection of the

events taking place over the coming months!

Miaoli Hakka Food Festival (客家美食活動 -客家粄仔節 )Locations: Miaoli City, behind Miaoli Railway Station, Miaoli County

( 苗栗縣苗栗市後火車站 )

Tel: (037) 331-910

Each year the Miaoli Hakka Food Festival highlights the best of Hakka cuisine. The

Hakka people in Taiwan are descendants of Hakka from mainland China, who began

immigrating to Taiwan in the 16th century. There are about 4.6 million Hakka living in

Taiwan today, comprising about 20% of the total population. Many Hakka live in the hilly

northwestern counties of Hsinchu and Miaoli. During the festival you can learn about

fine cuisine, snack foods, restaurants, gift options, and local produce. The festival’s wide-

ranging program features various food-related activities, such as food preparation classes

and cooking competitions, as well as a rich array of Hakka performing arts.

Taiwan Open of Surfing (臺灣國際衝浪公開賽暨東浪嘉年華 )Locations: Taitung County, Donghe Township, Jinzun

Harbor ( 金樽漁港臺東縣東河鄉 )

Tel: 089-324-902

Website: www.taiwanopenofsurfing.com

This year’s Taiwan Open of Surfing,

staged on the southeastern coast of

Taiwan at Taitung County’s Jinzun

Harbor, will include a competition rated

as a 1-star event by the Association of

Surfing Professionals (ASP). The rating

shows that Taitung is internationally

recognized as a great location for surfing,

with quality conditions. Water temperatures during

the event are expected to be a pleasant 20~24 degrees

Celsius, with left- and right-hand beach breaks giving

surfers different options for showing off their skills.

Surfers from Taiwan and abroad compete in various

divisions, with the top prize for the ASP Men’s 1-star

event set at US$15,000.

Food, Flowers, and Lots of Festival Fun

Festivals around Taiwan

Nov. 1

Nov. 9Nov. 13

23

1717

TAIWAN TOURISM EVENTS

4 Travel in Taiwan

Sea of Flowers in Xinshe (新社花海 )Location: Xinshe District, Taichung City (臺中市新社區 )

Tel: (04) 2228-9111, 2581-1311

Website: http://flowersea.coa.gov.tw/traffic.php

Each year, Xinshe District in central Taiwan’s Taichung City attracts hundreds of

thousands of f lower lovers, who come to enjoy vast fields of f lowers, in Chinese often

called a “sea of f lowers.” The festival, which goes on for about a month, is a great

showcase for local agricultural products and cuisine. There are special-theme exhibitions

highlighting aspects of the local agricultural sector, stands where visitors can sample

local specialties, and entertaining live stage performances. Tours to recreational farms are

offered, and visitors are encouraged to stay at one of the many guesthouses in the area.

Chiayi City International Band Festival (嘉義市國際管樂節 )Location: Cultural Affairs Bureau of Chiayi City Concert Hall, 275, Zhongxiao Rd., Chiayi

City ( 嘉義市政府文化局音樂廳嘉義市忠孝路275號 ), Culture Park ( 文化公園 ), Zhongzheng

Park ( 中正公園 ), Chiayi City Cultural Affairs Bureau Outdoor Plaza ( 文化局廣場 )

Website: http://cabcy.ehosting.com.tw/web/band/

This festival, staged each year since 1993, features marching bands from around Taiwan

and abroad (last year one band from Russia and one from Japan took part) in a grand

parade through the streets of Chiayi in southern Taiwan. Thousand of spectators line the

streets to watch big brass bands and marching drummers, all dressed in colorful uniforms

and festive costumes. Apart from the street parade, there are a large number of indoor and

outdoor concerts at venues around the city, including outdoor stages at Chiayi Cultural

Park and Zhongzheng Park.

Nov.

Dec.

Dec.

Taipei Fubon Marathon (臺北富邦馬拉松 )Location: Plaza in front of Taipei City Hall, 1, Shifu Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City

( 臺北市市民廣場臺北市信義區市府路1號 )

Tel: (02) 258-55659

Website: www.sportsnet.org.tw/20121216_fubon/race_detail.php?race_no=20121216

Street running has gained much in popularity in Taiwan in recent years, and the number of

annual running events as well as participants in those events has been increasing steadily.

One of the most prominent annual runs in Taiwan is the Taipei Marathon, which each

year attracts more than 100,000 runners. The race starts and ends at Taipei City Hall in the

eastern city district of Xinyi, and runners of the full marathon will circle a large portion of

downtown Taipei. Races include a full marathon (42.195km), half marathon (21km), 9km

run, fun run (3km), and children’s run (2km).

DEc. 15

mid End

TAIWAN TOURISM EVENTS

Travel in Taiwan 5

NOVEMBER~DECEMBER

6 Travel in Taiwan

WHAT'S UP

News& Events around Taiwan

Tourist Sites

Lighthouses Opened to TouristsThe Ministry of Transportation and Communications recently announced the opening of two lighthouses to tourists – Baishajia Lighthouse in Taoyuan County and Green Island Lighthouse in Taitung County. Baishajia Lighthouse, located in Guanyin Township on the northwest coast, was built in the late 19th century, and is at 37 meters Taiwan’s second-tallest lighthouse (the tallest lighthouse is Mudouyu Lighthouse on Mudouyu Island, Penghu County; 39.9 meters). The lighthouse on Green Island, off the coast of southeastern Taiwan, is 33 meters high and was erected in 1938. Interestingly, the construction of the latter was financed with funds donated by members of the US public to the American Red Cross in response to the sinking of an American luxury ocean liner on a Green Island reef in 1937. There are a total of 35 lighthouses in Taiwan, of which eight are open to the public. The ministry plans to have half of Taiwan’s lighthouses opened to tourists within the next three years.Transportation

New MRT Xinyi LineThe long-awaited Xinyi Line of Taipei's MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) System, or Taipei Metro, will be in operation before the end of the year. The new line will connect the northern city district of Beitou, best known for its hot springs, with the modern eastern district, home to the Taipei 101 skyscraper and Taipei World Trade Center as well as numerous large department stores and hotels, on a single line. The establishment of this new line will mean that trains starting at Beitou Station will no longer proceed to the current terminal station, Taipower Building Station, instead proceeding to the terminus on the Xinyi Line, Xiangshan Station. The current Xiaonanmen Line, which connects Ximen and CKS Memorial Hall stations, will be extended by two stops to Taipower Building Station. Find more info about the Taipei Metro system at: http://english.trtc.com.tw.

Transportation

Direct Taipei-Fujian Ferry LinkTravelers now have a new option for getting from Taipei to mainland China’s Fujian Province. The high-speed ferry Haixia, which also carries passengers and cargo four times a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) between Taichung in central Taiwan and Pingtan in Fujian Province, now also runs twice a week (Wednesday, Saturday) from New Taipei City’s Port of Taipei in Bali District to Pingtan. The trip takes about three hours, and costs NT$3,200 (return ticket NT$6,300). The Haixia is the world's fastest ship of its kind, with a maximum speed of 96 nautical mph and a capacity of 782 passengers.

Green Is land Lighthouse

MRT Daan Park Stat ion

Travel in Taiwan 7

WHAT'S UP

Website

Smart Tourism TaiwanDirected by Taiwan’s Board of Science and Technology under the auspices of the Executive Yuan, Smart Tourism Taiwan (www.vztaiwan.com) is a helpful website providing information about Taiwan that helps visitors plan their tours with itinerary-planning tools that can be synced across smartphones, Google calendars, and web browsers. The website provides introductions to a wide range of tourist attractions, and gives visitors myriad ideas for tours, dining, and shopping.

Hotels

New Arrivals in 2013The tourism industry in Taiwan is f lourishing, and new hotels are opened frequently. Here are some of the hotels recently added to the local hospitality scene. Fleurlis Hotel (www.fleurlis.com.tw) is in central Hsinchu City, located close to the railway station. The hotel has 72 guestrooms, with room rates starting at NT$9,000. Reloading Hotel (www.reloading-hotel.com) is a small backpacker-friendly hotel in central Taichung City. Located close to Electronics Street, the hotel features a unique circuit-board theme. It has 47 rooms, with rates starting at NT$1,800. Two Hotel Cozzi (www.hotelcozzi.com) facilities have been opened in Taipei this year, one on Minsheng East Road and the other on Zhongxiao East Road. Both are modern and chic, with an emphasis on providing a warm and convenient accommodation option. Room rates start at NT$4,600 (Minsheng) and NT$6,000 (Zhongxiao). The Hoya Resort Hualien (www.hoyaresort.com.tw), located in Hualien City, is a modern hotel catering to tourists visiting eastern Taiwan. It has 189 guestrooms, with rates starting at NT$4,600. For a comprehensive list of accommodation options in Taiwan, visit http://eng.taiwan.net.tw and click on “Accommodation.”

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!We, the producers of Travel in Taiwan, wish to improve our magazine with each issue and give you the best possible help when planning – or carrying out – your next trip to Taiwan. Tell us what you think by filling out our short online questionnaire at v-media.com.tw/survey/travelintaiwan.html. Senders of the first 10 completed questionnaires for each issue will receive three free issues of Travel in Taiwan. Thank you in advance for your feedback.

Travel in Taiwan

E-Magazine AppTravel in Taiwan is also available as an e-magazine edition in the Apple Newsstand. iPad users can now enjoy more content, and a convenient interactive reading experience. The e-magazine contains more images than the print version, some of which can be shown in full-screen mode, and also has multimedia content such as audio and video clips. The user-friendly interface allows for convenient navigation through the magazine. Download the magazine free of cost from the app store and read it on you mobile device wherever you go!

Museum

Red Dot Museum TaipeiSince 1955, the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany has awarded product designers from around the world the Red Dot Design Award, with winning products exhibited in Essen’s Red Dot Design Museum. The museum has about 2,000 exhibits, presenting a complete range of contemporary product design. In 2005 a second Red Dot Museum was opened in Singapore, and this year a third has been established in Taipei. This museum is located inside Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and showcases a large collection of Red Dot Design Award products, from jewelry and household items to furniture and vehicles. For more information about Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and the new museum, visit www.songshanculturalpark.org.

Reloading Hotel

8 Travel in Taiwan

CULTURE SCENE

Concerts, Exhibitions, and Happenings

Taiwan has a diverse cultural scene, with art venues ranging from international-caliber concert halls and theaters to makeshift stages on temple plazas. Among Taiwan's museums is the world-famous National Palace Museum as well as many smaller museums dedicated to different art forms and aspects of Taiwanese culture. Here is a brief selection of upcoming happenings. For more information, please visit the websites of the listed venues.

Cirque du Soleil: OVO太陽劇團：蟲林森巴

November 19 ~ January 5Parking Lot at TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall

The famous Cirque du Soleil, the largest theatrical producer in the

world, is coming to Taiwan. For nearly two months local audiences

will have the chance to watch OVO, the company’s 25th production,

featuring a dazzling array of acrobatic surprises, including a stunning

and extremely difficult f lying trapeze act with performers f lying as

high as 14 meters. The name “OVO,” Portuguese for “egg,” was chosen

as symbol for the show’s theme, a colorful ecosystem teeming with

lively insects. Dressed like insects, the world-class acrobats complete

breathtaking feats that seem to defy the limits of what is humanly

possible. More about the show at www.cirquedusoleil.com.tw.

Wings of Desire is based on the film Der Himmel

über Berlin, directed by acclaimed German

director Wim Wenders. Internationally renowned

choreographer Yao Shu-fen has collaborated

with German opera director Thilo Reinhardt

to assimilate Wenders’ points of view while

inspecting her own inner being and exploring

the interactions between city, nature, and human

beings. With the help of holographic technology,

dancers’ figures interweave and overlap, implying

the clustering of people. Paper is the main theme

in Ho Hsiao-mei’s work My Dear, which is built on stories depicted using

Chinese paper-cutting. Dancers wander between the worlds of unreality and

reality in order to explore the meaning of love, hatred, anger, and persistence.

Yao Shu-fen: Wings of Desire & Ho Hsiao-mei: My Dear

December 27 ~ 29National Theater

姚淑芬《蒼穹下》& 何曉玫《親愛的》

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is the world's most famous portrait

painting, and has an iconic presence in Western cultural history. Her

appearance not only signifies the full f lowering of the Renaissance,

but also heralds the coming of the new age of humanism. Throughout

the past 500 years, her image has constantly been imitated, borrowed,

and interpreted by artists. This exhibition,

shown earlier this year at the Kaohsiung

Museum of Fine Arts, has four parts:

“About Leonardo da Vinci,” which traces

the art of da Vinci and his followers;

“About Mona Lisa,” which presents a

series of paintings inspired by and derived

from the Mona Lisa; “Leonardo and

Mona Lisa in the Modern World,” which

looks at avant-garde artists' creative takes on the Mona Lisa; and

“Models and Inventions,” which displays da Vinci's far-ranging talents

and experimental spirit. The exhibition allows visitors to investigate

da Vinci’s challenging, enigmatic life, better understand key issues

in art history and contemporary culture, and travel back 500 years to

enjoy a banquet of classical art while traveling from the Renaissance

to the present day.

Leonardo - Mona Lisa – The Myths蒙娜麗莎五百年：達文西傳奇

Until February 10National Palace Museum

December 6National Concert Hall

Lalo Schifrin, Argentine pianist and composer, is best known for his film and

TV scores, such as for Mission: Impossible and Rush Hour. He has received four

Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations. In this musical feast, Letters from

Argentina, Schifrin combines tango and Argentinean folk music with classical

music to create a fresh, new sound reminiscent of his homeland, Argentina.

The celebrated violinist Lin Cho-liang will lead a group of internationally

distinguished soloists to portray this musical tango journey.

Letters from Argentina 來自阿根廷的信

Travel in Taiwan 9

CULTURE SCENE

A dream come true for Barbie-lovers!

A real-life Barbie, together with Ken

and their friends, perform live on

stage in this dance-inspired musical,

a production filled with energetic

contemporary song and dance. Set on an all-pink Hollywood soundstage,

Barbie is shooting her latest film with her best friend and co-star Teresa.

When Teresa doubts herself, Barbie uses the lessons learned from her

Princess movies – Swan Lake, Princess and the Popstar, and Mariposa

& The Fairy Princess – to teach Teresa to be brave, believe in herself, and

embrace the power of true friendship.

Barbie Live芭比夢想音樂劇

January 3 ~ 5, 2014Taipei International Convention Center

Imminent Sounds: Falls and Crossings迫聲音－音像裝置展

Until January 5Taipei Fine Arts Museum

This is the second collaborative

exhibition between the Taipei Fine

Arts Museum and the Grame National

Center of Musical Creation in Lyon,

France. Imminent Sounds presents

seventeen video and installation

works by around twenty artists invited from the United States, Belgium,

France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Colombia, and Chile, including

video pioneer Bill Viola, music-video master Thierry de Mey, and Grame

founder Pierre Alain Jaffrennou. Works for the exhibition were selected

around the themes of Falls and Crossings. Programmed in conjunction

with the exhibition, performances and forums will be presented that

reflect Grame’s many years of experience developing new-media art.

Taipei

Taipei Zhongshan Hall （台北中山堂）

Add: 98, Yanping S. Rd., Taipei City( 台北市延平南路 9 8 號 )

Tel: (02) 2381-3137www.csh.taipei.gov.twNearest MRT Station: Ximen

Taipei International Convention Center （台北國際會議中心）

Add: 1, Xinyi Rd., Sec.5, Taipei City( 台北市信義路五段 1 號 )

Tel: (02) 2725-5200, ext. 3517, 3518 www.ticc.com.twNearest MRT Station: Taipei City Hall

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

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

Tel: (02) 2343-1100www.cksmh.gov.twNearest MRT Station: CKS Memorial Hall

National Concert Hall （國家音樂聽）National Theater （國家戲劇院）

Add: 21-1 Zhongshan S. Rd., Taipei City( 台北市中山南路 21-1 號 )

Tel: (02) 3393-9888www.ntch.edu.twNearest MRT Station: CKS Memorial Hall

National Museum of History （國立歷史博物館）

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

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

National Palace Museum （國立故宮博物院）

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

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

National Taiwan Museum （國立臺灣博物館）

Add: 2 Xiangyang Rd., Taipei City( 台北市襄陽路 2 號 )

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

Novel Hall （新舞臺）

Add: 3 Songshou Rd., Taipei City( 台北市松壽路 3 號 )

Tel: (02) 2722-4302www.novelhall.org.twNearest MRT Station: Taipei City Hall

National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall （國立國父紀念館）

Add: 505 Ren-ai Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City( 台北市仁愛路四段 5 0 5 號 )

Tel: (02) 2758-8008www.yatsen.gov.tw/enNearest MRT Station: Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

Taipei Arena （台北小巨蛋）

Add: 2 Nanjing E. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City( 台北市南京東路 4 段 2 號 )

Tel: (02) 2577-3500www.taipeiarena.com.twNearest MRT Station: Nanjing E. Rd.

Taipei Fine Arts Museum （台北市立美術館）

Add: 181 Zhongshan N. Rd., Sec. 3, Taipei City( 台北市中山北路 3 段 181 號 )

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

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

Add: 39 Chang-an W. Rd., Taipei City( 台北市長安西路 39 號 )

Tel: (02) 2552-3721www.mocataipei.org.twNearest MRT Station: Zhongshan

TWTC Nangang Exhibiton Hall （台北世貿中心南港展覽館）

Add: 1, Jingmao 2nd Rd., Taipei City(台北市經貿二路 1號 )Tel: (02) 2725-5200 www.twtcnangang.com.twNearest MRT Station: Nangang Exhibition Hall

National Taiwan Science Education Center （國立臺灣科學教育館）

Add: 189 Shishan Rd., Taipei City(台北市士商路 189號 )Tel: (02) 6610-1234 Website: www.ntsec.gov.twNearest MRT Station: Shilin

Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts （關渡美術館）

Add: 1 Xueyuan Rd., Beitou District, Taipei City(台北市北投區學園路 1號 )Tel: (02) 2896-1000 ext. 2432Website: www.kdmofa.tnua.edu.twNearest MRT Station: Guandu

Taichung

National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts （國立台灣美術館）

Add: 2 Wuquan W. Rd., Sec. 1, Taichung City( 台中市五權西路一段 2 號 )

Tel: (04) 2372-3552www.ntmofa.gov.tw

TainanTainan City Cultural Center （台南市立文化中心）

Add: 332 Zhonghua E. Rd., Sec. 3, Tainan City( 台南市中華東路 3 段 332 號 )

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

KaohsiungKaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts （高雄市立美術館）

Add: 80 Meishuguan Rd., Kaohsiung City( 高雄市美術館路 8 0 號 )

Tel: (07) 555-0331www.kmfa.gov.tw Nearest KMRT Station: Aozihdi Station

Kaohsiung Museum of History （高雄市立歷史博物館）

Add: 272 Zhongzheng 4th Rd., Kaohsiung City( 高雄市中正四路 27 2 號 )

Tel: (07) 531-2560http://163.32.121.205/Nearest KMRT Station: City Council

Venues

At many art exhibitions, you

are not allowed to take photos

or get close to the art on display,

let alone play with it. Not so at

this exhibition. On the contrary,

visitors are encouraged to

bring their cameras and take

photos of friends and family

incorporating the artwork.

The idea is to pose in a way

that the illusion of real persons

interacting with the cartoon characters of the paintings is created. On

display are more than 20 large-scale hand-painted artworks, depicting the

popular Japanese cartoon character Kitarou and all sorts of animation

monsters. Posing in front of and interacting with these cartoon characters

brings great fun for the whole family.

Until January 5National Taiwan Science Education Center

3D Trick Arts Exhibition Part III – Kitarou奇幻不思議 3D幻視系列 -鬼太郎特展

Tak ing in the amazing scener y at Mt . Hehuan

10 Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

Sky HighText: Rick Charette Photos: Jen Guo-chen

On a three-day adventure along the Central Cross-Island Highway in the Nantou County section of the soaring Central Mountain Range, I visit Wushe, an indigenous town best known for being at the center of the last great uprising against the Japanese during the 1895-1945 Japanese colonial period; enjoy the eagle-view scenery and ranch experience at mountainside-hugging Qingjing Farm; revel in the grand experience of being at eye level with scores of peaks above 3,000 meters at Wuling, Taiwan’s highest paved-road point; hike and walk high-mountain trails; lose myself in a sunrise perched on a spot over 3,200 meters up; feast on the culinary inventions of mainland China’s Baiyi people; visit a Baiyi settlement; watch Taiwan’s Sediq tribe members weave cloth the traditional way; watch thrilling horse-riding acrobatics performed by an outer Mongolian troupe; visit local museums, …

Let’s be off, you say? OK, time to launch.

Climbing Up to the Roof of Taiwan: A Wushe to Mt. Hehuan Excursion

Qingjing Guest House

Wanda Reservoir

Wuling

Kenanguan

Lu Mama Restaurant

Qingjing Farm

Sunshine Vacation VillaYunnan Fengqing

Xiu Hua Studio

Wushe

Nantou County Museum of Natural History

to Puli

Mona Rudao Memorial Park

Qingjing Community Development Association

Bowang New Village

Songxue Lou

to Lishan/Taroko Gorge

Mt. Shimen Trail

Mt. Hehuan

Travel in Taiwan 11

FEATURE QINGJING/MT. HEHUAN

We’re self-driving. My four-person adventure group takes

National Freeway No. 3 from Taipei to just past central

Taichung, then switches to picturesque National Freeway No.

6 to enter the mountains, reaching its end at Puli town. The

much-tunneled No. 6 is, in sections, raised dramatically high

above valley f loors. We leave pretty Puli Basin to start the steep

ascent into the central mountains along Provincial Highway No.

14, reaching Wushe town in 25 minutes. The full trip has taken

less than three hours.

Wushe is a Sediq-tribe community. Long lumped together

with the Atayal tribe, the Sediq were officially recognized as

an independent group in 2008. Though “Wushe” means “foggy

community,” it is known for crystal-clear alpine air, along with

a grand bloom of wild cherry and plum blossoms in early spring.

On the town’s lower edge, beside the highway, is Mona Rudao

Memorial Park. Towards the end of the Sediq uprising against

the Japanese in 1930 (see box), leader Mona Rudao committed

suicide while hiding in a cave, refusing to be taken prisoner. In

1981 this memorial park was created and his remains transferred

here. It is a quiet place of tall, shady coniferous trees, entered

via an elegant white gateway.

DAY 1

The Wushe Incident

On October 27, 1930, Mona Rudao, the son of a local chieftain, and over 300 Sediq warriors ambushed Japanese officials and family members attending a sports meet at the local elementary school. The attack was in retaliation for ongoing language and cultural repression, demands for forced labor, and recent insults. After days of fighting, with Japanese reinforcements expected from the lowlands, the rebels retreated to the higher mountains and fought on for two months, hiding in caves to escape air bombing. The Japanese eventually resorted to poison gas, and many tribal members, sick and on the point of starvation, chose suicide over surrender. Approximately 2,000 Sediq died in the fighting, 200 Japanese. Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (2011), Taiwan’s first epic film about local indigenous history, is centered on the Wushe Incident.

Directly across the highway from the memorial park is

the entrance to stained-timber stairs set amidst tall, aromatic

coniferous trees that bring you to and – literally – through

Wushe Elementary School, to the Nantou County Museum

of Natural History (Tues ~ Sun, 9 am ~ 5 pm) on the far

side, down more steps beyond the playground. On the way

we stopped for posed shots with a bust of Chiang Kai-shek

that, whimsically, has the generalissimo sporting Sediq facial

tattoos and bright-red warrior garb.

The simple museum has rotating exhibits on the first level

(on Taiwan’s butterf lies when we visited), and a permanent

exhibit on Taiwan’s indigenous peoples on the basement

level, including a display on the 1930 uprising. We much

enjoyed a multimedia installation that magically puts you in

old photographs in Sediq warrior or maiden costume, and I

particularly enjoyed a display on the ingenious traditional

traps and nets used to catch small game and fish. There is

English information on both levels, and an English-speaking

guide can be arranged.

Wushe is perched high above pretty Wanda Reservoir,

which is surrounded by abrupt mountain escarpments and has

the ref lectiveness of an emerald-green mirror. Your photos will

Statue of Mona Rudao

12 Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

Wanda Reser voir near Wushe

DAY 2

have the look of a lyrical Chinese shanshui landscape painting,

especially with the rustic awning-covered fishing rafts that

dot the surface. One and all can fish from the shore, but only

natives are allowed fishing on the water.

From Wushe (elevation 1,150m), we drove up, up, up to

Qingjing Farm (1,750m). The twisting highway – there is a split

at Wushe, and we were now on the 14A – moves along the long,

steep ridge of a massive mountain spur that goes all the way to

the Wuling Pass (3,275 meters) at Mt. Hehuan. The views are,

as you have already imagined, quite dramatic, and at numerous

points you look down into deep valleys.

Travel in Taiwan 13

FEATURE QINGJING/MT. HEHUAN

Qingjing Farm bills itself as “Little Switzerland.” The

reasons are clear. The major attraction is the Green Green

Grassland (NT$160 for adults, NT$200 on weekends and

holidays; 8 am to 4 pm, 5 pm on weekend and holidays), where

sheep munch on rolling mountaintop pastureland. All about are

tall-peak alpine panoramas. The sheep and the skills needed to

tend them were introduced decades back by government-hired

Australian ranchers. You can buy feed to give the animals, and

there are regular sheep-shearing and sheep-dog shows. Note

that pet dogs are not allowed in this area, because they might

disturb the sheep; there are pet-care services at both the north

and south gates.

A highlight when we visited this section was the horse-

acrobatics show put on by a very talented, colorfully dressed

troupe from Mongolia. Most amazing of many amazing feats

was one rider shooting arrows at a target with deadly accuracy,

sometimes turned to face backwards, as he galloped headlong in

circles. Onlookers nearest the target leaned away instinctively,

but he never came close to missing. Seeing the demonstration,

I could well imagine the power of the attacks in days of yore by

his ancestors, on horseback and in the hundreds and thousands.

The second big draw at the farm is the Small Swiss Garden

(NT$120; 9 am to 9 pm), a landscaped area tucked away

amidst tall coniferous trees which overf lows with bright alpine

f lowers and is dotted with small replicas of windmills and other

E xhibits inside the Nantou Count y Museum of Natural His tor y

Green Green Grassland at Qingjing Farm

14 Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

European touches. Ducks, geese, and turtles swim in the large

pond in the middle. There are periodic water-fountain displays,

and a romantic – and popular – water-and-light show at night.

The farm’s administrators have set up a number of for-the-most-

part short and easy trails that let you experience the facility from

different angles. On this day we tackled three: the 499 Steps Trail,

1,800 meters long, featuring the 499 steps of a long, attractive tree-

shaded wooden staircase stretched along some of the farm’s cash-

crop orchards; the Cryptomeria Trail, 750 meters, which takes

you through a mature, pleasantly fragrant stand of the evergreens

planted long ago by the Japanese and around behind the Small Swiss

Garden; and the Tea Garden Trail, 800 meters, which takes you into

the slope-hugging tea fields behind the Qingjing Guest House.Qingjing Farm is fun

for famil ies

Feeding a sheep

Sheep herding show at Qingjing Farm

DAY 3

Qingjing’s Baiyi Community

Beyond its superb mountain vistas and bucolic alpine farmland experience, Qingjing is also known for its vibrant Baiyi community. The Baiyi or Dai people are from China’s Yunnan Province. When the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949 and the ROC government evacuated to Taiwan, many Kuomintang soldiers were left behind in border districts in China’s southwest. In 1961 a group from Yunnan was airlifted to Taiwan; the majority of their wives were from various Yunnan minorities, the greatest number Baiyi. In light of the rugged high-mountain conditions, most couples settling around Qingjing Farm were childless. Many second-generation community members, many of these in their 50s, now run restaurants and homestays/inns that give tourists a look into their lives. Second-generation member Ms. Li Cong-xiu took us on a tour of small, colorful, single-street Bowang New Village, one of the original 1961 settlements, which welcomes all visitors and has an intriguing collection of old photos and info (Chinese) in the Qingjing Community Development Association hall. If interested in a tour, call her at 0952-218-966 (she speaks Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese, and Baiyi).

Travel in Taiwan 15

FEATURE QINGJING/MT. HEHUAN

The climb from Qingjing to Highway 14A’s highest

point, at Wuling, takes about an hour. You leave almost all

manmade structures behind; all permanent dwellings seem

to be far below you. There are a number of scenic places

to stop, with good English posted telling you what you’re

seeing.

At Wuling Pass (3,275 m), you’ve cleared forest cover

and are amongst a sea of waving high-mountain bamboo

sprinkled with pine and, in winter, the occasional dusting

of snow. Just above, not more than a few hundred feet, is a

world of bare rock. Mt. Hehuan’s east peak is right on top

of you, the road running over its neck and down its back

toward Taroko Gorge on the east coast. Laid out to the

right of the east peak is what seems like a scale model of

ridges and peaks running far toward the island’s south, a

who’s who of topographical stars lined up – Qilai Ridge,

Mt. Nenggao, Mt. Jade in miniature far at the end. All are

now at eye-level, and you feel you can reach out and touch

them all.

You make the drive in the dead of night to catch the

sunrise. You won’t be alone. People park along the highway

around Wuling, or head up along the Mt. Hehuan area’s

many popular trails – to the east peak, the main peak, etc.

Before the big show, the number of stars in the clear skies is

incredible, and the many shooting stars provide thrills. We

went past Wuling Pass, descending down the other side of

the Hehuanshan massif about 10 minutes to Kenanguan.

This is a highway pass blown right out of the mountains

by the Japanese and then later expanded by the ROC

government; “Kenanguan” means “Conquering Difficulty

Pass.” You stare down into a deep, dark valley, and off over

soaring peaks. This is also one of many great area spots to

watch ethereal “seas of clouds” roll into valleys below you

like slow tsunamis.

Sunrise at Kenanguan near Mt . Hehuan

Mongolian horse r iding show at Qingjing Farm

Three f i rs t- generat ion Baiy i l iv ing at Bowang New V i l lage

16 Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

Mountain scener y at Wuling

FEATURE

English and Chinese

Atayal 泰雅

Baiyi 擺夷

Bowang New Village 博望新村

Central Weather Bureau 中央氣象局

Cryptomeria Trail 柳杉步道

499 Steps Trail 步步高升步道

Green Green Grassland 青青草原

Hehuanshan Villa Visitor Center

合歡山莊遊客中心

Kenanguan 克難關

Li Cong-xiu 李從秀

Mona Rudao Mem. Park

莫那魯道紀念公園

Mt. Hehuan 合歡山

Mt. Shimen Trail 石門山步道

Puli 埔里

Qilai Ridge 奇萊稜脊

Sediq 賽德克

Small Swiss Garden 小瑞士花園

Tea Garden Trail 茶園步道

Wanda Reservoir 萬大水庫

Wuling 武嶺

Wushe 霧社

Nantou County Museum of Natural History (仁愛高農自然史教育館 )Add: 27, Shannong Lane, Datong Village, Ren'ai Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣仁愛鄉大同村山農巷 27號 )Tel: (049) 280-1103

Qingjing Farm (清境農場 )Add: 170, Renhe Rd., Datong Village, Ren'ai Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣仁愛鄉大同村仁和路 170 號 )Tel: (049) 280-2748Website: www.cingjing.gov.tw

Qingjing Community Development Association (清境社區發展協會 )Add: 42, Bowang Lane, Datong Village, Ren'ai Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣仁愛鄉大同村博望巷 42號 )Tel: (049) 280-3876Website: community.cja.org.tw (Chinese)

The Central Cross- is land Highway

Travel in Taiwan 17

FEATURE QINGJING/MT. HEHUAN

Getting There & Getting AroundThe E-Go tourist-bus company (www.e-go.com.tw; Chinese) has daily departures from Taipei Railway Station and other points on Taiwan’s west side to Wushe and on to Qingjing. From there you can choose from their tour-bus outings to Wushe, around Qingjing Farm, to Mt. Hehuan, and other area spots. There are sunrise and sunset Mt. Hehuan outings. You can also check out the Qingjing-Hehuan Sightseeing Commentary Limousine service (www.travelbus.com.tw; Chinese), which operates bright-red sightseeing buses.

After the sunrise, we headed a short distance back

west along the highway, toward Wuling Pass, and

parked in the small lot across from the easy 800-meter

Mt. Shimen Trail. Though our hike was just 30

minutes or so, we ended up atop one of Taiwan’s 100

famous peaks above 3,000 meters high, at 3,237 meters,

surrounded by low, slope-hugging juniper, prickly high-

mountain bamboo and abundant Yushan azalea and

red hairy azalea, and colorful birds such as Formosan

laughing thrush and vinaceus rosefinch.

The weather in Hehuanshan National Forest

Recreation Area (http://recreation.forest.gov.tw) is

highly variable, so bring both warm clothing and

raingear. Heavy fogs often roll in in the afternoon.

Check the Central Weather Bureau website (www.cwb.gov.tw) ahead of time. Note also that information

on guided tours is available from the newly opened

Hehuanshan Villa Visitor Center, located highway-side

near the Mt. Shimen Trail trailhead.

Fun at Mt . Hehuan

FEATURE

Most accommodations are in the Qingjing Farm area, where there are now over 140 minsu or homestays. The term

“minsu” is almost universally used, but as explained to me by Qingjing Farm authorities, a true minsu has seven or

fewer guest rooms and the owner/operators must live on the premises. Most of the facilities that do not qualify are better

described as inns, or B&Bs

My favorite Qingjing overnight getaway is the classy Sunshine Vacation Villa, an inn with Swiss-style building

exteriors. Its rooms, restaurant/gift shop, and café are in different buildings, which seem to hang over the valley

below, the long Qilai Ridge in all its grandeur spread out yonder. The rooms are comfy, airy, and tastefully appointed,

and the restaurant serves first-rate Baiyi cuisine (more on this later), but it’s the café I think about upon returning

home, eclectically yet tastefully decorated in Western style with fireplace, its f loor-to-ceiling windows making you feel

you’re f loating outward above the valley. (Rooms start at NT$2,460.)

Another fine choice is Yunnan Fengqing (“Yunnan Style”), run by Jiang Shao-lu and his wife. A quirky place

brimming with personality, I’ll call it a hybrid homestay/inn. There are three buildings. Of the 15 guest rooms, 14

are in a building with an air of what I’ll call “European classicism with Baiyi/Mr. Jiang characteristics.” The couple

lives on the main f loor of a rustic two-story wood building, with the attractive, homey restaurant on the second f loor.

Big windows and extensive use of big pieces of scrap-timber and driftwood cedar in furniture/decorations are the big

themes here. Both husband and wife are second-generation Qingjing Baiyi, both cook, and the Baiyi food here is tasty.

The great draw at Yunnan Fengqing, however, is the wonderful, whimsical birdhouse/treehouse room. Built with a

healthy dose of scrap timber and driftwood, Jiang says it is his architectural paean to his Yunnan brethren, who build

their high-mountain structures high and narrow to maximize agricultural space. (Rooms start at NT$2,310.)

The venerable Songxue Lou (“Pine Snow Lodge”) is a quiet place just off the highway on the east slope of Mt.

Hehuan’s east peak, popular with hikers and bikers. Cycling has become very popular in Taiwan in the past decade,

and tackling Mt. Hehuan (i.e., on the highway) has become de rigeuer for the most dedicated. The 36 rooms are

roomy and spartan, with simple furnishings and much space for hiking/cycling gear, bikes, etc. The lodge façade

and common areas have been renovated, and are quite attractive. The bright, open restaurant serves simple, hearty,

inexpensive Chinese fare. Like other area accommodations, recreation facilities are pretty much non-existent – you’re

supposed to be outside enjoying nature’s gifts. (Rooms start at NT$2,440.)

Where to Stay

There has been a tourism explosion in the Wushe/Qingjing/Mt. Hehuan region in the past decade-plus, and many people will include at least two of these three destinations in any overnight outing to the central mountain region of Taiwan. Your Stay/Eat/Buy options are many, and are of high quality.

18 Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE STAY/EAT/BUY

Wushe/Qingjing/Mt. HehuanHigh-MountainStay/Eat/Buy Pleasures

Text: Rick Charette Photos: Jen Guo-chen

Sunshine Vacation V i l la ( lef t) ; Songxue Lou (above)

I’ve visited Qingjing six times, and very much enjoy the zesty Baiyi fare, with many dishes featuring

heavy seasoning. Many of the traditional herbs and spices used are not commonly used elsewhere in

Taiwan, and are either imported or grown in local household gardens.

Topping my restaurant list is Lu Mama, beside the highway just below Bowang New Village. On this trip

I had the privilege of visiting with founder “Mother Lu,” whose compelling personal story includes dodging

Communist soldiers before escaping from Yunnan to Taiwan, then severe hardship and homesickness

while opening up the Qingjing land. From her restaurant’s menu, I specially recommend the crispy spiced

mountain fish, which is cut in half, smothered in seasonings inside, put back together and quick-fried, and a

dessert treat not found in many local Baiyi restaurants, fried triangles of red glutinous-rice paste with peanut

powder and sesame seed, dipped in honey and/or coconut shreds. Delicious!

Second of my top Baiyi three is the Sunshine Vacation Villa restaurant. Especially interesting is the dish

featuring pork-head skin slices. The skin is roasted, blackened sections scraped off, and the meat sliced and

served with chili pepper and peanut.

At the Yunnan Fengqing restaurant, try the spiced pork slices with finely chopped tomato, onion, and

garlic, delectably complemented with rice vinegar, lemon juice, and huajiao (Sichuan flower pepper). The

Baiyi also use this as a condiment.

Area restaurants almost invariably have great views, but wood-built Talowan’s is different. (“Talowan”

means “welcome” in the native Sediq language.) It sits high up looking straight down the long, mountain-

bracketed, emerald-green Wanda Reservoir. Sit outside on a roofed deck or on a patio with large-umbrella

shading. The menu is a Chinese/indigenous mix; most popular is the hotpot with fresh mountain fish-

head and mountain produce, but to me, nothing here beats the melt-in-your-mouth whole chicken, steeped

in six herbs 3-4 days then baked in a special wood-fired oven.

FEATURE

Travel in Taiwan 19

STAY/EAT/BUY

Where to Eat

Delicious f ish prepared at Yunnan Fengqing

Hotpot with f ish head prepared at Talowan

Yunnan specialt ies prepared at Lu Mama

At Songxue Lou

Inside the birdhouse

Birdhouse at Yunnan Fengqing

An iconic Qingjing Farm image is woolly sheep and goats, and when visiting you can buy a

number of different sheep/goat-theme items. In the lobby of the farm-run Qingjing Guest House,

buy aromatic fresh-baked bread and silky-smooth popsicles and ice cream made with goat milk.

Kids also like the cute sheep-theme DIY windmill chimes and figurines.

At the Ville de la France shop, beside the Qingjing Farm Tourist Center, buy tasty,

f laky, handmade danjuan (“egg rolls,” a sweet treat – not the fried egg rolls you know

from Chinese restaurants) and creamy pudding made with goat milk.

Chen Xiu-hua, owner of Xiu Hua Studio on the highway just above Wushe village,

makes indigenous fabrics the traditional way, and creates/sells (cash only) both the

beautiful traditional-style attire of Taiwan’s various tribes and appealing traditional-

pattern, modern-styling items such as bags, purses, and even high-heel shoes. Her award-

winning Li Du Lu Mu designer-label creations are also sold elsewhere (visit http://theme.otop.tw/renai/p38.html and http://www.otop.tw/feature/104941.html; Chinese).

What to Buy

20 Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

STAYQingjing Guest House (清境農場國民賓館 )Add: 25, Dingyuan New Village, Datong Village, Ren'ai Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣仁愛鄉大同村定遠新村 25號 )Tel: (049) 280-2748Website: hotel.chingjing.com.tw

Songxue Lou (松雪樓 )Add: 33, Guanyuan, Fushi Village, Xiulin Township, Hualien County (花蓮縣秀林鄉富世村關原 33號 )Tel: (04) 2522-9696Website: tsfs.forest.gov.tw (Chinese)

Sunshine Vacation Villa (見晴花園渡假山莊 )Add: 18-1, Dingyuan New Village, Datong Village, Ren'ai Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣仁愛鄉大同村定遠新村 18-1號 )Tel: (049) 280-3162Website: www.sunshine-villa.com.tw (Chinese)

Yunnan Fengqing (雲南風情渡假山莊 )Add: 50-1, Rongguang Lane, Datong Village, Ren'ai Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣仁愛鄉大同村榮光巷 50-1號 )Tel: (049) 280-3577Website: www.yunnan.com.tw (Chinese)

EATLu Mama (魯媽媽 )Add: 210-2-1, Renhe Rd., Datong Village, Ren'ai Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣仁愛鄉大同村仁和路 210-2-1號 )Tel: (049) 280-3876Website: www.lumama.com.tw (Chinese)

Talowan Restaurant (塔洛彎景觀餐廳 )Add: 25-1, Xinyi Lane, Renhe Rd., Datong Village, Ren'ai Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣仁愛鄉大同村仁和路信義巷 25-1號 )Tel: (049) 280-3839

BUYXiu Hua Studio (秀花工作室 )Add: 77-1, Xinyi Lane, Datong Village, Ren'ai Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣仁愛鄉大同村信義巷 77-1號 )Tel: (049) 280-1885

English and ChineseChen Xiu-hua 陳秀花danjuan 蛋捲huajiao 花椒Jiang Shao-lu 江紹陸Qingjing Farm Tourist Center 清境農場遊客服務中心Ville de la France 法國小鎮

Cute sheep f igur ines

Bag and purses by Xiu Hua Studio

Chen Xin-hua at work

SHILIN NIGHT MARKET

Travel in Taiwan: You’ve lived here for a number of years.

What do you think of Taipei as a city?

Alex: I think it is a very interesting place. The city changes

and grows rapidly. For example, the MRT system keeps

growing, and new large malls are opened almost every

year it seems. This building right here, the Eslite Spectrum

Songyan Store, is a good example.

Travel in Taiwan: When did you arrive in Taiwan, and how

long will you stay?

Ruud: We just arrived a few days ago. This is our first visit. I

will be studying for a semester at National Taipei University of

Technology in Taipei.

Travel in Taiwan: What are your initial impressions of Taiwan?

Ruud: Oh, it’s so very different from any country I have been to

so far. Everything is strange and unusual – for example the food

smells in the streets – in a good way.

Travel in Taiwan: Where will you be going next?

Pieter: Taipei 101. It’s right over there. You can’t miss it. Ha, ha!

Travel in Taiwan: Where do you like it best in Taipei?

Alex: I am particularly fond of the area around MRT

Dongmen Station. There are many restaurants along

Yongkang Street, and it is a very pleasant neighborhood.

Travel in Taiwan: What do you think about Songshan

Cultural and Creative Park?

Alex: I like that old areas and buildings are being preserved

and made useful again. The idea of preservation for the

sake of culture and history is great. Taipei’s cityscape is a

real mix of old and new.

Travel in Taiwan: Can you recommend three places to go

to in Taipei?

Alex: I would first recommend visitors go to Elephant

Mountain, just south of Taipei 101, do a bit of hiking,

and look over the whole city from up high. Then I

would recommend going to the coastal town of Tamsui

north of Taipei, and enjoy the seafood and sunsets.

Finally, back in the city, a night-market visit, maybe in

the Longshan Temple area or in Shilin.

Alex, from Wisconsin, USA

At Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, one of Taipei’s new and thriving cultural centers, Travel in Taiwan asked foreigners about their travel and living experiences in Taiwan.

Pieter: And I will be studying for one semester at National

Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung. We both study business

administration, and we will try to take some Chinese language

classes too.

Pieter: I am not quite sure what foods to pick,

because I am not familiar with many of the

things on offer here. We’ve already tried some

exotic foods, like dried pork blood on a stick.

Ruud and Pieter, from the Netherlands

MEETING TOURISTS

Travel in Taiwan 21

MEETING TOURISTS

The Hot Springs of BeitouA Place of Warmth, History, and Mist-ery

Beitou’s Geothermal Valley

Hot-spr ing bathing

Beitou Museum

TOP TEN TOURIST TOWNS

22 Travel in Taiwan

Text: Rick Charette Photos: Vision Int'l

Beitou Hot Spring Museum

TOP TEN TOURIST TOWNS BEITOU

The Beitou hot-spring district, now long enclosed within the borders of Taipei City, was voted one of Taiwan’s “Top 10 Tourist Towns” in a nationwide poll and expert survey concluded last year. Travel in Taiwan recently spent an afternoon with Yang Yeh, well-known Taiwan mapmaker, resident of Beitou since childhood, and expert on its history and culture.

Travel in Taiwan 23

One of the earliest, a simple

bathhouse called Longnaitang, is

still in operation beside the park (244

Guangming Road). It was built in 1907,

has separate male/female pools, and

today requires swimwear. Two other

places from the Japanese era are also

still in business. The Yitsun Hotel,

originally a private guesthouse for

Japanese military officers, includes Sun

Yat-sen among its famous guests (140

Wenquan Road). The pretty wood-built

Whispering Pine Inn, built in 1934, is

further up the valley, above the park (21

Youya Road).

In Yang’s view, of the many

attractions in the hot-spring area,

manmade and natural, the Beitou Hot

Spring Museum (beitoumuseum.taipei.gov.tw), located just inside the park at

its lower end, is a must-visit. This lovely

Victorian-style building of red brick

and white stucco originally housed the

Beitou Public Baths, Taiwan’s first public

bath and long East Asia’s largest hot-

spring public bath. A Romanesque pool

and columns have been restored, as has

the original large, breezy tatami resting

room, and there are many intriguing

artifacts and info displays. Says Yang:

“A highlight for me at the museum is the

fine collection of black & white photos

and documentary footage of Beitou and

Taipei’s riverside areas in the Japanese

period, which is great for visualizing

what everything used to look like as you

tour the area.”

Higher up in the park you’ll come

to Plum Garden. This is an attractive

Japanese-style villa made of timber, with

Western elements, that was built in the

1930s. It was the summer home of the

esteemed politico and calligrapher Yu

You-ren from 1949 to 1964. Inside the

heritage home is a visitor information

center, and there are displays on

Yu’s calligraphy as well as the villa’s

distinctive architecture and decorative

elements. “The villa was originally built

for the use of Japanese military officers,”

says Yang, “and the basement has an air-

raid shelter built with reinforced concrete

during WW II. The external wall is a

battlement-shaped structure, as if the

Japanese expected the Americans to one

day come fighting up the valley.”

In a very small side

valley near

the top of the park is Geothermal Valley,

Beitou Stream’s sulfur-water source,

popularly called Hell Valley. This is the

heart of the hot-springs area. A deep, rock-

strewn depression created by a volcanic

burst long ago, it’s filled with what’s more

a lake than a pool, the sulfurous waters

bubbling and spitting, the steam sometimes

filling the entire little valley on cool days.

These are the Yangmingshan massif’s

hottest waters, at about 100 degrees

Celsius. Yang says that the Ketagalan

called the mist- and steam-filled hot-

springs area ‘Patauw,’ meaning ‘witch’

or ‘sorceress,’ and considered the enclave

sacred. The Chinese place name ‘Beitou’ is

a bastardization of the original name.

Resort Area Origins

“The native people who originally lived in this area, the Ketagalan, had no history of hot-spring soaking,” says Yang Yeh. “Neither did the Taiwanese, whose ancestors had come from China in the previous few centuries. The Japanese wanted to develop Beitou’s springs primarily for use by the military – for officers and injured servicemen, to help in their recuperation. The place really began to boom with the transport of many injured in the 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War. Beitou Park, opened in 1913 along with the Beitou Public Baths, today home to the Beitou Hot Spring Museum, was sculpted in classical European style. After the Japanese left at the end of WW II it was returned to a more natural look.”

To get to the hot-

spring area,

which percolates with resort hotels,

public baths, and tourist attractions, take

the Taipei Metro (“MRT”) to Xinbeitou

Station. On exiting, you’ll see a long,

narrow, valley directly ahead, sloping

upward toward the high hills and peaks

of the Yangmingshan massif looming

behind. This valley was carved by the

Beitou Stream, a hot-spring stream that

gurgles and steams. It runs through long,

narrow Beitou Park, which takes up the

center of the lower part of the valley.

The metro station is, says Yang, the

best place to launch a day-tour of the hot-

spring enclave, because the area’s history

as a resort was also launched here. The

Japanese developed the valley during

their 1895-1945 period of colonial rule

over Taiwan, and built a large and lovely

wooden railway station in 1916 on a spot

right beside today’s metro station to serve

as the terminus on a spur line specially

built to deliver soakers from a then much

smaller Taipei.

Old-time Beitou residents are very

happy these days, says Yang, because

government officials recently announced

that the station, relocated to Taiwan Folk

Village in Changhua County in 1992, is

being returned to Taipei, and will be re-

erected in small Qixing Park beside the

metro station by 2016.

The entrance

to Beitou Park is just across the street

from the metro station. There are a

number of small Beitou Stream waterfalls

within the park. “Early on, before many

facilities were developed, Japanese

nationals would come here and soak in

the pools below the falls – naked, in the

Japanese fashion. This caused quite a

stir with locals, and Japanese officials

thought it best to stop the practice, to

maintain Japanese dignity and esteem.”

(Today only foot-soaking is allowed in

the stream.) Small inns and baths began

to pop up.

Geothermal Valley

TOP TEN TOURIST TOWNS

24 Travel in Taiwan

At the top of the valley on Youya

Road is the lovely Beitou Museum (www.beitoumuseum.org.tw; formerly known

as the Taiwan Folk Art Museum), housed

in a former Japanese hot-spring inn

built in 1921 that served as an imperial

officers’ club and once entertained

kamikaze pilots on their final nights

of mortality. The complex is among

Taiwan’s largest examples of Japanese

wood-built architecture, measuring about

2,500 square meters. Built in Chinese

Tang Dynasty style, it was renovated top

to bottom 2002~2007, and is a work of

art in itself.

The museum has Beitou-theme

exhibits on early Taiwan life and culture.

Beitou was once a key area in Taiwan

ceramics production, with well-suited

mineral-rich earth, and the museum has

many compelling high-end works, with

historical background provided. Yang

recommends the black & white photos

from the area’s Japanese colonial-period

heyday, when the developed valley

looked nothing like it does today.

Beside the museum is the Marshal Zen

Garden (www.sgarden.com.tw), also called

the Shann Garden. This was, says Yang, for

a time the home of the “Young Marshal,”

Zhang Xue-liang, a Manchurian warlord

best known for kidnapping Generalissimo

Chiang Kai-shek in 1936. He lived to

tell the tale, though under house arrest,

and lived here while the home he lived in

longest while under the Kuomintang’s care,

elsewhere in Beitou and not open to the

public, was built.

During the Japanese era, the

aesthetically magnetic complex of

Japanese-built wooden structures served

as a hot-spring inn, officers’ club, and

short-stay R&R retreat for kamikaze

pilots. It is now run as a teahouse/

restaurant/spa enterprise.

English and ChineseBeitou 北投Beitou Hot Spring Museum 北投溫泉博物館Beitou Museum 北投文物館Beitou Park 北投公園Beitou Public Baths 北投溫泉浴場Beitou Stream 北投溪Geothermal Valley 地熱谷Guangming Road 光明路Jiufen 九份Ketagalan 凱達格蘭Longnaitang 瀧乃湯Marshal Zen Garden 少帥禪園Plum Garden 梅庭Qixing Park 七星公園Taiwan Folk Village 台灣民俗村Wellcome Supermarket 頂好超市Wenquan Road 溫泉路Whispering Pine Inn 吟松閣Yangmingshan 陽明山Yang Yeh 楊燁Yitsun Hotel 逸村大飯店Youya Road 幽雅路Yu You-ren 于右任Zhang Xue-liang 張學良

Getting There To get to the hot-spring resort area, take the Taipei Metro to Xinbeitou Station. To get around, consider taking one of the regular Beitou Museum shuttle buses (free) from the station to the museum, at the valley’s top, which will allow you to walk downhill during your exploration.

Off the Beaten Track: A Special Yang Yeh RecommendationTravel in Taiwan: Do you have any special “insider’s touring tips” that our readers should know about?

Yang: Indeed I do. Virtually all tourists move through Beitou Park. For a time-capsule glimpse into old-time Beitou living, however, ascend the old, narrow stairway beside the Wellcome Supermarket near the park’s entrance and explore the community on the slopeland parallel to the park, along Wenquan (Hot Springs) Road. There are many old residences and other heritage architectural elements here that went up in the period after WW II. The ambience is akin to that in Jiufen (another of the Taiwan Top 10 Tourist Towns, an old gold-mining town on a mountainside overlooking the Pacific). Just where Wenquan Road comes down just above Beitou Park is a lovely old hillside church.

TOP TEN TOURIST TOWNS

Travel in Taiwan 25

BEITOU

Beitou Museum

Marshal Zen Garden

Text and Photos: Stuart Dawson

Jialuo Lake is not just one lake, but a collection of some 20-plus lakes situated in the northern reaches of the Central Mountain Range in northeastern Taiwan. Visiting the lake involves a fantastic 2-day camping and hiking trip that takes you deep into the mountains.

HIKING

26 Travel in Taiwan

The lakes were well known during the 1895-

1945 Japanese colonial era, when the area was developed for logging, but then apparently almost forgotten until 1999, when a man-made fire burnt down some 50 hectares of surrounding forest and the exposed lakes were rediscovered.

The hike begins off an old forestry road that

once was used for logging, just above the small

indigenous village of Siji, which is located along

Provincial Highway No. 7A in Yilan County.

The forestry road is normally passable by

motorbike; but on my most recent visit, in May

2013, only travel on foot was possible, adding a

couple of hours to the hike.

At the end of the road is a small stream

and waterfall. My fellow hikers and I stopped

there for lunch, taking advantage of the water

supply to make some coffee and fill up canteens.

While the water is clean and clear, it can’t be

drunk unless it has been boiled or treated with

chlorine.

The trail proper begins just 100 meters

beyond the spot where we lunched, and is easy to

find. Next to the trailhead is a giant red cypress

that is at least 70 meters tall. The tree towered

above us, and we all strained our necks trying to

see the top! I always find it amazing that in places

like Jialuo Lake and Alishan, where there was so

much logging in the past, the odd giant tree such

as this one was left intact. It’s almost as if the tree

was so huge that no one dared cut it down.

Although the hike up from the trailhead

is a tough, relentless uphill slog, it takes you

through a gorgeous pine forest. The f loor of the

forest is covered with large ferns, making the

scene especially beautiful. As we headed up ever

higher, the clouds that had been threatening to

rain on us instead began to part, and we were

treated to beams of ethereal light breaking

through the forest canopy.

As we carried on walking the ferns began to disappear, replaced by

sturdy dwarf bamboo –which meant we were nearing the top. After four hours of hiking we finally climbed over a crest, finishing the hardest part of the hike.

From this point, it’s like you’ve entered a

completely different world. The trail is totally

surrounded by two-meter-high silver grass. In

places, if the person in front of you gets more

than a couple of meters ahead he/she completely

disappears from view! Many branches shoot off

the main trail – the area is riddled with trails –

so care needs to be taken to avoid becoming lost.

In amongst the silver grass, you can also see

hundreds of white, dead trees, killed in the 1999

forest fire.

Pressing on, we crossed another ridge and

passed several smaller lakes, all the time in

ankle-deep mud, before finally arriving at Jialuo

Lake in the late afternoon. It seems the hike is

gaining in popularity, as there were at least 20

tents already set up by the lakeside. We decided

to camp on ground a little higher and further

away in the hope it would be a little quieter.

The next morning we woke to brilliant

blue skies. There wasn’t the slightest breeze,

so the reflections on the lake were perfect, a

photographer’s dream. After spending a while

exploring the lake, we packed up and started

back.

Along the way, half of our group decided on

a detour in order to climb to the top of nearby

Mt. Jialuo (2,320m). It is a challenging climb;

the path is steep and the bamboo is so thick that

in places you need to get on all fours to crawl

through it. Soaking wet from the dew-covered

bamboo, we arrived at the peak to be greeted by

a spectacular sea of clouds sitting over Yilan far,

far below us. The half of the group that didn’t

come with us had really missed out!

English and ChineseAlishan 阿里山Jialuo Lake 加羅湖Mt. Jialuo 加羅山Siji 四季

Practical Info

A mountain entry permit is required for the hike, and can be applied for on the spot at the police station in Siji village. It can get very muddy, so gaiters are a good idea. Also, the thick silver grass is very sharp; wearing long sleeves and trousers reduces the risk of cuts and scratches.

HIKING JIALUO LAKE

Travel in Taiwan 27

Lush forest

Giant c ypress

Dwar f bamboo path

Camping near the lake

Zuoying Wannian Folklore Festival

Text: Steven Crook Photos: Rich Matheson

These days Zuoying, a Kaohsiung suburb, is best known for Lotus Pond and the colorful temples that surround this pretty body of water. But back in the 17th century, just after Koxinga expelled the Dutch East India Company from Taiwan, it was the military and administrative headquarters of Wannian County and thus a place of considerable importance. Today the toponym lives on in various forms, as “Zuoying District” and in the names of the district’s major mass-transportation hub and a large naval base, as well as in the names of happenings such as the annual Kaohsiung Zuoying Wannian Folklore Festival, evoking the glory of the past.

The lion is set ablaze at the very

end of the festival so as to carry the

wishes of the faithful up to heaven

A Great Fire Lion Visits Temples around Lotus Pond

Great Wannian Fire L ion

SPLENDID FESTIVALS

28 Travel in Taiwan

Dragon and T iger Pagodas

There are times when people

on this island

put their smartphones down and their 21st-century concerns

and ambitions aside, and a much older Taiwan bursts into the

foreground. The final day of the Kaohsiung Zuoying Wannian

Folklore Festival was one such occasion.

My friends and I were positioned in front of Zuoying's

Chenghuang Temple, enjoying a form of entertainment

that has hardly changed in hundreds of years. Lion dancers,

accompanied by drum-beating and gong-thumping musicians,

teased children, opened gaping jaws and snapped them shut

inches from spectators' faces, and threw candies into the crowd.

But the professional and amateur zhentou troupes that

perform these and other acts aren't slavish in their adherence to

tradition. Modern twists on old forms include Techno San Taizi

or Techno Prince performances. Another example followed the

lion dancers on this day. Five young men, dressed to resemble

the key characters in Journey to the West, danced disco-style

to pop music. Even if you've never heard of this classic Chinese

novel, you may well know a bit about the story (based on the

adventures of a seventh-century Chinese monk who traveled

to India to study Buddhist scriptures) because it inspired a

Japanese TV series shown throughout the English-speaking

world under the title Monkey.

A few minutes later came the real star of the show – the

Great Wannian Fire Lion. This effigy, cute yet dignified, is

far larger than a real lion. But for a yellow underbelly, it was

covered with red tinsel “fur.” Red, of course, is an auspicious

color in Chinese culture.

The lion is set ablaze at the very end of the festival so as to

carry the wishes of the faithful up to heaven, and is therefore

designed to burn well. There's a very real risk of premature

destruction, however, because thousands of firecrackers are

detonated beneath and around it as it is paraded through

Zuoying's streets prior to its sacrifice. I wasn't surprised to see

a man following behind with a small tank of water and a hand-

held sprayer, ready to put out any fires.

The modern Wannian Folklore Festival

dates from 2001, when

the Kaohsiung City Government's Civil Affairs Bureau began

coordinating and sponsoring traditional events in Zuoying

District. Since 2005 the central government's Tourism Bureau

has been lending a hand, and the festival – always held in mid-

or late October – has grown steadily in popularity.

The Fire Lion has its origins in rites traditionally conducted

at Ciji Temple, a house of worship that overlooks Lotus Pond's

southwestern corner. In these ceremonies, the lion was believed

to serve as a mount for Baosheng Dadi, a medicine deity. He's

far from the most important god in the expansive Chinese

folk pantheon, but his career is worth reviewing. Baosheng

Dadi, which means “life-protecting emperor,” is an honorific

title given to Wu Ben, a healer who lived in China’s Fujian

province. It’s said he once brought a skeleton back to life, and

following his death in AD 1036 he was credited with successful

posthumous interventions in hopeless cases – clearly an

exceptional physician who deserves reverence!

For the first eight days of this nine-day-long festival, the

Fire Lion tours temples and other area landmarks, going as far

afield as Kaizhang Shengwang Temple. This shrine is located

in Kaohsiung City's Fengshan District, some 8 km southeast of

Lotus Pond.

As part of the festival, the historical links

between Zuoying and Fengshan

were explained during a low-key event called “Grandpa Tales

Telling.” Beneath a banyan tree near the Dragon and Tiger

Pagodas – probably Lotus Pond's single most famous sight –

a knowledgeable gentleman outlined the area’s rich past. A

crucial episode was the seizing of Zuoying in early 1787 by a

force participating in a major rebellion led by a man named

Lin Shuang-wen. This spelled the end of Zuoying as a political

center, because the imperial court in Beijing responded by

moving the county magistrate's office to what's now called

Fengshan. There it stayed until Kaohsiung County was merged

with Kaohsiung City at the end of 2010.

After sampling the food and getting a taste of events that

happened long ago, join a session of Gongpaocheng, a spectacle

not to be missed. Though an English translation of the name

SPLENDID FESTIVALS KAOHSIUNG

Travel in Taiwan 29

Burning of the Fire L ion Revelers at the Dragon and T iger Pagodas

– “attacking the city wall with firecrackers” – makes it sound

like an act of vandalism, it's actually a game of skill in which

participants hurl lit fireworks at dollhouse-sized paper models

of Zuoying's old city gates. These are suspended about head-

height, and filled with firecrackers. Make sure your friends

have their cameras ready, because if you succeed in getting a

firework through the opening at the front, the gate is sure to

explode in a shower of sparks.

It's said that soldiers stationed in Zuoying back in the 19th

century played this game to kill time, and also to sharpen the

throwing skills they'd need if they had to fight. If you want to

play, register in advance through the festival's website or in

person at one of the information centers. There's also a team

event; in 2012, first prize was NT$20,000 cash.

Fans of the performing arts are spoiled

for choice, as the festival

always includes pop concerts, drumming, Taiwanese opera

performances, plus choral and instrumental acts, all of which

are free. The schedule for the secondary stage at the Confucius

Temple included enka (popular Japanese ballads) and belly-

dancing. What would the Great Sage think?

The festival also gave Kaohsiung residents a chance to see

a form of Chinese opera seldom seen in Taiwan, Sichuan Face-

changing Opera, during which changes in mood are conveyed

by use of an amazing technique. An actor waves his cape or

sleeve in front of his face, and in that split second it seems as if

the previous full-face makeup is removed and a totally different

color-and-pattern scheme has been applied.

This being Taiwan, the festival naturally

has a culinary angle. In fact,

it has two. Vendors on the western side of Lotus Pond sell

everything from hot dogs to stinky tofu. Other interesting

eating options can be found at the lakeside temples, which

give away traditional snacks such as ong-ku-koe (Taiwanese

pronunciation) and tangyuan. The former is a turtle-shaped

rice-based cake which symbolizes good luck and longevity. The

latter is a popular dessert consisting of little balls made with

rice f lour and filled with sesame paste, crushed peanuts and

sugar, or something else sweet.

Note also that, since 1949, Zuoying has been home to many

Chinese mainlanders, who came in the great exodus across the

Taiwan Strait at the end of the Chinese Civil War, making this

neighborhood perhaps the best in the metropolis for authentic

mainland delicacies.

As you can see, you’ll have much to see and do at Lotus

Lake and in the surrounding district during the Zuoying

Wannian Folklore Festival. Be sure to arrive with an empty

stomach, plenty of space on your camera's memory card, and a

wish to pin on the Fire Lion!

30 Travel in Taiwan30 Travel in Taiwan

SPLENDID FESTIVALS

Lotus Pond is easy to reach. If you're coming from another city, you may want to take a Taiwan High Speed Rail train to Kaohsiung's THSR Zuoying Station and then take a Red 51 bus. The TRA (regular railway) station closest to Lotus Pond is “old” Zuoying Station (not to be confused with New Zuoying Station, part of the same complex containing the HSR station). From it, you can walk to Lotus Pond in less than 10 minutes.

Other attractions in the area include the North Gate of Zuoying Old City and two sites that will appeal to ecotourists. Zhouzai Wetland Park is where the Pheasant-tailed jacana, a rare wading bird, was first sighted in Taiwan; the species has returned following restoration of the environment. Also within walking distance of Lotus Pond is the 4.66-hectare Protogenic Plants Garden, which has a collection of indigenous plants and trees that nature-lovers will find engrossing.

English and ChineseBaosheng Dadi 保生大帝Chenghuang Temple 城隍廟Ciji Temple 慈濟宮Confucius Temple 孔廟Dragon and Tiger Pagodas 龍虎塔Fengshan District 鳳山區Gongpaocheng 攻炮城"Grandpa Tales Telling" 阿公來講古Great Wannian Fire Lion 萬年季迓火獅Journey to the West 西遊記Kaizhang Shengwang Temple 開漳聖王廟Kaohsiung Zuoying Wannian Folklore Festival 高雄左營萬年季

Koxinga 鄭成功Lin Shuang-wen 林爽文Lotus Pond 蓮池潭North Gate of Zuoying Old City 左營舊城ong-ku-koe 紅龜粿Protogenic Plants Garden 原生植物園Sichuan Face-changing Opera 川劇變臉Techno San Taizi 電音三太子tangyuan 湯圓Wannian County 萬年縣Wu Ben 吳本zhentou 陣頭Zhouzai Wetland Park 洲仔濕地公園Zuoying 左營

The festival always includes

concerts, drumming,

Taiwanese opera, and other

performing arts

Travel in Taiwan 31Travel in Taiwan 31

SPLENDID FESTIVALS KAOHSIUNG

Smoothie House Chang'an Branch ~ Breakfast ShopAdd: 55 Chang'an W. Rd., Taipei City Tel: +886-2-2552-3250

Groups are welcome. Looking for cooperating travel agencies and representatives  Contact: service@smoothie.com.tw

The ice treats of Smoothie House are made with fragrant aiwen mango cultivated in Taiwan. This type of mango has a firm texture and is very juicy. The fruit meat melts in your mouth and creates an amazing sweet and sour sensation. No one seems to be able to resist this unbelievable treat.

For many tourists coming to Taiwan, visiting

Smoothie House is a must. Eating mango ice

simply is a joy and makes everyone happy.Mango ice is one of the most popular refreshing foods during the summer months in Taiwan. Try the mixed mango shaved ice, made with fresh mango, strawberry, and kiwi, a sublime combination of ice and superb fruit flavor! This is the best-selling item on the menu.

1F, 15 Yongkang St., Taipei City2F, 15 Yongkang St., Da'an District, Taipei CityLongmen Shop: 52 Guo’ai St., Sanchong District, New Taipei City

Tel: +886-2-2972-0758

Beitou Shop: 294 Zhonghe St., Beitou District, Taipei City

Tel: +886-2-2894-5511

Tel: +886-2-2341-8555Tel: +886-2-2395-8770

On the second floor there are private rooms where coffee, ice treats, and desserts are served.

kai

guan

men

Photo: Maggie Song

32 Travel in Taiwan

Doors, & Open

ClosedThe Chinese character 門 (men), meaning “door,” is one of the easier

ones to learn. It is easy to write, it is symmetrical, and it

looks a bit like a pair of swing doors, the kind of which you would see in a saloon in the

old American west.

This character is part of quite a few other characters directly or indirectly related to

doors. Two particularly useful characters to learn are開 (kai), which means “open, and 關

(guan), meaning “close.” In Taiwan daily life, chances are that you will come across these

two characters frequently – when operating life’s many electrical devices, for example.

Should you forget which is which, just remember that 關 is a bit more complicated to write.

If you combine the character for “open” with 心 (xin), meaning “heart,” you get 開

心 (kaixin), which means “happy” – i.e., to open your heart to others means happiness.

If, however, you combine the character for “close” and “heart” you get 關心 (guanxin),

which means not “sad” but “to care/be concerned about.” A usage example is 我關心

你 (wo guanxin ni), meaning “I care about you,” with 我 (wo) meaning “I” and 你 (ni) meaning “you.” The character you get when you put a heart inside a door, 悶 (men), is

quite graphic, and has the meaning “depressed,” “bored,” “stif ling,” or “smothering.”

Another graphic door-related character is 閂 (shuan). Can you guess its meaning?

Answer: A “bolt” or “latch.” The horizontal stroke in the middle does indeed look a

bit like a door latch, don’t you think?

FUN WITH CHINESE

Big drums are an important part of traditional temple festivals in Taiwan, and also feature prominently in the performances of a number of acclaimed local drum troupes. If you happen to see one of these big and often bright-red drums while in Taiwan, chances are that it was made by Wang Xi-kun, one of only a few local masters who still produce drums in the traditional way.

Text: Owain Mckimm Photos: Sting Chen

Master drum maker Wang Xi-

kun, his

face beaded with sweat, greets us at the large, open storefront

of the Xiang Ren He Drum Workshop in the district of

Xinzhuang, New Taipei City. Walls of freshly painted drums,

stacked three high, segment the workshop. Half-finished drums

bound with ropes rest on raised platforms, apprentices prowling

around them tightening and adjusting the bonds. Electric

fans hum and blow breezes from every direction, making

little difference to the temperature of this furnace of human

endeavor. Though the road outside the workshop blares with

the modern sound of car engines, the patter and boom inside, as

Wang tests one of his drums, makes everything seem somehow

ancient, somehow archaic – these hand-made drums and their

creator are an anachronism on this busy Xinzhuang street.

During the Japanese colonization of Taiwan (1895-1945), the

street that is now known as Xinzhuang Old Street was a hive of

theatrical activity, and as many as nine theater troupes specializing

in puppet theater were based there. Their puppet operas

were often of a military theme – of great battles,

marching armies, and glaive-wielding heroes –

and of course, where there’s war there must also

be drums. So began Xinzhuang’s entwinement

with the drum-making industry. In the mid-

1920s, a young carpenter with a penchant for

traditional opera named Wang Gui-zhi (the father of

Wang Xi-kun) set up a drum workshop in the area and

began providing drums to the theater troupes, as well as

to the temples that abounded on the streets of Xinzhuang

and the neighboring boroughs of Taishan and Sanchong.

Over the years, however, Xinzhuang has changed. Decades

of industrialization and, recently, the opening of a new metro

line have propelled the area to the forefront of development.

Yet peering into Master Wang’s workshop, you’d be hard-

pressed to admit that times have moved on. There are a few

giveaways: Those with a keen eye for wood will notice that

the drums are now made of rosewood rather than the Chinese

cedar commonly used in the past, mechanical jacks raise the

drums to tighten the hides – a job that once fell to burly men

– and Wang’s apprentices wear high-street specs with trendy

thick frames.

These appear, however, as mere glitches in an otherwise

perfect time capsule. Wang’s industry is, like the art of drumming

itself, something beautiful yet primal, and he remains resolute

amidst the surrounding onslaught of modernity. Yet though

the methods remain the same, the customers that commission

Wang’s work are changing. The last twenty years have seen the

rise of several drum troupes, such as the Grammy-nominated

Ten Drum Art Percussion Group and

the meditative, mountain-based

U-Theatre, which have gained

an added sense of grassroots

authenticity by using Wang’s

tailor-made drums. And in the

last three or four years orders

from drum-fitness groups, which

use drumming as a way to shed

calories, have introduced Wang’s

drums to a completely new 21st-

century audience.

The Sound of DrumsThe Sound of DrumsVisiting a Traditional Drum Maker in Xinzhuang

MUSIC TOURS DRUMS

34 Travel in Taiwan

Temples, nevertheless, remain Wang’s bread

and butter. Taiwanese temples require

drums for two important purposes – as part of the “morning

bell, evening drum” set suspended inside every temple, and as

key instruments in the zhentou or battle-array formation squads

that perform at temple celebrations and festivals. For anyone

who has attended these temple celebrations, or even been within

hearing distance of one, the noise, incredible color, and seeming

pandemonium (to the uninitiated) is not something quickly

forgotten, and the battle-array troupes in particular are a sight to

behold. Costumed performers take on the roles of folk gods such

as Lords Seven and Eight – who escort the spirits of the dead to

the afterlife – or the mythical Eight Generals – expellers of plague

and evil spirits – and teeter back and forth in their f lamboyant,

oversized apparel. Holding it all together amid the chaos is the

beat of the drum. Indeed, whether used to drive lion dancers into

an animalistic frenzy or to set the pace for a Taoist priest to chant

scripture, the beat of a drum underlines many traditional rituals

of Taiwan. At a great many events the inquisitive would find that

it is Wang who has created the tools that perpetuate this beat.

And he does so resolutely, the old-fashioned way.

“There are three basic elements to consider when making a

drum,” explains Wang. The first is the drumskin, which, under

Wang’s watch, is almost exclusively made from water-buffalo

hide – the older and more grizzled the animal the better. “Ten-

year-old buffalo produce the best hide for making drumskin,”

says Wang. “The older the buffalo, the tougher and more

durable the skin is. In the past, when buffalo used to work the

fields, their skin would be even tougher.” Nowadays, very few

water buffalo are bred and none at all are used to plough the

fields, so getting one’s hands on good, gnarled buffalo hide is

not an easy task. As a result, many drum makers are resorting

to ox hide as a replacement. But Wang insists on using only the

best buffalo hide. He takes us over to an ornate temple drum

in the exhibition center next to his workshop. The skin on one

side of the drum is corn-yellow, with a fine, smooth texture

– ox hide. The skin on the other side is coarse, with a hint of

stubble, and is speckled grey-beige – water buffalo. Wang hits

one side with the palm of his hand; then he hits the other.

The contrast is obvious even to a layman. “Finer skin gives a

milder, mellower sound, while coarser skin is more dominant,

more powerful.”

While acquiring high-quality skin may be a headache,

turning it into high-quality drumskin is the equivalent of a

New Year’s Day hangover. It’s gory, exhausting, foul-smelling

work. Once the section of hide has been chosen and roughly

cut to size, the thick, black buffalo hair must be removed.

Wang explains that the traditional way to remove the hair is

by shaving it off by hand; the modern way is to dip the hide in

a chemical bath. Wang, unsurprisingly, prefers the traditional

route, as immersing the hide in chemicals affects the quality of

the skin and, in the long run, produces drumskin which splits

more easily and produces inferior sound. Wang then shaves

the skin to just a quarter of a centimeter thick, using only his

judgment as a guide, before letting it dry for a week in the sun.

Wang’s industry is something beautiful yet

primal, and he remains resolute amidst the

surrounding onslaught of modernity

Drum maker Wang Xi -kun

70 -year- old drum made by master Wang’s father

MUSIC TOURS

Travel in Taiwan 35

DRUMS

look on open-mouthed. “It’s done in order to develop elasticity

in the skin. If you don’t perform this step, after about two

years the drumskin will go slack, and you’ll get nothing but a

dampened, muff led sound.” This process is repeated several

times over a number of days, until the sound is just the way

Wang wants it.

Making drums that stand the test

of time is obviously

important to Wang. One of his proudest possessions is a

gorgeous crimson temple drum decorated with pink and

blue chrysanthemums, rolling pastel clouds, and a pale-green

Chinese dragon. The drum is over 70 years old, and was made

by Wang’s father. Wang instructs us to stand next to the drum.

Though he hasn’t struck it yet, one can still feel vibrations

coming from within, like a storm brewing in the belly of this old

beast. Wang hits it with an open palm, and the sound emitted is

deep and sonorous, fading after a few seconds. “A good drum

won’t become dull or muted as the years go by,” he explains. “As

a drum ages, its potential should slowly emerge. It’s only after

many years that the sound of a drum reaches its peak.”

Visitors to Taiwan have no shortage of opportunities to hear

traditional drum music. Ten Drum Cultural Village in Tainan

“The second thing to consider when making a drum is the wood

used to make the shell,” says Wang. “The wood can take up to a

year to prepare, and it can’t be rushed. If you use wood that isn’t

ready, it will seriously affect the sound and quality of the drum.”

The wood is carved in the form of curved staves, not bent like those

of a wine barrel, and dried in a special room for approximately 40

days, then further dried at room temperature for 6-8 months. The

staves are then pieced together to form the drum shell.

The most important part of the process, according to Wang,

comes last – binding the drum. Wang and his apprentices place

the drum shell on a platform supported by four jacks. The outer

part of the drumskin is threaded with thick hemp ropes and

bound to a circular steel railing below the platform. As the

platform is raised, the ropes tighten and the drumskin is pulled

taut over the top of the shell. An almighty crack, like that of a

whip, rings out through the workshop as the skin edges over the

rim. Wang stops for a moment and checks for any anomalies.

He orders an apprentice to raise one of the jacks a tad – another

crack as the drumskin equalizes. Wang then tests the sound,

hammering the drumskin with two wooden batons. Next, the

drum is lowered, and an apprentice clambers on top of the

drumskin and begins to leisurely dance what looks like an Irish

jig. “This is called ‘trampling the drum,’” Wang explains, as we

Master Wang’s tools

Test ing the soundMeasur ing the shell Trampling the drum

MUSIC TOURS

36 Travel in Taiwan

Xiang Ren He Drum Workshop (响仁和鐘鼓廠 )Add: 171, Zhongzheng Rd., Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City(新北市新莊區中正路 171號 )Tel : (02) 2992-7402

Getting there: The workshop is a 5-minute walk from MRT Xinzhuang Station, Exit 2.

English and ChineseEight Generals 八家將Ju Percussion Group 朱宗慶打擊樂團 Laoquan Mountain 老泉山Lords Seven and Eight 七爺八爺Muzha 木柵Sanchong 三重Taishan 泰山Ten Drum Art Percussion Group 十鼓擊樂團Ten Drum Culture Village 十鼓文化村U-Theatre 優人神鼓Wang Gui-zhi 王桂枝Wang Xi-kun 王錫坤Xinzhuang 新莊Xinzhuang Old Street 新莊老街Xinzhuang International Drum-Art Festival 新莊國際鼓藝節zhentou 陣頭

has performances twice daily by the acclaimed Ten Drum

Percussion Art Group (www.ten-hsieh.com.tw/e-culture/show.html). Alternatively, U-Theatre (http://utheatre.glis.ntnu.edu.tw)

and Ju Percussion Group (www.jpg.org.tw) perform regularly

around Taiwan and also abroad. In addition, Xinzhuang plays

host to the International Drum-Art Festival in May and June

each year. To see how the drums are made, you can visit Master

Wang and the collection of drums he has on show at a display

hall next to his workshop. Wang requests that large groups book

a week in advance.

Ju Percussion Group “A good drum won’t become dull or muted as the years go by. As a drum ages, its potential should slowly emerge”

MUSIC TOURS DRUMS

Travel in Taiwan 37

The Xitou shuttle buses leave

from both

the Taichung Railway Station and the Taiwan High Speed

Rail Taichung Station at Wuri, and run south through Nantou

County, passing through the town of Zhushan, known for

bamboo products, and the tea-growing region of Lugu before

reaching Xitou, a popular forest recreation area.

Text: Joe Henley Photos: Maggie Song

Taking a Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Bus to Xitou

The mountainous region of Xitou in Nantou County is less than an hour from downtown Taichung when taking a Taiwan Tourist Shuttle bus. Though not far geographically from the metropolitan hustle of the big city, quiet Xitou could not be more distant from any form of urban monotony. The area gives you a taste of Taiwan's central mountains as well as a glimpse into the region’s history.

Through the Mountain Mist

Taiwan Tourist Shuttle bus

THRS Taichung Station

Takeyama Interchange

Taichung Gancheng

Bus Station

Taichung Railway Station

Minxing Park

Daqing Station

Chu-XiangBay pit

Kwong Hing

Nei Hu

Nei Hu Elementray

School

Le Midi Hotel

Zhushan Industrial

Zone

Lugu Township

OfficeXitou

Having fun at Xitou

38 Travel in Taiwan

BACKPACK BUS TRIP

Stop II / Fonghuanggu Bird and Ecology Park

Though not directly on the shuttle-bus route, my next stop,

Fonghuanggu Bird and Ecology Park, was nonetheless easy

to reach by taking a taxi from Zhushan (30 min. / NT$500 one

way; you can also take Yuanlin Bus No. 6717, which only costs

you NT$83 but will take almost an hour). Part sanctuary, part

zoo, and part research center, the park offers stunning views of

Mt. Fenghuang, which belongs to the Alishan Mountain Range.

A husband-and-wife volunteer guide team led me around the

park, teaching me about the various plant and bird species we

passed, paying special attention to those native to Taiwan, such

as the Swinhoe's Pheasant. The true stars of the park are the

parrots, which take the stage several times a day in their own

show, which is equal parts educational and entertaining. I was

introduced to Xiao-Bai, a mischievous blue-eyed cockatoo, and

his somewhat grumpy counterpart Mei-Mei, a blue-and-yellow

macaw whose nasty disposition was brightened with nothing

more than a few sunflower seeds.

But oh, yes, my next mission. Parting ways with Xiao-Bai,

who had taken up residence on my arm for a good long while

as he ate seeds from my palm, I was off in search of Taiwan's

national bird, the Formosan Blue Magpie. With the help of

my guides I was able to locate my majestic quarry, spying the

trademark dark-blue hindfeathers of the “long-tailed mountain

lady.”

Xitou

Stop I / Evershine Lantern Factory

Once again (similar to previous Taiwan Tourist Shuttle

bus trips done for Travel in Taiwan), I was off on the shuttle

bus with a stack of missions to complete. My first stop: the

Evershine Lantern Factory in the Zhushan Industrial Zone.

Don't let the “Industrial Zone” in the name throw you. It's

more a quaint collection of artisan warehouse workshops than

the dusty, dirty grid of smoke-spewing factories the name might

bring to mind. As for Evershine, it's a former umbrella factory

that began churning out lanterns in 1960 for everything from

celebrations, festivals, and weddings to funerals. Visitors learn

about the history of lantern usage and what the various lantern

designs mean, with English tours available.

There is also an open workshop, where a team of five

expert lantern makers produce between two and three hundred

lanterns per day, doing everything from making the

f lexible bamboo frames to cutting the cotton cloth

that will be slid over them. My mission here was

mercifully less difficult than this exacting task. I

was handed a completed lantern and simply had

to paint a f lower on it, along with the Chinese

characters for “I Love Taiwan.” Though it

came out something like a pre-schooler's

art project (with all due respect to any

preschoolers who may be reading this),

I was nonetheless pleased with my

work, and with a new souvenir to

take home headed on to stop

number two.

Don't blink!

" I Love Taiwan" lantern

Formosan Blue Magpie

XITOU

Travel in Taiwan 39

BACKPACK BUS TRIP

Stop III / Lugu

Back on the shuttle route again. The next stop, the township

of Lugu, is a place known for its many tea plantations and

teahouses. I strode from the bus stop over to Hong's Tea House

– Chun Ya Tang Tea World, where I received a crash course in

tea etiquette and tasting.

My instructor, the kindly Mrs. Wu Mei-na, walked me

through a basic “Art of Tea 101” session that is available to

anyone who wants to stop by. Basics include filling the pot a

quarter of the way up with tea leaves, heating the water to a

lower temperature, around 95 degrees Celsius, for a thinner

taste, and higher for a thicker taste, and using the proper

brewing time, 50 seconds for the first pour, going up in

increments of about 10 seconds for every subsequent round.

And don't forget the proper serving form – elders first, and if

everyone is around the same age, right to left.

With these basics out of the way, it was time to put my

newfound expertise to the test – a taste test. Three kinds of

oolong tea were placed before me, and I was to determine which

of the three was the smooth dongding variety I had sampled

earlier in my visit – for which Lugu is best known – a tea said

to aid digestion, best enjoyed on a full stomach. I also had

to match each cup with the different types of leaves that had

been placed in three separate bowls. Much to my surprise, and

thanks to Mrs. Wu's expert teaching, I was able to get all three

correct, and after one or two more quick cups of oolong it was

time to be on my way again.

Stop IV / Xitou Nature Education Area

Next up was a place well-known to tourists in Taiwan, to

the tune of about a million of them per year, Xitou Nature

Education Area. This park was the site of a Japanese logging

operation during the 1895~1945 colonial era, during which

almost all the native Taiwanese cedar was cut down. The

Japanese cedar planted in its stead have since been allowed to

reach up toward the sky without the threat of the saw, and the

Taiwanese variety is starting to make a modest comeback.

The showpiece of the park is the aptly named Sacred Tree, a

2,800-year-old red cypress that has survived no less than three

lightning strikes, spared the blade due to the fact that a fungus

left it hollow and unusable.

Another highlight, and the subject of my mission for this

stop, is the Skywalk, 220-meter-long walkway built seven-

stories-high above the forest f loor. It was originally built

for visitors to observe canopy life from above; but since its

construction in 2004, the surrounding trees have actually grown

past it. Unfortunately, the Skywalk was closed for maintenance

during my visit, so a picture taken with me standing beside it

will have to do.

Stop V / Monster Village

Conveniently located right next door to Xitou Nature

Education Area is Monster Village, a quirky collection of shops

and restaurants tied together with a Disney-esque horror theme.

Even the food is “monstrous,” with snacks including tang yuan (boiled balls of glutinous rice f lour) made to look like eyeballs,

and “biting cat buns,” so named for their use of a stinging nettle

found in the Xitou area, Urtica thunbergiana, commonly called

“biting cat” in Taiwan. The plant, if handled, produces an

itching sensation similar to poison ivy, but is perfectly edible

after it's cooked.

Speaking of which, my mission was to try this ominously

named treat, and it didn't take long to find the bakery that

was the village's first shop, opened decades ago. On the way I

Let's bite a biting cat bun

Let's have some fine Lugu dongding

BACKPACK BUS TRIP

Reservation Hotline: (02) 2775-5005 Address: 73, Lane 72, Guangfu S. Rd., Taipei City(台北市光復南路72巷73號) Website: www.burntcharcoal.com

We serve traditional Korean cuisine in a modern yet cozy setting and provide excellent service for a unique Korean dining experience.

Burnt Charcoal Korean BBQ Restaurant

Contemporary Korean Cuisine

passed by the village mascots, Bado and Kumar, representatives

of black bear and clouded leopard species native to Taiwan

(the latter now extinct), and also took in a performance by an

indigenous music troupe.

The village provides a free performance area for musicians,

and shows are held every day of the week. The biting cat buns,

I'm pleased to say, were delicious, as were the biting

cat pineapple cakes. Feel free to try some the next time

you find yourself in Xitou. And say hello to Bado and

Kumar for me.

Evershine Lantern Factory (光遠燈籠觀光工廠 )Add: 11, Yanping 2nd Rd., Zhushan Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣竹山鎮延平二路 11號 )Tel: (049) 264-2394Website: www.ever-shine.com.tw

Fonghuanggu Bird and Ecology Park (鳳凰谷鳥園 )Add: 1-9, Renyi Rd., Fenghuang Village, Lugu Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣鹿谷鄉鳳凰村仁義路 1-9 號 )Tel: (049) 275-3100Website: fhk.nmns.edu.tw

Hong’s Tea House – Chun Ya Tang Tea World (宏記茶業 – 春雅堂名茶 )Add: 88-9, Xingchan Rd., Lugu Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣鹿谷鄉興產路 88-9 號 )Tel: (049) 275-5798

Xitou Nature Education Area (溪頭自然教育園區 )Add: 9, Senlin Lane, Lugu Township, Nantou County ( 南投縣鹿谷鄉森林巷 9 號 )Tel: (049) 261-2111Website: www.exfo.ntu.edu.tw/sitou/eng/01about/

Monster Village (妖怪村 )Add: 2-3, Xingchan Rd., Lugu Township, Nantou County ( 南投鹿谷鄉興產路 2之 3號 )Tel: (049) 261-2376Website: www.mingshan.com.tw (Chinese)

English and ChineseAlishan Mountain Range 阿里山山脈"biting cat buns" 咬人貓麵包dongding 凍頂"long-tailed mountain lady" 長尾山娘 Lugu 鹿谷Mt. Fenghuang 鳳凰山 Sacred Tree 神木

tang yuan 湯圓Wu Mei-na 吳美娜Wuri 烏日Xitou 溪頭Zhushan 竹山Zhushan Industrial Zone 竹山工業區

BACKPACK BUS TRIP XITOU

Travel in Taiwan 41Reservation Hotline: (02) 2775-5005 Address: 73, Lane 72, Guangfu S. Rd., Taipei City(台北市光復南路72巷73號) Website: www.burntcharcoal.com

We serve traditional Korean cuisine in a modern yet cozy setting and provide excellent service for a unique Korean dining experience.

Burnt Charcoal Korean BBQ Restaurant

Contemporary Korean Cuisine

Text: Cheryl Robbins Photos: Sunny Su

Tradit ional huts at Bulau Bulau V i l lage

Cooking food over an open f ire

Reviving the Traditional Lifestyle of the Atayal Tribe

Bulau Bulau Aboriginal Village

Although the place is called an indigenous village, it differs

from most indigenous communities in that it

is not an administrative unit. There are no elected representatives, schools, or police. Instead, this

is a group of several families with adjoining plots of land who came together to try and recapture

the traditional lifestyle of their ancestors. The idea for this community started to come to fruition

eight years ago under the leadership of Wilang (Pan Jin-cheng). Wilang’s wife is from the Atayal

tribe, and one of those with land here. Though enjoying a successful career in Taipei, Wilang

found himself wanting to live a quieter, more meaningful life.

In the beginning, things were difficult. Yilan County has abundant rainfall, which can make

it difficult to grow some crops. After a period of trial and error, however, the group began to grow

most of what it needed, including bamboo, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes, plus millet, corn,

and other grains. Based on a design created by Wilang, the residents built homes using modern

methods and natural materials such as stone and wood to blend in with the hillside landscape.

They also built more traditional-style buildings using bamboo.

Once the residents had their homes and food, the next step was to create economic

opportunity. They learned woodcarving techniques and began to make their own furniture and

plates, not only for their own use, but also to sell. A weaving workshop was set up to produce

woven items for sale and to allow the elderly women proficient in this traditional art form to pass

on their knowledge to the younger generation.

42 Travel in Taiwan

INDIGENOUS VILLAGES

In the hills above Hanxi Village in Datong Township of Yilan County in northeast Taiwan is Bulau Bulau Aboriginal Village. The residents of Bulau Bulau are from the indigenous Atayal tribe, and in their language “bulau bulau” means to “go for a stroll” or to “take things easy.”

After the welcome, it is time for a visit to the open kitchen where

the many courses that will be served throughout the afternoon are

prepared. The counters are stacked with fresh ingredients. The next

stop is the men’s house. This is where woodcarving is done, and

where bamboo eating utensils such as cups and chopsticks are made.

The tour then continues in an area where there are traditional-style

bamboo buildings and where the millet wine is produced. After this,

it is a short walk downhill to where the community raises chickens.

Just beyond this is a stairway leading to the women’s house. This

is the community’s weaving workshop. Visitors can watch women

at work on traditional-style and more modern manual looms, and

listen to an explanation of traditional weaving techniques.

Travel in Taiwan 43

The community’s residents have opened their

doors to the public but,

concerned with the need to maintain a balance with nature, the number of

guests is restricted to 30 per day. To further minimize impact and to provide

safe transport along the narrow, winding local roads, four-wheel drives were

acquired. Guests are either picked up in the parking lot next to the Hanxi

Village police station or are instructed to walk across the adjacent Hanxi

Suspension Bridge, to be picked up on the other side. The Hanxi Suspension

Bridge is the longest cable suspension bridge in Yilan County, measuring more

than 300 meters, and is brightly decorated with Atayal-tribe motifs.

One of the first things that you will notice when meeting the guides who

take you on a tour of the community is that they dress in traditional Atayal

attire. Before going into the community proper they will explain the process

for growing mushrooms at a mushroom farm. From there, if the weather is

cooperative they will take you on a short uphill hike, with strategic resting

points where they explain the use of traditional-style Atayal traps that are in

place along the sides of the trail. Just before reaching the community, you are

taught the traditional Atayal greeting “lokah su.”

As you enter the community’s main activity area, you will see a traditional

Atayal watchtower. Scattered around the watchtower, on a grassy knoll, are

replicas of wild boar. These will be used for archery practice later in the day.

Next to the main dining area is a fire pit. Here, each guest is handed a skewer

on which is placed either a piece of pork pickled in millet wine or a large

mushroom. Guests cook their food over an open fire and wash it down with

the first of what may be many cups of millet wine. At Bulau Bulau it is possible

to sample millet wine from the top, middle, and bottom of the fermentation

vat. The differences lie in the transparency and the kick. So be careful to pace

yourself, especially if you plan to drive home after the day is done.

Cooking food over an open f ire

Guests cook their food over an open fire

and wash it down with the first of what

may be many cups of millet wine

Vil lage k itchen

YILAN

Vil lage resident

Shooting prac tice

Weaving work shop

English and ChineseAtayal tribe 泰雅族Datong Township 大同鄉Hanxi Suspension Bridge 寒溪吊橋Hanxi Village 寒溪村Pan Jin-cheng 潘今晟

Getting ThereBy car: From National Freeway No. 5, which connects Taipei City and Yilan County, get off at the Wujie/Luodong exit and head toward Luodong on County Road No. 191A. At Wujie Road, turn right and connect to County Road No. 196. At Zhongzheng North Road, turn left. This will eventually turn into Zhongzheng Road. Then turn left onto Zhongshan Road (Prov. Hwy No. 7C). Stay on this road until you come to Meihua Road/Yilan Township Road No. 33. Connect to Yilan Township Road No. 33 and follow it until you reach the Hanxi Village police station.

By train: From the Luodong Railway Station, you can take a taxi to the Hanxi Village police station. The cost is around NT$350. About 50 meters from the front of the train station is a stop for the Kuo Kuang Motor Transport route 1795 bus. The bus to the Hanxi Village police station only comes once every one or two hours, and the latest bus you can catch here to arrive on time at the police station departs at 9:30 a.m.

Bulau Bulau Aboriginal Village (不老部落落腳宿 )Add: 46, Huaxing Lane, Hanxi Village, Datong Township, Yilan County (宜蘭縣大同鄉寒溪村華興巷 46號 )Tel: 0919-090-061, (03) 961-4198Website: www.bulaubulau.com (Chinese)

After the tour, it is time to sample some fusion cuisine.

As certain crops are harvested at certain

times of the year, the menu changes from season to season. The appetizer

usually consists of three small portions of different dishes served on a long tray.

These can include pickled tomatoes and marinated home-grown vegetables.

The next course is usually another appetizer, such as sweet potato served with

ginger and rose salt. This may be followed by grilled fish coated in salt, served

with millet dumplings and a stew of pork with potatoes, carrots, leeks, and

mushrooms. There is still a main course to enjoy, which can be grilled chicken,

pork, or lamb shank. Vegetarians have their own menu, with items such as fried

rice and millet dumplings prepared with pumpkin rather than pork.

Between courses there is entertainment. Guests can enjoy listening to

traditional indigenous songs, and have the opportunity to learn a few dance

steps. After the meal, the fun continues with a dance circle and the opportunity

to test your skills with a bow and arrow. The time goes by surprisingly fast, and

at around 4 p.m. it is time to say goodbye and board the four-wheel drives for the

ride back down the hill.

Reservations are required to visit Bulau Bulau. The community currently

accepts reservations for Tuesday~Saturday visits. This is sometimes reduced

to four days a week, to allow the land and the people who live on it to rest.

The easiest way to make a reservation, if you can read Chinese, is to submit

a form on the community’s website (www.bulaubulau.com). Once the form is

submitted, you will receive an e-mail with map and directions to the Hanxi

Village police station and instructions on how to remit the required 10% deposit.

The balance is to be paid at the end of the day’s activities. The cost per person,

including transportation to and from the Hanxi Village police station, food,

drink, tour, and activities, is NT$2,200 per person, and guests must be at least

16 years of age. Another point to note is that Bulau Bulau does not currently

have any accommodations. Those who would like to stay in the area overnight

will find guesthouses in Hanxi Village.

If you have difficulty completing the reservation process in Chinese, Bulau

Bulau can provide English service by e-mail or phone.

After the meal, the fun continues with a

dance circle and the opportunity to test

your skills with a bow and arrow

INDIGENOUS VILLAGES

44 Travel in Taiwan

Caltrop farmers of Guantian, Tainan

A Strange Horny Fruit Text and Photos: Rich Matheson

The water caltrop (Trapa bicornis) is an aquatic plant with a fruit strangely shaped like Dali's moustache – although it is more often likened to the shape of a bull's horns. The fruit is alternately called ling nut, horn nut, bat nut, devil pod, and, in Chinese, ling jiao. On a recent trip to southern Taiwan, Travel in Taiwan found out more about this exotic fruit, the seed of which is edible.

46 Travel in Taiwan

FOOD JOURNEY

Native to parts of

Eurasia and China, there is evidence that the water caltrop has been cultivated for three thousand years. The genus Trapa was once found in North America, but disappeared prior to the Pleistocene. The fruit, rarely found in the West, becomes a ubiquitous part of southern Taiwan's landscape from September through December, when stands sporting signs with its distinct taurine shape line the roads.

Throughout Tainan's Guantian

District, during water-caltrop season you

can see farmers in hip waders harvesting

the fruit. Others will be squatting in

small canoes to harvest fields too deep to

wade through. This traditional method

was originally employed when water

caltrop was grown in deeper waterways

and natural wetlands rather than in

dedicated paddies.

Li Wen-yu, of the Guantian

District Farmers' Association, explains to us that the ling nut was introduced to Taiwan during the time when

Ming Dynasty loyalist and military leader Koxinga (1624~1662) had his headquarters in the Tainan area. At that time, Guantian was dotted with muddy pools created after the excavation of clay used in the area's brick kilns. The area offered easy access to water, and the clay soil was ideal for water caltrop. Guantian long enjoyed a virtual monopoly in Taiwan’s water-caltrop market, until about a decade ago when farmers in other areas, mainly Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties, began cultivating water caltrop as well. There followed a few difficult years for Guantian farmers as market prices fell, but the situation has improved in the last several years, spurred in part by the introduction of organic cultivation.

Yang Cong-gui, chief of operations for

the Friendly Earth Organic Alliance, a

cooperative of farmers who share the dream

of turning Taiwan into an organic paradise,

kindly agreed to show Travel in Taiwan around his Guantian-based operation.

When Yang was only 18 he decided

he wanted to be an organic farmer, but he

had to wait until he was 37 and after he

had ended a career in technology before

embarking on his dream. He established

a lab/classroom consisting of six pools for

research. Following two years of studying

the local eco-system and critically

weighing matters of ecology and habitat,

Friendly Earth was founded in 2010. Yang

says the public must be educated not only

on the cost to human health from the

harmful chemicals used in agriculture, but

also on the environmental costs caused by

regular farming.

Guantian has 350 hectares of water-

caltrop paddies, of which about 3-4% are

cultivated organically, without the use of

chemicals. In 2011, Friendly Earth had

seven organic farmers and 3 hectares of

organic fields. The following year there

were 15 organic farmers, harvesting 8

hectares. Today, 30 work 17 hectares.

Mr. Yang stresses that the most

important quality his organic farmers

possess is their “heart.” According to

him, only about 5% of Taiwan’s farmers

meet government standards on the

A strangely shaped fruit indeed Famer tending to his deep -water f ie ld

Travel in Taiwan 47

WATER CALTROPSFOOD JOURNEY

You can see farmers in hip waders harvesting the fruit; others will be squatting in small canoes to

harvest fields too deep to wade through

safe use of chemicals, the non-use of

chemicals, or organic farming. With

both regulations and law enforcement

leaving much to be desired, he says, when

it comes to organic farming the most

important factor is the farmers’ personal

desire and commitment to creating the

best product they are capable of while

being as careful with area ecology as

their knowledge enables.

Among its various initiatives,

Friendly Earth championed successful

efforts to protect the pheasant-tailed

jacana. Guantian's caltrop paddies are

the main breeding grounds for these

waders, and the use of chemicals in

agriculture was causing the population

of this rare and valuable bird to dwindle.

Today there is a healthy population.

From the first to fourth

months each year, caltrop seedlings are grown in successively larger tubs of water, and around the Dragon Boat Festival, which is generally in June, the plants are transplanted to the water-filled paddies. Three months later the harvest begins, usually starting in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival around September, and lasting through to December. In the final month of the year, rice is planted,

and after the rice harvest in the next year, the field is baked in the sun to prepare for the next water-caltrop planting. Crops are rotated, and each field is left fallow for a year every 2-3 years.

After our chat with Mr. Yang, we

carry on to a caltrop field where a

busload of schoolchildren is learning

about their renowned local crop. Local

farmer Xu Yu-can is explaining harvest

techniques to the children, and later gives

them a chance to wade in the field and

harvest the horny nuts.

During the harvest months the

farmers rotate through their fields,

picking each clean in turn, eventually

arriving back at the field where they

started. Then they start circling again.

These cycles continue until the end of the

harvest – signaled by the coming of the

north wind, usually mid-December.

Farmer Xu says that an ideal water-

caltrop plant produces 32 harvests in its

lifetime, and the highest-quality water

caltrops are harvested in October – they

have the finest taste.

Li Wen-yu of the Guantian District

Farmers' Association explains the

association’s role in the water-caltrop

harvest to Travel in Taiwan. “We first

collect water caltrop fruit from the

individual farmers, and the fruit is

thoroughly cleaned in a large vat of

water. All fruit that f loats to the top is

optimal for immediate consumption;

these are shelled and sent to vendors or

restaurants. The remaining select fruit

are hand-sorted according to size, and

the horns are inspected to see if the thin

skin layer that covers the hard shell is

damaged. Rotten fruit are disposed of.

The remaining fruit are either shipped

to farmers’ markets in 20kg bags or

immediately frozen to retain freshness.”

The larger fruits aren't necessarily tastier;

they just look better. In fact, explains

Mr. Li, you can't tell if a fruit is tasty and

fresh until you have shelled it. The smell

is telling, however. A fragrant ling nut

will taste good, a pungent one will not,

and one with no smell will be tasteless.

Water caltrops are typically prepared

for consumption with a 40-minute boil.

The shells are very hard and sharp, so

caltrops are often sold already shelled,

for which a special knife is used. A great

snack, they are filling and are said to be

good for hangovers and fever.

The smell is telling. A fragrant

ling nut will taste good, a pungent one will not, and one with no smell will be tasteless

48 Travel in Taiwan

FOOD JOURNEY

Kai Hsuan Restaurant (凱旋餐廳 )Add: 41-1, Sanjieyi, Guantian District,Tainan City (台南市官田區三結義 41-1號 )Tel: (06) 579-4020

In the afternoon we visit Kai Hsuan Restaurant, where proprietor Yang Mei-e has prepared the restaurant’s popular water-caltrop set meal (book a day in advance, as the dishes take time to cook and prepare). She states that the restaurant is well known simply because it is the only restaurant specializing in water caltrop. That said, the food is superb.

The pork caltrop soup is seasoned

with cilantro and the subtle taste of the

fruit is effused with the pork's f lavor.

In season, the water caltrop are fresh,

direct from the farms, but with a three-

day shelf life, frozen fruit are often used

and can be kept for a year without losing

freshness. Mrs. Yang says they use fruit

that is not too ripe nor too young, just

right, otherwise the meat would be too

watery or tough respectively.

The most f lavorful dish we sample

is deep-fried caltrop coated in a bread

crumb mixture, which is crunchy,

starchy, and filling. Finally we try sesame

oil water caltrop with sticky rice. The

caltrop in this dish brought to mind a

russet potato texture; a stickier starchier

version of the fruit.

Next time you see this strange

horny fruit being sold on the roadside

in southern Taiwan, don't pass up the

opportunity – buy a bag to munch on as

you drive on.

English and ChineseFriendly Earth Organic Alliance 友善大地有機聯盟Guantian District 官田區Li Wen-yu 李文裕

ling jiao 菱角Xu Yu-can 許玉燦Yang Cong-gui 楊從貴Yang Mei-e 楊美娥

Pork caltrop soup

Deep -fr ied caltrop

Travel in Taiwan 49

FOOD JOURNEY WATER CALTROPS

Add: 5-1, Lane 75, Sec. 4, Minsheng E. Rd., Taipei City (台北市民生東路四段75巷5-1號)Tel: (02) 2718-8373 Blog: http://sophie109.pixnet.net/blog (Chinese)Located close to MRT Songshan Airport Station (7 min. by foot)

We insist on natural ways and make all our dishes and seasonings by hand.Every Saturday evening we have a cultural performance (music or dance).Most of the produce used is from organic production.

Enjoy creative international cuisine (vegan) in a relaxed Southern-France-style ambience!

Sophie’s Garden蘇菲花園

Vegetarian Restaurant

50 Travel in Taiwan

Text: Hanré Malherbe Photos: Zenith Lin

Extreme sports are alive and well in Taiwan, with regular

events scheduled through most of the year at venues

that are easily accessible. Each respective discipline

has its local and national heroes and heroines, who

put much into their sport to advance their own skills

and give much back as well to advance it. The various

disciplines are integrated by online social networks.

Having Fun

and Meeting a

Local Legend

at the Extreme

Sports Training

Center

in Nangang

XBMX legend John Cheng BMX newbie Hanré

ACTIVE FUN

The three most prominent

extreme sport disciplines in Taiwan are BMXing, skateboarding,

and rollerblading. Others include downhill mountain biking,

dirt jumping, slack lining, rock climbing, and parkour. I have

primarily been involved with the local rollerblading scene, and

had encounters with the downhill mountain biking scene, and

have seen (and been told) that the followers in each discipline

are like family, the more proficient individuals helping everyone

else improve their skills on the regular outings, giving them a

relaxed and positive feel.

On a recent day I headed to the Taipei Extreme Sports

Training Center to meet up with a Taiwanese BMX legend –

John Cheng. When I had started looking for BMX riders willing

to do an interview, the first person recommended to me (by my

fellow rollerbladers) was John’s son, who informed me that he

unfortunately had to attend a competition in mainland China

and asked if I would be willing to interview his father instead. I

was curious, and did a bit of research to find out who he was.

Just by looking at the vast number of stunning action photos

I found, I was sure that he’d been around for a very long time.

Sponsored by DC shoes, Haro Bike, and Thor, he has seen and

done pretty much everything in extreme sports. His intimidating

achievements include jumping over 33 people and, later, over 15

motor scooters! On top of this he also has an impressive track

record, competing both nationally as well as internationally, in

various BMX disciplines such as vert (half-pipe), dirt jumping,

big air, street (park), and flat landing. Most notable are probably

his 1st-place finish on the ESPN X-Games Asian Tour in 2001,

and his 3rd-place finish in 2003 at the ESPN X-Games on its stop

in Taiwan. Like many professionals in cycling – especially the

extreme forms thereof – he has done a fair share of motocross

as well, and on many occasions has served as announcer or

commentator at competitions and shows.

Before we come to the interview with

John, I would like to

introduce two skate parks in northern Taiwan – both of which

are easy to find, have free admission, are surrounded by beautiful

scenery, and are accessible on a daily basis. The first one is

located in Pingzhen City, Taoyuan County. After a 40-minute

train ride from Taipei Railway Station to Zhongli Railway

Station, take a taxi to the recently built skate park, which is

located inside Xinshi Park. It is basically a huge, long concrete

depression shaped roughly like a tub, around 10 feet deep at

one end and 5 feet at the other. Toward the middle of the “tub,”

extending part-way into it from a side wall like a soap dish, is

a bowl about 6 feet deep. Along the outside of the tub, on level

ground, are various street obstacles: a multiple-line box, rails,

and ledges – perfect for beginner and intermediate-level riding (or

blading, skating ... the lot). Both young and old extreme-sports

practitioners visit this park – mostly on weekends. On weekdays

you’ll likely have the park almost to yourself.

The second skate park, and the place I met up with John

Cheng, is the Taipei Extreme Sports Training Center. It is

located right next to Exit 2 at the MRT Nangang Station on

the Taipei Metro’s Bannan Line (Blue Line). Nangang Railway

Station is also close by, making it easy to visit this park and the

one in Pingzhen in a single day. The park, in which wood is

the primary building material used, is built in three levels on

a hillside, with a building on the first level, a street course on

the second, and a 12-foot vert ramp on the third. Some exciting

recent news for aficionados is that the Taiwan Extreme Sports

Association, which runs the center, is planning a complete

revamp of the street course and renovation of the vert ramp and

mini bowl, topping everything with a roof! Yes! A roof!

After seeing the blueprints, I can honestly say that this skate

park will become one of the best venues of its kind in all of

Taiwan. In addition to the changes described above, facilities

and services will include a small, well-stocked gym, rental of

bikes, boards, skates, and protective gear, parking spots for

scooters and cars, and bathrooms.

The action started shortly after I

arrived at the

park in Nangang. John greeted me and picked out a BMX (one

of his own) and helmet for me to use, and we headed straight

for the street course. He started showing his prowess by doing

effortless 180 table tops on the 9-foot quarter pipe, and gave

me tips as I was getting used to the feel of a BMX. Next, he did

f lawless 360s one after the other over the fun box, and then we

moved on to (in his words) “smaller, easier tricks” – graceful

back-wheel stalls on the spine, and accurate “ice pick” grinds on

the square rail.

By then the time had come for me to try out some stunts of

my own, and I have to admit that, despite growing up doing

downhill mountain biking, I didn’t expect it to be that difficult!

I ended up doing some exhausting pumps on the vert ramp, and

some simple bunny hops over the box with the square rail on

top of it. All in all, I have to say BMXing is seriously fun. The

small wheelbase of the bike makes every little bump and drop

feel exhilaratingly playful. I would recommend that every thrill-

seeker try BMXing at least once, for you’ll not be disappointed!

in Nangang

ACTIVE FUN BMX BIKING

Travel in Taiwan 51

52 Travel in Taiwan

How and when did you start riding BMX?

“I started riding BMX in primary school, roughly 30 years

ago. When I was small, Taiwan was a manufacturers’

paradise, so one would often see BMX bikes in the city. What

really stimulated my interest in the sport, though, was a

Taiwanese BMX film called Magic Wheels.”

Who would be most likely to go along on a BMX session

with you?

“Currently, most of the time I go riding with my children,

honing our skills together. However, on the odd Saturday

I’ll be joined at the skate park by other veteran riders, or the

next generation of professionals. We’ll ride till they turn off

the lights, and then go enjoy dinner together before heading

home.”

If you could go riding anywhere in Taiwan for the next 7

days, which spots would you visit?

“I would actually put my bike on the back of my car, avoid

skate parks, and drive through the mountains in Hualien or

Taitung counties, stop whenever I see something that looks

like fun, take my bike off the car and ride it, you know? Make

a trip of it. Because if you only go to the various skate parks,

it feels a little meaningless. You can find amazing obstacles

in the strangest places... like huge banks along riversides. In

the end you’ll feel like you’re riding for the sake of riding, not

for the sake of competing.”

What has been happening lately on the Taiwan BMX scene?

Is it more alive than in the past? Events? Demos?

“One sees a lot more people BMXing nowadays, because

more skate parks are popping up or getting renovated, which

obviously puts more and more children in contact with the

sport as well. Demos depend on manufacturers, as they

always have, varying in number from one season to the next.

Every year, however, there is a big international cycle trade

show in Nangang, which is 4 days packed with demos.”

Is there anything you’d like to say regarding events here at

the Nangang Extreme Sports Training Center?

“The Taiwan Extreme Sports Association organizes summer

camps every year, and they are free! If you have children,

or are interested in trying out BMXing, skateboarding, or

rollerblading, be sure to join up. You can call (02) 2786-3258,

or visit www.xgame-tw.org for details.”

Q :

Q :

Q :

Q :

Q :

Nangang E x treme Spor ts Training Center

Now then, let’s hear what John had to say, shall we?

ACTIVE FUN

English and Chinese

John Cheng 鄭邦中

Pingzhen 平鎮

Taipei Extreme Sports Training Center

臺北市極限運動訓練中心

Taiwan Extreme Sports Association

中華民國極限運動協會

Xinshi Park 新勢公園

Zhongli 中壢

So there you have it... and I have to say, I feel lucky to have had the chance to

spend some time with a real Taiwanese BMX legend! I’ll leave all of you with some

practical information and things to remember when visiting skate parks in Taiwan:

Pingzhen Skate Park:

58, Zhongyuan Rd., Pingzhen City, Taoyuan County

(桃園縣平鎮市中原路 58號 )

Taipei Extreme Sports Training Center:

382, Sec. 7, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Nangang District, Taipei City

(台北市南港區忠孝東路 7段 382號 )

While at skate parks in Taiwan:

Please watch out for children, because on more crowded days, they play around, sometimes behind

obstacles, making them difficult to see, which can lead to collisions and serious injury.

When is the best time to visit these skate parks?

Mornings and evenings are usually the best time, as it can get crowded in the afternoons.

Taiwan Extreme Sports Association's Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/cxsa.taipei

You’ll be able to ask any unanswered questions here, as well as see photos of and promotions for

events, the various skate parks, and so on.

“ Ice pick s” on a square rai l

Pumps on the ver t ramp

ACTIVE FUN

Travel in Taiwan 53

BMX BIKING

Good Service

Photos: Din Tai Fung, Tripod King

When asking visitors to Taiwan about their

travel experience here, you

will often hear praise for the friendliness and helpfulness of the locals. In

Taiwan, treating foreign visitors with respect and hospitality is a matter

of course. This warmth and friendliness when dealing with others, often

called “rén qíng wèi” (人情味 ) in Mandarin, is ingrained in the society and

is nothing out of the ordinary for people living here.

In some cases, however, hospitality reaches new heights, and business

service is of such a high quality that even locals are pleasantly surprised.

Prime examples are two well-known restaurant chains, the renowned

dumpling-maker Din Tai Fung and the popular hotpot restaurant chain

Tripod King. Their success, beyond the outstandingly delicious dishes

served, is due to their insistence on high-quality service. At Din Tai Fung

every guest is greeted and served like a VIP. Friendliness and f lexibility are

this restaurant chain’s stated keys to providing outstanding service.

Like Din Tai Fung, Tripod King emphasizes sincere and attentive service.

Staff members are carefully selected and trained to ensure that every single

guest is welcomed and served with the proper attitude and etiquette. Apart

from its exquisite mala (literally “numbing spicy”) hotpot, this restaurant

chain is probably best known for something you don’t often see outside

Japan – the wait staff making 90-degree bows each time they leave your

table. Asian hospitality at its finest!

54 Travel in Taiwan

DAILY LIFE

Asian Hospitality at Its Finest

Travel in Taiwan 55

REGENT TAIPEI台北晶華酒店 Taipei 台北

No.3, Ln.39, Sec.2, Zhongshan N. Rd., Taipei City, 1041 0 4台北市中山北路二段3 9巷3號

Tel: 02.2523.8000Fax: 02.2523.2828

www.regenttaipei.com

No. of Rooms: 538

Room Rates: Superior Room NT$ 13,600 Deluxe Room NT$ 14,600 Residence NT$ 20,800 Junior Suite NT$ 22,800 Elite Suite NT$ 26,800 Corner Suite NT$ 32,800 Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak:English, Japanese, Chinese

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

sPecial featuRes: Executive business center, fitness center, sauna, rooftop swim-ming pool, SPA, ballroom and convention facilities, parking, laundry service, 24-hour room service, wireless Internet, airport transportation service

TAIPEI GALA HOTEL慶泰大飯店 Taipei 台北

186 Songjiang Rd., Taipei City,1041 0 4台北市松江路18 6號

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

Tel: 02.2541.5511 Fax: 02.2531.3831Reservation Hotline: 02.2541.6888

E-mail: galahtl@ms18.hinet.net

www.galahotel.com.tw

No. of Rooms: 160

Room Rates: Single Room NT$ 5,800 Deluxe Single Room NT$ 6,200 Deluxe Twin Room NT$ 6,800 Suite Room NT$ 9,800

Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: English, Japanese, Chinese

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

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

COSMOS HOTEL TAIPEI台北天成大飯店 Taipei 台北

43, Chunghsiao (Zhongxiao) W. Rd.,Sec. 1, Taipei City, 100

(MRT Taipei Main Station, Exit M3)1 0 0台北市忠孝西路一段4 3號 (捷運台北車站M 3號出口)

Tel: 02.2361.7856 Fax: 02.2311.8921 Reservation Hotline: 02.2311.8901

Reservation Fax: 02.2311.8902 E-mail: cosmos@cosmos-hotel.com.tw

www.cosmos-hotel.com.tw

No. of Rooms: 225Room Rates: SUPERIOR SINGLE NT$ 4,500 SUPERIOR TWIN NT$ 5,000 EXECUTIVE DELUXE NT$ 5,200 DELUXE TWIN NT$ 5,500 FAMILY TRIPLE NT$ 5,600 DELUXE TRIPLE NT$ 5,800 FAMILY QUAD NT$ 6,200 DELUXE QUAD NT$ 6,800 VIP ROOM NT$ 6,800 JUNIOR SUITE NT$ 8,000 DELUXE SUITE NT$ 16,800 COSMOS SUITE NT$ 20,000Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: Chinese, Japanese, English, Cantonese

RestauRaNts: Cantonese Dimsum, Shang-hai Cuisine, Buffet Breakfast, Lily Café, Ditrevi Ice Cream Shop, La Fusion Bakery

sPecial featuRes: Conference Room, Banquet Hall, Gift Shop, Barber Shop, Flower Shop, Parking Space, Gym

HOTEL ÉCLAT怡亨酒店 Taipei 台北

370, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd., Da-an District, Taipei City 1061 0 6 台北市敦化南路一段37 0號

Tel: 02.2784.8888 Fax: 02.2784.7888Res. Hotline: 02.2784.8118

www.eclathotels.com

No. of Rooms: 60

Room Rates: Deluxe Room NT$ 12,000 Grand Deluxe Room NT$ 12,500 Premier Room NT$ 13,000 Premier 9 NT$ 15,000 Éclat Suite NT$ 35,000(All rates are exclusive of 5% VAT and 10% service charge)

Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: English, Taiwanese, Chinese, Japanese, Cantonese,

RestauRaNts: Éclat Lounge, George Bar

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

No. of Rooms: 220

Room Rates: Deluxe / Single / Twin & Double NT$ 7,800~8,500 Suite NT$ 9,500~20,000

Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: Chinese, English, Japanese

RestauRaNts: La Fontaine (Western), Chiou Hwa (Chinese)

sPecial featuRes: Coffee Shop, Fitness Center, Business Center, laundry service, meeting and banquet facilities, non-smoking floor, parking lot, airport transfer service

GLORIA PRINCE HOTEL TAIPEI華泰王子大飯店 Taipei 台北

369 Lin-sen (Linsen) N. Rd., Taipei City, 104 1 0 4台北市林森北路3 6 9號

Tel: 02.2581.8111Fax: 02.2581.5811, 2568-2924

www.gloriahotel.com

HOTEL SENSE伸適商旅 Taipei 台北

No. of Rooms: 79Room Rates: Superior Room NT$ 7,500 Business Room NT$ 8,500 Deluxe Room NT$ 9,500 Executive Deluxe Room NT$ 9,000 Executive Suite NT$ 10,000 Sense Suite NT$ 15,000 Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: English, Japanese, Chinese

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

477 , Linsen N. Rd., Zhongshan District, Taipei City 1041 0 6台10 4台北市中山區林森北路47 7號

Tel: 02.7743.1000 Fax: 02.7743.1100 E-mail: info@hotelsense.com.tw

www.hotelsense.com.tw

No. of Rooms: 203Room Rates: Deluxe Room NT$ 8,000 Business Room NT$ 9,000 Executive Deluxe Room NT$ 10,000 Boss Suite NT$ 15,000 Premier Suite NT$ 20,000

Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: English, Japanese, Mandarin, Taiwanese, Cantonese

RestauRaNts: Rain Forest Café, Garden Terrace, Lounge 81

sPecial featuRes: Business center, Pyramid Club - luxury executive floor, multifunctional room, Internet service, 32-inch LCD TV, garden terrace, bar, fitness club, outdoor pool, sauna, spa, aromatherapy, car park

MIRAMAR GARDEN TAIPEI美麗信花園酒店 Taipei 台北

83 Civic Boulevard, Sec. 3, Taipei City, 1041 0 4台北市市民大道三段8 3號

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

www.miramargarden.com.tw

Hotels of Taiwan

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

Visitors to Taiwan have a wide range of choice when it comes to accommodation. From five-star luxury hotels that meet the highest international standards, to affordable business hotels, to hot-spring and beach resort hotels, to privately-run homestays located in the countryside there is a place to stay that satisfies every traveler’s needs. What all hotels of Taiwan — small and big, expensive and affordable — have in common is that serve and hospitality are always of the highest standards. The room rates in the following list have been checked for each hotel, but are subject to change without notice. Room rates at the hotels apply.

56 Travel in Taiwan

THE GRAND HOTEL圓山大飯店 Taipei 台北

No. of Rooms: 487 (Suites: 57)Room Rates: Single/DBL NT$ 5,700 – 11,000 Suite NT$ 15,000 – 28,000

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

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

sPecial featuRes: Grand Ballroom, conference rooms for 399 people, 10 breakout rooms, business center, fitness center, sauna, Olympic-size swimming pool, tennis courts, billiards

1 Chung Shan N. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City, 10461 R.O.C1 0 4 6 1台北市中山北路四段1號

Tel: 886.2.2886.8888Fax: 886.2.2885.2885

www.grand-hotel.org

No. of Rooms: 121Room Rates: Cozy NT$ 7,200 Deluxe NT$ 7,800 Premier NT$ 8,500 Premier City View NT$ 8,800 Dual Queen NT$ 10,800 Premier Dual Queen NT$ 11,800 Executive Suite NT$ 12,800 Grand Suite NT$ 12,800 Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: English, Chinese, JapaneseRestauRaNts: Unwind Bar & Restaurant sPecial featuRes:

Located in the heart of the energetic Xi-mending; 1 minute on foot to MRT Ximen Station; free wireless Internet access; fitness center; business center; laundry; meeting room; complimentary Chinese/Western buffet breakfast; safety deposit box; express laundry service; limousine service; airport pick-up.

TAIPEI WESTGATE HOTEL永安棧 Taipei 台北

No.150, Sec. 1, Zhonghua Rd., Wanhua Dist., Taipei City, 108

(MRT Ximen Station, Exit 6)

1 0 8台北市中華路一段15 0號

Tel: 02.2331.3161 Fax: 02.2388.6216Reservation Hotline: 02.2388.1889

www.westgatehotel.com.tw

ALISHAN HOUSE阿里山賓館 Chiayi 嘉義

No. of Rooms: 139

Room Rates: Scenery Suite Room/Twin Room NT$ 6,600 Double Suite NT$ 10,000 Fragrant Suite Room/Quad Room NT$ 12,000 Superior Suite NT$ 16,000 VIP Suite NT$ 16,000 Executive Suite NT$ 26,000 Handicapped Suite(Free Space Room) NT$ 26,000 President Suite NT$ 300,000

(Prices above not including 10% Service Charge)

GeNeRal maNaGeR: Mr. Jen-Shing Chen

Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: Chinese, English, Japanese

RestauRaNts: Chinese, Café, Courtyard

sPecial featuRes: Broadband Internet access in guestrooms, business center, Souvenir Shop, Gazebo, 1950’s dance hall, foot massage

16 Sianglin Village, Alishan Township, Chiayi County, 605

6 0 5嘉義縣阿里山鄉香林村16號 ALISHAN Tel: 05.267.9811 Fax: 05.267.9596 TAIPEI Tel: 02.2563.5259 Fax: 02.2536.5563

E-mail: service@alishanhouse.com.tw

www.alishanhouse.com.tw

TAICHUNG HARBOR HOTEL台中港酒店 Taichung 台中

388, Sec. 2, Dazhi Rd.,Wuqi District, Taichung City 4354 3 5台中市梧棲區大智路二段3 8 8號

Tel: 04.2656.8888 Fax: 04.2656.8899 www.tchhotel.com

No. of Rooms: 200Room Rates: Superior Single NT$ 5,600 Deluxe Single NT$ 6,200 Family Twin NT$ 7,600 Corner Semi-Suite NT$ 8,800 Harbor Suite NT$ 10,800 Executive Suite NT$ 12,800 Presidential Suite NT$ 38,000

Desk PeRsoNNel sPeak: English, Japanese, Chinese

RestauRaNts: Gladden Restaurant, Fukumi-nato Japanese Restaurant, Pier 88 Lounge Bar

sPecial featuRes:

SEA SPA, Fortune Boutique Shop, Gym, Conference Room

Taichung Harbor Hotel will make you feel at home with its newest and complete facilities and a tranquil environment.

Edison Travel Service specializes in Taiwan toursand offers cheaper hotel room rates and car rental services with drivers .Edison welcomes contact with other travelservices around the world.