City Exploration

Taichung ciTy

no. 61, 20141 2

top tEn toUriSt toUrS Sanxia and yinggE

BaCKpaCK BUS toUrS KaohSiUng’S daShU diStriCt

Food JoUrnEy pEanUt prodUCtion in yUnlin

Skateboarding in taiwanSea of Flowers in xinshe

hiking Mt. Bilu and Mt. yangtou

/

Welcome to Taiwan!Dear Traveler,

Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and I hope you enjoy our island’s winter warmth as

all of us here happily prepare for the holidays. Taiwan’s people, always f riendly and inviting, become

even more jovial and warm-spirited at this time of year.

In this issue we take you to cities and into the countryside, through the plains, into the foothills,

and up, up, up into the high mountains. In our Feature we tour the dynamic city of Taichung

in central Taiwan, escorting you to its best night markets and to many of its young, attractive,

energy-f illed cultural-creative attractions, among which are intriguing boutique hotels housed in

buildings of historical value.

In our Splendid Festivals section we go into the Taichung countryside to farm-carpeted Xinshe

District, in the central-mountain foothills, and spend a day amidst the great f ields of pastel colors at

the popular Sea of Flowers in Xinshe festival.

We head f urther south on the west-central plain in our Food Journey article intriguingly

entitled “The Black King Kong of Yuanchang,” on an exploration of one of Taiwan’s key areas

of peanut cultivation, then move f urther south still in this issue’s Backpack Bus Trip, visiting

Kaohsiung City’s rural Dashu District, which has a character well captured in our writer’s chosen

title – “Old Industry, Natural Wetland, Strong Liquor, Religious Center.”

In our Hiking department, as promised we go up into Taiwan’s soaring mountains, conquering

majestic Mt. Bilu and Mt. Yangtou on a challenging and rewarding three-day hike in powerf ully

picturesque and geologically unparalleled Taroko National Park.

Most visitors to Taiwan use Taipei as their portal, and for those of you who do not have time

to meander around the rest of our land we of fer a number of articles on things to do in our busy,

vibrant capital. In our Special Report we sample three of the city’s f inest health-food restaurants. In

Active Fun we tell you all about the local world of skateboarding, including where to buy gear and

where to play. In Top Ten Tourist Tours we visit Sanxia and Yingge, just southwest of Taipei and

easily reached via public transport, the former known for old-time Taiwan culture, the latter for

ceramics production.

I wish you warmth and joy in this festive season – the most wonderf ul time of our year!

David W. J. 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)January/February, 2014 Tourism Bureau, MOTCFirst published Jan./Feb., 2004ISSN: 18177964 GPN: 2009305475 Price: NT$200www.tit.com.tw/vision/index.htm

Copyright @ 2014 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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At the CMP Block Museum of Arts in Taichung (photo by Jen Guo-Chen)

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MagazInE IS SoLd at:1. Wu-Nan Culture Plaza, 6, Zhongshan Rd., Central Dist.,

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1026

CONTENTSJanuary ~ February 2014

CONTENTSJanuary ~ February 2014

Travel in Taiwan 3

feaTure10 Taichung: City on the Move — taichung Park and yizhong area — Science Museum and art Museum area — tunghai University and fengjia area

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

21 Hospitality32 Fun with Chinese 54 Nostalgia

BaCKPaCK BUS TriP38 Old Industry, Natural Wetland, Strong Liquor, Religious Center

— Riding the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Dashu Line

aCTive FUn50 Skateboarding in Taiwan

— A Day at a Small Skatepark in Downtown Taipei

10

50

TOP Ten TOUriST TOUrS22 Yingge & Sanxia

— A Day Spent Exploring Two Interesting Districts in New Taipei City

HiKinG26 Mt. Bilu and Mt. Yangtou

— A Challenging and Rewarding Three-Day Hiking Outing

SPeCial rePOrT42 Healthful Eating and Delicious Flavors

— Three of the Finest Health Food Restaurants in Taipei

FOOD JOUrneY46 The Black King Kong of Yuanchang

— Visiting a Peanut Farm in Southern Taiwan

46OlD STYle/new iDeaS34 From Art Brush to Beauty Brush — A Young Entrepreneur Explores New Ways to Apply an Age-Old Craft

SPlenDiD FeSTivalS28 The Sea of Flowers in Xinshe Festival

— Wading through an Inland Sea – of Flowers

28

A Spring Walk among Early Cherry Blossoms at Wuling Farm (春郊早櫻武陵行 )Location: Wuling Farm, Heping District, Taichung

City ( 台中市和平區武陵農場 )

Tel: (04) 2590-1257

Website: www.wuling-farm.com.tw

Wuling Farm is officially part

of Taichung City, but in terms of

character it could not be further from

the dense urban concentration at the core of Taiwan’s

third-largest city. The farm is located high up in the

northern reaches of the Central Mountain Range, off

scenic Highway 7A. In spring, the farm attracts f lower

lovers in large numbers, who come to enjoy the pink

and crimson blossoms of the farm’s many cherry trees.

Paired with the breathtaking mountain panoramas, the

cherry blossoms are a sight to behold. While visiting

the farm, go on a hike to beautiful Taoshan Waterfall,

learn about the protected landlocked salmon in

Qijiawan Creek, and taste the farm’s fresh temperate-

zone produce.

In contrast to countries with colder climates, the blooming

of trees doesn’t start in spring in Taiwan but earlier, in late

winter, when plum and cherry trees add color to parks and

hillsides around the land. Another colorful happening early

in the year is the annual Lantern Festival, which marks the

end of the Chinese New Year festival period and is celebrated

with a number of exciting cultural events, including the sky

lanterns of Pingxi and the beehive fireworks of Yanshui.

New Taipei City Wanjinshi International Marathon (萬金石國際馬拉松 )Locations: Pacific Green Bay, Wanli District, New Taipei City

( 新北市萬里區太平洋翡翠灣 )

Tel: (02) 2998-1382 ext 501 (Sports Office, New Taipei City Government)

Website: www.wanjinshimarathon.com

Road running has become extremely popular in Taiwan in recent years, and there will

be around 30 full marathons, as well as many shorter runs, longer ultra-marathons, and

challenging triathlons in Taiwan and its offshore islands in 2014. (For a full list, visit

www.taipeimarathon.org.tw/contest.aspx?lang=en-US.) One of the earliest races of the

year is the Wan Jin Shi International Marathon, one of Taiwan’s three major annual

marathons. The other two are the Taroko Gorge Marathon (Nov. 1) and Fubon Taipei

Marathon (Dec. 21). The route follows the scenic highway along the north coast through

the districts of Wanli, Jinshan, and Shimen (“Wanjinshi”). There will be a full and a

half marathon, as well as a 6km training run.

Yangmingshan Flower Festival (陽明山花季 )Location: Yangmingshan, Beitou District, Taipei City

( 台北市北投區陽明山 )

Tel: (02) 2720-8889

Website: www.taipei.gov.tw

Much easier to reach from the closest lowland areas

than Wuling Farm, but offering an

equally mesmerizing feast of f loral

beauty, Yangmingshan National Park,

less than an hour by bus from downtown

Taipei, is at its most beautiful in

February/March. Apart from blooming

cherry trees on the mountain slopes,

f lower lovers from near and far are also

delighted by azaleas and camellias. There are countless

hiking trails in the verdant high-mountain park, many

suitable for the whole family, and if you’d like a hot,

relaxing bath after a day exploring Mother Nature’s

delights, there are many options for soothing hot-spring

fun in the area.

Wintertime Festivals

Mar.2

Feb. Mar. Feb. Mar.

Flowers and Lanterns at the Start of the Year

TAIWAN TOURISM EVENTS

4 Travel in Taiwan

Taiwan Lantern Festival (台灣燈會 )Location: Zhongxing New Village, Nantou County (南投縣中興新村 )

Tel: (049) 222-2106~9

Website: nweb.nantou.gov.tw/web/2014taiwanlantern (Chinese)

The Chinese New Year holiday season traditionally ends two weeks after the first day of the new year

in the lunar calendar (Chinese New Year falls on January 31 this year), with the Lantern Festival (also

called Yuanxiao Festival). Many cities and townships celebrate the occasion with special Lantern

Festival activities. The biggest event is the Taiwan Lantern Festival, staged by a different selected

city or county each year. Nantou County will be the host this year, and the festival grounds will be in

Zhongxing New Village north of Nantou City, which is home to the Taiwan Provincial Government.

Since 2014 is the Year of the Horse according to the Chinese zodiac, the prominent main lantern will be

in the shape of a horse. There will be five main lantern exhibition areas and four “special feature” areas,

all highlighting the many attractions Nantou County has to offer.

Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival (新北市平溪天燈節 )Locations: Shifen, Pingxi, and Jingtong, New Taipei City (新北市十分，平溪，菁桐 )

Tel: (02) 2960-3456

Website: tour.ntpc.gov.tw

One of the most popular Lantern Festival events takes place in the town of Pingxi and

neighboring villages of Shifen and Jingtong. Pingxi is located east of Taipei City and can

be reached by public transport, notably by train on the Pingxi Railway Branch Line or bus

on the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle’s Muzha-Pingxi Route. Sky lanterns, simple paper lanterns

constructed with a thin wire frame that are usually 120~150cm tall, can now be sent to

the sky year-round, with local lantern-shop operators supplying the lanterns and travelers

writing wishes on the outside, but doing so during the Lantern Festival is an especially

memorable experience because the large crowds release hundreds of lanterns into the night

sky at a time, creating a wonderful image. Apart from its sky lanterns, the Pingxi area

has numerous other attractions, including scenic Shifen Waterfall, old village streets, and

majestic mountain vistas.

Feb.

Dec.

Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival (鹽水蜂炮 )Location: Yanshui Wu Temple, Yanshui District, Tainan City

( 臺南市鹽水區鹽水武廟 )

Tel: (06) 652-1264

Website: www.wumiao.idv.tw (Chinese)

In sharp contrast to the peaceful scenes at Pingxi, the old community

of Yanshui in southern Taiwan, offers a completely different type of

celebration during the Lantern Festival. The Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival is said to be the third-

largest folk celebration in the world, and is one of the most representative religious events in all of

Taiwan. Hundreds of thousands of tiny rockets are ignited during the event, going off in all directions.

Many revelers come for the thrill of standing right in the line of fire, wearing full-face motorcycle

helmets and thick coats for protection, the coats often suffering serious singeing by the time the last

rocket has been fired. Locals believe that this inferno-like spectacle helps protect the area from calamity

and other troubles and brings good fortune in the year to come.

Feb.13

mid End

7 23

TAIWAN TOURISM EVENTS

Travel in Taiwan 5

JANUARY~FEBRUARY

6 Travel in Taiwan

WHAT'S UP

News& Events around Taiwan

Event

Transportation

Rubber Duck in KeelungThe giant, f loating yellow rubber duck, created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, that has been on exhibit in Taiwan since last September, first in Kaohsiung Harbor and then on a lake in Taoyuan County, can now be seen in the northern port town of Keelung. The 18-meter tall inf latable duck can be viewed until February 28 from the Keelung Maritime Plaza, not far from Keelung Railway Station. More than 6 million people are expected to make the trip to Keelung, one hour by commuter train from Taipei Railway Station. Crowds will be especially large during the Chinese New Year holiday period (Jan. 30 ~ Feb. 4).

Hotels

New Hotels in TaiwanThe following four hotels have recently been added, or will be added soon, to Taiwan’s flourishing hotel sector. Design and art are prominent features at Humble House Taipei (humblehousehotels.com) in Taipei’s Xinyi District, operated by Taiwan-based art and antiques dealer My Humble House. The hotel has 235 guestrooms, with room rates starting at NT$9,900. The Mandarin Oriental Taipei (www.mandarinoriental.com/taipei/) on Taipei’s Dunhua N. Road, scheduled to open this April, is all about comfort and luxury. It has 256 spacious guest rooms and 47 suites, including two magnificent presidential suites, each with private spa and gym. The Miramar Hotel Hsinchu (www.miramar-hsinchu.com) is a modern hotel conveniently located close to the city’s well-known science park and National Freeway No. 1. It has 141 guest rooms and suites, and offers international-standard services. Yoo Shan Grand Hotel (www.yooushan-hotel.com.tw) is a new hotel in Puli, a town located in the mountains close to the geographical center of Taiwan. A special feature of the hotel is its Revolving Restaurant, which has a 360° rotation and affords great views of the Puli Basin day and night.

Taiwan Bus Tour OptionsSelf-help travel in Taiwan is safe and very convenient. You can circle the island using the main railway lines, use the connected High Speed Rail system for travel between Taipei and Kaohsiung and to major cities on Taiwan’s west side, make use of branch railway lines to get to mountain-area attractions further inland, and ride the mass rapid transit systems to explore Kaohsiung and Taipei cities. To get to places of interest not serviced by this system, you have two excellent bus options: the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle (www.taiwantrip.com.tw) and Taiwan Tour Bus (www.taiwantourbus.com.tw) services. The first includes 31 routes connecting major transportation hubs with tourist spots around the island, and the second has a total of 64 guided tour packages to the island’s major attractions. In a recent survey, travelers were asked about their favorite offerings from both services. For the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle service, the Sun Moon Lake Route got the most votes, followed by the Zhuzihu Route (to Taipei’s Yangmingshan National Park) and Lion’s Head Mountain Route (to places in Hsinchu/Miaoli counties). The most popular Taiwan Tour Bus tour was the Wushantou-Guanziling Hot Springs & Cuisine One-Day Tour, followed by the Kinmen-Lieyu and Jincheng Town One-Day Tour and Hengchun Peninsula West Coast Half-Day Tour.

Humble House Taipei

Travel in Taiwan 7

WHAT'S UP

Travel Information

Fun Hualien AppIf you plan to visit eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County, you might consider downloading the mobile-phone app Fun Hualien (玩樂花蓮 ), available for both Android and iOS devices. The free app, available in Chinese and English versions, presents you with a wealth of information about traveling in the county, one of Taiwan’s most attractive areas. You will find detailed introductions of all major tourist attractions as well as info on transportation, accommodation, dining, shopping, and more. Download the app from either Google Play or iTunes.

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.

Tourist Attraction

New Attraction at Raohe Street Night MarketThe popular Raohe Street Night Market, close to Taipei’s Songshan Railway Station, has a new tourist attraction, and it is not food-related. Located at one entrance to the market, near Ciyou Temple, you will find the “Matsuyama-Dogo Onsen Blessing Mechanical Clock,” a 6.6-meter-high work of art co-created by Ciyou Temple and the city of Matsuyama in Japan’s Ehime Prefecture. The Songshan area, where the night market is located, was named after Matsuyama (both names are written with the same Chinese characters) during the period of Japanese colonial rule of Taiwan (1895~1945). Each hour the clock comes to life with a deity-laden treasure ship and various figurines appearing, including a rickshaw-riding lady, traders on foot, a violin-playing maiden, and the goddess Mazu with her assistants Shunfenger (“Ears that Hear with the Wind”) and Qianliyan (“Eyes that See a Thousand Miles”). The whimsical, magical show, with music accompaniment, lasts nearly three minutes.

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!

Airlines

China Airlines and Tourism Bureau PartnershipIn an attempt to attract the attention of global travelers at international airports, China Airlines has partnered with the Taiwan Tourism Bureau to paint one of its aircraft with images promoting Taiwan as a travel destination. Images on the fuselage of the Airbus 330-300 feature themes such as ecology, romance, fine cuisine, shopping, and culture. The aircraft is used on routes to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and mainland China, all key inbound-tourism markets for Taiwan.

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.

Le Noir 暗黑馬戲雷諾瓦

January 11 ~ 24ATT Show Box

Described by critics as “sexy Cirque de Soleil,” Le Noir is a spectacular show featuring circus acrobatics and gymnastics-like performances. The action takes place on a round stage that brings performers and spectators into intimate proximity. Difficult balancing acts and elegant gymnastic moves by the highly trained, attractive performers are interspersed with seductive dances by ladies in sexy costumes. The show is highly entertaining, fast-paced, and at times hilarious, with lots of audience interaction. It premiered in 2012 in Japan, and has since enjoyed great success in Singapore as well.

This year, the annual Taiwan International Festival of Arts (TIFA) has “Unlimited Classics around the Globe” as its theme. Established and upcoming artists from Taiwan and abroad have been invited to perform; their works include drama, dance, music, and many interdisciplinary artistic genres. There will be a total of 68 performances by troupes from 13 countries, presenting modern theater, Taiwanese opera and hand-puppet theater, ballet flamenco, experimental dance, classical, exotic, indigenous music, and much more. For detailed info about all performances, visit the festival’s website at http://tifa.ntch.edu.tw

Taiwan International Festival of Arts

February 7 ~ March 30National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center

台灣國際藝術節

This is a very unusual exhibition for Taipei’s National Palace Museum. While the topic, Qianlong, the famed emperor from China’s Qing Dynasty (1644~1912), is nothing out of the ordinary for the museum, the exhibition’s form certainly is. The emperor is presented with the help of different modern media, including electronic music, video games, and manga-based animations, with heavy reliance on modern technology. The idea behind the exhibition is to allow you the visitor to become Qianlong yourself, for instance by inserting yourself into an animation or having the character of your attire incorporated into the design on a vase from Qianlong’s collection of artworks. For detailed info about the exhibition, visit theme.npm.edu.tw/exh102/qianlongchao.

Qianlong C.H.A.O. New Media Art Exhibition 乾隆潮－新媒體藝術展

Until March 16National Palace Museum

Until February 16National Museum of History

This exhibition presents 55 works by French Impressionist painter Claude Oscar Monet (1840~1926), on loan from the collection of the Musée Marmottan Monet, located in Paris. The paintings are grouped under five themes: Monet’s Friends and Portraits, Caricatures, Monet’s Voyage, Monet’s Garden, and The Ultimate Works. As a special feature, f lowers related to these themes can be viewed at the same time in the Taipei Botanical Garden, adjacent to the National Museum of History, evoking the ambiance of Monet’s Garden.

Monet: Landscape of Mind印象 • 經典：莫內

Travel in Taiwan 9

CULTURE SCENE

A woolly mammoth and a rhinoceros that were frozen in permafrost after their deaths are the stars of this exhibition. Both specimens date back more than 39,000 years. The mammoth was named “Yuka” because it was discovered in a place called Yukagir in Siberia, in 2010. A young female mammoth that died at the age of 10, it has a length of 3 meters and stands 1.65 meters tall. The rhino, named “Kolyma,” was discovered in 2007 in Siberia’s Kolyma River. It is 2.9 meters long and 1.2 meters tall. Beyond these two highlights, more than 200 other prehistoric animal specimens are also presented in this exhibition.

The Frozen Wooly Mammoth: Yuka長毛象 YUKA特展

Until March 2National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

The Story of “A Hundred Steeds” – An Educational Interactive Show繪動的百駿圖互動科技教育展

Until February 16Huashan 1914 Creative Park

The display of ancient artworks using the latest technologies has of late become increasingly popular in Taiwan. Instead of merely standing in front of a static piece, museum visitors are now used to touching screens and watching animations when exploring the art of times gone by. This exhibition follows the trend by presenting a famous 300-year-old painting from the Qing Dynasty in a variety of ways, including as an oversized projection on a curved wall, as a 3D rendering, in a detailed audio-visual introduction, and via various interactive installations.

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) 2343-1100~3www.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( 台北市襄陽路二號 )

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) 2552-3720www.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) 2725-5200Nearest MRT Station: Nangang Exhibition Hall

ATT Show Box

Add: 12, Songshou Rd., Taipei City(台北市松壽路 12號 )Tel: (02) 7737-8881www.attshowbox.com.twNearest MRT Station: Taipei 101/World Trade Center

Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts （關渡美術館）

Add: 1 Xueyuan Rd., Beitou District, Taipei City(台北市北投區學園路 1號 )Tel: (02) 2896-1000www.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://163.32.121.205Nearest KMRT Station: City Council

Venues

This exhibition of works from the collection of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum is distinctive in terms of the approach used in choosing the art pieces. Instead of following conventional methods for grouping the art the curators have picked works from disparate groupings, such as art form or historical context, and exhibit them together, thus creating an exhibition that is able to elicit more imaginative views of the museum collection by the visitor. On display is a wide range of works, including oil paintings, black & white photographs, installation art, ink paintings, wall projections, and more.

Until February 16Taipei Fine Arts Museum

Intersecting Vectors – Experimental Projects from the TFAM Collection斜面連結─典藏展實驗計畫

Monet: Landscape of Mind印象 • 經典：莫內

Taichung

10 Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

City on the Move

Text: Rick Charette Photos: Jen Guo-Chen

Long a city with an unusual hybrid blue-collar/academic character, serving the factories that powered Taiwan’s famed economic miracle and home to numerous universities, Taichung is fast reinventing itself as a city of dynamic cultural sophistication. Everywhere you look, it seems, you see cranes and crews putting up new buildings or fixing and prettying up old ones.

National Taiwan Museum of Fine Ar ts

The city, which ate up surrounding Taichung County in 2010, has a

total population of over 2.6 million, with just over 1 million in the urban core. This

core is known for its roominess. There is park space aplenty, and big museums,

spacious restaurants, and sprawling teahouses. In numerous locations broad

meridians separate parallel road sections lined with restaurants, cafés, boutiques,

and galleries. Known for having Taiwan’s most pleasant weather – drier than

Taipei in the far north and cooler than Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s second city, in the far

south – Taichung’s pace is noticeably laid back. To give you a taste of what the city

has to offer, following we present samplers of three major districts of distinctive

character.

Travel in Taiwan 11

FEATURE TAICHUNG

Taichung Park and Yizhong Area

SightsTaichung was founded in 1721 by immigrants from

mainland China. The original settlement was called

Datun, or “Big Mound.” Today, tranquil 20-hectare

Taichung Park occupies the hillock and surrounding

area upon which the original settlement was built.

Designed and opened in 1903 by the Japanese when

they controlled Taiwan, it is a key city landmark and

a designated heritage site. Its best-known structure is

the lovely Lake Heart Pavilion, which hovers over the

waters of small Sun Moon Pond. The lake was formed

from the original wetlands here, and the pavilion was

built by the Japanese in 1908 to serve as a rest area

for a Japanese prince in attendance at a ceremony

celebrating the arrival of the railway in Taichung.

Other park attractions are Taiwan’s only remaining

Chinese watchtower, built in the 1880s, classical-style

arch bridges, the magnificent old Japanese-planted

banyan trees, and rowboating on the pond. The park

and nearby Japanese-built Taichung Railway Station,

an attractive Renaissance-style structure opened in

1917, are the hubs of the city’s old district.

FoodDuring the famed Taiwan Economic Miracle of the 20th century’s

second half, when the local economy expanded at breakneck pace,

islanders knocked down old buildings at equal pace to make way for

the new. Today there is equal passion for preserving the country’s

architectural heritage, and Taichung boasts many fine showcase projects.

Miyahara (www.miyahara.com.tw), a maker of confections, has saved

and renovated a Japanese-era eye-clinic building at 20 Zhongshan Road

and a 1960’s credit-cooperative building at 72 Zhongshan. At both,

modern glass-and-steel additions are fused splendidly with the original

exteriors.

Both Miyahara outlets have a delicious array of fresh-made ice

creams for sale. Specially recommended are those made with in-season

Taiwan fruits, notably Hami melon, mango, lychee, passionfruit, and

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12 Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

banana. Both also have an upscale Chinese-cuisine restaurant on the

second level. In addition, 20 Zhongshan has a large library-theme

display area for Miyahara gift and souvenir packages – pineapple

cakes, sun cakes, soft candies, and more.

The sun cake and pearl milk tea (bubble tea) are Taichung’s most

famous contributions to the snack-treat world. The first sun cakes

saw the light of day in 1954 at what is today called Tai Yang Tang

Lao Dian (www.sunbooth.com.tw; Chinese) at 25 Ziyou Street, now

operated by the second generation. The round, f lat pastry has a shell

of f laky, paper-thin layers created with phyllo dough and a maltose

filling that is neither greasy nor too sweet. Originally made with pig

lard, today vegetable oil is used. The cakes are a popular gift choice.

With numerous secondary, post-secondary, and what are called

“cram” schools in the area, Yizhong Street Commercial District,

home to one of Taichung’s most popular night markets, is like a giant

kitchen for students. Because of its primary clientele, prices are low,

low, low, though the food is terrific and the quality of the youth-

fashion clothing and adornments good. All night-market snacking

classics are here – stinky tofu, oyster omelets, bubble tea – but among

the most iconic Yizhong Street comestibles are giant fried chicken

steaks, with Yizhong Hao Da Jipai the go-to stand, and the shaved-

ice desserts, especially at Yizhong Fengren Bing, its signature treat a

tangy shaved-ice concoction with sweetened kidney beans, condensed

milk, plum juice, and ice creams made with fresh local fruit.

1. Chinese watchtower at Taichung Park2. Lake Hear t Pavi l ion at Sun Moon Pond3. Miyahara 4. Sun cakes5. Y izhong Commercial Distr ic t6 . Miyahara ice cream7. Y izhong Fengren Bing shaved ice8 . Y izhong Street night market

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FEATURE TAICHUNG

English and Chinese (Taichung Park & Yizhong Area)Datun 大屯Lake Heart Pavilion 湖心亭Miyahara 宮原Reloading Hotel 綠柳町文旅Taichung Park 台中公園Tai Yang Tang Lao Dian 太陽堂老店Yizhong Fengren Bing 一中豐仁冰 Yizhong Hao Da Jipai 一中豪大雞排Yizhong Street Commercial District 一中街商圈

Science Museum and Art Museum Area

SightsThe large National Museum of Natural Science (www.nmns.edu.tw) was

Taiwan’s first science museum. The world-class facility has halls with exhibits,

primarily targeting young minds and those young-at-heart, with space, science,

the life sciences, human cultures, and the global environment as themes. Perhaps

of greatest interest to foreign visitors is the Human Cultures Hall, with sections

on Chinese culture, agriculture, spiritual life, and grand scientific achievements,

as well as on Taiwan’s indigenous peoples.

Beside the museum is an attractive and expansive botanical garden. The

major attraction at this facility is a tall glass and steel structure which houses a

simulated tropical rainforest complete with intermittent rain. Outside are areas of

vegetation showcasing Taiwan’s different regions.

The artwork-decorated Calligraphy Greenway (www.calligraphygreenway.org.tw) is a green belt that stretches from the science museum all the way to large

Civic Square and then on to include the Art Museum Parkway (see below). It

runs parallel to Zhongxing Street, in a trendy neighborhood defined by upscale

retail outlets, restaurants, and cafés, art galleries and other art attractions,

and cultural-creative boutiques. Civic Square, site of the much-loved annual

Taichung Jazz Festival, is always busy on weekends with buskers and other

entertainment. On the corner where the greenway and square meet is the swank

CMP Block shopping complex, which has Taiwan’s iconic Eslite Bookstore as its

AccommodationThe Reloading Hotel (www.reloading-

hotel.com) is a young and stylish small

backpacker-friendly hotel located in a

rescued/renovated old market building that

was once the hub of Taichung’s corridor-

like Electronics Street, which still thrives,

busy with small shops visible from the lobby

restaurant area. The hotel features a unique

circuit-board decorative theme. There are

47 rooms, with rates starting at NT$1,800.

The owners actively cooperate with the

city government in efforts to rejuvenate the

surrounding history-rich neighborhood, and

the hotel serves as base for regular guided

history tours (English guides available;

contact the hotel for details).

1. Guestroom of Reloading Hotel2. Elec tronics Street3. Bathroom of Reloading Hotel

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14 Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

1. National Museum of Natural Science2. Statue on Call igraphy Greenway3. National Museum of Fine Ar ts

4. CMP Block Museum of Ar ts5. Hotel One Taichung6. Ar t Museum Park way

main tenant. The greenway-facing sidewalk seating outside the block’s street-level

outlets, such as Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts and, most delectably, Le Blé d’Or, a

home-grown Taiwan microbrewer, is a big draw. Beside block and greenway is the

CMP Block Museum of Arts, an open-air museum in a well-manicured park-like

setting brimming with public artworks and 11 small covered facilities choc-a-bloc

with the imaginings-made-real of young creative artists.

The magnificent National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (www.ntmofa.gov.tw)

went through five years of renovations after being damaged in the great earthquake

that struck Taiwan in 1999, emerging larger and with an even more visually

dynamic interior and exterior. The emphasis here is on works by Taiwanese artists,

and exploration of the unique characteristics of modern Taiwanese visual arts. The

facility is set amidst a large and well-manicured grassy park dotted with striking

public artworks that invites visitors to lay down for a good read or a snooze.

Across from and perpendicular to the museum’s entrance is the multi-block

Art Museum Parkway, a green belt lined with restaurants, cafés, boutiques,

cultural-creative bookstores, art galleries, and other tourist draws. A pedestrian/

bicycle pathway traverses the middle, bringing visitors past dozens of compelling

public artworks. At night the area is bathed in soft, romantic lighting. A global

buffet is offered; among the culinary choices are Taiwanese, Taiwan indigenous,

Shanghainese, Indian, Tex-Mex, Italian, and Greek.

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FEATURE TAICHUNG

ShoppingClose to the art museum and parkway, Angel LaLa

(www.facebook.com/puregarden; Chinese) looks

outside and inside like a small white rabbit-hutch-style

cottage in a Western forest. It is filled with bright pastel

colors and stuffed with cute items featuring teddy bears,

rabbits, and other cuddly figures. The majority are

imported, but an ever-increasing range of the offerings

are one-of-a-kind designs created by the owner.

Fantasy Story (www.fantasystory.com.tw;

Chinese) is a Taichung group dedicated to saving and

giving new life to old buildings down the city’s alleys,

primarily old residential structures in the Civic Square

district. Facilities are fixed and spruced up, and any

existing tenants can stay on, at reasonable rents. The

group serves as an incubator for small, independent

cultural-creative businesses, providing quality spaces

at attractive rates. One of its projects is a row of two-

story working-class f lats on Lane 117, Meicun Road

(some families still resident). Among the cluster

of intriguing microshops here is Why Not? (www.facebook.com/whynot.wack; Chinese), which can be

reached via a narrow outside stairway made of colorful

kid-style building blocks. A splendid world of clever

kitsch awaits inside, including small robot-typewriter

hanging decorations, cartoon-animal pouch purses –

even panties-shaped coin pouches and a cross on which

Santa has replaced Jesus.

FoodLocated on the Art Museum Parkway, 1924 Shanghai Restaurant

(www.theme.net.tw; Chinese) is fitted out with plush touches that

evoke the sumptuous elegance of the Bund and Nanjing Road – the

retro furniture, chandeliers, poetic couplets, waitresses in cheongsams,

vintage photos, and old-time music evoking the glamour of decadent,

bewitching old Shanghai. Regional Jiangzhe cuisine is featured, lighter

and less sweet to satisfy Taiwan diners’ palates. Among the best choices

are such classics as Dongpo pork, “drunken chicken,” stir-fried eel with

leek, and braised carp with scallion.

Popular Retro/mojo coffee (www.mojocoffee.com.tw), close to

the art museum and parkway, is one of a pair of indie cafés run by a

local with a passionate aversion to chain outlets. Like its sister, Retro/

mojo is not spacious or luxuriously decorated, but it is bright, open,

and comfortable, dressed up in Nordic style, with a look akin to the

welcoming corner area of a big library. All coffee-making equipment is

specially imported. Costs are kept low, and quality high, by importing

and house-preparing all beans – fully one-third of Taichung’s cafés/

coffeeshops purchase the house mojo blends. All coffee is fair trade

and/or eco-friendly; among the café’s charity endeavors are fund-

raising live-band performances on Saturday nights (cover charge),

generally jazz, blues, and folk.

A short walk from Civic Square is the café Robot Station (www.facebook.com/robot.station; Chinese), a place of pleasant whimsy. In

a converted two-story Western-style home, as you walk through the

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FEATUREFEATURE

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English and Chinese(Science Museum & Art Museum Area)Angel LaLa 夢幻家居•小屋雜貨Art Museum Parkway 美術綠園道Calligraphy Greenway 草悟道Civic Square 市民廣場

CMP Block 勤美誠品 CMP Block Museum of Arts 勤美術館Fantasy Story Green Ray 范特喜 - 綠光計畫Hotel Day+ Taichung 台中鳥日子 : 承億文旅National Museum of Natural Science

國立自然科學博物館National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts 國立台灣美術館1924 Shanghai Restaurant 新月梧桐 - 國美店Why Not? 壞那手創雜貨

AccommodationThe newly opened boutique Hotel

Day+ Taichung (www.hotelday.com.tw/Birds/index.html; Chinese) is on a broad,

curving, leafy boulevard in a quiet, upscale

neighborhood not far off busy Taiwan

Boulevard, a key city thoroughfare. The

neighborhood, with many stand-alone two-

story homes, has many expatriate residents.

The hotel, in a renovated office building,

has been given a modern, stylish exterior.

Inside, the styling is minimalist chic. The

rooms, which start at NT$5,000, are bright,

the white bedding, carpeting, and ceilings,

white-paint and light-wood walls, and glass-

wall washrooms and shower stalls creating

a sense of space. There is a fine bar/café,

restaurant with Italian, French, and Chinese

f lavors, and compact yet airy glass-wall

game and exercise rooms.

1. Angel LaLa2. Shop renovated by Fantasy Stor y3. Produc ts at Why Not?4 & 5 1924 Shanghai Restaurant6 & 7 Retro/mojo cof fee8 & 9 Robot Stat ion10 & 11 Isabella’s 12 & 13 Hotel Day+ Taichung

shaded outdoor seating area a life-size warrior robot gazes

down at you from above the entrance. Scores of toy robots

inhabit the window space, and scores of old licence plates from

all over North America adorn the walls. In the bathroom, the

washstand stands in the original bathtub, now an aquarium

with little fish swimming about. The menu is Western

diner-style – the sandwiches, baked pocket sandwiches, and

quesadillas especially tasty.

The Fantasy Story Green Ray facility is near Civic Square

on Zhongxing 1st Lane. Here, glass walls and exposed steel

frames have been dynamically introduced to a long-abandoned

line of traditional-style Chinese houses of red brick and

ceramic-tile roofs built over 60 years ago. Inviting, homey

Isabella’s (www.facebook.com/isabellaxcafe; Chinese), a café/

restaurant at one end, is decked out with Western country-style

handmade decorations created by the owner during her many

years living in British Columbia. Isabella’s dishes range from

Taiwanese and Korean to Asian fusion and sandwiches.

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Travel in Taiwan 17

FEATURE TAICHUNGFEATURE

Tunghai University and Fengjia Area

SightsIt’s not common that the campus of a school

is a tourist attraction, but that of Tunghai

University (www.thu.edu.tw) is. The busy city

has grown past and enveloped it, but within the

perimeter walls you’ll find a sprawling, tree-

shaded oasis of calm. A great many buildings

in the wooded 139-hectare grounds are in the

style of the Tang Dynasty, China’s golden

age of arts and culture – square, squat, and

colonnaded. The style is markedly subdued

and elegant in comparison to the ebullient and

sometimes garish styling of the Ming and Qing

periods. Amidst this setting, a modern contrast

is provided by the abstract Luce Memorial

Chapel, built in 1963, designed by a renowned

Sino-American architect to look like a pair of

hands touching in prayer. Be sure to visit the

Tunghai Dairy, a cottage-style shop where milk

and delicious treats – the ice cream is delectably

creamy – made with milk from the school’s on-

campus experimental farm are sold.

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18 Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE TAICHUNG

ShoppingDespite its name, Tunghai Art Street

(www.tunghai-art.com.tw; Chinese) in fact

takes up a number of streets and alleys in

an enclave filled with creative types of non-

mainstream personality. There are cultural-

creative outlets of myriad character, their

collective defining character individuality of

spirit (and independence of ownership). The

owner of Li Yun Jewellery (liyun.smartweb.tw; Chinese), at 8, Lane 8, Yishu (Art) Street,

creates exquisite one-of-a-kind jewelry art that

compellingly captures the spirit of ancient

Chinese culture. At Deer Wood (tw.myblog.yahoo.com/yuan_0080; Chinese), located

at 2-55 Zhongzhe Road, browse the eclectic

collection of wood furniture and household

decorations, some imported, some handcrafted

by local artists. Hukurou (www.hukurou.com.tw; Chinese), at 3-4, Lane 39, Yishu

(Art) Street, is a little corner of nirvana for

young ladies who love cute little trinkets; the

lines of owl-shaped essential-oil dispensers

and owl-theme jewelry are a hoot. At Master

Liu’s Eyeglasses (0426337078.tw.tranews.com; Chinese), at 25 Yishu Nan (Art South)

Street, Liu crafts stylish glasses tailored to the

individual customer using a self-invented hook

design (i.e., no screws) and materials that gives

eyewear almost unlimited elasticity.

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1. Tunghai Universit y2. Tunghai Dair y ice cream3. Luce Memorial Chapel4. Tunghai Universit y5. Shop at Tunghai Ar t Street6 . Tunghai Ar t Street7. L i Yun Fengjing Fang jewelr y8 . Hukurou9. Deer Wood10. Eyeglasses master L iu

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Travel in Taiwan 19

TAICHUNG

English and Chinese(Tunghai University & Fengjia Area)Ban Yue Shao 半月燒''big sausage wraps little sausage''大腸包小腸Deer Wood 小鹿木工坊Fengjia Night Market 逢甲夜市Feng Chia University 逢甲大學Guan Zhi Lin Dachang Bao Xiaochang 官芝霖大腸包小腸Hukurou 芙格鹿手創館Le Blé d'Or 金色三麥Liyun Jewellery 李雲風情坊Luce Memorial Chapel 路思義教堂 Master Liu's Eyeglasses 劉師傅手作眼鏡Tunghai Art Street 東海藝術街Tunghai Dairy 東海乳品小棧Tunghai University 東海大學

FoodAlong with the earlier-mentioned Yizhong area, Fengjia

Night Market is one of Taichung’s two most popular night

markets. A sprawling, pulsating place of excitement with

over a thousand vendors, this is said to be Taiwan’s largest

night market. The market is spread out before Feng Chia

University and takes its name from the school, but in addition

to students you’ll see many families and adult couples and

groups mixed within the streaming lines of people. Whether

the source of or there in response to the clientele, the shops

and street vendors here are a little more upscale compared to

Yizhong, though prices are still pleasantly low.

It is possible to buy just about anything here, from clothes

and accessories to pets, glasses, music CDs, cellphones, and

handicrafts. But the main attraction is the food snacks. Two

of the most popular stands – look for the unusually long line-

ups – are almost side by side in the market’s wide entrance

area before the gates of Feng Chia University. Both make

wonderfully delicious and filling concoctions that would

without doubt qualify as soul food if served up in North

America. Guan Zhi Lin Dachang Bao Xiaochang offers

what is often translated directly as “big sausage wraps little

sausage,” though there is only one actual sausage involved.

Pork sausage is griddled until the skin caramelizes, placed in

a “bun” of fried sticky rice (the other “sausage”), and savory

condiments including sweet and spicy chili sauces, pickled

Chinese cabbage, and crunchy dried radish bits are added.

Ban Yue Shao is a crispy-skin pancake of sweet-potato starch,

created on a griddle, folded like a sandwich, and stuffed with

fried egg, your choice of marinated meat, cheese if desired,

and stir-fried basil, green onion, and other yummies. 1 & 2 At Fengjia Night Market3. Ban Yue Shao

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20 Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

Getting AroundTaichung’s bus system has improved immeasurably in recent years. Since 2010 the number of routes in greater Taichung has more than doubled, per-month ridership has also almost doubled, and measured public satisfaction was second only to Taipei in 2012. Use an EasyCard and ride free for your first 8 km. Check out the city’s Dynamic Bus Info & Transit System site at http://citybus.taichung.gov.tw/eweb/default.aspx . The Taichung High Speed Rail Station and Taichung Railway Station are hubs for bus routes; for information on visitor information centers that can help you with route information, visit http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002168 and travel.taichung.gov.tw. The 24H International Community Service Hotline is 0800-024-111.

HOSPITALITY

Meeting the Ground Staff of Local Airlines

Could you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Amber: My name is Amber, and I have been working as ground staff

for EVA Air for the past 14 years.

Mira: My name is Mira, and I have been with China Airlines for the

past four years working as ground staff.

What has been your experience helping travelers?

Amber: It can be challenging at times, especially if there are flight

delays, which are difficult to predict. Travelers can get impatient

and upset, and our task is to keep everyone informed.

What are your responsibilities as ground staff?

Mira: I work at our check-in counters helping travelers with check-

in and boarding, and also attend to the needs of travelers in our

VIP lounge.

Have you had any especially interesting encounters with foreign travelers?

Mira: My most recent one – we assisted a traveler who came to

Songshan Airport but soon found his plane was actually leaving from

Taoyuan. We often help visitors find their way around the airport, or

help them travel to places in the city.

Do you have any special recommendations for visitors to Taiwan?

Amber: I especially like the islands of Penghu, and Taiwan’s other outlying

islands as well. For stopover travelers I recommend visiting Taipei 101.

Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers?

Mira: We welcome everyone to fly to Taiwan with China Airlines!

Working as ground staff at an airport can be a challenging job. Travel in Taiwan recently sat down with two young ladies who work at Taipei Songshan Airport

to find out what it’s like to serve travelers day in day out.

Mira: I really enjoy my job, meeting

and assisting all types of travelers. We

handle many travelers from

abroad and it can be a

challenge communicating

with people speaking in

different languages.

Amber: I have had different responsibilities, from working at check-

in counters to VIP lounges to both departure and arrival halls.

Amber: We once found a travel bag in our VIP lounge left behind by a

tour-group leader. When we opened the bag we found that it contained a

large amount of cash. So I had to take it to the police station. The traveler

called us later and was very grateful that we had taken care of his bag.

Mira: If travelers want to experience the local food, I tell them about

our night markets. If they want to try foods that are unique, I might

recommend stinky tofu or oyster omelets.

Amber: We wish you a good flight with EVA Air, and welcome you

to Taiwan!

Good Flight!”“Wish You a

MEETING TOURISTS

Travel in Taiwan 21

Yi n g g e S a n x i a&

Pot ter y DIY at Y ingge

Yingge Ceramics Museum

TOP TEN TAIWAN TOURS

22 Travel in Taiwan

Text: Eric Bratt Photos: Maggie Song

A Day Spent Exploring Two Interesting Districts in New Taipei City

Sanxia Old Street

Zhenxing Noodle Shop

At Qingshui Zushi Temple

TOP TEN TAIWAN TOURS YINGGE/SANXIA

If you are interested in ceramics, dyeing, and history, a day-trip to Yingge and Sanxia is perfect for you. These two former towns, now formally “districts” within what is called New Taipei City, offer wonderful insight into the island’s history and traditional crafts. And as is the case with many trips in Taiwan, there is delicious food and plenty of history and culture to enjoy.

Travel in Taiwan 23

able to produce pieces of unique colors,

molds, and designs. The second f loor is

dedicated to history, and consists of four

exhibition halls introducing the history

of ceramics in Taiwan and exploring the

relationship between ceramics, religion,

and architecture. A seemingly countless

number of ceramic works provides a

window into the past. Ranging from the

mundane – rice bowls and teapots – to

the sacred – Daoist statues and Buddhist

icons – these pieces well express the

artistic genius of the craftsmen. Note:

The gift shop is also well stocked with

locally produced handicrafts.

After

my pleasant morning at

the museum, I moved on to the next

stop on my itinerary: Sanxia Old Street.

Upon disembarking after a 15-minute

bus ride, I both heard and felt a rumbling

in my stomach, and launched a search for

my lunch. I found the Zhenxing Noodle

Shop, which had been recommended,

and ordered a bowl of oil noodles with a

side order of pickled cucumber, washing

it down with delicious black tea. The

owner of the shop told me that black tea,

like wine, ages well over time, and that

his tea is aged for more than a year.

As it was almost 2 p.m., I hurriedly

finished my food and moved on.

Unfortunately, I only had one stomach to

fill, and wasn’t able to stop at every food

stand that looked appealing. However,

I did sample some of the excellent fare

at the very affordable Dong Dao Diner

Pavilion. This restaurant specializes in

traditional local Taiwanese specialties,

offering a multitude of dishes that run

from NT$$40 to NT$200.

Now with a full stomach, I headed

off to try my hand at dyeing clothes. The

Indigo Dyeing Workshop specializes in

indigo dyeing, and lets visitors choose

their own fabric and design. I selected

a white piece of fabric 1.5 meters long,

chose a design, hoped that my scarf

would turn out well, and began in

earnest. The process took about 45

History Yingge, meaning “oriole/

warbler song,” came to prominence in the early

1800s when Wu An, a potter from mainland China’s Guangdong

Province, migrated to the area. He found the local clay to be of excellent

quality, and launched the region’s ceramic industry working with brick master Chen Kun, making Yingge

the largest ceramic-producing center in all of

Taiwan.

This day-trip

to the southwestern portion of New

Taipei City is great for individuals,

couples, or entire families. Despite the

fact that I am not artistically inclined, on

my first trip to the area, taken recently,

I was happy to find that I could visit a

ceramics museum and try my hand at

dyeing clothes. What made things all

the better is Yingge’s and Sanxia’s close

proximity to Taipei City. The short

commute from the metropolis makes for

a very relaxing and enjoyable outing.

I began the day by taking a train

from Taipei to Yingge. From the station

I walked to the Yingge Ceramics

Museum, the bright sunshine and gusty

breezes making for a beautiful late-

autumn day. I arrived at the museum

at 10 a.m., and had an hour to check

out the grounds before joining a guided

tour. What initially impressed me most

was the open-air style of the museum –

the grounds and lobby areas seemingly

fused into one through the liberal use

of glass, giving the facility a grandiose

quality. However, I noticed the groups of

schoolchildren walking around seemed

far more enthralled by the sculptures

decorating the atrium. There is a great

deal of green space surrounding the

museum, which I found to be particularly

pleasant on such a gorgeous day.

During the tour I learned that the

bright and beautiful museum was opened

13 years ago with a mission to educate

the Taiwan public about Yingge’s

unique role in the history of Taiwan

ceramics. The first f loor provides an

introduction to traditional ceramic-

production methods in Yingge and

Taiwan. The explanations are clear, and

I learned how masters in ceramics are

The grounds and lobby areas of the museum are seemingly

fused into one through the liberal use of glass, giving the

facility a grandiose quality

TOP TEN TAIWAN TOURS

24 Travel in Taiwan

Indigo dyeing in Sanxia

Yingge Ceramics Museum

HistorySanxia, meaning “three

gorges,” is where the Heng Stream and Sanxia River meet, the waters then flowing on to the

nearby Dahan River. Like Yingge, migrating peoples

from China’s Fujian and Guangdong provinces shaped Sanxia’s early

development. It became an important regional

commercial center, as local traders shipped camphor,

tea, and dyed cloth downriver to Taipei. Today

Sanxia is best known for its cultural and architectural

attractions.

Qingshui Zushi Temple

the continuous chanting of Daoist

priests and the impressive number of

locals praying made it very clear that the

temple’s religious community is alive and

thriving.

Having already taken in so much,

I was not surprised to see that it was

already 5 p.m. Before hopping on a

bus to head back home I popped in at

Sanxia’s Culture Art and Nature (CAN),

which has an open-air space, café,

environmental advocacy group facilities,

and publishing house all wrapped into

one. The artistic community for which

this is home allows residents and travelers

to explore art, serves fresh drinks and

fusion dishes, and publishes a periodical

in which writers explore themes related

to art, music, health, and happiness.

My day in Yingge and Sanxia

drawing to a close, I left for Taipei

satisfied in knowing that I had been

able to spend precious added-value time

exploring and learning about ceramics

and also challenging my inner artist.

minutes. After sectioning off the fabric

and pinching it between two narrow

wooden beams, I proceeded to dye it four

times, three minutes each time. After

each soaking I removed the scarf from

the dye, wrung it out, and separated

the sections that had stuck together so

that all parts could dry. After the fourth

round I removed the wooden beams and

unraveled my creation. Thanks to the

much-needed assistance of my instructor,

I had actually created something that

was (somewhat) aesthetically pleasing!

For my final

stop of

the day I opted to visit Sanxia’s famous

Qingshui Zushi Temple. I entered the

temple to the sounds of Daoist chanting,

and circumambulated the perimeter

corridors. The temple brims with

intricate wooden carvings, beautiful

cochin ceramics (also often called koji

ceramics), and awe-inspiring stone-relief

sculptures. The beauty and ornateness

of the temple is a testament to the fact

that cultural preservationists have been

systematically restoring it over the past

few decades. Qingshui Zushi Temple is

not just a historic building, however – it

is a thriving religious site supported by a

vibrant community of believers. Indeed,

English and ChineseChen Kun 陳昆cochin ceramics 交趾陶Dahan River 大漢溪Heng Stream 橫溪oil noodles 油麵Qingshui Zushi Temple 清水祖師廟Sanxia (Old Street) 三峽 (老街 )Sanxia River 三峽河Wu An 吳鞍Yingge 鶯歌

The beauty and ornateness of Qingshui Zushi Temple is a testament to the fact that cultural

preservationists have been systematically restoring it over the past few decades

Getting There From Taipei Railway Station you can take a direct local train to Yingge. A 5-minute bus ride or a 15-minute walk will get you from Yingge Railway Station to the ceramics museum. From there you can take a bus to Sanxia Old Street.

From Sanxia, you can easily make your way back to Taipei via public transportation. A number of buses run from Sanxia to MRT Yongning Station; from there you can take an MRT train to Taipei Main Station. Alternatively, take the bus back to Yingge Railway Station and take the train to Taipei from there.

Yingge Ceramics Museum (鶯歌陶瓷博物館 )Add: 200, Wenhua Rd., Yingge District, New Taipei City (新北市鶯歌區文化路 200號 ) Tel: (02) 8677-2727Website: www.ceramics.ntpc.gov.tw

Zhenxing Noodle Shop (珍興麵店 )Add: 39, Minquan St., Sanxia District, New Taipei City (新北市三峽區民權街 39號 )

Dong Dao Diner Pavilion (東道飲食亭 )Add: 7, Ren'ai Rd., Sanxia District, New Taipei City (新北市三峽區仁愛路 7號 )

Indigo Dyeing Workshop (染工坊 )Add: 61, Zhongshan Rd., Sanxia District, New Taipei City (新北市三峽區中山路 61號 )Tel: (02) 8671-3108

Culture Art and Nature (甘樂文創 )Add: 371, Qingshui St., Sanxia District, New Taipei City (新北市三峽區清水街 317號 )Tel: (02) 2671-7090Website: www.facebook.com/thecam.tw

TOP TEN TAIWAN TOURS

Travel in Taiwan 25

YINGGE/SANXIA

Mt. Bilu and Mt. YangtouA Challenging and Rewarding Three-Day Hiking Outing

Text and Photos: Stuart Dawson

Taroko National Park’s Mt. Bilu (3,371m) and Mt. Yangtou (3,035m) are two of Taiwan’s lesser-known mountains. The two peaks are connected by a sawtooth-like ridge, making for a very exciting and physically demanding hike.

HIKING

26 Travel in Taiwan

The hike begins

inland from Taroko Gorge, where

Provincial Highway No. 8 and Provincial

Highway No. 14A meet at the small

hamlet of Dayuling. We left Taipei in the

morning and arrived at the trailhead in

the late afternoon. The weather had been

fine on the way up into the mountains,

and the forecast was looking good; even

so, it was very chilly on this January day

at 2,600m above sea level.

The hike, like so many others in

Taiwan, begins on an old abandoned

forestry road, which makes for a gentle

start. It s mostly flat along the first

section, and very scenic. We covered the

8km to our camping spot in a couple of

hours, which gave us plenty of daylight to

set up for the night.

Just as it was getting dark, we heard

a sound coming from the camp-side

waterfall, and I saw a large, black body

moving around. After rushing to grab my

camera, thinking I d finally spotted a

Formosan Black Bear, I was disappointed

and a little embarrassed when an elderly

Taiwanese hiker emerged onto the trail!

He looked exhausted, having hiked Mt.

Yangtou in a single day. Though we

were spreading our longer journey

over three days, we wondered if

this was in some way an ominous

sign for what the next two days

would hold – that we might still

be overextending ourselves.

English and ChineseCentral Mountain Range 中央山脈Dayuling 大禹嶺Mt. Bilu 畢祿山Mt. Yangtou 羊頭山Taroko National Park 太魯閣國家公園

Important Notes

Yangtou-Bilu is a particularly tough hike, and should not be undertaken by anyone without a lot of experience and a

high level of fitness. The trail is steep and treacherous in many places, and once you’re on the ridge

there are a series of cliffs with fixed ropes to negotiate.

If camping, be sure to carry at least 4 liters of water; there is no water source after the

forestry road. It’s very much recommended that anyone wanting to climb Yangtou-Bilu get in contact with one of the many local hiking groups to arrange a guided trip.

The next morning we were up at first

light to begin the hike up to Mt. Bilu.

The day before we had hiked 8km in two

hours. This day it took us more than two

hours to complete 800m. The trail in this

section is incredibly steep, made all the

more difficult by having to carry winter

clothes, a tent, and enough water to last

two days.

As we approached the top of the ridge,

the early-morning clouds drifted away

and a brilliant white forest was revealed.

The wind, freezing temperatures, and

moisture had combined to cover all of

the trees in a layer of ice. It was a truly

spectacular sight.

Once on the ridge the trail splits in

two. A short distance along the trail to

the left is the peak of Mt. Bilu; the trail

to the right heads to Mt. Yangtou. We

gratefully dropped packs and headed

left. From the top, the views of the

northern tip of the Central Mountain

Range were amazing, but the driving

wind was freezing cold and we soon

retreated back into the forest.

From

the top of Mt. Bilu we

had seen the ridgeline extending on

to Mt. Yangtou, with its constant ups

and downs, and it had looked daunting

enough, but up close it turned out to

be even more difficult than we had

imagined. We climbed up and down

without end, it seemed, and skirted around

so many cliff faces that we lost count.

After a few hours we arrived at the

campsite we had chosen for our second

night. It s set in a forested area and offers

amazing views, but we d arrived way too

early and none of us fancied spending the

afternoon sitting around in the cold, so

after a quick map consultation we decided

to press on to Mt. Yangtou and then down

off the ridge to another spot where we

could camp. It was a long and exhausting

walk, and at times we began to doubt the

existence of the campsite; fortunately,

however, we found it before dark.

After a fitful sleep, disturbed by deer

brushing up against the tent through the

night, we headed back down the mountain

and rejoined the highway. The people of

Taiwan are exceptionally welcoming, and

as we waited in the rain for the bus, we

were offered hot coffee and toast by people

staying in a small B&B in the area. No

sooner had we finished the coffee than a

kind soul stopped and offered to drive us

the 20km back to our car. A very heart-

warming end to a tough hike!

2 34

1

1. Through the forest2. Across bare rock3. Trees in a layer of ice4. Mountain v iew

HIKING BILU/YANGTOU

Travel in Taiwan 27

Text: Rick Charette Photos: Jen Guo-Chen

On a fine crisp and clear late-autumn day not long ago Travel in Taiwan spent a colorful day visiting the rural Xinshe District in Taichung City – specifically,

the Sea of Flowers in Xinshe Festival.Enjoying the Sea of Flowers

SPLENDID FESTIVALS

28 Travel in Taiwan

This was the

first time

in Xinshe and the festival for us and we

were lucky enough to be escorted around

the sprawling grounds by a number of the

very kind and hospitable folk involved in

management of the event. Xinshe District

is a rural district in Taichung, located on

a wide plain between foothills and rising

mountains along the Dajia River east of

the Taichung urban core. The district is

known for farm production and the main

products grown are mushrooms, citrus

fruits, grapes, carambolas, pears, loquats,

sugar apples, pineapples, persimmons,

bonsai – and f lowers.

According to Liu Man-Wai, the

Deputy Director of the Taiwan Seed

Improvement and Propagation Station

(Council of Agriculture), Xinshe is today

commonly referred to as “Taichung’s

back garden.” A decade ago tourism was

just a minor money-maker. However,

since the great 9-21 Earthquake of 1999,

which was centered in central Taiwan,

government authorities have expended

significant resources to stimulate the

local economy, with tourism a primary

focus, and today the area has become

one of the more popular destinations in

the greater Taichung region, especially

for day-trips. The main attractions are

the local farms, the farm-and-mountain

scenery, open-air cafés, and the many

quaint rustic cottage- and chalet-style

getaway accommodations.

The festival

is held on the

grounds of the Taiwan Seed Improvement

and Propagation Station, established

under a different name during Taiwan’s

1895~1945 period of Japanese occupation.

Deputy Director Liu informed us that

the first edition of the Sea of Flowers was

held in 2005 in an effort to create greater

“brand” visibility for Xinshe produce

and boost its leisure-agriculture industry.

Large swaths of colorful f lowers were

planted over 30 hectares of showcase fields

– including sunflowers, lavender, cosmos,

spider flowers, sage, and begonias – and a

series of related events staged. “We grow

in size and sophistication each year,” he

said, “and in recent years have attracted

more than 1.8 million visitors. Our goal is

2 million.”

The festival is always held in the

late autumn. This, said Liu, is primarily

because the weather in the Taichung area

is close to “perfect” at this time of year,

for both plants and visitors – not too

hot, and minimal rain. There are many

new-theme exhibitions each year; these

were the theme-project areas for the 2013

festival, which ran from November 9 to

December 8: Happy Farming Exhibition,

Cinderella Exhibition, Amu Forest

Exhibition, Happy Farming Villages

Exhibition, Incredible Fern Exhibition,

Healthy and Beautiful Farming, and

LOHAS Promoting Group.

Heading out on a walkabout, our

guide Chung I-Ping, the station’s

Technical Service Section Assistant

Researcher, informed us that each year

the festival’s various specially-themed

exhibition areas are designed to highlight

their unique attributes. There is an

annual rotation of exhibition curators,

with different agriculture-related sections

within the Council of Agriculture

chosen as well as organizations from

outside, meaning brand-new faces and

perspectives are shown each round.

1. Field of Garden Cosmos2. Al l v isi tors have fun at Xinshe

1

2

The festival is always held in

the late autumn because the

weather in the Taichung area

is close to “perfect” at this

time of year

SPLENDID FESTIVALS SEA OF FLOWERS

Travel in Taiwan 29

Among the most arresting

visual settings were the five-

story-high magic castle, a giant

tree cultivated from magic

beans, and a six-meter-tall

rabbit wearing an outfit made

solely of flowers

Among the

various 2013

exhibit pavilions, I found one of the

most intriguing highlighted paddy-rice

production, with neat, tiny plots laid out

showing rice from transplanted-seedling

stage to maturity. There was also a

display presenting the different kinds of

rice grown around the world, including

the short-grain glutinous rice preferred

in Taiwan and the long-grain, non-sticky

fragrant rice eaten throughout Southeast

Asia. This was also the local birds’

favorite pavilion; you had to raise your

voice to be heard above the chatter of the

sparrows and other avian gourmands

trying to get at the rice seed.

Another pavilion was dedicated to

the seemingly countless herbs eaten

by Taiwan folk in tonic foods and

used in medicines. Over 1,000 herbs

were on display, many accompanied

by information on what they are used

for. An especially fragrant and visually

alluring pavilion showcased the orchid

in all its glory, with numerous rare

specimens on dramatically colorful

display.

Back in the open air, while wandering

through a panoramic swath of cosmos

flowers – other “seas” at the most recent

festival were made up of sunflowers,

sorghum blossoms, and wheat blossoms

– we learned that since the natural bloom

times for each flower is different, and

the length of the bloom period for each is

about two weeks, conditions are staggered

in the station’s greenhouses to provide a

constant stream of flowers that are then

methodically transplanted in the fields to

ensure maximum flower density and color.

Long before we entered the grounds of the Taichung

International Flower Carpet Festival,

our eyes were transfixed on its central

attraction, a large “magic castle.” This

annual festival was incorporated into the

larger Xinshe festival in 2011. It has a 3D

theme, with the various f lower-sculpture

areas telling stories that seem to rise

up out of the ground and take life-like

form. The 2013 themes were decidedly

whimsical, focused on Peter Pan, Alice

in Wonderland, and other fairy tales, as

well as film director Ang Lee’s Oscar-

winning movie Life of Pi.

For the fairy tales, a pop-up storybook

approach was taken. Among the most

arresting visual settings were the five-

story-high magic castle, a giant tree

cultivated from magic beans, and a six-

meter-tall rabbit wearing an outfit made

solely of f lowers. Other highlights were

the lifeboat used in the filming of Life of Pi (Ang Lee is a native Taiwan son,

did all ocean-based scenes at a Taichung

film facility that has the world’s largest

wave-generating pool, and donated

many props to the city of Taichung for

tourism use), and an antique horse-drawn

carriage popular for wedding shoots and

sweetheart poses that was formerly used

by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and

Madame Chiang on formal occasions.

Walking

the expansive

grounds is bound to get you both

thirsty and hungry. Your antidote is in

view at all times – a huge food bazaar

where vendors are set up under tent-

roof cover. Half of the food bazaar is

taken up with stands manned by local

farming folk selling fresh-from-the-field

fruits and vegetables, notably the main

local produce mentioned in this article’s

opening. Be sure to visit the juice stands

– the drinks served are delicious! There

is also a budding coffee-plantation

sector in the area, and you can buy both

fresh-packaged beans and sample fresh-

brewed cups made with the local bean at

growers’ stands.

The other half of the food bazaar

features vendors selling night-market-

style snack treats, with savory fried

delicacies the main attraction. Something

uniquely local is the deep-fried Xinshe

mushrooms, prepared on order and

served with a salt-and-pepper sprinkling

30 Travel in Taiwan30 Travel in Taiwan

SPLENDID FESTIVALS

English and ChineseChung I-Ping 鍾依萍Dajia River 大甲溪Liu Man-Wai 廖文偉Sea of Flowers in Xinshe 新社花海Taichung International Flower Carpet Festival 台中國際花毯節Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station 種苗改良繁殖場Xinshe District 新社區

– steamy-hot, chewy, and delectable.

Everything is of high quality, and is

appealingly inexpensive.

A personal

invitation

from Deputy Director Liu: You may

not have visited yet, but Xinshe beckons

next year and the years after, for as

explained there is high turnover in

exhibition highlights each year, making

each visit a novel foray. In addition, live

performances are staged on weekends

throughout the festival, with an emphasis

on music concerts. There are also in-

depth local tours offered in which your

guide takes you to visit recreational farms

in the area, and special packages are

designed each year that encourage you

1. Magic cast le2. Posing in f ront of a f lower f ie ld3. Antique horse - drawn carr iage4. Large f lower sculpture in the shape of a rabbit5. Entrance to the Taichung Int ’ l Flower Carpet Fest ival grounds

to stay at local cottage-style guesthouses,

visit the recreation/resort farms, and take

in other local tourist attractions.

For more information, visit the official

website of the Sea of Flowers in Xinshe

Festival at: f lowersea.asia.edu.tw.

2

3

5

41

Travel in Taiwan 31Travel in Taiwan 31

SPLENDID FESTIVALS SEA OF FLOWERS

Along the New Central Cross-Island Highway, Alishan, Yushan, and Sun Moon Lake form the most beautiful scenic route in Taiwan. Dongpu Hot Springs Scenic Area, also on the highway in Xinyi Township, Nantou County, is close to Taiwan’s highest mountain, Yushan (Mt. Jade). It is a great recreation spot when traveling between Alishan and Sun Moon Lake, as well as a rest stop for climbers as they head for Yushan on Batongguan Historic Trail. Dongpu has superb natural scenery, ancient Bunun culture, as well as excellent hot springs, and is well worth a visit at this time of year to enjoy a special winter holiday in the season the plum and cherry blossoms are in bloom.

The Taiwan Tourist Shuttle bus service now offers a three-day Sun-Moon Lake-Dongpu-Alishan joint ticket. Travelers can go from Sun Moon Lake to Hotel TiLun Tonpo Spa, then on to Alishan National Forest Recreation Area. You are warmly invited to enjoy the beauty of Yushan this winter and experience the charm of an indigenous settlement, tasty aborigine food, and high-quality hot springs against a backdrop of romantic plum and cherry blossoms.

帝綸溫泉渡假大飯店HOTEL TI LUN TONPO SPA

Plum Blossoms, Cherry Blossoms, and Soothing Hot-Spring SoaksHotel TiLun Tonpo Spa – The Secret Mountain Hot Spring Closest to Yushan

Room ReservationTel: 886-49-270-1616Fax: 886-49-270-1360E-Mail: a87297@ms19.hinet.netWeb: http://www.tilun.com.twAdd: 86, Dongpu Hot Springs, Xinyi Township, Nantou County (南投縣信義鄉東埔溫泉86號)

=

The Chinese character 口 (kou), meaning “mouth” or “entrance,” is easy to

recognize and is very common, both as a stand-alone character

and as part of other characters, serving as a root or “radical.”

Used as a single character in combination with other characters, 口 can have the meaning

“person’s mouth,” as in 開口 (kaikou; “open one’s mouth”), or have the meaning “entrance,” as

in 路口 (lukou; “street entrance” or “intersection”).

In Taiwanese daily life you will come across the terms 入口 (rukou) and 出口 (chukou) quite

often. The first means “entrance” (literally “entry mouth”), the second “exit” 出口 (lit. “exit

mouth”). The latter also means “export,” but the term for “import” is not 入口 but 進口 (jinkou;

lit. “advance/move into mouth”).

In a typical Chinese dictionary you will find around 180 characters with the radical “口”

on the left side, and many others with the “口” at the bottom or in another position. Many of

these characters are verbs related to a person’s mouth. Here are a few examples: 吃 (chi), “to

eat”; 喝 (he), “to drink”; 唱 (chang), “to sing”; 叫 (jiao), “to call”; 吐 (tu), “to spit”; 吹 (chui), “to

blow”; and 吻 (wen), “to kiss.”

In the character 呆 (dai), the “mouth” sits on top of 木 (mu; “wood”). This character

describes someone who is a bit slow or slow-witted; perhaps someone who talks like he has a

“wooden mouth.”

Sometimes there are even two “口” in one character, as in 哭 (ku), where the two “mouths”

sit on top of 犬 (quan; “dog”). Take a guess – what could this character mean?

The answer: 哭 means “to wail/whimper/weep/cry/sob.” You get the picture.

FUN WITH CHINESE

32 Travel in Taiwan

An Easy-to-Learn Character and an Often Seen RadicalIllustration: Fred Cheng

kou

dai

ku

=

Lin Chang-long’s family is originally

from mainland China’s

Fujian Province. His grandfather and great-grandfather both

worked as brush makers, exporting many of their brushes to

Taiwan, where at that time there were very few brush makers.

So when the family moved to Taiwan in 1945 it only seemed

natural to continue its business from the clan’s new home on

Taipei’s Chongqing North Road. At first, the family had many

difficulties. Taiwan did not have all the necessary materials

for brush making, and at the time trade with mainland China

was not possible for political reasons, so the family sourced its

supplies from Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong.

Text: Paul Jacob Naylor Photos: Maggie Song

When L in Chang- long became the four th -generation owner of a calligraphy brush-making enterprise, the brush-making industry was on the decline. Forced to come up with new ideas to stay in business, he created the LSY (LamSamYick) brand. Using his rich experience, and applying traditional techniques, he has developed new product lines such as cosmetic brush sets, and has successfully crossed over into a new field of trade: the beauty industry.

A Young Entrepreneur Explores New Ways to Apply an Age-Old Craft

Art Brushes

1917

34 Travel in Taiwan

OLD STYLE/NEW IDEAS

Beauty Brushes

Over the following fifty years the business grew slowly,

until Lin Chang-long’s father decided it was

time to retire and for his son to take over the business. However,

Chang-long had just graduated from law school, and had his

sights set on moving to Switzerland to study hotel management.

This put him in a difficult position. “I come from a very

traditional family,” he explains, “and when my father decided

that I was going to run the family business, I had no choice.”

He first worked as an apprentice in the business, making the

brush handles and gluing the pre-made brush heads onto them.

“The handle can be made of horn or bamboo,” he explains.

“But it’s not important. Anybody could have done this job.” The

making of the brush heads, however, is a task that takes many

years to learn. Lin, as head of the business, commissions one

of the 20 or so “master brush makers’’ who live in Taiwan to

make the brush heads for his firm. Each master specializes in

a particular type of brush, bringing many years of experience

to the craft – from the finest brushes of only a few hairs’ width

to massive brushes six feet long that are primarily used as

ornaments or for ceremonial purposes.

The traditional method of turning a pile of animal hair into

a brush takes 48 individual steps. For higher-quality brushes the

2013

Travel in Taiwan 35

BRUSH MAKINGOLD STYLE/NEW IDEAS

“Calligraphy brushes must be formed of different lengths of hair, in order to make a fine point”

The hairs are laid out f lat and

painstakingly arranged according to

length. Any damaged or irregular hairs

are removed.

In preparation for the formation of

the brush head, the hairs are grouped

together according to length and type.

Hairs of different origin are blended

together in the designated proportion.

To ensure an even spread and uniform

position, and to make sure there is no

unwanted material in the hairs, they are

scraped with a boar-bone tool.

Step 1: Separating the hair from the fur

Step 4: Mixing the hairs

Step 2: Sorting the hairs Step 3: Separating the hairs into different lengths

When a patch of hair is judged to

be of good quality, the hair is separated

from the skin and surrounding fur. Any

remaining undesirable fur is sifted and

discarded.

process is repeated many times, to ensure

the best possible result. “Even the simplest

brush heads contain more than one type of

hair, and in brush making, proportion is

one of the important things,” Lin explains.

“Each animal hair has its own particular

quality, and each type of animal has many

different types of hair. For example, the

hair on the belly of the goat is very soft,

so we use that for our make-up brushes.

The hair on the legs is thick and hard, so

we use that in brushes designed for the

painting of pottery, which need to be more

durable.”

Lin also uses pig and rabbit hair, but

the best and most expensive hair, he says,

comes from the male golden weasel. This

hair is very elastic yet also very soft,

ideal for calligraphy. By weight it is more

expensive than gold. “Calligraphy brushes

must be formed of different lengths of

hair, in order to make a fine point,” he

says, as he shows off his wares. “If the

hairs were all the same length, it would

look like a paintbrush. You see, the goat

hair acts like a sponge, soaking up the

ink, while the golden weasel hair, which

is slightly longer, directs the ink onto the

paper. With brushes such as these, you can

write a large number of characters with

only one dip of ink.” Indeed, according

to tradition the calligrapher of Buddhist

sutras should only dip his brush once to

write a full sutra. This quality is thus not

only convenient, but also essential for the

passionate calligrapher.

After finishing his

apprenticeship and

officially becoming the new head of the

family business in 2000, Lin realized there

was a problem: the market for calligraphy

brushes was on the decline. “When I was

in school,” Lin recalls, “we had to write a

diary and sometimes whole essays using a

calligraphy brush. But that is no longer the

case. Students are still a good market for

us, but with the birth rate declining, this

market is contracting.” Conversely, with

people living longer, Lin’s main customer

base is now male seniors, who have a lot

of time on their hands and want to escape

the fast pace of modern life by taking

up calligraphy. “Nevertheless, as young

people are not taking it up anymore,

selling calligraphy brushes isn’t a stable

business,” he says.

Years back, Lin did some thinking,

and came to a radical conclusion. “In the

modern market, nobody needs calligraphy

Owner Lin Chang- long

36 Travel in Taiwan

OLD STYLE - NEW IDEAS

“If the feel is good the customer will be happy and

buy more brushes in the future. This is the concept behind all my products”

English and ChineseChongqing North Road 重慶北路Lin Chang-long 林昌隆

LAMSAMYICK (林三益 )Add: 58, Sec. 2, Chongqing N. Rd., Taipei City (台北市重慶北路 2段 58號 )Tel: (02) 2556-6433Website: www.lamsamyick.com

brushes. However, I thought that since

a brush had simply become ‘hair with

a handle,’ I didn’t see why I couldn’t

redefine the calligraphy brush to fit into a

more profitable market.” That new market,

he decided, was cosmetics. About 10 years

ago Lin walked into a nail salon with

his brushes. His claim that calligraphy

brushes had a use in the fingernail-art

business were rejected, but he tried again,

and then again. His persistence paid off,

especially as the brushes the salon had

been using were imported from America

and Europe, and Lin was offering a much

cheaper price for his locally produced

merchandise. His firm was commissioned

to make a range of smaller brushes for the

nail salon, and today he makes over 40

types of brushes for make-up and nails.

Lin shows off his latest product,

a stubby, two-tiered brush

designed to remove blackheads from

the face. “With the calligraphy brushes,

I was always the middleman standing

between the master brush maker and

the customer. Today, it is no different.

Make-up professionals who commission

new designs know the kind of brush they

want; but as they do not know the art of

brush-making, they cannot explain the

practicalities of making such a brush to the

manufacturer. I can.” In Lin’s eyes there

is still much to learn in the transition from

calligraphy to cosmetics. “My wife gives

me lots of suggestions!” he laughs. “I get

her to help me with all my new products.”

The initial reaction from Lin’s

family to his new business direction was

skepticism. Because cosmetics brushes

are exposed to a lot more water than

calligraphy brushes, Lin has to use

artificial hair and plastic handles for

most of his make-up brushes. “My father

thought the plastic handle and artificial

hair looked strange,” he says. “The

traditional way to test the quality of a

brush is to touch the brush to your tongue,

and so that’s what my father did. He said

the brush had good quality, and hasn’t

said anything about it since!”

Despite his new business

direction, Lin

is still passionate about calligraphy. The

knowledge he has gained about marketing,

packaging, and product design while

developing his range of make-up brushes

has also benefitted his calligraphy brushes.

This year he took what is perhaps his

boldest step to date when he acquired the

right to use the Hello Kitty logo to make

a bright-pink calligraphy brush aimed

at children. “This makes a really good

present for someone,” he says, “and I hope

that it may motivate more children to take

up calligraphy in the future.” Another idea

he is pondering: commemorative brushes

made from the hair of a deceased family

pet. “The idea is not mine, actually,” he

says. “A Taiwanese family in Australia

contacted me saying that their favourite

pony had died, and asked if I could make

a brush out of its tail hair. I did it, but to

be honest, horse hair does not make a very

good brush!

“My business model has always been

to go step by step, to go naturally, slowly

but steadily,” explains Lin. His philosophy

has paid off. Today the traditional family

business on Chongqing North Road is still

going strong and his LSY-label cosmetics

brushes are sold at two permanent stands,

one at the Nanjing branch of the Shin

Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store and

the other, which just opened this year,

at the Hankyu Department Store above

MRT Taipei City Hall Station. “Of course,

the customer bases for our two lines

are very different, but for both types of

customer satisfaction is key,” he says. “If

the feel is good the customer will be happy

and buy more brushes in the future. This

is the concept behind all my products.”

With a business outlook such as this,

LamSamYick creations are sure to be in

strong demand with both calligraphers

and make-up enthusiasts far down the

road.

Travel in Taiwan 37

OLD STYLE - NEW IDEAS BRUSH MAKING

Text: Owain Mckimm Photos: Aska Chi

Riding the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Dashu Line

“Drink the water of Dashu,” goes an old Taiwanese saying, “and you’ll ever be thin and beautiful” – a fine reason, if any were needed, to visit this pleasant riverside Kaohsiung City suburban area in southern Taiwan. Most

visitors to Dashu are, however, not concerned with such cosmetic foibles, and instead flock to the area with a more spiritual motive – to pay homage to a Buddhist holy relic held at the Fo

Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center. Even for those not on a religious pilgrimage, a visit to the center is an enlightening experience, and the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle

service will not only take you right to the gate, but also enable you to take in the best of Dashu along the way.

Riding a bike at the Old Rai lroad Br idge on the Gaoping River

Old Industry, Natural Wetland, Strong Liquor,

Religious Center

Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial

Center

Old Railroad Bridge/

Education Wetland Zone

Bamboo Mountain Winery

Fengshan Station

BACKPACK BUS TRIP

38 Travel in Taiwan

Stop I – San-He Tile KilnOur first stop on our Taiwan Tourist Shuttle bus tour

along the Dashu route is the San-He Tile Kiln, a near

century-old ceramics factory nestled in the Old Railroad

Bridge Education Wetland Zone. The factory’s three

imposing brick kilns, one of only two sets of large-scale

traditional kilns in Taiwan still in use, are the last remnants

of Dashu’s former glory days as the brick-and-tile capital

of Taiwan. “In the first half of the 20th century there was

a big demand for ceramics,” explains Xu Xi-ping, our

factory guide, “because Taiwanese villages and towns were

mostly collections of traditional courtyard houses, which

used ceramics not only for basic construction but for their

windows, drainpipes, and eaves as well.” During the ’60s,

however, the concrete revolution caused the dwindling of

this business.

Once a set of eight, the remaining three kilns – each

with an internal volume of 144 cubic meters – stand side

by side in the rear of the factory like three fire-blackened

turtle shells. We duck inside one, its ceiling and walls hoary

with the ash of decades of firing clay. Xu explains that after

stacking the bricks or tiles in the kiln, wood and rice husks

are burnt around the clock for two months in the fire-well

by the door, which allows the internal temperature to slowly

inch its way upward to just over 1,000°C. After that, the kiln

is sealed and allowed to stew in its own heat for a fortnight;

the heat is then slowly vented over another two weeks.

With demand for structural ceramics at a low, the factory

now almost solely produces materials for the refurbishment and

reconstruction of old buildings, though it does have a lucrative

side-line in ceramic tableware such as coasters and trivets.

Visitors are offered the chance to do some DIY, including

designing and making their own tableware and sculpting clay

figurines, all activities costing NT$250. I opt for a session

in which you make a mosaic out of shattered tile pieces.

In a moment of adopted patriotism, I attempt “Taiwan” in

Chinese characters, and am complimented on my calligraphy

more out of politeness, I suspect, than anything else.

Stop II –

Wetland Ecological ParkWith half an hour to kill while the glue on my mosaic

masterpiece dries, we decide to spend a little time exploring

the surrounding Education Wetland Zone. Bicycles can be

rented for NT$50 per hour at the park’s Volunteer Hut. The

vast stretch of constructed wetland was created in 2002 in

order to purify the area’s river water, until then blighted

by industrial and agricultural pollution. The wetland was

largely laid waste in 2009 in f looding caused by Typhoon

Morakot, but an extensive campaign by local volunteers has

now restored the artificial wetland, the largest of its kind in

Taiwan, to its former glory. A paradise for birdwatchers, it is

visited by over 140 bird species, the most common of which

are identified on information boards in Chinese, though

hardcore twitchers should have no real problems identifying

these from the pictures provided. The best time to see the

local birdlife is dawn and dusk – so we, visiting at lunchtime,

glimpse only a few egrets and a lonely heron.

Those with an interest in industrial engineering will have

their appetite sated by the Old Railroad Bridge, once the

longest steel bridge in Asia, which has a span of 1,526 meters

and crosses the Gaoping River. The structure, completed in

1913, undulates over the river like a colossal steel serpent,

though there is today a gaping wound in this once noble

metallic beast, caused by a succession of f loods starting in

2005 that have washed away the bridge’s mid-section.

BACKPACK BUS TRIP

Travel in Taiwan 39

KAOHSIUNG

At the Education Wetland Zone

Inside k i ln at San-He T i ln K i ln

The remaining three kilns stand side by side in the rear of the factory like three

fire-blackened turtle shells

Stop IV – Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial CenterIt’s late afternoon by now, and we ride the bus to our last

stop, the Buddha Memorial Center. This center was completed

in late 2011 to house a sacred relic – a tooth belonging to

Siddhārtha Gautama, the founder of the Buddhist faith. The

tooth was presented to the Venerable Master Hsing Yun,

founder of the Fo Guang Shan monastic order, in 1998 by the

Tibetan Lama Kunga Dorje Rinpoche, who had guarded the

relic for three decades following the destruction of its original

home during China’s Cultural Revolution.

The center is a capacious complex covering an area of

over 100 hectares, and is loaded with Buddhist symbolism.

At the far western end stands the Fo Guang Big Buddha,

a gigantic 50-meter-tall statue of a sitting Buddha forged

from 1,780 tons of bronze and steel. In front of him is the

center’s Main Hall, topped with four Indian-style stupas that

represent the Indian origins of Buddhism. The Jade Buddha

Shrine inside the Main Hall is where the tooth relic is kept,

and each hour a group of up to a hundred people is led by a

master in a pre-unveiling session of meditation, explanation

of Buddhist history, and prayer before paying reverence to

the relic. Leading up to the Main Hall is the Great Path to

Buddhahood – a paved walkway f lanked by eight Chinese-

style pagodas, which signify both the Buddhist idea of the

Noble Eightfold Path and the religion’s spread to China. It’s

perfectly possible to be ignorant of all these things and still

be astonished at the serenity, the simplicity, and the beauty of

the place, especially as the sun starts to set and the pagodas

and the Big Buddha are lit up against the twilight.

Stop III –

Bamboo Mountain WineryFollowing our jaunt around the wetland and after picking

up my ceramic art piece at the kiln, we get back on the bus and

make the short ride up to the Bamboo Mountain Winery. In

the main visitors’ hall Yang Feng-mao, the winery’s chairman,

shows us some of his wares. The winery’s signature product

is probably the Red Yeast, Onion and Grape Wine. Though

unfamiliar, the combination of f lavors is pleasant, with a subtle

hint of onion seeping through the medicinal tang of the red

yeast. “Red yeast has blood-cleansing properties,” says Yang,

explaining the rationale behind the strange concoction, “while

onion invigorates your organs.” About two years ago the winery

collaborated with the National Kaohsiung Hospitality College

to perfect the fermentation process for this healthful wine,

and Yang says that the winery is the only place in the world

that produces this particular blend. The winery also produces

concentrated fruit vinegars, which are diluted in water before

drinking, and help aid digestion.

After trying the healthy stuff, we move on to something

harder – the winery’s prize-winning Kaoliang liquor. Kaoliang,

a firewater made from fermented sorghum that is popular in

Taiwan and mainland China, is the kind of spirit that first-timers

might suspect would be rather effective stripping lacquer off old

furniture. However, the winery’s 2003 54° Taiwan Real Kaoliang Liquor bagged a silver medal at the 2013 Concours Mondial de

Bruxelles Spirits Selection awards, and so I feel I should hold off

on my judgment until I’ve at least tasted some. After holding a

glass hesitantly to my lips for a moment and muttering a silent

prayer to Bacchus, I knock back the clear, glassy liquid and …

what miracle is this … I do not wince. I find it is much smoother

than the versions I have tried before, with a pleasant roasted

essence that coats the palate on its way down.

BACKPACK BUS TRIP

40 Travel in Taiwan

Buddha Memorial Center

English and ChineseKMRT Dadong Station 高雄捷運大東站Dashu District 大樹區Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center 佛光山佛陀紀念館Gaoping River 高屏溪Kaoliang 高粱Old Railroad Bridge Education Wetland Zone 舊鐵橋溼地教育園區Venerable Master Hsing Yun 星雲大師Volunteer Hut 志工小棧Xu Xi-ping 許西平Yang Feng-mao 楊豐茂

San-He Tile Kiln (三和瓦窯 )Add: 94, Zhuliao Rd., Dashu Dist., Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市大樹區竹寮路 94號 ) Tel: (07) 651-2037 / 652-1432Website: tw.myblog.yahoo.com/san-333 (Chinese)

Bamboo Mountain Winery (竹寮山觀光酒廠 )Add: 75, Zhuliao Rd., Dashu Dist., Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市大樹區竹寮路 75號 )Tel: (07) 652-2660Website: www.bmm.com.tw (Chinese)

Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center (佛光山佛陀紀念館 )Add: 1, Tongling Rd., Dashu Dist., Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市大樹區統嶺路 1號 ) Tel: (07) 656-3033 ext.4002Website: www.fgsbmc.org.tw

We have arrived late in the day, but you could in fact spend

the whole day at the center and not find yourself lacking in things

to do. The Main Hall has four exhibition rooms on Buddhist

culture, and each of the eight pagodas is itself a museum of

Buddhist artifacts. Some great vegetarian restaurants can be

found in the center’s Front Hall, including the Water Drop

Teahouse, which is managed by the monks themselves and where

you can try a hearty butterbean noodle soup with a pleasantly

tart Japanese citron sorbet for dessert. The last shuttle bus leaves

the center at 6 p.m. (6:30 p.m. on weekends), so get to the center

in good time to make the most of your visit.

It’s perfectly possible to be ignorant of all these things and still be astonished at the serenity, the

simplicity, and the beauty of the place

Getting There and Around You can catch the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Dashu Route bus from KMRT Dadong Station, which is on the Orange Line of the Kaohsiung metro. Buses run hourly on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends. For a full, downloadable timetable, visit www.taiwantrip.com.tw/Besttour/Info/?id=44 . The cost is NT$50 for a full-day ticket, which can be bought on the bus. Note: It’s best to tell, or show, the driver where you want to get off when you board the bus; your stop might otherwise be skipped.

BACKPACK BUS TRIP KAOHSIUNG

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

Three of the Finest Health Food Restaurants in Taipei

There is no lack of restaurants in Taiwan’s capital, and even the most demanding gourmet will find a place to please his or her palate. If you are

looking for healthful food prepared with organically grown produce, following is an introduction to three of the city’s finest health-food eateries.

Text: Eric Bratt Photos: Maggie Song

Healthful Eating &

Delicious Flavors

Nonzero is an ideal place to

enjoy a meal with friends,

and provides a convivial

atmosphere that makes you

feel comfortable Masala veggie s tew at Nonzero

42 Travel in Taiwan

SPECIAL REPORT

NonzeroMarble f loors, beautiful wooden

tables, and a warm “Good afternoon”

greeted me as I entered Nonzero, a sleek

restaurant absent of loud sound or kitsch

of any sort. Providing the customer

with a variety of dishes and a carefully

thought out wine list, Nonzero strives to

maintain a balance between promoting

healthful eating and creating delicious

f lavors. It doesn’t disappoint.

Looking up from my table, I looked

over Nonzero’s décor with pleasure,

especially its marble f loors. Noticing

my interest, a server informed me that

the majority of Nonzero’s interior

decorations are comprised of discarded

and salvaged materials. The beautiful

f loors, for instance, are used pieces of

f lawed marble salvaged from a quarry.

Impressed by this resourcefulness,

I sat down with owner Tan Yee Ming,

who I found was the embodiment of

the restaurant’s congenial attitude.

She emphasized how Nonzero seeks

to provide a comfortable, relaxing

environment that allows friends from

near and far to enjoy a delectable meal

that makes them feel right at home.

Explaining that the restaurant’s clientele

seeks both health and happiness, Ms

Tan said that Nonzero does all it can to

support Taiwanese farmers who utilize

sustainable methods to produce the wide

variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, and

seasonings that the restaurant uses.

I began my dinner with Nonzero’s

organic salad (NT$350). The arugula,

spinach, and mushrooms were delicious,

and covered with slices of Italian Grana

Podano cheese, hazelnut, and a drizzle

of balsamic vinegar that I chose myself.

Getting There Take the MRT to Zhongxiao Fuxing Station and

walk south on Fuxing S. Road for about 400 meters before turning left onto Lane 221 of Fuxing S. Road. Walk straight ahead on Lane

221 for about 150 meters.

For my main dish I ordered the excellent

masala veggie stew, which was served

with rice and quinoa (NT$350). The

chef has expertly modified the recipe

of a meat-based dish to ensure that the

proper f lavors come through, despite the

absence of lamb or beef. Although I was

tempted to have a glass of red wine, I

opted instead for a freshly squeezed juice

blend. I left the restaurant very satisfied,

eagerly anticipating a return to what, in

my experience, is one of Taipei’s best,

and coziest, dining establishments.

Nonzero is an ideal place to enjoy

a meal or a glass of wine with friends,

and provides a convivial atmosphere

that will make you feel comfortable.

Best experienced during the hours after

work, it provides a dignified sanctuary

and delectable fare amidst the hustle and

bustle of Taipei.

SonnentorWith three locations in Taipei,

Sonnentor (German for “sun gate”)

operates cozy, quaint cafés that offer

freshly baked breads, creative dishes

made with organically grown fruits and

vegetables, and locally produced meats.

On this occasion I visited the Tianmu

branch, located right around the corner

from Tianmu Square, and enjoyed a

sumptuous brunch.

A well-lit interior greeted me as I

walked through the door, which has a

depiction of a large sun on it. I examined

the eco-friendly foods, wines, and

cooking utensils along the walls, and

then took a long look at the assortment of

mouthwatering breads set out on a table

in the middle of the restaurant. There

was also a “Top 10” list of best-selling

products hanging on one wall, which has

both traditional Western and Taiwanese

selections.

A selec t ion of breads at Sonnentor

Travel in Taiwan 43

RESTAURANTSSPECIAL REPORT

If you are keen on

supporting the organic

movement, Sonnentor is a

great place to visit

Impressed by the wide variety on

offer, I sat down to order. A quick

glance at the menu and a conversation

with my waiter made clear that

Sonnentor is very serious about organic

foods, and is committed to sourcing its

organic ingredients exclusively from

Taiwan. Its fruits and vegetables are

grown on the Tenha Organic Farm

in Tainan. Its meats are from a select

group of island organic farms, and its

seafood supplier also meets stringent

organic standards. So, if you are keen

on supporting the organic movement

while you eat, Sonnentor is a well-

chosen place to visit.

Sonnentor’s head baker, Fan Jia-

hao, bursts with creativity, coming

up with all kinds of creative, distinct,

and colorful breads. I tasted slices

of Matcha Red Bean Bread, Sesame

French Bread, Bamboo Carbon Bread,

and Pineapple and Carrot Bread.

Unusual names aside, each was expertly

prepared, had excellent texture, and

went down nicely when lightly covered

with a dabble of Sonnentor’s dragon-

fruit jam. My brunch also consisted of

fresh yoghurt, crisp french fries, a fruit

and vegetable salad, and freshly brewed

fruit tea. The various brunch selections

cost approximately NT$350. And be sure

to buy some bread for later in the day!

The Villa HerbsClassy, elegant, chic … these were the

words that passed through my mind as

I walked through the door at The Villa

Herbs. Housed in two sizeable reoriented

residences on a quiet street in central

Taipei, the restaurant offers excellent

food, a comfortable atmosphere, and an

impressive drink list. Furthermore, the

unfailingly polite and prompt service will

make your dining experience all the more

pleasant.

The distinctive interior design gave

me the impression that I was getting

ready to dine in the former mansion of

a French colonial official in Southeast

Asia. Members of the staff soon informed

me that the owner carefully selected

and imported all of the furniture from

Thailand. The restaurant’s dignified

and elegant atmosphere has proved

successful, and attracts a posh group of

Getting There Take the MRT Tamsui Line to Shipai Station. From

there, take bus 224, 601, or Red 19 to Tianmu Square. After alighting, cross the street, walk 50 meters up Alley 18 of Tianyu Street; Sonnentor

is on the right.

Sonnentor

Sonnentor brunch

44 Travel in Taiwan

SPECIAL REPORTSPECIAL REPORT

English and ChineseFan Jia-hao 范家毫Tan Yee Ming 陳郁敏Tianmu Square 天母廣場Tenha Organic Farm 巨農有機農場

Nonzero (非零 )Add: 5, Alley 4, Lane 27, Sec. 4, Ren’ai Rd., Taipei City (台北市仁愛路四段 27巷 4弄 5號 ) Tel: (02) 2772-1630Website: www.nonzero.com.tw

Sonnentor (日光大道健康廚坊 )Add: (Tianmu Branch) 6, Alley 18, Lane 38, Tianyu St., Taipei City (台北市天玉街 38 巷 18 弄 6號 )Tel: (02) 2874-0208Website: www.facebook.com/sonnentor.tw

The Villa HerbsAdd: 30/32, Lane 11, Leli Rd., Taipei City (台北市樂利路 11巷 30,32號 ) Tel: (02) 2732-3255Website: www.facebook.com/thevillaherbs

Taiwanese men and women in their mid-

20s, eager to escape the hustle and bustle

of everyday life.

The restaurant offers many seasonal

dishes, the majority of which are

prepared Italian style. Popular dishes

include a multitude of creative risottos,

fresh pastas, kebabs, omelets, and a

number of vegetarian options. Meals

start at NT$250, with a delectable brunch

offered for NT$320. Brunch includes fruit

juice, a choice of omelet, coffee or herbal

Fresh f ruit and juice

Mushroom omelet of The V i l la Herbs

tea, and a seasonal fruit bowl. In addition,

The Villa Herbs offers a number of coffees,

teas, desserts, wines, beers, and exquisite

cocktails, all of which can be enjoyed in

the restaurant or in the pleasant lounge

area in the adjacent building.

On this evening my goal was to

try some of the restaurant’s healthful

cuisine. Upon the recommendation of

the staff, I opted for a mixed mushroom

omelet of egg whites topped with parsley.

Complementing my omelet was a glass

of freshly squeezed pineapple, apple,

and pomelo juice, a warm potato and

f lour biscuit, and a garden salad. The

presentation was aesthetically pleasing,

and the food’s quality and variety

exceeded my expectations. For those with

a sweet tooth, I also highly recommend

the sublime, rich, yet not overly sweet

tiramisu. And for those wondering, yes,

The Villa Herbs does grow its own herbs

– in a garden in front of the restaurant

and on one of the restaurant’s roofs.

Getting There Take the MRT to Liuzhangli Station, walk north

on Leli Road for 400 meters, turn right onto Lane 1, then walk 150 meters; the restaurant is

on the right.

RESTAURANTSSPECIAL REPORTSPECIAL REPORT

The Villa Herbs offers

excellent food, a

comfortable atmosphere,

and a fine drink list

Travel in Taiwan 45

On a peanut farm in Yunlin

The Black King Kong of Yuanchang

Visiting a Peanut Farm in Southern Taiwan

Text: Owain Mckimm Photos: Aska Chi

Though rarely taking the leading role in Taiwanese culinary recipes, the humble peanut makes no end of cameos across the island’s gastronomic map. Peanuts act as a filling for the sticky-rice dumplings gobbled down during the Dragon

Boat Festival, provide a nutritious addition to the pork-knuckle soup eaten by new mothers during

postnatal recuperation, and are a magnet for seasonal gourmands at Chinese New Year in the form of peanut brittle – not to mention their role as a popular topping in Taiwanese desserts like

taro balls, tofu pudding, and shaved ice.

46 Travel in Taiwan

FOOD JOURNEY

Almost a third of all

the island’s peanuts comes from one small

township in southern Taiwan: Yuanchang,

Yunlin County. The level, sandy flats of

this township provide the perfect conditions

for peanut cultivation, though this does

not mean that the farmers of Yuanchang

are immune to troubles. Typhoons and

seasonal rains mean the constant threat

of crop spoilage. Nonetheless, the town’s

yield last year was still more than 10,000

tons. A large portion of this was a cultivar

known locally as youdou, or oil bean, used

for processing into peanut oil. Most of the

remaining tonnage, however, was made up

of Yuanchang’s signature peanut – a black-

skinned variety known as hei jingang, “Black

King Kong.”

The Black King Kong is distinctive for

its deeply wrinkled pod, the color of its testa

(the papery skin that covers the kernel),

which ranges from a rich plum to a charcoal

black, its low oil content, and its delicate

taste and texture. On a recent trip to the

township with a number of companions our

guide, Zhong Bing-qi from the Yuanchang

Township Farmers’ Association, tells us

that this particular cultivar has been grown

in Yuanchang for over a decade, with the

first major yield occurring in 2000. For a

more detailed account of its origins, Zhong

takes us to visit Wu Zhi-cheng, one of the

first farmers to grow the cultivar.

Mr. Wu welcomes us to his

farm with a six-pack of Taiwan Beer and

enough peanuts to sate an elephant. As

we sip our beers and graze on the peanuts,

Wu explains the different kinds of peanuts

grown in Yuanchang. “This one,” he says,

holding a small specimen with a largely

unwrinkled pod that’s quite smooth to the

touch, “is Tainan No. 9, one of the early

peanut varieties we used to grow here.”

A quick note on names: Many of the

cultivars have numerical code names,

which can deceive one into thinking

that the conversation has digressed onto

the subject of perfumes or symphonies.

This is due to the fact that many of the

cultivars were originally supplied by the

Tainan District Agricultural Research and

Extension Station, an organization charged

with the modification and improvement

of agricultural crops. Its job is to breed

better varieties, peanuts among them, and

then supply the farmers with the improved

versions. Each new variety is given a number

– hence Tainan No. 9. “Tainan No. 9 hasn’t

been grown here in quantity for about ten

years,” says Wu, who grows only a small

amount for personal consumption. “And

you can see that it has become small and the

husk is more wrinkled, whereas it used to be

very smooth.” This is a perpetual problem

for peanut farmers – varieties mutate.

“There are over 2,000 hectares of

land being used here for growing peanuts,

all fairly close together, so mutations

due to cross-pollination are inevitable,”

explains Zhong. “After about five or six

harvests you’ll start to notice differences

in the variety you’re using, and that’s

due to the fact that the farmer who owns

1

23

1. Fresh peanuts2 & 3 Dr y ing peanuts

Travel in Taiwan 47

PEANUTSFOOD JOURNEY

The Black King Kong is distinctive for its deeply wrinkled pod, the color of its testa, its low oil content, and its

delicate taste and texture

the neighboring field might be growing a

different cultivar.” This phenomenon is

not always detrimental, however, as it’s

precisely due to this kind of mutation that

the area’s star peanut, the Black King Kong,

came into existence.

“The Black King Kong variety is actually

the descendent of the huaren (florid kernel)

variety,” says Wu, picking up another, bigger

pod and cracking it open to reveal three snow-

white kernels streaked with maroon. “About

ten or so years ago, huaren pods containing

kernels that were all black started to show up.

At the time we thought this was a novelty,

and started specifically selecting black kernels

for use as seeds.”

The same process of mutation that

created them is now, unfortunately, making

the Black King Kong troublesome to cultivate

well: the leaves grow ragged and disheveled,

the pods, which develop underground, bunch

unevenly, making harvesting difficult, and

the plant is increasingly sensitive to bad

weather, yielding fewer and fewer peanuts

each season.

An improved variety, code-named

Tainan No. 16, has been brought in to

replace it. Zhong takes us to a field where

they are growing this up-and-comer. Orderly

and well-groomed, the plants have the

appearance of an assembly of English public

schoolboys in comparison to the grizzled

band of Black King Kong plants growing in

another field nearby. Zhong explains that

the peanuts produced by the plants we see

here will not be sold for consumption, but

will instead be used as a source of seeds to

plant more. “Before we put this cultivar on

the market, we need to create a yield great

enough for sustained sales,” says Zhong.

“This piece of land here is about one fen (a

Taiwanese unit of measurement equivalent

to roughly a tenth of a hectare), and we

can use the yield from this piece of land to

plant five or six fen next season.” A spate

of typhoons and bad weather over the past

two years has, however, caused much of the

experimental No. 16 to spoil before harvest,

meaning that the young pretender has to

date been unable to outdo the old veteran it

was brought in to replace.

Mr. Zhong

takes us to a field

to see a peanut harvest underway. Though

you’ve probably heard this numerous

times – likely from people with annoyingly

adenoidal voices – the peanut is of course a

legume, not a nut. After being pollinated,

the plant’s tiny yellow flowers wither and

the stalks turn downwards, elongating

until they eventually pierce the soil at the

base of the plant. There, below ground, the

fertilized ovaries develop into a pod. It’s for

this reason that Yuanchang’s soft, sandy soil

is well suited for peanut cultivation, and why

wet, humid weather is such a blight – water

plus soil plus peanuts equals rot.

Peanuts are planted twice a year in

Yuanchang, once in January-February and

once in July-August, and are harvested

between 100 and 120 days after planting.

The peanuts are harvested mechanically

– combines with snapping steel mandibles

dig up the plants, separate the pods from

the rest of the bush, and deposit them in

an iron saddlebag on their f lank. With two

machines a hectare of land can be harvested

in two hours, whereas it would take three

or four days with ten people harvesting by

hand. After being harvested, the peanuts are

dried in the sun – a necessary process for

preserving the raw product, which would

otherwise spoil (or even sprout in moist

weather), and to prepare it for roasting.

1 2

3 4

5 1. Har vest ing2. Farm workers3. Fresh f rom the ear th4. Check ing the “nuts”5. Ready for sale

48 Travel in Taiwan

FOOD JOURNEY

Driving through Yuanchang during

peanut season, you’re likely to see many of

the smaller roads either fully or partially

cordoned off by the local farmers, who

dry their peanuts on the asphalt. Zhong

says that this is such a widespread and

time-honored practice that the local police

don’t give the famers any grief. “It’s a hard

enough life as it is,” he shrugs. The reason

for open-air and not mechanical drying

is that the peanuts need a gentle, gradual

drying-out over the course of about two

weeks. Experiments with mechanical

dryers have resulted in peanuts with a sour,

rancid f lavor.

At the farmers’ association facility, we get to see the

roasting process up close. The dried

peanuts are put onto a conveyor belt along

with heaps and heaps of sand. They then

go into the roaster – a revolving drum with

an internal heat of up to 150 °C – where the

sand grains help to evenly distribute the

English and Chinesefen 分hei jingang 黑金剛huaren 花仁Tainan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station 台南區農業改良場

Tainan No. 9 台南九號Wu Zhi-cheng 吳誌成youdou 油豆Yuanchang 元長Yuanchang Township Farmers' Association 元長鄉農會Zhong Bing-qi 鐘炳祺

temperature. After 40 minutes of roasting

the sand is removed, and the peanuts are

subjected to a blow-dry to get rid of any

adhering dust before being spread out on a

rack and left to cool.

When still raw, the dried peanuts

are quite tender, and even a little sweet.

Roasting them, however, brings out that

distinctive umami, peanutty flavor. I crack

open one of the freshly roasted pods, extract

a nut, and slip off the black testa to reveal

a perfectly cooked toffee-brown kernel.

It’s said that no man in the world has more

courage than he who can stop after eating

one peanut. I am not such a man.

It’s said that no man in the world has more courage

than he who can stop after eating one peanut

Travel in Taiwan 49

FOOD JOURNEY PEANUTS

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.

50 Travel in Taiwan

Text: Hanre Malherbé Photos: Zenith Lin

As online social networking has become prevalent in the daily lives of people in Taiwan – especially those living in the city – it is no surprise to see a high level of interest in skateboarding here. Many first become interested in the fashion surrounding the sport, taking pictures of themselves and friends posing with their skateboards, dressed head to toe in clothing and footwear specifically designed for the sport, then posting the results online. This brings even more people to the sport. Many then move on from their fashion-oriented phase into serious skating.

A Day at a Small Skatepark in Downtown Taipeiin Taiwan

There are different

disciplines within

the sport of skateboarding, two of which are most prominent –

street skating and longboarding. Most popular in Taiwan is street

skating. The boards used in this discipline are about a meter long

and evenly shaped, both ends possessing a “tail” – a small half-

circle section that is bent upwards away from the ground at a

moderate angle.

Street skating involves three types of tricks: Flat-landing – Performed on a flat surface, jumping (or “olleying”)

and making the board spin or flip in various ways, then catching it

with your feet and landing safely.

Grinds – Jumping onto an obstacle such as a rail or ledge and then

sliding, using any part of the board except the wheels.

Airing – Stunts performed after launching off a ramp of some kind.

Skateboarding X

Nike team r ider Kyle Skateboarder Hanré

ACTIVE FUN

Skateboarding

Kyle performed a variety of difficult stunts. His first trick left me in awe at his control and finesse on the board – huge 180 airs on the six-foot quarter-pipe

Longboarding involves speed (mostly enjoyed downhill), big

cylinder-shaped wheels, and long, narrow boards that usually

don’t have tails. This discipline resembles surfing in more ways

than one, and you slide around corners in a manner similar to

skimming along on a wave. It is illegal to longboard on most

roads in Taiwan, but riders still find space to practice their sport

legally, for example on river embankments.

Being a skateboarder

is a bit like being

a nomad, in the sense that there isn’t much in the way of

promotion done by big organizations, and you are for the most

part on your own. Skate shops, however, do provide crucial

support, if on a limited scale. There are skate shops in most

Taiwan cities, and although some of them only sell related

footwear and clothing, most are well-stocked with all the gear

one needs to go boarding – including the excellent products of

Taiwanese brands such as Nezha. For Taipei City, I recommend

going to Urban Highfive in Shilin District or Jimi Skate Shop

in Zhongzheng District – because going to either of these is also

a good way to get involved in the island’s skateboarding scene.

Many of the owners of skate shops are skateboarders themselves,

usually have a set time each week to go boarding, and are delighted

to have new faces come along. They can also introduce you to

different skate spots and bring you in contact with other skaters.

Kyle Ke tack l ingthe gr ind box

ACTIVE FUN SKATEBOARDING

Travel in Taiwan 51

52 Travel in Taiwan

After we

finished our skating session we headed over

to a coffee shop across the street for a more formal chat. I found

Kyle to be quite mature for his age (he’s 21); he spoke calmly

and clearly, and took time to ponder my questions on Taiwan

skating before responding. Here’s a sample:

Q: Learning the basics of skateboarding is difficult for most

people, and to improve beyond that level is an even bigger

challenge. How did you overcome these challenges?

Kyle: “The only way to overcome the difficulty of advancing your skills in the beginning is to spend as much time as you can practicing. Also, most beginners find it really hard to get to the next level, because there are a lot of inescapable “choke points.” The best way is to go to a skate park and ask other, more advanced, skaters for advice. This is a convenient way for beginners to learn. Most beginners are afraid to ask questions... but they shouldn’t be shy, and instead should feel free to ask for advice from the more accomplished skaters.

Q: Are there any workshops or classes available for

skateboarding in Taiwan?

Kyle: Many skate shops offer training sessions for the public. You can also just go to any skate shop and arrange to go skating with people who work there... Taipei, Taichung, Tainan... almost any larger city in Taiwan. They usually plan a skating session every week. It’s always more fun to skate with other people, you know.

Q: What are the different disciplines in skateboarding?

Where do people usually go to practice? Are there any major

annual events?

Kyle: There are many different kinds of skateboards, actually – long boards, the small plastic boards which are pretty popular because they are considered “cute,” and the kind I skate with, the most common skateboard type. Regarding practice, I recommend the Nangang Extreme Sports Park, because it’s easiest to get to if you’re in Taipei. Another place is the spot we skated at today; it’s very suitable for practice. Every year there is an important local competition, the Nike City Jam; the three finalists go to mainland China to compete against each province’s three finalists, and then there is a finals competition in Shanghai. This is extremely challenging, as they invite some famous skaters to compete as well.

Some skate shops also organize skating events throughout

the year, collaborating with other skate shops and/or the

Chinese Taipei Extreme Sports Association.

For this article,

we arranged to meet up with

Nike team rider Kyle Ke (co-owner of Urban Highfive) for a

little skate session under the Jianguo Elevated Expressway,

right across from Huashan 1914 Creative Park (close to MRT

Zhongxiao-Xinsheng Station). Because this little skate park is

underneath an elevated roadway, you can go skate there even

when it’s raining, and so it is a favorite spot with many local

skateboarders. The park, roughly one hundred meters long and

twenty wide, is f lanked on two sides by roadways buzzing with

traffic. There are almost always people skating there, so even if

you go straight there without visiting a skate shop first (provided

you already have a board), chances are that you will run into

people willing to skate with you, teach you a few new tricks,

and tell you a bit about Taiwan’s skating scene. It’s a lot of fun

skating at this compact facility, which has a number of different

boxes, ledges, and rails. At one end, close to a basketball court,

are some larger obstacles, including a pyramid box, a quarter-

pipe, and a grind box.

I have to admit that as I was riding my scooter to the park

that day I became increasingly nervous about skating with Kyle,

since it had been about eight years since I had last skateboarded.

Fortunately, it turned out to be much easier to remember how

to skate than I had expected. By watching how Kyle distributed

his body weight on the board while doing each trick, I managed

to get the hang of one trick I used to do all those years ago

– a “kick-f lip,” which is done by olleying and then, in mid-

air, kicking your front foot outwards and towards your back,

making the board spin around before you catch it with your feet

and land. After getting it right three times (out of twenty or so

tries!), I decided to try a kick-f lip off a straight drop roughly 5

feet high. Alas, I could not get it right, despite trying numerous

times. This simply means one thing: I’ll be back to try again!

Kyle performed a variety of much more difficult stunts,

as could be expected from someone on Nike’s international

skateboard team. His first trick left me in awe at his control and

finesse on the board – huge 180 airs on the six-foot quarter-pipe.

And, considering the fact that he is rather tall and thin, he made

it look incredibly stylish as well. He topped this by moving over

to the grind box (shaped like a pyramid, with a ledge running

up and over the box) and proceeding to do a “crooked” grind.

This is done by sliding on the front “truck” (the axles which

hold the wheels on either end), with the back end of the board

sticking up behind it, a bit off to the side.

ACTIVE FUN

English and ChineseHuashan 1914 Creative Park 華山 1914文化創意產業園區Jianguo Elevated Expressway 建國高架道路Kyle Ke 柯家恩Shilin District 士林區Zhongzheng District 中正區

Practical Info:Urban HighfiveAdd: 1F, 72, Dadong Rd., Taipei City (台北市大東路 72號 1樓 ) Tel: (02) 2881-3153

Jimi Skate ShopAdd: 36, Sec. 2, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路 2段 36號 ) Tel: (02) 2351-5302

Chinese Taipei Extreme Sports Association (中華民國極限運動協會 )Add: 382, Sec. 7, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路7段 382號 ) Tel: (02) 2786-3258

Skating in the streets of Taiwan’s cities is illegal; visit

the following extreme-sports parks:

Taipei Extreme Sports Training Center (臺北市極限運動訓練中心 )Add: 382, Sec. 7, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路七段 382號 )

Pingzhen Skate Park (平鎮滑板公園 )Add: 58, Zhongyuan Rd., Pingzhen City, Taoyuan (桃園縣平鎮市中原路 58號 )

Taichung Extreme Sports Park (台中極限運動場 )Add: 93, Sec. 1, Chongde 8th Rd., Beitun District, Taichung City ( 臺中市北屯區崇德八路一段 93號 )

Tainan Extreme Sports Park (臺南極限運動場 )Add: 10, Tiyu Rd., Tainan City (台南市體育路 10 號 )

Kaohsiung City Extreme Sports Arena (高雄極限運動場 )Add: 99, Zhongzheng 1st Rd., Lingya District, Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市苓雅區中正一路 99 號 )

Having fun on the quar ter-pipe

ACTIVE FUN

Travel in Taiwan 53

SKATEBOARDING

54 Travel in Taiwan

NOSTALGIA

Old-Style Grocery BagsLight, Handy, Durable, and Chic

Photos: Maggie Song

Sometimes fashion makes a

U-turn, returning to something that went out of vogue decades ago. Sometimes fashion even goes back in time to something that had never been fashionable in the first place. Traditional Taiwanese grocery bags, called jiazhidai (茄芷袋 ) in Mandarin Chinese, are a good example.

Traditionally, these bags were used by countryside folk to carry produce from farm to market, and by grannies to bring food from market to home – hardly an item that made a fashion statement. In recent decades the “Taike” subculture movement has taken hold, in which people have consciously adopted traditional old-fashioned clothes, cuisine, and other elements to emphasize the uniqueness of popular, grassroots

Taiwanese culture (for an introduction on Taike, see http://tinyurl.com/taikeculture). Jiazhidai fit the style of a Taike follower perfectly because they are representative of the common folk of the Taiwan countryside, with a style that can be described as “earthy” or “native soil.”

Apart from helping young people make a fashion statement, these bags, which have blue, green, and red as basic colors, have a practical use as well. In a time when widespread attempts are being made by government and environment-protection organizations to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags, jiazhidai are a great choice as reusable shopping bags. They are very light, durable, easy to clean, come in sizes from small to extra-large, and are very cheap (NT$35 for a small bag). Let’s go shopping, Taike style!