As most of the world now knows, just before 8 o’clock in the morning of April 3, the entire island of Taiwan was shaken by a powerful earthquake. The magnitude of the temblor was estimated at 7.2 by Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration and at 7.4 by the US Geological Survey, making it the strongest quake to have hit Taiwan since the catastrophe of 1999. So far, 13 people are known to have died and a few unlucky individuals remain unaccounted for. Compared to some previous seismic calamities, the death toll has been mercifully low and few buildings have collapsed outright, outcomes which man ..read more

The Tropic of Cancer divides Taiwan into two parts. The south officially lies within the tropics, while two thirds of the island has a semi-tropical climate. The dampish conditions in the northwest have proved ideal for one particular tree species: Vernicia fordii, sometimes called the kalo nut tree but known to Taiwanese as the tung oil tree. During Japan’s 1895-1945 occupation of Taiwan, hundreds of thousands of tung oil trees were planted in Hsinchu and Miaoli counties. The colonial authorities wanted both the wood (which is light and good for making furniture, matches, and toothpicks) and ..read more

In Taiwan, drinking revolves around food. There’s no pairing tradition like that in the West which recommends Cabernet Sauvignon and steak or Chablis and oysters, yet very few drinks are imbibed without some kind of solid food. During the warmer months, cold beer goes well with flavourful dishes like three-cup chicken (so called because it’s made using equal amounts of soy sauce, sesame oil, and Shaohsing Chiew). If people are knocking back stronger stuff such as kaoliang, you can expect to see snacks like peanuts, watermelon seeds, and Never heard of Shaohsing Chiew or kaoliang? The former is ..read more

Taiwan is one of the world’s most tolerant and religiously diverse societies. The majority of its nearly 24 million follow a mix of popular religion, Buddhism, and Taoism. Many of the gods and goddesses they worship are also venerated on the Chinese mainland and by ethnic Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Some practise a ‘purer’ form of Mahayana Buddhism at places like Fo Guang Shan, and a few are Muslims. (The majority of those who attend Taiwan’s mosques are foreigners temporarily working or studying on the island.) Around one in twenty Taiwanese is Christian. The most prominent denomin ..read more

Taiwanese people love coffee and they enjoy a far greater range of alcoholic beverages compared to just a few decades ago. Yet tea still holds a very special place in local culture. Per capita tea consumption has grown fivefold since 1980. In every supermarket and convenience store, you’ll see dozens of milk teas, black teas, green teas, and other tea drinks. Tea was growing on the island long before large-scale Han Chinese settlement began in the 17th century. Early pioneers discovered and harvested leaves from indigenous wild-tea trees. However, these were all but forgotten about until the ..read more

One of East Taiwan’s major attractions is fully reopening to the public today (February 5, 2024) following more than a year of inspections and repairs that were made necessary by the earthquake which shook the region near the end of 2022.  The distinctive eight-arch footbridge at Sanxiantai (‘Terraces of the Three Immortals’, a name with Taoist connotations) links Taiwan proper with a spectacularly rocky islet. Millennia ago, this was the promontory of a little peninsula, but eventually strong grit-bearing gales and crashing waves wore it down to below sea level. The islet is said to rese ..read more

Because there’s so much to see and do in Taiwan — stunning mountains, intricate temples, and delicious food — it can be hard to find time to shop for gifts and souvenirs. Nonetheless, clients who sign up for Life of Taiwan private guided tours sometimes ask us what’s good to buy here and which places are best for shopping. Glass making in Hsinchu The majority of retailers open between 10am and midday and close up around 10pm. Major cities have modern malls and large department stores like those in Japan and South Korea. If you’ve just flown into Taoyuan Airport and you’re about to take the b ..read more

Thanks to its position astride the Tropic of Cancer and plentiful rainfall, Taiwan is a place where foliage and flowers of all kinds thrive. Wherever land is left undeveloped and untilled, wildflowers quickly establish themselves, adding a range of colours to a natural environment that already features every possible shade of green.    Many Taiwanese are enthusiastic gardeners, in spite of the population density and general lack of space. Throughout towns you’ll see balconies bedecked with flowers and lovingly-nurtured potted plants. The latter often serve a secondary purpose: T ..read more

More than 15,000 registered places of worship serve Taiwan’s 23.9 million people. The vast majority, over 12,200, are dedicated to mainstream beliefs, which in Taiwan means a blend of Buddhism, Taoism, and popular faith. Throughout the country there are also around 2,800 Christian churches and at least 10 mosques. Some of these buildings are new and blandly functional. But many others are striking pieces of architecture filled with striking icons and dazzling religious art; it’s no wonder they feature in almost all of the Taiwan guided tours that we organise for our clients. Choosing the six f ..read more

Next year, Tainan is throwing a big party! The place where Life of Taiwan was established back in 2012 is set to celebrate the 400th anniversary of its first steps on a journey through history that saw it transformed from a realm inhabited by Austronesian hunter-gatherers to a European trade outpost, and eventually to today’s bastion of culture with almost two million residents. For those who know and love the city, the response to National Geographic naming Tainan as one of the world’s 30 most exciting destinations to visit in 2024 has been: What took them so long to recognise the allure of t ..read more