Mountain trip Delightful AlishAn

no. 62, 20143 4

top tEn touriSt tourS nanzhuang in Miaoli County

BaCKpaCK BuS tourS taKing thE taiwan touriSt ShuttlE to Sun Moon laKE

FooD JournEy organiC KuMquat FarMing in yilan

indigenous artist Demedemanround-the-island Bicycle ridehiking to the Mysterious Shuiyang Foresttraditional taiwanese Cakes and pastries

/

Welcome to Taiwan!Dear Traveler,

Taiwan does not experience the winter snows that other lands do, but when the warming airs of

spring wash over the island each year the same “spring fever” grips the people, as does the urge to get

out on the road and explore.

Where can you go, and what can you do? Here’s the plate of samplers this month’s issue of Travel in Taiwan presents to you.

In our Feature section we visit the Alishan area, exploring high-mountain tea plantations, an

alpine-railway town called Fenqihu, the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, the region’s

extensive trail network and attractive indigenous Tsou tribe culture, and much more. As always in this

section, we also give advice on where to stay, where and what to eat, and what souvenir items to buy.

In our Top Ten Tourist Tours f ile we visit the town of Nanzhuang in the high hills of Miaoli

County, savoring the many local heritage sites, the distinctive Hakka culture and cuisine, and the

culture of the area’s indigenous peoples. Continuing with the indigenous culture theme, we spend time

with artist Demedeman in our Indigenous Artists department, a young member of the Paiwan tribe

who is preserving her cultural heritage and introducing her tribe’s traditions to the world.

Those with an interest in history and a bit of a sweet tooth will especially enjoy this issue’s Special Report section, in which we travel f rom the island’s north to south to visit the f lagship outlets of some

of Taiwan’s most venerable and prestigious names in traditional-style confections – all of which have

introduced modern twists of decidedly delicious interest for the palates of visitors f rom faraway lands

East and West. Elsewhere on the food-theme f ront, in our Food Journey department we delve deep

into the world of local kumquat cultivation with a visit to an organic orchard in the northeast.

Staying outside to take f ull advantage of the warm spring sun, among the other available travel

experiences we paint for you with photos and the written word are an exploration of tourist-favorite

Sun Moon Lake in the central mountains via the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle service, the Formosa 900, a

bicycle adventure in which teams of participants circumnavigate Taiwan in nine days, and a hike to

the Shuiyang Forest and its earthquake-created mystery lake.

Welcome to Taiwan, where I promise the spring and the people will embrace you with great

travel-easing warmth!

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)March/April, 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

Where you can pick up a copy of Travel in Taiwan

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

onLineRead the online version of Travel in Taiwan at www.zinio.com . Log in and search for "Travel in Taiwan." Or visit www.tit.com.tw/vision/index.htm

in TaiWanTourism Bureau Visitor Center; Tourism Bureau; Taiwan Visitors Association; foreign representative offices in Taiwan, Tourism Bureau service counters at Taiwan Taoyuan Int’l Airport and Kaohsiung Int’l Airport, major tourist hotels; Taipei World Trade Center; VIP lounges of international airlines; major tourist spots in Taipei; visitor centers of cities and counties around Taiwan; offices of national scenic area administrations; public libraries

Alishan National Forest Recreation Area (photo by Jen Guo-Chen)

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

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

PRodUCER Vision Int,l Publ. Co., Ltd.

addRESS Rm. 5, 10F, 2 Fuxing N. Rd., Taipei, 104 Taiwan tEL: 886-2-2711-5403 Fax: 886-2-2721-2790

E-MaIL: editor@v-media.com.twgEnERaL ManagER Wendy L. C. Yen dEPUty gEnERaL ManagER Frank K. YenEdItoR In CHIEf Johannes Twellmann EngLISH EdItoR Rick Charette dIRECtoR of PLannIng & EdItIng dEPt Joe LeeManagIng EdItoR Gemma Cheng EdItoRS Ming-Jing Yin, Chloe Chu, Nickey Liu ContRIBUtoRS Rick Charette, Paul Naylor, Joe Henley, Stuart Dawson, Owain MckimmPHotogRaPHERS Jen Guo-Chen, Maggie Song, Duncan Longden, Fred Cheng aRt dIRECtoR Sting Chen dESIgnERS Fred Cheng, Maggie Song, Eve Chiang, Karen PanadMInIStRatIvE dEPt Hui-chun Tsai, Nai-jen Liu, Xiou Mieng Jiang

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

Taichung City 40043 886-4-2226-0330   http://www.wunanbooks.com.tw/

2. National Bookstore, 1F., No.209, Songjiang Rd., Zhongshan Dist., Taipei City 10485 886-2-2518-0207 http://www.govbooks.com.tw/

1028

March ~ April 2014

CONTENTS

Travel in Taiwan 3

feaTure10 Alishan – Where the Sun Starts Its Day — a Journey into high-Mountain alishan national Scenic area

Sleeping and Eating in the Clouds — Tips on Where to Stay and Where/What to eat at alishan

1 Publisher’s Note4 Taiwan Tourism Events6 News & Events around Taiwan8 Concerts, Exhibitions, and Happenings 33 Fun with Chinese

FOOD JOUrneY36 Yilan’s Kumquats

— Visiting an Organic Orchard in Taiwan’s Northeast

SPlenDiD FeSTivalS46 The Formosa 900

— Around Taiwan on a Bicycle

10

50

TOP Ten TOUriST TOUrS20 Lovely Nanzhuang

— A Little Town in the Miaoli Countryside

inDiGenOUS arTiSTS24 Paiwan Artist Demedeman

— Keeping Indigenous Traditions Alive

BaCKPaCK BUS TriP40 On the Way to Sun Moon Lake

— Riding a Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Bus through Nantou County

SPeCial rePOrTS44 2014 – Taiwan’s Year of the Horse, Your Year for Taiwan Travel50 One of Taiwan’s Sweetest Things — Its Cake Culture

36OlD STYle/new iDeaS30 The Amazing Bamboo — An (Almost) Obsolete Material Survives in Modern Times

HiKinG28 Shuiyang Forest

— Hiking to a Mystery Lake Created by an Earthquake

20

Calla Lily Festival (竹子湖海芋季 )Location: Zhuzihu (竹子湖 ), Beitou District ( 北投區 ),

Taipei City ( 臺北市 )

Tel: (02) 2892-4185

Website: www.callalily.com.tw

Many visitors to Taiwan are quite

amazed that there is a national

park less than an hour by bus from

downtown Taipei. Yangmingshan

is home to a beautiful park indeed, with verdant

mountains, hot springs, trails, and plenty of fresh air.

Within its boundaries, situated between Mt. Datun

and Mt. Qixing, is an area named Zhuzihu (“Bamboo

Lake”), where a long, long time ago a barrier lake was

created after a volcanic eruption. The lake dried up over

time, leaving behind fertile earth that is now used by

farmers to cultivate ivory-white calla lilies. During this

festival, f lower lovers flock to Zhuzihu to pick flowers in

the fields and take memorable photos. The festival also

features a design exhibition in which lilies and other

seasonal f lowers are used to create beautiful landscapes.

Following the early-spring f lower season, late spring

has yet more in store for f lower-loving travelers, namely the

cherry blossoms of Alishan, calla lilies of Yangmingshan, and

tung tree blossoms of northwestern Taiwan and other areas.

On the cultural front, the annual Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage,

one of the world’s great religious gatherings, is certainly not

to be missed, and the Spring Wave Music & Art Festival is a

must-experience event for music-loving people.

Alishan Sakura Season (櫻花季音樂會 )Location: Alishan National Forest Recreation Area ( 阿里山國家森林遊樂區 ),

Chiayi County ( 嘉義縣 )

Tel: (05) 278-7006

Website: recreation.forest.gov.tw

The mountainous Alishan area in southwestern Taiwan’s Chiayi County is worth a

visit at any time of the year, its most popular attractions being the famous alpine forest

railway, the sunrise over Mt. Jade, which is Taiwan’s highest mountain, and the “sea of

clouds” that form in and completely fill the deep valleys. Alishan is especially delightful

in springtime, however, when its cherry trees are in full bloom. The Alishan National

Forest Recreation Area is perhaps the best place in Taiwan to enjoy the profusion of pink

and crimson blossoms. Paired with the cherry blossoms, its romantic sunrise and forest

train scenes create unforgettable images.

The Hakka Tung Blossom Festival in Miaoli (苗栗客家桐花祭 )Locations: Counties and cities around

Taiwan

Tel: (02) 8995-6988

Website: tung.hakka.gov.tw

Each year in May you can spot “snow” on trees

in certain areas of Taiwan, especially in the foothills of

Miaoli County. How come? It is not real snow, of course,

but the blossoms of the tung tree, which is in full bloom

at this time of the year. Originally planted by the Hakka

people for their oil and wood, tung trees, no longer used

for commercial purposes and left to grow on their own,

have spread over large hilly areas, much to the delight

of hikers and flower-lovers. To celebrate the blooming

season, local governments stage numerous activities

and events, many combining the beauty of f lowers with

celebrations of traditional Hakka culture. This is a great

time to go for a walk in the forest and marvel at the

profusion of blossoms on trees and along trails, where

expansive “white carpets” are often created.

Festivals in Late Spring

Mar.15

Apr.15

Mar. Mar. May

Happenings Highlighting Taiwan’s Nature and Culture

TAIWAN TOURISM EVENTS

4 Travel in Taiwan

Spring Wave Music & Art Festival (春浪音樂節 )Location: Wuliting Airport, Hengchun Township, Pingtung County

( 屏東縣恆春鎮五里亭機場 )

Tel: (02) 2356-9888

Website: www.spring-wave.com

Spring Wave is one of Taiwan’s biggest annual outdoor music festivals. The venue is the grounds of

Hengchun Airport, not far from the popular beach-resort town of Kending at Taiwan’s southernmost

tip. During the 3-day event, music fans can enjoy the pleasant spring weather of southern Taiwan while

listening to the music of many of Taiwan’s top music acts. Last year, the festival attracted more than

200,000 revelers, who also came to attend the Spring Scream music festival at Eluanbi, southeast of

Kending town. Around 250 independent bands performed, including 60 foreign bands, and there was

also a Moonlight Foam Party at South Bay (Nanwan), one of Kending’s best beaches.

Taichung City Mazu International Festival (臺中媽祖國際觀光文化節 )Location: Dajia Jenn Lann Temple ( 大甲鎮瀾宮 ); 158, Shuntian Rd., Dajia Dist.,

Taichung City ( 臺中市大甲區順天路 158 號 )

Tel: (04) 2228-9000

Website: www.culture.taichung.gov.tw

If you are interested in local culture and want to experience how the faithful people here

go about celebrating the birthday of their most beloved goddess, you don’t want to miss this

festival, which is part of the annual Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage, an 8-day, 7-night walk during

which Mazu temples in central and southern Taiwan are visited. Many of the festival’s

traditional ceremonies are held at Dajia’s Jenn Lann Temple, the start and end point of

the pilgrimage. The festival attracts huge crowds, and it can become a bit frantic at times,

showing how passionate the Taiwanese people are about their faith. During the pilgrimage,

a statue of Mazu is carried on a sedan chair, and up to 200,000 people will do part or all of

the long march from Dajia in Taichung to the town of Xingang in Chiayi County and back.

Apr.

Dapeng Bay International Regatta (大鵬灣國際風帆系列活動 )Location: Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area ( 大鵬灣國家風景區 ),

Pingtung County ( 屏東縣 )

Tel: (08) 833-8100

Website: www.dbnsa.gov.tw

Dapeng Bay is a large lagoon just south of the harbor town of Donggang

in southwestern Taiwan. It is part of the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area and has been developed

as a recreational area, allowing visitors to explore the interesting ecological environment and

engage in a variety of water sports. The Dapeng Bay International Regatta is the largest event of its

kind in Taiwan, and attracts large crowds who come to experience sailing and wind surfing on the

calm waters of the bay. There’s also a sailboat race for experienced sailors from the main island of

Taiwan to the small coral island of Xiao Liuqiu, southwest of Dapeng Bay, which is a popular tourist

destination in its own right.

Mar.

Mar.

May

May

4 6

TAIWAN TOURISM EVENTS

Travel in Taiwan 5

MARCH~MAY

6 Travel in Taiwan

WHAT'S UP

News& Events around Taiwan

Zoo

Movie

Little Panda Biggest Star in Taipei ZooAfter a six-month wait, panda lovers in Taiwan finally got to see her up close – Yuanzai, the Taipei Zoo’s baby panda. Thousands of curious visitors have been drawn to the zoo since the beginning of the year, hoping to see the little critter move about, a rare sight considering the panda sleeps up to 20 hours a day. The panda is the first born in Taiwan; her parents came from mainland China in 2008. If you can’t make it to the zoo, but still want to see little Yuanzai, you can watch her online at hichannel.hinet.net/panda/ (live broadcast from 4 to 5pm local time each day). Zoo website: english.zoo.taipei.gov.tw.

Tourism

Eight Million Visitors in 2013The year 2013 was a successful one for Taiwan’s tourism industry in terms of visitor arrivals. Just before the end of the year, on December 31 at 1pm, the 8-millionth visitor arrived in Taiwan at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, setting a new high for international visitors in one calendar year. Arriving on an EVA Air f light from Japan, Aya Omote and her husband were greeted by officials at the airport and presented with a variety of gifts, valued at NT$500,000 in total, to celebrate the occasion. The couple received two round-trip business-class tickets to anywhere in Asia from Taiwan, coupons for free accommodation in five-star hotels, tickets to an entertainment complex, tour-bus tickets, a three-day High Speed Rail pass, bicycles, and electronic devices.

A Touching Baseball StoryThe film Kano, produced by Wei Te-sheng, the award-winning Taiwanese director of Cape No. 7 and Seediq Bale, is one of Taiwan’s films to watch this year. Released in February, it tells the remarkable story of a high-school baseball team from Chiayi, in southern Taiwan, that was invited to compete in the 1931 Koshien all-Japan tournament and, to the surprise of everyone, made it to the finals. The team, comprised of members of three ethnic groups – Japanese, Han Chinese, and indigenous – and a tough Japanese coach, took a boat from Keelung in northern Taiwan to Kobe in Japan and, though facing far superior competition, almost won it all with a good share of luck and a “never give up” attitude. Wei, who also wrote the script, has added a love story to the drama, which has all the components of a feel-good movie.

Travel in Taiwan 7

WHAT'S UP

Airlines

Dubai-Taipei Flights by EmiratesSince this February, Emirates airline has been offering non-stop f lights between Dubai and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. There are three f lights daily, giving travelers from the Middle East and Europe more options to reach Taiwan.

Sightseeing

Love River CruisesThe Love River in Kaohsiung has become one of the city’s main tourist attractions in recent years. Especially in the evening, the river attracts many people who come to stroll along the riverside, taking in the charming night views. The Love Boat service allows you to travel on the river itself, on eco-friendly boats powered by solar panels. A new generation of the craft has recently been introduced, and both catering and live-music entertainment are now offered. A 100-min. cruise (incl. buffet and entertainment) is available from NT$500 per person on weekdays, NT$700 on weekends and holidays. Cruises without food and music are available for NT$120. For more info, visit kcs.kcg.gov.tw/new_kcb/index_en.php.

Emirates chairman and chief executive of f icer Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al -Mak toum (center) with poli t ical deput y minis ter at the Minis tr y of Transpor tat ion and Communications of Taiwan Chen Chwen-Jing ( lef t), and deput y direc tor general of Taiwan’s Civ i l Aero -nautics Administrat ion Wan-Lee Lee (r ight)

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.

The Dialogue of Ancestral Spirits 祖靈對話

April 6Taipei Zhongshan Hall

This music event will be something special. Singers from Taiwan’s indigenous tribes will be joined on stage by percussionists from Africa and the Taipei Chinese Orchestra. Celebrating tribal music, the artists will create a wonderful spiritual experience. Website of the Taipei Chinese Orchestra: www.tco.taipei.gov.tw.

Eva Yerbabuena, one of the most celebrated contemporary flamenco dancers, was born in 1970 and has been dancing flamenco since she was 12. She has performed around the world, including the Sydney Opera House, and has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards. In Lluvia (Rain), a classic Spanish flamenco work, she

presents her highly praised speed, power, and dramatic footwork. Accompanied by four dancers and her ensemble of musicians, she delivers an unforgettable performance, producing despairing monologues with her feet and making one lament while at the same time being thrilled by the charms of the dance form. For more info about Eva Yerbabuena, visit www.evayerbabuena.com/en/.

Ballet Flamenco Eva Yerbabuena: Lluvia

March 28 & 29National Theater

伊娃‧葉爾芭波娜佛朗明哥舞團《雨》

Cloud Gate 2, the junior company in Taiwan’s Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, was formed in 1999 by the theatre’s founder and artistic director, Lin Hwai-min. The company showcases talented young dancers in original works by innovative young choreographers. Spring Riot is Cloud Gate 2’s annual spring-season program, and performances are highly anticipated. This year, the company will present Dorian Gray by choreographer Cheng Tsun-lung, adapted from Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Yaangad by Bulareyaung Pagarlava, which will include live singing by Sangpuy, a member of Taiwan’s indigenous Puyuma tribe, and The Floating Area by Huang Yi, presented to the sound of Bach’s Piano Concerto in D Minor. For more info about Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, visit www.cloudgate.org.tw.

Cloud Gate 2: Spring Riot 雲門 2：春鬥

April 17~ 20Novel Hall

January 18 ~ April 20Taipei Fine Arts Museum

This exhibition is not a display of photographs, but of super-realistic paintings based on photographs. Super-realism, also called photorealism, is a modern art form that originated in the 1970s in New York. More accurate than realism, the focus of this form is the reproduction of images in new, objective form. To achieve this, painters will often take an image with a camera, develop it as either slide or print, project the image on a canvas, and apply realistic painting technique to achieve the lifelike visual effect of a photograph. The exhibition features works by several ethnic-Chinese artists who have lived and worked in New York, as well as Taiwan-based artists of different generations who have mastered the art of super-realistic painting.

Telling Details: Photorealism in Taiwan見微知萌→台灣超寫實繪畫

Travel in Taiwan 9

CULTURE SCENE

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 101/World Trade Center

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 www.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( 台北市至善路二段 2 21 號 )

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

National Taiwan Museum （國立臺灣博物館）

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

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

Novel Hall （新舞臺）

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

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

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

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

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

Taipei Arena （台北小巨蛋）

Add: 2 Nanjing E. Rd., Sec. 4, Taipei City( 台北市南京東路四段 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( 台北市中山北路三段 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) 2725-5200 www.twtcnangang.com.twNearest 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

Venues

雲門 2：春鬥

Telling Details: Photorealism in Taiwan見微知萌→台灣超寫實繪畫

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( 台南市中華東路三段 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

Alishan Where the Sun Starts Its Day

A Journey into High-Mountain Alishan National Scenic Area

Where the Sun Starts Its Day

Alishan Nat ional ForestRecreat ion Area

10 Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

This Alishan three-day adventure begins on the island’s Western flatlands with visits to attractions located just before the gap in the mountain wall at the town of Chukou that gives access to the rugged, ever-higher peaks hiding beyond. Provincial

Highway No. 18 takes you there, and we head upward and skyward along its dramatic twists to the area around the small settlement of Fenqihu, a place of great character whose original

reason for being was to serve as a halfway station and timber-loading point on the Alishan Forest Railway, one of the world’s highest and most picturesque lines.

The adventure ends far, far higher still, in the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, the jewel in the Alishan crown.

Alishan

Travel in Taiwan 11

FEATURE ALISHAN

Text: Rick Charette Photos: Jen Guo-Chen

Day 1On the Plains around Chukou

Graceful Wufeng Temple is beside Highway 18 in the township

of Zhongpu, not far from Chukou. An interesting window into

Taiwan history, it was built in 1820 in honor of Wu Feng, a figure

of controversy. It is said he was a Qing Dynasty official in this area,

respected by both Han Chinese immigrants and the local indigenous

peoples, who tricked the latter into giving up their headhunting ways by

disguising himself and allowing them to cut off his head. The tale has

given rise to much political controversy. The display here presents the

story as true.

Just before Chukou and your mountain ascent are a number of

sites, located close to each other along Highway 18, that will bring you

reward. The spanking-new Alishan NSA Chukou Visitor Center, in an

expansive facility of dynamic architecture, has English-speaking staff,

English brochures, and visually attractive displays on such topics as the

area’s tea production and Tsou indigenous culture. There is also a well-

produced 18-minute introductory video offered; ask the desk staff to

play the English version.

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Located

in Chiayi County, Alishan National

Scenic Area (www.ali-nsa.net) is a well-developed

tourist resort and recreation area that brings countless

numbers of sightseers on pilgrimages to take in

spectacular sunrises over what the Taiwanese poetically

call yunhai, or “seas of clouds,” which dramatically

roll into the deep valleys like a great incoming tide, and

which you witness from above. The pristine, tranquil

region is defined by lofty peaks, long and deep valleys,

soaring stands of cedar, cypress, and pine, massive

“sacred trees” over a thousand years old that stand

like immortals amidst their much younger brethren,

picturesque tea and coffee plantations, an attractive

network of trails, Tsou tribe culture, fresh and tasty

mountain produce, and fun alpine forest railway rides.

The national scenic area abuts Yushan National Park

(www.ysnp.gov.tw), home to Taiwan’s loftiest peak,

Yushan or Mt. Jade.

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12 Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

Tsou Tribe and Yokeoasu MarketRight beside the visitor center is a Tsou tribe community. The northern Tsou have long called Alishan home. The tidy modern-style homes here, built after Typhoon Morakot roared across the island in 2009, feature decorative patterns imitating those used on traditional Tsou attire. The Yokeoasu Market, staged at the community center on weekends/holidays, showcases Tsou arts and crafts, traditional song and dance, food delicacies, and mountain produce (with Taiwan’s other tribes represented as well). I find the colorful yet elegant hand-crafted, international-quality leather goods particularly fetching, featuring scenes from Tsou myths (with tagged explanations).

Across from the visitor and community centers is large, long Niupuzi

Leisure Park, which runs between the highway and parallel Bazhang

River and is being developed as a space of f loral landscapes to be used

for relaxed strolls and bicycling. Back on the same side as the visitor

center and not far away is the Taiwan Forestry Bureau’s Chukou Nature

Center (recreation.forest.gov.tw; info on center in Chinese only), which

has pleasant shaded paths, a copy of the wood-built fire-lookout towers

the bureau constructs on high-mountain points, an eco-pond area

showcasing sustainable nature-reengineering practices, and a tree bank

with proud old specimens brought here for protection.

Chukou is dramatically set right where the Bazhang River suddenly

emerges from the mountain wall. Oft called the gateway to Alishan,

adding to the visual drama are two long river-spanning suspension

bridges built by the Japanese in 1937, with a large, ornate Chinese

temple off the end of one. The temple’s market area formed in the days

before the highway was punched through; Chukou was once a major

commercial entrepot, handling f latland goods destined for the hills and

Alishan produce headed into the f latlands.

1. Wufeng Temple2. Al ishan NSA Chukou V isi tor Center3 & 4 Chukou Nature Center 5. Niupuzi Leisure Park

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Travel in Taiwan 13

FEATURE ALISHAN

Day 2 Up to the Mid-Level Hills and Fenqihu

Your trusted writer must here confess to a bit of

a fib. It is almost guaranteed that multi-day Alishan

sojourners, even if spending a good deal of time at the

sites in the section above, will be up in the mountains

toward the end of Day 1, looking to witness the iconic

sea of clouds phenomenon and to take in the day’s sunset

and, perhaps, the next day’s sunrise. I’ve manipulated

the “Day” sections in this article a tad so as to give you

a better sense of each region’s physical separation and

differences.

The Fenqihu-Shizhuo area is 1,200~1,500 meters

above sea level. Shizhuo village is on Highway 18;

Fenqihu is reached via a pretty, gently winding, tree-

hugged 5km road. This is tea country, and steep-slope tea

plantations are almost always in view.

Souvenir shopping for the mellow, premium-

quality Alishan high-mountain Oolong is pretty much

obligatory, and I find Sheng Le Farm (www.sheng-le.com; Chinese), at Xiding, below Shizhuo on Highway

18, one of the most pleasant and relaxing places to do so.

It has an airy retail area, rustic café/restaurant with big

windows to let in the moving seas of clouds panoramas,

and a homestay facility. All the teas are from the

picturesque surrounding fields, English is spoken in the

retail area, and you can even tour the on-site production

facilities. Sheng Le also produces Alishan coffee.

Scenic Fenqihu has a duo of raisons d’etre – the Alishan Forest

Railway was built in the early 1900s by the Japanese to bring

logged timber down to the plains, and this spot was both close to

great timber stands and could serve as a halfway storage and repair

depot. A place of low wooden houses, Fenqihu is fit snugly into a

high slope where two mountain bodies meet.

At its top, just above the tracks (the railway is closed indefinitely

for maintenance) are homespun wood-built cafés with splendid

forest and valley views. Along the tracks you’ll find the attractive

old Japanese-built station, the old train depot (free entry), which

houses logging-era engines and a model showing the amazing

engineering involved in the alpine railway, and a thick showcase

stand of six-meter-high square bamboo, brought here from south

China in 1941 for use in building, handicrafts, etc.

Fenqihu Old Street runs just below the tracks. Lined tightly

with heritage shops selling iconic foods and crafts, at points it is

covered and so narrow that is it more corridor than street. Two

very welcoming wood-décor shops sell traditional baked items

such as sun cakes, mochi, and Taiwan-style cookies made with

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14 Travel in Taiwan

FEATURE

1. Sheng Le Farm tea plantat ion2. Sheng Le Farm café/restaurant3. Fenqihu Rai lway Stat ion4 & 5 Fenqihu old train depot

6 Yoshino cherr y blossoms7 & 8 Fenqihu Histor ical E xhibit ion Room9. Japanese horseradish

Alishan’s Sunsets and Seas of CloudsHere are my votes for the best locations to take in Alishan’s sunsets and seas of clouds:

Sunsets: The Eryanping Trail, which starts beside Highway No. 18 at Xiding (53.5km mark), below Shizhuo. “Xiding” means “top of the crevice,” indicating the pass/crevice used by early settlers when heading to Eryanping Mountain. You walk among bamboo stands, tea fields, and strangely shaped rocks, and have grand views of the plains in the far distance. This trail is also good for the seas of clouds.

Cloud-sea viewing: The Upper Shizhuo Trail, which starts just off Highway 18 just up a Shizhuo side road, and moves upslope through tea farms. There is a large cluster of homestays here, one close to the trailhead recommended in our Stay/Eat article. As you wait for the sea and it then moves massively past and below you, a calming sense of serenity envelops you.

fresh local ingredients. DerMing’s (No. 146) gift boxes feature old-time Alishan steam

locomotives, and Trainpei (No. 142) offers a large assorted-goodie giftbox with rope

handles that is itself a steam locomotive.

For me, aficionado of spiced-up foods, a must-buy is the popular Alishan wasabi,

sold at numerous shops here in cute and colorful little containers that look like old-

time milk bottles. The Japanese introduced Japanese horseradish, called shankui in

Chinese, to Alishan to satisfy their wasabi cravings.

Down at the quiet bottom of the village, beside the small police station, is the

Fenqihu Historical Exhibition Room (free entry), housed in a beautifully renovated

Japanese-era police dormitory. Inside, enjoy the quality Fenqihu-theme display and

video, which have good English, and as well enjoy the sunny, breezy café, which has

indoor/outdoor seating, Alishan teas and coffees, and the owner-operator’s delicious

self-created cold tea/honey/Japanese sake drink. Numerous unique gift items are sold

here, notably the owner’s also-delectable orange jam and cane sugar handmade by

Tsou tribe members.

Be sure to leave time to traverse the easy trails that encircle the village, which have

good English signage. Highlights include tall stands of cedar, viewing platforms, and

the ruins of the area’s Japanese Shinto shrine and an old kiln.

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Travel in Taiwan 15

FEATURE ALISHAN

Day 3 Alishan National Forest Recreation Area

The drive to the forest recreation area from Shizhuo

takes about an hour. Along the way, you are presented with

ever more impressive peak/cliff/valley vistas and ever more

impressive road-engineering feats. Arrival at the forest

recreation area brings you into a busy complex of eateries

and retailers primarily selling Alishan-theme goods. There

is also a visitor center. From the main area, which is at about

2,200 meters above sea level, you launch into the latticework

of pathways and eco-friendly raised boardwalks further on

uphill and downhill. There are short forest-railway runs from

Alishan Station, up behind the food & retail complex, to

Zhaoping Station, the Sacred Tree, and, in the early morn, to

Zhushan (“Celebration Mountain”) for the famous sunrises.

Among the many images of natural beauty that will

become part of your album of life memories will be Zhaoping

Park’s decorative cherry trees (planted throughout Alishan

by the Japanese), the laid-to-rest Sacred Tree, estimated at

over 3,000 years old and long revered by the Tsou, the Giant

Tree Trails, featuring dozens of massive, ancient red cypress

trees, the forest-surrounded Sisters Ponds, one prettified

1. Sunr ise at Zhushan2. One of the Sis ters Ponds 3 & 4 Al ishan Forest Rai lway5 & 6 Forest recreation area

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316 Travel in Taiwan

FEATUREFEATURE

with two wooden “love pavilions” built on Formosan red

cypress bases (said to be named after two lovely native

sisters who long ago drowned themselves to avoid a forced

marriage), and the fantasy-like Three-Generations Tree,

which has one tree growing from the dead trunk of another,

which originally grew from the dead trunk of a third, that

one 1,500 years old.

On this three-day trip, taken in January, temperatures

reached into the 20s (Celsius) in the day, but tickled zero in

the forest recreation area at night – so be prepared!

English and ChineseAlishan National Forest Recreation Area 阿里山國家森林遊樂區Alishan Forest Railway 阿里山森林鐵路Alishan National Scenic Area 阿里山國家風景區Alishan NSA Chukou Visitor Center 阿里山國家風景區 - 觸口遊客中心Alishan Station 阿里山車站Bazhang River 八掌溪Chukou 觸口Chukou Nature Center 觸口自然教育中心 DerMing 德銘餅店Eryanping Trail 二延平步道Fenqihu 奮起湖Fenqihu Historical Exhibition Room 奮起湖文史陳列室Fenqihu Old Street 奮起湖老街Giant Tree Trails 巨木群棧道Mt. Eryanping 二延平山Niupuzi Leisure Park 牛埔仔草原Sacred Tree 神木shankui 山葵Sheng Le Farm 生力農場Shizhuo 石棹Sisters Ponds 姊妹潭sun cakes 太陽餅Three-Generations Tree 三代木TrainPei 天美珍餅舖Tsou tribe 鄒族Upper Shizhuo Trail 頂石棹步道Wufeng Temple 吳鳳廟Xiding 隙頂Yokeoasu Market 優格哇獅市集yunhai 雲海Zhaoping Park 沼平公園Zhaoping Station 沼平車站Zhongpu Township 中埔鄉 Zhushan 祝山

Alishan Forest RailwayTaking the narrow-gauge Alishan Forest Railway all the way from the city of Chiayi, on the coastal plains, to the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, high up in the central mountains, is a truly memorable train ride. Unfortunately the line was seriously damaged by typhoon-caused landslides in 2009, and repair work has been continuous since then. On January 27 the section from Chiayi to Fenqihu, which is at about the half-way point, was reopened. The section from Fenqihu up to the forest recreation area is still being repaired, and a date for reopening will be announced at a later date. For ticket reservations on the Chiayi-Fenqihu section, call Chiayi City’s Beimen Station at (05) 276-8094 or (05) 276-2251.

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Travel in Taiwan 17

FEATURE ALISHANFEATURE

Getting There, Getting AroundSelf-drive is your best option, for the national scenic area’s attractions are quite spread out. The next best option for the DIY traveler is the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle, an inexpensive hop-on/hop-off coach service. There are two Alishan routes: one starts/finishes at Chiayi’s High Speed Rail station, the other at Chiayi Railway Station. Check out the official website (www.taiwantrip.com.tw) for more details. For other bus options, visit the Alishan National Scenic Area website (www.ali-nsa.net) and click on “Transportation,” then “Public Transportation.”

Your stay and eat options perfectly complement the fresh air and simple beauties of Alishan mountain living.

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Bright, airy Alishan House stands amidst the soaring,

straight-spine trees and shady walking paths that define the

Alishan National Forest Recreation Area. The upscale hotel has

two sections, each with its own distinctive character. The front,

two-story wood-built section, which was built as a mountain

getaway for imperial officials by the forest-loving Japanese in

1913, has the look and ambience of the old, rustic inns you find

in wooded areas in the New England countryside. The chic,

modernistic new section, opened in autumn 2012, rises above

the old in the rear and along one side, like a mother gently

protecting a child with one arm extended. Alishan House has all

the facilities of a big-city hotel, plus much extra nature-sculpted

beauty. Especially inviting are the rooftop decks and café

amongst the trees. (Rooms start at NT$7,000.)

Changqingju (“Evergreen Home”) is a comfortable, bucolic

homestay (i.e., a B&B without the second “B”) run by quiet,

friendly tea farmer Xu Yong-hong. The traditional three-sided

courtyard residence is his ancestral home, and he has given it an

impressive renovation. It sits amidst tea plantations, with a trail

leading uphill behind, just above Shizhuo village and Provincial

Highway No. 18, both out of sight and earshot. Beyond, facing

east, is a deep valley, a backdrop of high peaks, and serene

sunrises. The rooms (for two people, four people, and families)

are modern, bright, and airy, featuring much polished wood

and etched-glass paneling. Each has a bathroom/shower – bring

towels – and cable TV, but no phone. Simple breakfast foods can

be ordered from the Shizhuo FamilyMart convenience store;

order forms are supplied. (Rooms start at NT$3,000.)

Note that surrounding Changqingju are many other

homestays. Check with the Tourism Bureau for details. Other

suggested places to stay include the missionary-run Arnold

Janssen Activity Center hostel (aj-centersvd.myweb.hinet.net ; Chinese) in lower Fenqihu, where the gentle, lovely Sister

Ulrich from Switzerland will take care of you in the way my

grandmother did when I was a child, and the small Fenqihu

Hotel (www.fenchihu-hotel.com.tw), a hotel with the simple

facilities of an inn located on the main Fenqihu tourist foot-traffic

alley, so quiet before mid-morning and after supper you hear the

local roosters crowing.

Tips on Where to Stay and Where/What to Eat at Alishan

StayOvernighting in Alishan almost automatically means bracing

morning views with your coffee or tea. Here are places that have

passed the Travel in Taiwan test for pleasantness and comfort.

Sleeping and Eating

in the Clouds

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18 Travel in Taiwan

STAY/EAT ALISHAN

Text: Rick Charette Photos: Jen Guo-Chen

Alishan House (阿里山賓館 )Add: 16, Xianglin Village, Alishan Township, Chiayi County ( 嘉義縣阿里山鄉香林村 16號 )Tel: (05) 267-9811 Website: www.alishanhouse.com.tw

Changqingju (長青居 )Add: 16, Zhonghe Village, Zhuqi Township, Shizhuo, Chiayi County ( 嘉義縣竹崎鄉中和村石棹 16號 )Tel: (05) 256-1603 / 0932-711-222

Tianshui (天水 )Add: 159-2, Fenqihu, Zhonghe Village, Zhuqi Township, Chiayi County ( 嘉義縣竹崎鄉中和村奮起湖 159-2號 )Tel: (05) 256-2084

A-Liang's (阿良鐵支路便當 )Add: 117, Fenqihu, Zhonghe Village, Zhuqi Township, Chiayi County ( 嘉義縣竹崎鄉中和村奮起湖 117號 )Tel: (05) 256-1809

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English and ChineseFenqihu Dried Beancurd 奮起湖豆干堡Fenqihu Hotel 奮起湖大飯店Lijing Restaurant 麗景廳Shizhuo 石棹Xu Yong-hong 許永鴻

1. Old wood-built sec t ion of Al ishan House2. Al ishan House old-sec tion guestroom3. Changqingju homestay4. Fenqihu dr ied beancurd5. St ir- f r ied f iddleheads at T ianshui restaurant6 . Beancurd with wasabi at L i j ing Restaurant7. Fenqihu rai lway lunchboxes

The glass-walled Lijing Restaurant on the first f loor at

Alishan House has soothing views into the forest behind the

hotel and into its waterfall-adorned central courtyard. The food

is Chinese, with dishes built around local produce. My favorites

are the deep-fried Alishan range chicken with mushroom, meat-

stuffed tomatoes, and beancurd with wasabi. The pure, mineral-

rich mountain waters here have given the local beancurd an

island-wide reputation.

The Lijing Restaurant is also the venue for the hotel’s

breakfast buffet. There is a wide range of both Western and

Chinese breakfast standards. Among the tasty non-standard items

are the selection of fresh European-style breads, lox, and meat

stew – the last most welcome on a chilly Alishan winter morn.

In Fenqihu, the open-front, hole-in-the-wall eatery

Tianshui is always busy. The fare, filling and straightforward,

is quintessentially local. The best dishes, in my view, are the

pumpkin soup, fried tea-oil chicken, fried mountain boar, and

fiddleheads. There is an English menu here.

Directly across the narrow alley from Tianshui you’ll see

the “Fenqihu Dried Beancurd” stand. This supplies the closest

thing to soul food you’ll find in Alishan, a snack I’ve never

seen anywhere else. Large squares of local soy-braised smoked

beancurd are sliced open to form pockets à la pita bread, and

stuffed with a savory medley of spicy red pepper, spring onion,

minced pork, and other goodies, which you can adjust to taste.

Delicious! Two of these make a meal.

Fenqihu “railway lunchboxes” are pretty much a tourist must.

In days of old they were sold to passengers on passing trains

from the station platform. Each has a bed of rice, a cut or two of

meat, a soy-braised egg, and other goodies. A-Liang’s is generally

considered to have the village’s best. With an NT$270 version, you

get a souvenir tin lunchbox with attractive railway-theme art.

EatFrom Alishan’s pristine environment grows fresh, delectable

mountain produce, and from these, simple, hearty fare is created.

STAY/EAT

Travel in Taiwan 19

ALISHAN

Lovely Nanzhuang

Sweet Osmanthus Lane

Nanzhuang Old Post O f f ice

Nanzhuang Hundred Year Maple Tree

TOP TEN TOURIST TOURS

Text: Paul Naylor Photos: Fred Cheng

A Little Town in the Miaoli Countryside

Kangji Suspension Bridge

At Nanzhuang Hand-made Noodles

Nogi Stairs

TOP TEN TOURIST TOURS NANZHUANG

It was a dark, cold, and rainy day, and we started our trip very early. I got on the train headed south and fell asleep. At some point on the journey from Taipei Railway Station to the town of Zhunan I woke up. All was bright and clear now, and I could even see the Taiwan Strait off in the distance.

Travel in Taiwan 21

After an

hour’s ride we

arrived at Nanzhuang, where our first stop

was the Nanzhuang Visitor Center. The

center is well-stocked with information

about the area, and the staff has plenty of

ideas on where you might journey.

We then walked to close-by

Yongchang Temple. Built in 1905,

this temple is large and imposing, and

features beautifully painted door gods

and woodcarvings. The “Three Lords of

the World” are worshipped at the temple

– they control heaven, earth, and water,

respectively.

Next door to the temple is the

Nanzhuang Old Post Office. This was

built during the time of Japanese rule

over Taiwan, around 1900, and still

has many of its original features. It is

no longer operational, but there is a

mailbox outside. These days it houses as

an exhibition space and a souvenir shop.

Many of the region’s traditional specialty

products are sold here, such as kumquat

jam and lemongrass oil, as well as the

shop’s own signature mosquito repellent!

It may seem strange that Nanzhuang

Elementary School was recommended

as a destination on our tour, but the

school has a feature of special interest

to travelers. Beside its playing field is

a unique tree. Curved in the shape of a

crescent moon and supported by wooden

scaffolding, the Nanzhuang Hundred

Year Maple Tree is believed to be a

century old.

From the elementary school we

descended the Nogi Stairs, the building

of which was initiated in 1897 by

General Nogi Maresuke, the third

Japanese governor-general of Taiwan,

when he inspected the town. We then

came to a cobbled area marking one

end of Nanzhuang Market. Here stands

the well-known Lao Jin Long (“Old

Golden Dragon”) restaurant, which

has been satisfying customers with its

traditional Hakka food for the past 50

years. However, we had come here for

the gourmand’s paradise of snacks found

in Sweet Osmanthus Lane.

Sweet Osmanthus Lane is so named

because of an old noodle restaurant here

named Guihua (“Osmanthus Flower”).

In an attempt to make the lane better

known to outsiders and boost business,

the locals started to call it Sweet

Osmanthus Lane and restaurant owners

began to add the fragrant osmanthus

f lower to various foods.

We were met with a cacophony of

shouts in the narrow, cobbled streets, as

stall-holders vied to sell us their wares.

As the day was getting colder, we ordered

hot osmanthus and kumquat drinks first,

and then went on to try some of the snack

foods. On the food front, we first sampled

some Hakka-style taro fritters, a simple

treat made with taro and glutinous-rice

paste, then tried some spicy chicken feet,

and finished with pork and sausages

We had

entered Miaoli in

northwest Taiwan, a county characterized

by foothills and mountains, with rich

rainfall and small rivers, giving it a perfect

climate for the cultivation of many types

of fruits and vegetables. Miaoli is also

culturally significant, as a great number of

Taiwan’s Hakka people live here, and it is

also home to the small indigenous Saisiat

tribe, as well as the Atayal.

The Hakka have been living in this

area since the 18th century, and thinking

of their long tradition of distinctive

cuisine and handicrafts, I was looking

forward to a grand adventure in terms of

both cultural and culinary exploration.

We were heading to the town of

Nanzhuang, known as one of the best

places on the island to see (and taste) this

cultural legacy.

At Zhunan we caught a local

bus bound for Nanzhuang. Buses of

the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle service’s

Nanzhuang Route (www.taiwantrip.com.tw/Besttour/Info/?id=5) also start

out from Zhunan, but we didn’t want

to wait (the tourist shuttle buses leave

once an hour on weekdays). As our bus

moved deeper into Miaoli County the

countryside came to life. The fields

were full of sunflowers and pink garden

cosmos, and bright-orange kumquats

glistened on dark-green trees. The bus

stopped at a morning vegetable market

and a lively, colorful group of old men

and women got on, talking excitedly

in the melodious Hakka language.

Accompanying them was the smell

of spring onions, fresh soil, and other

evidence of intimate contact with Mother

Earth. We were definitely out of the city.

The old post office was built during the time of

Japanese rule over Taiwan, around 1900, and still

has many of its original features

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TOP TEN TOURIST TOURS

22 Travel in Taiwan

prepared with Shaoxing wine, a classic

Chinese rice wine. These served as

splendid appetizers, for lunch-time had

arrived and our tummies were growling,

demanding satisfaction! We stepped into

a small, traditional Hakka-style Sweet

Osmanthus Lane restaurant and quickly

found that two Hakka must-tries were

on the menu, bamboo-shoot soup with

meigan cai, a type of pickled Chinese

mustard plant unique to the Hakka, and

dried beancurd with spring onion and

chili. We ordered both. The soup was

perfect, especially considering the cold

weather, and the dried beancurd had an

interesting texture and smoky taste, well

complemented by the chili.

Osmanthus f lowers are also used by

local vendors in dessert items and we were

keen to try some of those next. We first

sampled some crunchy osmanthus egg

rolls, then some taro cakes, and finally a

traditional dessert, glutinous-rice balls,

with wax apple, banana, and osmanthus

honey added. These come either with ice

or warming ginger soup. As it was a cold

day, I was looking forward to the ginger

soup. However, as we would have had to

wait for it to be heated, we opted for the

ice instead. There was also lavender and

lemongrass ice cream available, but after

eating up our generous servings of ice we

decided to leave these for a warmer day

and a return trip.

On the way

out of Sweet

Osmanthus Lane, we came upon a strange

sight. Here, a small stream emerges from

under a rock, flows along a short stone

trough, and disappears underground once

again. This is the Shuibiantou Laundry

Trough. In days of old, locals would wash

English and Chinesebantiao 粄條guihua 桂花Kangji Suspension Bridge 康濟吊橋Lao Jin Long 老金龍meigan cai 梅乾菜Nanzhuang 南庄Nanzhuang Elementary School 南庄小學Nanzhuang Hand-made Noodles 南庄手工麵Nanzhuang Hundred Year Maple Tree 南庄百年楓樹Nanzhuang Market 南庄市場Nanzhuang Old Post Office 百年南庄郵便局Nogi Stairs 乃木崎石階Penglai River 蓬萊溪Saisiat tribe 賽夏族Shaoxing wine 紹興酒Shuibiantou Laundry Trough 水卞頭洗衫坑Sweet Osmanthus Lane 桂花巷Three Lords of the World 三官大帝Yongchang Temple 永昌宮Zhongzheng Road 中正路Zhunan 竹南

We first sampled some crunchy osmanthus egg rolls,

then some taro cakes, and finally glutinous-rice balls,

with wax apple, banana, and osmanthus honey added

Nanzhuang Visitor Center (南庄遊客中心 )Add: 43, Datong Rd., Borough 4, Dong Village, Nanzhuang Township, Miaoli County (苗栗縣南庄鄉東村 4 鄰大同路 43號 ) Tel: (037) 824-570

their clothes in the clean spring water; and

judging by the traces of washing powder

on the stones and the clothes hanging in

the sun, at least a few still do.

A short while later we were standing

on Kangji Suspension Bridge, a

structure of brick-built towers and

impressive architectural engineering that

spans the stony Penglai River, enjoying

the excellent views of Nanzhuang.

We spotted a cat prowling around

the courtyard of one of Nanzhuang’s

traditional three-sided courtyard houses,

and savored the quiet, which contrasted

dramatically with the hustle and bustle of

Sweet Osmanthus Lane.

Walking back towards the town

center, down Zhongzheng Road, we did

a little browsing in the many traditional

craft shops. Nanzhuang, like a number of

other places in Miaoli County, is known

for quality woodwork, and the shops

here sell beautifully crafted items such

as images of the Laughing Buddha and,

strangely, laughing pigs. There are also

tailors and fabric shops where traditional

Hakka f loral-pattern fabrics are made

into clothes, cushions, sheets, and all

manner of other things.

The light was now fading, signaling it

was time for dinner. Nanzhuang Hand-

made Noodles, a 50-year-old noodle

shop on Sweet Osmanthus Lane, was

the place to go. The walls are covered in

notes written by visiting tourists, many

in English, a testament to the restaurant’s

popularity; I added my own, in rather

shaky Chinese characters. The restaurant

serves tasty hand-made bantiao (thick

rice noodles), a staple of Hakka cuisine,

with pork and red onion.

Our stomachs full, our legs tired,

we bid goodbye to Nanzhuang, and

then to Miaoli County. Nanzhuang is

a great destination for a one-day trip

from Taipei; but if you have the time,

spend more than just a single day in

Miaoli County. Our trip presented me

with splendid scenery and gave me a

fascinating glimpse into the intriguing,

timeless cultures of the Hakka and of the

area’s indigenous people.

1. Sweet Osmanthus Lane 2. Nanzhuang Old Post Of f ice3. Nanzhuang Elementar y School4. Kangji Suspension Br idge5. Sampling an osmanthus egg rol l

5

4

TOP TEN TOURIST TOURS

Travel in Taiwan 23

NANZHUANG

Text: Joe Henley Photos: Duncan Longden

With her unique artwork, a young artist of the Paiwan tribe attempts to preserve her cultural heritage and introduce aspects of her tribe’s traditions to the world

In a small

exhibition

room in the Yilan Creative Culture

Center in Luodong Township in Yilan

County, a woman sits at her work desk

stitching colored beads into cloth,

putting the finishing touches on a

geometric design done in bright oranges

and greens. At the same time, she keeps

a storied tradition alive. Demedeman, a

member of the Paiwan tribe, used to hate

making the traditional dress and crafts

of her people. When she was young her

grandmother would make her sit and

help with her handiwork, much to the

child's dismay. It was only later on, after

she had moved to Yilan in northeast

Taiwan from her native Taitung County

in the southeast, home to Mt. Dawu, the

ancestral territory of the Paiwan, that

she began to feel a sense of nostalgia for

her cultural origins. Wanting to express

her feelings and preserve a disappearing

craft and a way of life, she again took

to the stitches taught to her by her

grandmother, starting down a path that

she today continues to explore.

Demedeman's grandmother is now

nearly 90 years old, and a traditional

Keeping Indigenous Traditions Alive

dress she has made hangs in her

granddaughter's exhibition room. It is

adorned with beaded representations

of the sharp-nosed viper, the protector

spirit of the Paiwan, and is the work of

a lifetime. As Demedeman explains,

her grandmother, still spry even at her

advanced age, is always looking to add

something to the dress, just as the artist

herself is always looking to refine her

Paiwan Artist

Demedeman▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼

INDIGENOUS ARTISTS

24 Travel in Taiwan

▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼

▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼

Wanting to express her

feelings and preserve a

disappearing craft and a way

of life, she again took to the

stitches taught to her by her

grandmother

13

2

1. Ar t is t Demedeman2. Neck lace with metal nuts3. Tradit ional neck lace

craft and explore her own personal style.

She is well-versed in the legends and

creation stories of her tribe. She will

sit and tell visitors of how the Paiwan

believe they were hatched from eggs

stored in a ceramic pot, protected by the

viper, and of the spiritual importance of

glazed beads and the ceremonial knives

they carry in hardwood sheaths that are

painted red and have images of their

ancestors carved into them.

Welcoming and endlessly

accommodating, Demedeman will

tell you of the drink the Paiwan use

to welcome guests, their version of

the potent millet wine that is such an

intrinsic element in traditional Taiwan

indigenous culture, made with glutinous

rice rather than millet. She might even

serve you some. Then she may well go

on to explain how in Paiwan society men

and women are considered equal, and

how members of either sex can become

leader of the tribe – a fact she is well

aware of as the daughter of a Paiwan

chief. The sun on her black-cloth shawl

shows that she is descended from tribal

leadership. After this she may point to

the various other shawls hanging on

the walls of her shop, each featuring a

pattern unique to one of Taiwan's 14

officially recognized tribes.

Though

Demedeman is

cogent of the ways of the past, she is also

a modern woman, and this side of her

personality shines through in her work.

She came to Yilan five years ago and a

year ago began designing accessories and

clothing. Since then she has developed

a unique creative style combining old

and new. A Demedeman necklace, for

example, might have eagle feathers

hanging from it, symbol of a Paiwan

warrior. In another time, the number

of feathers hanging from a warrior's

necklace represented the level of his

bravery in past battles. On Demedeman’s

creations, however, a string of metal

nuts might be found next to the feathers,

which have no cultural relevance at all

and, according to the creator, simply

remind her of the seeds of a millet stalk.

Demedeman has a line of shawls and

necklaces resembling baby bibs, the latter

known as “jube” in the Paiwan language,

complete with geometric patterns

inspired by the artwork of Taiwan's

various tribes. While working on a pair

of earrings, a new shirt design, or any

other new creation, she may well listen

to some rock music, a lingering passion

from her youth. The theme throughout

is juxtaposition, and the goal is to give

her culture a broad appeal to those who

might not be familiar with Taiwan's

indigenous customs or history, be they

Taiwanese or people from abroad, using

a modern sense of fashion to introduce

selected aspects of Paiwan tradition to

the world at large.

Demedeman, now in her early

thirties, is married to a man from the

Atayal tribe, and has a daughter. At

one time, marriage outside the Paiwan

tribe was not common, but customs

have changed to suit modern times.

However, she and her husband note that

although some of their traditions have

merely changed, others are in danger

of disappearing altogether. The Atayal

people, for example, were once known for

their facial tattoos, but today these can

almost exclusively be seen on the faces of

a dwindling number of elders. When they

go, the tradition will likely die with them.

Similarly, in the past Paiwan chiefs and

shamans had intricately designed tattoos

done on the back of their hands, with

INDIGENOUS ARTISTS DEMEDEMAN

Travel in Taiwan 25

English and ChineseAtayal tribe 泰雅族Dawu Mountain 大武山Demedeman 日姆日蔓Luodong Township 羅東鎮Paiwan tribe 排灣族Yilan Creative and Cultural Center 宜蘭縣文化創意中心

an eye symbolizing the fact that their

revered ancestors were always watching

over them, but this custom is no longer

followed. Demedeman does what she can

to make sure that even if these aspects of

traditional tribal life disappear, they will

not be forgotten, recreating these designs

on clothing and postcards so that people

might remember.

Another

example of the

artistic inspiraton Demedeman has

received from her grandmother is an

enlarged cardboard cut-out of the elderly

woman and the artist as a child that sits

in her exhibition room, facing the desk

where she works on her newest creations.

She sees this as a concrete way to both

show and tell her child, as well as the

next generation of Paiwan, where they

come from and who they are. The Paiwan

people, she says, like to sit and listen

to the stories of their elders and learn

about how things were in the past. She

is encouraged, noting that the younger

Paiwan are starting to realize the

importance of keeping their culture alive

and taking action, not waiting around for

others to do it for them and losing their

dependence on outside assistance.

As for the future, Demedeman

dreams of becoming a full-time artist.

The biggest challenge, she says, will be

in channeling sources of inspiration on

a daily basis. She would like to stage a

national touring exhibition of her works,

and has already branched out to other

parts of Taiwan, selling her wares in

craft markets in Taipei and online. She

is also exploring new ways to broaden

her creativity, all while remaining loyal

to the theme of introducing elements of

Paiwan culture that could be in danger

of fading away to as many people as

possible. At the moment she is learning

She is exploring new ways

to broaden her creativity, all

while remaining loyal to the

theme of introducing elements

of Paiwan culture

▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼

▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼

the art of temporary henna tattoos,

which she intends to paint on people's

hands in the same way that Paiwan

chiefs used to mark their skin. She is also

beginning to pass on what she knows

to her three-year-old daughter, who has

1

3

2

1. Bird- feather neck laces2. Tradit ional neck laces3. Bracelet and neck lace

already shown enthusiasm in and talent

for sewing beads, and who loves to draw.

Perhaps one day she will also take up her

mother's work, make steady additions

to a traditional dress she has spent a

lifetime working on, and ensure that the

knowledge and artistic traditions of the

Paiwan will never be forgotten.

If you would like to check out

Demedeman's work online, or pick up

some of her clothing or accessories,

log on to her web store at www.pinkoi.com/store/demedeman (Chinese). You

can also follow her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Demedeman).

INDIGENOUS ARTISTS

26 Travel in Taiwan

Shuiyang ForestHiking to a Mystery Lake Created by an EarthquakeText and Photos: Stuart Dawson

A lake was

formed in

the Shuiyang Forest after the massive 921

Earthquake that struck central Taiwan on

September 21, 1999. The quake measured

7.3 on the Richter scale, and caused a great

deal of damage. The forest is situated in a

valley located north of the Alishan National

Scenic Area. The earthquake caused a large

landslide that blocked the original path of a

river in the valley, causing the valley to flood

and creating the lake.

The hike to the Shuiyang Forest and

the lake (about 10km one way) begins at

SunLinkSea (www.goto307.com.tw), a

40-hectare eco-park situated 1,600m above

sea level in Nantou County. After arriving

at the park early one morning, we caught a

shuttle bus to the trailhead proper, which

is located around 4km inside the park.

The hike begins on the old, abandoned

Shanlinxi Forestry Road. There’s a trail

that starts at roadside and cuts straight up

the side of the mountain, but it’s so steep

that it’s better to stay on the road. After

about 500m you’ll come across another

trail that starts at roadside, this one

tagged. This leads up Mt. Luqu (2,288m),

and is well worth doing if you’ve got

enough time. The trail is steep, and passes

by a number of felled camphor and cedar

trees. The smell of these trees fills the air

as you approach the peak.

We decided to climb up the mountain.

When we came to the peak, the forest

opened up and we were treated to an

amazing view. It was late winter, and we

could see the snow-capped peaks of the

Yushan Mountain Range to the east, plus

half a dozen eagles soaring above the

valley in front of us.

From this point, the trail headed down

steeply and turned sharply. The change

of direction was such that we began to

worry we’d missed a turn somewhere, but

as we continued hiking down, the forestry

road that we’d left a couple of hours ago

reappeared, and we knew we were on the

right track.

After the

steep climb up and

down Mt. Luqu, we were grateful to walk

through this beautiful section of forest on

a flat and gentle path. All around us was

the evidence of logging in the past, with

the stumps of fallen giants littering the

sides of the trail.

After a few kilometers of this type of

scenery, the trail drops steeply down to the

lake. This part of the hike is the trickiest.

There are a number of fixed-rope sections,

and steep drop-offs on one side. It’s very

important that you take your time and

watch your footing.

HIKING

28 Travel in Taiwan

Ear t hquake L ake at Shuiyang Forest

Shuiyang Forest

There is little wind, meaning that the flat surface of the water creates perfect mirror-like reflections

of the surrounding dead trees

English and ChineseAlishan National Scenic Area阿里山國家風景區Taichung Gancheng Bus Station 台中干城站Mt. Luqu 鹿屈山Shanlinxi Forestry Road 杉林溪林道Shuiyang Forest 水漾森林SunLinkSea 杉林溪Yushan Mountain Range 玉山山脈

Safety

Taiwan’s mountain terrain can be quite rugged. It’s important to bring the correct equipment. It is also highly recommended that anyone wishing to hike to Shuiyang Lake join a group on a guided hike.

Getting There

There are buses from Taichung Gancheng Bus Station to SunLinkSea. SunLinkSea shuttle buses will bring you to the trailhead.

Water re lease of t he lake

Camping at t he lakeside

Once at the lake, we looked for a spot

to set up camp. There’s plenty of f lat

ground, but it’s a good idea to look for

somewhere higher up. The lake can flood

during heavy rain, and we didn’t want to

wake up in the water!

We got the tents set up and then set

off to explore. There’s a small path that

follows the shore of the lake, leading

to the point where the lake empties out

and the waters once again take the form

of a river. As we walked around the

dark clouds seemed to come down low,

settling in amongst the ghosts of the

many dead lakeside trees, making for a

very eerie scene.

Early the next morning we awoke

to find that the gloomy cloud cover had

completely dispersed. The lake is set deep

in the valley, with steep mountains all

around, so there is little wind, meaning

that the flat surface of the water creates

perfect mirror-like reflections of the

surrounding dead trees. We could have

spent hours watching the endlessly

changing lights on the water, but

knowing we had a long hike back out,

we reluctantly packed up and started our

return trip.

HIKING SHUIYANG FOREST

Travel in Taiwan 29

At one time,

bamboo was used to make items as

varied as raincoats, children’s toys, back

scratchers, and pillows. As recently as the

turn of the 20th century, people would

sit on bamboo chairs at bamboo tables,

eating bamboo shoots from bamboo bowls

using bamboo chopsticks, perhaps with a

bamboo hat on their heads and bamboo

sandals on their feet.

Even before the Han Chinese

began immigrating in large numbers to

Taiwan in the 17th century, the island’s

indigenous peoples had themselves

been using bamboo for multifarious

purposes – making fish traps, armor,

musical instruments … the list goes

on. And though not as ubiquitous as it

once was, bamboo pulp is used to this

day to make the ghost money burned to

appease gods and ancestral spirits. The

divination blocks and lots used when

beseeching blessings or counsel from

the gods are also bamboo-made.

And if you’re still unconvinced as

to bamboo’s importance in Chinese

culture, one last fact should do the

trick: Bamboo is an essential element

Text: Owain Mckimm Photos: Maggie Song

It’s difficult to articulate just how important bamboo is in Chinese culture. One could perhaps compare it to the Japanese fondness for paper, or the Korean obsession with kimchi, but neither comparison would express just how thoroughly bamboo has permeated Chinese daily life for several thousands of years. You cannot build a house out of kimchi, nor can you eat paper. Bamboo, however, is both a foodstuff and was once used liberally in both construction and interior design. But there is more – much more – to it than that.

130 Travel in Taiwan

OLD STYLE/NEW IDEAS

An (Almost)

Obsolete Material

Survives in

Modern Times

The Amazing Bamboo

2

3

in the Chinese system of writing, and not

just because it’s used to make calligraphy

brushes. To clarify, Chinese characters are,

generally speaking, made up of two parts: a

radical and a phonetic element. The radical

is the semantic element of the character – it

expresses, if you will, the essence of the thing

that’s being represented. “To cook” (烹 ) for

example, is written with the “fire” radical

( 灬 ); “ant” (螞蟻 ), with the “insect” radical

(虫 ). The characters for “pen” (筆 ), “basket”

(籃 ), “abacus” (算盤 ), and “box” (箱 ), along

with hundreds of others, are formed using the

“bamboo” radical ( ⺮ ). This puts bamboo,

which belongs to the grass family, on a par

with elements such as wood (木 ), stone ( 石 ),

and metal (金 ) in terms of usage as radicals in

other characters.

However,

although bamboo is still

present in some aspects of Taiwanese life, times

have changed. Taiwan once had a flourishing

bamboo economy, with all kinds of different

species grown – from the 50-meter-tall giant

bamboo to the miniscule dwarf white-striped

bamboo, a mere ten centimeters in height.

Zhushan (literally “Bamboo Mountain”), a

town in southwest Nantou County, was once at

the center of this industry, but its hillsides, then

covered in bamboo groves, are now covered

instead in more lucrative plantations of tea bushes

and betel-nut trees. The replacement of traditional

materials with plastics and synthetic composites

has largely killed the bamboo market in Taiwan.

Bamboo, for all intents and purposes, is today an

almost obsolete material – a callback to a bygone

age, like pewter, ebonite, or ivory.

There is at least one man in Zhushan,

however, who is standing in bamboo’s corner.

He has taken this all-purpose material, once

known as “the poor man’s wood,” and is making

it into something chic, modern, and even artistic.

Liu Wen-huang, founder of Bamboola Taiwan,

designs bamboo items for almost every facet of

modern life; perhaps more importantly, he does so

for the modern-day consumer who values style as

much as substance.

After arriving at Liu’s small factory in

Zhushan, we are taken upstairs to the exhibition

hall, where we are seated on bamboo chairs around

a bamboo table and served tea brought in on a

bamboo tea tray. It’s immediately apparent why

Liu’s products are suited to the modern market: the

furniture, the shelves, the wall paneling – none of

it looks like bamboo.

When one thinks of bamboo furniture, for

example, one thinks of hollow segments of

bamboo, perhaps lashed together at right angles

with twine, to make items that are a little

shaky, a little rudimentary. Despite bamboo’s

reputation as being very strong, notably in its

use as a scaffolding material, products made

from bamboo have always, to me at least,

seemed somehow all too rickety, all too likely

to splinter under pressure. But Liu’s wares have

none of this frailty about them. This is because

rather than cobbling together segments of

bamboo stalks to make his large repertoire of

canes, vases, bookshelves, tea sets, chopsticks,

kitchen-knife sheaths, spectacle frames, and so

on, Liu instead has bamboo wood fused into

planks, as one might do with engineered wood

such as MDF or plywood.

1. Bamboo cover for smar tphone2. Tr y ing to open a puz zle box3. Bamboo box designed by Bamboola

Travel in Taiwan 31

BAMBOOOLD STYLE/NEW IDEAS

An (Almost)

Obsolete Material

Survives in

Modern Times

1

English and ChineseLiu Wen-huang 劉文煌Zhushan 竹山

Bamboola Taiwan (大禾竹藝工坊 )Add: 7, Lane 362, Yanxiang Borough, Yanxiang Rd., Zhushan Township, Nantou County (南投縣竹山鎮延祥里延祥路 362巷 7號 )Tel: (049) 263-5206Website: www.bamboola.com.tw Bamboola has branches in several locations around Taiwan, including Taipei, Yilan, Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Tainan. See the website for details on products and store locations.

Processing the bamboo involves first

stripping it – he uses four-to-five- year-

old moso bamboo – of its pith, which

leaves about half a centimeter of usable

wood. The bamboo is then cut into

strips, which are glued together under

high pressure into planks or panels.

Back in Liu’s factory, these planks are

cut into shape, sanded, and treated

with several coats of lacquer before

undergoing carbonization – a steaming

process which effectively caramelizes

the sugars in the bamboo, giving it a

deeper, richer color.

Liu brings

a selection

of bamboo boxes over to the table. Their

smooth, seamless look is striking. It’s

almost as if each has been carved from

one solid block of wood. Liu explains that

this is because no nails or screws are used

in the making of his products. Instead, he

makes almost exclusive use of the mortise

and tenon joint – an ancient joining

technique in which a protruding section

on one piece of wood is inserted into a

cavity in another.

“Try to open it,” he says, pointing to

the box I’m examining. I pull at the lid,

but it doesn’t budge. I run my fingers

over the box trying to find a hinge or a

latch of some kind, but there are none.

It seems to be impenetrable. I hand

it to Liu, confused. He takes it in his

hand, tilts it forwards 45 degrees, and

slides off the lid. We now see that set

in the rim is an irregular wheel. When

the box is f lat, the hump of the wheel

blocks the lid from opening. But tilted

at a 45-degree angle, the wheel tilts to

reveal a f lat edge, allowing the lid to

slip over the top.

Of course, the boxes on the table

are no ordinary containers. They are

examples of Lin’s signature product:

puzzle boxes. Liu has designed about

54 of these to date, and plans to finish

with a set numbering 100 in the next

few years. Each box is unique, opening

only on the discovery of a secret panel

or pressure switch. Due to the small

scale of Liu’s operation, only about 300

of each one is ever made.

Liu has achieved a masterly

balance of practicality, craftsmanship,

and novelty in his creations, which

is perhaps what makes his work so

suitable for the 21st century. He shows

us a range of covers for iPhones and

USB sticks, and then a series of egg-

shaped salt and pepper shakers.

Each is beautifully grained, and has

a clean, lacquered finish with Liu’s

name engraved on the back along

with the date of completion. They all

look expensive, well crafted, unique

– exclusive items that do not look at

all out of place in the home or hands

of a fashionable urbanite. And that,

it seems, is Liu’s secret. He has made

bamboo fashionable.

1. Producing bamboo boxes2. Bamboo stand for reading Buddhist scr ipts

2

32 Travel in Taiwan

OLD STYLE - NEW IDEAS

Travel in Taiwan 33

Two easy

to learn and to remember Chinese characters that are useful to know are

上 (shang), meaning “up” or “above/on top,” and 下 (xia), meaning “down” or “below/under.” Two

commonly encountered combinations of these two characters are with another simple character,

車 (che), which means “vehicle,” in 上車 (shang che) and 下車 (xia che). The first means to board a

vehicle (car, bus, etc.) and the second to get out of or off a vehicle. Knowing these combinations is

especially helpful when boarding a bus in Taiwan, because here you sometimes pay when boarding

a bus and sometimes when alighting. Above the driver is usually a sign with the characters 上下

車收票 (shang xia che shou piao), with either the 上 or the 下 highlighted to indicate when to pay.

The characters收票 literally mean “collect ticket.”

Other common combinations with the characters 上 /下 are: 上來 /下來 (shang lai/xia lai ; come up/come down), 上去 /下去 (shang qu/xia qu; go up/go down), 上山 /下山 (shang shan/

xia shan; go up a mountain/go down a mountain), and 上午 /下午 (shang wu/xia wu; morning/

afternoon; lit. above/below noon). The combination 下雨 (xia yu) means “to rain/it is raining,”

but there is of course no combination 上雨 . The name of the city of Shanghai in mainland China

is written 上海 , lit. “on the sea,” indicating the city’s proximity to the coast.

An interesting two-character combination in which one contains 上 and the other 下 is 忐忑

(tan te). Each has been combined with the character 心 (xin), meaning “heart.” Any idea what the

combination could mean? A situation where “something is on your heart and under your heart”?

The answer: Indecisive, apprehensive, perturbed.

FUN WITH CHINESE

Illustration: Fred Cheng

shang

xia

下車 (xia che)

上車 (shang che)

Miao!

Yilan’s KumquatsVisiting an Organic Orchard in Taiwan’s Northeast

Text: Joe Henley Photos: Duncan Longden

Kumquats are like miniature oranges, but are sourer, and you can eat the peel. Rich in vitamin C and organically grown, the fruit produced in Yilan is beloved by

health-conscious consumers.

36 Travel in Taiwan

FOOD JOURNEY

If you're looking for beautiful scenery and quiet relaxation,

but don't want to stray too far from

the big city (Taipei), Yilan County in

Taiwan’s northeast is a great choice as a

getaway destination. Less than an hour

away from downtown Taipei via Freeway

No. 5, Yilan has a wall of mountains as

backdrop, coastal cliffs and beaches where

it faces the Pacific Ocean, and in the town

of Jiaoxi enough hot-spring hotels to take

the tension out of even the most stressed

traveler. But Yilan is also the source of a

quiet revolution taking place in the local

food industry, with one farm in particular

leading the way. The Lanyang Kumquat

Production Cooperative operates

orchards not far from Jiaoxi, in the hills

overlooking the Yilan Plain, produces

organic fruit for the growing number of

health-conscious consumers in Taiwan,

and is steadily paving the way for the

wider adoption of sustainable growing

techniques.

The orchard is run by Lin Ting-cai.

Like many who work the land for a living,

he is quiet but thoughtful. Now in his

early sixties, he has the appearance of a

much younger man, which he attributes

to a lifetime spent working outdoors in

the comparatively clean air of Taiwan's

less populated eastern half. Yilan is

kumquat central in this country, with

over 90 percent of the approximately 300

hectares of kumquat orchards in Taiwan

found within its borders. Mr. Lin works

26 of those hectares in Yilan, and has

been since the age of 18, equipped with

the deep knowledge passed down to him

by his father. Unsurprisingly, the man is

a fountain of information on all things

related to that which he nourishes from

seeding to harvest, and he is only too happy

to share what he has learned over the years.

Let's start off with a little kumquat

history. The people of Taiwan were

introduced to the flavorful fruit, which has

a tangy combination of sour and sweet,

in the 19th century when it was imported

from mainland China. A Chinese

government official had the idea of

canning and preserving the fruit to prevent

spoilage. Later, during the Japanese

colonial era (1895-1945), a Chinese-

medicine doctor came up with a better

method of preservation, and started a

company in Yilan, Lao Zeng Shou, which

still exists today. However, the industry

didn't really take off until the 1980s when

the coastal highway was widened and

large numbers of tourists started coming in

2

13

4

1. Kumquat farmer L in T ing- cai2. Oval -shaped kumquats3. Careful handling of the f ruit4. Pick ing the f ruit

Travel in Taiwan 37

KUMQUATFOOD JOURNEY

Yilan is kumquat central in this country, with over 90 percent of the approximately 300 hectares of kumquat orchards in Taiwan

found within its borders

from Taipei. These visitors started snapping

up cans of kumquats to bring back to

their relatives and friends, distributing the

product nationwide. As of the mid-1980s

most farmers in the region were growing

oranges; but with the new kumquat craze,

and the fact that this fruit was easier to

cultivate, they began to switch. The focus

was on production for the processed-

food market, the emphasis on high yields

regardless of how they were achieved.

Priorities changed around 2007, however,

and local producers began to promote

kumquats as a fresh, healthy snack. The

farming methods of old had to be done

away with, and a new organic approach

had to become the industry norm.

That's where

Mr. Lin

came in. He has spearheaded the organic

movement in his home county. It's

better for consumers, better for the land,

and better for farmers as well, he says.

Whereas one kilogram of conventionally

cultivated kumquats sold to a processing

plant can fetch a price of just NT$12 in

the current market, the same amount

of organically cultivated fruit can be

sold for over NT$100 to an organic-food

store. With the farming population of

Yilan aging, Li Nian-yi, an advisor to

other farmers in the area, hopes to see

the day when every farmer can average a

monthly income of around NT$30,000,

which will attract younger people to the

business. If this can be achieved, Mr. Lin

says he may one day ask his own children

to enter the family business.

Until that day arrives, he will continue

to busy himself with every aspect of the

day-to-day operations of his farm. He rises

early each morning, around 6 a.m., and

during the long November~March harvest

season you may find him out picking

fruit with the workers he employs. With

the shift to selling to organic food stores,

appearance and presentation have become

important, and special care must be taken

to avoid damaging the kumquats as they

are plucked from their trees. Before, when

the fruit could simply be yanked off, a

English and ChineseJiaoxi 礁溪Lanyang Kumquat Production Cooperative 蘭陽金柑生產合作社Lao Zeng Shou 老增壽Li Nian-yi 李念宜Lin Ting-cai 林庭財Yilan Plain 宜蘭平原

single worker could harvest about 400

kilograms in a day. Now the process is

done more carefully, with each individual

fruit cut off the branch with a pair of

scissors, and the yield per worker is down

to about a quarter of the amount that was

brought in when the fruit was used in

processed foods.

But it's all about the big picture.

Today, there are no pesticides used

that harm the landscape, no chemicals

that can seep into the groundwater and

damage the surrounding area, and no

heavy, gas-guzzling machinery. What's

good for the land is good for the farmer

and the consumer, and as the only

organic grower in the region that has thus

far been government-certified, Mr. Lin is

working every day to prove that his way

is the right way.

In the later hours each day, you might find Mr. Lin packing

kumquats into boxes in the storage

facility behind his family home. There

are many varieties, and the Lanyang

Kumquat Production Cooperative

specializes in two named after their

shapes, round and oval. In addition to

being sold as food, they are also used in

cosmetics, a relatively new development

made possible only by the shift to organic

growing techniques. They are also used

in Chinese medicine, lauded for their

ability to improve circulation and clear

up respiratory ailments. This may have

something to do with their high vitamin

C content – more than any other citrus

fruit. Maybe the old saying should be

revised to, “A kumquat a day keeps the

doctor away.” The small oval variety

is also the only citrus fruit that can be

enjoyed whole, peel and all, with the peel

providing a sweet contrast to the sourness

of the innards.

Being a farmer is no means an easy

occupation, requiring much hard work. But

there are ways to bring the industry forward,

and people like Mr. Lin are at the forefront

of that movement. Ways must be found to

make agricultural sustainable, both from

an economic and from an environmental

standpoint. Farmers are the people who

feed the world, and are deserving of the

utmost respect. So if you find yourself in

Yilan during your travels through Taiwan,

pick up a box of fresh, organic kumquats,

and support the fine people working in the

orchards day after day, rain or shine. If you

head up into the hills, you may even see

Mr. Lin out in one of his orchards, bringing

in the harvest. This is his favorite part of

the job, when he can see the results of his

months of labor, and even at his advancing

age his passion for the work hasn't dwindled

one bit. He intends to keep at it as long as he

possibly can.

The small oval variety is the only citrus fruit that can be enjoyed

whole, peel and all, with the peel providing a sweet contrast to the

sourness of the innards

1. Sweet peel , sour juice2. Kumquat cakes

1

2

38 Travel in Taiwan

FOOD JOURNEY

Taichung Gancheng Bus Station

Taichung Railway Station

THSR Wuri Station

Newera Art Resort Spa

Jinan University

Tao-Mi Eco-Village

Community Yuchi Sun Moon Lake

Shuishe

Taiwan Tourist Shuttle bus

New Era Ar t Resor t and Spa

Text: Owain Mckimm Photos: Maggie Song

Riding a Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Bus through Nantou County

Sun Moon Lake. Nearly eight square kilometers of mist-dappled water surrounded by thickly forested mountains. Lavish with cherry blossoms in early spring, speckled with sunlight in summer, ethereal in autumn, brooding in winter, giving visitors jaw-dropping panoramas year round. A Taiwan Tourist Shuttle bus will take you from central Taichung to the lake in under two hours and lets you see some of the area’s until-now more inaccessible treasures along the way.

BACKPACK BUS TRIP

40 Travel in Taiwan

Travel in Taiwan 41

Paper Dome

The Paper Dome is a memorial to Taiwan's 921 Earthquake

and the Great Hanshin Earthquake that ravaged the

city of Kobe in Japan

BACKPACK BUS TRIP SUN MOON LAKE

Antique Assam Tea Farm

Taomi Eco -V i l lage

As we wander around the village’s allotments, plant

nurseries, streams, and lotus ponds, Pen fills us in on the

area’s fecund wildlife. There are about 370 butterf ly species in

Taiwan; roughly 220 can be found in Puli Township, and up

to 180 can be seen in Taomi Village. According to Pen, a part

of the village’s eco-transformation has been to plant f lowers

with nectar-rich blooms to attract butterf lies to the area, as

well as to cultivate host plants on which butterf lies can lay

their eggs. Frog-watching is also popular with visitors to

Taomi, and many guesthouses offer after-dark frog-watching

excursions, during which participants can see up to 23 of

Taiwan’s 29 native species. Unfortunately, time is against us

on this day, and we must make a dash for the next shuttle bus.

Alas, the grey skies of the morning have now released a

persistent and biting afternoon drizzle, and I could murder a cup

of tea. As luck would have it, tea is not in short supply at our next

destination, the Antique Assam Tea Farm in Yuchi Township.

Huang Guo-ci, who manages the farm’s 10 hectares of tea fields,

greets us at the entrance to the factory and immediately sits us

down on the veranda for a chat over a pot of hot black tea.

He pours us each a cup of the rich amber liquid, which he

identifies as Taiwan Tea No. 18, one of several cultivars grown at

the farm. The black tea grown in Yuchi was originally Assam tea

(C. sinensis var. assamica) imported from India by the Japanese

during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945). The warm,

rainy climate of Nantou County was deemed perfect for black

tea cultivation, and over the years the Yuchi Tea Research and

Extension Station has tweaked the original Assam tea to create

new cultivars. The most popular of these is the No. 18 – in fact

a cross-breed of C. sinensis var. assamica and wild Taiwanese

mountain tea (C. sinensis f. formosensis) – which has a distinctive

cinnamon scent underlain with a subtle hint of mint.

BACKPACK BUS TRIP

42 Travel in Taiwan

Sun Moon Lake

Antique Assam Tea Farm

A delicate mist floats above the water; low clouds entangle the surrounding

mountains; the last boats of the day dock at the piers. The lake is still and silent

After we finish our tea, Huang takes us on a tour of the factory.

Upstairs, the tea leaves are laid out to dry for up to 18 hours, then

poured through a hatch in the f loor into rolling machines, where

the juices are gently squeezed out and the leaves begin to ferment.

Following that is a stint in the perpetually moist fermenting room. The

leaves are then dried and a team of workers painstakingly strips them

from the twigs by hand. Eager to try some of the other varieties, I pick

up a box of Taiwan Tea No. 8 on our way out – No. 8 has a stronger,

more robust f lavor than the other cultivars, but won’t be overpowering

if you take your tea English-style, with milk, as I do.

It’s late afternoon when we finally arrive at Sun Moon Lake. We

had originally planned to take a twilit cycle along the western, “moon”-

shaped side of the lake, but the drizzle now colors the idea of a tour de lac, once anticipated with pleasure, as a damp and uncomfortable

ordeal. We instead board a bus and head to the small settlement of Ita

Thao, where we plan to stay the night, and take in the lake from the

wharf. A delicate mist f loats above the water; low clouds entangle the

surrounding mountains; the last boats of the day dock at the piers. The

lake is still and silent.

Travel in Taiwan 43

BACKPACK BUS TRIP SUN MOON LAKE

When

CNN Go, The New York Times, and The Guardian speak, people

listen. They are in the business of telling

people “where to go” – travel-wise –

and of late these three, among the most

highly respected voices in global travel

reporting, have been trumpeting Taiwan

as one of the world’s hottest places to

spend your travel dollars in 2014.

Travel in Taiwan is, of course, in

agreement – but we’ll let them do all

the talking here.

What is it

that CNN Go

likes best about the island? In its report

‘10 things that Taiwan does better than

anywhere else,’ among the 10 (in order

of appearance) are the night markets,

themed restaurants, Chinese artifacts,

mock meat (great vegetarian food), and

little dumplings.

Night markets – “Taiwan’s 300-

plus night markets await your midnight

cravings … These open-air bazaars are

particularly loved for street food, referred

to locally as … ‘small eats.’ Perennial

favorites are oyster omelets, stinky tofu

and an assortment of snacks on a stick

straight from the grill.”

Themed restaurants – “Taiwan is

home to the world's first Barbie-themed

restaurant, with Mattel-approved

smotherings of pink plastic and frilly

tutus. [Other] themed restaurants in

Taiwan have included a café based on an

Airbus A380, complete with trolly dollies

serving food and drinks from a cart, as

well as restaurants with jail, hospital and

school-inspired themes.”

Chinese artifacts – “… the National

Palace Museum in Taipei houses

the largest collection of Chinese

artifacts and artwork in the world.

The impressive permanent collection

comprises more than 650,000 items.

Taiwan’s Year of the Horse,Your Year for Taiwan Travel2014

SPECIAL REPORT

44 Travel in Taiwan

Text: Editorial Department Photos: Vision Int’l

Travel in Taiwan 45

Chinese history is told through bronze

statues, jade carvings, calligraphy,

lacquerware and other historical pieces

– many of which belonged to Chinese

imperial families …”

Mock meat/vegetarian food – “One

of the world's most vegetarian-friendly

destinations, Taiwan offers 6,000 or

so restaurants serving an impressive

variety of delicious vegetarian fare to

feed the 10% of the country that shuns

meat … Taiwan is the best place to hit

when you're craving meat but don't

actually want to eat any … Taiwan's fake

meat – usually made of soy protein or

wheat gluten – can fool even hardcore

carnivores.”

Little dumplings – “… Taiwan is

slowly taking over the dumpling world,

one broth-filled bite at a time. Din Tai

Fung now serves its famed xiaolongbao

in destinations as far f lung as Australia,

Thailand and the United States. CNN put

Din Tai Fung at number two on its list of

best franchises for travelers.”

For the full report, visit: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/15/travel/10-things-taiwan/index.html

In its

report ‘52 Places to Go in

2014,’ The New York Times highlights

Taiwan’s “urban and outdoor pursuits

in one (reasonably) compact package,”

declaring that the “traveler who wants to

do it all should consider Taiwan” because

of “its easy-to-navigate public transport

network that links a cosmopolitan capital

with a bounty of natural and man-made

wonders.” Taking special note of Taipei’s

thriving art scene, 2016 World Design

Capital designation, web of bike trails,

and vibrant street-food scene, as well as

Kenting National Park’s wetlands, white

sands, and fishing villages, it notes “And it

all becomes cheaper to get to later this year,

with the launch of budget carriers from

China Airlines and TransAsia Airways.”

For the full report , visit: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/01/10/travel/2014-places-to-go.html?hp&_r=2

In

‘Holiday hotspots: where to go in

2014,’ The Guardian asks “Ever tried

gua bao, the Taiwanese dish of pork belly

in a steamed bun? … (It’s won) accolades

from Young British Foodies and the

British Street Food Awards (people's

choice award).” You learn about a new

Taiwan foodies tour, are advised to visit

the southern city of Tainan, “the true

capital of street food – and definitely not

made for tourists,” and informed that

“From oyster omelettes in Taipei's night

markets to tea in a Maokong plantation,

Taiwan is a fascinating place to eat and

drink your way around.”

For the full report , visit: http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/jan/03/holiday-hotspots-where-to-go-in-2014

Yes, the powers that be in the travel

world have spoken – this is your year

for Taiwan travel. When shall we be

expecting you?

Taiwan’s Year of the Horse,Your Year for Taiwan Travel

SPECIAL REPORT TAIWAN TOURISM

In recent years, the people of Taiwan have come to embrace the sport of cycling. Head for any of the riverside cycling paths in the Taipei area on the weekend, and you'll see people on bikes everywhere; couples out for a leisurely ride, families enjoying an outing, and senior citizens getting the most out of their golden years. Sure, Taiwan has a long way to go to catch up with the deeply ingrained cycling culture of many European nations, but the country is off to a solid start. It has even become a popular challenge to bike all around Taiwan's main island, a near 1,000-kilometer journey. If that sounds like too daunting a trip to undertake on your own, the Formosa 900 could be exactly what you're looking for.

The Formosa 900 is a bicycle adventure in which teams

of participants circumnavigate Taiwan

in nine days, taking both inland and

coastal roads to complete the loop.

It's organized by the Cycling Lifestyle

Foundation (www.cycling-lifestyle.org.tw), homegrown bike manufacturer

Giant Bicycles (www.giant-bicycles.com), and the Taiwan Tourism Bureau

(eng.taiwan.net.tw). Everything from

food and lodging to the stops along the

way is coordinated down to the most

minute detail for the riders, with a full

support team following the groups from

start to finish. The event takes place in

early November each year; teams depart

from different cities around the island,

with some going all the way around and

others doing shorter trips. People from

their early twenties to seniors embrace

the challenge with equal vigor and

enthusiasm. As for myself, let's just say I

wasn't quite so prepared.

When the Formosa 900 assignment

came down from Travel in Taiwan, I

jumped at it without really thinking

things through. Only after I had

accepted did I remember the fact that

I hadn't spent any significant amount

of time on a bike in about a decade.

Sure, there might have been adequate

time to train, a few weekends between

my acceptance and the ride, to do a

few practice runs around my adopted

home of Taipei. But I thought it would

be better to go into it as a complete

amateur, utterly unprepared. That way,

I reasoned, I could truly say by the end

that “If I can do it, anyone can.”

The Formosa 900Around Taiwan on a Bicycle

SPLENDID FESTIVALS

46 Travel in Taiwan

Text: Joe Henley Photos: Cycling Lifestyle Foundation

Travel in Taiwan 47

And so it was

with no

small amount of trepidation that I set off

for Taipei City Hall bright and early on

the morning of November 9, the date of

embarkation for myself and the team I

had joined. Bikes, helmets, head buffs,

water bottles, and a couple of jerseys were

provided by the organizers, while we were

responsible for supplying our own cycling

shorts, gloves, shoes, and anything else we

might need. Luckily, the people in charge

had provided us with a handy checklist of

necessary items beforehand.

The most useful piece of gear on the

list, in my opinion? The MP3 player. But

do yourself a favor and leave the mopey,

introspective music at home. Hard-

driving motivational tunes are essential

for the intimidating uphill stretches on

the mountain roads of the east side of

the island, and the long expanses of f lat

highway on the west.

The second-most useful item on

the list? The canister of muscle-pain

relief spray, which proved to be a daily

requirement for me.

The first test

of the

trip came in the form of the Xueshan

Mountain Range’s northern reaches,

standing between us and our first

stop, the hot-spring town of Jiaoxi, in

Yilan County on the east coast, 70-

some kilometers from Taipei City.

Distance-wise, this would actually be

our shortest day, but the initial climb, a

gradual ascent of nearly 1,000 meters,

was murder on my long untested leg

muscles. My progress slowed to a

virtual crawl, to the point where it

literally would have been faster for me

to get off the bike and walk, but I made

it up and over the highest point without

succumbing to the near overwhelming

urge to dismount for a breather.

The payoff, a euphoric glide down a

switchback road with the sun shining

down and the Pacific’s whitecap waves

beating against beaches in the distance.

The next morning was not an easy

one. Every muscle south of my belt line

was in a mutinous uproar due to the

previous day's unprecedented outburst

The canister of muscle-pain

relief spray proved to be a daily

requirement for me

The Formosa 900

SPLENDID FESTIVALS TAIWAN CYCLING FESTIVAL

of exertion, and my neck and shoulders

felt like they had been worked over with

a baseball bat. Clearly the Formosa 900

was proving to be a cut above my usual

workout routine. Still, I wasn't about to

back out. The only option was to press

on, and that we did, rising at 6 a.m. for

breakfast, followed by a thorough and

thoroughly painful stretch. We hit the

road just after the hour of 7.

The destination for the day was the

township of Ruisui in Hualien County,

and as would be the norm for the rest

of the trip, we had to cover over 100

kilometers of ground. Another daunting

ascent – 800 meters in total – was on the

menu. Thankfully, the day was broken

up by our only train ride of the trip, a

short but welcome journey by rail from

Suao to Hualien City. The breathtaking

coastal highway south of Suao, known as

the Suhua Highway, is one of Taiwan’s

most spectacular roads, but because of

numerous tunnels, heavy traffic, and

occasional rockfalls, it is not considered

a very safe road for bicyclists and is

therefore not part of the Formosa 900.

My ride that day ended in darkness,

with my head down, my neck, back, and

legs aching, and a feeling that I might

not be able to continue. More than one

experienced rider told me the next day

that if you can survive the first three

days of a long-term cycling trip, the days

that follow will be smooth pedaling.

Fortunately for me, they were right.

At the end of the third day we were at

Zhiben, in Taitung County, checked into

yet another high-end international hotel.

With my body finally getting used to the

daily grind, I awoke to a far greater level

of comfort on the morning of the fourth

day, with the longest and toughest climbs

of the Formosa 900 laid out before me on

the road between Zhiben and Checheng,

in Pingtung County.

There were four separate climbs

across the tail end of the Central

Mountain Range, the last of which was

a steep, continuous ascent of around 500

meters; but the conditioning of the past

few days paid off, and the quiet solitude

of the hills, the low-hanging clouds over

the peaks, and the boundless views to the

coastline tens of kilometers away were

ample reward for the demanding physical

effort required. Our team stopped at

the highest point on the route to pose

for a victory photo and bask in the post-

workout afterglow before enjoying the

roll down the other side, through isolated

mountain towns, past undisturbed

marshes and the imposing Mudan

Reservoir, and on to the township of

Checheng for a blissful night's rest.

The next couple

of days took us through the southern

port city of Kaohsiung, a key industrial

hub, then up the west coast to the city

of Chiayi. The rolling mountain roads

were replaced by largely f lat terrain and

much urban development – less visually

appealing than the eastern side of the

island but interesting in its own way.

From Chiayi the kilometers melted

away as we continued on to the cities

of Taichung and then Hsinchu. During

our two days in the area we found out

why Hsinchu is known as Taiwan's

“Windy City”; headwinds approaching

30 kilometers an hour blew relentlessly,

but by that point we were a well-oiled

cycling machine, and our pace barely

slowed. On the ninth and final day, each

and every one of the cyclists on our team

that had set out on November 9 rolled

up triumphantly at Taipei City Hall, our

starting point. Mission accomplished.

The Formosa 900 is a challenge, no

doubt. The first few days, if you're a

novice cyclist, are trying both mentally

and physically, and overall the journey

is something of a grind. Though there is

sightseeing to be done along the way, the

focus is mostly on completion and getting

from one stop to the next before nightfall

each day. But over the course of the trip,

you build friendships with your riding

mates, and share an experience unlike

any other. Is it difficult? Definitely, as

is anything worth doing. Is it worth it?

Most certainly.

For more information, and to sign

up for next year, check out http://formosa900.giant.com.tw.

Our team stopped at the highest

point on the route to pose for a

victory photo and bask in the

post-workout afterglow

Dapu Bike Cosplay

Sun Moon Lake Come! Bikeday

SPLENDID FESTIVALS

48 Travel in Taiwan

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.

English and ChineseBike Fun Siraya – Dapu Bike Cosplay 騎趣西拉雅 –大埔瘋單車 Central Mountain Range 中央山脈Checheng 車城Cycling Lifestyle Foundation 自行車新文化基金會Formosa 900 騎遇福爾摩沙Giant Bicycles 捷安特Jiaoxi 礁溪Mudan Reservoir 牡丹水庫Ruisui 瑞穗Suao 蘇澳Suhua Highway 蘇花公路Sun Moon Lake Come! Bikeday 日月潭 Come! BikedayTaiwan KOM Challenge 臺灣自行車登山王挑戰Wenwu Temple 文武廟Wuling 武嶺Xiangshan Visitor Center 向山遊客中心Xuanguang Temple 玄光寺Xueshan Mountain Range 雪山山脈Zhiben 知本

Taiwan Cycling FestivalThe Formosa 900 is part of the annual Taiwan Cycling Festival (http://taiwanbike.tw/event/2013/en/index.html ), which has three other main events, the Taiwan KOM Challenge, the Sun Moon Lake Come! Bikeday, and the Bike Fun Siraya – Dapu Bike Cosplay event.

Taiwan KOM ChallengeWhile the Formosa 900 is a ride that can be completed by any regular bicycle rider with some stamina and a liking for long bike outings, the Taiwan KOM Challenge is a race for professional athletes and highly trained amateurs, notably experienced riders who like to climb steep mountain roads. “KOM” is short for “King of the Mountains,” and simply by completing the race riders earn the right to call themselves just that. The race starts close to the coast in Hualien at sea level and ends at Wuling, at 3,275m above sea level, the highest point of any highway in Taiwan. During the race riders will climb more than 3km in altitude over a stretch of just 105km.

Sun Moon Lake Come! BikedayIf the round-the-island Formosa 900 challenge strikes you as perhaps too tough, this bike-ride event might be more to your liking. Each year, in the early-morning hours on a set weekend day, around 3,000 bicylists, old and young, gather at the Xiangshan Visitor Center on the western shore of Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan. They hit the road together and circle the lake in a clockwise direction. The total length is about 30 kilometers, and many complete the loop in less than an hour. The route has flat sections on the western side of the lake, close to and sometimes actually above the waters of the lake, and a few climbs on the eastern side.

Bike Fun Siraya – Dapu Bike CosplayThe Dapu Bike Cosplay event is held in November in Chiayi County’s Dapu Township in southern Taiwan. This is not a bicycle race but a street parade where bicyclists are invited to dress up and ride in creative and colorful costumes. The participants with the most attractive and imaginative costumes are awarded with cash prizes. Organized for the first time last year by the Siraya National Scenic Area administration, this is the first bike-themed cosplay event in Taiwan. If you want to take part in the event this year, visit www.siraya-nsa.gov.tw.

Apart from these three major events, the Taiwan Cycling Festival also features a number of other bicycle rides organized by various local governments. For more information, visit http://taiwanbike.tw/bike/.

SPLENDID FESTIVALS TAIWAN CYCLING FESTIVAL

One of Taiwan’s Sweetest Things

Traditional

cakes and

pastries are characterized by flaky crusts,

innards fluffy and outside coverings often a bit

crispy and/or crumbly, with heavy use of items

associated with farm living such as egg yolks,

taro, adzuki beans, mung beans, and so on. The

taro and beans will be made into a paste and

lightly sweetened, most often with cane sugar

or maltose, but the taste of the good earth is still

there, and both customers and bakers place great

emphasis on getting the ingredients from the field

to your palate as quickly as possible and with as

little adulteration as possible.

Today’s consumers in Taiwan enjoy variety

– younger ones, confectioners aver, demand it

– and sellers endlessly roll out new treats, but

you’ll find many of these are based on traditional

varieties with some tailoring done to suit current

tastes and lifestyles. The “new” consumer

still looks for his/her cakes and pastries to be

handmade, and whether officially “traditional”

or “new,” these days all are almost invariably

lighter, with less cholesterol, less fat, and less

sugar used in their creation.

Many of the country’s most venerable cake

and pastry shops started business providing

the traditional sweet handmade things used

as sacrificial offerings by devotees at nearby

temples. While continuing to do so, the

proprietors of the most successful names in

today’s market have understood that they must

expand their clientele base by offering new-

style variations of classic treats as well as all-

new taste adventures. Following we visit the

f lagship outlets of three celebrated confectioners

that have discovered the secret recipe of modern

Taiwan cake-culture enterprise, each expanding

into chains, each offering a long and proud

history as a primary ingredient, and each very

much still “all in the family.”

N N N

Jiu Zhen Nan Lee Cake Yu Jan Shin

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50 Travel in Taiwan

SPECIAL REPORT

The people of Taiwan are fascinated with eating, and revel in ingredients and tastes as close to the field as possible. Snacking is a passion, and every place, down to each little village and town, lays claim it seems to unique contributions to the culinary world – its own “famous foods.” Sweet cakes and pastries are favorite gourmand items, the “cakes” most often created in bite-sized (or multi-bite-sized) morsels rather than the family-sized creations of the West.

Text: Rick Charette Photos: Maggie Song

1. Xibing 喜餅2 . Naiyou subing 奶油酥餅3. Daj ia “block s” 大甲積木4. R ice cake 米香餅5. Nougat candy 牛軋糖6. Xiaogelei tar t 小葛蕾鬆塔

7. Taro cake 紫玉酥8 . Mung-bean cake 綠豆椪9. Bubu cake 步步糕10. Hesheng pineapple cake 和生鳳梨酥11. Mung-bean cake, “cold”

cake, and salt y cake 糕點 (綠豆糕 , 涼糕 , 鹹糕)12 . Ruyi peanut cake 如意糖13. Or iginal f lavor pingxi cake 原味平西餅14. Curr y pingxi cake 咖哩平西餅

15. Ping’an tur t le cake molds 平安龜餅模16. Classic- f lavor puf fs 經典原味小泡芙17. Ping’an tur t le cakes 平安龜

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Travel in Taiwan 51

CAKE SHOPSSPECIAL REPORT

Jiu Zhen NanJiu Zhen Nan is perhaps Taiwan’s

best-known name when it comes to

Chinese-style xibing or engagement cakes

– literally “happiness cakes.” Established

in 1890 in Taiwan’s oldest city, Tainan,

the business originally made only rice-

based traditional treats because wheat

f lour was nigh impossible to come by

in Taiwan. The shop was moved to the

port city of Kaohsiung in 1945 because

while Tainan was becoming something

of a sleepy backwater, Kaohsiung’s port

facilities had been systematically built

up by the Japanese when they controlled

Taiwan 1895-1945, and the city was

burgeoning. Wheat f lour became readily

available as a result of U.S. aid after the

Second World War, and the shop began

making engagement cakes. These have

long been the confectioner’s best-selling

offering, today accounting for 40% of

overall sales.

President Eric Lee took over

operations in 1996. He sees the chain’s

mission as preserving and enhancing

Taiwan’s traditional cake and pastry

culture, and has carried out progressive

changes. Ingredients are key, only

premium-grade items are used, and

the brand has been brought upscale.

“Middle-aged and older customers want

tradition, but the younger customer wants

change. We specially target modern

consumers from age 28 to 37, who have

the disposable income and willingness

to pay more for premium products. We

open outlets in upscale environments

where such people go, such as high-level

malls/department stores and High Speed

Rail stations. While continuing to make

traditional Chinese items, we also offer

variations that suit our target customers.

For example, the items traditionally

used in the sweet and salty engagement-

cake fillings have been adzuki-bean

paste, nuts, meat stewed with soy sauce,

a thin layer of dried egg yolk, etc. We

have broadened their appeal by offering

fillings of pineapple paste, coconut paste,

mung-bean paste, and so on. Engagement

cakes have traditionally been very large,

and we have shrunk their size so you can

eat one in a single sitting. All our items

are now also light in calories.”

Eric was originally a real-estate

developer, and has an eye for elegant

design. Jiu Zhen Nan’s beautiful gift

packaging has brought it a prestigious

iF Design Award, and each of its shop

interiors is a cool, alluring statement in

understated elegance.

Lee CakeThe Lee Cake shop is on Dihua Street,

the key artery in one of Taipei’s most

important heritage quarters, a wholesale-

shop street for traditional-style regional

goods that has been thriving since the

latter half of the 19th century. The oldest

building on the street went up in the

1850s. Lee Cake was opened in the 1890s,

and the fifth-generation proprietors, like

the owners of many local businesses, have

in recent years thoroughly refurbished

their traditional-style shophouse (long and

narrow, with two/three floors, and with a

retail outlet in front at street level for walk-

in business). The long street’s facades have

once again become attractive works of art.

Lee Cake started as a retail store

selling the cakes and pastries used in

temple worship and festivals. The Lee

family thereafter progressed into making

all items on its own. Sales manager Rita

Lee, from the fifth generation, says that

“We still make all the same ‘traditional’

goods, but with modern twists in order

to meet the different tastes and needs of

modern consumers.” A prime example of

this is the company’s best-selling treat,

the ping’an turtle, a cake shaped like a

turtle, a traditional symbol of longevity,

and stamped with the characters ping’an (平安 ), meaning “peace and safety.”

“These are traditionally made with

flour,” says Lee, “which molds easily

even when refrigerated. So we instead

make our turtles using peanut powder for

the shell and maltose with black-sesame

paste for the filling, creating a treat that’s

just mildly sweet and is not sticky like

the traditional version. These make them

easier to eat for older folk. We’ve also

reduced the size so you can eat them in

a single bite – an especially big hit with

kids, and an effective way to introduce

traditional Taiwan religious culture to the

younger generation.” These changes have

made the cakes popular year-round, not

just when religious festivals come around.

Another good example of how

new approaches are brought to old-

time favorites is Lee Cake’s traditional

pingxi cakes, the shop’s no. 2 seller. The

standard filling is mung-bean paste,

but Lee Cake instead uses butter-bean

paste, thus eliminating the stickiness and

allowing seniors to continue eating them.

Yu Jan ShinYu Jan Shin was founded in Dajia, a

country town in central Taiwan, in 1966.

Its origins are decidedly unusual. Dajia’s

iconic attraction is Zhenlan Temple,

one of the country’s best-known temples

dedicated to Mazu, Goddess of the Sea.

The founder ran a small sundry-goods

shop near the temple, and according to

Alan Chen, a manager who is a member

of the third generation in the family-run

enterprise, “My grandfather was told by

Mazu when communicating with her

through divination blocks at the temple

that he should go into the traditional

52 Travel in Taiwan

SPECIAL REPORTSPECIAL REPORT

English and ChineseAlan Chen 陳穎政Dajia 大甲Dajia Three Treasures Museum 大甲三寶文化館Eric H. C. Lee 李雄慶Lee Rong-huan 李榮煥Mazu 媽祖naiyou subing 奶油酥餅ping'an turtle 平安龜pingxi cakes 平西餅Rita Lee 李佳憓xibing 喜餅Zhenlan Temple 鎮瀾宮

Jiu Zhen Nan (舊振南 )Add: (Zhongzheng main store) 84, Zhongzheng 4th Rd., Qianjin Dist., Kaohsiung City ( 高雄市前金區中正四路 84號 ) Tel: (07) 288-8202Website: www.jzn.com.tw

Lee Cake (李亭香 )Add: (Main store) 309, Sec. 1, Dihua St., Datong District, Taipei City (台北市大同區迪化街一段 309 號 )Tel: (02) 2557-8716Website: www.lee-cake.com (Chinese)

Yu Jan Shin (裕珍馨 )Add: (Main store) 67, Guangming St., Dajia District, Taichung City (台中市大甲區光明路67號 ) Tel: (04) 2687-2559Website: www.yjs.com.tw (Chinese)

cake and pastry business. Though he

knew nothing about the trade, he did

as advised. His first effort at traditional

bridal cakes produced ‘edibles’ so hard

that his customers complained that even

smashing them against a wall couldn’t

break them.

“Things have gone much better

since then.”

Yu Jan Shin’s flagship outlet is in one

of Dajia’s most attractive and important

heritage buildings, a tourist attraction in

itself. The striking Baroque-style work

of architecture is embellished with finely

wrought wall and column carvings of Mazu

and Dajia’s most famous products. On the

second floor is the Dajia Three Treasures

Museum, which has displays on Zhenlan

Temple/Mazu, Dajia’s woven handicrafts,

and Yu Jan Shin’s signature product.

That product is the naiyou subing

or “butter crispy cake.” According to

Alan Chen, in Taiwan’s Qing Dynasty

pioneering days Da’an Port near Dajia

was an important port of entry for

immigrants from China. Many carried

traditional subing or crispy cakes on the

cross-strait voyage, and their safe arrival,

plus the name of the port – da’an means

“great peace” – eventually lent positive

symbolism to the cakes made in Dajia,

which became a popular choice in the

region for the pastry gifts traditionally

given to announce engagements and for

offerings to deities. In 1983 the naiyou

or butter version was born when Yu

Jan Shin began using all-natural butter

instead of the traditionally used lard, and

made the cakes smaller. The butter crispy

cake has since become a Dajia specialty

product with an island-wide reputation,

and a popular gift item. Crispy on the

outside, it has a filling that is elegantly

soft, creamy, rich, and aromatic.

1

2

3

1. Er ic H. C . Lee, presi -dent of J iu Zhen Nan

2. Lee Cake master baker Lee Rong-huan and his

daughter Rita Lee

3. Alan Chen, Yu Jan Shin manager

CAKE SHOPSSPECIAL REPORTSPECIAL REPORT

Travel in Taiwan 53