Taiwan is an island country with a population of over 23 million people. The capital and largest city is Taipei. Some points of pride for Taiwan include Taipei 101, once the tallest building in the world; the National Palace Museum, housing 700,000 ancient Chinese artifacts; and the Queen's Head rock formation over 4,000 years old. Famous Taiwanese celebrities highlighted include film director Ang Lee and professional golfer Yani Tseng. Things not to miss include vibrant night markets, unique foods like stinky tofu, scenic spots like Sun Moon Lake, cultural festivals, and performances by groups like U-theatre and Cloud Gate.
2. Overview
• Population: 23.49 million
• Area: 36,194 square kilometers
• Capital: Taipei City
• Peoples: Han Chinese (70%), Hakka (15%),
Mainlanders (12%), Aborigines (2%), Other (1%)
• Languages: Mandarin / Taiwanese / Hakka / Aboriginal
• Currency: New Taiwan Dollar (TWD)
• Time Zone: National Standard Time (UTC+8)
• Climate: The subtropics
• Electricity: 110V, 60HZ
3. The pride of Taiwan
Taipei 101
• 508 meters tall
• Completed in 2004, Taipei
101 has a unique history
as the tallest building in
the world
• Designed by world-
renowned glass artist
Florence Ng
• Designed to withstand
earthquakes up to 7 on
the Richter scale
4. The pride of Taiwan
National Palace Museum
• 700,000 pieces of ancient Chinese
imperial artifacts and artworks
• The "Meat-shaped Stone" and the
"Jadeite Cabbage“ are the key
highlights of collection
• Diversity cultural and creativity
products are designed
5. The pride of Taiwan
Queen’s Head rock
• 4000 years old
• Three million people
visit her
• Unique geology
6. The pride of Taiwan
The Little Green Walker
• Traffic light
• Pedestrian Countdown
Display
• The Animated Xiaolüren
• Designed in Taiwan
7. The pride of Taiwan-Celebrity
Chien-Ming Wang
Professional baseball pitcher
Yani Tseng
Professional golfer
Wu Pao-chun
Master Baker
8. The pride of Taiwan-Celebrity
Chen Shu-chu
Vegetable vendor and
philanthropist from Taitung in
southeastern Taiwan
Johan Ku
Fashion designer
Xiao Qing-Yang
Graphic designer
9. The pride of Taiwan-Celebrity
Ang Lee
Film director
Life of Pi
Crouching Tiger,
Hidden DragonBrokeback Mountain
Winters are warm and summers are hot and wet, with typhoons and thunderstorms. Because Taiwan is a relatively small island, the ocean breezes have a cooling effect so it never feels too hot.
These facade elements included the green tinted glass for the indigenous slender bamboo look, eight upper outwards inclined tiers of pagoda each with eight floors, a Ruyi and a money box symbol between the two façade sections among others
It has permanent collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of ancient Chinese imperial artifacts and artworks, making it one of the largest in the world.
More than three million people visit the coastal landmark in northern Yehliu each year, named for its supposed likeness to England’s Queen Elizabeth I.
The tilting “head” is an imposing sweep of sandstone that mushrooms out of a slender stem.
Honed by sea water and strong winds, the head tapers to a point, likened to the piled-up curls of the eponymous royal.
But at 4000 years old, exposure to the elements means it may soon topple.
“The neck may become too thin to support the head and might break off within the next five to 10 years if nothing is done,” warns Hsieh Kuo-huang, a professor at the Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering at National Taiwan University.
“Any strong earthquakes or severe typhoons may bring down the rock formation,” said Hsieh, who is one of the scientists studying how to preserve the rock.
More than three million people visit the coastal landmark in northern Yehliu each year, named for its supposed likeness to England’s Queen Elizabeth I.
The tilting “head” is an imposing sweep of sandstone that mushrooms out of a slender stem.
Honed by sea water and strong winds, the head tapers to a point, likened to the piled-up curls of the eponymous royal.
But at 4000 years old, exposure to the elements means it may soon topple.
“The neck may become too thin to support the head and might break off within the next five to 10 years if nothing is done,” warns Hsieh Kuo-huang, a professor at the Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering at National Taiwan University.
“Any strong earthquakes or severe typhoons may bring down the rock formation,” said Hsieh, who is one of the scientists studying how to preserve the rock.
Chien-Ming Wang is a Taiwanese professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. He previously played for the New York Yankees, Washington Nationals and Toronto Blue Jays.
Yani Tseng (Chinese: 曾雅妮 Zēng Yǎní; born 23 January 1989) is a Taiwanese professional golfer playing on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is the youngest player ever, male or female, to win five major championships and was ranked number 1 in the Women's World Golf Rankings for 109 consecutive weeks from 2011 to 2013.
Wu Pao-chun (Chinese: 吳寶春; pinyin: Wú Bǎochūn, born 5 September 1970), is a Taiwanese baker best known for winning the title of Master Baker in the bread category of the 2010 Bakery Masters competition held in Paris.Wu is also known for a rose-lychee bread he created which includes Taiwanese ingredients such as millet wine, rose petals and dried lychees.
Chen Shu-chu (Chinese: 陳樹菊; pinyin: Chén Shùjú; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Sū-kiok, born circa 1951) is a vegetable vendor and philanthropist from Taitung in southeastern Taiwan. She gives generously with her modest incomes. She said "Money serves its purpose only when it is used for those who need it and always be happy when she helped others." She was selected as one of the Time 100 for year 2010 in the Heroes category.[1] She is also one of the 48 heroes of Philanthropy by Forbes Asia. Reader's Digest also honors her as the winner of 2010 Asian of the year. In 2012, she also was selected as one of the Ramon Magsaysay Award winners.
Johan Ku, a Taiwanese fashion designer who recently won the top prize in the avant-garde design category of the 2009 Gen Art’s Styles International Design Competition, has proven that hard work could make a celebrity out of a struggling artist.
He was congratulated by passengers aboard the EVA Air flight that brought him back to Taiwan from London. “I was little-known a few months ago, but now I have become well-known; it was all like a dream,” he said.
Graphic designer Hsiao Ching-yang, who has focused much of his work on album cover design for more than 20 years and was nominated in the Grammy Awards "Best Recording Package" category in 2005 and 2008, literally lives in his dreams and constantly transforms his dreams into reality.
Ang Lee OBS (Chinese: 李安; pinyin: Lǐ Ān; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese-born American film director, screenwriter and producer. He has become one of today's greatest contemporary filmmakers.
Lee's earlier films, such as The Wedding Banquet, Pushing Hands, and Eat Drink Man Woman explored the relationships and conflicts between tradition and modernity, Eastern and Western. Lee also deals with repressed, hidden emotions in many of his films, including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; The Ice Storm; Hulk; and Brokeback Mountain. Lee's work is known for its emotional charge, which critics believe is responsible for his success in offsetting cultural barriers and achieving international recognition.
Lee has won the Academy Award for Best Director twice: for Brokeback Mountain (2005) and for Life of Pi (2012). He also won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). He is the first person of Asian descent to win an Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA for Best Director, and is the only director to win both the Golden Bear and Golden Lion multiple times.
Night markets in Taiwan are not just places to buy things to eat and drink and wear. They are also an essential part of nightlife for many Taiwanese people. Vendors selling popular snacks gather in the streets and jam into the alleys of the night markets, selling delicious food at good prices as part of the unforgettable experience of the night market. Today the night market has gradually come to serve as sort of a "mini-carnival" in the daily lives of the people of Taiwan. Let's go to the Raohe Street Night Market now to have some Taiwanese food and have fun!
Jiufen
Founded during the Qing Dynasty, this small town was a relatively isolated village until the discovery of gold during the Japanese occupation in 1893, quickly developing the town due to a gold rush. Many buildings in the town remain unchanged to this day, reflecting the Japanese influence on both architecture and culture on the island. During World War II, the town housed a Japanese prisoner of war camp where captured Allied Force soldiers (mainly British) were forced to work in the gold mines. After the war, gold mining activities declined, and the town today exists mainly as a tourist destination remembering and celebrating Taiwanese history and culture.
Sun Moon Lake is the largest natural lake in Taiwan as well as a tourist attraction. Situated in Yuchih, Nantou, the area around the Sun Moon Lake is home to the Thao tribe, one of aboriginal tribes in Taiwan . Sun Moon Lake surrounds a tiny island called Lalu. The east side of the lake looks like a sun and the west side looks like a moon, hence the name.
Sun Moon Lake is located 748 metres above sea level. It is 27 metres deep and has a surface area of approximately 7.93 square kilometres
In older English literature it was commonly referred to as Lake Candidius , after the 17th century Dutch missionary Georgius Candidius. In the middle of the lake is the Lalu Island , which is the holy ground for the Thao tribe. Originally, the Lalu was where the Thao people inhabited. Under the Japanese occupation of Taiwan , the Japanese named it the " Jade Island ". After Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Government moved to Taiwan , the island was renamed Kuang Hua and in 1978 the local government built a pavilion where annual weddings took place. The 921 Earthquake destroyed the pavilion and sunk most of the island. In recent years, due to increasing social and political awareness, more deference and recognition are being given to Taiwanese aborigines. As a result, after 921 earthquake, the island was renamed in the Thao language as "Lalu".
Several hydroelectric power plants have been built in the Sun Moon Lake since 1919, including Mingtan. When Taipower finished the first plant in 1934, it was considered to be one of the most important infrastructure constructions of the time. The Jiji Line railroad was built to facilitate the construction.
While swimming in Sun Moon Lake is usually not permitted, there is an annual 3-km race called the Swimming Carnival of Sun Moon Lake held around the Mid-Autumn Festival each year, and in recent years the participants have numbered in the tens of thousands.Other festivities held at the same time include fireworks, laser shows, and concerts.
The Annual Sun Moon Lake Swimming Carniv
Nantou is Taiwan’s only inland county but is home to the famous, unrivalled Sun Moon Lake, the largest freshwater lake. Attracting visitors from abroad, it’s an essential tourist destination, and in addition to scenic beauty, the unique landscape has made it an excellent place for biking, marathons, and an annual swimming competition, which is the area’s biggest and longest-running event, starting in 1983. Every year around the Mid-Autumn Festival, swimmers from around Taiwan or abroad gather at Zhaowu Wharf to participate in this grand event. The course is 3000 meters long and in 2002 was officially included among the world’s famous swimming competitions. Bringing thousands of swimming enthusiasts from Taiwan and abroad, it has become a grand event. Eligibility is open to everyone aged 10 or over (life guards are responsible for minors) who is in good health and able to swim long distances.
Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival
The sky lanterns are popular with people who want to be blessed for various reasons, including students eyeing good grades, lovers hoping for a happy ending and workers aiming for career success. Even married couples keen to have children want to be blessed because the local pronunciation of sky lantern is tiending, which sounds like “newborn son”.
Sky lanterns are made with rice paper, thin bamboo strips and wire and are powered by kerosene-soaked prayer papers.
When set alight, the hot air propels the paper creation to over 500m, or as high as Taipei 101, Taiwan’s iconic skyscraper.
After five to eight minutes airborne, the sky lantern falls and can be a fire hazard if it is still burning when it lands.
A mountainous region at the Pingxi district in northern Taiwan has been designated the only legal and most suitable area where tiandeng can be released.
The mountain ranges are said to provide the best natural screen to keep the sky lanterns from straying beyond the area.
Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (Chinese: 雲門舞集) is a modern dance group based in Taiwan, the first of its kind in Taiwan and Asia.It was founded by choreographer Lin Hwai-min in 1973, and later he shared its management with his late protégé, Lo Man-fei, a renowned choreographer in her own right. The troupe was inactive from October 1988 to September 1990. During this time, Lin spent time abroad in India and Indonesia, and studied at New York University.
U-theatre
The pronunciation of the letter “U” is similar to the word meaning “excellence” in the Chinese language. In ancient China, the same word also meant “performers”.
The Zen masters in China over a thousand years ago had said that a true artist must combine “Tao” (self-improvement) with “skill” (the learning and maturity of art). The U-people believe that the combination of Tao and skill is the goal of their life and artistic creation.
