“On a spring day, slender vegetables on a spring plate / Bring to mind the plums blossoming in the two capitals.”—Du Fu, The First Day of Spring
“Popiah are like a non-verbal lineage documenting the secrets of your life. No need to ask a fortune teller who you are or where you’re from. A bite of your popiah reveals it all.” —Chen Ching-yi, Oh! So That’s Taiwanese Flavor!
The connections between Taiwan and the Philippines go much deeper than most international relationships: They can be traced back to the time when Austronesian peoples migrated southward from Taiwan, which archaeological evidence suggests was the place of origin of these peoples.
Kuo’s Astral Bookshop and the Titsia bookstore, which opened in 2022 even as many other bookshops were going out of business, were both established by people from the publishing industry and both embrace the belief that “reading is power.” The founders have opened them to make their dreams a reality.
The traditional cultures of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples used to rest upon gender-based divisions of labor: men typically worked as hunters, and women as weavers. In modern times, however, conventional gender norms have been challenged. Art and craft are now allowed to cross gender boundaries, and the resulting diversity has given indigenous cultural heritage a new lease of life.
Taiwan is the publishing hub of the Chinese-speaking cultural sphere, and ranks second in the world in the number of titles published. Where do we go from here? How about even further abroad? Taiwan caught the interest of the international community during the Covid pandemic. As the pandemic waned, that global attention then transformed into something of a Taiwan craze in neighboring nations and international book markets.
With moderate water temperatures and an abundance of coral reefs, the seas around Taiwan are an important habitat for the migration and feeding of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), and the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), as well as being a major breeding ground for the green sea turtle.
Apart from renowned bookshop chains such as Eslite, Taiwan is home to a di-verse array of independent bookshops. Scattered all over our islands, these places not only sell books but also host lectures, exhibitions, and performances. As the capital city, Taipei especially abounds with bookish events, reminding us of the literary feasts that grace the Rive Gauche in Paris.
Taiwan’s budget hostels enable young travelers to stay in cities at a reasonable price. Those who stay in them can breathe in the air of unfamiliar locations, experience the richness of local culture, and make a connection with this land.
Literature opens windows into a country’s soul.
Through Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence, we imagine life in the countryside of southeastern France. Digesting Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, we find ourselves untangling an allegory of Latin American history and social realities. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series conjures up a magical world, but between the lines we catch glimpses of British confidence, eccentricity, and deadpan humor.
Producer Tim Lee, who won three Golden Bell Awards for his series 30 Meters Underwater, in 2023 filmed Taiwan’s first ever documentary on the ecology of shipwrecks. While doing so, he discovered a previously unknown wreck in the waters off Penghu.
