When people think of Asian pears, they tend to associate them with high-elevation temperate-zone growing areas. Taiwanese pear farmer Liu Shenquan spent 20 years developing the ‘Baodao Ganlu’ Asian pear, a Taiwanese cultivar that can be grown in the lowlands and in the tropics.
Display devices are the most common and most direct form of man–machine interface. Taiwan not only ranks second worldwide in display production, it is also home to the world’s first micro LED production line. In fact, along with semiconductors, the display sector is one of the industries that best represent Taiwan’s industrial strength.
“Screen window and screen door repair, glass replacement!” The sounds of trucks driven by craftspeople advertising the goods and services they provide are a familiar part of community soundscapes. Responding to local needs, many people have added to these a spirit of creativity and service and now there are vehicles offering films and books, or even bathing services for disabled people. From the mountains to the sea, they have become a heartwarming sight on our streets.
Every tea leaf grown in Taiwan is affected by its local terroir, and each sip of tea reveals the tea maker’s craftsmanship..
In Taiwanese temples, it is common to see people lighting incense and making prayers amidst the smoke. They then burn joss paper as a symbol of their offering, completing their prayer. These practices are a part of many belief systems, including veneration of Mazu, which is recognized as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. The use of joss paper and incense as a means of communication with the divine is an essential part of the material foundation of these traditional beliefs.
“All I know is that every wave starts from Hualien.”
—Yang Mu, ‘Manuscript in a Bottle’
When we flip through photo albums from our childhood days, the pictures call up memories both bitter and sweet. Those experiences shaped the people we have become. If we extend this notion back by 30, 50, or 100 years to images of the places where we and our families have lived, will we not find clues to the living conditions and historical events that our parents and grandparents experienced, and discover the elements that have molded the era in which we live today?
The yellow lupin, which is native to the Mediterranean region of Southern Europe, is very familiar to many Taiwanese. This flower, which in Taiwan blooms every year from late February to March, is grown in winter by tea farmers as a green manure crop. The book Lupins, the first full-length novel written by Chung Chao-cheng (1925–2020), tells the story of an artistically gifted elementary school student who is not understood by the rigid educational system and who sadly dies of an illness
The second season of Island of Mountains: Believe It or Not. This Is Taiwan!!!, made for Taiwan Public Television Service (PTS), is showing every Thursday at 9 p.m. for four weeks from June 29. On the eve of the series’ launch, PTS held an extended reality exhibition on Island of Mountains, inviting individuals featured in Seasons 1 and 2 of the program to take part and giving people a taste of Taiwan’s majestic mountain scenery through virtual reality.
A century ago, Dadaocheng was Taipei’s most important commercial district. It had a flourishing harbor, and many foreign firms and consulates were located there. This was a place where wealthy folk and celebrities gathered, and the streets were crowded with people and vehicles. Prosperous Dihua Street was lined with shops selling rice, dried foods, traditional herbal medicinal ingredients, and fabrics. Dadaocheng was always bustling, and in its time was a symbol of modern affluence.
