Mikania vine (Mikania micrantha), also variously known as bitter vine, climbing hempvine, Chinese creeper, mile-a-minute weed, and American rope, is on the list of “100 of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species.” A perennial creeper native to subtropical regions of the Americas, it is a sun-loving plant that reproduces prolifically, grows at a rapid pace, and is very resilient. It wraps itself around other plants, blocking out the light that they need for photosynthesis so that they die.
Here in the “bicycle kingdom” of Taiwan, bicycles are used not only for tourism but also as an everyday means of transport.
When coming to a nation that is a major manufacturer of bicycles, it is well worth arranging a bicycle tour, whether it takes you on a spin through town or countryside or offers the challenge of ascending 3,000-meter mountains. A bicycle can help you move from stop to stop on an outstanding travel itinerary.
In the film Day Off, released in March of 2023, the female lead A-Rui spends her life styling hair. From inside her tiny salon she watches the world go by with its sorrows and joys, and she develops emotional ties with her customers.
No matter how times may change, bicycles never fall out of fashion. Though they have been on the market for more than 200 years, today the combination of battery technology and artificial intelligence has opened the way to an unprecedented transformation for bikes.
Worldwide, it is found in large numbers only in the seas off Japan and Taiwan, and although it is less than five centimeters in length, in 2021 it earned over NT$400 million for Taiwanese fishermen working the waters near Donggang in Pingtung County and Guishan Island in Yilan County, making it an important seafood product for Taiwan. It is the sakura shrimp (Lucensosergia lucens).
In 2022 the value of bicycles and bicycle parts produced in Taiwan surpassed NT$200 billion. Of this, bike parts accounted for about 60%, with a value in excess of NT$120 billion. Over the past ten years Taiwan has continually been the top source country for imports of bicycle parts into the US and China and the second-ranked source country for the European Union.
Moving forward in the blackness, he listens carefully for directions from the guide running beside him: “Obstacle at 12 o’clock.” But at this point he can’t stop because the finish line is very near. Although it’s hard to run on the cobblestones, he is determined to keep going.
When you think about bicycles, what comes to mind? An adventurous BMX bike from your childhood? A YouBike pedaled around the streets of Taipei? A road bike used on weekend rides with friends? Whatever your personal experience of cycling, you know that Taiwan and bicycles go hand in hand.
The United Nations Environment Programme has stated that “the planet is experiencing a dangerous decline in nature as a result of human activity.” If we look carefully at the Aichi Biodiversity Targets set at the tenth Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10) in 2010, we can see that less than 30% of the 20 targets have been met.
Did you know that a milkfish has 222 bones? This species is nonetheless popular among ordinary Taiwanese, and is part of a well-developed industry value chain. From the development of milkfish aquaculture to its place on the dining table, Taiwanese use milkfish to the fullest, from head to tail.
