Charles Darwin, author of On the Origin of Species, loved flowers. He wrote to the English botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker: “I never was more interested in any subject in all my life than in this of Orchids.” The morphological structure of orchid flowers is simple—three sepals, three petals, and a “column” that contains the reproductive parts—but these flowers lure insect pollinators by many clever mechanisms, such as color, mimicry, scent, deception, and traps.
Mountainous Taiwan has diverse ecosystems that provide excellent habitats for butterflies. The island has more than 400 butterfly species, of which one in eight are endemic. In the 1960s Taiwan began to export large numbers of butterflies for crafts, becoming known internationally as a “butterfly kingdom.” However, the butterfly industry later relocated to Latin America, and Taiwan’s butterfly processing centers fell into decline.
In urban backstreets, residents cultivate potted plants and flowers on terraces and under awnings. Although pets can be troublesome, people are happy to raise them, and even see them as family members, paying substantial sums of money to treat them when they get ill. And every weekend, large numbers of people go out hiking, birdwatching, fishing, and snorkeling in the great outdoors.
Despite the English expression “dirt poor,” there is nothing “poor” about soil. It is in fact rich with life. Randomly pick up a clump of earth, and it is likely to contain as many as 10 billion microorganisms. Taiwan, moreover, has extremely varied soil.
In the Age of Discovery, when Portuguese explorers saw Taiwan from their ships, they exclaimed “ilha formosa,” meaning “beautiful island.” And in the preface to his General History of Taiwan, written nearly 100 years ago, Lien Heng described Taiwan as “a beautiful island in a swirling sea.” Regardless of era or ethnicity, everyone’s first impression of Taiwan is of a beautiful island set between sea and sky, with a richly abundant flora and fauna.
Children in Taiwan enjoy a wealth of resources for learning languages, and those resources continue to grow. Not only do elementary schools offer optional courses in Southeast-Asian languages, but now, after five years of work, the Ministry of Education has finished compiling a series of 30 books in three sets to help the children of Southeast-Asian immigrants set down a foundation in the languages of their parents.
Some 85% of the world’s bamboo cover is located in Asia. This evergreen perennial occupies 6% of Taiwan’s total forest area. Our ancestors used to tap into the island’s rich bamboo resources for everyday purposes.
Factors including war, the Covid-19 epidemic, and climate change have caused shortfalls in the supply of soybeans, wheat, and corn, leading to a global protein crisis. Taiwanese firms are using biotechnology to transform silkworm pupae and mung bean hulls—both formerly waste products—into healthy functional pet food and animal feed.
“Do you like your bawan fried, or steamed? Do you add a rich sauce or a light, refreshing seasoning?” You can tell what part of Taiwan someone is from based on their preferences in eating bawan. And here’s a tip from old epicures: After eating the bawan, try pouring four-herb soup or bone broth into the bowl to enjoy the fresh sweetness of the soup mixed with the sauce.
Over the past decade and more, Taiwanese foods that have become world famous include not only bubble tea and the xiaolongbao (broth-filled steamed pork dumplings) of the Din Tai Fung restaurant chain but also gua bao. This food, whose Mandarin name is based on its Taiwanese pronunciation, kuah-pau, features delicious pork wrapped in a steamed bun. Its half-open serving style allows scope for all kinds of creative ideas. Are you familiar with it?
