Why has Jiufen, formerly a prosperous gold-mining town that was later nearly abandoned, continued to attract so many tourists over recent decades? Is it the crowds of people brushing shoulders as they pass beneath the red lanterns that line its stepped streets? Or is it the poignant mood captured in Hou Hsiao-hsien’s film A City of Sadness? Or perhaps the sense of tranquility that comes from gazing at fishing-boat lights shimmering on the sea at night? The beauty of Jiufen is ever-­changing, and

Ceramics making is an ancient set of skills that have long been the basis of an industry. In Taiwan, the most important bastion of world-class ceramics manufacture is New Taipei City’s Yingge District, known as “Taiwan’s Jingdezhen.” (Jingdezhen, China’s “porcelain capital,” has been a center of ceramics production for more than a millennium.) Though Yingge’s ceramics industry has no astonishing background story or dramatic past, it has its own tale to tell.

Tea culture started in Asia and later made its way to the West, not only transforming global trade but also the languages of many lands. Wherever this beverage’s pronunciation is close to “tea,” this generally means the term came from China’s Fujian Province or from Taiwan, and was influenced by the Hokkien pronunciation te.
Once upon a time Taiwanese teas dominated the international market, launching the island’s role in the Age of Discovery.

In the Analects of Confucius it says: “It’s always a pleasure to greet friends from afar!” Every summer, flocks of adorable little guests come from Australia to the estuaries and beaches of Taiwan. They are “little terns.”
Little terns nest and raise their young in Taiwan, staying until August when the juvenile birds can fly well enough for all of the terns to travel back south, before returning to Taiwan the following year.

“Babu, babu!”—the sound of a horn rings out in the distance. People trying to cool off make their way through the scorching hot afternoon to a vending cart, where an older man is scooping out Taiwanese-style ice cream in taro, sweet runner bean, and goose-yellow vanilla flavors. An icy cold treat is the quickest way to beat the heat!

From Mudan to Sandiaoling, from Pingxi to Jingtong, there are mountains and waterways, old trails and waterfalls. For this story, Taiwan Panorama followed local historians along the Wangyou Trail in search of traces of the indigo industry that flourished in days gone by. We also recommend fun itineraries that include canyoning and exploring river potholes.

When it comes to hiring a vehicle while traveling, you’re probably aware that you can rent a bicycle, motorcycle or car. But do you know that you can also hire a train?
Travel agencies, railway enthusiast clubs, and even government agencies can apply to Taiwan Railway (TR) to charter a train.
To appeal to train buffs, TR charters out special trains, including some hauled by steam engines, on branch lines such as the Pingxi and Neiwan lines.

Eiji Mitooka, known as the father of specialty trains in Japan, once said: “Riding the train can itself be the purpose of a journey.” In recent years, a number of special tourist trains have been launched in Taiwan, with stylish carriage interiors, exquisite meals, and cordial, professional staff. The itineraries are meticulously planned, so that trains are no longer just a means of transportation, but are themselves worth coming a long way for.

Get up early in the morning to scuba dive in Kenting’s tropical seas on Taiwan’s southern coast. Then in the afternoon, cross the Tropic of Cancer and don a down jacket to release a sky lantern in the mountain village of Pingxi. This kind of day trip, covering almost 400 kilometers, doesn’t require ruby slippers like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz or Sun Wukong’s magical cloud. All it takes is the Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) to make this kind of adventure possible in a single day.

Human beings seem naturally attracted to enormous machines that can move. Trains, which carry people and goods across long distances, are regarded as a defining trait of modern civilization. In important ways, rail transport is emblematic of how modern people live.
To preserve memories and bear witness to history, Taiwan’s National Railway Museum opened its doors for the first time this year.