According to Taiwanese folk belief, the Earth God is a guardian that watches over the soil. He is as “grassroots” as a divinity comes in Taiwan. When it comes time for farmers to pray in spring for good crops, and to give thanks in the autumn for a bountiful harvest, they may craft a handmade staff and drive it into the soil at the edge of a field.
Rich Huang, who received a Special Contribution Award at the 2020 Golden Melody Awards, has worked in the music profession for over 50 years and has been involved in the recording of nearly 100,000 songs. His drums have been the heartbeat of popular music in Taiwan. No matter what the style, be it rock and roll, funk, jazz, or folk music, the drum parts played by Rich Huang have accompanied Taiwan’s changing society.
The Taiwan Art Exhibition (Taiten) was the first large-scale art show to be held in Japanese Taiwan. When it was launched in 1927, three young Taiwanese painters were selected to exhibit their works. They dazzled the audience with paintings of local subjects that showed a fresh immediacy.
The Big Issue, a street paper founded in the UK, opens people’s imaginations to what employment for homeless people can look like. In Taiwan there are numerous organizations working hard to cultivate the employment skills of the homeless, such as Wanderers’ Table, with its night-market stalls staffed by homeless people; Yo Wash, which specializes in power washing; and the community cleaning service Jujiamei. These organizations are weaving a safety net of support for homeless citizens.
In Disney’s The Lion King, the runaway lion cub Simba meets Timon and Pumbaa, and then embarks on his hakuna matata (“no worries”) journey. When hunger eventually drives him to take a few steps down the food chain, Simba tries a caterpillar, lifting an eyebrow as he chews and remarking with surprise: “Slimy yet satisfying.”
Black holes cause all the world’s nations, regardless of political system or religion, to look in the same direction.
Lanyu (Orchid Island) is internationally known as a diving hotspot, with clear ocean water, a rich undersea ecology, and the maritime culture of the Tao indigenous people who live there. Underlying traditional indigenous culture one can find great wisdom and the concept of sustainability, making it worthwhile for visitors to Lanyu to learn about this culture.
You probably already know that Taiwan’s Quanta Computer manufactures roughly one out of three of the world’s notebook computers; that Taiwanese companies produce 70% of the powertrain components used in Tesla electric vehicles; and that Yilan’s Sheico Group makes 65% of the world’s wetsuits.
Abigail Hing Wen is an American writer of Asian descent. Packed with romance, her Loveboat, Taipei—a New York Times bestseller—tells the story of four young people who come to Taiwan for a summer program in Chinese language and culture. Shortly after the novel’s publication in 2020, US-based Ace Entertainment bought the film rights, and filming started in Taiwan the following year. This is the first Hollywood movie to be set wholly in Taiwan.
The international management consulting firm McKinsey & Company estimates that between now and 2030, 15,000 electric vehicle (EV) chargers per week need to be installed in the European Union to keep up with demand, and President Joe Biden has announced that the US will spend US$5 billion over the next five years to install EV charging stations nationwide. Meanwhile, Taiwan is aiming for all new cars and motorcycles to be electrically powered by 2040.
