Staying home much more during the pandemic, people have turned inward. They have realized that no amount of luxury goods, gourmet dishes or video entertainment can compare to Nature’s healing power. A foray into mountains or forest offers an alternative, but for those who inhabit a concrete jungle, the soothing effect of caring for flora is far more accessible.
Just as the world is focused on Taiwan’s most dynamic industry, semiconductors, a local brand of fragrant personal care products named Blueseeds has been quietly infiltrating the North American market.
Boasting natural farming methods and no added artificial chemical compounds, Blueseeds sells 200,000 bottles of essential oils a year, and sets itself apart from the flood of other Taiwanese scented product brands.
Founded 57 years ago as a producer of synthetic resins, Eternal Materials Co., Ltd. has transformed itself from contract manufacturer to innovator. As a leading producer of synthetic resins for the Asian market, the company went on to develop UV curing technologies that turned it into the world’s number-two supplier of related materials. Eternal then moved even further into the electronics sector by developing the world’s top-selling dry-film photoresist.
In 1938, when the first Fine Arts Exhibition of the Government-General of Taiwan was held, 20% of the artists whose works were selected were from Chiayi. The Japanese-language Taiwan Daily News ran a story with the headline “Chiayi Is the City of Paintings,” a sobriquet which has lasted to the present day.
The burning of waste materials continues to release dioxins, which are persistent pollutants, into the environment. Many everyday products still contain formaldehyde, a Group 1 carcinogen. Increasing demand for and use of plastics and other polymer-based materials, which are both inexpensive and the source of the majority of these two pollutants, have worsened the damage to the environment. Are there no alternatives? Taiwan’s Mega Master Technology Co. argues that there are.
Taiwan Panorama first interviewed Ben Chen in 2007. At that time, the smartly dressed CEO of Moxa Technologies was wielding a good deal of influence in the business world. More than ten years on, Chen has left his job as a top manager, established a foundation named after his parents, and gained a foothold in the cultural and creative industries. Crossing over from technology to the cultural field, Chen’s identity and mentality have undergone a sea change.
“The smaller things are, the more crucial they are to keeping the world turning.” Sha Yang Ye Industrial Corporation’s micro-geared motors power bone drills for the US military, door locks in Tesla electric cars, and sunroofs in BMW vehicles. In recent years, Sha Yang Ye has also moved into the robotics arena and explored AI-related business opportunities to secure its leading position in the global marketplace.
Time glides on, and life’s curtain rises and falls, while the stars keep eternal watch in the heavens. A single backward glance makes everything clear. In contact improvisation, she has found enlightenment.
A grinding wheel—or “sand wheel” in Chinese—is neither a wheel made from sand nor a big-wheeled steamship that transports sand, but rather a tool that grinds or cuts a variety of materials such as plastic, wood, and steel. And Kinik Company (formerly China Grinding Wheel Corp.) is not a state-owned enterprise of Taiwan or of mainland China, but rather a privately owned company with a traditional manufacturing background, based in Yingge, New Taipei City.
Beams and pillars from old homes, junk washboards, industrial scraps—these bits of trash are treasure in the eyes of Made Sukariawan. With his woodcarving tools, he turns all of this junk into exquisite works of art. The grain of the wood becomes wrinkles on an elephant’s trunk, the dry bark the beard of Yue Lao, the Chinese god of marriage and love. Made takes imperfections and makes masterpieces.
