In elementary school he made his first kezaixian (coconut-shell fiddle), and in junior high school he sang in “Qianwang Ge” shows, funereal song and dance performances intended to comfort the deceased’s soul and guide it to the land of eternal bliss. Now in his thirties, Lin Zongfan has handcrafted more than 200 traditional musical instruments, and has even recruited a troupe of youngsters to perform Qianwang Ge.
Surrounded on all sides by water, Taiwan’s residents enjoy nearly 1600 kilometers of coastline, and few live more than a short distance from the sea. But Taiwanese people have long been taught about the dangers of the ocean, which makes them keep their distance from it.
Professor Su Tar-zen breaks down the barrier of fear between the Taiwanese and the ocean with a three-step process: “understand, get close, love.” He feels that the Taiwanese ought by nature to be a people of the sea.
Even though the Kurdish people, like the Taiwanese, live in Asia, talk of them often stays focused on stereotypes like war, refugees, terrorist attacks, and ethnic cleansing. Zanst Othman, who comes from Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region and married a woman from Taiwan, has written a book about his homeland based on first-hand experiences. Not only does it overturn prejudices, but it also amazes readers by showing how similar Taiwan and Kurdistan really are after all.
Few people know about the Yunnan-Burma border soldiers. At the close of the Chinese Civil War, the Government of the Republic of China relocated to Taiwan, while these guerrilla forces stayed behind, fighting in various places along the border between southern China’s Yunnan Province and Burma (now Myanmar). Eventually they too withdrew to Taiwan.
Trekking in the mountains is a demanding pastime. For some trekkers, those demands are the point. They love that the pursuit requires them to be mutually supportive, to confront their weaknesses, and to become better communicators. A group of just this kind of trekkers founded the Taiwan Wilderness Education Association with the intention of using guided treks to lead people on a journey of self-discovery and personal improvement.
A molded piece of black clay, fired at high temperatures, is transformed into translucent porcelain, amazing the world. When it started, Tatung’s every step represented a breakthrough for chinaware manufacture in Taiwan. In 1963 Tatung Chinaware produced Taiwan’s first domestically made porcelain products, and in 1985 it became the first enterprise in this line of business to acquire the right to use the CNS mark. Tatung’s chinaware is the pride of Taiwan.
Alternative science education fosters scientific understanding through fun experiences. Yet the field’s ample use of dramatic scientific experiments is but a means, for the actual goal is to engender “chemistry” among the participants themselves.
Ke Chih Hung is a technician with the Penghu County Agricultural and Fisheries Bureau. A 2020 recipient of the Examination Yuan’s Civil Service Outstanding Contribution Award, Ke helped create Taiwan’s first manmade marine coral garden. Seeking to restore coral larvae, he developed vibrant coral cultivation barrels that mimic the ecosystem of the South Penghu Marine National Park.
When Ko Hsin-ping entered graduate school in the Department of Entomology at National Taiwan University after taking top marks in the entrance exam, he dreamt of becoming a professor and returning to teach at his alma mater. But after he received his master’s degree he chose to set up in business, breeding insects on a large scale and rejecting the practice of capturing insects from the wild.
Yunlin is Taiwan’s leading agricultural county. The local culture has developed and prospered in little towns surrounded by vast stretches of farmland. Riding between fields, through towns and again into fields, following rivers and streams, Yunlin offers cyclists the fragrance of fresh vegetables mingled with the scent of the soil, as well as more than 100 cultural and historic sites worth exploring.
