Sweet potatoes have a shape similar to the outline of Taiwan, and the plant’s resilient vitality has been used to describe the spirit of Taiwan. In the 16th century they were food for the aristocracy, but in later times they became a life-sustaining staple for many poor people in Taiwan. Following the development of multiple new varieties, in recent years sweet potatoes have been found to contain many important nutrients and are now seen as a superfood.
A roadside vendor, from whose cart steam drifts out into the air, is selling pure white rice cakes with a very unadorned appearance. On this small stage, the beauty and value of rice are on display. Moreover, through the years the uses of rice have evolved to offer boundless possibilities.
“We hope that camellia oil will one day become the national edible oil of Taiwan. Whenever foreigners visit, we give them a bottle of this oil as a souvenir of their trip here. Locally grown camellia seeds are becoming an iconic agricultural product for Taiwan.” So says Chen Sheng-ching, one of the founders of the Gems of Taiwan camellia oil farm.
Taiwan’s fondness for beverages goes back far beyond the trend for custom-mixed “hand-shaken” soft drinks. Old-time drinks such as winter melon tea and chrysanthemum tea are still very popular and are even much in demand at hand-shaken drinks bars.
Let us explore Taiwanese beverage culture, and learn about the dedication and professionalism of the people who are working to preserve traditional drinks.
Taiwan is a green island. Over 60% of its territory is covered with forest. With a total land area of just 36,000 square kilometers, Taiwan boasts 268 mountains taller than 3,000 meters. This density is staggering even from a global perspective.
“On a spring day, slender vegetables on a spring plate / Bring to mind the plums blossoming in the two capitals.”—Du Fu, The First Day of Spring
“Popiah are like a non-verbal lineage documenting the secrets of your life. No need to ask a fortune teller who you are or where you’re from. A bite of your popiah reveals it all.” —Chen Ching-yi, Oh! So That’s Taiwanese Flavor!
The connections between Taiwan and the Philippines go much deeper than most international relationships: They can be traced back to the time when Austronesian peoples migrated southward from Taiwan, which archaeological evidence suggests was the place of origin of these peoples.
Kuo’s Astral Bookshop and the Titsia bookstore, which opened in 2022 even as many other bookshops were going out of business, were both established by people from the publishing industry and both embrace the belief that “reading is power.” The founders have opened them to make their dreams a reality.
The traditional cultures of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples used to rest upon gender-based divisions of labor: men typically worked as hunters, and women as weavers. In modern times, however, conventional gender norms have been challenged. Art and craft are now allowed to cross gender boundaries, and the resulting diversity has given indigenous cultural heritage a new lease of life.
Taiwan is the publishing hub of the Chinese-speaking cultural sphere, and ranks second in the world in the number of titles published. Where do we go from here? How about even further abroad? Taiwan caught the interest of the international community during the Covid pandemic. As the pandemic waned, that global attention then transformed into something of a Taiwan craze in neighboring nations and international book markets.
