People think that Bamboola owner Liu Wenhuang’s “puzzle boxes” are based on curio cabinets or trick boxes in Chinese craft traditions, but Liu doesn’t agree. Countering such observations, he does not mince his words: “Do you know what creativity is about?”
Walking down Dingheng Street in Nantou County’s Zhushan Township, we are drawn to the retro handwritten sign of Yuantai Bamboo Crafts, a workshop that is breathing new life into a declining industry.
In modern Taiwan, traditional bamboo utensils no longer play an indispensable role in our daily lives. Nevertheless, we can still come across treasures made of bamboo in shops in Central Taiwan’s Nantou County, a stronghold of bamboo crafts.
Many remote small towns and villages face difficulties because of the aging and outflow of their populations. However, in one community in Yilan County, a different story is unfolding. Behind this new narrative is the “Oil-Seed Camellia Renaissance Program.”
In the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, the children leave a trail of breadcrumbs behind them on their journey, hoping to use them to find their way home. In Taiwan, the Bunun indigenous woman Takbanuaz Ishahavut Pune and the other members of the Gaia Nahuy Workshop have followed shell ginger back to their home ground to reconnect with their cultural roots and pioneer ways for young people to return to or remain in the communities where they grew up.
While serving up a plate of scrumptious-looking baked fish garnished with rosemary and radishes, the waiter brings us a salt pot—a perplexing sight for those of us who are accustomed to Chinese cuisine. Whetting our curiosity, the waiter says: “You might like to try sprinkling some salt on it. This will give it a different flavor.”
Boba, TSMC, Din Tai Fung, night markets…. In addition to these well-known features, Taiwan has another strong suit, although of lower profile. It is likely to exceed your expectations when you experience it for yourself. You may in fact come to see it as a big draw for the country.
Foreign tourists visiting Taiwan, along with locals traveling to different cities, have popularized the trend of buying “souvenir gifts” from bakeries.
Last year’s Mid-Autumn Festival saw a surge in sales of egg-yolk pastries, with long lines forming not at traditional Chinese pastry shops, but at Western-style bakeries.
Taiwan’s baking industry is not only of high quality but also full of creativity and vitality. All of this can be traced back to the phenomenon of “champion breads.”
Abusinessman from Hong Kong who was suffering from both Parkinson’s disease and cancer came to Taiwan, and after being treated with a combination of Chinese and Western medicine, is today back on the golf course leading the good life. Meanwhile, Taiwanese doctors treated a Vietnamese girl with end-stage leukemia using groundbreaking chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, enabling her to return to her family.
Over the last decade, entrants to the Trending Taiwan Short Film Competition have captured stirring depictions of Taiwan’s diversity and resilience in short films that boost international interest in our island.
