Surrounded by mountains, Checheng is located in Nantou, Taiwan’s only landlocked county. As the terminus of Taiwan Railway’s Jiji Branch Line, the town is also known as “the end of the line,” but it isn’t in fact all that remote. When the sugar, logging and power-generation industries flourished in surrounding areas, it became something of a transportation hub.
Although Lukang is a small town, local historian Chen Shih-hsien notes that within this small area there are at least 60 temples, indicating its importance as a center of religious worship. Lin Ming-teh, chairman of the Chinese Folk-Arts Foundation, calls Lukang, where the major Chinese belief systems of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism come together, a “town of deities.”
Lukang, which once ranked second behind Tainan and ahead of Bangka (Wanhua) as one of Taiwan’s top three population centers, is a historic town that flourished for a time during the Qing Dynasty. Faced with the ravages of time, it has maintained its posture of stubborn resistance, and like the canal towns of the Yangtze Delta or the lagoon city of Venice, Lukang today still retains its old-time charm.
In Looking towards Chiayi (1934), Chen Cheng-po (1895–1947) gazes lovingly at his hometown, capturing a highly charged moment of meteorological change. Familiar though it may be to locals, the volatile weather depicted in this oil painting is actually very rare in other places on the Tropic of Cancer.
Taiwan’s half century under Japanese colonial rule (1895–1945) represents an important thread in our island’s cultural fabric. The many buildings still standing from this period are a physical record of this history.
Giving voice to Taiwan in 20 languages, the Central Broadcasting System—under its call sign Radio Taiwan International—broadcasts to some 150 countries. In a tumultuous world, RTI continues to offer companionship and encouragement to listeners, helping them through life’s slings and arrows.
What is the most noticeable feature of Taiwan’s streets? Would you guess convenience stores? According to the Ministry of Interior, the 12,000 registered temples in Taiwan are in fact similar in number to convenience stores. Despite often lacking any obvious signage, their characteristic red color schemes help them attract believers in nearly every corner of every Taiwanese city.
Outside of temples, folk religious beliefs have long been integrated into the daily life of Taiwanese, especially during the seventh and eighth months of the lunar calendar, when every household sets out a table of offerings for homeless ghosts. At this time, there is no event more elaborate than the Keelung Midsummer Ghost Festival.
Entering the solemn, elegant gate, the noise of the city seems to disappear instantly. This is Xingtian Temple (Hsing Tian Kong), one of Taipei’s busiest shrines.
Before the Premier12 tournament of the World Baseball Softball Confederation in 2024, a netizen who felt uneasy about the event went online to the divination webpage of Donggang’s Jhen Hai Temple and received a “fortune verse” with the meaning “following hardship, rewards will follow,” thereby giving a boost to fan morale. Later the Taiwan team did indeed win the competition, adding a new aura to the practice of divination in Taiwan. But just what is it that Taiwanese ask of the gods?
