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Paeans to Life: The Secrets of Crow ButterfliesPhotos - New Southbound Policy
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Paeans to Life: The Secrets of Crow Butterflies

Every year, as the cold of winter begins to set in, crow butterflies quietly embark on their migration to the south. Hundreds of thousands of them gravitate towards Taiwan’s tropical valleys to winter there, bestowing a mystical allure upon these places. As warm weather returns, they begin to move north again. With upwards of 10,000 per minute flying across certain sections of the island’s highways, the spectacle is simply breathtaking.

The Dialectics of Taiwanese Pastries: Balancing Sugar and SaltPhotos - New Southbound Policy
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The Dialectics of Taiwanese Pastries: Balancing Sugar and Salt

If we cut open a big, disc-shaped dabing pie—a staple of traditional Taiwanese confectionery—we may find that the filling comprises sweet adzuki-bean paste mixed with meat floss and glutinous rice balls. This strange combination is likely to confound our ideas of what “pastries” should be like: can they be at once sweet and savory?

A New Option for Future Proteins—Low-Carbon Food and SustainabilityPhotos - New Southbound Policy
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A New Option for Future Proteins—Low-Carbon Food and Sustainability

As the impacts of global climate change grow more severe, greater attention is being devoted to the issues of food security and environmental sustainability. Because plant-based foods require less in the way of resources to produce, their development has boomed in recent years.

Old-Time Taiwanese Snacks—Exploring Tastes from the PastPhotos - New Southbound Policy
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Old-Time Taiwanese Snacks—Exploring Tastes from the Past

Thanks to globalization, there is a dazzling array of snack foods and sweets available to people today, and they come from all over the world. But are you curious about what snack foods and sweets were like in less prosperous days gone by? What did they taste like? And how did they evolve?

The Xiluo Bridge: Its Legacy and New EraPhotos - New Southbound Policy
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The Xiluo Bridge: Its Legacy and New Era

The Xiluo Bridge used to be the longest bridge in East Asia. Opened in 1953, it spurred economic growth by linking together the road networks of the northern and southern parts of Western Taiwan, and it served as the starting point for many a Xilou native’s dreams of seeking their fortunes in Northern Taiwan. Today, the bridge has become something of a tourist attraction, and both Changhua and Yunlin counties have listed it as a heritage site.

Soothing Taiwan’s Sweet Tooth: Stories of Local PastriesPhotos - New Southbound Policy
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Soothing Taiwan’s Sweet Tooth: Stories of Local Pastries

Rivaling Willy Wonka’s legendary chocolate bars, and laden with even more stories than Marcel Proust’s madeleine cakes, Taiwanese pastries continue to satisfy our sweet tooth. With their origins in traditional Chinese confectionery, they are made with local ingredients rich in cultural meanings, and are constantly undergoing innovation. Baked into each of these sweet treats are distinctively Taiwanese memories.

Taiwan and the Philippines: Close Encounters Past and PresentPhotos - New Southbound Policy
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Taiwan and the Philippines: Close Encounters Past and Present

In centuries past, the Philippines played a significant role in sparking the outside world’s first awareness of Taiwan. When the Spanish occupied the Philippine archipelago in 1571 and set up Manila as a trading base, they launched new trade routes that brought them close to Taiwan.

Learning Huayu in Taiwan—A Journey of Boundless PossibilitiesPhotos - New Southbound Policy
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Learning Huayu in Taiwan—A Journey of Boundless Possibilities

Lukas Engström is a Swedish national based in Taiwan. Shortly after he started to learn Mandarin Chinese here, he visited a soft drinks bar to buy a cup of pearl milk tea. While in the queue, he kept repeating to himself the Chinese phrases he had to say to the staff. When at last he gave the order in impeccable Mandarin, he thought all was well, but he was completely nonplussed when the smiling staff shot out these questions in truncated Chinese: “How sweet would you like it? How much ice?”

Conservation, a Task for Us All—Protecting Taiwan’s Leopard CatsPhotos - New Southbound Policy
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Conservation, a Task for Us All—Protecting Taiwan’s Leopard Cats

In Nantou County’s Jiji Township, you will see not only many signs for a famous local product, “banana egg rolls,” but just as many statues of leopard cats. This adorable creature that lives in mountain foothills has become consummately integrated into the lives of the area’s residents, so that even locals who have never seen one in the flesh know what it looks like. A street vendor says with a laugh: “It’s thanks to the leopard cat that people come here to visit!”

A New Trend in Medical Tourism—Healthcare and Health Maintenance in TaiwanPhotos - New Southbound Policy
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A New Trend in Medical Tourism—Healthcare and Health Maintenance in Taiwan

Hospitals in Taiwan possess high-end medical technology and equipment, and Taiwan is a world leader in certain specialties, including liver transplantation and reproductive medicine. Institutions here provide very cost-effective healthcare services and have a competitive advantage against the rest of the world in terms of the level of medical science and the quality of care.