Certain plants have existed in Taiwan for a long time and put down roots in local culture, beliefs, and everyday practices. The Taipei Botanical Garden offers access to live specimens of some of these ethnobotanically important plants, inviting us to appreciate the environmental wisdom invested in Taiwan’s native species.
Many cities around the world have markets that form a part of their identity and offer visitors a way to experience the local living environment. Rotterdam’s Markthal (“market hall”) and Thailand’s floating markets are prime examples. In Taiwan, Taipei has the 100-year-old Nanmen Market, which now sports a brand-new exterior and a spacious, brightly lit interior. Though recently renovated, Nanmen continues to deliver the palette of flavors and friendliness for which it has long been known. More
Is there a more effective way to learn about Taiwan than visiting the Taipei Botanical Garden?
Botanist Tung Gene-sheng, who has visited some 30 botanical gardens across the world, says that the Taipei Botanical Garden boasts plants reminiscent of the Age of Discovery and preserves the legacies of the Japanese colonial era.
In Taiwanese culture, lanterns have always symbolized good wishes and a bright future. At the Lunar New Year, many people visit temples to light lanterns.
Festive lantern maker Hsiao Tsai-kan, who each year for decades has been bringing handmade lanterns to the Hsinchu Governor City God Temple, is a master craftsman who responds to his faith with light.
“We hope that every visit a customer makes to one of our shops is like a journey to Taiwan,” says Jody Liu, cofounder and manager of the Laïzé chain of Taiwan tea shops in Paris.
Taiwan Panorama asked writer Yang Shu-ching and painter Yang Shu-sen, brothers who have been close for life, to answer the same questions.
Mustapha Shaldoum, an alumnus of the London School of Economics and Political Science, quit his stable job in the UK’s National Health Service in 2023 to run a food stall with his Taiwanese wife, Jou Jou Chen. With a view to promoting Taiwanese cuisine, they sell classic dishes such as braised pork belly with rice, and pork wrapped in steamed buns. Their scrumptious offerings introduce epicures in London to Taiwanese food, while also winning the hearts of financiers and Hollywood stars.
In 2019 Claudia Wang debuted her eponymous fashion brand to great fanfare.
Her collection appeared for the first time at London Fashion Week in 2022. In 2023, she was spotlighted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ “Taiwan Night: Celebrating Women in Tech” in New York. And that same year, she became the first Taiwanese designer to present her clothes at the Tate Modern in London, where she showcased her Spring/Summer 2024 collection.
Industry, government, and academia have adopted TAIDE to create applications in such fields as education, healthcare, and law.
