Keelung, old and new

Ershawan Battery, also known as Haimen Tianxian, is a sprawling ridgetop defense post established by the Qing authorities during the First Opium War (1839–42). Little remains of the original encampment but the views over Keelung harbor are good and bilingual information boards provide some details for history enthusiasts.

The area around the fishing port at Badouzi is being transformed into a major tourist destination. The almost-completed building above will be an exhibition hall.

Unveiling the second-edition cover

The cover of the second edition shows daylily pickers in Hualien County. I'm still updating the text; the book won't be out until spring next year.

Sky lanterns at Shifen

Tourists from Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam and other places write their wishes on the sides of bamboo-framed paper lanterns which they then release into the afternoon sky over Shifen (十分), a tiny former coal-mining town near Taipei reached by the Pingxi Branch Railway. Mass releases of lanterns into the night sky are popular around the time of Lantern Festival.