International Spotlight: Central Taiwan

In many countries, the capital city has a lion’s share of traveller magnets. Yet it's also true that getting to know a nation means exploring well beyond the seat of government. Taiwan is no exception to this: Taipei has endless things to see and so, but to fly out having seen nothing of central, southern or eastern Taiwan would be to miss much of Taiwan’s loveliest scenery and most authentic culture. 

The Tourism Bureau’s International Spotlight campaign has two central Taiwan programs. Viewed as a whole, Taiwan's central region is incredibly diverse. It can be said that everything which can be found in Taiwan – scenery, ethnic groups and cuisines – can be experienced here. The coastal town of Lugang has a stupendous density of historic and cultural attractions, while Sun Moon Lake is famed for its pretty scenery and temperate climate. The region’s interior boasts several of Taiwan’s highest mountains as well as indigenous communities. 

One program focuses on Taichung, a thoroughly modern municipality with a population of 2.74 million, spread over 2,214 km2. The other introduces Chiayi, a much smaller city (271,000 people on 60km2).

The toponym Taichung literally means “central Taiwan,” just as Taipei means “north Taiwan,” Tainan is “south Taiwan” and Taitung is “east Taiwan”. It has an excellent range of restaurants (this city guide is useful if you want to find new places to eat), although many visitors prefer street food at the huge and often very crowded Feng Chia Night Market. 

Taichung (where I took the photo above, inside Wanhe Temple) is the home of Chun Shui Tang, a tea-house chain where pearl milk tea (also known as “bubble tea”) is said to have been invented. In case you don't know, pearl milk tea is a blend of black tea, chewy tapioca balls (the “pearls”), syrupy sweetener and cream that's usually drunk cold. It's one of Taiwan’s most successful culinary exports and is now enjoyed as far away as Singapore, London and Florida. 

One of Taichung’s newer tourist attractions is in fact a reconstruction of a pre-World War II building. What's now called the Natural Ways Six Arts Cultural Centre was once a dojo (a place where Japanese martial arts were studied) attached to a jail. It's a quintessentially Japanese structure which dates from Tokyo’s 1895-1945 colonization of Taiwan. The centre’s name alludes to the six disciplines ancient Chinese regarded as key to a gentleman’s education; rites, music, calligraphy, mathematics, charioteering and archery. However, the activities held here reflect the great interest many Taiwanese have in Japanese culture. There are classes in Japanese tea ceremony, ikebana (the art of flower arrangement), the martial art kendo, and the board game Go.

When the authorities decided to renovate and reopen the dojo, they no doubt hoped it would help draw tourists to the city. But the popularity of Rainbow Village – a place I've yet to visit – surely took them by surprise. 

Taichung City Government is responsible for an area totalling 2,214 km2. But instead of trying to cover the entire city, the International Spotlight encourages visitors to spend quality in the heart of the city. Over the course of a day, urban explorers can follow the Greenway to the National Museum of Natural Science and National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. Adjacent to the former is a spacious botanical garden – be sure to go into the beautiful greenhouse – while the latter has a permanent exhibition featuring 82 works by major Taiwanese artists. 

Chiayi City is 86km south of Taichung. The most efficient way to get from the latter to the former is by TRA train; expresses take as little as an hour and a quarter and cost NTD224 one way. (Buses are cheaper but slower). Much of Chiayi can be explored on foot, although you'll want to jump into a taxi if you're heading to Chiayi Arboretum. I took the photo below, which shows a former Shinto shrine now serving as a local museum, in the sprawling park next to the arboretum. 

A key destination in Chiayi is Cypress Forestry Life Village, a cluster of Japanese-style bungalows originally built for timber-industry executives and their families. Recently refurbished, the village contains several art spaces and is within walking distance of Alishan Forest Railway Garage Park and Chiayi Motive Power Wood Sculpture Museum. At the former, train fans can get a close look at some of the locomotives and cars that ply the famous narrow-gauge mountain railway between Chiayi and the mountain resort of Alishan. The latter, once a power station, now exhibits prize-winning wood carvings.

Getting to central Taiwan from overseas no longer involves a two or three-hour bus, train or car journey from the airports at Taoyuan and Kaohsiung. It's not even necessary to use the high-speed railway; Taichung Airport has flights to/from Hong Kong, Shanghai and several other cities on the Chinese mainland, as well as scheduled and charter services to/from Vietnam, Japan and South Korea.

The skyline of Kaohsiung

These images show two of Kaohsiung's landmark buildings: In the foreground, Kaohsiung Exhibition Centre; behind it, the prong-shaped 85 Sky Tower. The former is a convention and trade-show venue which was inaugurated in April 2014. The latter was finished in 1997 and was for several years the tallest structure in Taiwan, until the completion of Taipei 101. Inside this 378m-high there's a swanky hotel, a great deal of unused office space, and some illegal homestays. One of the architects who designed it was C.Y. Lee, who later won great fame for Taipei 101. Kaohsiung's new light-rail system, which is due to commence regular services later this year, will offer very convenient transport to the exhibition centre. 

International Spotlight: North Taiwan

Taiwan's Tourism Bureau is sometimes criticized for appearing to focus on attracting ever-increasing numbers of mainland Chinese visitors while paying insufficient attention to other markets. It's certainly true the tourism boom of recent years has been unbalanced. Headline attractions such as Taipei 101, the National Palace Museum, Sun Moon Lake and Taroko Gorge pull in so many Chinese tour groups that some Taiwanese say they now avoid these places. Also, many worry the crowds scare off other kinds of tourists, such as Japanese and Western backpackers who hope to really get to know Taiwan.

It's good to know, therefore, that in recent years the Tourism Bureau has been promoting its International Spotlight program. Proof the bureau understands the appeal of 'slow travel', it's an effort to draw discerning travelers to history-rich neighbourhoods and bucolic villages where they can sample local delicacies, appreciate traditional crafts, and savour unique scenes. The International Spotlight’s Chinese-Japanese-English website has details of five regional programs plus a few special offers.

Two programs feature Taipei, a delightful city in which to spend time. With a population of 2.7 million, it's far from daunting in size, yet big enough to contain everything an intelligent visitor could require, such as an excellent range of cuisines, dozens of places where you can get an invigorating foot massage, and coffee good enough to put everything back on track.

The Northern Region I program highlights Chengzhong, Dadaocheng, Daan, and Beitou. All but Beitou are in the heart of the city.

Chengzhong means 'in the middle of the area surrounded by the city’s walls'. (Taipei’s walls were demolished before World War I to make space for urban renewal). For well over a century, Chengzhong has been dominated by government offices. But like Westminster in London, between the ministries lie excellent restaurants, bookshops and architectural-historical gems such as Futai Street Mansion and Zhongshan Hall are here. The last, history buffs might be interested to know, is where the Japanese authorities in Taiwan signed the instrument of surrender to the Allies on 25 October 1945; at that time, around 170,000 Japanese military personnel, and perhaps twice as many Japanese civilians, were on the island.

In the late 19th century, Taiwanese oolong tea was in great demand, and Dadaocheng’s merchants grew prosperous supplying buyers as far afield as New York. Tea merchants still do business here but it's the colourful stores on Dihua Street (above, my photo) which best embody this neighbourhood’s traditional character. That said, Dadaocheng’s single most impressive building is devoted to religion rather than commerce: Dalongdong Baoan Temple.

Daan District, 2km to the east, is noticeably more modern. Packed to the gills with stores and restaurants, Daan’s Zhongxiao East Road is likely Taiwan’s busiest shopping zone. Many of the best eats are in the compact Kang Qing Long neighborhood, so called because it includes Yongkang, Qingtian and Longquan streets. Several bus routes stop nearby, and Dongmen MRT Station is just a seven-minute ride from Taipei Main Railway Station.

Beitou, which is also best reached by MRT, is famous for its hot springs. These can be enjoyed in various hotels from the affordable to the super-luxurious. For an inexpensive hot-springs experience, head to Longnai Tang, a Japanese-era bungalow with two small indoor pools (one for men, one for women). Senior citizens soak here on winter afternoons; office workers come just before dinner. Beitou also has a gorgeous Japanese-era Buddhist house of worship, Puji Temple (second image, also mine).

The Northern Region II program embraces Taipei’s Zhongshan and Datong districts – both of which offer shopping, restaurants, and attractions including the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei – as well as some further-flung locations. To non-foodies, the most intriguing of these is in Muzha, near Taipei Zoo and Maokong Gondola. There, U-Theatre Ensemble performs at a hilltop venue reachable only be a steep footpath. This internationally acclaimed troupe has won rave reviews for mesmerizing drum-centered performances magnified by the natural setting.

Taxi fares in Taipei going up

For the first time in several years, taxi fares in Taipei, New Taipei City and Keelung are going up. In theory, all taxis should have started charging the higher rates on October 1, but because the majority haven't yet been able to adjust their meters, many are still using the old formula. Some, it seems, are using unadjusted meters then referring to a printed price list to calculate the right fare. If you're taking lots of taxis around the capital, be prepared for drivers who ask for a bit more than what's shown on the meter, and expect some confusion.

Here's the mathematics if you want to work it out for yourself: There's no change to the basic NTD70 charge for the first 250m, but from now on NTD5 will be added for every 200m, not 250m as before. When the taxi is stationery (at red lights or during a traffic jam), NTD5 will be charged per 80 seconds, instead of 100 seconds. 

According to media reports, typical journeys will be about 14% more expensive. Given that Taipei's public transport is pretty good, it is ever worth taking a taxi? It depends where you're going. If you're heading to the National Revolutionary Martyrs Shrine, for instance, a taxi ride from Yuanshan MRT Station will certainly save you some time. But for many other destinations, the MRT is likely to be just as quick. If there's three or four of you, a taxi may still work out cheaper than taking the MRT.

It's unclear whether certain set fares to more remote spots - such as from Wulai's bus stop to the village of Fushan - will also rise. 

A typhoon-damaged shrine

Now the 2015 typhoon season is drawing to an end, I thought I'd post this image I took in a mountainous part of Chiayi County back in 2010, of a land-god shrine that was almost totally destroyed by a landslide during Typhoon Morakot, but dug out by nearby villagers, cleaned up and put back into use.  

Free half-day tours for transit passengers at Taoyuan Airport

Like several other airports around the world (Singapore being perhaps the best-known example), Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport now offers transit and transfer passengers with at least seven hours before their next flight the chance to see a little bit of northern Taiwan for free.

Each tour last around five hours. The morning tour, which sets out at 8:00, heads inland to Sanxia in New Taipei City for a look at Zushi Temple before proceeding to nearby Yingge, a town best known for its ceramics industry and museum. The afternoon tour kicks off at 13.30 and goes to the heart of the capital, stopping at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Taipei 101. 

Not everyone can join these tours. Britons, Americans, Japanese, Singaporeans and others whose passports qualify them for visa-free entry are in the clear. Some other nationalities - among them Indians, Thais and Indonesians - can join the tours if they hold a valid visa for or permanent residency rights in the United States, Canada, Japan, the UK, any Schengen nation, Australia or New Zealand.

Each tour is limited to 18 people. It's not possible to sign up in advance, so it's best to get to the waiting point ahead of time. For more details, go here.

Dodging typhoons on the east coast

We managed to complete our recent East Coast expedition before either of the approaching typhoons made driving unpleasant. Stopping briefly above the gritty harbour town of Suao in Yilan, my wife took this photo of fishing vessels which would normally be at work on the high seas moored out of harm's way. 

Suao is at the northern end of the famously scenic but scary-in-places Suhua Highway; this webpage has several good photos taken along the road about a decade ago. Since then, some of the more dangerous curves and narrower sections have been replaced by tunnels. A major upgrade of the road, due to be completed by the end of 2017, will make getting from Yilan to Hualien significantly quicker and safer. For those who'd rather not drive, there are regular trains; for many years there's been no public bus service along the highway.