Travel to Taiwan

Jade Emperor's Birthday

The Jade Emperor's Birthday is an annual festival in Taiwan, celebrated on the 9th day of the 1st lunar month. The celebration begins the night before, when the entire family fasts and washes, and after midnight, led by the head of the household, they all go to worship the Jade Emperor, presenting offerings like rice cakes with a red turtle shell shape.

Hehuanshan

Hehuanshan is a 3.416m high mountain, part of the Central Mountain Chain that makes up the backbone of Taiwan, and has become a very popular destination to the people of central Taiwan.
A particularity of this mountain, is that its East Peak and its North Peak are both higher than the main peak, with 3.421m and 3.422m respectively.

Taiwanese cuisine

Taiwanese cuisine is quite different from the Chinese cuisine due to the influence of the different ethnicities. Every city has its famous dishes and their own way to cook the same meal. Because of living on a crowded island, the Taiwanese had to look for sources of protein, not involving farmlands, so the result is seafood figuring prominently in their cuisine. Taiwanese cuisine relies on a  wide variety of seasonings for flavor, resulting in dishes of combined and interesting tastes.

Wanhe Temple

The Wanhe Temple in Nantun Village, Taichung, was finished in 1726 and it is in thanks to the spirit Mazu, like most of the oldest temples in Taiwan. Its main entrance is flanked on either side by two smaller entrances, with wood carvings of different designs adorn the traditional roof structures. In the interior, there are several shrines dedicated to Mazu that were constructed over the course of the next century and a half.

Dongshih

Dongshih is an urban town in Taichung County, Taiwan, and has a very strong population of Hakka ethnicity. It is located on a narrow plain, flanked by the Da Jia River to the west and a mountain ridge to the east. This town has many green spaces and farmlands, and it is very famous for its large and spherical pears.

Lin Family Ancestral Shrine

The Lin Family Ancestral Shrine was built (in what is now Dali City)  during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty (1796-1821) and it is considered the most important shrine to people with the surname Lin in central Taiwan. In this shrine we will find stone wall sculptures, wood carvings, and paintings of the mid-Qing Dynasty era, a remarkable front entrance with stone carvings on both sides and painting on the doors.

Tainan

Tainan City is the fourth largest city of Taiwan, and was the capital from 1661 to 1887, it is very famous for the abundant historic buildings and delicious food. It houses the first Confucian School/Temple, which dates from 1665. The city comprises several universities and is well know for its higher education, including religious universities, like Tainan Theological College and Seminary  and Chang Jung Christian University.

Pili Puppet Show

Pili is a puppet show made by Pili International Multimedia, and this show started on 1985 to present days. Puppetry is part of the heritage in Taiwanese people, so this TV show is one of the most popular ones in Taiwan. The show features a large variety of puppets, and the delicate design of the appearance and characteristic of each puppet has made Pili puppet show earn the popularity that has nowadays.

Bunun

The Bunun are a Taiwanese aborigine tribe, known for their sophisticated polyphonic vocal music. They speak Bunun language and are widely dispersed across the island, unlike the other aboriginal tribes in Taiwan. They have 5 distinct sub-tribes, the Takbunuaz, the Takibaka, the Isbukun, the Takivatan, and the Takituduh. Present day Bunun still live in village units, but unfortunately many of the younger generations are drawn to the big cities searching for jobs.

Shang Yuan Festival

Shang Yuan Festival is a lantern festival celebrated on the 15th day of the 1st month in the lunar year in the Chinese calendar, and is a very sacred and joyful celebration. During this festival, the children go out at night carrying bright lanterns, which used to be pretty simple in ancient times, but now the have complex designs and shapes, like animal shapes for example.