Tattoos have become very common in modern times as a widely accepted form of lasting personal statements and visual artistic expressions. While no body part seems to be off limits to tattoo artists and their regular customers, many tattoo lovers will,...
It’s easy to drive through the splendid mountain, ocean, and rift valley scenery of Hualien County’s Shoufeng Township without realizing how much there is to see and do away from the main north-south roads. This small farming community is home to...
As well as being the arrival gateways to eastern Taiwan for many visitors, the cities of Hualien and Taitung are also focal points of local indigenous culture. So before you set off to explore the wilds of the east, it’s worth...
Exploring the indigenous art scene in eastern Taiwan is a pleasure in itself, but is also a great way to start to decipher the region’s tribal cultures, and to gain a deeper understanding of the customs, stories, and sustainable living practices...
The once remote East Coast is one of Taiwan’s last great tribal strongholds. Traveling here, it’s hard to miss the myriad roadside indigenous totems, murals, arches, and statues, but to get any real understanding of tribal Taiwan you need to delve...
This post has been created in cooperation with Uniquefun Hualien. There are numerous outdoor tour companies based in Hualien, offering adventure trips with a major focus on river-tracing. In recent years, sea kayaking on the ocean has become very popular as...
Hualien City (花蓮市) While not large in size, Hualien is the most prosperous city in eastern Taiwan. It has all the amenities needed for living, good rail links, hotels, homestays, shopping malls, and night markets. The famed Jinsanjiao (Golden Triangle) Shopping...
Taiwan’s East Rift Valley – the Emerald Paradise. Extending from Hualien City in the north to Taitung City in the south, this valley is a place of pristine rivers and flat, fertile farmland where fields of rice, beans, and rapeseed transform...
The stately hotel complex was built at a cost of NT$6 billion. The grounds of the resort are sprawling, with a size six times the area of Taipei Main Station. There are two main buildings, the Mansion and the Castle, which...
Taiwan’s Wilder Side — Three Days in Naturally Blessed Hualien County Text: Rick Charette; Photos: Chen Cheng-kuo All roads leading to Hualien County are spectacular ones. And there are but few. A thick series of north-south high-mountain ranges stand between Hualien (and its...
Text: Rick Charette; Photos: Chen Cheng-kuo sumptuous place to spend a Taroko Gorge night is at the refined Silks Place Taroko hotel, where dark-stain wood is the dominant interior theme, smartly complementing the marble-white facade. It’s located at the edge of...
Strolling, Biking, and Relaxing in Taiwan’s First “Slow City” If you are curious about the meaning of terms like “slow living,” “slow food,” and “slow cities,” consider heading to a place in Taiwan where the pace of life is the opposite...
Yilan-Hualien by Slow Train Text: Steven Crook; Photos: Vision Getting tickets for the fast Puyuma and Taroko express trains, which shuttle from Taipei down the east coast of Taiwan, can be a challenge. If you are not in a hurry, consider using...
The East Rift Valley between the cities of Hualien and Taitung in eastern Taiwan is one of the most scenic and popular tourist areas on this beautiful island. If you want to explore this slow-paced bucolic region of rice paddies and...
Let’s check out some Hualien places! At times, Taiwan can seem like it offers but two options for urban travel – the sprawling metropolis, such as Taipei, Taichung, or Kaohsiung, or the proverbial one-horse town. However, there are options that are...
A Place Where the Child in You Cannot Help But Smile Text: Owain Mckimm Photos: Chen Cheng-kuo Summer is upon us, school will soon be over, and family days out are high on many people’s agenda. Taiwan’s many leisure farms, offering...
