Three Hill-Country Hakka Neighbors: Zhudong, Beipu, and Nanpu TEXT / RICK CHARETTEPHOTOS / CHEN CHENG-KUO, VISION The hill country of northwest Taiwan is Hakka country. The Hakka are a Han Chinese minority people with a distinctive culture, deep-rooted traditions, and especially...
Shimen Reservoir in Taoyuan City, once the largest reservoir in the Far East, is a remarkable site. It was one of Taiwan’s great industrial achievements of the post-WWII era, greatly improving the lives of farmers in the island’s northwest. It also...
Opening a small restaurant serving one’s native cuisine has been done by many a foreigner trying to carve out a long-term niche for themselves in Taiwan. Far more uncommon, however, is for a foreigner to take on the challenge of serving...
Tea, glorious tea! No coffee, glorious coffee! A battle of the daily staple beverages has been raging in Taiwan the past decade-plus, a titanic struggle for the hearts and minds of the people. Tea has sat proudly on the throne for...
Jiufen, Jinguashi, and Shuinandong are three former mining villages in New Taipei City’s Ruifang District, roughly an hour from downtown Taipei. Situated on the mountainous seaside slopes of Taiwan’s scenic Northeast Coast, they offer a glimpse into the island’s fascinating gold-mining...
