Taiwan Experience

On the northern side of the island, Taiwan’s high-rise capital is a pulsating, modern metropolis of 2.7 million, but one still very much in touch with its natural and spiritual hinterland. Ridges of green mountains surround the city, providing a ready escape from the hubbub of downtown, as well as some of the finest skyline views in Asia. It was founded around 300 years ago, but only really got into its stride during the Japanese occupation, which began in 1895 and came to an end after World War II, when Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang made the city their capital. Today, Taipei ranks among Asia’s economic powerhouses, and one of the most visited cities in the Far East – in no small part due to the capital’s fabulous museum.

The treasures of the National Palace Museum, most of which originated in Beijing’s ‘Forbidden City’, are widely regarded as the finest single collection of Chinese art in the world.

The items, which include ceramics, paintings, sculpture, and ancient bronze pieces, formerly belonged to the Qing Emperors. They were brought here for safekeeping during the Chinese Civil War and have remained in Taiwan ever since. 

The museum has to be the only one in Asia whose prize exhibits are both representations of food items: one a cabbage, and the other a piece of boiled pork. The ‘Jadeite Cabbage’ is exquisitely fashioned from a chunk of green and white jade, while the ‘Meat-shaped Stone’ was carved from a single piece of banded jasper.

Numerous hiking and biking trails thread through around the forested shoreline of Sun Moon Lake, where hotels, restaurants, temples and shrines vie with each other for the best views of the mountains. Tiny Lalu Island, in the centre of the lake, holds a solitary shrine belonging to the Shao aboriginal people whose traditional land this is. The lake’s name derives from the fact its eastern shore resembles a sun, while its western edge is believed to look like a moon.

A huge assemblage of ornately decorated prayer halls, gardens and shrines interconnected by bougainvillea-lined walkways, Fo Guang Shan was founded in the time of the Tang Dynasty, although most of what you see today dates from the 20th century. Its focal point is a towering, 36-metre-tall golden Buddha – one of the great man-made spectacles of Taiwan. 

Encircled on three sides by the ocean, Kenting National Park occupies the windswept Hengchun Peninsula in Taiwan’s far south – a promontory famous, above all, for its wonderful golden sand beaches and clear, coral-fringed seas.

Drive around the twisting coast road for a taste of the area’s varied marine landscapes.

Expect towering cliffs, turquoise bays and a succession of geological oddities today, as you head up Highway 11, one of the most fabulous drives in coastal Asia.

A deep trench between snow-capped mountains, the Taroko Gorge will come as a big surprise to anyone who comes to Taiwan expecting wall-to-wall skyscrapers. You can drive up it via a route carved along the foot of the mighty marble crags by the Japanese army at the end of World War II, but to make the most of the abundant local wildlife, trekking along one of the many waymarked trails in the area is the way to go. Dense vegetation and clumps of hanging forest tumble down the cliffs, which shelter an estimated half of all the species of animals, birds, insects and plants present in Taiwan.

With its rows of brightly lit shops, stalls and packed restaurants, the Raohe Night Market is a great place to immerse yourself in the authentic atmosphere of Taiwan. It’s also a Mecca for local foodies. Among the old-established favourites is Fuzhou Pork Pepper Buns, at the entrance to the market, whose eponymous speciality (known as ‘hujiao bing’ in Mandarin), prepared and cooked in front of you, attracts long lines of hungry fans. Stinky tofu, ‘big sausage wrapped around little sausage’ and grilled squid, served with a brush of teriyaki and chilli powder, are other enduring staples.