The following facts about Taipei will help you understand Taiwan’s capital city more. Knowledge is power. Here is some basic “power” about Taipei. Read some interesting facts about Taipei City, in northern Taiwan. Why is it called Taipei? The name “Taiwan” is a phonetic borrowing from the indigenous Siraya people of Taiwan, who called it […]
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Hiking in Dakeng, Taichung
Dakeng is Taichung’s best hiking destination and it’s only few kilometers outside the city. Dakeng 大坑 is a hilly area that has a good selection of short hiking trails which lead to a series of wooden lookouts perched on a ridge at around 800 meters. Some of the trails in Dakeng are really, really steep […]
Culture in Taipei, Taiwan
Discover Chinese culture in Taipei! Understand why Taiwan’s capital is one of the most vibrant cities in Asia! Language in Taipei The official language of Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese (guo yu). It’s the language that’s the most commonly used at work, school, and in official spheres. It is by far the most helpful language to learn […]
Confucius Temple in Taipei, Taiwan
The Taipei Confucius Temple was built by the Qing Dynasty in 1879, to be a place of education and to teach the tenets of Confucianism. If you get a chance to be in Taipei around fall, head to the temple on September 28, the traditional birthday of Confucius. Seeing a birthday celebrated in solemn dance for […]
Taichung Confucius Temple
If you happen to be in the old part of town while you visit 台中 (tai zhong), make sure to make a little detour to check out one of the city’s best attractions: the beautiful and photogenic Taichung Confucius Temple! Note that the Martyr’s Shrine is right next door. It commemorates 72 Chinese who lost their heads […]
List of Towns and Cities in Taiwan
This is a list of villages, towns and cities in Taiwan that are featured on this website. I’ve also included the five little islands that are located around the Taiwanese mainland in the Taiwan Strait and Pacific Ocean. Make a reservation at a hotel in Taiwan! Information About Taiwanese Cities Most big cities on Formosa are […]
Hiking Mt. Cilai (Qilai Shan) 奇萊山
The Cilai Mountain area offers some of the most challenging and enjoyable hiking in Taiwan Mt. Qilai (also spelled Cilai) is located in Eastern Taiwan’s Taroko National Park. On this page, I’ll do my best to show you how to get there, what to expect during your climb and how you can prepare for it. Let’s […]
Chinese Traditions 25 Fascinating Pictures
Taiwan is one of the only places in the world where you can witness authentic Chinese traditions. In China, ancient customs have been banned and practices of long ago are still repressed. In Taiwan, classical Chinese culture has not only survived… it is flourishing! Every year, on September 28, bright costumes, serious rituals and ancient music […]
Chinese Zodiac Symbols
Characteristics of the 12 Chinese astrological signs The Chinese Zodiac symbols are now extremely popular all over the world. If you want to find out about the traits and characteristics of each Chinese Zodiac animal, read on! The Chinese Zodiac started in China and is based on a 12 year cycle; each one has a different […]
Chinese Zodiac Compatibility
The Importance of the Chinese Zodiac Compatibility Many Chinese people take the zodiac year signs very seriously, paying for having elaborate readings done to check for compatibility before their children are wed. Readings can be done to the month and hour of birth, but for fun, most people just focus on the years. Your Chinese […]
Chinese Year of the Rabbit
The Rabbit Year in the Chinese Lunar Calendar 2011 is the Chinese Year of the Rabbit. It is a metal year. Rabbit people were born (check for accuracy if your birthday is in January or February) in 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, or 2011. “Metal” is one of the five Chinese elements, […]
The Most Beautiful Chinese Temples in the World are in Taiwan!
30 Pictures of Temples in Taiwan Giant statue of a Chinese Buddha at Baguashan, in Changhua City, in Central Taiwan. Changhua is not the coolest Taiwanese city to travel to, but visiting the Baguashan area is worth an entire afternoon. Chinese temples are all over the place in Taiwan and visiting them is high on the list of things […]
Chinese Tea Culture
Information About Chinese Tea Culture Chinese tea culture is at the very heart of Chinese culture and society. Although there are regional differences in exactly the way a Chinese tea ceremony is done, the fact that it is central to every household, even the poorest, attests to the fact of how important it is in society. […]
Chinese Superstitions
Information About Chinese Superstitions Taiwan and China have been undergoing serious economic development, and in many ways the landscapes of cities in both places have been irreversibly changed. Chinese superstitions, however, are harder to kill than brick buildings and bad economic policies. You might ask why we wanted to write an article about a topic […]
Chinese Punishment
Information About Chinese Punishment Let’s see…. Boiling to death, drawing and quartering, the rack, thumb screws, stocks, pillory, dunking in water, burning at the stake, bridles in women’s mouths, tarring and feathering, coffin torture, burned within a brazen bull, forced drinking, the list goes on… Ancient Chinese punishment, you say? No, all Western! That’s not to […]
Chinese New Year Traditions
The Chinese Lunar New Year is packed with interesting customs and traditions! Chinese New Year Traditions The Chinese New Year celebration, or the Spring Festival, as it is known in China and Taiwan, has so many traditions, and is even bigger and more splendid than Christmas is in the West. When is Chinese New Year? […]
Chinese New Year Symbols
Chinese New Year symbols can be useful if you want to write a Chinese New Year’s card, painting, calligraphy, or scroll. Even if you’re not planning on writing anything for Chinese New Year, you might want to learn about all the symbolism that surrounds this great Chinese holiday. Chinese Symbols for “Chinese New Year” Chinese Characters for […]
Chinese New Year Food
Popular Chinese New Year Foods Chinese New Year food is one of the most colorful, exciting parts of the fifteen day celebration. Some, like Yu Sheng, or raw fish salad, are eaten on particular days, or every day during the holiday. The most popular of the foods symbolize some aspect or desirable thing wished for in […]
Chinese New Year Animal
What are the Chinese New Year Animals? Did you know that there is a different Chinese New Year animal associated with each solar-lunar year in a twelve-year cycle? If you don’t know yours, you can easily look that up. Be sure to find a chart that indicates exact months and days, though, just to be sure, […]
Chinese New Year Holiday Celebrations in Taiwan
Information about Chinese New Year You may have heard about Chinese New Year, but what is it actually all about? We’ll try to cover that here. When is Chinese New Year (CNY) celebrated? If you’ve read other articles on this website, you might know that most traditional holidays in Taiwan follow the Chinese lunar calendar […]