Taiwan - Jiufen - Shuqi Road

Shuqi Road, Jiufen.

Night time in Jiufen is nothing like the day; the atmosphere is mysterious and silent.

Sent by Peini from Taipei, Taiwan.

Feel spirited away in this decommissioned gold mining mountain town, originally built by the Japanese and now a maze of lanes and alleyways with rich history and culture.

Founded during the Qing Dynasty, this small town was a relatively isolated village until the discovery of gold during the Japanese occupation in 1893, quickly developing the town due to a gold rush. Many buildings in the town remain unchanged to this day, reflecting the Japanese influence on both architecture and culture on the island. During World War II, the town housed a Japanese prisoner of war camp where captured Allied Force soldiers (mainly British) were forced to work in the gold mines. After the war, gold mining activities declined, and the town today exists mainly as a tourist destination remembering and celebrating Taiwanese history and culture.

A convenient way to visit Jiufen (as well as Shifen in Pingxi 平溪) is to take a shuttle bus from Ximen, leaving in the morning and returning before dinner.

From the beginning of the 1990s, Jiufen experienced a tourist boom that has shaped the town into an attraction easily accessible from Taipei City as a nice day trip (around 2 hours away roundtrip by public transit). Today, the town is filled with both retro Chinese and Japanese style cafés, tea houses, and souvenir shops, as well as fantastic views of the ocean (read more).

Taiwan - Sky Lantern at Shihfen

Sky Lantern at Shihfen, Pingsi District, New Taipei City, Taiwan.

Sent by Patricia from New Taipei City, Taiwan.

Shifen Sky Lantern Square is located in front of Shifen Tourist Center. It is a place used as parking lot during the day; however this place will turn into a popular spot for holding the Sky Lantern Festival during the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar calendar every year. On this day, you will see over 100,000 sky lanterns rising into night sky during the events; it will be a magical and breathtaking sight that you will cherish forever.

Sky lantern” was invented during the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220-265) by Zhuge Liang aka Kongming. In the beginning, the sky lantern was created to use for transmit military information. In 19th century the Lantern Festival tradition has brought to Taiwan, and ever since then starting from the spring of planting season, people would release “sky lanterns” into the air with their prayers for the coming year. The American Discovery Channel TV Program ranked "The Fantastic Festivals of the World" has highlighted the Taiwan Lantern Festival as one of the best festivals in the world. The sky lanterns are constructed from oiled rice paper on a bamboo made frame, and contain a small candle or fuel cell composed of a waxy flammable material. After lit, the flame heats the air inside the lantern, same concept of a hot air balloon which raises the lantern into the sky. People usually write their wishes on the sky lanterns because it is believed as the lantern fly into the sky; it is a way to pass on your wishes to gods above(read more).

Taiwan - Xia-Hai City God Temple

Xia-Hai City God Temple, Taipei.

The red thread circled around the incense to break bad luck and to bring fortune.

Sent by Patricia from New Taipei City, Taiwan.

The Taipei Xia-Hai City God Temple (Chinese: 大稻埕霞海城隍廟; lit. 'Dadaocheng Xia-Hai God Temple') is a temple dedicated to the City God or Cheng Huang Ye (城隍爺) in Taipei, Taiwan.

The Xia-Hai City God Temple was built in 1859, and maintained by a single family to the present day. The Ministry of the Interior designated the site an historical monument in 1985. It is located on Dihua Street in Dadaocheng, which is today part of Datong District in Taipei. The temple houses over six hundred deities in its 152 square meters of area, resulting in the highest statue density in Taiwan. Currently, due to the temple enshrining Yue Lao (God of Marriage and Love), it is one of the popular pilgrimage sites among believers in Taiwan who seek for relationships and marriage (read more).

Taiwan - Face Threading

Night Market, Taipei.

Face threading is the oldest facial purifying technique by using just one single cotton thread to transform all girls into superstars.

Sent by Patricia from New Taipei City, Taiwan.

Chinese facial threading is an ancient beauty practice--still very alive today--that makes your face smoother and brighter, using only a spool of thread and white powder. Most Taiwanese associate this cosmetic skill with their grandmothers' era and it is relatively simple, using just two staggered threads to remove extra hair on one's face, shaving/shaping eyebrows and exfoliation (read more).

Taiwan - Zhongli Tourist Night Market

Zhongli Tourist Night Market, Zhongli District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan.

Sent by Patricia from New Taipei City, Taiwan.

Zhongli Tourist Night Market is located on Xinming Road in Zhongli District; it can be found at the intersection of Zhongyang West Road and Minquan Road, covering a distance of around 700m. The Zhongli Tourist Night Market is one of the top tourist night markets in Taoyuan. With many schools close by, the street is being used as a regular road during the day. Many school buses will pass by until approximately 17:00pm, where vendors being to setup their stalls. At this hour, this section of Xinming Road which is normally filled with cars becomes a hub for vendors and stalls. The market is formed with stalls on either side of the road, as well as stalls neatly lined-up in the middle of the road, attracting a large crowd. During weekends and holidays, the night market is completely packed with visitors, becoming even more fun as the night grows.

Zhongli Tourist Night Market is mainly set up on Xinming Road with three major product categories: lifestyle products, food and snacks, and fruits. Most of the stalls here are old and well established shops; they include all kinds of snacks, men and women’s clothing, hardware stores, daily items, ornaments and decorations, cold drinks and ices, anything ranging from food to toys can be found here. The first half of the night market is mainly clothing stores, convenience stores, and entertainment products from Korea and Hong Kong. The second half of the market is a food heaven where numerous well-known stalls offering local delicacies such as sweet potato balls, fried spareribs, mixed tofu-pudding, and hot and spicy stinky tofu are all gathered in one place. Other local snacks such as pork intestine noodle soup, fried pineapple shrimps, oyster pancakes, freshly cooked squid, and mini egg cakes are just as tasty as those from other night markets! (read more)

Taiwan - Longshan Temple

Longshan Temple, Taipei.

Two palms together, I wish all the peace for the families.

Sent by Patricia from New Taipei City, Taiwan.

Bangka Lungshan Temple (also Lungshan Temple of Manka, Mengjia Longshan Temple) is a Taiwanese folk temple in Wanhua District (alternately known as Bangka/Mengjia), Taipei, Taiwan. The temple was built in Taipei in 1738 by settlers from Fujian during Qing rule in honor of Guanyin. It served as a place of worship and a gathering place for the Chinese settlers. In addition to its Chinese Buddhist elements, it includes halls and altars to Chinese folk deities such as Mazu and Guan Yu.

This temple originated its name from the ancient Lungshan Temple established in Chin-chiang county of Fukien province in the seventh century. Immigrants from the three counties Chin-chiang, Nan-an and Hui-an of Fukien came to Manka in the beginning of the eighteenth century. As they were pious followers of that ancient Lungshan Temple in their home town, they erected this one as a branch temple at Manka and named it after the root temple when they created a new settlement here in Taipei. Lungshan Temple of today is no longer in the original buildings constructed in 1738. It was rebuilt in 1919 and completed in 1924 (read more).

Taiwan - Taiwan Railway R200

Taiwan Railway R200 diesel-electric locomotive.

Sent by Amy Lee from Taiwan.

The R200 are a series of diesel-electric locomotives built by Stadler Rail for use by the Taiwan Railways Administration, starting in 2023.

In 2015, the Taiwan Railways proposed an overall vehicle purchase and replacement plan (spanning from 2015-2024) and proposed the purchase of 102 locomotives, of which 34 were diesel-electric locomotives. After the electrification of the railway system around the island in 2020, passenger trains on the operating routes will rarely use diesel locomotives for traction, and service will be adjusted to use diesels exclusively for freight, emergency rescue, national defense and military needs.

The 165 million euro contract for the locomotives was signed in October 2019; the locomotives are the first major order for Swiss company Stadler from the Pacific region. They are to be built at the firm’s plant in Valencia, Spain. The first two locomotives in the series, numbered R201 and R202, were previewed at Changhua Locomotive Depot in July 2023, expected to be put into revenue service at the end of 2023 (read more).

Taiwan - Yunlin People

Yunlin People.

Sent by Alzoe from Sanchong, Taiwan.

Yunlin is a county in western Taiwan. Yunlin County borders the Taiwan Strait to the west, Nantou County to the east, Changhua County to the north at the Zhuoshui River, and Chiayi County to the south at the Beigang River. It has a population of 664,963 as of 2022.

Yunlin is part of the Chianan Plain, a flat land known for its agriculture. Agricultural products of Yunlin County include pomelo, tea leaves, suan cai, papaya and melon. Yunlin's rivers give it potential for hydroelectricity. Douliu is the largest and capital city of Yunlin. It is the only county on the main island of Taiwan where no city with the same name exists. Yunlin is one of the least developed counties on the West coast, and suffers from emigration (read more).

Taiwan - Anping Sword Lions

Anping Sword Lions at Chou Long Temple, Tainan City, Taiwan.

Sent by Amy Lee from Ahongli, Taiwan. Thanks for the matching stamp.

The Sword Lion, an emblem of the menacing big cat with a long saber in its mouth guarding the doorways of homes in Tainan City’s Anping District, could become a mascot for Taiwan tourism.

District chief Lin Guo-ming said the tradition of sword lions dates back to the Ching Dynasty. Troops garrisoned in Anping in the settlement’s earliest days would carve images of a lion on their shields to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies, Lin explained (read more).

Taiwan - Tunghai University

Tunghai University.

Sent by WSH from Taipei, Taiwan.Tunghai University (THU; traditional Chinese: 東海大學; simplified Chinese: 东海大学; pinyin: Dōnghǎi Dàxué; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tang-hái Tāi-ha̍k; lit. 'East Sea University') is a private university in Xitun District, Taichung, Taiwan, established in 1955. It was founded by the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA). The university is known for its liberal arts education.

Located at the foothills of Dadu Mountain, Tunghai University spans over a hundred hectares, making it the largest private university campus in Taiwan by land area. Its early campus architecture, which embodies both architectural aesthetics and historical significance was built to include modernism, traditional Chinese architecture along with locally indigenous elements. As a result, it has been designated as a cultural landscape by the Taiwan.
On the campus, the Luce Memorial Chapel (designed by architects Chen Chi-kwan and I. M. Pei) is a local landmark.

The university shares its name with Tokai University in Japan. The two universities have since entered a partnership agreement (read more).

Taiwan - Kinmen Islands

View in Kinmen Islands

Sent by Becky who lives in Kinmen Islands, Taiwan.

Kinmen, alternatively known as Quemoy, is a group of islands governed as a county by the Republic of China (Taiwan), only 10 km (6.2 mi) east from the city of Xiamen in Fujian, located at the southeastern coast of the People's Republic of China, from which they are separated by Xiamen Bay. Kinmen is also located 187 km (116 mi) west from the closest shoreline of the island of Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait (read further).

Taiwan - Taiwanese Night Market Popular Popcorn Chicken

 

Sent by Tina from Taiwan.

Taiwanese fried chicken (Chinese: 鹹酥雞; pinyin: xiánsūjī; Wade–Giles: hsien²su¹chi¹; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kiâm-so͘-ke; also 鹽酥雞; yánsūjī; 'salty crispy chicken'), westernized as popcorn chicken, is a dish in Taiwanese cuisine commonly found as a street snack. It is popular at the night markets in Taiwan. It consists of bite-sized pieces of chicken, coated and fried with flour and seasoning mixture. Salt and pepper is the staple condiment, while chili powder, lightly fried basil leaves, and garlic bits are added depending on preference (read further).

Taiwan - National Bird

The Formosan blue magpie is Taiwan endemic subspecies.

Sent by Wen Chi, a postcrosser from Taiwan.

The Taiwan Blue Magpie (Urocissa caerulea), also called the Taiwan Magpie or Formosan Blue Magpie (Chinese: 臺灣藍鵲;pinyin: Táiwān lán què) or the "long-tailed mountain lady" (Chinese: 長尾山娘; pinyin: Chángwěi shānniáng; Taiwanese: Tn̂g-boé soaⁿ-niû), is a member of the Crow family. It is an endemic species living in the mountains of Taiwan at elevations of 300 to 1200m.

In the 2007 National Bird Voting Campaign held by the Taiwan International Birding Association, there were over 1 million votes cast from 53 countries. The Taiwan Blue Magpie defeated the Mikado Pheasant and was chosen as Taiwan's national bird, though it has yet to be formally accepted.

The Taiwan Blue Magpie is about the size of European Magpie, but with a longer tail. It is 64-65 centimeters in length. Wing measures 18-21 centimeters and tail measures 40 centimeters in length.

The plumage of male and female look alike. Its head, neck and breast are black; eyes are yellow; bill and legs are red; the rest of the plumage on the bird is a rich dark blue to purple in color. It also has white markings on the wings and the tail. (read further)

Taiwan - Taipei - Grand Hotel

Grand Hotel, Taipei.

Sent by Naoko, a postcrosser from Taiwan.

The Grand Hotel (Chinese: 圓山大飯店; literally "Yuanshan Great Hotel"), is a landmark located at Yuanshan (圓山) inZhongshan District, Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan). The hotel was established in May 1952 and the main building was completed on October 10, 1973. It is owned by the Duen-Mou Foundation of Taiwan, a non-profit organization, and has played host to many foreign dignitaries who have visited Taipei.

The main building of the hotel is one of the world's tallest Chinese classical building, it is 87 metres (285 ft) high. It was also the tallest building in Taiwan from 1973 to 1981.

After Chiang Kai-shek's retreat to Taiwan in 1949, Chiang felt it was difficult to accommodate foreign ambassadors due to the lack of five-star hotels in Taipei. He wanted to build an extravagant hotel that would cater to foreign guests. His wifeSoong May-ling suggested to build it on the old Taiwan Hotel on Yuanshan Mountain, the site of the ruins of the Taiwan Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine during the Japanese rule. Chiang decided on a Chinese palace-style architecture to promoteChinese culture to the West through its extravagance. Taipei-based architect Yang Cho-Cheng was responsible for the design of the new hotel.

The hotel was established in May 1952, but it was expanded several times before it became the landmark it is known as today. The swimming pool, tennis court, and the membership lounge were constructed in 1953, and the Golden Dragon Pavilion and Golden Dragon Restaurant opened in 1956. The Jade Phoenix Pavilion and Chi-Lin Pavilion opened in 1958 and 1963, respectively. In 1968, the hotel was rated as one of the world's top ten hotels by the US Fortune magazine. Finally, on the Double Tenth Day of 1973, the main Grand Hotel building was completed and became an instant Taipei icon.

In June 1995, a disastrous fire broke out on the roof of the main building during necessary reconstruction and refurbishment. As neither ladders nor high pressure pumps could reach the fire, the roof and the upper floors were destroyed. Not until 1998 did the hotel recover from the damage and became fully reopened to the public. Following the fire, the two dragon heads on the roof were rotated 180 degrees to point inwards. As dragons are traditionally a symbol of rain and water, this was intended to symbolize preparedness against a future fire.

Taiwan - Adult Ceremony of Amis People

The Adult Ceremony, Taiwan Amis, Hualien.

Sent by Sophia, a postcrosser from Taiwan.

This is from Wikipedia : The Amis (Chinese: 阿美族; pinyin: āměi-zú; also Ami or Pangcah) are an indigenous people of Taiwan. They speak Amis, an Austronesianlanguage, and are one of the fourteen officially recognized peoples of Taiwanese aborigines. The traditional territory of the Amis include the long, narrow valley between the Central Mountains and the Coastal Mountains, the Pacific coastal plain eastern to the Coastal Mountains, and theHengchun Peninsula.

In the year 2000 the Ami numbered 148,992. This was approximately 37.5% of Taiwan's total indigenous population, making them the largest tribal group. The Amis are primarily fishermen due to their coastal location. They are traditionally matrilineal..Traditional Amis villages were relatively large for indigenous groups, typically between 500 and 1,000. In today's Taiwan, the Amis also comprise the majority of "urban aboriginals" and have developed many "urban tribes" all around the island. In recent decades, Amis have also married exogamously to Han as well as other indigenous.

Taiwan - Sun Moon Lake

A trip to the shining Sun Moon Lake.

Sent by Lin, a postcrosser from Taiwan.

This is from Wikipedia : Sun Moon Lake (Chinese: 日月潭; pinyin: Rìyuètán; Wade–Giles: Jih⁴-yüeh⁴-t'an²; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ji̍t-goa̍t-thâm; Zintun in the Thao language, also Lake Candidus) is the largest body of water in Taiwan as well as a tourist attraction. Situated in Yuchi, Nantou, the area around the Sun Moon Lake is home to the Thao tribe, one of aboriginal tribes in Taiwan. Sun Moon Lake surrounds a tiny island called Lalu. The east side of the lake resembles a sun while the west side resembles a moon, hence the name.

Sun Moon Lake is located 748 m (2,454 ft) above sea level. It is 27 m (89 ft) deep and has a surface area of approximately 7.93 km²(3.06 sq mi). The area surrounding the lake has many trails for hiking.

While swimming in Sun Moon Lake is usually not permitted, there is an annual 3-km race called the Swimming Carnival of Sun Moon Lake held around the Mid-Autumn Festival each year. In recent years the participants have numbered in the tens of thousands. Other festivities held at the same time include fireworks, laser shows, and concerts.

The lake and its surrounding countryside have been designated one of thirteen National scenic areas in Taiwan. Wen Wu Temple (文武廟) was built after rising water levels from building a dam forced several smaller temples to be removed. Ci En Pagoda (慈恩塔) was built by late President Chiang Kai-shek in 1971 in memory of his mother. Other temples of note include Jianjing Temple, Syuentzang Temple, and Syuanguang Temple.

In older English literature it was commonly referred to as Lake Candidius, after the 17th century Dutch missionary Georgius Candidius. In the middle of the lake is the Lalu Island, which is the holy ground for the Thao tribe. In legend, Thao hunters discovered Sun Moon Lake while chasing a white deer through the surrounding mountains. The deer eventually led them to the lake, which they found to be not only beautiful, but abundant with fish. Today, the white deer of legends is immortalized as a marble statue on Lalu Island.

Under the Japanese colonial era of Taiwan, the Japanese named it the "Jade Island". After Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Government moved to Taiwan, the island was renamed Kuang Hua ("Glorious China") and in 1978 the local government built a pavilion where annual weddings took place. The 921 Earthquake destroyed the pavilion and sunk most of the island. In recent years, due to increasing social and political awareness, more deference and recognition are being given to Taiwanese aborigines. As a result, after 921 earthquake, the island was renamed in the Thao language as "Lalu".

Several hydroelectric power plants have been built in the Sun Moon Lake since 1919, including Mingtan. When the first hydroelectric plant was finished in 1934, it was considered to be one of the most important infrastructure constructions of the time. The Jiji Line railroad was built to facilitate the construction.

Taiwan - Yehliu Geopark

Yehliu Geopark
Taipei County, Taiwan

Sent by Yi-fan, a postcrosser from Taiwan.

This is from Wikipedia : Yehliu (Chinese: 野柳; pinyin: Yěliǔ) is a cape on the north coast of Taiwan in the town of Wanli between Taipei and Keelung.

The cape, known by geologists as the Yehliu Promontory, forms part of the Taliao Miocene Formation. It stretches approximately 1,700 meters into the ocean and was formed as geological forces pushed Datun Mountain (大屯山) out of the sea.

A distinctive feature of the cape is the hoodoo stones that dot its surface. These shapes can be viewed at the Yeliu Geopark operated by the North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area Administration. A number of rock formations have been given imaginative names based on their shapes. The most well-known is the "The Queen's Head" (女王頭), an iconic image in Taiwan and an unofficial emblem for the town of Wanli. Other formations include "The Fairy Shoe", "The Bee Hive", "The Ginger Rocks" and "The Sea Candles."