A week in Taiwan: How the country’s people are defying the headlines

Hualien County, on the east coast, is Taiwan’s most popular tourism destination for locals and international travellers because of its natural beauty, including Taroko National Park.Gayle MacDonald/The Globe and Mail

Before travelling to Taiwan, most of what I knew about the island nation 160 kilometres off the southeast coast of China was what I read in the news, and it was worrying.

China sees self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be reunified with the mainland. In the meantime, Chinese President Xi Jinping has been sending warships and fighter planes into the region, his reaction to the democratically elected Taiwanese government’s friendly relations with the United States.

Although I was excited to explore the country of 24 million people – from its geographic beauty to thriving business centres – I expected this tension to trickle down to my experience as a visitor.

But it became clear from the moment I stepped off the plane in the capital city of Taipei that, while the superpowers (China and the United States) are preoccupied with the fate of Taiwan, the people themselves are getting on with the business of living in one of the most beautiful, intriguing and prosperous countries in Asia.

Despite its size (about the same as Vancouver Island), Taiwan punches far above its weight. Known as one of the Four Asian Tigers, it is a high-growth economy (along with Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea). It is also a treasure trove of natural beauty with warm, white sand beaches, marble-walled gorges, lush tropical forests and the greatest density of high mountains in the world with 268 peaks above 3,000 metres.

Shennong Street in Tainan.Gayle MacDonald/The Globe and Mail

I only had five days to get to know this fascinating place, so I was grateful to be enthusiastically greeted at Taoyuan International Airport by guide Ivy Chen, who promptly put me on the THSR (Taiwan High Speed Rail), which took us from Taipei to the ancient southwestern city of Tainan in less than an hour and a half.

As the scenery whizzed by, Chen rhymed off some statistics: For instance, Taiwan has more than 15,000 Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian temples, more than 300 night markets (many with Michelin-worthy food stalls), nine national parks and bustling metropolises whose skyscrapers rank among the tallest in the world.

On this leg of the journey, we passed flat coastal plains with palm and banana groves, manicured rice fields, duck and shrimp ponds, as well as fruit trees with hundreds, if not thousands, of white bags neatly tied to the limbs.

Chen explained that the farmers spend hours carefully covering their mangoes, a major export, to protect them from birds and other pests. “It must take them days,” I observed. Chen shrugged. “We are hard workers. The farmers are proud of what they grow so they take good care of it.” Quiet civic pride, I soon learned, is a Taiwanese trait.

We arrived in Tainan, Taiwan’s oldest city, and started to explore its many meandering alleyways, centuries-old fortresses and temple squares. A former Dutch colony that was populated by refugees fleeing China during a regime change in the 17th century, Tainan was the capital of Taiwan for 200 years before it was replaced by Taipei in 1887. The island was also a Japanese colony from 1895 to 1945 before the Nationalist government of China took over. Today, relics of the past can be found all over town, sharing space with the street food vendors and restaurants that have made Tainan the culinary centre of Taiwan.

Among the historical highlights we visited were Anping Tree House, an abandoned warehouse that has been swallowed by banyan trees, Grand Matsu Temple (dedicated to the goddess of the sea, Mazu), and the Confucius Temple built in 1665 to cultivate higher learning. All that walking, in 31 C heat, made us thirsty so we stopped at a street stall for baobing, a shaved-ice dessert topped with condensed milk and heaped with fresh fruit (we chose mango).

Delicious appetizers at Zhuxinju in Tainan, known as the food capital of Taiwan.Gayle MacDonald/The Globe and Mail

It was the palate cleanser we needed before heading to dinner at Zhuxinju, an omakase restaurant (the chef decides the menu) that serves traditional Taiwanese banquet dishes in a red-brick mansion built circa 1846. It was packed with locals who, like us, were enjoying a seven-course meal (for 600 Taiwan dollars, or $25) that included milkfish, squid, scallops, prawns, pork medallions, abalone and squid.

Continuing south the next morning to the massive port city of Kaohsiung, we stopped at Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum, which covers more than 100 acres and is anchored by a bronze Buddha statue that is 36-storeys tall. It’s a must-stop for anyone interested in the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, a Hindu prince who founded Buddhism in India in the 6th-5th centuries BCE.

Jason Ye of Song Luo workshop.Gayle MacDonald/The Globe and Mail

Then, we made our way along the east coast past stunning scenery, with towering sea cliffs and the Pacific Ocean on one side, and the verdant Coastal Mountain Range (known as “the Spine” of Taiwan) on the other – to Hualien County, beloved by Taiwanese for its slower pace, farm-to-table cuisine and natural hot springs.

The Song Luo workshop.Gayle MacDonald/The Globe and Mail

Here, we met some local entrepreneurs. At the Song Luo workshop, Jason Ye taught us how to make fountain and ballpoint pens from exotic wood. I chose yew, which is native to Taiwan, and used a lathe to shape the body of the pen, sand it, buff it and then wax it with honeycomb. At the end of the afternoon I had a Father’s Day gift for my husband, a handmade keepsake that cost about $50.

Chu Resort, an eco-friendly wellness retreat.Supplied

That night we relaxed at the Chu Resort, an eco-friendly wellness retreat that opened last November in a valley at the foot of two mountains. The cafeteria-style dining room was filled with young families who come to unwind in a pastoral setting, eat seasonal dishes with ingredients from nearby farms and spend time at the bathhouse whose steaming waters are fed from the Erzishan (Twin Mountain) hot springs.

Taroko National Park.LO SU CHIU/Taiwan Tourism

The next morning after yoga, we struck out for what Chen described as “the crown jewel” of Taiwan’s natural wonders, Taroko National Park. However, she insisted we stop first at a funky local eatery called Truku, a small space jammed with couches, wooden tables and bold, hand-painted art that made me feel like I had walked into a kindergarten class. We ordered the Hunter’s Meal, served on a taro leaf, with stir-fried wild boar and bamboo sticky rice, along with a delicious tea made from “magua” (the mountain pepper herb) that has a heady, lemongrass scent.

A traditional Hunter’s Meal at Truku.Gayle MacDonald/The Globe and Mail

Taroko Gorge is a 920-kilometre area that was formed over millions of years by the jade-coloured Liwu River. It boasts the world’s deepest marble canyon as well as stunning rugged cliffs and subtropical forests. We followed a “Hunter’s Path” – a route carved out long ago by the indigenous Truku tribe – that took us deep into the forest. We passed landmarks such as the Eternal Spring Shrine, which was built to commemorate 236 veteran soldiers who came to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War and died building the Central Cross-Island Highway, a road that cuts through rock and mountain to connect the east and west coasts of the island.

By the time we arrived in Yilan County (famous for its privately owned “leisure farms” that accommodate tourists) it was already dark and the Luodong Night Market was hopping. The top sellers (judging from the lineups) were smoked duck, medicine mutton soup, salty rice noodles and scallion pancakes. I sampled some stinky tofu (which tastes like blue cheese and, yes, it smells) and a chicken cutlet, fried in sweet-potato starch.

Luodong Night Market.Gayle MacDonald/The Globe and Mail

The final leg of the trip ended where it began, back in Taipei, a quixotic mix of old and new. On one hand, it is a glittering tech hub with soaring skyscrapers that salute free enterprise. On the other, it is a throwback to another time, with the Xiahai City God Temple where people pray to the love god Yue Lao for help finding a mate, or Herb Alley (also called “life-saving street”), where the locals go for ancient cures.

Herb Alley in Taipei.Gayle MacDonald/The Globe and Mail

I had a few hours to kill before boarding my flight home, so we went up to the observation deck of Taipei 101, Taiwan’s tallest building whose design was inspired by the bamboo plant, a symbol of strength and elegance. As I stood looking out at the vast urban sprawl below, I thought how much that sturdy plant reminds me of the Taiwanese people – resilient and steady, even as fighter jets from mainland China pass overhead.

If you go

A beautiful way to serve honey at the breakfast buffet at Palais de Chine Hotel in Taipei.Gayle MacDonald/The Globe and Mail

Direct flights are available to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) from Vancouver on China Airlines; and from Toronto and Vancouver on Eva Air.

Where to stay: Treat yourself to a night of old-world glamour and book a room at the Palais de Chine Hotel. Located in the heart of the city, the hotel is ideal for walking or taking the Taipei Metro (MRT) to cultural sights including the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall or the National Palace Museum, which holds a permanent collection of nearly 700,000 Chinese artifacts, many moved from the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City. Deluxe king rooms start at $240, depending on the time of year; www.palaisdechinehotel.com.

Getting around: Taiwan is easy to get around by rental car, which can be picked up at the TPE airport in Taipei. Or explore the country via a mix of high-speed rail (which hits most of the major cities on the west coast of the island), tourist shuttles or taxis/private drivers. Biking enthusiasts will love Taiwan’s Cycling Route 1, which circumnavigates the island in a 960-km loop.

Children polishing jade into a keepsake at the Lu-Fung Taiwan Jade workshop in Hualien County.Gayle MacDonald/The Globe and Mail

Day trip: Hualien County, on the east coast, is Taiwan’s most popular tourism destination for locals and international travellers because of its natural beauty, including Taroko National Park where you can easily spend a day hiking along cliffs, canyons, streams and waterfalls. Hualien is also an ideal place to meet local artisans. At Song Luo workshop you can make your own ballpoint pen ($50) or fountain pen ($60 and up). I also visited the Lu-Fung Jade workshop, where I made a beautiful jade necklace ($20). It’s best to hire a translator for those activities (through a travel agent) which costs about $60 an hour, depending on the itinerary.