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From April to May every year is the Tung Blossom season in Sanyi, which is a small town of Miaoly. In the middle of April, Tung Blossom is getting blooming, then the flower dropped to the ground, like snowy; even in May, you still can see this landscape.
Taiwan's population surpassed 22.45 million in June 2002. Taipei City is the largest and most densely populated metropolitan area, followed by Kaohsiung City in the south. About 60 percent of Taiwan's population is concentrated in four metropolitan areas--Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, and Tainan. Over the past few decades, the average age of Taiwan's population has increased by 1.8 percent. In June 2002, the number of people over the age of 65 exceeded 8.9 percent of the total population, and the rise is expected to continue. With the exception of over 413,519 indigenous peoples in 2001, Taiwan's population is composed almost entirely of Han Chinese. Early Han Chinese immigrants, or "Taiwanese," are of two groups: the Hakka, mostly from Guangdong Province; and the Fujianese, from China's southeastern coastal province of Fujian. These two groups comprise about 85 percent of the Han...
Postal agencies are open from 09:00 until 17:00 from Monday to Saturday (except the second and fourth saturdays). The Taiwan postal service is generally quite reliable though envelopes with English addresses should be written in a clear hand to ensure prompt delivery. Red postal boxes are for airmail (usually the left hand slot) and prompt delivery items (right hand slot) while green boxes are for local mail (left hand slot is generally for local mail only).
The basic local telephone rate is NT$1 for 2 minutes. Coin phones accept NT$1, NT$5 and NT$10 coins. Some phones now require NT$2 as the minimum.Public pay phones are also widespread throughout Taiwan and separate phones are available for coins or cards. Local telephone cards are widely available at kiosks and convenience stores. Cards cost NT$100 and permit 100 call units. Pay phones are green coloured while card phones are beige coloured. International Direct Dial (IDD) phones are now being installed in many locations and offer much cheaper international phone rates than available in hotels. Since January 1998, all TAIPEI (Area 02) numbers have been converted from seven to eight digits. The old seven digit number now has a "2" as the leading digit. "555 5275" has become "2555 4275". Cellular PhonesGSM Roaming is available to the following countries: Australia, Britain, Canada, China,...
Chinese Food - Chinese food tastes very good and is also nutritious. The food is prepared with great care and cooked quickly so as not to lose its vitamin content. Vegetables are finely chopped or diced and because of the quick cooking, retain their fresh taste and garden colours. Spices and sauces such as soy, oyster, sesame and aniseed are used freely in Chinese cooking. The Chinese do not waste anything. Every stalk and bone is used for some tasty dish. Different provinces reflect their eating habits by the particular spicy, bland or colourful food they prepare. Taiwan is an excellent place to try all types of Chinese food, including sharks fin soup, snake meat and sea slugs!
Buddha - Buddha refers to Prince Siddhartha Guatama, an Indian prince who lived more than 2,500 years ago. After years of study and contemplation, Siddhartha founded the Buddhist religion, based on the "Eightfold Path". Buddha means "The Enlightened One", and by following the teachings of Buddha a person may overcome the craving of earthly pleasures and become enlightened. These paths include the understanding of the Four Noble Truths, correct thoughts, correct speech, proper actions, the right work and efforts, the right state of mind and the ability to concentrate. Buddhism has remained a simple and democratic religion through the centuries. This may explain how quickly it was accepted by the working people of Asia. There are numerous Buddhist places of worship in Taiwanand Lord Buddha's birthday is a very important celebration for the Chinese.
Jade - Jade, the green stone, is sold everywhere in Taiwan. From bangle bracelets and images of Buddha, costing only a few dollars, to expensive carved dragons, jade is a popular item to the Chinese and visitors alike. The inexpensive articles are not jade, but are soapstone. Real jade is expensive and sold in quality shops. The emperors of China held jade in great esteem and adorned their homes, places of worship and themselves with it. Jade is still considered a precious stone by the Chinese and all types and qualities can be found in Taiwan.
Lanterns - Lanterns have been part of Chinese life for centuries. Chinese emperors had lanterns hanging in their gardens, on boats, in their homes and temples. This tradition continues to the present day. The colourful lamps appear throughout the Chinese year, especially at festival times. At the end of the Chinese New Year celebration, on the fifteenth day of the first moon, the Festival of Lanterns takes place. Silk, paper and plastic lanterns in round, square and various other shapes are paraded through the streets and hills of Taiwan. Lanterns on wheels, animals, birds, flowers, boats, every shape imaginable appear in shops and department stores. In the autumn, another festival of light is held and the beaches and hilltops are aglow with soft light. The lanterns are very inexpensive to buy and apart from the actual use of lighting them, they make beautiful decorations.
Kites - Kites are, and always have been, an intricate part of Chinese culture. It takes many years to become a master kitemaker, although most Chinese boys and girls learn to make their own kites at an early age. Traditionally, kites appear mostly at festival times, especially in the late autumn at the Festival of Climbing the Heights. On this night, people take their beautiful kites to high places and fly them into the night when they attach small lanterns to the kites. These glowing spectacles rise high into the night and the owners try to knock each others kites out of the air. The kites are quite complicated to make, but turn into lovely butterflies, birds, flowers and animals. Kites can be purchased very inexpensively in most stores in Taiwan.
Incense - Incense is a substance which produces a sweet aroma when burned. The Chinese use it during most festivals and burn it in honour of the gods and in memory of deceased family members and, for good luck.
Shangri La Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Taipei
4 Reviews and 228 Opinions We lived on the 33rd floor where has good view over busy streets in Taipei city. The room has the...
Ambassador Hotel Kaohsiung
5 Reviews and 70 Opinions We stayed in the Ambassador Hotel, Kaohsiung which is located on the Love River. This was a good...
Grand Formosa Taroko Hotel Hualian
1 Review and 119 Opinions I've known this hotel since I was a high school student, with its astonishing location, I made up my...
Reviews and photos of Taiwan attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Taiwan sightseeing.
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Q: my husband and I will be visiting taiwan on feb 11-17, 2012. there are a number of places our friends have recommended we should...
A: I spent one day in sun-moon lake area after Lunar New Year last month. Depending on your travel sytel, you can either take train to Tai-Chung city and transfer bus to...
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