Life of Taiwan

Often overlooked by tourists rushing to get to Alishan or Tainan, Chiayi City is always worth a look:

Chiayi city nights - Taipei Times Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

Very near the westernmost point of the island of Taiwan, in Tainan's Qigu District, Dingtoue Sandbar 頂頭額沙洲 offers unusual Sahara-type scenery.

https://lifeoftaiwan.com/news/taiwan-tidies-up-after-typhoon-gaemi/

Taiwan Tidies up after Typhoon Gaemi - Life of Taiwan Less than four months after Taiwan was rocked by the region’s strongest earthquake in a quarter of a century, the island was soaked by torrential rains accompanying Typhoon Gaemi. Life has returned to normal for almost everyone but tourists heading to the Hualien area may have to adjust their plan...

'Luminous Mirrow Window' is a work by artist Wu Chien-yi on display in a small park in Taipei's Xinyi District, not far from Taipei 101.

Traditional embroidery by master artisan Lin Yu-quan (1941-2023), founder of a Tainan-based embroidery business that provides elaborate clothing for deity effigies.

In Taiwan, wonton dumplings are usually enjoyed in a soup, sometimes with noodles. But some restaurants served a deep-friend version that's much liked by foodies.

The fine Art Deco building now called Changhua Railway Hospital dates from 1938, when it was built as a restaurant/banqueting venue. After World II, it served as a dormitory for railway workers and then a clinic. It now houses creative-cultural businesses and NGOs.

Public art on display at Taitung's former railway station, now an open-air arts and performance venue in the city centre. "View" by A-Sun Wu is a meditation on "the importance of looking in every direction, in order to ensure a happier future."

We've been busy expanding our coverage of Greater Taipei: https://lifeoftaiwan.com/travel/bigger-and-better-life-of-taiwans-expanded-website/

Earlier this year, Life of Taiwan's Steven Crook was interviewed by a Dutch newspaper on the subject of local food.

https://lifeoftaiwan.com/news/is-taiwan-safe-to-visit-after-the-earthquake-yes/

Is Taiwan Safe to Visit After the Earthquake? Yes! - Life of Taiwan As most of the world now knows, just before 8 o’clock in the morning of April 3, the entire island of Taiwan was shaken by a powerful earthquake. The magnitude of the temblor was estimated at 7.2 by Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration and at 7.4 by the US Geological Survey, making it the str...

Most Taiwanese are Buddhist/Taoist, but the island has some fascinating churches:

Six of the Best: Taiwan's Most Amazing Churches - Life of Taiwan Taiwan is one of the world’s most tolerant and religiously diverse societies. The majority of its nearly 24 million follow a mix of popular religion, Buddhism, and Taoism. Many of the gods and goddesses they worship are also venerated on the Chinese mainland and by ethnic Chinese communities in So...

Throughout Taiwan, relics of the 1895-1945 period of Japanese colonial rule have been restored and/or repurposed, like this building on a school campus in rural Tainan:

Another reason to include Taitung when you visit Taiwan:

Back on the Tourist Map! East Taiwan's Sanxiantai Bridge - Life of Taiwan One of East Taiwan’s major attractions is fully reopening to the public today (February 5, 2024) following more than a year of inspections and repairs that were made necessary by the earthquake which shook the region near the end of 2022. The distinctive eight-arch footbridge at Sanxiantai (‘Ter...

https://lifeoftaiwan.com/travel/flower-power-where-to-see-taiwans-dazzling-flowers/

Flower Power! Where to See Taiwan's Dazzling Flowers - Life of Taiwan Thanks to its position astride the Tropic of Cancer and plentiful rainfall, Taiwan is a place where foliage and flowers of all kinds thrive. Wherever land is left undeveloped and untilled, wildflowers quickly establish themselves, adding a range of colours to a natural environment that already featu...

The temples in which Taiwanese practice Buddhism, Taoism, and folk beliefs are truly among the island's treasures:

Six of the Best: Taiwan's Most Amazing Temples - Life of Taiwan More than 15,000 registered places of worship serve Taiwan’s 23.9 million people. The vast majority, over 12,200, are dedicated to mainstream beliefs, which in Taiwan means a blend of Buddhism, Taoism, and popular faith. Throughout the country there are also around 2,800 Christian churches and at ...

From Life of Taiwan, we hope you had a happy and prosperous 2023, and wish you all the best for the New Year!

https://lifeoftaiwan.com/culture/looking-forward-to-the-year-of-the-dragon-and-the-2024-lantern-festival/

Looking Forward to the Year of the Dragon and the 2024 Lantern Festival - Life of Taiwan For centuries, life in Taiwan has been enlivened by annual festivals and celebrations. Without any doubt, the most important of these is the Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year. The first day of the lunar year is determined by the ancient lunisolar calendar, and always falls between Janua...

At the very end of a long walk in Tainan's Annan District, I came across this small-scale incense manufacturer, taking advantage of the sunny weather to dry just-made joss sticks.

Taiwan's magnificent mountains await! Contact us today to arrange your private guided tour of Taiwan.

There's never a dull moment when you visit a traditional morning market in Taiwan!

Taiwan's Traditional Markets: Colourful Cornerstones of Urban Life - Life of Taiwan ‘Does Taiwan still have traditional markets?’ Life of Taiwan’s itinerary planners get asked from time to time. The answer is an emphatic ‘Yes!’ Decades of rapid economic growth have given Taiwan’s towns and cities a good range of supermarkets and hypermarkets. Yet millions of Taiwanese s...

Need some inspiration for your Taiwan trip?

66 Unmissable Things to Do in Taiwan This Year - Spiritual Travels Heading to Taiwan? Here's the ultimate bucket list of places to visit in Taiwan, from popular to off-the-beaten-track, by a 10+ year resident!

https://lifeoftaiwan.com/travel/words-from-the-wise-travel-advice-from-life-of-taiwan-guides/

Taiwan's tourism industry is bouncing back. That's no surprise to us at Life of Taiwan. We've been dealing with a very healthy number of enquiries and bookings.

Tourism sector firms report best results in years - Taipei Times Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

Taiwan's has enough short hiking trails for a lifetime. One of our favourites is in Linnei, Yunlin County. Read on for details!

Highways and Byways: Yunlin’s drunk monks and shy macaques - Taipei Times Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

Sometimes overlooked but never disappointing, Taiwan's southern city of Kaohsiung:

24 Hours in Kaohsiung, Taiwan's Maritime Metropolis - Life of Taiwan You’ve spent several days revelling in the natural splendour of Taiwan’s unspoiled east or you’ve just finished exploring Tainan, the island’s historic former capital, and now you have a whole day in Kaohsiung before your fly out from this southern metropolis. Unlike Taroko Gorge and Taipei ...

We get many questions about how possible travel to Taiwan is right now and we love seeing how excited you all are to visit when you can (and we can’t wait to welcome you!)

Taiwan’s CECC has just released this update with a plan to slowly reduce quarantine periods over the next few months.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out and we hope to see you soon!

CECC to plan for 7-, 5-, 3-day quarantines for arrivals - Focus Taiwan Taipei, March 14 (CNA) Taiwan's Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said Monday that planning of the country's COVID-19 response is moving in the direction of shorter quarantine periods.

Dear Life of Taiwan Friends,

It’s that time of year where we reach out to wish you a happy and healthy holiday season as we come to the end of another year.
Similar to 2020, 2021 has been a year full of continued uncertainty. Our friends around the world continue to be ever in our thoughts and we hope this message finds you and your loved ones well and looking towards a brighter new year.

Here at Life of Taiwan HQ, we’ve been using our downtime this year to ensure we can come back stronger than ever. We have been reviewing our operations, refreshing our experiences, and developing important partnerships that will ensure we continue to create positive impact with our work.

We’re excited to share details of our exciting new partnerships in the new year and look forward to sharing our beautiful island with you again very soon.

Warmest wishes,

Mark and Maggie, Life of Taiwan Founders