Ilha Formosa - Taiwan
Fascinating culture, breathtaking scenery, artistic masterpieces, delicious cuisines, and friendly people make Taiwan an ideal destination for tourists. In addition, the island’s convenient transportation, excellent hotels, and outstanding restaurants allow travelers to explore these many attractions in comfort.
Taiwan is a country that is known throughout the world for its economic achievements. Industrial products bearing the words “Made in Taiwan” have created a general impression of Taiwan as an island of industry, while relatively few people see it as a destination for tourist travel.
The truth is Taiwan is a beautiful island rich in scenic and cultural attractions – an island that tourists should not miss. The island of Taiwan was created about four million years ago by a collision of tectonic plates and island of high mountains, deep gorges, lofty precipices, rushing streams, tranquil lakes, offshore islets, and shorelines in every imaginable shape. Its special geographic environment and a string of peaks along the Central Mountain Range that soars to almost 4,000 meters provide Taiwan with a landscape that is extraordinary rich in animal and plant life. The plant cover and ecosystems reach from tropical rain forests to frigid-zone grasslands, giving the island what biologists generally agree is the highest extent of biological diversity per unit of land. Its biological system is, in fact, a microcosm of the northern hemisphere.
Taiwan also has a society that preserves Chinese culture while incorporating features of Western civilization, giving it a richly diversified cultural landscape as well. This is a free and democratic land where travelers can experience the true nature of Chinese culture. And if someone happens to be a gourmand who likes Chinese cuisine, Taiwan is just the place. All of the regional culinary traditions of China come together on this small island. The people of Taiwan are known for their friendliness and hospitality, especially toward foreigners. In fact, Robert Storey, an author of Lonely Planet guidebooks once wrote: “The people of Taiwan are among the friendliest on the planet and it’s their hospitality that is perhaps the greatest asset of this remarkable island.”
In 2002, over 2,726,411 people visited Taiwan. Japan provided the largest number of visitors, with 986,053 or 36.17 percent of the total.Hong Kong and the United States were the second and third largest sources of visitors that year, numbering 435,080 (15.96 percent) and 354,087 (12.99 percent) respectively.
Major tourist sites
Northern Taiwan: Many temples and traditional-style houses are scattered throughout Taipei. Longshan Temple is the city’s oldest and most famous temple, and the Lin Family Garden is the island’s finest example of classical Chinese landscaping and architecture.
Taipei’s leading attraction is the majestic national palace Museum, which houses the world’s largest and finest collection of oriental art treasures. The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the island’s most impressive monument of the late president, has a beautiful Ming-style arch at its main entrance that is flanked by the National Theater and the National Concert hall.
Northern Taiwan is rich in natural beauty. Towering over Taipei to the north is Yangmingshan national Park, where well-maintained walkways and trails lead visitors to scenic spots such as waterfalls, volcanic craters, lakes and hot springs.
Central Taiwan: Taichung, the largest city in central Taiwan, is one of Taiwan’s main business centers and offers many high quality hotels, museums, and parks. Located near Taichung is Lugang, which still has many old temples, traditional shops, and colorful festivals.
The nearby resort at Mount Ali is famous for its view of the sunrise over a sea of clouds. Some 15 kilometers away from Mount Ali is Mount Jade (Yushan), East Asia’s highest peak; which, at 3,952 meters, is covered with snow for most of the year. Yushan National Park is the island’s largest park and was established in 1985.
Southern Taiwan: Southern Taiwan is a land of contrasts, where bustling modern cities are surrounded by verdant rice paddies. Tainan City is filled with myriad old temples and historic sites, including its Confucian Temple, built in 1666; Fort Zeelandia and Fort Provintia, both constructed by the Dutch during their occupation in the 1600s.
South of Tainan is Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s second largest city and largest international port. Offering excellent shopping, dining, and nightlife, Kaohsiung is close to many tourist attractions. Located about two hours south of Kaohsiung on the island’s southern tip is the Hengchun Peninsula. Kenting National Park, which covers much of the peninsula, offers spectacular shorelines, interesting coral and rock formations, and some of Taiwan’s best beaches.
Cuisine
For the connoisseur of fine food, dining in Taiwan is truly a wonderful experience, as all of the regional Chinese cuisines and a multitude of local Taiwanese dishes are readily available.
The dishes of Sichuan and Hunan Provinces favor the liberal use of garlic, scallions, and chili peppers. Shanghai cuisine, renowned for its superb seafood, is lightly seasoned, and uses sauces that are rich and slightly sweet. A good representative of northern Chinese cuisine is Peking duck, although noodles, steamed breads, and various “buns” and “dumplings” are also common to Peking-style meals.
Cantonese cuisine, which tends to be more colorful and less spicy than other styles and is usually stir-fried to preserve texture and flavor, is most famous for its dim sum, a multitude of snack-sized delicacies served with tea for either breakfast or lunch. Taiwanese cuisine is an interesting branch of the eastern Chinese style of cooking, meaning it is light, simple, easy to prepare, and features lots of excellent seafood. Numerous Taiwanese and traditional Chinese snacks can be sampled in night markets around the island.
