Post-pandemic travelers seek contact with the unique culture of Taiwan

Post-pandemic travelers seek contact with the unique culture of Taiwan

2023-06-26

From January to April this year, more than 1.6 million tourists visited Taiwan. Official estimates suggest that 6 million might visit over the whole of 2023. But the face of tourism is changing, and businesses are offering more and more diverse services for travelers. Post-pandemic travelers are more concerned with making genuine contact with the unique soul of Taiwan. From making their own Taiwanese food to a cycling tour of the island, activities that engage with local culture are booming.

Korean cheerleader Lee Da-hye and American basketball star Dwight Howard are both susceptible to the charms of Taiwan’s night markets.

Korean actor Kim Seon-ho also paid a visit to a famous xiaolongbao restaurant. Taiwan’s cuisine is a big highlight of almost every traveler’s visit. But many tourists are done with just enjoying the food. They want to try making it too.

Overseas tourists don aprons and receive instructions, before getting down to make boba balls for tea. Next up they grab spatulas and fry up some pickles for a guabao bun.

Tourist
I’ve had bao before, but they’re like the more round kind. I’ve never had this kind before.

Tsai Pei-chun
Cooking studio founder
When foreigners come to Taiwan, there’s a class where they can try making Taiwanese food for themselves. Our teachers share lots of Taiwanese stories, and history with them, so they can understand the richness of Taiwan’s culinary culture. Everyone says their favorite parts are making beef noodles, xiaolongbao, guabao, and braised pork rice.

Attendees can get to know Taiwanese food deeply, with their own hands. And there are more alternative activities popping up for those tired of just snapping cliched photos and dining out.

Korean streamer Jinny made a walking tour of the country. Travel agents are also offering cycling tours of the island. Travelers can make a slow exploration of Taiwan’s country and culture on two wheels.

Yang Chun-kui
Travel agent manager
Most foreigners who come to cycle in Taiwan go to Hualien and Taitung, or Wuling. We also arrange deep cultural experiences in Taipei, which includes getting to know architecture and cuisine.

Travel is no longer about sitting on a tour bus and getting shuttled to tourist spots. Travel experts are coming up with more and more novel ways to entertain visitors.

台灣美食讚! 外國人體驗DIY小吃.騎單車玩台灣

2023-06-26

今年一到四月，來台旅客有166多萬人次，交通部觀光局預估整年旅客人數可望恢復到疫前的一半水準，衝破600萬人次。來台灣觀光，除了可以逛景點、吃小籠包、喝珍奶，現在有業者推出更深度的體驗方式，像是動手做台灣小吃、或是騎單車欣賞自然美景，怎麼玩出新意？一起來看看！

從南韓啦啦隊女神李多慧，到職籃球星魔獸霍華德，都抵擋不了台灣夜市的魅力。

韓星金宣虎來台灣，也到知名小籠包店報到。台灣美食是觀光最大亮點，只是現在外國人來旅遊，不只要吃，還要動手做。

穿上圍裙，外國旅客仔細聆聽，這邊忙著捏珍珠，要做珍奶。下一步，拿起鍋鏟，炒酸菜，要做刈包。

[[遊客]]
“我吃過包，但是是比較圓的那種，沒有吃過這種的。”

[[料理教室創辦人蔡佩君]]
“外國人來台灣的時候，有一個課程可以自己親手做台灣的料理，我們的老師也會跟他們分享很多台灣的故事、歷史，讓他們更了解台灣整個飲食文化的豐富、大家最喜歡的就是，牛肉麵、小籠包、刈包、滷肉飯。”

親自動手做，透過烹飪，深入了解台灣飲食文化，外國人遊台灣，除了到觀光景點打卡拍照，吃吃在地美食，還能這樣做。

南韓直播主企鵝妹，徒步環台。也有旅行社，推出"單車旅遊"行程，用兩輪車速，深度探索台灣自然和人文。

[[旅行社總經理楊峻魁]]
“外國人來台灣騎車，花東是最多，再來就是武嶺。我們也有安排台北市深度文化體驗，包括建築、美食等安排。”

來觀光，不再只是坐上巴士、定點打卡，旅行業者推新招，吸引外國旅客來台灣。

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US to provide JUMP 20 drones to Taiwan for free: sources

Responding to tensions across the strait, Washington will provide a set of JUMP 20 tactical drones to Taiwan for free. The JUMP 20 is vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that can be used for battlefield reconnaissance. Experts say this weapons aid is aimed at countering China’s gray zone tactics. In related news, the U.S. Congress has passed a 2024 defense budget that includes multiple pro-Taiwan policies. They include speeding up arms sales, expanding military training, and establishing a U.S.-Taiwan joint planning team. Congressman Mike Gallagher emphasized that hard power must be used to stop Xi Jinping’s military ambitions before it’s too late.

Led by the U.S. Seventh Fleet, the Pacific Vanguard military exercise will begin on July 1. Naval forces from Japan, South Korea, and Australia will participate in the 12-day exercise based in Guam. Besides strengthening its training with allied forces, the U.S. has extended military aid to Taiwan. It’s set to give Taiwan’s Coast Guard a set of JUMP 20 drones with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities.

The JUMP 20 drone has an operational range of roughly 185 kilometers. It can perform continuous monitoring for more than 14 hours, and has a top flight speed of 92 kilometers an hour. Taiwan will become the third country to own the JUMP 20, after the U.S. and Ukraine.

Voice of Su Tzu-yun
Institute of National Defense and Security Research
This is a testament to the political trust and security partnership between Taiwan and the U.S. The Jump 20’s principal purpose is battlefield reconnaissance. Through its visible light and infrared systems, it can effectively monitor battlefield environments day and night. Coast Guard missions are both military and police-like in nature. Besides adding a drone unit, Taiwan can also consider adding fixed-wing aircraft and an exclusive helicopter unit for the Coast Guard, which can be used to counter the CCP’s gray zone threat.

U.S. support for Taiwan also came recently from Congress. The House and Senate have passed the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which calls for expediting arms sales to Taiwan, expanding military training, and establishing a U.S.-Taiwan joint planning team. Mike Gallagher, chairman of the Select Committee on China, said that the danger of a Taiwan Strait conflict was at its peak. To contain Xi Jinping and the devastating consequences of war, the U.S. must work across party lines to counter China. Hard power must be used to stop Xi before it’s too late, and the 2024 defense bill is a crucial step in that direction, he said.

Chao Tien-lin
DPP lawmaker
We’re happy to see this kind of development as China’s militarization becomes increasingly rampant. We need more cooperation with allies including the U.S. Only then can we let the CCP know not to overstep in the Taiwan Strait.

With the threat to Taiwan growing across the Strait, the U.S. is taking an even stronger stand against Beijing.

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Taiwan plans to expand airport screening exemption to carry-on luggage

Taiwan plans to expand its baggage screening exemption program for travelers from the U.S. This July, officials will head to the U.S. to discuss adding carry-on luggage to the exemption list. The initiative aims to save transiting passengers up to one hour of wait time at Taoyuan International Airport.

With COVID restrictions eased, passenger volume is recovering fast at Taoyuan International Airport. The transport ministry plans to expand its four-year-old one-stop security program, by exempting carry-on luggage from security checks.

Wang Kwo-tsai
Transport minister
At present, most of the passengers we see are traveling from North America to Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport, then transiting to flights bound for Southeast Asia or northeast Asia. In the past, they had to go through another security check upon arriving in Taiwan. After the program is expanded, if they complete a security check in the U.S., they will not need to undergo a second check when transiting in Taiwan.

This one-stop security program applies only to travelers flying in from the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand. Currently, such travelers who transit in Taoyuan don’t need to take their checked baggage through additional security screening. Four years after the program’s inception, the plan is to add carry-on luggage and passengers themselves to the exemption list. This could save transiting passengers up to one hour of wait time.

Ringo Lee
Travel Quality Assurance Association
This can help increase the willingness of international passengers to transit in Taipei. With visa-free entry offered for 24-hour transits, passengers can have short excursions in Taiwan.

Under the expanded program, an estimated 750,000 transit passengers from the U.S. are expected to benefit each year. Because United Airlines is currently the only U.S. carrier offering daily flights to Taiwan, the expanded program will give a boost to Taiwan airlines with U.S. routes, such as China Airlines, EVA Air, and Starlux Airlines.

Shih Ching-sheng
Pilots Union Taoyuan
For travelers going through the U.S. security check, the details of the procedures may be different. Of course, these airport security checks will need to be strictly enforced. During the transit process, the risk that we run is that after the traveler departs the U.S., he or she may obtain things that are harmful to flight safety.

Taiwan officials will head to the U.S. in late July to discuss the program expansion with the Transportation Security Administration. They’ve also reached out to Canada, in hopes of expanding the program for Canadian flights soon as possible.

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PVC banned in e-commerce packaging starting July 1

A ban on PVC plastic packaging is about to take effect. Starting July 1, online retailers may no longer use PVC in their packaging. Not only that, a certain percentage of the package must be made of recycled materials. To enforce the rules, officials will conduct inspections of e-commerce shipments. They plan to first target large e-commerce businesses, defined as those with at least NT$150 million in capital or 500 pickup locations. Violators will face fines of up to NT$150,000.

She approaches the counter to collect a parcel ordered online. In the near future, such parcels will contain much less plastic than before. That’s due to a new EPA policy requiring e-commerce retailers to use a certain percentage of recycled materials in their packaging. It’s the latest step toward Taiwan’s plastic reduction goals.

Wang Yeuh-bin
EPA recycling management unit
On July 1, we will launch our first phase of inspections. The main focus of our inspections will be large-scale operators. Large-scale operators refer to e-commerce operators with capital of NT$150 million or at least 500 stores.

Under the new policy, online retailers won’t be allowed to use polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, in their packaging. If they choose to use a different plastic, that plastic must contain more than 25% recycled materials. If they choose to use paper, at least 90% of it must be recycled paper.

Wang Yeuh-bin
EPA recycling management unit
If an operator does not establish a self-management mechanism, we will target that operator for random inspections. Violators will be fined between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000.

But could using recycled paper drive up costs? Long-fiber pulp, which is commonly used to make packaging paper, skyrocketed to US$1,000 per ton in 2022 but has since dropped to US$930. Not only has the international pulp price fallen, the cost of recycled paper has also decreased.

Tseng Chun-chou
TIER researcher
Since the start of the year, the price of waste paper or pulp has gone down significantly. For most end users of packaging materials, the cost pressure won’t be as great. In fact, this could help them achieve a transition at this stage.

According to the researcher, many businesses have already begun to plan for sustainable operations. Given the government’s supporting policies and the relatively favorable business environment, extra costs won’t be passed on to consumers over the short term, he said.

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Immigrant teacher and politician promotes welfare of migrants in Taiwan

Today we meet a teacher and politician who is passionate about the welfare of Southeast Asian immigrants in Taiwan. Vietnam-born Fan Mei-jung has lived in Taiwan for 23 years. She teaches Southeast Asian languages and cultures at Minth University of Science and Technology in Hsinchu County. She also runs a support group for female immigrants from Vietnam, helping younger women to find their own way in a new country. And as if that wasn’t enough, she’s one of the founding members of the Happy People Party, a ground-breaking political party founded by immigrants. Its raison d’etre is the wellbeing of Taiwan’s large migrant population. We went to Hsinchu to meet Fan and hear what makes her tick.

Every Monday, Fan Mei-jung teaches Southeast Asian languages on the campus of Minth University of Science and Technology. Today she’s brought along bamboo hats and is encouraging them to draw images of Vietnam on them.

Fan Mei-jung
Vietnamese immigrant and teacher
We come here with the status of friends, to share with them. It gives me quite a sense of accomplishment.

As a Vietnamese immigrant, Fan is well qualified to teach many different aspects of Vietnamese culture. She gives out spring roll wrappers recently brought home from a trip to Vietnam’s Tay Ninh Province.

Fan Mei-jung
Vietnamese immigrant and teacher
I’ve brought back some local snacks, so everyone can try them.

Hsu Chia-chen
Student
It’s crunchy, and has a distinctive Vietnamese flavor.

Tseng Hsin-chao
Minth University of Science and Technology dean
College students are often tapping on their phones in class nowadays. But as you can see, they don’t do that in Ms. Fan’s class. They’re fascinated.

Fan has impressive capacities in many different areas. When she first came to Taiwan more than 20 years ago, she experienced discrimination in the workplace, partly because of the language barrier. But she didn’t get bitter. Instead, she doubled down on her efforts to learn Chinese, finding that positive thinking was her best friend in her challenging circumstances.

Fan Mei-jung
Vietnamese immigrant and teacher
Wherever we are carving out a life, we always need to understand the language. When we can do that, then we can protect ourselves, so that we can live better, and help others, and give back to society.

Fan founded a club for new female immigrants from Vietnam. It provides a place where women can ask for advice, and a safe place they can rely on. And she’s also the vice chair of the newly established Happy People Party, which exists to promote the participation of immigrants in all areas of life.

But Fan says the most enjoyable part of her work is teaching. The interaction with students brings immense satisfaction, as she watches them develop more and more interest and delight in Southeast Asian cultures.

This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

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Dental appointments explained: the lowdown on Taiwan’s dental system

Have you ever thought about the difference between a dental surgery and other doctors’ clinics? At most clinics in Taiwan, you can just walk in and sit down in the waiting room, joining the queue to see the doctor immediately. But dentists work differently. Most require you to book an appointment in advance – often by phone. Why is that? And if you have an urgent toothache, what’s the right thing to do? Should you book an appointment for next week, or is it OK to walk into the nearest dental clinic and ask to be seen today? Well, we spoke to some of Taiwan’s prominent dentists, to get the lowdown on this sometimes mystifying system.

When you need a dental issue fixed, you’re meant to ring the clinic and book an appointment. Booking in advance is a standard procedure these days, as this member of the public explains.

Member of public
You know, if you have a real toothache, it can be quite inconvenient.

Some people wonder why normal medical clinics let you simply rock up, take a number, and wait your turn, while dental clinics want you to pre-book an appointment. It seems the two systems are dramatically different. Why?

Wen Ssu-yung
Taipei Dental Association
Dental treatment is usually one very small-scale operation. A complex treatment might take one or two hours. But the majority of treatments take 20 to 30 minutes.

More and more clinics are adopting the procedure of first talking to the patient to find out what’s wrong, and then arranging an appointment so they hopefully don’t have to wait too long in the waiting room, or impact other patients’ rights. But if you have a toothache right now, do you still need to book in advance? Well, not necessarily. In genuinely exceptional circumstances, you may be allowed to skip the queue.

Huang Yi-hao
Dental clinic director
Usually that’s when the decay has reached the dental nerve, and the face is starting to swell. When you have cellulitis or something like that, then it’s definitely reached the point of a dental emergency.

Treating an acute toothache cannot be delayed. Alongside normal dental clinics, hospital ERs can also provide help in such cases.

Huang Yi-hao
Dental clinic director
When there’s really, absolutely, no other solution, you can go to a hospital emergency room. Yeah. The dentists have shifts – I used to be a hospital dentist.

Wen Ssu-yung
Taipei Dental Association
When you have a toothache, sometimes you really can take painkillers first. I think that dentists in every clinic are willing to treat a patient who is willing to wait in the waiting room.

Dentists say that the main difficulty is the large number of regular hygiene treatments they have booked most days. If you want to avoid getting the kind of toothache that requires emergency treatment and impacts other patients, by far the best policy is to discover any dental issues early, and get them treated as soon as possible.

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Miaoli man dedicates his life to restoring wild lilies after ecosystem degradation

Taiwan’s natural beauty is famous all around the world. In recent years, more and more ordinary people have got inspired to restore Taiwan’s ecosystems after degradation. Today we meet Wang Feng-hua, a local of Miaoli’s Sanyi Township. He’s passionate about the Wild Lily, a native blossom also known as the Hong Kong Lily. The beautiful white flower suffered in recent decades, as farming chemicals poisoned the countryside. But Wang has devoted himself to planting lilies over many years, supporting the local ecosystem to heal itself. Let’s see how his work turned out.

Wang Feng-hua walks us down a path he has known for decades. He grew up here in Miaoli’s Sanyi Township, leaving briefly for school before coming back home to Guandao Shan. But after his time away, he was shocked to find that local farmers’ use of herbicides was having a devastating impact on the wild lilies that used to carpet the paths here.

Wang Feng-hua
Wild lily gardener
They’re mowing the grass year after year, and some of the plants on the mountain have just disappeared.

Inspired to bring back to life the lush mountain of his childhood, Wang threw himself into restoring the wild lily, becoming a staunch “flower defender.”

Wang Feng-hua
Wild lily gardener
It’s just spending a little time on my own patch of land, and tidying it up a bit.

He doesn’t sell the lilies or make any money from them – instead he pays from his own pocket to plant them. It took a while to get his wife onboard with the project!

Liu Mei-chu
Wife of Wang Feng-hua
I said, “Are you crazy?! Everyone’s trying to earn money. Why are you doing something with no value, no income source?”

There were just 30 lily plants here, at the worst moment. But that’s all changed. One year Wang planted 10,000 lilies on the mountain. Another year, wild boar feasted on the flowers, causing havoc. But Wang is not to be dissuaded.

Wang Feng-hua
Wild lily gardener
They can only sprout their new stalks when you increase the water levels. Actually, it’s obvious at a glance that there are plenty the boar haven’t eaten right here.

And the project has blossomed. The area which Wang cares for has seen the arrival of a small insect, the tea jassid. It’s a good indicator of a healthy ecosystem, unspoiled by herbicides. After all these years, Wang can say with confidence it was time well spent.

2023-06-26