Taiwan Travel

C is for Ceramics. C is for – Yingge? Well, not quite, but ‘Yingge is for ceramics’ is something almost any Taiwanese can chant. This little town (Yīnggē) in the very southern part of Taipei County lives by and for the production of high- and low-quality ceramic and pottery objects: everything from cupboard handles to Song-dynasty vases.

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How fortunate Taipei is to have this national park (Yángmíngshān Guójiā Gōngyuán) at its doorstep, complete with majestic mountains, hot springs, tall grasses, forests of bamboo and broad-leaf trees and some handsome lodgings and restaurants. Among its 1200-plus species of plants, the area is particularly known for rhododendrons, azaleas and Japanese cherry trees. An excellent escape from the city for hikers, bikers (of the gear and motor-head variety), hot-spring lovers, twitters, or just about anyone getting away from it all.

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Most people feel that the North Cross-Island Hwy ends around Chilan, a small forest reserve, but it actually continues south to Lishan and north to Ilan. If you want to continue your exploration of Taiwan’s rugged mountains, head north. Not far south down the road is the turn-off to Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area (; Tàipíngshān Guójiā Sēnlín Yóulè Qū; recreate.forest.gov.tw/forest.php?init=05&char=en&forest=1; adult/child NT150/100), where you’ll find hot springs, a small mountain train, a few trails and a pretty lake.

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The little aboriginal village of Wulai (Wūlái) has long been touted as one of the top hot-springs resorts in Taiwan. But we advise against spending your money here as the town is pretty grubby (though many hotels are first rate inside) and the water is reportedly not very pure. As one local friend quipped, the only prosperous business in Wulai these days is selling water heaters.

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If you want contrasts, head to western Taiwan and start at the coastline, continue through rich farmland and end in the high mountains of the central range. In fact, for a study in contrasts, just head to the Alishan National Scenic Area. Here you can travel through three biogeographical zones – tropical, subtropical and temperate – in just three hours (a rare old single-track alpine railway is your carriage).

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Just 15km north of Hualien, inside Taroko National Park, lies Taroko Gorge (Tàilǔgé), Taiwan’s top tourist destination. With its marble­-­­walled canyons, lush vegetation and cliffs so outsized they block out the sky, Taroko Gorge puts the ‘Formosa’ in Ilha Formosa.

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Beautiful, well off the beaten path for most Western travellers and as chock-full of culture and history per square kilometre as you’re likely to find in East Asia, Taiwan’s outer islands abound with opportunities for those intrepid enough to make the trip.

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There aren’t a lot of reasons for the short-term visitor to make a long stop in Taitung (Táidōng) city itself. Taitung’s charms reveal themselves slowly as you get to know the locals, discover the treasures in the surrounding hills and coastline, and learn how to move with, not against, the rhythms of southern life. But if you don’t have time for that, we suggest either giving the place a complete miss (there are other places nearby to use as a base) or just spend some time in transit.

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In many ways the county is the poor cousin of Taipei, but at least transportation is good, and there are some real treats for the nature and culture lover once you get away from the urban sprawl.

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Once upon a time, Taipei’s streets were chock-full of taxis, buses and racing scooters, and its sidewalks congested with people and trash. The air was foul, and the architecture – shrines, temples and old colonial buildings aside – was ugly. Central planning seemed sporadic or even nonexistent. In the late 1980s, as the scars of former martial law began healing, citizens realised that while they were materially rich, their quality of life was poor. They demanded change and over the next decade, city planners did what you’d expect those schooled in Asia’s most computer-savvy society to do: they played a protracted game of SimCity, only for keeps.

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