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Guan Yin
The Goddess of Mercy on the Altar: Meeting Guan Yin in Taiwan’s Quiet Spaces As you explore Taiwan, you will eventually step out of the high-energy commercial districts and into spaces that feel noticeably different—quieter, gentler, and deeply serene. In the lobbies of traditional vegetarian restaurants, wellness clinics, tea houses,…
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Guan Yu
Demystifying the Red-Faced Warrior: The Story Behind the Statues in Taiwan’s Shops If you are currently exploring Taiwan for the first time, you will quickly notice a fascinating pattern. Walk into a sleek tech startup in Taipei, a neighborhood convenience store, or a bustling street-side restaurant, and your eyes will…
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Mid Autumn Festival
Smoke, Skewers, and the Full Moon: Navigating Mid-Autumn Festival in Taiwan By the Culture Desk | Published: June 21, 2026 On Friday, September 25, 2026, Taiwan will pause to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu Jie). Also known as the Moon Festival, this holiday stands as one of the three most vital annual…
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Ghost Month
For an entire month this summer, the invisible boundary separating the living from the dead will fade away. In Taiwan, the seventh month of the lunar calendar is known as Ghost Month. In 2026, this mystical period begins on the evening of August 13 and concludes on September 11. The…
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Garbage
The Symphony of the Streets: How Taipei Orchestrated a Garbage Revolution In the mid-1980s, anyone visiting Taipei would have encountered a city choking on its own success. Rapid industrialization and skyrocketing consumer wealth had transformed the capital into a logistical nightmare, earning the broader region the unenviable title of “Garbage…
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Babu, Taiwan’s Taro ‘Ice Cream’
The Sound of Summer: Chasing Taiwan’s Nostalgic “Babu” Ice Cream If you stand on a street corner in Taiwan on a scorching afternoon, you might hear it before you see it: a sharp, rhythmic babu, babu! echoing down the alleyway. To any local born in the last seventy years, that sound—the squeak…
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Taiwan Original: Taiwanese Peanut Ice Cream Roll
The Sweet Underground: The Surprising Art and History of Taiwan’s Ice Cream Burrito To the uninitiated, the assembly line at this particular night market stall looks like the setup for a savory midnight snack.A vendor deftly stretches out a thin, paper-like wheat flour crepe—the run bing wrapper traditionally reserved for rolling up…
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Sidewalk Offerings
Smoke, Silver, and the Bottom Line Twice a month, Taiwan’s high-tech corridors and neon-lit storefronts pause for an ancient ritual of spiritual capitalism. If you find yourself walking through the commercial heart of Taipei on certain afternoons, the glass-and-steel landscape undergoes a sudden, atmospheric shift. Outside luxury boutiques, family-run noodle…