Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is celebrated from the first to the fifth day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Literally, Chinese people refer to this festival as “passing the year,” which means shooing out the old and welcoming the new; it is considered the most important Chinese holiday of the year. There are a number of related customs and traditions that go along with the festival.
Chinese New Year activities also include the practice of going around to friends and relatives to offer New Year’s greetings on the 1st day of the Chinese New Year, visiting the wife’s family on the 2nd day, welcoming the God of Wealth on the 4th day, and reopening business on the 5th day.
Retrieved from: http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002020
Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage
Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea, migrated to Taiwan with the people of Fujian Province in the 17th century to become one of the most revered deities on the island, where today about 870 temples are dedicated to her worship. All sorts of festive activities are arranged at this time, including puppet stand theater performances, displays of embroidered banners, float parades, dragon and lion dances, and other events as the procession passes by.
The devotees prepare meat, fruit, and vegetables as offerings; firecrackers are discharged, and incense is burned. Another climax of the activities occurs when Mazu returns home to Dajia in her palanquin; along the route, one can see hundreds of thousands of devotees holding parties for friends, relatives, and the returning pilgrims.
Retrieved from: http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002022
Spring Wave Music & Art Festival
The Spring Wave Music and Art Festival has brought us joy and laughter for the past 10 years, with a highly praised musician spirit.
Retrieved from: http://eventaiwan.tw/cal_en/cal_20009
Taiwan Balloon Festival
Big, beautiful, colorful hot air balloons dreamily float through the air as tourists hasten to catch a glimpse of their splendor or ride them through the skies, taking in the beauty of the valley below. The hot air balloon trend has promoted local tourism, and is an attractive, rising new activitiy of the 21st century.
Taiwan International Balloon Festival includes flying shows, mooring activities, balloon rides, a night glow music concert, balloon wedding celebrations, and a summer camp, providing visitors with something to take home as well as great memories. Experience the feeling of flight as well as a feast for the senses.
Retrieved from: http://eventaiwan.tw/cal_en/cal_20022
Taiwan Cycling Festival
A classic piece of dialog from the Taiwan movie Island Etude: “There are some things that, if you don’t do them now, never will.” These words set off a craze for traveling around the whole of Taiwan by bike. Doing a bicycle circuit around Taiwan has now become an item on many people’s “bucket list”!
The series of activities of the “Taiwan Cycling Festival” focus on bicycle touring and pulls together the tourist and transportation resources of the various county seats to present the specifics of a diverse and local touring culture. Accompanied by beautiful mountains and water scenery, bicycle enthusiasts from around the world can come on a pilgrimage and are provided a varied and rich recreational cycling experience, making the riding of the “iron horse” no longer a simple exercise but rather the perfect experience in body and soul.
Retrieved from: http://eventaiwan.tw/cal_en/cal_20174
The Pier-2 Art Centre
It was once an abandoned and forgotten warehouse buried in history due to the move from an industrial based segment to the service sector. However, with a group of persistent artist who injected waves of creativity and inspiration into the area, the Pier-2 area was released and re-born making the region a place where tourist and locals can come together to enjoy fine art. With the collision of an old area and new fine art, Pier-2 becomes an area of new vitality and liveliness.
Located at the sides of the pier are the artistic warehouse clusters. Not only are there unlimited flows of cars, boats, sea breeze and people coming and going every day but also when looking at the vast ocean and sky, one is relaxed, stress-free with limitless thoughts. The encounter of the land and the ocean is so vast at Pier-2, it seems to symbolized the bright future ahead.
The Operation Center and the artists who have come to showcase their significant artworks both have their own dreams and visions for Pier-2. However both are willing to put down their differences to support one another and work towards a common goal which is the success of Pier-2. Despite the administrative and artistic conflict, both parties come together to become intimate partners, building an memorable and lasting image in the hearts of the people.
(Retrieved from: http://pier-2.khcc.gov.tw/eng/home02.aspx?ID=$2001&IDK=2&EXEC=L)
Kenting
The premiere beach destination in Taiwan, Kenting is located at the southernmost tip of Taiwan Island. The best bathing area is around Nanwan.
Most hotels are around the Kenting Street Night Market area. Be aware of high season and do the booking earlier.
Located in Pingtung, a beautiful city in southern Taiwan, Kenting is a popular, enchanting holiday destination popular among travelers. Having a tropical climate, summer in Kenting is usually hot and mild in winter making Kenting a pleasant Taiwan holiday getaway all year round for the locals and foreign visitors.
Kenting is the paradise of leisure and fun, as well as the home to tropical forests, meadows, and seaside cliffs. Besides visiting the Kenting National Park, Eluanbi Park, Nanwan (South Bay), Maobitou, Longluantan, or simply just chill by the beach makes Kenting a must visit destination in Taiwan. Discover Kenting, the wonderful Taiwan tourist destination that enthralls travelers of all ages.
(Retrieved from: https://www.travelking.com.tw/eng/tourguide/kenting/)
Taipei Botanical Garden
Built by the Japanese as “Taipei Nursery” in 1896, the park was expanded in 1921 to become a botanical garden home to over 2,000 species of plant species.
Occupying 82,000 SQ METRES of land in Downtown Taipei, the garden today serves as a research centre for the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute as well as a public park for the public to enjoy.
The National Museum of History and National Taiwan Arts Education Center are located next to the garden.
The park is home to the remaining areas of the ancient Taipei Lake.
(Retrieved from: https://guidetotaipei.com/visit/taipei-botanical-garden-台北植物園)
Yangmingshan National Park
Yangmingshan National Park is located in northern Taipei City, and easily accessible from downtown. Spanning 114SQ. KMthe area is home to numerous parks, hiking trails, interesting plants and wildlife, and the internationally famous hot springs.
Designated as Category II by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a national park for protection of nature and wildlife and ranging in elevation from 200 metres to 1,200 metres, there are many different subtropical and warm temperate climate zones that can be found within the park.
The lasting Japanese influence on the area can be found in the area’s countless hot springs around Beitou and Xingyi Road, as well as many private hot springs only available by reservation. The Japanese also planted black pines, acacia trees, and the Formosan sweet gum to beautify the mountain. To this day, the area is very popular with Japanese tourists.
As the area is rich in sulphur, mining operations previously operated in the area. All mining operations have been shut down due to environmental effects, and visitors can check out the decommissioned mines such as the one at Liuhuanggu.
With its growth as a centre for sulphur mining in northern Taiwan, many Han Chinese such as the Hoklo from Fujian and the Hakka began moving to the area to cultivate tea plantations and other agricultural products, and today, wide-scale agriculture has been replaced by more boutique-style agriculture with a tourism focus, such as the Calla lilies at Zhuzihu.
Each season brings a different type of beauty to the area. February and March are the flowering season, and rhododendrons and cherry blossoms cover the mountain slopes to welcome the spring. Summer brings winds from the southwest with occasional showers and thunder in the afternoon, creating amazing weather effects in the mountains. By October, the mountains are covered with silver grass and the golden red colour of maple leaves. Rainbows can be seen after misty autumn rains. Winter time has unique scenery as well since monsoons bring a cold drizzle that create seas of clouds that look like a fantasy world, with the possibility of snow falling on cold days.
Different tour options are available to Yangmingshan, including a day trip with hot springs.
(Retrieved from:https://guidetotaipei.com/visit/yangmingshan-national-park-陽明山-yang-ming-shan-mountain)
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