TAIWAN

台灣采風 (Taiwan Panorama) 台灣地靈人傑，孕育出特有生態與人文環境，諸如原住民、閩南及客家風情，台灣特殊文化與景觀，為海外僑民勾勒心中的福爾摩沙。 「聚落文化之美」 (Kinmen) 、「台灣原住民翦影」 (Aboriginal Taiwanese) 、「台灣紅樹林探索」 (tour_mangrove) 、「台灣燈謎巡禮」 (tour_ tengmi) 、「台灣自然風情」 (tour_natural) ，更是對台灣當地的人文與生態畫龍點睛，細細瀏覽，將有豐富收穫。

Formation of Taiwan and its geographical position

The shape of the Island of Taiwan is like a spindle-shaped sweet potato. Its north-south direction is 385km long and its east-west direction is 143km wide. The topography of the Island of Taiwan is varied and complicated. As to the gradient, with less than 100km level from east-west coastal to the Juiliang Mountain Range – Central Mountain Range of Taiwan, there is almost a 4,000 meters fall in it height. Aside from Juiliang Mountain Range, there is the Hsuehshan (Mt. Snow) Mountain Range at the east, and Alishan (Mt. Ali) Mountain Range and Yushan Mountain Range at the west. And colorful topography such as river valleys, basins, plains, marshes, and volcano belts appear from the overlapping layers of peaks. With regards to basins, from the north to the south there are the Taipei Basin, Taichung Basin, Puli Basin, and there is the Taiyuan Basin at the eastern part. The three obvious volcano belt regions are the Tatun Volcanic Group, Keelung Volcanic Group, and the Penghu Volcanic Group in the Taiwan Strait. Talking about the geology of Taiwan, then it is ever changing. The Island of Taiwan was formed through the collision of plates and orogenesis. Its geology tectonics is situated in the mobile belt zone, with irregular scale and frequent earthquake and accompanied with formed active fault as proof.　 Taiwan is situated at the boundary belt of the Eurasia Continental Plate and the Pacific Ocean Plate, which belongs to a younger orogenic belt. Due to its special geological development background and the effect of its high air temperature, very humid, plenty of rain, and concentrated rainfall, it has achieved a rich and valuable geological/topographical scenery.

Submarine Topography

　 It is known from the submarine topographic map of nearby Taiwan that the sea depth at eastside and west side of the Island of Taiwan differs greatly. As to its submarine topography, one side of the Taiwan Strait is on the Continental shelf with less than 200 meters sea depth while on the South Pacific side is several thousand deep of sea trench and sea basin. From the sea bottom at the east side you will discover that there is a group of unique topography at the Ilan Sea extending to the east toward Ryukyu, this is a part of the island arc system of Ryukyu. And between Taitung to Hengchun Peninsula there is another group of unique topography extending to the south toward Luzon (Philippines), which is a part of the island arc of Luzon. Volcano island arc and the accompanied sea trench is one of the features of plate concealed boundary. From the boundary to the east is called the Philippine Sea Plate and to the west is the Eurasia Continental Plate. For so many years the Philippine Sea Plate moved toward north west slowly by steadily and continuously colliding with the Eurasia Continental Plate. As a result the Taiwan Central Mountain Range raised from the bottom of the sea and cause metamorphic action. Bo wonder the main axis line of the topography of the Island of Taiwan northeast – southwest direction, and no wonder the quality change of the stratum of the Central Mountain Range gradually increases from west to east! The plate border on the island of Taiwan is situated between the Central Mountain Range and Huatung Longitudinal Valley. In other words, the Coast Mountain Range was [merged] in the Island of Taiwan with the collision of Philippine Sea Plate. This is why the geological feature of Central Mountain Range is completely different from the other area in the island.

Local Legend Folklore has it that Turtle Island is lar

ge female turtle, and when Cheng Cheng-kang led soldiers to Taiwan during the Ming Dynasty, the turtle attacked him, and was wounded by returned arrow. The egg the turtle laid then metamorphosed into today’s Turtle Island, and the sulfur apertures were wounds left from the arrow injury. Another legend has it that in the Dragon Kingdom, General Turtle fell in love with Princess Dragon,   displeasing the Dragon King who turned the general into an island, and the princess the beautiful Lanyang Plane that the couple can gaze at each other from afar. The sad but beautiful romantic story in the eyes of Fongshuei masters is a very auspicious configuration ‘turtle and snake guarding seaport’: the extensive, continuous sand dunes along the coastline actually retain the ground force of the plane, prospering Lanyang.

The Beauty of The Ocean 1 The geology of the east coast consists of

the sandstone and another stones in the old third century or other era, and it also consists of the volcanic rocks of the new third century. The trend of the ground is parallel to the line of the coast, and the coast is faulted coast made by faulting. The faulted coast goes from lai lai nose of the northeast to the Chiupon of the south in east of Hen-Tsu island.

This coast is very steep. It has the height over 1,200 meter ， but when it go into the ocean ,the deepness is also down to 4,000 meter .

The northeast coast          The coast from Taipei county to Ilan cou

nty is 66 km in length. It is the first national scenic spot. There is rich nature, culture, and food, and equipments, so many tourists enjoy going there.

The Beauty of The Ocean 2the north coast       The landscape of the mou

ntains and the sea here is pretty beautiful, and there are lots of animals, plants, and herbs.

the south coast          Due to the south coast is in t

he tropics, it has nice situations for coral such as clear water, the average temperature and the salt, so it formed as typical fringing reef.

The Yu Shan National Park The Yu Shan region, situati

on in the center of Taiwan’s main island, is noted for its unique geological location. Flanked by towering peaks of a majestic view, it is one of the few mountainous regions in Taiwan that remain unspoiled, and in it is the tallest peak across Northeast Asia, the Yu Shan main ridge, which measures 3,952 meters above the sea level.

The ecology of animals and plants

The ecology of birds  Taiwan is the stopover sp

ot for migrating birds in the Southeast region. So there have a lot of kinds birds will be there every year. The especially one is the scray. The birds are moving here frequently in January to April every year.

The ecology of plants 【 The community of herb

aceous plant】In general, we can usually see some plants in Taiwan.

■ Blanket flower： This flower is stand for Penghu county. It’s come from the south of America and now we can see them everywhere in Penghu.

The bustling town of Taipei Taipei City, situated at the cent

er of the Taipei Basin in the northern part of the Taiwan main island, borders Taipei County with the river flow of Tamsui River, Hsintien Shih and Keelung River, where the city encompasses 272 square kilometers. Where the region is shaped by the Sungshan Hill in northewest and the Chingsui Pit that offer a natural shield and to the north are Mount Datun, Mt/ Chishing, Mt. Chutze, Mt. Mientien, which are collectively referred as the Mt. Tatung ridges, where remnants of various volcanic geographies abound.

The harbor city of Kaohsiung Kaohsiung was once kno

wn by two names: one is Takau, and the other Tagu. As documented in archival data from the Ming and Qing eras, both expressions have been used concurrently. The term Takau, according to fables, has derived from Kaohsiung harbor area that was once the habitat of the lowland Matakau tribe, hence the name Takao tribe or the bamboo bush tribe; Takao in itself translates to bamboo bushes, and the spelling has derived from its phonetic sounds.

The metropolitan of Taichung The greater Taichung area rights up there right next to the t

wo central-ruled municipalities of Taipei and Kaohsiung in terms of geography, economic and population development. Flanked by Changhua, Nantou and Taichung County in close vicinity, its immense tourism and travel resources also put the greater Taichung area on the map for its bright future development. Moreover, its strategic geography, coupled with a wealth of tourism and recreational resources, gauging from the recently founded central regional metropolitan park and the premiere shopping mall across Southeast Asia – Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store, further asserts Taichung to naturally become an administrative hub for the central region, and an entertainment hub of ideal metropolitan living trailing right behind Taipei with a bright future. Thanks to its mild temperatures, convenient public transport and a thriving tourism industry, some of the well-known tourism spots include the Taichung Park, the Folklore Museum, the Museum of Natural Science, the Botanical Garden, the Fong Loh Sculpture Park, the Dong Kuang bicycle lanes, the Museum of Arts, the Confucius Template, the Great Pit scenic area, to name a few. In addition to which, some 88 hectares at the Taichung Metropolitan Park has been reserved for eco-conservation, amusement and education, where it provides an ideal venue for the denizens of Taichung to job, exercise, bird watch and appreciate the floral and fauna amid a bustling city landscape.

The historical city of Tainan

　 As the earliest settlement, Tainan City boasts as the oldest city every built in Taiwan. In 1661 following Chen Cheng-kung's defeating the Dutchmen and reclaiming the island, a government administration had been set up in Tainan, where cultivation began with many infrastructure developments that soon followed, luring mainland settlers to migrate to the area in droves. With migrant vessels flocking to the area, the municipality was noted for mushrooming merchant shops, and the foundation of a metropolitan Tainan was built. Yet despite Governor Chen's early demise, his son however was able to assume his ambition to move on to build the Confucius Temple, launched schools with diligent management that brought unprecedented prosperity to the region. It was not until 1684 when the Qing court conquered Taiwan once again did a Taiwan prefectural government been erected in Tainan serving as the capitol of the island. In 1885 as Taiwan was formally appointed a province of China, the Taiwan prefectural government was upgraded as Tainan provincial government, and in the process giving Tainan its name we come to know today. This went on until the late 1800s that Tainan continued to serve as an important political, economic and cultural hub across Taiwan, and thanks to the historical developments, Tainan had been blessed with an abundance of important cultural remnants and heritage sites, and no doubt earned its reputation as a cultural historical city. During the Japanese occupation era, the tree canopy formed by the abundant of flame trees that lined two sides of Chungshan Road, or what was once referred as the Taisho Machi, and that along Fuchien Road come to paint the area with a sea of the flaming red hue and offer a southern tropical ambience, where the flame tree blossoms dotting the streets in magnificent shades of red seem to echo the earnest desire to break free from the traditional bind and take flight to the infinitely expansive blue skies.

Penghu          Religion is very frequently i

n Penghu. In 97 villages have 165 temples. We can see something to ward off the evils everywhere like Wuying, Shigandang, and Shanhaizhen…etc. In the meantime, the age-old temples like Tienho Temple, Chenghwan Temple, Wusheng Temple, Kuanyin Temple…etc. are very important for history. To base on the archeology says that around 5 thousand years ago. The Pescadores has some prehistoric culture here. The culture is also very close to the coast in the southwest in Taiwan.

The food of Northern area

Food in Tamshui • A-Poh's Iron Eggs

• Delicious Fish Ball

Keelung temple(Miaokou):

• Dou-chian Gen(Bean Noodle Stew)

The food of Middle area• Taichung Meat Dumplings (Tai

chung Bah-wan or Taichung Row-yuan)The history of Taichung Row-yuan specializing in Taiching Meat Dumplings is sixty years old. Many people like to eat the food because it is delicious.

• 【“ Cheng-zhunag” Machi 】　 It is the most famous machi in Shi-lo because it uses the best rice in Taiwan. Therefore it tastes delicious.

The food of Southern area• 【 Madoh Fried Oysters 】　 The Badoh (beans) are grinded in p

owder and mixed with water, salt and flavoring. The oysters and other ingredients are sandwiched between 2 layers of the bean mixture to be deep-fried to a golden-yellow tone, where one could smell the fragrance of the oysters. It is then sliced into pieces to be served with ketchup and soy paste.

• 【 Lee’s Vegetable Rice Dumplings 】　 Lee’s Vegetable Rice Dumplings is an old name for rice dumplings in Kaohsiung. They insist on making them by only using long glutinous rice, premium bamboo leaves from Meishan, Chiayi, and using premium peanuts picked from fields throughout the island, making the taste just right and unique.

Night Market Delicious Food

• 【 Egg oyster omelets 】It’s the most expensive and popular egg oyster omelet shop here. And the pilaf is another specialty at this shop.

• 【 Spicy and Pungent tofu 】　 No less than 10 ingredients plus the capsicum imported from Thailand are in the soup. The soup is made tasty by delicate processes and careful control of the stove. And the customer can choose varying degree of spiciness to enjoy their piquant sense.

Hakka traditional food Hakka people live in north of Chin

a, Because of many wars they moved southwards. Local people treated them as “guests” and therefore they are given the name “Hakka”.　 Hakka food is mainly salty, pleasant-smelling and oily. Hakka people work very hard and they therefore eat more salty food to regain salt they lost via perspiration. If they cannot finish the food, they will put more salt in the food in order to preserve them.　 Pickled vegetables with fatty meats, Gingers with Pig Intestines, soy-boiled pig knuckles and many others are the famous food of Hakka. Fu-vegetable, Wild Lan is the wild vegetable of Hakka Food.

Hakkas Cultural• Understand the origin of the H

akkas and their development in Taiwan 　 Origin of the Hakkas and their development in TaiwanThe root of the Hakkas is the Central Plains, and due to war migrated south to Gan, Nin, Mei River basins and the mountain areas of various provinces in the south. These Hakkas developed the area, cultivated farms, and gradually took root. To the locals they were guests, and thus were called the Hakka (literally means guests), which they eventually acquired.

Origin of the Southern Fukienese and Taiwan Development History

The southern part of Fukien was originally home to ancient Paiyue clan. It wasn’t until after Jin Dynasty did the Han in the Central Plains begin to migrate en masse to southern Fukien; there had been two exoduses since. The merging of Central Plains culture and southern Fukienese culture actually provided southern Fukienese culture a chance to develop its own characteristics. Migration is the common cause why southern Fukienese culture and Hakanese culture have spread so widely throughout history.

The Original Settlers• Before the Han people mi

gration, evidence of human settlement is found around two thousand years ago during the Neolithic till use of tools period. Considerable stone tools such as stone net pendants, ceramic pieces and stone axes have been found on the island’s prehistoric sites, evidencing vibrant human activities.

The Development of Temples in Taiwan

　 The temples in Taiwan can be roughly divided into three stages. The first stage is also known as the Migration Period. Newly immigrated to a strange environment, in praying for safety and peace, immigrants carried burned incense and idols along, thus sowed the seed of temples in Taiwan. The second stage is the Agricultural Period. After settling, immigrants began establishing a close relationship with the land, gave full play to the skill of the Hans, which is agriculture technique, and temples related to crops, epidemics, and land gradually emerged. The third stage is the Commerce Period. As streets and markets were formed, merchants suddenly appeared, community work sharing was detailed. In order to protect their common interest every line of works began renovating and building patron saint temples of their common industry or hometown. We can still discover the identity of the donator on the stone sculpture on the walls of temples. That’s why Taiwan temples had recorded a rich and detailed history of its social development.

The history of religious development in Taiwan

• Buddhism

Yiguang Dao

Daoism

Taiwan Folk Beliefs • When China coastal arhans migr

ated to Taiwan, they had to cross the black gap's, namely the Taiwan Straits, torrent waters and typhoon threats. Matzu and divine emperor Shengyeng are the earliest patron saints of Taiwanese. Primal Taiwan were sporadically ravaged by plague, and resorted to plea with the god of plague Wangyeh, which is where today's Wangyeh Temple in Tungkang originated. They started to cultivate land, conflict amongst themselves and with the aborigines, migrants and people of other origins ensued, thus residents from the same geographic location gathered together.

Differentiation of Religion and Belief

• Western Religions in Taiwan .

• The differences of religion and folk belief lie in.

FestivitesLantern Festival • Legend of Yenshui Shooti

ng Firecrackers

• Balloon Lantern Release

• Mid-Summer Highlight – Dragon Boat Festival

• Origin of Ghost Festival

Folk Activies• Top

• Shuttlecock

• Rope Skipping

The Developing History of Pottery and Porcelain in Taiwan

• Initial kiln factories produced living utensiles such as big pots, jugs, earthenware jars, tea utensiles, and flower basins. Owing to worse qualification of production, the businessmen lack cultivation of beauty. Thus, these businessmen only request mass production and durability .

Categories and Decoration of Wooden Carving 　

The scope of the application and decoration for wooden carving is quite wide. The variety and the wooden carving materials for its performing style are different. Thus, it is divided into many species.　 The following statement will introduce its performing style and discuss their significance of appliance and decoration. 

The Crystal Glass Crystal glass is a kind of

glass containing lead. British George Ranvenscroft found that the reflection of this glass is excellent with sense of weight and available softness and hardness, so it is very suitable for art creation. The quality of this glass is very elegant like a natural crystal, so it is called crystal glass.