Taiwan

Taiwan - Kinmen

Taiwan – Kinmen episode 1 – The Golden Gate

Discover the small island of Kinmen in Taiwan. The beauty of its villages and its traditional red-brick houses have become a major attraction on the island since it opened in the 90s. F rom up here, we can't see much. Endless expanses of blue dotted here and there with thick hills of white cotton. We're in the land where the sun is king, where the weather is almost always fine. After a while, we descend and enter one of the surrounding hills. The blue disappears. There's nothing around us to indicate where we are. All is white, without contrast. We float. Then we feel ourselves descending a little further, until we leave the hill behind, revealing an uneven, deep-blue surface. We emerge from the clouds and the sea appears. We see tiny black dots that grow larger the closer we…

Taiwan – La parade des dieux

Taiwan – The parade of the gods

Once a year, Taiwanese tradition wants the gods to be brought out of their temples to parade in the city. The parade of the gods is an opportunity for the community to gather, celebrate together and perpetuate the traditions, even if it means dusting them off a bit. T he light is red, we are stopped on our scooter. It is hot and humid. So much so that we rather dream of being at the edge of a waterfall with refreshing water, higher in the Taiwanese mountain. Not a breeze reaches us. The atmosphere is heavy, heavy. Just waiting at the traffic light makes you sweat a lot. In front, behind, on all sides, the roar of the engines and the exhaust fumes do not help. When the light turns green, hundreds of roars synchronize in a deafening roar for…

Taiwan - Jancing

Taiwan – Walk in Jancing

In the highlands of Taipingshan Mountain in northeastern Taiwan - near Yilan, the historic Jancing Trail is best known for its ancient railway ruins. The result of a long history of deforestation, the Jancing Trail used to connect the Taipingshan peaks with the nearest town for the transport of timber. A fresh mountain breeze is felt. Up there, it can't be more than 24 degrees. All around us, a whitish mass keeps stirring in all directions, bringing a few strands of coolness. At times it seeps through the trees, whistling through the leaves. The humidity is even more noticeable here, even if it is mistaken for a light rain. The clouds have descended from the sky to greet us at the entrance to the historic Jancing trail. At times we can only see about ten metres in front of us.…

Taiwan – Wulin

Taiwan – Travel to Wulin

From the Pacific coast to the peaks up to Wulin, Route 8 (and 14) is a pleasure to discover the beauty of Taiwan's mountains. It is 190km long and is best known as the entrance to the famous Taroko Gorge. H ualien region, at the gateway to the Pacific Ocean. The endless cliffs fall steeply into the turquoise blue waters of the ocean. It is already hot and humid on this beautiful morning. The air is heavy, humid and the sun is raising the temperature rapidly above thirty degrees. From time to time, a small breeze from the ocean brings back a little coolness. In front of us is a small queue. Holidaymakers eager to have their picture taken in front of the iconic Chinese gate announcing the entrance to the Taroko Gorge. In a style that is almost identical…

Taiwan - Jiufen

Taiwan – In the heart of the city of Jiufen

Jiufen was once an important mining centre, especially for gold. Nowadays, this small village on a mountainside is one of the major tourist destinations in Taiwan. T he bus is speeding along. It shakes and makes a low sound when the driver shifts gears. The gearbox is probably not new anymore. The road is steep at times and the curves narrow, but the driver does not hesitate to overtake scooters on a road where two cars are hardly facing each other. The engine roars when it comes to climbing a hill. But this doesn't seem to worry the passengers, who are used to using the buses snaking through the mountains north of Taipei. All around the bus lies the forest. It's only been a few minutes since the bus left the gigantic city of Taipei and yet already an infinity…

Taiwan Koxinga

Taiwan – Koxinga, the national hero of Taiwan

Tainan was for centuries the capital of Taiwan. 400 years ago, there was a change of dynasty in China. Koxinga, affiliated with the Mings, took refuge there with the idea of reconquering China. Ironically, the same situation would occur after World War II. H e is enthroned in the middle of the room, with two of his guards at his side. All around him is calm and silence. There is almost a heavy, almost heavy atmosphere here. And for good reason, there are no people in the temple, in this month of August and in the middle of the day. "The irony of Taiwan's history is that the situation that the island is currently experiencing is not a first. Tanguy Le Pesant, a French teacher and lecturer at National Central University in Jhongli, explains how Koxinga has become an important…

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