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As the Political and Cultural Heart of Taiwan, Taipei Is a Modern

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As the Political and Cultural Heart of Taiwan, Taipei Is a Modern As the political and cultural heart of Taiwan, Taipei is a modern, bustling city eager to show the world its mettle. Here high-tech and history go hand in hand as Taipei treads a fi ne line between its obligations to Beijing and its fervent hopes for independent inclusion in international organizations. For worldwide travelers, it's a haven of peace and natural beauty. 72TAIWAN WWW.DIPLOMATICCONNECTIONS.COM TOURISM MEETS POLITICS, TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE IN TAIPEI BY MONICA FRIM We drove into the city as night thinned into a gossamer dawn. Slowly the sky turned TAIWAN orange, then bronze, as the sun kindled the clouds and etched a purple outline of the mountains surrounding the Taipei Basin. The highway curved and dipped among hills that grew progressively greener with the onset of dayspring. As the mountains receded, the jagged rooftops of concrete highrises emerged, scattered like stones on a greensward. In the distance Taipei Tower pierced the sky then Tapei 101 looms over the colorful roofs of the city. suddenly loomed close as lines on a ledger as we entered the city. We scooted along the leafy boulevard e arrived in Taipei in the dark of early that harbored our hotel just as the sun burst fully through morning, which seemed the perfect time the clouds. It ignited the city with subtropical brightness W to ease into a country that is still feeling its and initiated a daily pattern that, during the week of way into the limelight. Although the island of Taiwan is our visit, consisted of sundrenched mornings followed ancient, with evidence of human life going back at least by leaden afternoons. I would soon learn that in Taipei, 20,000 years, Taiwan remains surprisingly undiscovered by photography, like breakfast, is best taken in the morning. international travelers. Taipei is a modern city, largely grey but with pockets Yet Taiwan is no backwater. In fact, this tiny, island of color, owing to the various architectural styles that nation of less than 14,000 square miles is heavily emerged from its complicated history. Aboriginal, urbanized, and a leader in transportation, architecture, Chinese, Japanese and Western infl uences collide in the manufacturing and design. In addition to cutting-edge streets, infusing the city with a variety of landmarks technology, the country is blessed with spectacular natural and green spaces that may not be quite cohesive, but beauty: mountains, forests, waterfalls, beaches, national nevertheless serve to explain the Taiwanese identity. It’s parks, hot springs and roughly 4,000 kilometers of cycling a wonderful city for walking around and simply drinking trails through both wilderness and cityscapes. According to in the atmosphere, watching the people scurry about Business Insider, a British fi nancial media and technology the streets, shopping in the old medicine stores and dry news website, Taiwan is Asia’s best kept secret, one of 12 good shops that line the streets of the old Da-Dao-Chang The incense burner and gateway at emerging destinations travelers must visit this year. neighborhood on the west side of the city, now run down Wen Wu Temple on Sun Moon Lake. 74 WWW.DIPLOMATICCONNECTIONS.COM DIPLOMATIC CONNECTIONS BUSINESS EDITION | NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2016 75 but once the richest section of the city. Here large round to six million unique monthly visitors; Storm Media had a vats of wrinkled black mushrooms are laid on the streets monthly reach of 20 million. The company also recently to sun-dry in the empty spaces among parked cars and ranked fi rst in independent media in Taiwan. Editors at motorcyles. A puppet theater and museum share the street both agencies spoke candidly about the mistrust between with a tea house whose owners practice calligraphy and ROC and PRC. It’s no secret that China, which deems provide a free scroll with your purchase of tea. A variety Taiwan a wayward province, fears that Taiwan will seek of architectural styles from western baroque to Japanese independence; and Taiwan, which offi cially recognizes itself to traditional southern styles stand side by side, their as a part of China but with a separate government, worries cultural or historical identities divulged in the crests and about being absorbed into China. decorative reliefs that grace their facades. Everywhere are As Taiwan struggles to be recognized as a world sacks of dried somethings—many unidentifi able to western stakeholder separate from the mainland, the country’s sensibilities—wrinkled squid, lacy mushrooms, pungent efforts are complicated by the One-China Policy, which herbs and spices, dried hibiscus fl owers, sacks of beans and designated Taiwan as part of China. And since China’s bins of nuts… the list is as long as the contents are colorful stance is to cut diplomatic relations with any country and whiffy. that maintains offi cial relations with the ROC, Taiwan has Contrasting with the old and enduring neighborhoods, been marginalized in international organizations with Taipei 101 is a contemporary ziggurat, the tallest tower most nations, including the US and Canada, maintaining in the world before the Burj Khalifa and a few other unoffi cial relations with the ROC via de facto embassies skyscrapers usurped the title. Built to resemble a bamboo and consulates called Taipei Economic and Cultural stalk, Taipei 101 is known for its eco-friendly construction Representative Offi ces (TECRO). and the luxury shops that grace its lower fl oors. It was Taiwan’s current President, Tsai Ing-wen and the ruling designed as a fusion of Asian traditions and the evolution Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) see membership in of technology. No visit to Taipei can be considered complete international organizations such as the TPP (Trans-Pacifi c without a ride to the top of the tower in its fast-speed Partnership) as strategic and economic necessities and are elevator where you will be rewarded with 360 degree working hard to bring domestic regulations in line with TPP views over the city and onto the surrounding mountains. standards. As Taiwan’s ally and 9th largest trading partner, Afterwards you can treat yourself to some of the best the United States could play a signifi cant pro-active role in Chinese dumplings in Taipei at the Din Tai Fung Dumpling making that happen, although it would require a delicate House at the base of the tower. Here you can also watch high wire act given the current tension between Taipei and the dumpling making process through a glass partition. Beijing. Above all, the US wants to maintain stability in the Formally known as the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan Taiwan Strait. is not to be confused with the People’s Republic of China So what, if anything, does Taiwan’s political stance (PRC) with whom it shares ethnicity but not ideology. have to do with tourism? For one, the economic link is The distinction is important, for Taiwan became a true signifi cant. Almost three per cent of Taiwan’s GDP or $16 to put Taiwan on the agenda of those traveling to more democracy in 1996 with a freedom of both press and billion US dollars come from tourism, with most visitors than one country in Southeast Asia. Recently the ROC also religion that is almost unheard of in other Chinese–speaking arriving from the neighboring countries of China, Japan, eased visa restrictions for citizens of ASEAN (Association countries. A high degree of openness permeates the island Hong Kong and Korea. According to Eric Lin, Taiwan’s of Southeast Asian Nations). Citizens of the United States, not only in terms of space, but also thought. Director of International Affairs, Ministry of Transportation Canada and most European countries already did not need We visited two of Taiwan’s newest digital news and Communication, Taiwan is hoping to increase tourist visas to enter Taiwan. agencies, Storm Media, which was begun in 2014 and traffi c by 15 to 20 per cent a year, which would raise the Most visitors get their fi rst taste of Taiwan in Taipei—a The News Lens, started in 2013, to get the scoop of the total number of tourists to 15 million per year within fi ve bustling city of beautiful landmarks and sensational state of the news in Taiwan. Both agencies claim to offer years. It’s an optimistic prediction given that the number eateries. The pun is intentional as food plays an important a non-partisan and independent alternative to traditional of tourists from the mainland declined as much as 30 per role in Taiwanese society. The variety is astounding—from newspapers in Taiwan, which tend to align themselves cent in the last year. The ROC is counting on other nations cheap eats in night markets to fi ne dining in high-priced with one political party or another. And both have attained to take up the slack. New routes were recently added from restaurants. High-end hotels feature buffets loaded with admirable success within a very short period. At the time Chicago and Houston, and promotions that combine visits Cable cars painted in the colors of the sun (red), moon (yellow) and lake signature dishes and gleaming assortments of high- (blue) to represent Sun Moon Lake, whisk visitors to and from the Formosan quality meats and seafood. These buffets are not low-key of our visit early in summer, the News Lens boasted fi ve to Taiwan with visits to Hong Kong, were initiated in efforts Aboriginal Culture Village. 76 WWW.DIPLOMATICCONNECTIONS.COM DIPLOMATIC CONNECTIONS BUSINESS EDITION | NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2016 77 if you have the wallet to indulge in a truly hedonistic dining experience, the variety of exquisite delicacies served in the major hotels and specialty restaurants with private dining rooms are alone worth the trip to Taiwan.
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