Taiwan is a small country that is bordered by water with a population of 23,868,521 people as of 2021. The neighboring countries of Taiwan are China, Hong Kong, The Philippines, and Japan. Most of Taiwan’s climate is subtropical except for the southern areas that are tropical. The geographical aspect of Taiwan is that it's very mountainous in the east but there are more plains toward the west. As for seasons, Taiwan has the normal fall, spring, summer, and winter. The temperatures in these seasons range from 56F to 96F and usually don't drop below 50F or above 98F. There is also a rainy season that lasts for 50 days from May to June. All year round it is wet which causes it to be very green and full of plant life and animals. Some of the animals most commonly found in Taiwan are wild boars, many different squirrel types, bats, a bunch of different little rodents, wild cats, bears, and many more. The world's deadliest snake species also live in Taiwan but are more found in the forests. Due to climate change, Taiwan is suffering a lot of major weather events, annually Taiwan faces around 3 to 4 typhoons a year. Taiwan also has many droughts and in certain seasons is in great need of water, the annual typhoons help provide that water but in the process, it also causes flooding, and wreckage to the environment, homes, and other structures. These weather events are getting worse over time and need to be solved urgently.
In Taiwan, the people, over many generations, spoke many different languages, due to the colonization of different surrounding countries, which I will touch on later. Taiwan’s culture has been influenced by western, Chinese, and Japanese styles, yet it is traditional and strict, and mainly rooted in Chinese traditions. The main religions practiced in Taiwan are Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Many of the Taiwanese people practice a blend of Buddhism and Taoism. In Taiwanese culture, there are many festivals held all throughout the year, here are some to name a few. Chinese new year is known to be the most celebrated festival, it consists of fireworks, delicious food, many red envelopes, and much more.
Another nationwide festival is the dragon boat festival. It celebrates and pays respect to Qu Yuan, a famous poet, and politician known for his patriotism, who lived from 340 BCE - 278 BCE. During the dragon boat festival people race dragon boats, this tradition originates from the village locals racing in dragon boats desperately trying to find Qu Yuan's body after he dove into the river taking his own life. Another tradition that people take part in, is carrying around incense bags which are legend to scare away contagious diseases so they can enjoy the festival in peace. The traditional food to eat during the dragon boat festival is called zongzi which contains different meats, egg yolk, and peanuts wrapped in bamboo leaves. Zongzi is made differently in different areas of Asia but that is the standard recipe most of the time.
The mid-autumn festival is another very popular festival not only celebrated in Taiwan but all throughout east Asia. The Mid Autumn Festival is based on the legend of the tragic love story of Hou Yi and Chang’e. In the sky, there were 10 suns that were blazing hot and burning people to death. One day Hou Yi, a skillful archer shot down 9 of the suns, Therefore, he saved all the people of earth. He got much praise and soon everyone knew his name. As a great thanks, The Queen Mother of the West granted Hou Yi an elixir that held the power of immortality, Hou Yi gave the elixir to his wife Chang’e so she could keep the elixir in safekeeping. It became known that Hou Yi had an elixir of immortality in his possession and one night a man broke into Hou Yi’s home and forced Chang’e, to give him the elixir, Chang’e did not want to give the man the elixir so she drank it, she floated up into the moon and became immortal. Hou Yi felt great sorrow after losing his wife and created a table with lots of offerings outside, facing the moon, hoping Chang’e would receive his gifts and soon come back to him. On the day of the Mid Autumn Festival, also known as the moon cake festival, families gather around and eat a meal together, eat moon cakes, worship the moon, float lanterns, and make offerings to Chang’e.
As you can see, festivals celebrated in Taiwan are lively and a very fun experience with a long backstory. Taiwanese food is flavorful and has a unique taste. There are many delicious dishes I could name but here are some of my favorites. Braised pork rice is very popular in Taiwan and consists of braised pork marinated in flavorful sauces over rice. It's pretty simple but very delicious. Scallion pancakes which is a greasy flatbread grilled with green onion, you can dip in sauce, eat with meat or with rice. Another traditional Taiwanese food is called fan tuan, it is rice with a cylinder shape with pickled veggies, tofu, braised egg, and pork floss, but I like it plain with just the pork floss. The drink bubble tea also originated in Taiwan and has made its way to the west and gained lots of popularity, bubble tea is made up of black milk tea with little tapioca pearls. Giving it the name bubble tea.
The capital of Taiwan is Taipei, which is located north of the island. Taipei is the largest city in Taiwan with a population of 2.6 million people. The population of Taipei has been at its lowest since 1998 due to the high cost of living slowly going up. Taipei is ranked the 57th most populated city in the world and is known to be overpopulated. What draws people to Taiwan is the beautiful scenery and national parks, the delicious traditional foods, the festivals, and it's very safe, tourists do not need to worry about crime when they visit.
The president of Taiwan is Tsai Ing-wen, she is the first woman president of Taiwan. Tsai Ing-wen was born on August 31st, 1956 in Taipei, Taiwan. Tsai Ing-wen received a Ph.D. in law at the University of London. In 2010 Tsai Ing-wen ran to be the New Taipei City mayor but was defeated by Eric Chu. In 2008 she was elected head of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) which is a political party in Taiwan. In 2011 Tsai Ing-wen ran for president but was defeated by a KMT politician, but in 2016 she won by a landslide and was elected the first female president of Taiwan, making DPP the main political party of Taiwan. Tsai Ing-wen strives for equality and in 2019 made Taiwan the first country in Asia to legalize gay marriage.
Taiwan was one of the countries that dealt with COVID-19 very well. By July 15 2020 there had only been 451 cases and 7 deaths, everything already had opened up and the country was out of lockdown. Once arriving in Taiwan you must quarantine for 2 weeks, masks are mandated at all times, and temperatures are taken everywhere, that includes offices, gyms, restaurants, etc. If you don’t follow the rules then the authorities will find you. There are also rapid testing centers that everyone can access (Source: CNBC). The communication between the health officials and the public was essential for the country to get back on its feet and go back to normal living.
