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Taiwan is a mountainous island and includes Penghu and 13 other scattered islands.

Provinces of Fu-chien (some 20 offshore islands of Fujian Province including Quemoy and Matsu) and Taiwan (the island of Taiwan and the Pescadores islands)

Provinces in Taiwan [ hsien ]: Chang-hua, Chia-i, Hsin-chu, Hua-lien, I-lan, Kao-hsiung, Miao-li, Nan-t'ou, P'eng-hu, P'ing-tung, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan, T'ai-pei, T'ai-tung, T'ao-yuan, and Yun-lin; the provincial capital is at Chung-hsing-hsin-ts'un

Municipalities [ shih ]: Chia-i, Chi-lung, Hsin-chu, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan

Special municipalities [ chuan-shih ]: Kao-hsiung and Tai-pei

Island of Taiwan - Republic of China, also known by its Portuguese name Ilha Formosa [ beautiful island ], located off the coast of mainland China in the Pacific Ocean. The Street of Luzon separates Taiwan from the Philippines.

China considers Taiwan as its disobedient 23rd province [ Chinese Taipei ].

Capital City of Taiwan: Taipei


car rental, hostels, hotels, tour operator, travel guides, transportation / traveling to taiwan

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Car Rental

 

Hostels Taiwan

 Hostelbookers.com - Great Hostels, Free booking, Fast & Easy to use
Hostelbookers.com is one of the worlds largest online booking services for hostels. All hostels you see here are offering realtime prices and availability.

Hotels in Taiwan

 Booking - Taiwan Hotels  - T'ai-pei , Hua-lien, Hsin-k'ai / Airport Taoyuan (TPE)
Low rates / Save money!, Great choice, Reservation is free / No booking fees

 Caesar Park Taipei *****
The former Hilton, is ideally located in the centre of Taipei's business district, directly opposite Taipei Main Station, the heart of the city's newly-completed MRT system.

National Parks

 Kenting National Park
 Sheipa National Park
 Yangmingshan National Park
 Yushan National Park

Tour Operator / Travel Agents





   Inbound

 Taiwan Tour Bus 

Travel Guides / Related books

 Amazon.com
 
 Taiwan Insight Guide  
Paperback 300 pages (March 25, 2005); Publisher: Insight Guides
 Taiwan - Lonely Planet Regional Guide - by Andrew Bender, Julie Grundvig, Robert Kelly
Paperback 384 pages (November 2004); Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications
 George Candidius: A short account of the island of Formosa in the Indies, situated near the coast of China ... In: Awnsam & John Churchill: A collection of voyages and travels. London, 1732.
 Glanius: A new voyage to the East Indies... Bantam... Siam... Japan and Madagascar.... London, 1682.

Transport / How do I travel to Taiwan

 Kaohsiung International Airport
Airport Plan, Airport Facilities, Transportation, Domestic Flights Real-time info, International Flights Real-time info, and more
 Sung Shan Airport

 Airline Tickets / Bargain Flights

 Taipei Department of Transportation
 Metro Taipei - Route map & Tourist Information

 Taiwan Railways [ see the English version ]
Taiwan's railways offer an endless variety of experience, and the scenery lining their routes provides an infinite range of fascinating scenery. If you want to get a close look at the island's beauties without having to suffer the problems of unfamiliar roads and the frustrations of traffic congestion, then you could do no better than choose a railroad tour and immerse yourself in the delights of enchanting coastlines, awesome mountains, placid farmlands, and engrossing countryside.

 Map of Taiwan [ Uni Texas - Perry-Castañeda Bibliothek - Map Collection ]

 Central Weather Bureau Taiwan 


Links 

 Travel Insurance

 Tourism - Naruwan, Welcome to Taiwan - Tourist Board of Taiwan
Popular Tours, soecial interest, and more

 Government Information Office
A Quick Look for Visitors, Visa & Custom Info, Visa Application Form Download, Bureau of Immigration,  Taiwan Holidays, Doing Business with Taiwan, Travel Info, Studying in Taiwan, Taiwan Directory

 Taipei Representative Office in the UK
Tourism: Northern Taiwan:Where Ancient and Modern Coexist / Central Taiwan:Cliffs, Clouds and Cataracts / Southern Taiwan:Bucolic Scenes from the Past / Eastern Taiwan: Unspoiled Natural Beauty / Festivals / Cuisine / Attractions / Tourist Travel Services / Accommodations / Transportation / Recreation

 Taipei City - Capital City of Taiwan
The basin in which the city of Taipei and its suburbs sit was the site of a great lake in prehistoric times; it slowly developed its present features as alluvial deposits filled the lake. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, the Taipei Basin was the ancestral homeland of plains-dwelling indigenous people.

 North Taiwan
Keelung City, Taipei City, Taipei County, Taoyuan County, Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County, Miaoli County, Ilan County
 East Taiwan
Taitung County and Hualien County
 Central Taiwan
Taichung City, Taichung County, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County
 South Taiwan
Chiayi City, Chiayi County, Tainan City, Tainan County, Kaohsiung City, Kaohsiung County and Pingtung County 
 Other
Penghu County, Kinmen County and Lianjiang County 

 Hsinchu
 Kaohsiung
 Keelung
 Taichung
 Tainan

 Palace Museum in Taipei
 Sun-Moon Lake
 Taroko-Schlucht

 News - Taipei Times
 Magazine - Travel in Taiwan
 Radio - Radio Taiwan International
 University - National Taiwan University - former Taihoku (Taipei) Imperial University

Cuisine - Taiwanese Cooking

In Taiwan, cooking techniques from all areas of China have merged, and the Taiwanese do not only master the traditional local Chinese specialties, but also continuously use traditional techniques to develop new culinary treats. It is therefore that each year Taiwan attracts many tourists who come to savor these Chinese specialties, ranging from small steamed buns to water-boiled dumplings.
Traditional Chinese food to be found in Taiwan, next to Taiwanese and Hakka-style dishes, mainly includes dishes from from Fujian, Guangdang, Jiangxi, Shanghai, Hunan, Sichuan and Beijing

Taowan: Natural original flavors are preserved and there is a focus on light, fresh and simply flavored dishes, influenced by the Dutch and Japanese, raw and slightly water-scalded food is widely accepted.

 Best of Taiwanese Cuisine: Recipes and Menus for Holidays and Special Occasions 
By Karen Hulene Bartell
Dishes from the four corners of China are found in Taiwanese kitchens and restaurants: noodles, dumplings and Mongolian Lamb Barbecue from northern China; sauces and herbs from the east are featured in recipes like Piquant Lime Chicken in Swallow's Nest; hot spicy, fried foods from southern China such as lightly seasoned fresh seafood. This collection of over 100 delicious Taiwanese recipes is divided into seasons and traditional celebrations such as Lunar New Year, Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese Valentine's Day, and Mid -Autumn Moon Festival -- with a complete menu for each one. Complementary and harmonious foods are organised in 18 carefully planned menus. Also includes cultural information, Chinese paper cuttings, and a Chinese lunar zodiac calendar.
Paperback 124 pages (September 2002); Publisher: Hippocrene Books, Inc

History of Taiwan

Until Taiwan was colonized by the Dutch in the seventeenth century, attempts by groups other than the Taiwanese aboriginal to settle Taiwan failed.
The Dutch were ousted from the island in 1662 by Cheng Cheng-Kung (also known as Koxinga), a former pirate who styled himself as a Ming loyalist, and who hoped to marshal his troops on the island. Cheng therefore established the Kingdom of Tungning (1662-1683).

 Taiwan's History - Wikipedia
Prehistoric Settlement In Taiwan, European Settlement [ The Dutch East India Company [ VOC ] administered the island and its predominantly aboriginal population until 1662, setting up a tax system, schools to teach romanized script of aboriginal languages and evangelizing ], Koxinga and Imperial Chinese Rule, Japanese Rule, The Republic of China, Beginnings of Nationalist Rule, Economic Developments, Democratic Reforms.
 Taiwan Documents Project
Established in 1999 to provide researchers and other interested persons a comprehensive source of primary material relating to the dispute over Taiwan. The Project seeks not only to gather together the most complete collection of Taiwan-related documents available anywhere, but also to present objective, introductory analyses of legal and other issues surrounding the Taiwan Strait Situation.
 The Dutch on Formosa
In 1622, governor Jan Pieterszoon Coen of the VOC (Dutch East India Company) sent out Cornelis Reijersen to attack Macao and build a fortress on the coast of Fujian. He kidnapped a number of Chinese, but his attack on Macao was beaten off by the Portuguese, and he continued on to the Pescadores Islands (P'eng-hu Lieh-tao)...
 The VOC and Formosa
Anybody who wishes to study the history of Formosa cannot possibly ignore the archives of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). To help researchers from the Far East the relevant passages have now been translated into Chinese.
 Zeelandia Diaries
In the quiet morning of Saturday, April 30, 1661, the look-out on the bastion of Zeelandia Castle saw, to his astonishment, an enormous fleet of Chinese junks appearing out of the fog. The landing of the four hundred -strong invasion fleet of the Ming- loyalist mandarin Cheng Ch'eng-kung (Coxinga in Dutch sources) on Formosa, marks the beginning of the final episode of a nearly forty-year-long period (1624-1662) of Dutch presence on the island. After a ten-month siege of the castle, the Dutch governor, Frederick Coyett was forced to surrender and leave all of Formosa to Cheng Ch'eng-kung.
 Reed Institute's Formosa Digital Library
This digital library gathers together a large body of primarily European and American images of the island of Taiwan -- called "Formosa" by foreign visitors in the 19th Century -- and its various peoples. These textual representations, woodcuts, maps, and linguistic data were originally published in European and North American books and journals during the 19th Century, but are not easily accessible to those interested in the history of Taiwan today.
 The Island of Formosa Past and Present - by James W. Davidson
James W. Davidson, who served as a war correspondent with the Japanese army during the take-over of Taiwan in 1895, was later appointed United States Consul for Taiwan. His book is the product of eight years of research, and traces the history of Taiwan from the beginning of Dutch rule in 1514 to the early twentieth century. The author describes natural resources, trade, and industry, as well as the people, their dialects, and bird and animal life. The book was first published in 1903.
Hardcover 737 pages (August 1989); Publisher: OUP China

Music, Art & Culture, Music & Entertainment

Taiwan's culture is a blend of traditional Chinese with significant Japanese and Western influences including Dutch, Spanish and American. The Taiwanese aboriginals also have a distinct culture. Fine arts, folk traditions, and popular culture embody traditional and modern, Asian, and Western motifs

 Aboriginal People
The Aboriginal People of Taiwan form the most northern branch of the Austronesian culture group, and can roughly be divided into Pingpu and Aboriginal races. The Aborigines can be divided into nine tribe], namely the Tsou (Chiayi, Kaohsiung, Nantou), the Saisiyat (Hsinchu, Miaoli), the Ami (Huatung and East Coast), the Atayal (Northern and Central Taiwan and mountainous regions in Northeastern Taiwan), the Paiwan (Pingtung, Taitung), the Bunun (Taitung, Hualien, Kaohsiung, Nantou), the Puyuma (Taitung County border), the Rukai (Pingtung, Taitung, Kaohsiung) and the Yami (Orchid Island).

 Once upon a Time in China: A Guide to Hong Kong, Chinese, and Taiwanese Cinema - by Jeff Yang
Paperback 320 pages (December 1, 2003); Publisher: Atria Books

Web Portals / Search Engine / Directory

 New Taiwan, Ilha Formosa - The Website for Taiwan's History, Present, and Future
 Taiwan-map.com - Guide to Taiwan

 Yellow Pages Taiwan

 Travel Guides resources on Asia
 Travel Library - Asia
 Travel Smart Asia


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