Taipei Travel

COLORS OF SPRING Spring in Taipei is much like the blooming of the season's perennial flowers. The city experiences a palpable and visible change, as the weather warms and the cool gray of winter is replaced by vibrant colors and upbeat attitudes. To experience Taipei in the springtime is to see this diverse, inclusive capital through lenses of countless different shades, and in this issue, we present to you these many-splendored viewpoints. Much like the city itself, Taipei's clean and convenient metro mass transport system is bursting with color. Wandering the city in springtime is as simple as choosing your favorite color-coded line, hopping on, and consulting our spring cover story, with tours for every hue Taipei's MRT has to offer. The cityscape, too, comes alive with color during the spring season. From the yellow sulfur of the Beitou hot springs that heal body and mind, to the blue-ribbon waterways that crisscross the metropolis, and on to the various flower-viewing spots Taipei has to offer, we've got colorful features for all your can't-miss springtime explorations both indoor and out. Moving on to all things both colorful and cultural that arrive with this season of rebirth and renewal, we check out the glinting gold of the costumes and the origins of Taipei's Golden Lion Group Ta-Long-Tong, and the charming red brick of the historic Minnan architectural marvels. And not to forget the most important color of spring — green — we also head for the verdant fields of a sustainable farm in Gaundu, snuggled contentedly within all the hustle and bustle. When it comes to springtime food favorites in Taipei, it's very black and white. Check out our article on a couple who has made silky-white tofu their life's work, and dive into a story on one company with a mission to promote Taiwanese coffee both at home and abroad. Finally, a carpenter brings us deep into the city both literally and figuratively, on the lookout for old houses decorated with the warm texture of wood. If you're a spring arrival to Taipei, count yourself lucky. There is no such thing as a bad time to come to this multi-colored, multicultural city, but springtime might just be the best of all. COVID-19 ALERT -Please wear a mask and follow the epidemic prevention regulations imposed by the government when going out during the pandemic. -There are many private profile pictures published in this issue, hence no masks are worn by the figures present. ▶Join our lucky draw to win a prize by completing TAIPEI's online questionnaire! Please scan the QR Code or click here.  

CITY OF CONTRASTS To some, winter seems a gloomy season. But in Taipei, it's a joyous time of fun and festivities, a contrast of color and culture emerging against the gray backdrop of the colder months. For this issue of TAIPEI, our theme is "Of Cool and Contrasts," and we invite you to discover all that surprises this city has to offer as we usher in this festive time. Winter often gets us thinking about endings and new beginnings. So, it follows that our cover story takes a look at the end of a day, a season, and a year in Taipei, and the subsequent starts to each that follows quickly on their heels. Jump next into our City Scene section, where we showcase the contrasts, twists, and turns created by the capital's unique mix of old and new. From the glory days of the Taipei railway system to the way ancient and modern sit side by side in the Shilin neighborhood, you won't want to miss these amazing stories. Daily life, too, has its fair share of contrasts in Taipei. From the way in which old religious customs, such as worshipping the Tiger God, are kept alive, to the digital trends that are reshaping creativity in the city, we've got features exploring the many ways in which Taipei is keeping its past alive while embracing the future. Another thing Taipei has come to embrace in recent years is accessible travel for tourists and locals with mobility issues. Check out our article on DuoFu Holidays, an agency opening up a world of travel to a segment of the population overlooked no more. Of course, we can't get through winter without some good comfort food, and this season we're running the gamut through the sweet, the sour, the savory and the spicy, to make sure you know how to warm both body and soul when the weather turns cold. And finally, we introduce you to a fascinating man, a brilliant professor who has brought the worlds of science and art together in ways you can't imagine. All this and more, as TAIPEI takes winter in a warm embrace. COVID-19 ALERT -Please wear a mask and follow the epidemic prevention regulations imposed by the government when going out during the pandemic. -There are many private profile pictures published in this issue, hence no masks are worn by the figures present.  ▶Join our lucky draw to win a prize by completing TAIPEI's online questionnaire! Please scan the QR Code or click here.