TAIWAN (officially Republic of China) is known as Ila Formosa or beautiful island. It is home to Northeast Asia’s tallest mountain, Yu Mountain (Yushan), which is nearly 4,000 metres in height. Besides mountains, beautiful coasts are also part of Taiwan’s great natural assets.
The incomparable natural setting of the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area is the highlight of the centre of the island, while the Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area offers eagle-spotting at Bagua Mountain, the highland fruits of Lishan and the sacred Buddhist sanctuary of Lion’s Head Mountain. The Penghu National Scenic Area comprises 90 islets scattering in the Taiwan Strait. Located in the sea southeast of Taiwan, Green Island, part of the East Coast National Scenic Area, offers unique saltwater hot-spring bathing and spectacular diving on colourful coral reefs.Taiwan has a rich, varied and tolerant culture towards all religions and people due to its unique historical and geographical background. The Taiwanese celebrate the Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, Lantern Festival, Tomb Sweeping Festival, Ghost Festival, and many other festivals.Taiwan is also a superb shopping destination, with large shopping centres and department stores. Combining diverse leisure and entertainment facilities, these venues offer designer clothing, lifestyle products, food outlets, bookstores, movie house, wholesale warehouses, amusement centres, while providing the ultimate shopping environment. Several theme streets have sprung up, exhibiting an exciting blend of history and style, including capital city Taipei’s Ximenting and Kaohsiung’s New Juejiang commercial area, attracting different consumer groups. Other venues, including the weekend jade markets and computer lane in Taipei’s Guanghua commercial plaza, are very good places to find unexpected bargains.The night markets of Taiwan are great places to shop for bargains and feel the pulse of Taiwan’s night life. Here one finds a variety of clothing, household items, watches, jewellery and toys at bargain prices. Night markets are also where visitors can sample authentic Taiwanese food. Shopping in Taiwan is always a steal with great bargains in electronics, designer clothing, lifestyle products, food outlets and bookstores. Link to the Essential Taiwan: