Taiwan Today

Convening of the Pacific Area Travel Association's 17th conference in Taipei this month was conclu­sive evidence that Taiwan tourism had come of age. When PATA was established, the island lacked even a single hotel of international stature. As recently as 1959, there were fewer than 20,000 visitors and the 100,000 mark was not passed until 1965.

The quarter-million who came in 1967 put Tai­wan in the big league of Far Eastern tourism, still far behind Japan and Hongkong but at least within speak­ing distance. Furthermore, these 250,000 did not include the nearly 60,000 American GIs who chose to come to Taiwan from Vietnam for R&R holidays.

Most remarkable of all was the fact that tourism growth of between 35 and 40 per cent annually was achieved with almost no advertising or promotion. What Taiwan had going for it was an excellent loca­tion on the direct route between Tokyo and Hong­kong and an "island that's different" and worth seeing.

Japan has cherry blossoms and geishas. Taiwan has cherry blossoms and wine houses. Hongkong has a spectacular harbor and shopping. Taiwan has spectacular mountains and shopping that surpasses Hongkong's for handicrafts and souvenirs. Although both Hongkong and Taiwan are essentially Chinese, the latter has the same exotic street color plus far better Chinese food and art treasures. The British crown colony cannot even pretend to compete in terms of Chinese culture.

These comparisons are not made with any intent to demean Japan and Hongkong as tourist attractions, but to explain the phenomenal growth of travel to an island that many people know as Formosa and often vaguely place elsewhere in the world. Part of the charm of Taiwan tourism unquestionably lies in the lack of professional polish that is to be found in Tokyo, Osaka, Hongkong and even Bangkok. The island has not changed much merely to please its visitors. To those who are jaded with the put-on of travel, that fact alone can be refreshing.

Taiwan tourism still remains Taipei-centered. The largest city of nearly 1½ million is not one of Asia's most beautiful. The setting is satisfactory enough: three meandering rivers and encirclement by jagged hills. Architecture is largely uninspired, how­ever, and some of the streets that should be fascinat­ing are merely dirty and dull. What makes up for these faults in the minds of many visitors is the city's vitality. Taipei is a swinging place. People abound and so do their energies. Everybody is on the go and everything is on the move.

Taiwan tourist repeaters say that the city's out­standing attractions are two: the best Chinese food in the world and the Chinese art treasures on daily display (there are no holidays) at the National Palace Museum. No visitor should miss either - but they are more likely to fail to sample the food than to miss the trip to the suburban museum. This is a reflection of the conservatism of first-time visitors and especially of Americans. Fear of digestive upsets, the water, etc., seems to be endemic among a large number who have not been to Asia before.

Many of the tourists who do try Chinese food are inclined to limit their explorations to the cuisine offered by their hotel (in some cases, this may be quite good) or one of the theater-restaurants (all of which serve Cantonese-style dishes). This is regret­table, because China's finest taste treats are likely to be missed. At the least, the tourist should sample the cooking of Peiping, Szechwan, Hunan, Shanghai and Canton - with perhaps a Mongolian barbecue or hot pot thrown in for good measure.

To recommend restaurants is not within the scope of this article. When in doubt about food, ask the nearest Chinese - and in Taiwan it is no trouble to find one who speaks good English and is more than happy to express gastronomic preferences. If the Chinese were not born to eat, they at least have a great interest in food and definite opinions about it. Their recommendations will usually take the diner to restaurants outside the circle of Western hotels. That is good for another reason. The tourist will have op­portunity to see the Chinese in their own habitat. Few Chinese go to the big hotels to eat Chinese food ex­cept when entertaining or invited by foreign friends.

Should the tourist go exploring on his own? In Taiwan, why not? Chinese food is cooked and on the well-done side. Tea, wines, beers and soft drinks are perfectly safe. Whatever danger there might be of picking up an unfriendly microbe would come from dishes or cutlery. Chopsticks are much safer than forks. Only a few minutes' practice will show that eating Chinese food with chopsticks is easy and a novelty to be remembered later while sawing away on a tough steak.

In a small restaurant or at a noodle stand, lan­guage might be a problem. Not so in the larger establishments, which have both English-language menus and English-speaking waiters or waitresses. What about the street stalls? Are they safe? Again, the test is one of the utensils rather than the food itself. Dishes and chopsticks are usually washed in cold water and not sterilized. Fastidious Chinese customers wipe the chopsticks and spoon with clean paper, al­though this admittedly is no substitute for boiling water. However, the visitor may be willing to run a small risk for the fun of sitting by the street-side for a bowl of noodles with beef and hot chili sauce. You can't order such a dish at the high-class restaurants and many foreigners consider it a special good one. The best Chinese dumplings and ravioli-like snacks are found at the street stalls. All too many people visit China without ever tasting the proof that the Chinese and not the Italians invented pasta.

The visitor who wants far-out taste experiences can find them, if he so desires. Would you like to try snake - or even dog? To some these are delicacies; the very thought turns the stomachs of others. If it's edible, you can probably find it in Taipei, although a good hamburger may be harder to come by than eel or frog legs. The bland, lightly spiced food of Taiwan may be of interest for a change. The Japanese food is all right if you are not Japanese or a connoisseur. The most important thing to remember is that the food which tourists eat the most of - Western or in­ternational cuisine - is the poorest fare Taiwan offers.

The culturally motivated shouldn't stop with their visits to the National Palace Museum. Interesting and changing exhibitions also will be found at the Nation­al Historical and Taiwan Provincial Museums in Tai­pei. For temple buffs, the Lungshan and Confucian shrines are a must. Chinese opera should not be missed, although except for special occasions it will be necessary to inquire where programs are playing. In the spring, cherry trees and azaleas burst into bloom on Yangmingshan (Grass Mountain) just north of the city. The tortured seascapes of Yehliu are found on the northern coast less than an hour away. Green Lake to the south has boating and fishing. For visitors who cannot go farther afield, nearby Wulai affords a view - albeit over-commercialized - of the island's aborigines, whose forbears came from shores washed by the South China Seas and who are related to the Polynesians. Taiwan's largest dam and reservoir ­- Shihmen - built in part with American aid funds, is not far away.

Taiwan shopping is different from that of Hong­kong, where most of the "bargains" are goods imported without duty. The Taiwan best buys are hand­icrafts made of native materials - wood carvings, coral jewelry, marble utensils, ceramics, handbags, rugs, furniture, screens, Chinese paintings and scrolls, dolls, brasswares, embroideries and drawn work, and so on. Tourists who like to shop around may go to the government handicraft center or to fixed price stores and learn something of prices before they try bargaining in other shops. Handicraft and souvenir shops are now found all over the city. Most offer approximately the same line of goods. Pirated books and records are an irresistible bargain. But the purchaser should keep in mind that the government forbids their export and that the United States prohibits import.

Dressmaking has come a long way in the last few years. A Chinese chipao can be made to meas­ure within a day or two. The tailoring of men's suits is cheaper than in Hongkong, although the cost of materials will be higher. Workmanship is about the same. Shoes can be custom made in 24 to 48 hours at prices under those of Hongkong. Matching hand­bags can be ordered, too.

When shopping is done and night falls, there is plenty of off-the-beaten-track entertainment. Theater­-restaurants offer international floor shows along with dinner or (later in the evening) with snacks. Some have dance bands, as do the larger hotels. By Western comparison, prices are low. For the lonely male, female companionship is readily available in a variety of packages. Coffee houses offer the brew (or tea), soft music, attractive hostesses and low lights. Bars have the same sort of girls that are found in such es­tablishments anywhere in the world; drinks are high priced and pushed as fast in Taipei as in Singapore or Seoul. The wine house or girlie restaurant is Tai­wan's equivalent of the Japanese geisha or Korean kaesaeng place. The girls eat and drink with you and the prices are high. Levels of pulchritude are also lofty-but the patron must be prepared to excuse the girl for at least half of every hour while she serves others. Dance halls have hostesses paid by the hour, although half an hour's presence is considered ac­ceptable for the hour's pay. Unlike the bar girls, dance hall sirens drink tea, which is free. If the patron wants to take dance hostesses elsewhere, they can be "bought out" before the 1 a.m. closing time. The cost is not so insignificant.

Taipei's suburb of Peitou has girls, too, plus scores of hot springs hotels. The name of the community is usually associated with sex, but this isn't exclusively the case. Members of the Taipei foreign community take their wives and children to Peitou for the sulfur baths, a massage and Japanese or Chinese dinner. Night life in Taiwan is much like that in any large city. You can find about what you want and be as wicked or as innocent as you please. Taipei has two important differences: lower prices and not quite so much hardness in those who are reaching for the tourist dollar.

If the traveler has time, he will find that the Taiwan outside Taipei has greater scenic beauty, a better climate and much else of interest. As yet there is only one international airport - that of Taipei­ - which means that tourists going south by plane, train or bus must return to Taipei to depart the country. This will be changed within the next few years when Kaohsiung, 200 miles south of Taipei, acquires an interna­tional airport. For the time being, the visitor needs extra time - preferably two days or more - to get out and see the "real Taiwan".

Still, anyone with even a day to spare need not miss the east coast and spectacular Taroko Gorge. China Airlines has several fights daily to Hualien, the jumping-off place for Taroko. It is possible to make the 45-minute flight early in the morning, take a bus or car to Taroko (less than an hour's drive), have lunch at a lodge part way up the canyon, and return to Hualien for a late afternoon flight back to Taipei. The cost is nominal. Taroko is a narrow cleft with sheer and beautiful marble walls. The road, which is part of the East-West Cross-Island Highway, tunnels through the marble and clings to cliffs high above a mountain stream.

Those who have more time and are adventure­some may find the cross-island trip an unforgettable experience. Reclining-seat Golden Horse buses of the Taiwan Highway Bureau make the trip daily when road conditions permit. An overnight stopover can be arranged at a comfortable halfway lodge. The route runs through passes of Taiwan's Central Moun­tain Range, which has a number of peaks exceeding 12,000 feet. Anyone who doubts that these are real mountains should have been along for an excursion last Christmas time. About 1,000 people were marooned - briefly - on the East-West Highway by snow drifts! Only a few miles to the south is the Tropic of Cancer.

A few days of tourism leeway opens up other fascinating possibilities. Going northeastward and then south, the Taiwan mainline railroad reaches from Taipei to Suao on the east coast. The green landscape of northern Taiwan, which has up to more than 300 inches of rain a year, can be compared only with jungle forest of Latin America or a South Pacific island. The greenness is perpetual. Coal seams are in evidence as the tracks prepare to turn south. Then the Ilan plain opens up, a tiny triangle of fertility at the island's northeastern corner. Suao is the end of the line. The coastal mountains between Suao and Hualien are so precipitous that even those great railroad builders - the Japanese - refrained from any attempt to lay track. It was enough to engineer a road that goes lip to the mountains and down to the beaches and often tunnels through solid rock. On one side is the towering coastal range, on the other the blue Pacific. Highway buses thread the needle to put the traveler safely in Hualien about four hours after leaving Suao (pronounced, incidentally, "Sue - Ow!"). The Chinese are now determined to build a Suao-Hualien railroad.

Some explorers will call it quits with an overnight stay in Hualien and a cross-island trip. Others may prefer to see Taroko in the morning and then take the narrow-gauge east coast railroad from Hualien to Taitung, the island's southernmost city overlooking the Pacific. The distance is about half the length of Taiwan and the time somewhat over four hours. The route is via a narrow valley between the coastal moun­tains and the Central Range. Diesel coach accom­modations are comfortable, although railroad buffs may prefer the hard, subway-style seats on the old coal-burners.

Rails run out again at Taitung, although plans are afoot to build a line across the southern tip of Taiwan. Until that happens, the choice is to fly from Taitung to Kaohsiung (Taiwan's southwestern me­tropolis and second largest city) or to take a bus. Considering the time and the mountains to be crossed, China Airlines is the better bet. Taitung is a pleasant tropical city. For the moment, its fault lies in the lack of a good hotel.

Kaohsiung has at least two acceptable hostelries. This is a city half as large as Taipei but much different. Japanese influences are stronger. On a smaller scale, Kaohsiung has everything than can be found in the metropolis to the north. One interesting novelty: here the girls are from Taipei. In Taipei, they are from Kaohsiung. An attractive lake and park are located nearby. Kaohsiung is Taiwan's biggest port, an industrial city and the site of Taiwan's only Export Processing Zone, where goods may be imported without duty, processed and exported with a minimum of formalities.

A one-day bus trip may be made from Kaohsiung to Oluanpi at the southern tip of Taiwan. Here a lighthouse looks southward to the Philippines. The botanical garden has a wide selection of tropical plants. The road south runs through interesting countryside.

Kaohsiung and Taipei are an hour apart by turbojet plane or six hours by comfortable diesel ex­press trains that have reserved reclining seats, a dining car and other amenities. The roadbed runs through the lush agricultural country of the western plain. To the east are the high mountains, to the west the Tai­wan Straits.

Less than an hour north of Kaohsiung is Tainan, the old capital of the island and the seat of Dutch power in the mid-17th century. It was here that Koxinga received the surrender of the Dutch and generously permitted them to depart for the East Indies with their possessions. Two of the Dutch forts are still standing. Tainan also has the island's oldest Confucian temple and a number of other temples. In modern vein, the city is a center of both military and civilian aviation. There are good hotels and excellent Chinese and Japanese food.

Less than two hours farther north is Chiayi, the jumping-off place for Taiwan's easiest and most in­teresting mountain trip. A narrow-gauge forestry railroad - built for logging rather than sightseeing­ - runs from Chiayi to 7,500-foot Alishan. Two-car diesel trains make the ascent in four hours. A new and comfortable lodge is operated by the Forestry Bureau. Attractions of special interest are a 3,000-year-old sacred tree, three-generation tree, museum, and the spectacle of the sun rising over Yushan (Mt. Morrison), at 13,000 feet the highest peak in Northeast Asia.

Alishan is also worth the trip for the spectacular change of scenery that takes place between tropical Chiayi and the subarctic vegetation of the mountain. Along the way are groves of giant bamboo. Gradually these give way to fir, spruce, pine, the great hemlock of Taiwan, camphor and others.

The railroad itself is a rare treat for anyone in­terested in mountain highballing. Old coal burners are still in use and can be seen braking timber down the mountain and pulling people and supplies to the villages along the right-of-way. This is aborigine country and largely unspoiled and un-commercialized. The old huff-chuffing locomotives won't be running much longer. They are a fire hazard and fast are being replaced by diesels.

Last stop on the way north to Taipei is Taichung, one of the island's most picturesque small cities. From here side trips can be made to Chung Hsing Village, the site of the provincial government; to Changbua to see the 72-foot Buddha, largest in the Far East; and to lovely Sun Moon Lake in the mountains just to the east. Situated at a cool 2,500 feet, Sun Moon Lake is the Niagara Falls of Taiwan. Hotels and food are good. Besides the lake, tourists can visit an aborigine village and an old temple. This is also a good spot for relaxing for a day or two.

The train trip from Taichung to Taipei takes less than three hours and the scenery is superb. For an around-the-island trip with visits to all principal points of interest, between a week and 10 days is required. Not many visitors can spare that much time. How­ever, a lot can be seen in a much briefer period. For instance:

- Taipei to Hualien and Taroko Gorge and return: 1 day.

- Taipei to Yangmingshan, Tamsui, the north coast beaches, Yehliu and Keelung: 1 day or less.

- Taipei to Green Lake and Wulai: ½ day.

- Taipei to Shihmen dam and reservoir: ½ day.

- Taipei to Hualien and Taichung (via the East-West Cross-Island Highway and Taroko Gorge) and back to Taipei: 2 days (or 3 with a stopover at Lishan in the Central Mountain Range).

- Taipei to Hualien and on to Taitung by train and bus, from Taitung to Kaohsiung by plane, and from Kaohsiung back to Taipei by train or plane: 3 or 4 days.

- Taipei to Sun Moon Lake and return: 2 days (1 night).

- Taipei to Taichung with side trips to Sun Moon Lake, Changhua and Chung Hsing Village: 2 or 3 days.

- Taipei to Kaohsiung by train and return by plane: 2 days.

- Taipei to Kaohsiung and return by plane: 1 day.

- Taipei to Kaohsiung by train and return by plane with side trips to Sun Moon Lake, Alishan and Tainan: 4 or 5 days.

- Taipei to Alishan and return: 3 days.

In some cases, time commitments can be shortened by taking advantage of air travel. Daily flights are made to Hualien, Taitung, Kaohsiung, Makung (in the Penghu or Pescadores islands), Tainan and Taichung. In the case of Hualien and Kaohsiung, there are several flights daily.

However, Taiwan is a beautiful island. More will be seen by booking part of the trip by train and bus. What matters most is that aside from time devoted to Taipei, an allotment of only two or three days will permit the tourist to visit several places of interest. Taiwan is not a big island. Its tourism ex­citement is based on variety.

Packaged tours and guides are available. Visitors who prefer to get out on their own need have no fear. The island is safe. Crime rates are among the lowest in the world. Language troubles will not be serious. Even in the countryside there are students eager to show off their linguistic ability. English is a com­pulsory language from the seventh grade on. This may not mean fluency in a junior high school pupil but it suggests a willingness to try. If the storekeeper lacks English, he will go next door to get the son of the proprietor - or something of the sort.

Chinese hospitality does not necessarily express itself in bothering a tourist who is getting along fine on his own. The Chinese like to live and let live, not to butt in where they are not wanted. But the visitor will find the Chinese friendly - and in the event of any difficulty, most helpful. In most cases, to ask will be to receive.

No country can be all things to all travelers. Some tourists do not like Taiwan. In general, the island's faults in the eyes of Westerners are the same as those found in other Asian countries. The streets are not as clean as those in St. Louis nor as perfectly paved as in California. Although the traffic jams are not nearly so bad as those of New York, the lack of traf­fic discipline and the variety of competing vehicles may seem more frightening. Chinese music is not har­monious to everyone. Chinese opera is fascinating once you understand what is going on. Not all tourists take the trouble to find out. Not everybody likes Chinese food, although in this category the exceptions are perhaps the fewest.

Taiwan's greatest touristic asset may be its very imperfection. Taken on its own terms, it is relaxed. Chinese life and civilization are reflected as they are and not as some Western moviemaker has depicted them. The Chinese have the world's oldest continu­ing civilization and culture. Some of the reasons why can be observed on Taiwan - along with an island that would be worth seeing even in the absence of people.