That used to mean plastic junk. But prejudices no longer work in the Asian island state, because tradition and modernity mix there in a brightly colored and fascinating way. BRIGITTE author Susanne Arndt over a crazy journey between kitsch, noise and karma.
This story begins – and I warn you, that's how it ends – with a toilet. Don't worry, it won't be about unsavory motion sickness, Taiwan is a paragon of hygiene. But I am so impressed by my toilet in Taipei, which heats my bum despite the tropical heat, that I have to mention it first: If I dared to use the pictograms, it would probably shower and blow dry me downstairs in all variations, and stare at me first class or rotating nozzles, also in energy-saving mode. Toilet paper? Already seems totally backwoods to me. And this is the second time that I am almost amazed by building blocks, even though I only landed earlier: A bus was waiting at the airport with goldfish bowls behind the windshield (I hope: stuck !?) and potted plants climbed up.
The "Heart of Asia"
Oddities like this made me curious about Taiwan – and it didn't disappoint. As small as Baden-Württemberg, it boasts mountains that can almost compete with the Matterhorn; the high-tech and high-rise nation is populated by gods and spirits and has invented the peculiar "bubble tea", in which filled globules float that burst when bitten. And then this country also claims to be the "heart of Asia", although strictly speaking it doesn't even exist: Taiwan is officially called the "Republic of China" because it is still part of the People's Republic today, although it has had its own government since 1949 .
"Taiwan and mainland China are like divorced people," said tour guide Michelle dryly when she met photographer Florian and me at the airport. "One says: 'I want you back", but the other is long gone. " And so there is little left for the abandoned but to tease the renegade: Beijing refuses Taiwanese airlines the overflight rights, so that we too had to take a detour via Mongolia and Korea.
The bubbling of the mopeds, the sultriness, the bright clank of the woks from dark cookshops – I love Asia! But something is different: polished mopeds are parked in rows on the side of the road like at a dealer, the drivers of the e-rickshaws wear headsets, and the sleeping bags of the homeless at the metro station are packed in identical plastic bags and neatly lined up. The whole city seems to have just been thoroughly dusted.
To begin with Taiwan's history, Michelle takes us to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the memorial to Mao's adversary who withdrew from the mainland to the island in 1949 and ruled it with a hard hand for decades. During the changing of the guard, we marvel at the robot-like choreography of narrow-chested soldiers who look like play figures at the feet of the oversized Chiang Kai-shek statue. In the evenings we meet a real robot at the Raohe night market, where one snack stand is lined up next. With bright orange eyes he stares through us while he pushes pieces of dough from a board into a pot of boiling water – spaetzle scraper "Made in Taiwan". Could be an export hit for Swabia.
I am fed up with the pork blood cakes and giblets without tasting. As an urban contrast to the archaic fare, a futuristic "Loft Dog Hotel" is advertised on screens. And between the rumen and the chicken ass – yes, yes, since the sign says "Chicken Ass 30 New Taiwan Dollar" – women use thread techniques to twist their facial hair away. Although the caries smell of "stinking tofu" blows into my nose every few meters, I dare to try an underarm-length spring roll with beef, peanuts and coriander. Delicious! It's just stupid that I'm already too full to try the snake soup at the Huaxi night market, which is said to be served with a cup of reptile blood. Or am I just too cowardly? In any case, I am drawn to the hotel, where I treat myself to a moment of toilet comfort before I tip into bed like a board to sleep away from the jetlag.
After a restless night, we feel like calming green in the morning, and we take the cable car to Maokong, the first-class tea-growing area that towers over Taipei. At the valley station, colorful cartoons with big-eyed elves announce the imminent nature experience, then we glide up into the sky over a subtropical canopy full of parroting birds. It is refreshingly cool upstairs when tea farmer Mr. Chang shows us around his plantation. Then we can sniff at tiny porcelain smelling cups, which he fills with steaming brew: the green "Iron Buddha" tea smells of roses, the red one of hay and jasmine, the "pouchong" smells of honey and tastes sweet in the finish – tea is a science for Taiwanese like wine elsewhere. In the meantime, suitable tea weather is approaching, and as we slide soaking wet down into the valley, the gondola rocks us through a world of white wadding.
Above the clouds
Hardly below, we go up again: We enter "Taipei 101", the highest building in the capital, which rises half a kilometer into the sky. In the foyer there are bag dispensers for the wet umbrellas and in the restaurant next to each chair there is a container in which you can stow your things. And above the clouds there are not only postcards and postage stamps, but also conveniently mailboxes.
The "vibration damper", a five-story high ball made of 660 tons of steel, which prevents the tower from swaying too much, is even more practical because it saves lives. Because actually a 508 meter high building doesn't fit into a region where the earth is shaking. "Eight times in the last month alone", Michelle enumerates and specifies: "As long as the ground only wobbles, it's okay. It only becomes dangerous when it goes up and down." My heart pounds as I look into the depths where cars shape their nightly lava flows in the dark.
The next morning we drive off ourselves, on space-saving stilt highways towards the south. The west coast is so densely populated that every meter has to be used, sometimes twice: "When millions of butterflies fly from the north of the island to the warm south in autumn, we close the highway," says Michelle. IT companies and temples separate fish ponds from dragon fruit plantations, electricity pylons mingle with the forests and tower above them. The rice fields look so clean, as if you could eat from them.
And what delicacies the Taiwanese conjure up from earth and sea: dumplings made from ferns, sea cucumbers in ice cream cones! Only once, during our stop at the Sun and Moon Lake in the middle of the island, is the food too plastic for me when a chicken is served, which Michelle courageously turns her head off at the table. Psychologically, I find it just makes sense to make schnitzel from pigs before you eat them – honest food or not …
With its flower beds, mountain peaks and emerald green water, the lake is reminiscent of Switzerland – if it weren't for the brutalist villages built entirely of concrete. They are jam-packed because the firefly season is starting. We escape the crowds by renting a bike. Then we glide in a chic, yacht-like electric boat over an imaginary "happiness line" that runs across the lake. Michelle prophesies: "If you make a wish now, your dream will come true!" A state-of-the-art society in which "lines of happiness" fulfill wishes? Where are ATMs in places of worship? Yes why not? After all, an oracle from the vending machine costs 30 cents in the Wenwu Temple, a lucky bell around nine euros, and there is a lot to buy in the temple shops.
Tradition is preserved, the present integrated
While we are about to abolish belief completely, the Taiwanese keep their traditions by simply integrating the mundane present. During the procession in the Great Mazu Temple in Tainan, evil spirits are driven away with deafening bangs, some of which come from sound machines. Michelle points to a man in jeans and Adidas sneakers, pulls my hand away from my ear and yells into it: "Look! There's a tongji, a spirit medium! He can communicate with the gods!" Apparently the man is just making contact with the goddess Mazu, the "mother of heaven": He twitches, jerks, burps, dances, jumps and rolls on the floor in a theatrical trance. A Chow Chow with a "Spiderman" backpack looks on with moderate interest, while his mistress cools his fur with a hand fan.
After the mad temple chaos in Tainan, Florian and I stretch our legs at Moon Bay on the offshore Yuguang Island. We lie between white shells in the black sand while the sun bathes in the Formosa Strait – the strait that separates Taiwan from mainland China. Drones and a crescent moon hang in the sky above us. Nature and high-tech, secular and religious, sea cucumbers and ice cream cones – in Taiwan comes together what does not belong together, or rather: what does not fit into our drawers. They are permanently tipped out and reloaded. And that's exactly what makes a good trip.
When, with a heavy heart, I pack my things one last time to go to the airport, my fully automatic toilet closes the lid, insulted. "Is it maybe sad?" I ask myself grotesquely as I close the door behind me. Maybe this crazy country went to my head, at least I'll go back and whisper to him: "I'll be back!", Because I really want to go to the mountains of Taiwan someday. The toilet folds up the lid. I think it's happy.
Susanne's tips for Taiwan
COME AND GET AROUND
With China Airlines non-stop from Frankfurt to Taipei (from around 1000 euros). Taiwan is easy to discover in a rental car or by bus and train. Organizers such as Meier’s Weltreisen, Tischler Reisen or Gebeco also offer round trips.
STAY
Taipei City Hotel. What was the home of a wealthy pineapple trader 100 years ago is now a pleasant, centrally located hotel. DR / F from approx. 83 euros (Taipei, 172 Chongqing N. Road, Tel. 02/25 53 39 19, www.taipei-hotel.tw).
Union House Lukang. Nice hotel with a puristic design, some rooms have free-standing bathtubs. DZ / F from around 137 euros (Lukang, 152 San Min Road, Tel. 04/776 29 99, www.unionhouse.com.tw).
Hotel Château Anping. Small rooftop pool, large breakfast buffet – and a karaoke bar with a DJ. DR / B from approx. 95 euros (Tainan, 47 Xinjian Road, Tel. 06/292 45 67, www.tnchateau.com.tw).
Cao Ji Book Inn. In the charming hostel, books on the shelves await reading enthusiasts. Sparkling dormitories and shared bathrooms, bed from around 22 euros (Tainan, 71 Nanmen Road, Tel. 06/222 29 09, www.caoji.com.tw).
H2O Hotel. Futuristic skyscraper with LED facade, pool on the roof, glass outdoor elevator and breakfast on the 20th floor with an amazing view of the skyline. DR / B from approx. 137 euros (Kaohsiung, 366 Minghua Road, Tel. 07/553 70 01, www.h2ohotel.com.tw).
Enjoy
Din Tai Fung. It's worth standing in line! With surgical precision, the chefs in the open kitchen fill their wontons (steamed dumplings) with delicacies such as water spinach or chocolate. Portion with green pumpkin and prawns approx. 5 euros (Taipei, in Food Court B1 of the "Taipei 101" skyscraper, www.dintaifung.com.tw).
Raohe Street Night Market. Those who like to experiment can try the "stinking tofu", a popular specialty made from fermented and marinated bean curd (approx. 80 cents). The huge spring rolls with beef or chicken and peanuts for around 1.20 euros (Taipei, Songshan District) are highly recommended.
Yi Gu Zhai. Behind the colorful wooden doors in the famous Lukang Old Street is a traditional tea room full of art and carvings. The seasoned millet porridge "Mian Cha", which is traditionally enjoyed in Taiwan and China for breakfast or as a snack, is also served here (Lukang, 6 Putou Street).
You Hsiao Yueh. For the "Tan Tsai noodles" made according to the original recipe from the 19th century, the pork simmered for nine hours in a shrimp broth, about 3.50 euros (Tainan, 101 Zhongzheng Road).
Sun Moon Restaurant. Delicacies are served every minute on a turntable in the middle of the table: filled wax apples, milk fish, taro dumplings and jello tea. The "Steamed President's Fish" is said to have been Chiang Kai-shek's favorite dish. The betel nut salad (around 6 euros) is also delicious (Yuchi Town, 110 Zhongshan Road).
Zhu Xin Ju. The traditional house still cooks like grandma's, such as the black-fleshed silk hen in ginseng. No card – just enjoy what is on the table. Seven dishes with soup for around 14.50 euros per person. Reservations! (Tainan, 69 Xinyi Street, Tel. 06/221 88 90)
SHOP
Wu Tun-Hou Lantern Shop. Even Lady Gaga is said to have been here: the legendary lantern maker Mr. Wu made his silk and paper lanterns for celebrities from all over the world, and today you can watch his son doing it. Lampions from around 8.50 euros (Lukang, 310 Zhongshan Road).
Dihua Street. Towels, tea, medicine, dried vegetables and candied fruits are offered in the historic shopping street. In between you can rest in puristic tea houses, z. B. in "Dihua Halfday" (Taipei, 133 Dihua Street, www.dihua-halfday.com).
Yu Zhen Zhai. Sweet souvenirs: the bakery has been selling sweet treats such as pineapple cake and phoenix eyes in attractive packaging since 1877 (Lukang, 168 Minzu Road).
EXPERIENCE
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Object lesson: In the museum about the authoritarian founder of Taiwan, you can marvel at his black Cadillacs and learn a lot about the history of the island. Changing of the guard every hour on the hour (Taipei, 21 Chungshan S. Road).
Taipei 101. The former tallest skyscraper in the world towers over all of Taipei with its 508 meters. The view from the viewing platform (ticket approx. 14 euros) is correspondingly exciting, and downstairs there is a classy shopping mall (Taipei, www.taipei-101.com.tw).
Maokong. In the growing area of Taipei you can watch the tea grow, taste it and learn a lot about the national drink. The "Maokong Gondola" cable car takes you up and down for around 5 euros (english.gondola.taipei).
Sun moon lake. Cycle, hike, ride a cable car or take a boat ride and get rid of your wishes in Wenwu Temple: Taiwan's largest freshwater lake is a popular destination. Rental bikes are available B. in the "Giant Sun Moon Bike Rental Shop" (Yuchi Town, 163 Zhongshan Road, Tel. 49/285 67 13, www.sunmoonlake.gov.tw).
Yuguang Island. The black sand at Moon Bay is balm for tired feet, the water of the Formosa Street is refreshing. Several city buses drive from Tainan to the offshore island (Tainan, Anping District).
Art Center Pier 2. The old department store district by the harbor is now a creative place with great street art, sculptures, galleries, design, fair trade fashion, cafes and restaurants (Kaohsiung, 1 Dayong Road, pier-2.khcc.gov.tw/eng).
Lotus lake. Pilgrimage site or amusement park? Both! The Lotus Lake in the north of Kaohsiung has been a popular excursion destination since the Qing Dynasty: visitors enjoy the around 20 kitschy, colorful pagodas and temples on and around the water (Kaohsiung, Zuoying District).
Great Mazu Temple. What was once the palace of the last Ming King, Ning Jin, is now the oldest temple dedicated to the "Queen of Heaven" – the Mazu statue is over 300 years old (Tainan, 18 Lane 227, Yongfu Road).
PHONE
Area code from Germany: 008 86 – then omit the 0 of the area code.
You can find more information here: www.taiwantourismus.de
Would you like to read more about the topic and exchange ideas with other women? Then take a look at the BRIGITTE community's "travel forum"!
Get the BRIGITTE as a subscription – with many advantages. You can order them directly here.