Top 10 Things to Do in Taipei - pocket list special included...

Sunrise in Taipei, Taiwan. Photo: Taipei 101

Taipei is a big city. Like many big cities in the world, it never sleeps. You would definitely find more than 10 things to do. Yet surfers and outdoorsy travelers may need to cut down their Taipei time for waves and mountains out of town. Other folks on business trip or on a layover to Bali may have a few hours only for the city. If you are one of these folks, make sure you hit some of these top 10 things to do in Taipei to maximize your Taipei time.

1  .      Gourmet restaurants (eg. Ding Tai Fung)

Tasting Xiao Long Bao in Taipei. Photo: Ding Tai Fung

Eating is one of the most important cultures in Taiwan. The big city, Taipei, attracts all kinds of chefs to compete in the arena. There is excellent food in each corner. Just bring enough cash and pace yourself.

Three things must-try: traditional Chinese breakfast, Ding Tai Feng and beef noodles.

For traditional Chinese breakfast, try everything on the menu if you can… If you can’t, following special items are highly recommended.

danbing (Taiwanese egg crepe or egg pancake), shobing (baked bread), youtiao (Chinese donut), sweet rice milk, salty soy milk, sweet or unsweetened soy milk.

It’s easier to make a choice for beef noodles. You only need to decide between clear-broth beef noodle and braised beef noodle. Braised beef noodle has a richer flavor. If you like ramen, go for braised beef noodle.

You can find good traditional Chinese breakfast and beef noodles just about everywhere.  The Michelin 3 star restaurant, Ding Tai Fung, only has 2 stores, one is at DongMen stop on blue MRT line and the other is conveniently located in Taipei 101.  Their truffle dumplings are made of real truffle slides. Enjoy the soup inside the dumpling exploding in your mouth with truffle aroma. Truffle lovers’ must try.

Besides these three choices, Taipei offers diverse cuisines. You can find all sorts of fine dining restaurants, vegetarian or health-oriented restaurants, restaurants with live performance such as Taiwanese puppet show or themed restaurants.  Here are some themedrestaurants on CNN news .

2.      Taipei 101

Taipei 101 New Years Eve Fireworks. Photo: Taipei 101

Used to be the tallest building (508m/1667ft) in the world from 2004 to 2010, Taipei 101 still attracts thousands of visitors every day. Being a landmark of Taipei, it is also one of the touristiest spot in town. 

Don’t be discouraged by the crowd. An engineer could appreciate the design besides the view of the city.  Ding Tai Fung is conveniently located at B1 of the building.

If you happen to be in Taipei at New Years Eve, you definitely need to check out Taipei 101 fireworks. Major roads will be blocked miles away around the area. It will be crowded but not as crazy as New York Times Square. You don’t need to wear diapers to wait in line for hours.  Fireworks itself is spectacular, a 238 seconds display in 2016. Every year many enthusiastic photographers and videographers, international and domestic, fight for the best spot to shoot the event a day before. Watch some of the best in 2016 .

Taipei 101 wiki introduction 

3.       National Palace Museum

THE jadeite cabbage (AD 1875). Photo: NPM

Chinese-descent culture is part of Taiwan’s diverse cultures. Like The Louvre to France, National Palace Museum is one of the most important and iconic museums in Taiwan. It has the largest collection of Chinese artifacts in the world, ranking #7 the most visited museum worldwide. Read more on CNN’s 10things Taiwan does better than anywhere else. 

Here is more information about the culture and museum. 

Across the street is the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines, which displays another important part of Taiwanese cultures. 

Visit Shilin night market nearby after your museum tour.

4.      Tea culture experience

Tea tasting in Taipei. Photo: Wistaria tea house

The eastern coffee, tea, is such an iconic culture in Asia. Being a mountainous island, Taiwan has the natural advantage to produce some of the best tea in the world. 

Most of Taiwan’s best quality tea comes from the tea farms in the high mountains outside of Taipei. If you have time getting out of town, we highly recommend you to visit one of these. 

If you only have time in Taipei, there are some tea farms on the hills of muzha and pinglin area. There are also plenty of tea houses or restaurants around the city where you can experience the zen of tea. That often offers the introductions of tea productions and culture, tea tasting and the art of brewing tea.

5.      Temple

Photo: Longshan temple in Taipei

Buddhism and Taoism are main religions in Taiwan. Some of the most important folk festivals are originated from the religion. Temples are the spiritual centers in Buddhism and Taoism. 

There are an estimated 12,000 temples in Taiwan. If you only have time in Taipei, these two temples below are recommended as your highlight temple tour. They are historical. They are conveniently located on MRT lines. There are interesting things to do around them.

  

a.      LongShan Temple + historical street Bopiliao + Huaxi night market

b.      XingTian Gong + the underpass avenue, “fortune-telling” street

6.      Hot spring

A historical hot spring house in Beitou, Taipei. Photo: Long Nai

Blessed with numerous active and extinct volcanoes, Taiwan has natural hot springs all over the island. Influenced by Japan in WWII, we also develop a popular hot spring culture. 

Mineral hot springs provide healing effects. Minerals in a good quality hot spring could penetrate your skin and relax your deep muscles. 

Two areas below have good quality hot springs in Taipei. Many hot spring hotels, resorts or houses scattered around in these areas. Luxury ones usually equip with standard spa services. You will sometimes have to prepare your own towels in a budget hot spring house. Yet surprisingly, some of the public bathes in budget hot spring houses offer the best quality hot springs in town.  

If you have time travel outside of Taipei, try exploring natural hot springs in the mountains. It is an extremely fun experience.

a.      BeiTou + hot spring museum

b.      YangMingShan National Park (Yangming Mountain) + wild veggie tasting

Visit Shilin night market nearby before a hot spring bath.

7.      Night market

        

food.. food.. food.. Photo: Shilin night market wiki

Night market is another important part of Taiwanese cultures. There are plenty of night markets around the island, more in the populated areas. A big city like Taipei offers many in different districts. 

You can find everything in a night market… food (small eats), beverages, entertainment, massages, clothes, toys, accessories, shoes.. etc. Cash only. So bring enough cash. Go with an empty stomach.. (although it’s a little difficult to do).

We recommend Shilin night market if you are visiting National Palace Museum tour or taking a hot spring bath. It’s one of the largest and most popular night markets. Walk or float in the crowds and enjoy the street feast from the dusk to the midnight.

8.      Hair salon

This is how you'd feel in a
salon in Taipei. Photo: MPM

If you come from an area with costly hairdressing services, you got to try the hairdressing in Taipei. 

For example, with $50 - $100+ USD, you can get a haircut in one of the top celebrity hair salons in Taipei. A package of shampoo, conditioning, and blowdry costs $5 - $10 USD in any average salons. Luxury or not, these salons all have great services. 

Feeling like being a king or queen for a few hours? Book a hairdressing service in Taipei. Many top celebrity hair salons are located in the “east district” which is also a trendy area scattered with fashionable boutique stores, restaurants and cafes.

9.      Massage

Reflexology on feet. Photo: wiki

Who doesn’t love massage? Massage is believed to be one of the important regimens in Chinese medicine. Therefore it’s a popular activity in Taiwan. 

You can find all kinds of massage services in Taiwan. But you would probably find some of the best foot massage or the acupressure (shiatsu) massage.  If you haven’t tried it, we highly recommend you to try a session. 

In Chinese medicine, a pressure point reflects a part of your organ. An acupressure massage would help release the stress of the organ. The relief feeling would last for days after a good massage. 

If you are lucky, you can feel the “chi” flowing in your body when an experienced massage therapist pressed your pressure points accurately.

10.  Performing arts

A modern dance group in Taipei, Taiwan. Photo: Cloud Gate

A big city like Taipei brings all cultures on the island together. The performing arts in town present the best sample. 

From the east to the west, traditional to modern, classic to street, you can find just about anything in Taipei. Street performers are likely to perform in the ximending, Taipei train station, or the xinyi shopping district (Taipei 101) area. Some bars offer live music, pop music, jazz, rock and roll.. etc. 

National Theater and Concert Hall  hosts all kinds of programs. It is also conveniently located in the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. You can plan a show after strolling around the memorial hall that represents some of the most classic Chinese architecture.   DaDaoCheng Theater  features Taiwanese and Chinese opera. Cloud Gate Theater  features award winning modern dance performed by Cloud Gate. HuanShan CreativePark  displays creative works of Taiwanese designers.

It’s easy to travel around the city by MRT, taxi, uber or bicycle. There is no much need for a guide unless you are in an extreme tight schedule. There are more English speakers too if you need help. Besides these activities, Taipei also offers a lot of interesting things to do such as all kinds of classes (choriagraphy, taichi, cooking.. etc), water skiing, panda watching, going to a doctor... etc. 

If you don’t find ANYTHING interesting on the list above, please feel free to write to us for more information. For those of you that want the convenience and ZERO research time, we offer a custom tour schedule design with a modest fee.  Enjoy your Taipei time!

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The Dirtiest Contest in Taiwan

The greasy pole. Photo: 彭智聲

Grappling with the ghosts

The 7^th lunar month is the “ghost month” in Taiwan. The concept is similar to the Halloween without parties and slutty customs. And it lasts for an entire month versus the one-day Halloween, although some people extend the Halloween to a month long celebration.

Taiwanese people believe that the dead become ghosts roaming between Heaven and earth. 

Spirits without descendants to care for them are prayed to during Ghost Festival so that they may also enjoy the warmth of life among the living.

During the ghost month, people prepare offerings for the ghosts. Temples throughout Taiwan host various activities and ceremonies to pray for these orphan ghosts. 

There are also taboos in this month, such as avoiding dangerous activities because ghosts are now out and about to look for their replacement.

Among all, the Grappling with the Ghosts contest can be considered the most dangerous (totally taboo-averse) and exciting celebration. It is held on the last day of the ghost month in Taiwan. 

Contestants are formed in teams. The task is simple: contestants climbing on the 14-meter (46-ft) poles full of the black grease to the top plate form, and then climbing 30-meter (98-ft) bamboos to cut the flag off. 

2015 Champion team forward, Photo: FTVNews

Hence it is also arguably the dirtiest contest in Taiwan. Champions are blessed to have the best luck in the next year.

This year the champion team broke the record, finishing up the greasy pole in 8 minutes and 9 seconds. 

The forward shared his secrets in the post-contest interview: his muscles. Haha. 

Do you think you can climb? The Grappling with the Ghosts contest is open to international teams!!  : )

Watch how it is done. 

Grappling with the Ghosts 2015 news in Mandarin, starting at 0:30

A well done 9-minute documentary in English about the ghost month and grappling with the ghosts contest.

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Taiwan’s Thanksgiving: Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

Blood moon. Picture: Metro

Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is one of the three main holidays in Taiwan, besides Chinese New Year and Dragon Boat Festival. 

It is a holiday to celebrate the harvest, worship the moon and get together with families. It is sorta like the idea of Thanksgiving without a turkey fest and black Friday.

It falls on the 15^th of the 8^th lunar month when the full moon is typically the largest of the year.  This year it is on the September 27^th. 

Taiwanese people like to celebrate the holiday barbequing with friends and families. Restaurants, parks and roof tops of apartments may be a bit more crowded than usual at this time. We highly recommend you NOT to plan any romantic outings in any parks or roof tops that weekend.

Mooncakes by Howard Plaza Hotel.

Mooncake is the tradition delicacy, the sweet pastry for the holiday. It is offered among friends and families. It is usually in a round shape, representing the moon and the reunion. 

If you happen to travel to Taiwan for business or visiting a friend, it is very likely that you will receive a box of moon cakes as a gift. 

Like all the other food business in Taiwan, moon cake industry is competitive too. Bakers create new flavors every year. 

You can pretty much get whatever flavor you can imagine. For example, Moon cake ice cream can be a great choice in a hot day.

Unlike Chinese New Year or Dragon Boat Festival, there are not too many public events going on for tourists in Taiwan. If you are invited to a BBQ, we recommend you to join your local friends in Taiwan to observe the holiday. 

If not, you can still enjoy it with the moon cakes and moon worship. In 2015, the forecast is predicting a super supermoon (blood moon). Don’t miss out if you are travelling to Taiwan in September! 

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Experiencing the Hospitality in Taiwan

Lunch / dinner boxes and Conductor Chen
Photo: Chen via CTS TV

Warm-hearted people are iconic in the Taiwanese culture. It’s like the food everywhere. It is difficult to not notice it when you travel in Taiwan, unless you don’t speak to any locals during your trip. The little story below may just represent how it rolls in Taiwan.

A few days ago, on a train going south, a grandpa train conductor asked “who can speak English?” 

It was about 7 pm. The car was full of commuters. A girl volunteered. He told her that five tourists from the States telling him that they were hungry with their gestures. But the dinner boxes were sold out.

He wanted the girl to tell them that the dinner boxes on the train were sold out and to ask where they were going. A lady volunteered her dinner box at this time… assumingly it was not opened yet. :P

Through the translation, the American tourists told the conductor that their destination was 3 hours away in Tainan. The grandpa conductor knew that they wouldn’t be able to eat until 10 pm. He felt bad seeing them starving for such a long time.

So he turned on his Woki Toki and asked the train’s next stop to deliver 5 dinner boxes. Unfortunately they were sold out too. The conductor then asked the ground staff to get the dinner boxes from the nearby 7-Eleveven convenient store. 

Finally… at the next stop, the 5 dinner boxes were delivered fresh on the train within 30 minutes. The 5 tourists were surprised and happy that they didn't have to starve for 3 hours. 

Photo: Conductor Chen  via AppleDaily

The entire car witnessed it happen. One passenger shared the story online and it went viral. Local TV and news publishers rushed to interview the grandpa conductor for his excellent customer service. 

The 65-year-old grandpa conductor, Chen, told the reporters that it was his job to take care of the customers. He said he treated every customer the same, no matter where they were from. It was the first time he felt so nervous helping out travelers though. He was sweating to squeeze the English he learned 50 years ago when he was a student.  : ) 

In addition, he welcomed his customers to tell him whatever that they need.  However, his excellent service will be expired soon as he will retire from the Taiwan Railway in September.

Many travelers say the most beautiful scene in Taiwan is the people. What do you think? Do you have any stories encountering warm-hearted locals when you travel in Taiwan? Let us know. If you know how to contact those 5 tourists, please let us know too. 

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A Must See in Taipei, Taiwan: National Palace Museum

Jadeite Cabbage, Source: NPM

Chinese-descent culture plays an important role in the diverse cultures in Taiwan. Taiwan and mainland China shared the same history until 1949 when the Chinese civil war ended. The Republic of China (a.k.a R.O.C. or Taiwan), originally based in mainland China, now governs the island of Taiwan.

After 1949, Taiwan and China has gone opposite ways, democracy in Taiwan and communism in China. Ancient heritage, relics, ruins and cultures have been carefully conserved in Taiwan. Yet many of them were demolished in China during the Cultural Revolution. For example, the traditional Chinese characters on the ancient calligraphy artworks are still used in Taiwan. Yet in China, they invented simplified Chinese characters that lose the  aesthetics and the origins of Hieroglyphs.

Every Chinese-descent culture is different. We encourage you to experience it in person. Taiwan is the place to observe some of the best conserved ancient cultures and relics. National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan keeps many of the best high quality historical collections moved from China in 1949. 


In fact, the Taipei National Palace Museum has the largest collections of Chinese artifacts in the world, over 690,000 pieces. It was on CNN’s list of “Top 10 Things Taiwan Does Better than Anywhere Else”. 
 

If you like the antiques or history, it is a no-brainer to visit National Palace Museum, ranked #7 the most visited museum in the world.  Even if you are not too much of a museum person, a two-hour trip to the National Palace Museum will give you an idea about what happened in the past 10,000 years in China.

The antiques, paintings and calligraphy works are three highlights in the museum tour. We will cover basic introductions about each highlight in our future posts. Stay tuned.

Some basic information: 

“The National Palace Museum is an antique museum in Taipei, Taiwan. It is one of the national museums of Taiwan, and has a permanent collection of more than 696,000 pieces of ancient Chinese imperial artifacts and artworks, making it one of the largest in the world. 

The collection encompasses over 10,000 years of Chinese history from the Neolithic age to the late Qing Dynasty. Most of the collection are high quality pieces collected by China's ancient emperors.

The National Palace Museum and the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, share the same roots. The old Palace Museum in Beijing split in two as a result of the Chinese Civil War, which divided China into the two entities of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) respectively. 

In English, the institution in Taipei is distinguished from the one in Beijing by the additional "National" designation. In common usage in Chinese, the institution in Taipei is known as the "Taipei Former Palace", while that in Beijing is known as the "Beijing Former Palace.

The Chinese Civil War resumed following the surrender of the Japanese, ultimately resulting in Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's decision to evacuate the arts to Taiwan. A total of 2,972 crates of artifacts from the Forbidden City moved to Taiwan only accounted for 22% of the crates originally transported south, yet the pieces represented some of the very best of the collection." - wiki

Have you been to National Palace  Museum? Let us know.

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Orchid Island’s Garbage Crisis and the Average Guy's Dream to Protect his Homeland

Orchid Island. Photo: TzuYu Yen

Summary

Orchid Island is one of the Pacific Islands with rich natural and cultural resources. It has been restricted to the research area until 1967. Since then, tourists to the island have increased explosively. Lacking a recycle system made it worse. Orchid has encountered the first garbage crisis ever in its history.

A local Tao farmer and general store owner, A-Wen, wanted a change for his homeland. Fed up with the inefficient local government, he initiated a recycle system in 2012.  He faces many challenges and the project brings some financial burdens. To run the recycle system sustainably, he has a dream to build an ultimate tourism recycle station. The ultimate shack would allow him to work longer indoors and generate extra revenue by advocating for conservation and Tao cultures.

Friends in Taiwan Adventures is a tour organization that cares about community, culture and conservation. We are helping A-Wen to raise funds to launch his dream shack. Support the historical movement on Orchid Island today. See below for details.

The Story

Where is Orchid Island?

Tao kids playing basketball in traditional 
clothes, loincloths. Photo: TzuYu Yen

Orchid Island (a.k.a Lanyu) is a small island situated in the Pacific Ocean off the south-east coast of Taiwan. It is approximately 45 square kilometers in area. It has abundant rainfall and almost one hundred protected rare plant and animal species, including the local Phalaenopsis orchids. The island has about 4000 inhabitants, mostly indigenous Tao people, a part of “oceanic people”. They called the island, “Ponso no Tao” (“Island of People”).

The island was first mapped on a French map of 1654 as Tabaco Xima. It has been restricted to the research area and close to the public until 1967. Due to the restriction, Tao people have the best preserved traditions among the Taiwanese aborigines.  Yet since 1967, schools were built on the island and “modern” education in Taiwanese Mandarin became compulsory. Tourists to the island have also increased explosively.

The Garbage Crisis

Per Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau, 78,000 tourists on average visited the island of 4,000 inhabitants annually. In 2013 and 2014, the number of visitors skyrocketed to 148,000 and 129,000 respectively.   Uncontrolled tourism inevitably brings the impacts on the local economy, culture and environment. 70 tonne, or 154,000 lbs, of trash was produced every month in the low season. In the high season, it averages about 120 tonne, or 264,000 lbs, per month. 

Photo: A-Wen

Moreover, in responding to the increasing tourism, more cars and scooters were shipped to the island. Per Taiwan’s Transportation Bureau, Orchid has 500+ cars and 5,000+ scooters that produce an estimate of 8,300 liters, or 2,200 gallon, of used motor oil every month in the high season.

The increasing amount of waste is bad but it is not the worst. Orchid Island did not have a recycle system or any development to process the waste locally. The trash was sent to a tiny 0.87-hectare (2.15-acre) landfill site expired in 2008. After that, the local government shipped the waste to Taiwan to process. The shipping and process fee are costly. It is not surprising that the not-particularly efficient local government is incapable of developing any recycle systems. 

And it’s too costly to recycle the amount of the trash on Orchid for private waste management companies in Taiwan. Therefore for many years the island was left alone with no recycle systems despite the increasing amount of garbage. People were forced to, and used to, dump used motor oil, cooking oil and plastics on the land and in the ocean.

A Local Average Guy Stepped Up

A-WEN and families processing recycled items. Photo: A-Wen

A-Wen is a local Tao farmer and an owner of a small grocery store in one of the six villages on Orchid Island. Like everyone else, he has dumped the waste directly to the land and ocean in his 30+ years of life due to lack of choices. However he has noticed the color of streams on the island changed from clear to murky. In 2012, he decided to stop polluting his homeland and initiated a recycle movement. 

He started with the used oil recycle in 2012 and then incorporated the plastics recycle in 2014. With limited resources, he simply visited the residents on the island door by door and asked for permission to place the recycle drums for the used oils and large mesh bags for plastic bottles.   

But It Is Not Easy

Recycling may be something basic for a lot of us. It does not make sense to every local on the island.  In the first 6 months, A-Wen only recycled an estimate of 2% of the used motor oil. Even now after 3 years of promotion, he could still only recycle an estimate of 4% in the high season. [1] 

Table [1]. A very low recycle rate.

The same goes to the plastic waste.  Although the recycle mesh bags are available at many locations, plastic waste is still scattered around the island or burned by locals without the knowledge of the Dioxin toxicity. People also throw rotten food or even dead birds in the mesh bags. A-Wen got laughs from some villagers. They think that he started the recycling movement for a big fortune.

A Money-Losing Project

They forget that if there is a big fortune, the waste management companies in Taiwan would have established the recycle system long time ago. It is a basic principle of the market economy. Just how profitable or unprofitable this recycle system is? A-Wen told us he gained about $50,000 NTD ($1,600 USD) a year in gross revenue. We roughly estimate the profitability of his two recycling lines based on the routines he described to us. Without the cost of his truck, the used oil recycle nets profit at $9,800 NTD ($300 USD) a year and the plastic recycle ends with a yearly loss of $118,000 NTD ($3,800 USD). That totals $108,000 NTD ($3,500 USD) in loss. [2] 

Used Oil Recycle Est Profit Shows Positive.

Table [2] -1 Used oil recycle has a profit.

Plastic Oil Recycle Est Profit is Negative... Far Off from Break Even

Table [2]-2 Plastic recycle reports a loss. 

A-Wen doesn’t mind donating his labors doing the right thing. But recycling, especially recycling plastics, takes away the time he can take care of his grocery shop and taro farm. A-Wen realizes that he needs help.

The Solution

To make this recycle system sustainable, he needs to do 3 things: reducing the labor cost, increasing the recycling rate, and generating more revenues.  

Reducing the labor cost and increasing the recycling rate go hand in hand. The recycle concept is not well accepted in Orchid Island yet. A-Wen has to go through each bag cleaning and separating the recyclable bottles from the rotted food and dead birds. If people care more about the environment conservation, they will be more willing to recycle the waste properly. A-Wen would be able to collect more recyclable items in each round island trip and spend less time processing them afterwards.  Besides reducing the cost, he also needs to generate more revenues from the trash to turn around the recycle project.   

An Ultimate Tourism Recycle Station

Photo: National Historic Monuments of Taiwan

A-Wen came up with an idea to solve all three problems above: An ultimate tourism recycle station!!! He plans to build the station on a 50-square-meter (538-square-foot) area in his sweet potato farm. The station would probably start off as an easy metal shack, ideally solar powered and a brick shack later when he has more funds.  

It will be divided to two rooms, a recycling room and a tourism room. The bottle baling machine that currently stands outside will be moved into the recycling room for better protection.  The tourism room will be used as a space to introduce Orchid Island to tourists and to promote conservation and the community service. Detailed benefits below:

The recycling room

·         Improving productivity:

Roofed workstation allows longer working hours regardless the weather.  Indoor storage would probably extend the life of the bottle baling machine and thus decrease the cost of maintaining the machine

The tourism room

•          A sustainable way to make extra revenue on the trash

A-Wen plans to welcome the tourists with a 2-hour storytelling session talking about the Tao culture, traditions and environment conservation issues on the island. This service will be offered on a donation basis.  He would also display the crafts and arts from the local artists for purchase, especially featuring those made of recyclable materials.  

•           A great place for education and community service

There is an obvious need to promote the recycling and environment conservation concept among the tribesmen. And the lonely elders on the island with lots of wisdom may be the best promoters. As remote as it is, Orchid Island has high population outflows due to the urbanization. Young people left the island for higher-paid jobs and left many elders home. 

These elders learned the wisdom and traditions from previous generations. They would love to share and pass on the knowledge if given a chance. The conservation promotion events will provide them the best opportunities. A-Wen wants to invite these elders to talk about the history, culture, and traditions. 

Through learning the old wisdom, tribe youngsters can be inspired to know their roots and love their land. The love will lead them to follow the principles of the conservation to reduce, reuse and recycle.  

We calculate the potential profits that the ultimate shack could bring. We assume that with the shack, A-WEN can collect double amount of recycles per trip, use half amount of the time to process the plastics, spend less to repair the baler and have extra income from the donations. A-Wen can possibly run his recycling system sustainably with $2,800 NTD (~$100 USD) in profits a year. [3] It is not a lot. At least he can continue recycling while taking care of his families with his farm and grocery store. Plus profits may improve in the future when people are more and more aware of conservation.

Forecasted  Oil Recycle Est Profit Shows More Positive

Table [3] -1
Raising the conservation awareness will increase the recycle rate.
The local government started to promote electronic scooters in July 2015 

Forecasted Plastic Oil Recycle Est Profit is Close to Break Even

Table [3]-2 Extra revenue from donations will greatly help the bottom line numbers.

Raising the Fund

The shack would cost an estimate of $400,000 NTD ($12,860 USD) initially. A-Wen has launched a funding project on his facebook page since July 2014 and received about $100,000 NTD ($3,200 USD) so far. He also joined a NGO community contest that could possibly bring him a prize of $150,000 NTD ($4,800 USD). He needs to raise $150,000 NTD ($4,800 USD) more. Every dollar we raise would help him get closer to his dream to change the history of Orchid Island.

How You Can Help

A-WEN in his potato farm. Photo: A-Wen

Friends in Taiwan Adventures is a tour organization that cares about community, culture and conservation. When we covered the story, we found out he could use extra help. We are helping him to set up a fundraising campaign through a crowd funding site.  Please leave us an email if you would like to be notified when it’s up. 

Meanwhile, if you really want to make your donation now, please paypal us at fan2.lin@gmail.com. Please make a note telling Paypal that the money is donations for saving Orchid Island garbage crisis.  Otherwise Paypal Taiwan may freeze our account for a “suspicious” transaction.

Alternatively, you can like our facebook page. Right now we are sponsoring him with a “1 like, $1 NTD” campaign on facebook for the first 1,500 likes. It will cost you nothing to donate $1 NTD to A-Wen.

You can volunteer too. If you are travelling to Orchid Island and would like to help A-Wen process plastic recycles for 2 hours, please contact us. You could also volunteer to build the shack.

Spreading the word helps. Click the share buttons below. Publishers, you could conduct an interview with A-WEN as well. Please contact us if you need help.

We could also use the donation of solar panels or building materials for the shack.

Thank you for supporting A-WEN and supporting change.

Who is A-WEN?

A-WEN is your typical average family guy - honest, hardworking and a little stubborn. Born and raised on the Orchid Island, he has deep connections to the land. Like many Tao people, he has struggled between the traditions and the modern world. He left Orchid Island to earn more money when he was 17. But the families and the love of the land ultimately brought him back in his late 20s in 2004. Community-minded, he has volunteered for elderly with a local community service group since then. He also noticed the island’s tourism boom and the trash they left behind.

Yet like most of residents, he ignored the trash scattered around the island at first. He turned a blind eye to the used oil dumped in the stream. He thought something was wrong but he hesitated to be the first to make a change.

Over the years, he saw more and more damages that the pollution caused. Some tourists complained to him about lacking of a recycling system. An inefficient local government frustrated him too.

He went through multiple internal struggles. Finally he talked himself out of the hesitation and launched the recycle movement in 2012. In 2014, he became a father. Now he has more reason to protect the island where he calls home.  


What is it like to recycle? 

If the embedded video doesn't play, visit Youtube.   

  

Source:

·         Interview with A-Wen (Cheng-Wen Lin)

·         Taiwan Tourism Bureau

·         Taiwan Transportation Bureau

·         Wiki

·         Taipei News  

·         Liberty Times Net 

·         A-Wen’s video: In Mandarin

·         Documentary of A-Wen by Daai TV : In Mandarin

·         News of A-Wen by Formosa TV : In Mandarin

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