‘We all get a bit nervous when we approach April and August.’
I was not quite clear what Brian Hioe, a journalist and activist, was getting at, so, in between mouthfuls of beef broth and dumplings, I ask him to explain.
The sea in the straits between China and Taiwan is at its calmest during these months, he informs me, making an invasion more likely.
One of the many attractions of the remarkable island of Taiwan is the resilience of its people.
They manage to be serious and humorous, relaxed and alert. They are also incredibly welcoming to foreign tourists.
Tower power: John Kampfner starts a tour of Taiwan in Taipei, the bustling capital (pictured)
Brian is keen to talk not just about the threat from ‘over there’ – China – but to introduce me to Wang’s Broth.
This restaurant, in the heart of Huaxi Street Night Market, may look more like a canteen, but this institution attracts celebrities – even the newly elected president felt he needed to look in during the recent campaign – and it features in the Michelin Guide.
Shortly before my visit, Chinese jets had been menacing Taiwan’s airspace. Yet the locals keep calm (or, rather, they keep boisterous) and carry on; they assume that since an invasion hasn’t happened for decades, why should it happen now?
With dictators cracking down elsewhere, they see a market opportunity. They believe Taiwan is replacing Hong Kong as the region’s cultural and tourism hub. And they’re right. Once an audacious beacon of free speech, Hong Kong now feels anxious. As in the big cities of mainland China, you worry that someone is watching you, making sure you don’t step out of line.
Taiwan couldn’t be more different. With its noisy wide streets, the capital, Taipei, is not classically beautiful. Yet there is no shortage of places to visit and it’s easy to get around.
John dines at Wang’s Broth in Taipei’s Huaxi Street Night Market (seen above). The restaurant features in the Michelin Guide, he reveals
Above, National Palace Museum in Taipei, which contains the largest collection of 5,000 years of Chinese art and artefacts anywhere in the world
My first destination is the Maokong Gondola taking you from Taipei Zoo above oolong tea plantations to any of several tea houses on top. If you’re not scared of heights, choose one of the cable cars with a glass floor.
The most famous landmark in Wanhua, the oldest district of Taipei, is Longshan, or Dragon Mountain temple. Watch worshippers toss two pieces of wood called jiaobei blocks on to the floor and wait for the divine response. Depending on how they land, the answer they receive is either ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘maybe’ to whatever prayer they have uttered.
The National Palace Museum contains the largest collection of 5,000 years of Chinese art and artefacts anywhere in the world. In 1949, as the Communists took over the mainland, the Nationalists’ leader, Chiang Kai-shek, fled, establishing an alternative Republic of China on the island.
While in Taipei, John stays at the Shangri-La, which has ‘sumptuous rooms providing floor-to-ceiling panoramic views of the city and the mountains surrounding it’
Above, the Shangri-La’s rooftop swimming pool and Jacuzzi
They brought the artefacts with them, and here they have stayed, much to the fury of Beijing. Apparently, the museum holds 700,000 pieces, and it would take days to do it justice. Best to focus on a room or two, taking in the scrolls, vases or ornate ceramic figurines from the 7th century.
One building towers over the city. Taipei 101 was the world’s tallest skyscraper when it opened in 2004. It was overtaken by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010. I take the fast lift for lunch in one of the 85th-floor restaurants.
So much for size. The true charm of Taipei is to be found down its small streets. My favourite area is Da’an, just south of the centre, where the main university is based. I stay here in the Shangri-La, its sumptuous rooms providing floor-to-ceiling panoramic views of the city and the mountains surrounding it. The best vista of all is from its rooftop swimming pool and Jacuzzi.
John visits Yangmingshan, a national park with ‘well marked walking routes’
You can’t get lost in Taiwan or, rather, you can, but within seconds someone will offer to help. If their English is found wanting, speak into a translation app on your phone and you will be redirected, with a smile.
Meandering is part of the fun. Otherwise, I wouldn’t one evening have found a speakeasy near my hotel where two hyper-cool Japanese barmen fix you a cocktail.
But it’s just as easy to get away from it all. An hour from Taipei by bus, rental car or taxi is Yangmingshan, a national park with well marked walking routes.
I stay one night on the edge of the park at a spa hotel where you can while away hours in the various hot or icy pools surrounded by bamboo and birdsong.
I take the super-high-speed train to Tainan, the ancient capital, but prefer the more modern city of Kaohsiung. They’ve managed to build the largest single-space theatre in the world here. I happen to be here on the eve of the spectacular dragon boat festival.
But Taiwanese don’t have to rely on national holidays to get out and enjoy themselves. They live for the day. Their enthusiasm, their defiance, is infectious.
