Travel | Taiwan
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1 Tiger lilies are left to dry under the sun . The petals and buds are often used in traditional dishes , including hot and sour soup .
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5 Senses – Sight TAITUNG ABORIGINAL GALLERY
For an insight into the traditional art forms of Taiwan ’ s aboriginal tribes , head to the 1,921m 2 Taitung Aboriginal Gallery , an eye-catching museum dedicated to the art and culture of the Austronesian tribes . Developed in 2016 by Taiwanese firm Bioarchitecture Formosana , the gallery is made up of individual , recycled shipping containers , which are housed in a building that incorporates Austronesian design elements , including an undulating roof , inspired by the waves of the Pacific , which allows for natural light to enter .
It ’ s an easy downhill walk from the hotel , across the Cihmu Bridge to the Tunnel of Nine Turns , one of the route ’ s most impressive engineering feats .
Untuk melihat bentuk seni tradisional suku asli Taiwan , kunjungi Taitung Aboriginal Gallery , sebuah museum menarik seluas 1.921 m 2 yang didedikasikan untuk seni dan budaya suku-suku Austronesia . Dibangun pada tahun 2016 oleh perusahaan bioteknologi Taiwan , Formosana , galeri ini terdiri atas kontainerkontainer kapal yang didaur ulang dan ditempatkan di sebuah bangunan dengan elemen desain Austronesia , seperti atap bergelombang , yang terinspirasi gelombang Pasifik , yang memungkinkan masuknya cahaya matahari .
Taroko National Park , the 19km-long canyon is the ultimate testament to the powers of nature . For 70 million years , rushing alpine rivers have worn down layers of rock and marble to create an awe-inspiring geological landscape of milehigh cliffs and deep ravines . Deservedly named for the aboriginal word for ‘ magnificent ’, Truku , the description actually comes from the tribe ’ s first venture beyond the canyon to the cusp of the Pacific Ocean , which , for a people used to the confinement of the island ’ s interior , must have looked pretty magical .
That said , Taroko , and man ’ s minuscule impact on it , is nothing short of inspiring . Nationalist soldiers were put to work carving a road through the living rock , and the resulting road now whisks visitors up to 3,400m above sea level and beneath some of Taiwan ’ s tallest peaks .
I spend the evening in one of the outdoor hot pools at Silks Place Taroko , built on the site of the famous Tian Hsyang alpine lodge , under a canopy of stars . The hotel features beautiful guest rooms and a spa overlooking a mountain river , but most guests simply come to commune with the majesty of the gorge .
At dawn the next morning I set out to explore the gorge . It ’ s an easy downhill walk from the hotel , across the Cihmu Bridge to the Tunnel of Nine Turns , one of the route ’ s most impressive engineering feats . Donning a white hard hat to protect again the occasional falling rock , I follow a narrow path between towering cliffs and turquoise waters roaring into the abyss below . It ’ s the kind of setting that has inspired poetry and art for centuries . I continue on to the Swallow ’ s Grotto and watch the cave ’ s namesake birds dance on the thermals and nest in natural cracks in the cliff face , while at the Eternal Spring Shrine I join a new generation of pilgrims to photograph the picturesque ‘ eternal ’ waterfalls .
That night I decide to explore the gorge with a night-time bike tour . Despite being strung with more lights than a Christmas tree , the darkness is like a vacuum that blinds the senses and deafens with its silence . We swoop down the quiet mountain highway and pause above the rushing Liwu River .
I chat with my guide , Li-Wen , a fit young Chinese woman for whom the hills back to the hotel offer little challenge , about city life . She sits back in her saddle , looks up at the stars and mutters with a smile : “ Most people don ’ t know what they ’ re missing .” Thanks to a tunnel that links a once-divided people , all that is changing .