Truly Taiwan's Treasure: Taitung, pure and natural

Keep heading north, past betelnut and coconut palms, and the landscape turns decidedly more mountainous, with steep, forested hills sloping into the sea. There's a novelty tourist spot — "Water Running Up." On the coastline, you pass an empty resort hotel project recently nipped in the bud after it failed an EPA impact assessment for burying concrete waste on the beach. Tourism in Taitung is curiously backwards, perhaps also part of its charm. High on the hill to your left is a house once made famous in a Taiwanese film; now it is a hilltop performance venue, book and gift store, and charming coffee shop.

Keep heading north, and you will come to The Sugar Factory. It is a renovated Taiwan Sugar factory that now features music acts, and accommodation for travelers. At the moment, there's an exhibition of wood sculptures there, a Taitung tourism official said. During these Chinese New Year holidays, hotels are filled to capacity but people are welcome to bring a tent and camp there for free. On Jan. 26, a Taiwan Rainbow Gathering of peacelovers took place near Dulan (都蘭) Village.

The Sugar Factory is both a haven and a mecca for the local artistic community; travelers and locals alike enjoy the cafe and gift shop, a rare example of true cafe culture in Taiwan. Scratch the surface, and you'll meet some of Taiwan's most accomplished and talented (and aboriginal) artists here, such as Flying Fish, Sakuliu Pavavalung and many others.

Nearby Mt. Dulan (都蘭山) has been a sacred site since time immemorial; Beinan people's feet point toward it in their graves, in what archaeologists believe was a form of homage to their ancestors. To actually scale Mt. Dulan, however, is something for far more experienced hikers and climbers, as it reportedly takes at least three hours each way, and is treacherous in places — yet another Taitung experience worthy of a separate article. Enjoy!

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