Originally, I thought that searching for “Taiwanese Culture” on Google Scholar would yield a plethora of textbooks and philosophical articles, just like “Chinese Culture.” However, upon taking action, I discovered that there is still a lack of systematic introductions to Taiwanese culture. Perhaps we shouldn’t try to understand Taiwanese culture from a systematic or holistic perspective; it might be better to understand it through the perspectives of bloggers and netizens.
One blog post mentioned that Taiwanese culture is currently facing various challenges. The author observed that under the influence of foreign cultures, Taiwanese culture is gradually diminishing. The once popular Taiwanese dramas, movies, variety shows, and celebrities in the Chinese-speaking region are being replaced by Western, Japanese, Korean, and even mainland Chinese productions. Additionally, Taiwan is facing a crisis of integrating Chinese culture and dealing with Chinese united front strategies. In terms of cultural education, traditional aspects of Taiwanese culture such as Nanguan and Beiguan music, Guoyue (traditional Chinese music), and ink painting are not being adequately presented. Furthermore, although Taiwan’s food culture is diverse, there is room for improvement in the overall environment.
Overall, Taiwanese culture is diverse but is currently facing challenges in terms of integrating Chinese culture, dealing with Chinese united front strategies, a lack of traditional cultural education, and environmental improvement. Under these circumstances, Taiwan needs to reconsider its cultural image and brand positioning.
Taking into account the recommendations from both Foreigners in Taiwan and Laoren Cha, the following blogs provide introductions to Taiwan from their unique perspectives. Chinese version see here.
| Website Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Attorney on a Journey | Attorney on a Journey is a travel and leisure blog that features unique and offbeat destinations. |
| Frozen Garlic | Frozen Garlic is a blog that primarily focuses on elections in Taiwan. It provides analysis and commentary on the electoral landscape and political developments. |
| Steven Crook's Personal Blog | Steven Crook's personal blog/website |
| Taiwan Everything | Website featuring unique and lesser-known destinations, more like a travel guide |
| Taiwan Trails and Tails | Taiwan Trails and Tails is a blog by two women who hike the mountains and hills of Taiwan. |
| Tricky Taipei | Tricky Taipei offers interesting content with a focus on design and branding, excelling in its domain. |
| Vegan Dan Dan | Vegan Dan Dan is Dan Dan's blog on veganism, offering interesting content related to vegan lifestyle. |
| All Aboard Taiwan | All Aboard Taiwan is a travel blog that updates every few months, sharing insights and stories about Taiwan. |
| Amy Chyan | Food and lifestyle guides to Taipei |
| Attorney on a Journey | Travel in Taiwan by Francesca, a life-long learner, published travel writer, and licensed attorney who packed up her bags to explore the world. |
| Balancing Frogs | Brendan's blog featuring book reviews and general musings |
| Bubble Tea Island | A Belgian studying in Taipei creating content all about Taiwan. |
| Carlyle Discoveries | Frenchie expatriate in Taiwan, with articles and photos of sites around Taiwan. |
| Chaon | A strange but funny blog by Karl Smith based in Taichung. It's more like the dark internet with a Taiwan twist, so keep expectations in check. |
| Clarissa Wei | Blog covering lifestyle and travel in various places, including Taiwan |
| CPBL Stats | News and daily stats about Taiwan baseball. |
| Down to Explore | Adventure and outdoor travels in Taiwan by Ryan Hevern. |
| Eating in Taipei | One of the most comprehensive Taipei restaurant blogs out there |
| Everlasting Journey | Travels from Janet Hsu, a Polish girl married to Taiwanese, exploring Taiwan, sharing experiences in Taiwan, interesting places, culture, and some life |
| Far From Formosa | Far From Formosa doesn't update frequently, but it delivers excellent content when it does. |
| Foreigners in Taiwan | Blog highlighting interesting places in Taiwan |
| Foreigners in Taiwan - US | Blog by US expats living in Taiwan |
| Formosa>Ex | An interesting urban exploration blog written by Jay Mac based in southern Taiwan. |
| Frozen Garlic | A blog on elections in Taiwan. Probably the best active political blog on Taiwan right now. |
| Groove Grrrl (A Day in the life of...) | A travel blog by Jennifer Turek focusing on her adventures in Taiwan, with lots of river tracing. |
| Hidden Taiwan | Blog uncovering interesting places and history |
| Hola Taipei | Taiwan personalized travel services and experiences in English and Spanish. You can discover Taipei and Taiwan secrets and curiosities in their blog with more than 10 years of content. |
| Hungry Girl in Taipei | Food blog focusing on Taiwan cuisine |
| In Beijing | In Beijing is a blog created by Swedish journalist Jojje Olsson, who is currently based in Taiwan. Despite the name, the content is a mix of Swedish and English and covers a range of topics related to Taiwan. |
| Jaysun Eats Taipei | Extensive restaurant guide to Taipei |
| Josh Ellis Photography | A travel and urbex photography gallery and blog by a travel photographer based in Taoyuan. |
| Katy's Blog | Katy's Blog is writer Katy Hui-wen Hung's personal blog, sharing her thoughts and perspectives. |
| Kayla Meets Culture | Kayla Meets Culture is a blog by a woman living in Kinmen, Taiwan, sharing cultural and life experiences. |
| Ketagalan Media | Ketagalan Media is a new media outfit that covers a variety of topics. While not strictly a blog, it offers occasional contributions on various subjects. |
| Keywords | Personal blog of Kerim Friedman, a professor living in Taiwan |
| Laoren Cha | A general blog for women living in Taiwan with commentary on everything about Taiwan by Jenna Cody. |
| Letters from Taiwan | Letters from Taiwan is a blog that has infrequent updates. It offers occasional posts on different topics related to Taiwan. |
| Lief In Taiwan | Blog that concluded in 2012 |
| MIRRORSIGNALMOVE | A blog about reservoirs and waterworks in Taiwan by Mike Fagan. |
| My Little Taiwan | My Little Taiwan still revolves around Taiwan, even though the writer has moved to Berlin. |
| My Several Worlds | My Several Worlds is structured more like a travel website than a blog, providing information on multiple countries and regions. |
| Nick Kembel Spiritual Travels | A travel blog by author, photographer, and award-winning travel blogger Nick Kembel based in Taiwan. |
| Nihao's it Going | A general interest and opinion blog by the pseudonym Mossy Konger, focusing on topics related to foreigners in Taiwan. |
| Ohwanderlin | Blog about wandering, laughing, and writing by Jean. Includes posts on various cafes in Taiwan and other adventures |
| Orbit Adventure | Bilingual French-Canadian teaching English in Taiwan, sharing interesting stories and new places to discover. |
| Out Recording | A unique blog about riding a dirt bike through some hard to reach places in Taiwan, all the while recording sounds. |
| Over the City | Outdoor adventures and urbex by Tom Rook. |
| Paogao's Journal | A blog about travel, photography, films, Chinese, Tai-chi, and news. |
| Pashan | Blog that ceased updating in 2009 |
| Peasants Taiwan | Satirical blog providing humorous content |
| Pepology | Urbex and travel from Len Peps. |
| Poagao's Journal | TC Lin's journal, chronicling his journey from foreigner to Taiwan citizen |
| Polish Girl In Taiwan | Polish Girl In Taiwan is a popular travel spot blog in Taiwan, with recent posts and updates. |
| Road to Self Blog | A blog by a Finnish couple with restless feet. Sadly they left Taiwan last year, but there are lots of great Taiwan-related posts here. |
| Snarky Tofu | Personal blog of Joshua Samuel Brown |
| Spectral Codex | A very detailed and thorough travel and urbex blog by Alexander Synaptic. |
| Spiritual Travels | Nick Kembel's blog about spiritual journeys, showcasing his excellent writing skills |
| Steven Crook | The personal blog of travel writer Steven Crook, author of multiple books on Taiwan. |
| Synapticism | Blog focusing on urban exploration and road trips |
| Taipei Air Station | History and memories from when there was a US air force base in Taiwan. |
| Taipei Teen Tribune | Taipei Teen Tribune offers a unique perspective by providing insights into the thoughts and opinions of Taiwanese teenagers. It covers various subjects and offers a glimpse into the youth's perspectives. |
| Taipology | Taipology is journalist Angelica Oung's Substack, focusing on various topics related to Taiwan. |
| Taiwan Everything | A general interest guide to Taiwan, including outdoors, food, and travel. |
| Taiwan Fun Times | Sharing experiences, adventures, and discoveries in Taiwan with others, by Dokuya. |
| Taiwan Gazette | Taiwan Gazette is a website that primarily focuses on journalism. It provides news articles and analysis on a variety of topics related to Taiwan, keeping readers informed on current affairs. |
| Taiwan Hikes | Hikes all over Taiwan, including information on group hiking trips by Anusha. |
| Taiwan In Perspective | Taiwan In Perspective is a website that covers current affairs with a particular emphasis on defense-related issues. It provides perspectives and analysis on Taiwan's defense matters. |
| Taiwan Insight | Taiwan Insight, while not strictly a blog, offers valuable content on various topics related to Taiwan. It covers a range of subjects and provides insightful analysis and perspectives. |
| Taiwan Scene | Official blog of MyTaiwanTour, where I serve as a guest columnist |
| Taiwan Sentinel | Taiwan Sentinel is a news site dedicated to covering developments in Taiwan. It provides news articles, analysis, and commentary on a wide range of topics pertaining to Taiwan. |
| Taiwan Style | Various travels mainly around southern Taiwan. |
| Taiwan Trails and Tales | Two women who go hiking in the hills and mountains of Taiwan. |
| Taiwanreporter | Taiwanreporter is a German-language blog created by Taiwan-based reporter Klaus Bardenhagen. It offers insights and analysis on various aspects of Taiwan, primarily catered to German readers. |
| Taiwanxifu | Taiwanxifu stopped updating a few years ago, with the most recent post popping up in 2011. |
| The Daily Bubble Tea | Well-established blog with diverse content |
| The Scholar's Stage | The Scholar's Stage is an excellent blog authored by Tanner Greer. While it covers diverse subjects, when it touches on Taiwan-related topics, the content is particularly noteworthy. |
| The View From Taiwan | The View From Taiwan is a blog that was previously active and is known for its excellent content. It provided insights and analysis on various aspects of Taiwan. |
| The Writing Baron | A British-born Taipei-based writer, editor, journalist, and diatribist. Covers a wide range of topics from futsal to foreign affairs. |
| The Writing Baron | The Writing Baron is a blog that focuses on current affairs. It provides analysis and commentary on a wide range of topics, including those pertaining to Taiwan. |
| Thebushman.com | A general interest and travel blog by MJ Klein. |
| Translating Taiwan | A variety of stuff from reviews of Taiwanese/Chinese books to language tidbits, as well as general (and amateur) observations of Taipei, by Conchobar. |
| Travel Taiwan | A very useful travel blog in English by local travel guide Sullivan Chen. |
| Travels in Asia | An extensive travel blog covering places all over Taiwan by Luomujie. |
| Tricky Taipei | Lifestyle blog based in Taipei, with focus on Taiwan's tourism and online strategy |
| Typing To Taipei | Typing To Taipei is Monica Hart's blog with a primary focus on events and activities in Taipei. |
| Vegan Dan Dan | Blog by Darice, a vegan, Miss Taiwanese American 2014, writer, translator, model, and artist currently based in Taipei, Taiwan |
| Veronika's Adventure | Veronika's Adventure is a general travel blog, but it has excellent content in its Taiwan archives. |
| 放羊的狼 | The most extensive resource for mine exploration in Taiwan, by Willy Chang. |