Everything about Taiwan

Taiwan: The World’s Hardware, Your Favorite Morning.

There is a specific kind of magic in a place where you can watch a Nvidia keynote about the future of AI in the morning, and be sweating over a $3 bowl of noodles in a cramped alley by noon. Taiwan doesn’t feel like it’s trying to put on a show for you. It feels more like a workshop that never quite closes. It’s where the companies building the world’s chips, ASUS, HTC, and TSMC, live right next door to ancient temple festivals where the air is thick with incense and the ground is covered in red firecracker paper.

If you’ve been on the internet lately, you’ve probably seen the highlights. You’ve seen Ray (Asian Boy) and Kai Cenat causing absolute chaos while eating fried chicken in Ximending, or Alex Honnold casually scaling the side of Taipei 101 for his Netflix special. But the stuff that actually sticks with you is the mundane genius of the place. Take Giant Bicycles: in Western Europe, these bikes are the undisputed kings of the road, and most people there are genuinely shocked to find out they are 100% Taiwanese. This island mastered the craft, and that same efficiency is why you can go to a convenience store here to ship a bike, pay a parking ticket, and grab a Boba Tea all in one go.

It’s also an island that isn't afraid to be first. In 2019, it became the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, which has helped create a culture that is genuinely open and welcoming to everyone. That openness extends to the food and drink, too. With 12% of the population being vegetarian, you aren't just "finding an option": you’re in a world-class hub for plant-based cooking. And if you need something stronger than tea, you can try the world-famous Kavalan Whisky. It’s a multi-award winner that stunned the traditional spirits world by beating out the best Scottish malts, proving that Taiwan’s subtropical heat can create something truly world-class.

You can take the vintage red train up the Alishan Forest Railway to watch the sunrise through the clouds, or get lost in the steep stairs of Jiufen. And while Ang Lee took Taiwanese cinema to the Oscars with the global success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, you can still visit the quiet Taipei tea houses where he filmed his early classics. Spend a night in a market, take a slow train into the mountains, and somewhere between the two you start to understand why Taiwan works the way it does.