Exploring the Fusion of Business, Culture, and Religion in Taiwan: The Heart of Asia

All posts by Eileen Lee

Wednesday, June 4th, 2025

Day 11, Kaohsiung – Zuoying Yuandi Temple, Sizihwan Beach

Today we visited Zuoying Yuandi Temple, which sits right by the edge of Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung. The first thing I saw was massive statue of Xuantian Shangdi. It towers above the temple, with his foot resting on a snake and turtle. Even though I wasn’t familiar with the god before, the imagery alone made it clear that he’s a powerful figure. Walking up to the temple, I noticed the detail in the architecture of dragons curled around the beams and the now familiar smell of incense within the building. Compared to other temples we’ve visited, this one felt especially […]

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Wednesday, June 4th, 2025

Day 10, Kaohsiung – Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts

Today we visited the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts where I saw so many different types of art, ranging from realism to sculptures to abstract art. The most prominent exhibit was the “Walker” exhibit by Tsai Ming-Liang. The video installations featured a monk dressed in red, slowly walking through noisy, fast-moving city environments—places like subway stations, busy intersections, and crowded sidewalks. He moved with such intention that it felt almost unreal compared to the speed of everyone else around him. The movements almost made me uncomfortable with how painfully slow each step was, but it also made me think about […]

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Wednesday, June 4th, 2025

Day 9, Taichung – National Taichung Theater, Lukang Historial Town, Fongjia Night Market

Today we went to the National Taichung Theater, the Lukang Historical Town, and the Fongjia Night Market. We got to the theater about 20ish minutes before they opened so we killed some time by having a little talent show. April showed us how she could turn her arm a full 360 degrees because she’s double jointed, Joelle and Professor Chen gave individual vocal performances, and Ayden told us a hilarious and wild story about a time he was on the New York subway. At the theater I had a coffee with a scoop of matcha ice cream in it which […]

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Wednesday, June 4th, 2025

Day 8, Hsinchu/Taichung – Hsinchu’s Old City

This morning we checked out of our Taipei hotel and took the high-speed rail to Hsinchu. The train ride was quick, quiet, and smooth and felt more like riding on a plane than a train, especially when a beverages cart rolled down the aisles. Everything was clean and there was more than enough space between each row, making it easy to move in and out of the seats, even when the seat in front of me was stretched back. It was a bit surreal how quickly we went from a dense cityscape to open stretches of countryside, and then into […]

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Wednesday, June 4th, 2025

Day 7, Taipei – Hong Jaan Printing Co., Dihua Street

Today we visited Hong Jaan Printing Co., owned by Professor Chen’s brother in law. He had mentioned this stop during our pre-trip sessions and described it as a very small print shop, so I came in with low expectations. I pictured something old-fashioned—maybe hand-cranked presses like the ones I saw at the Benjamin Franklin Printing House on a middle school trip to Boston. But as soon as we arrived, I realized that I was very wrong. The shop was full of large, industrial-grade machines and impressive prints hung around the workspace. It was clear that this was not just a […]

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Wednesday, June 4th, 2025

Day 6, Taipei – Taiwan National University

Today we visited National Taiwan University. From the moment we arrived, the campus felt vibrant and full of life despite the cloudy weather with tree-lined paths, historic buildings, and bikes everywhere. It had the classic university feel but with a distinctly Taiwanese character. We met with a group of NTU students who volunteered to guide us around, and they were all so friendly and welcoming. Talking with them gave us a real look into student life here—how their classes work, what they study, where they hang out, and even the stress they feel during exams. It was comforting to realize […]

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