2011-12 Student Photo Essays

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My name is Tina Peiyi Liang. I was born in China; I immigrated to the U.S. about 11 years ago and grew up in San Francisco. My first language is Chinese, and I chose to study abroad in Taiwan because I want to experience school in a Chinese environment again. I chose National Taiwan University because I am an accounting major, and they have a great business program. I've always wanted to travel in Taiwan, and studying abroad gave me a great chance to explore this great place! I feel fortunate to have had this experience and am now a more independent and braver person.

One of the things that attracts me to Taiwan is their food! It's like a food paradise, and there are restaurants everywhere. It is very convenient to get food here because there are so many restaurants, and all 7-11's are open 24 hours. There is one downstairs at our dorm, so I pretty much go there every day. If you come to Taiwan, one of the must-go places is a night market. You can find food stands and all kinds of shops, and most of them are open from 5 p.m. to 1-2 a.m. This one is called Yong He Le Hua Night Market.

I was enjoying the breeze on Danshui's Lover's Bridge. Lover's Bridge was named by Taiwan's previous president, Chen Shui Bian. Danshui Fisherman's Wharf is well known for its beautiful sunset and fresh seafood. It still holds its functionality as a harbor for fishing boats.

Taiwan is a very beautiful place. If you are tired of the city life, you can always escape to other parts of Taiwan and enjoy the nature. This photo was taken in Miaoli County, famous for farming.

We went to Hualien and had a good time with the aboriginal people. We all dressed in the right clothes, and they taught us their songs and dances. These aboriginal people belong to Amis/Amei, Taiwan's largest tribe. The Amis are primarily fishermen due to their coastal location, and they are traditionally matrilineal. If you are not familiar with matrilineality, it is a system in which descent is traced through the mother and maternal ancestors. In most families, women are the ones that hold the power, but that doesn't mean women will bully their husbands. Most of them share an equal and happy marriage.

Guess where this is? I was at the top of Taipei 101! I am sure many of you have heard of Taipei 101 since it is one of the tallest buildings in the world. When I first got here, I missed my family and friends so much. I saw these cute mailboxes, and I decided to send a mail. You can buy the stamps and choose the box that you want to mail from. Yes, I chose this one!

Isn't Jiufen beautiful? The name Jiufen has a special meaning. During the first years of the Qing Dynasty, the village only housed nine families. Every time shipments arrived from town, the village would request "nine portions." Later they named this place Jiufen, which means "nine portions" in Chinese. Jiufen was only an isolated village before 1989, when gold was discovered in this area. Jiufen is also famous as a setting of the film A City of Sadness in 1989. The nostalgic scenery of Jiufen as seen in the film, as well as appearances in other media, attracted many people to come visit Jiufen.

This is the Eyes of Maokong Gondola near the zoo in Taipei. It takes at least 30 minutes to ride from the first stop to the last stop at Maokong. Maokong is on top of the mountain, and it is famous for hiking and tea tasting.

The zoo in Taipei is very cute! It is a very big zoo, and you will find pandas there! Admission is only 30NT ($1) with a student discount. Doesn't it sound too good to be true?? This is one of the must-go places for sure, especially if you love animals.

I found this fun place in Jiufen where you can play around the whole house for only 20NT (60 cents). It's called The Secret Base. Here, I'm playing dress-up!

I really enjoy the nature in Taiwan. This location is Jingguashi, which was once famous for its gold mines. Looking at the great views, I didn't want to go home. My first impression of Taiwanese people is that they are very helpful and nice. Travelers are welcome here, so don't be afraid to ask for directions.

There are many temples in Taiwan. I am serious-you can see them everywhere! Taiwan has more than 5000 temples, ranging in size from single room shrines to vast multi-story complexes. Almost all of them are active places of worship. Taiwanese people are very superstitious. Whenever they encounter problems or if they are curious about their future, they will go "baibai" to ask for answers or blessings.