The Taiwanese summer, while characterized by heat and humidity, is a busy time with multiple unique cultural events, numerous folk ceremonies and indigenous festivals, and countless opportunities to explore nature. Regardless of where you are on the island, convection thunderstorms are common on summer afternoons, and usually clear up before evening resulting in beautiful multicolored sunsets. Temperatures in Taipei basin average 30.8 C (87 F) but cooler air may be found in the mountains.
Folk Festivals and Traditional Experiences
Jinshan Sulfuric Fire Fishing
Every typhoon season, a dozen of aging fishermen in three boats set out from Jinshan’s Huangguang Fishing Harbor to continue the century-old tradition of “fire fishing”. Jinshan is the last known place on earth where this traditional and labor-intensive fishing method is practiced. This highly-photogenic—it was featured on the cover of National Geographic—practice involves a sulfur-fed torch fashioned out of bamboo being lit over the water after darkness falls. Thousands of sardines, responding to the brightness of the flame, erupt out of the water and land in the nets of waiting fishermen. This practice continues for up to 12 hours a night. Today, as more efficient methods of fishing have prevailed, only three determined captains have strived to continue this tradition by turning it into a cultural attraction. Trips are available between June and September and are weather dependent.
Ghost Month & The Chianggu Festivals
The Chianggu festivals of Yilan’s Toucheng and Pingtung’s Hengchun can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty. In order to drive away wandering ghosts that were released into the world during ghost month, residents would erect bamboo towers to present offerings of food in hopes of appeasing the ghosts and driving them away. These food offerings would eventually be distributed to the poor, but due to the state of society, this often evolved into violent scrambles between residents hoping to have more for themselves. In today’s well-fed society, this tradition has evolved into a healthy competition where residents race to climb up one of 36 23-meter-high grease-covered poles to be the first to reach the top in this tower climbing competition.
East Coast Festivals: Indigenous Harvest Festivals and Natural Wonders
Hualien Gov't Amis Harvest Festival
The Amis are only one of Taiwan’s 16 recognized indigenous ethnic groups, however, as a result of the Hualien City Government’s efforts at expanding tourism, and the Amis’ warmhearted nature, it is their harvest festival that has become a popular summer attraction, and one of the best ways to gain exposure to indigenous custom. In addition to each tribe’s Harvest Ceremony which requires private invitation, the Hualien City Government hosts a united Harvest Festival designed for the public. At the harvest festival, visitors can try traditional Amis foods, observe and appreciate traditional Amis attire, learn to sing Amis songs, and even participate in ceremonial dances (this is normally off-limits to visitors in private Amis ceremonies).
A group of Amis, dressed in traditional attire, are performing a dance during their tribe's Harvest Festival.
Mountain Daylily Festival
Two mountains in the East Rift Valley National Scenic Area, and one mountain in Taimali Township in Taitung are known for cultivating fields of high-mountain orange daylilies. When the daylilies bloom in August, the local government pays farmers on the scenic mountaintops to hold off on harvesting their flowers for about a month. The resulting high-mountain lilly fields overlook the narrow East Rift Valley, creating a majestic landscape. Mornings and sunsets are particularly beautiful as beams of light shoot through clouds and between the peaks of the Central Mountain Range to the West, creating a heavenly scene. Each mountain features its own local rustic bed and breakfasts and opportunities for DIY agricultural tourism. As the majority of the day lily farmers are Hakka, both traditional Hakka cuisine, and daylily-based dishes are available.
Photographers line-up to get the perfect shot atop Mt. Liushishi in the East Rift Valley during the Daylily Festival.
Taiwan International Balloon Festival
Billed as Taitung’s biggest event of the summer, the Taiwan International Balloon Festival is already in its 12th year. For two months, themed balloons lift off from the Luye Highlands and take visitors into the skies above the East Rift Valley. The festival is so famous that reservations need to be made days in advance and visitors start lining up hours before sunrise to grab a day-off ticket.
Watersports
Summer is the season for watersports in Taiwan. From surfing, snorkeling and stand-up paddleboarding along Taiwan’s dynamic and rugged coastlines, to river tracing through the crystal clear rivers of the Central Mountain Range, one of the best ways to enjoy Taiwan’s rather hot summer is on the water. Stand-up paddle boarding tours are a particularly popular way to enjoy sunrise on the East Coast, while getting a rare off-island view of the rugged coastline. If conditions permit, most areas of the coast also feature sections of coral and sub-tropical fish. On the other hand, indigenous communities have begun to offer guided river excursions into the canyons behind their villages. Most trips take place in crystal clear water, marble and granite canyons, and visit towering waterfalls.
Standup paddleboarders line up for a group photo in front of Elephant Rock on New Taipei City’s Northern Coast.
