For a relatively small country, Taiwan is blessed with no less than 16 recognized Aboriginal tribes, whose existence greatly enriches the ethnic and cultural fabric of its society. Taiwan's east coast is visibly marked by ethnic diversity, with Taiwan's densest concentration of indigenous peoples: eight officially recognized tribes are represented there, and their relative isolation has enabled them to preserve many of their traditional beliefs, languages and practices making it arguably the best region in which to experience tribal Taiwan. Each tribe celebrates a number of festivals throughout the year however from May to August is the best time to experience these traditions.

The Flying Fish Festival

June 2016- exact date tbc

The Yami (or Tao) tribe live on Orchid Island, just off the eastern coast of Taitung County. The Yami tribe consider their fishing boats to be sacred due to the vital role they play within the everyday life of the tribe, they centre their culture around seafaring and fishing.

The Flying Fish Festival consists of ceremonies that begin in the second or third month of the lunar calendar and run for approximately four months, the fishing boats of the tribe are adorned with beautiful decorations in the lead up to the climax of the festival, the Yami Boat Launching Ceremony. During the launching itself, members wear traditional tribal costumes and the men from the village sing and dance to deter devils from the village. The festival is held on Orchid Island and visitors to the island can also experience some of Taiwan's best diving spots just offshore.

For more information please visit: http://go2taiwan.net/Eastern_Taiwan.php

Sea Ritual of the Amis in Chian

June- August 2016 

Also called the 'Fishing Ritual', this festival celebrates the main source of food for the tribe. When the Ritual begins, the young people of the Amis camp near the Hualien River and build an altar out of rocks to enable the priest to worship the sea. During the three day festival, the female members of the tribe are banned from the camp and the men are only permitted to eat what they find at the site in order to teach survival in the wild.  Visitors can access the festival via a number of different buses to Tungchang Village.

For more information please visit: http://go2taiwan.net/Eastern_Taiwan.php

The Amis Harvest Festival

From mid-July to August 2016

Harvest festivals form a large part of any tribal community in Taiwan, and one of the most spectacular celebrations is the Amis harvest ritual, held in August each year. As the largest aboriginal tribe in the country, the Amis live in the valleys and coastal plains in eastern Taiwan in Hualien, Taitung and Pingtung counties. This celebration was originally held to pay respect to elders of the community, and to celebrate the harvest of millet, their main food source. In recent years, the forty villages along the eastern coast have come together to create an annual harvest festival lasting between one and seven days, with singing and traditional dancing at the forefront creating a truly authentic atmosphere. For those visiting Taitung county during the festival period, the Taitung Tourism Night Market on the Chengchi Road is a must visit to try a large plate of stinky tofu, one of the region's most popular dishes.

For more information please visit: http://go2taiwan.net/Eastern_Taiwan.php

Although aboriginal festivals take prominence throughout the summer months, the eastern coast is full of stunning natural attractions. The crown jewel of Taiwan's national parks is Taroko, spanning Nantou County and Hualien County in the east. Lined with marble canyons and ancient hiking paths, Taroko is extremely popular with visitors to the area, and the months of June- August have relatively mild temperatures (ca. 30oC), thus is perfect for exploring this stunning area.

Visitors to the East Coast should plan a trip to Liushidan Mountain (Sixty Stone Mountain). Located North-East of Fuli Village,  Liushidan Mountain is well-known for its daylily flowers which bloom once a year between August and September, covering at least 300 hectares. To reach Sixty Stone Mountain visitors will need their own transport, however there are numerous cycle routes from the main towns including Zhutian Village and Haitian.

For more information please visit: http://go2taiwan.net/Eastern_Taiwan.php

The Taiwan Tourism Bureau's new Asia's Best Kept Secret' campaign showcases Taiwan's rich cultural heritage as well as the destination highlights depicting the vibrant aboriginal tribes as well as Taiwan's year round calendar of events and the diversity of experiences available to visitors.

The new campaign is expected to generate widespread awareness of the destination, with an estimated 85million outdoor impacts comprising of advertising on the iconic London Taxis, branded London buses as well as a digital billboard takeover which took place last month at London One Piccadilly. The outdoor element of the campaign has been complimented by an online campaign which runs for one month on Skyscanner.net and Expedia.co.uk. The outdoor campaign will be visible across high footfall, centrally-located London areas until mid-June, timed to raise awareness ahead of the key summer booking period. 

Ends

Media Information

For further information on Taiwan please visit http://eng.taiwan.net.tw

For media enquiries, please contact Laoise Collins at The Brighter Group on Laoise.collins@brightergroup.com or telephone 020 7326 9880.