The East Coast—Hualien and Taitung

Hualien
Hualien City is famous for its stone carvings. Every year, it holds an international stone carving festival. This festival has become famous worldwide. Traditionally, visitors have bought marble when they came to Hualien. Unfortunately, marble cutting has begun to have a negative effect on the environment in local mountainous areas. So if you visit, it might be a better idea to buy some jade instead.

It also has pleasant parks, temples, Japanesestyle buildings, and coastline. If you go to Hualien, you must visit Taroko National Park, named after Taroko Gorge. The word Taroko means "magnificent and beautiful" in the local tribe’s language. The park is full of magnificent gorges and cliffs. It is one of Taiwan’s national parks and it’s a great opportunity to experience some of the island’s untouched natural beauty.

Hualien also has some famous foods and snacks, such as mochi (rice cake) and wonton.

Taitung
Taitung is the other main city on the east coast. It has a population of around 109,000 people. Visitors should be sure to visit Taitung’s National Museum of Prehistory and Peinan Cultural Park. The Peinan Cultural Park is an archeological site that was discovered by accident during the construction of a railway station in 1980. The park shows how prehistoric peoples used to live thousands of years ago.

If you’re interested in local art, then the Taitung Railway Art Village shouldn’t be overlooked. The Taitung government converted several of the city’s old railway station buildings into exhibition halls for local artists. The end result is a comfortable space that mixes modern art with local history.

There are so many things to see in Hualien and Taitung. They are also noted for their hot springs resources. Zhiben Hot Springs in Taitung County is one of the most famous hot springs in Taiwan. It is a sodium bicarbonate spring and the temperature of the water can reach as high as 85°C.

Taiwan’s east coast offers cultural experiences as well as natural resources. You can also head for one of the offshore islands, Green Island or Lanyu (Orchid Island), from here. You will never be bored when visiting the east coast of Taiwan! Just be sure to go slow and take it easy!

東海岸：花蓮與台東

花蓮
花蓮市的石雕很出名，每年都會舉行國際石雕藝術季，這項活動已是國際知名。傳統上，遊客來花蓮都會買大理石。不幸地是，開採大理石已對當地山區的環境產生負面的影響。因此，如果你去花蓮玩，也
許改買玉製品會比較好。

那裡也有宜人的公園、廟宇、日式建築和海岸線。如果你到花蓮，一定要去以太魯閣峽谷命名的太魯閣國家公園。太魯閣在當地原住民部落語裡意指「壯觀而美麗的」。公園裡處處可見壯麗的峽谷和懸崖。這是台灣的國家公園之一，也是體驗島上未被破壞的天然美景的好機會。

花蓮也有些出名的美食與點心，如麻糬和扁食。

台東
台東是東部的另一個大城，人口約10 萬9 千人。遊客一定要去參觀國立台灣史前文化博物館和卑南文化公園。卑南文化公園是座考古遺址，是1980 年要建造一座火車站時所意外發現。公園裡展現數千年前
史前人類的生活。

如果你對當地藝術有興趣，那麼一定不能錯過台東鐵道藝術村。台東市政府將數個市內的老舊火車站站體，變身為展覽館供當地藝術家使用，成為融合現代藝術與當地歷史的舒適空間。

花蓮和台東有好多事物可看。當地的溫泉也很有名。台東縣的知本溫泉是台灣最有名的溫泉之一，屬於碳酸氫鈉泉，水溫可高達攝氏85 度。

台灣東部既有文化體驗又有天然資源，你也可以從這裡前往離島的綠島或蘭嶼遊玩。來到台灣東部絕對不會無聊！只要記得放慢腳步，好好享受！