Taiwan’s ambitions to be a cycling paradise are blighted by industrial eyesores and local governments that turn a blind eye to polluters flaunting regulatory loopholes.
The News Lens
Date: 2017/10/17
By: Andrew Kerslake
With the annual bicycle festival right around the corner, the Tourism Bureau is again 
hard at work pumping Taiwan’s place in the bicycling universe with lofty powder-puff pay for play articles that seek to lure potential cycling tourists to our shores in search of a life of exotic adventure in the timeless swirling mists of the Far-East.
By the beginning of October the official Tourism Bureau budget is ripe enough to fete cycling writers and bloggers on managed tours of Taiwan’s hand picked cycling monuments, which all seem to rest amid the swelling bosom of tourism furniture — hotels, hot springs, knick knacks, food…etc…or they serve to validate government expenditures on infrastructure like meandering bike paths or bike-share programs that mainly cater to students. The copy retains a familiar form along the official Tourism Bureau talking points listed for each writer to earn airfare and a travel stipend. We see glowing reviews of “the Bicycle Paradise” or the cute moniker “the Cycling Kingdom” with its knowing wink to King Liu, the figurehead of Giant Manufacturing Co, Ltd. the maker of several branded bicycles and components.
Take these examples:
“Premier Mao stated that he envisions Taiwan becoming a “cycling paradise,” and relevant strategies are necessary to achieve this vision”. –Executive Yuan (2015)
“Combined with the country’s natural splendor with advance infrastructure i.e. good roads, Taiwan makes an ideal destination for cycling. Due to its vast infrastructure budget spent by the government for the maintenance of its roads, Taiwan altogether has over 3,000 kilometers of road network making it a paradise for cycling enthusiasts to venture within.” –Arabian Gazette
“Over the last two decades, Taiwan has transformed into a cyclist’s paradise, opening thousands of kilometers of interwoven bikeways through some of the island’s most beautiful landscapes. The extensive new network of routes has earned the country many accolades, including a spot on Lonely Planet’s 2012 Best Countries to Visit list and CNN Travel’s top “Cycling Routes That’ll Take Your Breath Away,” and for good reason. By bike, visitors can cruise past hillsides painted with colorful flower farms, marvel at the geology of Taroko Gorge’s marble walls, follow old rail lines through retired mining tunnels, cross thrill-inducing suspension bridges and sample sweet pineapple cakes from local farm stands.”–Smithsonian
