There are some important life events in each society, and Taiwan is no exception. The rite of passage that has become so popular recently for Taiwanese youngsters is traveling around the island, and they see the process as an important step towards growing up.
In 2007 a movie entitled Island Etude was in Taiwanese theaters. The story followed a young man, Ming-hsiang, as he traveled around Taiwan on his bike. He biked to the most beautiful scenery in Taiwan, and from the journey he experienced something he never had before. There is a famous saying from that movie, “If you don’t do something now, you’ll never have the chance to do it in your life.” That movie touched so many young people in Taiwan, and it brought a trend of traveling around the island. Most of the youngsters ride bikes on their journey, as the main character did at the movie.
Biking around Taiwan not only can broaden one’s mind, it is also a physical challenge for young adults. Most Taiwanese adolescents live in clover from childhood; they have been well protected. They don’t know the big world and the diversity of people until they travel around by themselves. By the time they set off to take a trip around Taiwan, they will have begun to learn how to take care of themselves, and they will experience new parts of Taiwan, including differents lifestyles and seeing new things as well as meeting differentpeople. Furthermore, they will find what they really want from the mental journey—you have to get along with yourself because most of the time you are alone.
In a nutshell, traveling around Taiwan is not only a trend but also a milestone for many young people in Taiwan. They will feel relaxed and learn more lessons from the beautiful island—Formosa!
