Taiwan's recent history dates back to 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek and his defeated Kuomintang soldiers and followers, about 1.3 million people in all, fled mainland China. While China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and regards it as a province of China, Taiwan considers itself more Chinese than mainland China. Regardless of its complicated relationships, travellers taking Taiwan flights will discover a fascinating land with a rich cultural heritage, glorious, otherworldly lantern festivals and six national parks with dramatic volcano-and-hot-spring landscapes.
Taipei, the capital, boasts not only one of the world's tallest skyscrapers (Taipei 101) but the National Palace Museum, which has the world's best collection of traditional Chinese artefacts and the contents of the Forbidden Palace (in Beijing), the National Centre for Traditional Arts and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. The city also has lively night markets. The most famous is the Shilin Night Market where you can walk from stall to stall sampling Taiwanese cuisine.
An exciting country, just half-a-day away, there are reasonably cheap flights to Taiwan from airports around the UK.
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