CRI听力:Travel in Taiwan

It is said that east Taiwan is something of a paradise, in that all of its 16 villages have their own typical features including mountains, valleys, plains, and coastlines; providing the picture perfect scenery. What's more, the culture of Taiwan's ethnic minorities adds a unique charm that tourists will be hard pressed to find elsewhere.

A number of tourists have flocked to the district, from cities like Taipei, in the hope of pursuing a "slower lifestyle". In fact, the local economy in east Taiwan is not as developed as those of other districts, as the area maintains its natural landscape, thus limiting the amount of employment opportunities available. Therefore, some people move to east Taiwan open cafes, some provide tourists with information about the ethnic minorities, while others even take care part of the lands in order to preserve the environment.

Under the guidance of these people, travelers can completely immerse themselves in the beauty of the natural scenery.

In Longtian village, the most popular tourist activity is riding bicycles around the village's roads and alleys. Through this, we can breathe in the fresh air and relieve our pressure, as we enjoy the charming atmosphere of east Taiwan. A small shop, belonging to A Du, is famous among visiting tourists.

A Du is a fascinating individual who has managed to initiate a number of interesting tourist activities, explaining the history of Longtian village in a humorous way. In one of his introductions about the village, he asks visitors to lie down on the road in order to see the world from an inverted angle.

This idea sounds bizarre, especially as cars continue to roar past as people lie down in the road. However, let's lie down in the most beautiful green tunnel with A Du.

"Today we're going to experience and appreciate the purity of nature, so how about we lie down on the road? In fact, we have no choice, as people lying down on this road are much safer than those who stand on it. Why? Because those people standing often stand in the middle of the road laughing at those who are lying down, and they forget the risks about the oncoming traffic. For those people lying down, the drivers know how to avoid them. Of course, we should still pay attention. We do this not just for fun, but to create a new perspective on the beautiful scenery."

Under the guidance of A Du, a group of visitors lie down on the road, watching cars whiz by. Gradually, they begin to appreciate the view as their nerves dissipate. Many discover that the scene they are now viewing looks vastly different from when they were standing. From the ground, the leaves appear heart-shaped, and the road is much wider than before, while the mountains seem to turn into green lakes. This wonderful new perception is created by the visitors, A Du and nature together.

A Du tells visitors that the activity benefits the soul, as it gives visitors a chance to see the world, and also to view their lives, from another angle. A Du reveals that the inspiration for this activity came from one of his own personal experiences.

"One day, as I was closing my shop, 6 girls came in and wanted to rent bicycles. During the trip I acted as their guide. I was so tired, I told them I would sleep for about 20 minutes; so I lay down on the road. When I woke up, I was shocked because they were all lying down next to me. Later, they told me they thought it was normal to lie down on the road. I suddenly realized that trust had led them to follow my lead. So, I incorporated this into the tourist activities."

After lying down on the road, we continued our tour. As we walked through the village we see all kinds of different fruits, from pineapples to bananas. Occasionally, we stop to chat with A. Du or the other villagers.

Walking for the whole day is a little tiring, so we go to the Tiehua village to drink Taiwanese beer and listen to songs from the singers of east Taiwan.

Tiehua village was once an old hostel, but has since been modified thanks to the elaborate creativity of local artists. The unique interior is mainly decorated with iron, driftwood and bamboo. Some of the singers are members of the local ethnic minorities, while others are professionals who have won many awards in the past. Ma Shuyi, the coordinator of the village, introduces it to us.

"In east Taiwan, there are lots of singers who have won awards in the past. But for the local singers, they have to go to Taipei in search of real chances to develop their talent, because here the performance chances are limited. For this reason, we set up this kind of stage for people to perform on. Their performances always follow the popular styles, and mainly focus on creative work. The atmosphere here is excellent, thanks to the area's natural beauty and a collection of passionate people from different areas of the world. I think it's rather

Taiwan has its own special geological characteristics, made up from a variety of impressive and unique views.

And east Taiwan is such a place where people can experience the wonder of Taiwan's culture.

For CRI, this is Zhanghe.