Among the County’s many offerings are scenic mountains, Ayatal aboriginal

handicrafts, fishing ports, Hakka cuisine, and historic towns with “Old Streets.”

BY MARK CALTONHILL

Almost every foreign visitor to Taiwan arrives at the Taoyuan International Airport, but hardly anyone spends more than 30 minutes in Tao-yuan County before heading quickly to Taipei. And even though Taoyuan County is just a short hop from the capital city and offers a wide range of cultural and natural attractions, most visitors’ second visit there is when they return to the airport for their departing flight.

The oversight is understandable, since most tourists rely primarily on others for information. One of the most popular guidebooks to Taiwan, for example, devotes a measly six pages to the whole county, and most of those are spent discussing accommodation and dining options in an “if you get stuck here before flying out” kind of tone.

Operators are standing by 24 hours a day not only to provide routine information on living in Taiwan but also to help with major or minor crises.

By Denis Dupée

Have a question about life in Taiwan? Call 0800-024-111, toll-free.

Thanks to word of mouth, as well as a heavy promotional campaign – including messages in numerous foreign-language publications, on signs in various public places, and even on the inside cover of Lonely Planet's Taiwan edition – most resident and visiting foreigners have presumably become aware of the existence of Taiwan's 24-hour “Information for Foreigners Hotline” with free service in both English and Chinese. Starting August 1, the hotline has also started to provide round-the-clock advisory service in Japanese.

A strengthened Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, incorporating nine new amendments, is due to come into effect in mid-January.

By Thibault Worth

Taiwan’s landmark tobacco control legislation is about to undergo its most sweeping overhaul since its creation 12 years ago. On January 11, 2009, nine new amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act will take effect – with more stringent regulations governing where people can smoke, what tobacco companies must reveal about their products, and how much lawbreakers must pay in fines.