‘Freedom’: the Taiwanese naturists defying social – and legal – norms while nurturing body positivity
Strictly speaking, public nudity is against the law in Taiwan. But one group holds monthly events where they can bare all without outside interference
In the mountains of Miaoli county, about an hour-and-a-half drive from Taipei, a group of friends have rented out all eight bedrooms and the lobby of a bed and breakfast. It’s a fairly remote area of Taiwan, surrounded by forest and 40km (25 miles) from Miaoli’s central railway station.
It’s where the group can embrace nature without any interference from the outside world, and here, that’s important; because here, everyone is naked.
Strictly speaking, public nudity is against the law in Taiwan, as it is, for the most part, in the rest of Asia. And while Taiwan is known to be among Asia’s most progressive places – it voted in the island’s first female president in 2016 and legalised same-sex marriage in 2019 – there are no private nude resorts or nude beaches, although there are some hot springs where nudity is allowed.
Naturism – as the practice is known – is more common in Europe, where Freikörperkultur (“free body culture”) has been an accepted and celebrated part of German society since the late 19th century.
In Britain, and in other parts of the world, the term naturist is usually preferred over nudist, because the former also encompasses a love of nature.
According to the International Naturist Federation, headquartered in Austria and the largest such organisation in the world, naturism “isn’t sexual” and is rather “a way of life in harmony with nature characterised by the practice of communal nudity with the intention of encouraging self-respect, respect for others and for the environment”.
In Taiwan, naturists call themselves tiāntǐ in Mandarin, meaning “celestial bodies”, and organise activities using their Line social-media app group “Return to Nature”, which currently counts 260 members.
The subculture was introduced to the island in the mid- to late 2000s and flourished as social media allowed people to network online.
The group’s events are held monthly and range from dozens of people meeting in rented spaces to small house parties of fewer than 10 people.
Members so far are all Taiwanese, with the confidential group chats written exclusively in Chinese – today’s Miaoli attendants have organised their au naturel retreat through Line.
The group’s moderator is fifty-something Keven Liao Tian-wei, from the southern port city of Kaohsiung, who describes himself as a semi-retired auto-parts dealer.
He first connected with the group “out of curiosity, and I fell in love with it after joining about 10 years ago”, he says.
“The original organiser stopped holding events for some reason, so our friends who lived in the south met for a party, and as a result, I started these activities. Naturism has been in Taiwan for at least 20 years and I believe it will continue. Even if one day I don’t host it, younger people will come forward to take over.”
While naturism can seem, at first, well, unnatural, after a while with the group in Miaoli, one forgets that no one is wearing any clothes. Today, about 20 men and 10 women attend, aged in their 30s to 70s.
Bare breasts and genitals are exposed, yet people speak to each other casually, lounging on sofas, cooking together in the kitchen or singing karaoke.
Everyone is here to have fun, but there are rules. No photos are to be shared online without consent, and if any are, faces are blurred. Sharing pornography is prohibited and violators will be removed from the Line group.
Liao also enforces rules forbidding public displays of sexuality, and he emphasises that harassment of female members is not allowed. Men often outnumber women at these events, so he does his best to make sure women feel comfortable and safe.
Return to Nature members are also required to attend at least one party every two months, in an attempt to keep out any interlopers.
Most of the women at the Miaoli event arrive with their husbands and the majority of attendees are couples, with several single men but few single women.
One couple is playing the saxophone, and Stephen Chang Tai-sho, from Taipei, is happy to introduce me, the only foreigner in the group, to his wife, Yen, and talk about their experiences with naturism.
An engineer and amateur musician in his late 60s, Chang “discovered naturism on the internet”, he says. “I liked it, so I researched it. I went to a nude beach in Florida the first time I visited there. I found this group on Twitter, and if we have a meeting, I will show up.”
Asked what he likes most about the lifestyle, he responds, just as several others do, that it’s simply the “freedom”.
I first attended one of the group’s events in 2023, at a hot-spring hotel in Wulai, in New Taipei, at a meet-up organised by Julia Fu Yong-en, a retiree in her 60s.
Hot-spring culture is popular all over Taiwan, but is usually gender-segregated. It may be traditional to go nude, but hot-spring locations will either separate men and women or require bathing suits in public spas.
However, that doesn’t stop some from renting out a hot spring for a private party and using it however they like.
Along with Liao, Fu has been organising activities for the group for the past decade. “I went river tracing [a combination of hiking, swimming and rock climbing] with friends 10 years ago,” she says. “I liked swimming, but the first time I wasn’t naked. The second time I enjoyed a waterfall, and took off my clothes. The men were respectful.”
She also spends much of her time at a farmland location in Sanzhi, north of Taipei, where some of the Return to Nature members have created their own unofficial nudist resort.
A small isolated farm full of chickens and vegetables, it hosts gatherings on weekends for meals and sunbathing. It was a sunny day when I visited, and the outdoor shower was refreshing.
There I met Tom Yang Hai-yang, who runs the farm. He spoke of his brother, Lu Yi, who owned the property and died in June 2023 at the age of 103. Lu “was the pioneer of naturism here”, he says. “Since then, Julia and I have worked hard to create this place.”
Like many others in Taiwan, Yang first experienced social nudity abroad. “I was living in New York in 1992 and visited a nudist beach in New Jersey. I came back to Taiwan in 2010, and a friend told me about [the nudist] activities in the south of Taiwan, in Kaohsiung.
“The people are very friendly. When we meet up, everybody is like an old friend. It’s like déjà vu.”
Tony Liu Chao-chun, a product designer from Taipei in his early 50s, joins Fu and Yang for lunch. He recalls his first experience of nudism: “I was studying Japanese in Japan, and I bought a magazine about hot springs,” he says. “I had some issues with my body, and I thought hot springs would help me become healthier, so I searched for it.
“When I went to the resort for the first time, the boss told me that in Japan we must be nude together. I was with strangers; I didn’t know them, but I learned to accept those customs.”
Back in Taiwan, he found like-minded souls on social media, and has been attending the Return to Nature meetings for several years.
Nevertheless, there are risks to becoming a naturist. EE Ruan Ren-zhu, an artist from Kaohsiung, is open about this part of her identity, which has caused some challenges.
She’s been featured in the Taiwanese media a number of times, sharing her story on multiple television shows and news outlets, but “most naturists don’t come out; they keep it a secret”, she tells me. “But when I do performance art, I am naked. So it was easier for me to be a naturist.”
The 65-year-old has been part of the naturist community since 2005. Unfortunately, not everyone in her family was accepting. “I came out to the newspapers, and TV. It’s hard for people to understand.
“My son, who was at university, told me, ‘How can I tell my girlfriend about you?’ I said, ‘That’s your problem, not mine.’”
The artist says she has always done things her own way. “My mother was a traditional woman. She worked so hard, and was so sad. It was the woman’s fate. I didn’t want to be like my mother. I wanted to be independent. I like the freedom.”
Yet when asked about the future of naturism in Taiwan, she is not optimistic: “I don’t think it will become more acceptable.”
As I explored the community from the hot springs of Wulai to the mountains of Sanzhi and Miaoli, I couldn’t help but notice that most of the naturists are in the older demographic.
Many were retired, and at least over 50. While young people tend to be more open-minded and progressive, it doesn’t seem the younger generations are as interested.
There are, however, some exceptions. Born in the late 1980s, Anne Chen Hao-an is a millennial, and one of the youngest people at the most recent event I attended. As with many of the others I speak to, she first experienced social nudism abroad.
“I went to Berlin in 2008. I didn’t really join in any [naturist] activities, I just saw them. It’s their daily life – they sunbathe or they go swimming without clothing. That was a culture shock, but I thought it was good.
“The main idea is body positivity, which is more important for females. Because women are so self-conscious about their bodies, it’s hard for them, and I wish they could appreciate themselves.”
People of all shapes, sizes and levels of attractiveness attend these events. If someone were to show up and expect to be aroused, they would likely be disappointed. But attraction is not the point.
Body positivity is about challenging social norms and accepting people regardless of perceived flaws, which is why these naturists are so comfortable in their own skin.
“We all play characters,” says Chen. “Clothing is like your weapon in society, but with nudity, you can take that away, and I think different kinds of bodies are beautiful.
“If people all looked the same, it would be so boring.”
Turtle Burn, Taiwan’s spinoff of the avant-garde art festival Burning Man, will take place over the Tomb Sweeping holiday
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2021/03/26/2003754519
In the mountains of Yilan, far from the confines of everyday life, people gather during the holidays to celebrate. Outlandish costumes are the norm. The fashion styles run from Mad Max-inspired outfits, to anime cosplay, along with colorful makeup and dresses for both men and women.
It’s time for the Turtle Burn, the official “regional Burn” of Taiwan. This is a spinoff of Burning Man, the world’s largest art and music festival held annually in Nevada. For one week a year, over 70,000 people camp out in Black Rock Desert to attend this seminal countercultural event. All over the world, there are also smaller regional Burns, and the Turtle Burn will be a more intimate affair, capping at 150 people.
Although the main Burning Man event was canceled last year due to COVID-19, the Turtle Burn did have a successful opening in 2019 and plans to continue annually. The latest will be from April 2 to April 5, over the Tomb-Sweeping Festival holiday weekend, at Shanlinciji campsite.
The site is filled with several “theme camps,” which groups organize in order to spend time with likeminded friends and to pool resources together. One is the Tavern of Truth, headed by Kate Panzica, which holds a free bar to give drinks to everyone who strolls by.
“Educating both foreigners and locals on the Ten Principles is a net positive,” Panzica says. “I think it’s great for folks to explore themselves and what they want to be in the ‘default world’ as well as a Burn.”
The Ten Principles of Burning Man, written by late founder Larry Harvey in 2004, are: Radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation, and immediacy.
These guidelines help to make the event stay as ethical as possible, and people are encouraged to clean up after themselves and promote sustainable living. Radical self-reliance refers to how attendees must bring their own food, cookware, tents and other camping supplies. People are encouraged to contribute to the culture by building their own artistic creations, whether individually or as part of a group. And after the event is over, they must make sure to leave no trace by cleaning up all “MOOP” — matter out of place.
For four days the Turtle Burn will hold a variety of workshops and activities. The gifting principle doesn’t just refer to handing out free drinks or personalized jewelry, although that is also common. It can also be expressed by giving one’s time by hosting workshops.
In the past, these workshops have included improv comedy sessions, where participants learn to play and practice their comedic skills, yoga classes for keeping fit, lip-singing performances, fashion shows on a makeshift runway and even impromptu puppet shows. Some camps contribute at meal-times, cooking pancakes or grilled cheese sandwiches to share with the entire community. At night, fire-dancers are a particular attraction of any Burn, dancing to the beat of electronic music and entertaining others as they express their craft.
“I was part of the Queen of Hearts camp,” said Michi Fu, sharing her experiences. “We had a shared costume closet with a full-length mirror to encourage radical self-expression through costuming. I sang with my furry, lavender bunny ears and turquoise silk robe and we all had hand-cranked ice cream.”
On the final night, tradition dictates that a wooden effigy is to burn. This started in 1986 at the very first Burning Man in San Francisco, as a symbol of how to keep the creative “fire” burning on even after the event concludes. At the Turtle Burn, a two-meter wide wooden turtle sculpture is scheduled to be set aflame. Dale Albanese, Taiwan’s official Burning Man contact, said of the installation: “There’s a sense of buildup and tension, and this sudden quietness and a collective shared spirit. You hear the oohs and the aahs at similar times. There’s a kind of shared attention. We’ve all been busy doing our own thing, and then there’s a pause. A reset. It’s also a moment to open up and say it wasn’t just about me.”
As 150 artists and performers gather their community together to continue the Turtle Burn tradition, they are also planning for next year and beyond. Tickets for this year’s event have already sold out but there is a waiting list. For more information, visit: turtleburn.com.
Traveling by motorbike from Chiayi city (嘉義) up to Alishan Mountain (阿里山) and surrounding villages in central Taiwan, during the Lunar New Year holiday
In April I went to the Spark Decompression. It was great, but in fact was was a practice run in leading up to last month’s amazing Turtle Burn!
This is the official regional Burning Man event for Taiwan, located on a campsite in the mountains of Yilan and featuring an array of activities including drag shows and fire-dancing. And a muppet serving waffles.
Please enjoy this video I made about my experiences, and for more information please check out: turtleburn.com
I was recently lucky enough to be involved in a regional Burning Man festival, a precompression in fact, here in Taiwan.
I haven’t been since 2008, and I can hardly believe an entire decade has passed. The epic art festival out in Black Rock Desert was a pivotal experience in my life, and I’d always wanted to go again. Or, at least, go to a regional Burn somewhere else in the word.
Luckily, there’s the Turtle Burn!
It was technically called the Spark event which I went to last week, a sort of dry-run rehearsal for the larger burn coming up this June. Over the past few months, I’d met up with the organizers a number of times as we discussed the values and plans for this local Burner community in Taipei.
(And what synchronicity that I just did some comics about my Burn years as well…)
At last, during the Tomb-Sweeping holiday weekend, all was set up. Bronwen and I bought some costumes, reserved a tent and other camping supplies, and volunteered to set up a figure drawing workshop.
Our journey began with a bus to the east-coast country of Yilan, and then we negotiated a taxi to take us up the mountain to the remote 杉林奇蹟 camping ground. Absolutely stunning scenery overlooking the ocean. The family that ran the site were totally supportive, and they even had the cutest beagle. Partying times or not, I definitely recommend the place to everyone.
With only about forty people, it was amazing how much of the true Burning vibe they recreated. There was a free bar to hang out at, only rule is to bring your own cup. And of course, other party favors. There was a dome with pillows for chilling out and massage, a mutant art car, and an outdoor dancefloor complete DJ set as projections lit up the forest. And at last, a bonfire for the final night.
The performances were excellent, with burlesque shows and drag queen lip-singing as well as an impromptu puppet show. Some of the workshops included sign-making for your own camp (we chose to be called Elf Camp as you can see), improv comedy, a modeling lesson, and more.
As per the whole gifting economy, we gave away popcorn and sparklers. Plus, our own contribution to the workshops was in the form of two figure drawing workshops. I’ve been drawing quite a bit of late, so I tried my best to teach the fundamentals of the human form while using various materials to create some hopefully quality sketches… And, it only seemed fair that I modeled myself!
On Sunday we all took down our stuff and cleaned up thoroughly. Leave no trace behind, as they say. A bus was organized to go back down the perilous mountain, and I must admit I was rather tired when I got home that evening.
I was so happy to share the Burning Man experience with Bronwen, and I think most of the “Burgins” there had a great time and valuable introduction to the ethos that make these the best festivals on Earth. I heartily thank all those who helped made this happen, truly the best crowd.
Now, I can’t wait ‘till June!
Check out the website for more information if you’d like to participate in the Turtle Burn:
https://turtleburn.com/
Video of my trip to South Africa last month, from Soweto to Cape Town. Featuring Two Oceans Aquarium, kite-surfing, penguins, lots of ducks, and I even drive…!
Honestly, still my favorite things about Japan
As some may know, I recently went to Japan with my lovely partner during the New Year holiday. It was a great opportunity to check out one of my favorite countries (and proximity is better than ever now living in Taiwan). Not to knock any other of the fascinating Eastern lands out there, but for my inner geek Japan will always be my first love…
It was my third time visiting, and Bronwen’s very first! In the month beforehand I brushed up on my old collegiate 日本語 studies, listening to audio lessons and dusting off the old phrasebooks. It turned out I can still surprisingly get by in survival Japanese at least, and I’ll never forget hiragana/katakana. Nowadays my Chinese is obviously much better, but I do know a lot of kanji even if I pronounce it wrong. Hence, I like to think I make for a decent Nihon guide.
In our planning stages we decided to forego the overwhelmingness of Tokyo, and instead opted for the more traditional city of Kyoto in the Kansai region. Sure enough it was a great place to explore, low-key and relaxed, and with a temple or shrine on every corner. Nijo Castle in particular stood out. And the Gion District was a cool place full of geisha stylings, and look how good she looks in a rented kimono!
(Note these Instagram links below are albums to flip through, so scroll all)
Later we went to Nara, which proved to be the first of our ‘animal friends’ series of photo ops. Nara is famous for it’s roaming deer, as you can see! Hundreds of them everywhere, what a sight. They are quite tame for the most part, except for a few selfish ones harassing tourists with bags of oranges, but basically one buys crackers from street vendors and all day they will safely feed from the humans. Lucky beasts.
It’s even advertised that they are polite and bow, but later I looked it up and they only “bow” because they think humans are about the head-butt them. Interesting facts.
The other main animal friends adventure consisted of going to the central shopping district of Kyoto for an amazing time at the hedgehog cafe!! Yes, the latest of the cafe trends is to play with super-cute hedgehogs. It was very popular and we had to reserve to get a seat.
I felt a bit bad, because our hedgehog was rather not into it. The workers there explained well how to treat the animals right, and it wasn’t uncomfortably exploitative or anything. Just slightly problematic what with the way the little guy kept wanting to run away into corners.
There was also an owl cafe in the area, but I can only handle so much cuteness.
New Year’s Eve was had partying, as it should be, at the rocker nightclub known as Metro. It was an excellent showing rotating live bands and DJs, with an almost retro 80s vibe to it. One band blew us away, they were dressed like boy scouts and absolutely insane. Made for a long night of ringing in 2018, and I hope I can maintain some optimism for the year…
I shouted out many a times: “明けましておめでとうございます!”
After going to the famous and beautiful Inari Shrine, and then the Toei Studios Park–which was somewhat of a lame tourist attraction and the anime section was pitiful but the samurai village was kind of cool and had horses–on the last day we were off to the nation’s second-biggest city of Osaka to absorb the whole futuristic Japan thing. Which is what I ultimately love about it there the most, though it did get very crowded. A city I visited over ten years previous, so nostalgic.
The bathhouses, the pretty light snow and the cold weather, the majestic mountains in the distance, calculating yen, the bullet trains, the heated seats, the soba noodles, the tempura, the lux toilets, the manga figurines, and the epic video game arcades. Experienced so much on this all too brief eight-day trip. And, she seemed to like it.
Until next time, Rising Sun land…
As I get used to living in and occasionally blogging about Taiwan, I have been trying to be as optimistic as I can get. But there are times when I have to admit certain challenges in changing locales, figuring out new ways to live, finding inspiration to write, and how I don’t always take it as well as I’d like.
Moving is always a bitch, even though in many ways going from PRC China to ROC China still contain many similarities. It’s not like I’m totally new to the whole Mandarin-speaking Asian country thing. And there are so many convenient things about Taiwan, from the high speed rail to those kiosks at convenience stores where you can pay phone bills and order taxis.
Also it’s quite clean. Taiwan is an incredibly efficient and well run little country.
But it’s not all good times, least not for me. Sure overcoming minor challenges is of course positive in it’s own right, of course, yet I’d like to take this time to share the slightly complainy perspective if you will.
There is the subject of transportation. On this I terribly miss Shenzhen. Even with all the China-police state crap, it was so easy (and so cheap) to get around by the subway or bus or hail a taxi. Taipei does have great public transportation, but I’m living a bit out of the big city for now… So that means a scooter.
I had to learn a new skill and everything. I was nervous at first, having zero experience with motorcycles. I was never the kind of expat to rent a motorbike and ride around Southeast Asia. I do like to bicycle, and I cannot say that’s the same. Now I am getting more and more used to zipping around town at 40-60 kilometers an hour, and the left turns are particularly tricky.
It is kind of awesome, actually.
Food. Not that Taiwan food isn’t great, as everyone knows. I mean, the night markets!
I just miss my life in Shenzhen when I could order in inexpensive Chinese food at any time of the day. The grocery stores are well stocked with domestic and foreign items here, and health inspection laws seem to be much better than in the mainland. It’s a great culinary delight to live just about anywhere in Taiwan.
I was however really used to my routine of ordering in tomato-eggs rice from the Hunanese restaurant, and vegetable curry from the cha chaan teng Hong Kong diner, and those peanut noodles from the little stands, and so on.
Currently I have more routines that I’m slowly getting accustomed to, which so far has mostly consisted of ordering inpizza from Dominoes. Soon I will learn better.
Meanwhile in Taipei, what’s better than discovering a One Piece-themed restaurant!!!
Travel is a blessing and a curse. I will probably take the high-speed rail to Taichung over the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival holiday weekend. Even though everyone says the nature and beaches are better along the east coast, which doesn’t have high-speed rail connection.
I was something of an expert at traveling in mainland China, if I do say so myself, that vast land with no end to history and tourist traps and epic cities and quaint villages. Etc., etc. I knew all the good websites to book guesthouses and where to stand in line for train tickets. Guess airbnb does work anywhere though.
It is amazing that the relatively small island of Taiwan contains so many places to go, and it will be years before I travel it all out. For now I am slightly intimidated on how to organize trips to new places.
I did enjoy taking the slow train to Fulong beach a couple of weekends ago; that wasn’t bad.
Then, there’s most important aspect of wherever it is I live: creative output.
Writing-wise, you see, I am in a bit of a rut.
I only got here fairly recently, and it takes time to get a feel for a place in order to write about with a sense of authenticity…
Do not expect a barrage of travel articles any time soon. I’m no expert on the place yet. Inspiration, for me, is more often a train of the slow-running variety.
Do stay tuned for a certain fictional writing project, which is far from ready to be announced and I will give away no hints as yet, but when the time comes then the time will come.
And also, the people. I don’t know too many here as of this writing. I know some. Honestly, the caliber of expat on average is a grade or so higher than many of those crazed outcasts who end up in China.
That’s just one of those things that happen when one moves, making friends can take time and all that.
It’s not that I’m super lonely. I am only a bit lonely.
That is what the internet is for.
Eh, mostly can’t complain.
Still, to everyone out there who’d like to keep in touch and maintain friendships and moreover check out Taiwan, please hurry up and come visit me!
Suffice it to say that I have been busy lately.
But not too busy to write a brief update on Week One of my new Taiwan life…
First of all, I cannot stress enough how much work it is to move. Moving indeed sucks But it’s a necessary part of life sometimes. All in all the move wasn’t that bad; it was the normal amount of sucking that one would expect when moving to a nearby country-not-country but still basically a totally different country.
In the weeks before leaving Shenzhen, much of my time was spent asking local convenience stores to donate me cardboard boxes so I could pack up everything. Eventually, I got about twenty boxes to stock up my books and clothes and boardgames and books and toys and comics and even some pillows/blankets but mostly books.
It was a highly heavy process.
On the second to last day, a local shipping company came by to take all the stuff. Later, they got back to me and said that it all weighed 266 kilograms.
It was a pretty good deal at 17 RMB per kilogram. If anyone is moving out from Shenzhen, I can happily connect you to these fine people. No they are not paying me to say that.
However, that was not the end. Still didn’t include my giant suitcase which I filled to the absolute brim. Plus there was my giant backpacker backpack, which they really shouldn’t have let me use as a carry-on for the flight.
Anyway soon came the last day, and Bronwen and I took a ferry from the new Shekou pier in Shenzhen and were off the Hong Kong airport. Thank goodness for those trolley things or I likely would no longer have a working spine.
The flight was only one and a half hours. Recommended as well.
Luckily, we got a driver at Taoyuan Airport out of Taipei, and were driven to Zhubei city which is in Hsinchu county. It’s not far from Taipei, and there’s a high-speed train for quick access, so though I am not a Taipei-er for now TPE will still be my airport of choice…
The next few days consisted of much shopping and organizing of the household and generally exploring the town. I have so far concluded that I like this place and I am happy to live here. The next on my checklist is a bicycle with which to further explore and get around.
Finally, several days later the packages arrived. Then more work.
Some books and stuff
Things seem to be stabilizing now. I plan to continue to keep myself busy here, and hope to achieve many a goal in the coming Taiwan-based years. Home is lovely, and I must admit I am feeling somewhat optimistic. Which is a rare feeling for me.
What the hell, I wholeheartedly and happily announce that I am into living here 😊
Well, wish me luck and please come visit anytime! (Americans note: You do not even need a visa in Taiwan)
And so now I conclude this brief update blog with a quick tour of the place:
Ray-Comics 