SeriesInto Taiwan’s Beautiful Forests
Located about 107 kilometers from Japan’s Yonaguni Island, Taiwan lies in the Pacific Ocean in East Asia. Owing to its lush greenery and beautiful island landscape, it was once called “Formosa,” meaning “beautiful island” in Portuguese. Roughly the same size as Kyushu, about 60% of Taiwan is covered by dense forests. These forests are home to a remarkable diversity of …
Taiwanese Design Driving Innovation
Golden Pin Design Award 2025: Award Highlights
Winners of the Golden Pin Design Award 2025
NCM’s Sin-rin won a Design Mark in the Integration Design category of the Golden Pin Design Award 2025, organized by Taiwan’s Industrial Development Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Sin-rin was recognized for offering fresh perspectives on people’s relationship with forests through hands-on tree-felling (“lumberjack”) activities and partnerships with local municipalities. It was one of 429 Design Mark winners selected from about 2,300 entries.
The award website features Sin-rin as one of the representative Design Mark winners.
https://www.goldenpin.org.tw/goldenpin/en/winners/2577
At the Taipei Performing Arts Center (TPAC)
On December 5, 2025, we attended the awards ceremony at the Taipei Performing Arts Center (TPAC) to experience the vibrant energy of Taiwanese design today.
ESSENTIAL: An Experiential Dining Project
Among the 22 Best of the Year winners at the Golden Pin Design Award 2025, Sin-rin editors highlighted “ESSENTIAL,” by EMBERS, a restaurant in Taipei.
ESSENTIAL is an experiential dining project on sustainable marine resources. Through cuisine using 200+ fish species from Taiwan’s coastal waters, including underutilized fish, as well as installations, art, exhibitions, and product design, it raises awareness of ocean sustainability. Among the finalists, this was the only chef-led project to win the Best of the Year Award in the Integration Design category.
Michelin Green Star restaurant EMBERS reinterprets Taiwan’s rich landscapes and Indigenous food cultures through sustainable gastronomy. Its Taiwan-cedar bentwood bar by timber architect NK Kuo embodies this philosophy of green gastronomy.
Taiwan Design Research Institute
The Golden Pin Design Award is one of Asia’s largest design awards. drew about 2,300 entries from 28 countries in 2025. Before the awards ceremony, we visited its organizer, the government-affiliated Taiwan Design Research Institute (TDRI), to see how design is used to drive industrial innovation and tackle social challenges in Taiwan.
TDRI is based at Taipei’s Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, a former Japanese-era tobacco factory transformed into a vibrant cultural hub where historic architecture meets contemporary art, culture, shops, and galleries. The site has become one of Taipei’s most popular destinations.
The complex also houses TDRI’s Taiwan Design Museum and Not Just Library (known for its rich collection of design books), making it a hub for Taiwanese design culture.
Set in a former public bathhouse, the shoes-off library retains its tiled baths and offers books on design, photography, and art.
The Taiwan Design Museum’s winners exhibition used the theme “Spectrum of Scale,” comparing each work’s “weight,” “size,” and “tempo” across three venues.
Building a Better Society Through Design Thinking
Founded in 2020 from the Taiwan Design Center, TDRI leads Taiwan’s design policy as a platform for innovation across government and industry. Its work spans innovation support for small and medium-sized enterprises, regional revitalization through the Taiwan Design Expo, design thinking in public policy, and City Design Index measuring cities’ creativity and use of design.
Policy-level design projects increasingly address social challenges across education, transport, healthcare, tourism, industrial parks, public housing, elections, firefighting equipment, and public pictograms.
With strong public support and young creators’ experimental spirit, Taiwanese design is gaining global attention. The awards ceremony showcased its passion and energy. (On-site report, December 5, 2025)
SeriesInto Taiwan’s Beautiful Forests
Into Taiwan’s Beautiful Forests
Located about 107 kilometers from Japan’s Yonaguni Island, Taiwan lies in the Pacific Ocean in East Asia. Owing to its lush greenery and beautiful island landscape, it was once called “Formosa,” meaning “beautiful island” in Portuguese. Roughly the same size as Kyushu, about 60% of Taiwan is covered by dense forests. These forests are home to a remarkable diversity of …
“Achieving 100% FSC® Certification” Reveals a New Future for Taiwan’s Forestry Industry
In December 2024, all forests managed by Taiwanese authorities achieved FSC certification *1. The total forest area covered is approximately 1.6 million ha, about 71.5% of Taiwan’s total forest area. Just five years after the initiative began, Taiwan has reached the highest certification rate in Asia. What is happening now in Taiwan’s forests? We spoke with Director General Lin Hwa-ching …
At the forefront of Taiwan’s green forestry
To the Mysterious ‘Cloud Forest’ It takes about 30 minutes from Taipei by Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR). Hsinchu Station was bustling with people from early morning. This is the nearest station to the headquarters of TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), known as the world’s largest semiconductor foundry. TSMC employees commuting by high-speed rail streamed off the platform all at …
History of Taiwan’s Forests
Taiwan’s forests have long been intertwined with people’s lives, cultures, and economy, serving as a mirror of each era. Tracing the history of Taiwan’s forests reveals the path of those who lived with the forests through turbulent times. Prehistoric Era – Late Qing Dynasty Sustainable Forest Stewardship by Indigenous Peoples Since prehistoric times, Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples*1 have protected the island’s …
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“Achieving 100% FSC® Certification” Reveals a New Future for Taiwan’s Forestry Industry
In December 2024, all forests managed by Taiwanese authorities achieved FSC certification *1. The total forest area covered is approximately 1.6 million ha, about 71.5% of Taiwan’s total forest area. Just five years after the initiative began, Taiwan has reached the highest certification rate in Asia. What is happening now in Taiwan’s forests? We spoke with Director General Lin Hwa-ching …
At the forefront of Taiwan’s green forestry
To the Mysterious ‘Cloud Forest’ It takes about 30 minutes from Taipei by Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR). Hsinchu Station was bustling with people from early morning. This is the nearest station to the headquarters of TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), known as the world’s largest semiconductor foundry. TSMC employees commuting by high-speed rail streamed off the platform all at …
Into Taiwan’s Beautiful Forests
Located about 107 kilometers from Japan’s Yonaguni Island, Taiwan lies in the Pacific Ocean in East Asia. Owing to its lush greenery and beautiful island landscape, it was once called “Formosa,” meaning “beautiful island” in Portuguese. Roughly the same size as Kyushu, about 60% of Taiwan is covered by dense forests. These forests are home to a remarkable diversity of …
