Lotus flower and coffee in Tainan

Hello everybody and welcome to "Time for Taiwan." My name is Michella Jade Weng.

Michella Jade Weng:
When traveling in Tainan and you see field after field of lotus flowers, you know you've come to Baihe. Today we're going to introduce to you an artist so inspired by these flowers that he has incorporated them into all of his work.

On nearly every canvas of paper, cloth, ceramic cup, pot, bowl, plate and vase, local artist Lin Wen-yue decorates with a lotus.

Lin Wen-yue, Artist:
The lotus flower grows from the thick, dark mud, then breaks through crystal clear water and opens up to the sky. It's a very mysterious feeling. It's as if the secrets of the universe are being shown to you, and done so naturally, too. That is the experience I grew up with.

While you're here, you can give lotus flower painting a try too, and take home more than just a memory, but a sense of beauty from Baihe.

Also worth a visit nearby is Tongshan, famous for its "Coffee Highway." Visitors can stop by for coffee-related cuisine, like espresso laced chicken soup with Chinese herbs, vegetarian sushi with ground coffee beans and fried tofu sprinkled with salt, pepper and coffee powder.

Not hungry? How about a just a nice cup of the addictive beverage then? During the occupation, the Japanese introduced small scale coffee farming in Tungshan. And now, just about each of the 24 cafes' owners along the highway grow and roast their own beans. Aficionados may find the flavors quite interesting, but for some people, watching the sun set over the Chianan Plains is more than enough reason to want to come back again.