DISCOVERING A FABULA FORMOSA

Popular lore recounts that when Portuguese sailors first saw Taiwan in the 16th century they were so struck by its magnificently lush and primordial landscape that they proclaimed it “Ilha Formosa” or beautiful island. Through the subsequent brief colonial efforts by the Spanish, the Dutch and beyond, Taiwan continued to be referred to as Formosa in the west until the early 20th century. Although we may never know the veracity of the legend of Formosa, the Taiwan we can still see now is undoubtedly a place of great beauty and very worthy of the moniker.

Taiwan today is a tapestry of cultures, peoples, and colonial influences marked by a complicated and often turbulent past lending to a bountiful supply of stories or, in keeping with the latinate origin of “formosa,” fabulae. Our goal at Fabula Formosa is to tell these fascinating stories from the perspective of artisanal production. In every corner of Taiwan that we have visited, there are artisans and creators who are unified in their pride of craft and informed by their collective history. We wish to share these discoveries with all of you, and we hope you’ll join us in partaking of this story of a beautiful land, of this fabula formosa.