Economic Symbols:

Jade - In the 1950s and 1960s Taiwanese jade was a major export, with 90 percent share of the global jade market. Although Myanmar has since overtaken Taiwan as the world's largest jade exporter, the jade industry is still highly regarded in Taiwan which is why I chose a jade pendant² in the shape of Taiwan. To the chinese, jade is believed to be the most valuable of all precious stones. Jade objects have been used since ancient China to symbolize beauty & purity, prosperity & good luck, longevity & immortality. Because jade represents many desirable virtues, the word for jade ("玉 yù") is incorporated into many Chinese idioms and proverbs to denote beautiful things or people.

Coral - The ocean has been an inspiration to artists since the dawn of civilization so its no surprise that pearls and coral are among the first gems to be used in jewelry. Many civilizations in the east and west from Egyptian pharoahs, Gallic warriors, and even Japanese emperors believed coral to have magical amulet-like properties to ward off evil and danger. Taiwan is one of the major global exporters of processed coral along with Italy and Japan. Prices go up depending on coral size, quality, and the detail of the carving. I chose one intricately carved into a flower³ by a Taiwanese craftsman at the Jianguo holiday jade market.

Electronics - I've used a LED diode⁴ to mimic the Taipei 101 spire and also represent taiwan's electronics industry. Jade and Coral pale in comparison to the electronics industry which accounts for the majority of Taiwan's exports. The world's largest semiconductor chip maker is the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, making it likely that your home would have tech with TSMC chips in it!

Historical Symbols:

Founding Fathers⁵ - Sun Yat-sen is widely revered in both China and Taiwan as the father of modern china, who led the revolution to overthrow the Qing dynasty and as leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) served as the first president of the Republic of China. Chiang Kai-shek was a lieutenant of Sun Yat-sen who defeated the japanese in WW2, but subsequently lost mainland China to Mao Zedong's communist party. Sun Yat-sen and the Kuomintang soldiers retreated to Taiwan, ruling the island until his death.

Three Treasures⁶ - During the Kuomintang retreat from mainland China to Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek relocated many prized ancient Chinese imperial artifacts and artworks from the National Beijing Palace Museum to the National Palace Museum in Taipei. The most notable artifacts are the "Three Treasures" which are a century-old Jadeite Cabbage (white and green jade stone carved into a cabbage head), a Meat-Shaped quartz stone (layered brown jasper in the shape of dongpo stewed pork), and the Mao Gong Ding (Bronze Cauldron of Duke Mao). Miniature souvenirs of these Three Treasures are represented at the base of the Taipei 101 bottle.

Indigenous Inhabitants - Before china's ethnic han majority settled in Taiwan in the 17th century, it was the home of the Austronesian peoples. Taiwan's indigenous peoples have many recognized tribes, such the Atayal, Bunun, Tsou, Saisiat, Paiwan, Puyuma, Amis, Yami, and Rukai tribes. I chose the red, white, and black "Warrior Glory" bead⁷ from the traditional Paiwan tribe to represent Taiwan's indigenous people, which is not at all representative of all the diverse tribes, but chosen because the "Glory 荣耀" is similar to my chinese name.

Cultural Symbols:

Taiwan is a heaven for foodies with its trademark salty-sweet cuisine which has been influenced by successive eras of global trade, colonialism, and great power hegemony. Taiwanese food combines local indigenous spices like the maqaw mountain peppercorn, rustic herbal flavours brought by Hakka chinese immigrants, distinctive umami flavours from five decades of Japanese colonization, and even ingredients such as wheat, beef, and processed meats from American food aid after WW2.

Food is a huge part of culture and I've used the Pineapple Tart and Boba Bubble Tea to represent Taiwan's popular culinary exports. The pineapple tart is arguably the king of taiwanese dessert pastries, with people gifting it because the Hokkien word for pineapple is ong lai, which is homonymous to “coming luck,” and symbolizes wealth, fortune, and prosperity. On one of my trips to Taiwan, I visited the Vigor Kobo Pineapple Cake Factory and learnt to make these desserts and purchased their mascots, the Pineapple Tart King (鳳梨酥國皇) and Egg Yolk Cookie Queen (蛋黃酥皇后)⁸.

Boba, bubble tea, pearl milk tea, tapioca milk tea is a sweet beverage known by different names around the world but originated in Taiwan. The simplest version is made with milk, black tea, and springy, caramelized tapioca pearls shaken together and served with a super-wide straw. From there, the variations are endless, but all prize the presence of “Q” or "QQ" — that bouncy, gummy, rubbery, chewy texture that is loved in Taiwan.

Our bubble tea is being held by a black bear⁹ which I've included to represent Taiwan's pseudo national animal. Native to Taiwan, the formoson black bear (aka "moon bear") is a soft cultural symbol that Taiwan uses to distinguish itself from its larger mainland Chinese neighbour represented by the giant panda.

Reference: (1) Taipei 101 shaped water bottle found in Taipei 101; (2) Taiwan shaped jade found in Taipei 101; (3) Carved taiwanese coral found in Jianguo holiday jade market; (4) LED diode; (5) Sun Yat-sen & Chiang Kai Shek figurines; (6) Jadeite Cabbage (翠玉白菜), Meat-Shaped Stone (肉形石), and Ding of Duke Mao (毛公鼎) miniatures found in National Palace Museum souvenir shop; (7) Paiwan Tribe Warrior Glory Bead (勇士榮耀珠) and Taiwanese tribe figures found in Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village (九族文化村); (8) Pineapple Tart King (鳳梨酥國皇) and Egg Yolk Cookie Queen (蛋黃酥皇后) found in Vigor Kobo Pineapple Cake Factory; (9) Formosa Sun Bear and Bubble Tea magnet found in Shilin Night Market.