Letter from Taiwan: life in the shadow of ‘The Bully’

The Grand Hotel sits on the outskirts of Taipei, at the edge of Yangmingshan national park. Overlooking the city, the 14-storey building is designed like a Chinese palace. It was built in the 1950s to host dignitaries when Taiwan was under authoritarian rule. Today it operates as a five-star hotel and is open to tours from the public. Photos of foreign leaders and celebrities who have visited are displayed on the walls: Bill Clinton in 1979; Elizabeth Taylor the same year; Nelson Mandela in 1993. If this were any other hotel, you’d think it was simply boasting about its clientele. But there is something far more poignant about this display – it is proof that Taiwan has been recognised informally over the years through the act of important people showing up. As the number of countries that formally recognise Taiwan keeps dwindling – now down to 13 – these framed, often blurry photos take on even more significance.

Another photo on the wall is of Margaret Thatcher, who first visited the island in 1992.